The
Speakeasy
December 2021
Barrel proof stories straight from the
source.
Mash and Mosh
The Story of the 40th Anniversary of Anthrax and Hillrock Estate Distillery
When Scott Ian is smiling, the subject must be one of two things: Anthrax or whiskey. For the band, he’s reflecting on 40 years of music, moshing, and memories. When it comes to whiskey, he’s a veteran who knows his stuff and continues to blossom as a fully fledged whiskey geek. Talking about the mechanics of his whiskey geekdom makes his impish grin a little wider as he confidently states, “I’m really good at drinking the whiskey.” There’s a lot more going on there because the band has sold out their anniversary whiskey offering called Anthrax XL: The 40th Anniversary Limited Edition Solera Aged Bourbon by Hillrock Estate Distillery (Anthrax XL). This Metal Thrashing Madman has a lot to smile about.
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That’s where Hillrock Estate Distillery comes in as the producers of the whiskey. Cathy Franklin and Jeffrey Baker are the perfect pairing with Scott to make whiskey magic. Jeffrey is focused and exacting as he speaks; he is the driving force behind making the whiskey. Cathy is articulate and creative; she is the momentum that refines and propels the product to market. As a husband and wife, they agree on one thing, “We are ‘partners in crime’, so to speak.” As the heart and soul of a premier distillery, they are truly the First Couple of American Whiskey. Together, their combined love of whiskey has created one of the best partnerships between music and whiskey.
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Anthrax: Legendary Status Achieved
Somewhere on the mean streets of New York in 1981, the band Anthrax was born. In the ensuing 40 years, there have been 11 studio albums (which have sold over 10 million copies), 26 singles, world tours, groundbreaking collaborations, and the well--deserved adoration of fans around the globe. They are leaders in the genre of thrash metal and serve as one of the Big 4 (along with Slayer, Metallica, and Megadeth). At this point, it’s not about competition… it’s about relishing in the rarified air of being legends.
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Legends: that’s a bold statement. Need proof? Well, Anthrax is the first metal band to be played on Mars – it was “Got the Time” off their fifth studio album Persistence of Time. That’s right, little green men on the surface of Mars moshed to Anthrax. Fine, that last part is made up – but the rest of it is true. Scott is pleased with the cred, “Yes, Anthrax was the first metal band played on Mars. What does that mean in the grand scheme of things? I don’t know, but it was cool. I get a kick out of the fact that the band name was mentioned in an article from NASA.”
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Forty years is a long time for any venture, and it’s a milestone worthy of a proper celebration. For fans, there are quite a few opportunities to celebrate with them. First, Z2 comics is releasing a graphic novel titled “Among the Living” that features an all-star lineup of writers (including Scott Ian himself, along with Corey Taylor, Rob Zombie, and Brian Posehn) and artists (including Charlie Benante, J.G. Jones, Eric Powell, and Darick Robertson). It’s a graphic novel adaptation developed around the studio album of the same name. In fact, the band just wrapped up a day of panels and signings at the 2021 New York Comic Con to promote the release.
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Next, Anthrax asked Chuck D (Public Enemy) to interview the core members for Revolver Magazine in the Summer 2021 issue. As a collaborator, Chuck D was a brilliant choice to reflect on the groundbreaking journey of the band and their transformation into bona fide icons in the music world.
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Of course, no celebration would be complete without a tour. The band has been playing festival dates in the US in 2021 and will embark on a tour of Europe in Fall of 2022. It will be 28 dates across 16 countries and will begin in late September and end in early November.
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Fans can also engage with the book written by Frank Bello called “Fathers, Brothers, and Sons: Surviving Anguish, Abandonment, and Anthrax”. It’s filled with stories from his life as a touring and recording musician. It’s an unflinching look at the tragedy and triumph in his life.
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We would be remiss if we didn’t engage Scott about new music from the band and he responds, “There has been writing, but there is no set release date yet. We made a decision to not have deadlines because it just didn’t make sense. The music business and touring doesn’t revolve around a new album anymore.” He’s right, legends can release new music when they are damn well ready to do so.
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Finally, there is a centerpiece of the celebration: Anthrax XL: The 40th Anniversary Limited Edition Solera Aged Bourbon by Hillrock Estate Distillery. There is a great story to tell about the collaboration that made this a reality. We know the Anthrax story, now let’s discover the distillery.
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Photo Credit: Hillrock Estate
Hillrock Estate Distillery: History, Tradition, and Craftsmanship
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A little over 200 years ago, New York was the center of the universe in terms of barley and rye farming. The Hudson Valley was the nexus for abundant, high--quality grain, and the distilleries of the region were famous for their own unique terroir. Unfortunately, Prohibition forced these distilleries to close, and this era came to an end.
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This is where Hillrock Estate Distillery comes in: they are on a mission to produce the finest field--to--glass spirits in the world. They grow their own grain, it is floor malted on premise, craft distilled in their copper pot still, then aged in fine oak, and hand bottled on the estate. They take terroir very seriously, and it involves every step in the process. The quality of their product speaks for itself.
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The centerpiece of the estate is a Gregorian house from 1806 that has been painstakingly restored to its original glory. It is living history. When asked about the house, Jeffrey Baker beams with pride as he tells the story “Just imagine back to 1806 and look at the fireplace behind us, this was the center piece of the house. It was built by a Revolutionary War Captain who became a successful grain merchant after the war. As we began the reconstruction, we did a lot of research on the region to guide us.”
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Jeffrey continues, “The rich history of the grain famers became our inspiration for starting Hillrock Estate Distillery and from there we committed to the ideal of growing our own grain and making the whiskey from it. The terroir driven nature has been exciting for us to capture. We have, effectively, been making individual field whiskey for over a decade now. It’s been an exciting collaboration.” Cathy Franklin adds, “It’s really important to us that we stay consistently very true to what we are.”
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Without a doubt, they are a powerhouse couple that is deeply committed to a vision and working tirelessly to achieve it. It’s paying off. Their lineup of whiskey is not short on accolades. The Solera Aged Bourbon has won 5 Gold medals, 5 Double Gold medals, and 2 Platinum medals. The Estate Single Malt has earned 5 Gold medals, 2 Double Gold medals, and many 90+ point reviews. Finally, the Estate Double Cask Rye has garnered 6 Gold medals, 5 Double Gold medals, and 2 Platinum medals. The path to greatness is not always easy, but they make it look effortless.
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There is one other remarkable thing about Hillrock Estate Distillery. About a decade ago, they brought Dave Pickerell on board just after he’d left Maker’s Mark. He created their mashbills, established their protocols, and set very high standards for quality, integrity, and innovation. His untimely passing in 2018 was a shock to many in the industry, including Jeffrey and Cathy. They cared deeply for their partnership and still follow his processes very closely. In fact, the copper still they use was the last one he designed. On their web site, there is a touching tribute to him as they still consider him to be a member of the team. He’s watching over them with pride.
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History, tradition, and craftsmanship are all core values to the distillery. The best is yet to come from this incredible operation.
For Scott Ian, Hillrock was an easy choice for Anthrax to partner with. Their common ground starts with New York, and runs through their creative spirit, and dedication to their craft. From there, it was easy for them to form a friendship beyond the business.
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Photo Credit: Omar Mendez
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Mash and Mosh: The Best Partnership in the Business
For Scott Ian, Jeffrey Baker, and Cathy Franklin, what started as a mutual love of whiskey evolved into a true friendship. Cathy immediately calls out her admiration of Scott both on and off the stage, “What I love about working with Scott on these barrels is that he’s a fabulous songwriter, and one of the greatest rock stars in the world. He is an incredibly creative soul in so many different aspects. When tasting the barrels, he has a reason for liking everything and he has a fabulous palate. He’s way beyond some of the other people I’ve worked with.”
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The chemistry is tangible between the three of them. According to Cathy, Scott and Jeffrey are fabulous cooks. She laughs and states, “I don’t want to cook or clean up. I’m just so happy to eat the food they create, and drink whiskey with them.”
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For the 40th anniversary of Anthrax, Scott knew he wanted something tangible to mark the event. He knew exactly what he wanted to do, and Hillrock was able to deliver. He has the bottle with him and is introspective for a moment as he contemplates what it means to him, “For us, 40 is a big milestone. So having this relationship with Cathy and Jeffrey made it a no--brainer. We were going to celebrate by drinking, so why not drink your own stuff? On a personal level, I wanted to be able to hold this tangible thing in my hand and see the XL (roman numerals for 40) on it… and it feels great to me. We’re in a place where we can do this as a band and share it with our fans. I’m like a kid in a toy store with this.”
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Scott reflects back on the process and his own journey into whiskey, “We wanted to work with a New York distillery, and I picked Hillrock in a blind tasting. The first time I visited the distillery, I came out with some friends. Cathy and Jeffrey hosted us for a tasting and dinner. I knew nothing about whiskey tasting at the beginning. The first time I showed up at Hillrock, I was pouring heavy and after tasting two of them I was wondering how I was going to get through the 8 we had in front of us. I didn’t know if I had a great palate, but I did know what I liked and what I was looking for. To me, Jeffrey is the master. He’s the sommelier who can break it down well. I’m much more of a caveman when it comes down to it. I ended up picking the one that was the most drinkable to me. In the past, we had done two ryes, so I wanted to go with a bourbon for the 40th.”
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Cathy is quick to credit Scott for his talents in choosing whiskey, “When you chose Evil Twin 1 and Evil Twin 2, you nailed the maple profile. Then, you found the caramel in the mix. I thought your tasting notes were right on.” Furthermore, Cathy recalls Scott being a part of the process to decide how long it remained in the finishing barrels (Oloroso Sherry).
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After the initial visit, Scott was invited to return with his family. He did return, and a true friendship began to blossom over great whiskey, good food, and lively conversation. It’s the true essence of whiskey and this is a great story. They truly get along as friends and it shines through in their interactions. In the crowded landscape of bands releasing whiskey, the Anthrax/Hillrock partnership is the best in the business.
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When we last spoke to Scott in March of 2021, he was going to roll up his sleeves and get to work in the distillery. He recalls that we discussed it and responds, “Yes, I keep threatening to do that, but then it’s really nice to sleep in when I can. One of these times, I’m going to I just need to make sure I’m ready to get up early that day.” We make a very clear offer to cover that day for a future feature.
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We’ll keep up with that potential story!
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Photo Credit: Omar Mendez
Photo Credit: Hillrock Estate
An Unfinished Story with More to Come
The partnership between Anthrax and Hillrock Estate Distillery is just getting started. Anthrax XL sold out in one hour, so there is plenty of opportunity to collaborate again in the future. We will see many more offerings from the partnership. Their collaborative process is rooted in their friendship and Scott states, “We’ll be in upstate New York over the holidays, and we will visit the distillery. Just like the other bottles we’ve produced, the ideas come out of our social gatherings and conversations. We talk about the possibilities, and it becomes a reality.”
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What started as a mutual love of whiskey paved the way to a fruitful business relationship. Scott, Jeffrey, and Cathy becoming friends is the icing on the cake. Their passion for craftsmanship, mutual respect, and incredible friendship makes just about anything possible for them. The sky is truly the limit.
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Jeffrey thinks Scott should set his sights on space or maybe even Mars, “For the 50th anniversary of the band, maybe you could travel to Mars and actually play live there.” Scott seems open to the potential, “I’ll need to get a hold of Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos to see if I can get on one of their rockets. Even if it’s just to a space station. I wonder what it would sound like up there banging a drum or playing guitar.”
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Space and Mars may or may not get the chance at moshing to a live Anthrax show, but one thing is certain: we will be back here on Earth enjoying some of the finest whiskey ever made. With the Metal Thrashing Madman and the First Couple of Whiskey coming together to make more magic… great things will continue to happen.
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We can’t wait to taste more!