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Grand Rapids Stewards, kent county, Grand Rapids, MI (2026)

05/28/2026

🥃🔥 🔥🥃

Old Forester Single Barrel Barrel Proof
Rickhouse J7 • Barrel Strength • 129.9 Proof

First Heaven Hill, now Old Forester! We’re unapologetic Old Forester fans here. Few distilleries put more emphasis on consistency, process, and barrel management, and when these single barrels really hit, they can be some of the most characterful bourbons on the shelf.

This barrel comes from Rickhouse J7, and absolutely leans into the darker, richer side of the profile.

Rich and low on the nose, with maple syrup immediately leading as you approach the glass. Deeply savory aromatics follow, layered with an intriguing high note reminiscent of licorice root and claro cigar wrapper. Toasted almond and graham cracker crust add warmth and richness underneath.

The palate carries impressive depth and density, but never feels heavy. Subtle fruit lift moves through the middle and finish, adding brightness and contrast to the darker savory core. There’s a strong backbone of oak, spice, and concentrated sweetness running all the way through, giving the whiskey power and structure without losing balance.

🔥 Dense, layered, savory, and beautifully composed.

🥃 Available now at Cascade, Rockford, Knapp, and Gaines Township (and Traverse City, for you northerners!)

05/28/2026

🥃 STEWARD SELECT

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof — Summer 2026

⚠️ These are VERY different barrels.

Don’t assume one profile just because the label says Elijah Craig.

⸻

🔥 BARREL #7387116

H1 — Bardstown Main

9 Years 8 Months — 123.8 Proof

This is the “classic Heaven Hill” barrel of the group — and maybe the most complete.

H1 is part of the massive Bardstown aging campus, where seasonal temperature swings create some of the most recognizable Elijah Craig profiles: caramel, toasted oak, warm baking spice, and layered sweetness. But this barrel goes beyond textbook.

Think:

* Molasses cookies
* Gingerbread
* Bread pudding
* Burnt sugar
* Apple fritter finish

At nearly 10 years old, this barrel found the sweet spot between maturity and freshness. The proof carries authority, but never overwhelms. Everything is integrated.

👉 The whiskey equivalent of your favorite leather chair: rich, familiar, dependable, and somehow better every time you come back to it.

⸻

🍒 BARREL #7644255

H1 — Bardstown Main

8 Years 8 Months — 118.6 Proof

This barrel completely broke expectations.

In a lineup full of older and louder barrels, this one simply tasted the best to the room — proof that great Elijah Craig doesn’t always need to punch you in the face.

Lower proof by ECBP standards gave this barrel incredible accessibility and detail:

* Cherry paczki
* Sugar donuts
* Luxardo syrup
* Vanilla Cherry Coke
* Cinnamon candy
* Madagascar vanilla bean

Still unmistakably Heaven Hill, but softer around the edges and almost dangerously drinkable.

👉 This is the summer Elijah Craig.
Pour it neat. Add one cube. Put it on the deck with friends and watch the bottle disappear.

⸻

💥 BARREL #7395047

1E — Bernheim Rickhouse

9 Years 8 Months — 130.8 Proof

Here’s the monster.

Unlike the open-air Bardstown warehouses, Bernheim’s brick rickhouses in Louisville hold heat differently, producing barrels with enormous concentration, density, and texture. When Bernheim barrels hit, they hit HARD.

And this one absolutely does.

Dark, commanding, but somehow still lifted:

* Italian espresso
* Dark cocoa powder
* Fig jam
* Molasses
* Graham cracker
* Apple Newton
* Seasoned oak
* Pepper spice

At over 130 proof, this barrel has the broad shoulders ECBP fans chase — but it’s not just brute force. The structure is polished, layered, and deeply expressive.

👉 This is the “Father’s Day bottle.”
Big chair. Late evening. Good cigar. No distractions.

⸻

🏛️ WHY RICKHOUSES MATTER

Bardstown Main (H1)

The heart of Heaven Hill aging.

These warehouses produce the “classic” Elijah Craig profile:

* Caramel
* Spice
* Roasted sugar
* Structure
* Balance

The best H1 barrels tend to feel complete rather than flashy.

⸻

Bernheim (1E)

Totally different environment.

Brick construction and urban heat retention create:

* Bigger texture
* Darker sweetness
* Higher concentration
* Massive proof integration

These are often the barrels serious ECBP fans remember years later.

⸻

Elijah Craig is often called the bourbon that never stops overdelivering — and this year’s Steward Select lineup proves exactly why.

Available now at:

* Cascade ( #50)
* Knapp’s Corner ( #158)
* Rockford ( #226)

05/22/2026

Summer can start now

05/22/2026

Finally here… summer can start now

05/15/2026

Italy called. We answered. 🍷🌸
Meet Cantina di Gambellara Monopolio Pinot Noir — and yes, we’re fully aware Midwest summers don’t come with a Venetian hillside backdrop, but pour a glass of this and you’ll forget all about that for a minute.
This beauty comes from the Trevenezie IGT region in northeastern Italy, where the soil, the altitude, and centuries of know-how collide to make something quietly extraordinary. Think dark cherry, dried violet, a whisper of forest floor, and tannins so silky you’ll check the label twice. It drinks like a $40 Burgundy. It costs $14.99.
We said what we said. Grab two bottles. One for tonight, one because you already know how tonight ends.
Available now in Cascade, coming soon to Rockford!
🌿 Trevenezie · Veneto, Italy · 13% ABV
💜 Tasting notes: dark cherry · dried violet · forest floor · long, elegant finish
💰 $14.99 — and yes, we deserve this

05/15/2026

Meet Lucy. 🌸
Lucy Rosé of Pinot Noir isn’t just a great summer wine — it’s a story worth telling.
Born in California’s Santa Lucia Highlands, Lucy is the creation of Jeff Pisoni, whose family has farmed some of the most celebrated Pinot Noir vineyards in the country for three generations. The same obsessive, hands-on approach that defines Pisoni’s coveted estate wines — small lots, whole cluster pressing, hand-sorted fruit — goes into every bottle of Lucy. World-class farming. Honest price.
Expect a shimmering salmon hue, crisp strawberries, rose petal, ruby grapefruit, and a refreshing mineral finish that’s pure summer in a glass. ☀️🍓
And here’s what makes Lucy even more special: since its very first vintage in 2003, $1 from every bottle sold has been donated to breast cancer research. Over $125,000 raised and counting. For a lot of us, that’s not just a fun fact — it’s a reason to choose this bottle.
Great wine. Meaningful pour. Under $25.
Lucy is on the floor now. Go find her. 🌸

05/14/2026

There’s a reason Italian whites become the unofficial drink of the wine business once the weather turns warm.

Long lunches. Late sunsets. Seafood towers. Garden dinners. The wines we reach for aren’t always loud or obvious — they’re textured, mineral, nuanced, and endlessly drinkable. Few regions capture that better than Soave Classico.

The original hillside vineyards of Soave Classico sit on ancient volcanic soils east of Verona, where Garganega develops a distinctly savory edge alongside its citrus and orchard fruit character. Cantina di Gambellara’s “Monopolio” comes from historic hillside vineyards, where basalt-rich soils and cooling elevations preserve freshness and tension even in warmer vintages.

What makes this wine especially compelling is the way it balances texture with precision. Time on the lees builds depth and quiet richness, while the volcanic soils pull everything back into focus with a stony, almost saline edge. This is not simple poolside white wine — it’s Soave with structure, energy, and real personality.

Pear, white peach, citrus oil, almond skin, crushed stone, and subtle smoky mineral notes unfold layer after layer across the palate. There’s generosity here, but also restraint — the kind of balance that makes sommeliers quietly buy extra bottles for themselves.

And then there’s the value.

At $11.99, this may be one of the best white wine values in our Steward sections right now. The kind of wine that dramatically overdelivers for the price, and the kind seasoned wine people tend to buy by the case once summer arrives.

95 Points – Wine Enthusiast

Available now at Cascade and Rockford.

05/14/2026

Michigan finally remembered how to be summer. ☀️🌸🍷

Longer evenings. Patio conversations. Flowers waking up. A chilled bottle of rosé waiting for absolutely no special occasion at all.

There’s something about Côtes de Provence rosé that feels made for this moment — light, effortless, refreshing, and just a little romantic. The kind of wine that turns an ordinary afternoon into the good life.

“Summer in a Bottle” has officially landed, and warm weather never tasted so good.

Available now in Cascade and Rockford.

05/08/2026

🔔 BARREL ALERT‼️

The newest Steward Select Single Barrel has arrived — and this one comes from one of the most talked about warehouses in modern bourbon.

From the glass-walled Rickhouse E at Bardstown Bourbon Company, this Floor 2 selection was pulled from BBC’s signature 60% corn / 36% rye / 4% malted barley mashbill and bottled at a commanding 120.6 proof.

What makes Bardstown compelling isn’t just the whiskey — it’s the willingness to innovate in an industry that too often mistakes barrel finishes for creativity. BBC continues to swing for the fences with projects like Discovery Series, collaborative releases, experimental oak programs, and the now-famous Rickhouse E aging environment.

During our visit, we had the opportunity to spend time with CEO Mark Erwin the former Chief of Staff of the US Special OPs Command, whose leadership presence was exactly what you would expect from someone with that background — disciplined, focused, and deeply intentional — while still being incredibly warm and welcoming.

We also had the chance to speak directly with Master Distiller Steve Nally about the experimental glass-walled Rickhouse E concept and whether the additional sunlight exposure actually creates better bourbon. His answer was simple:

“We don’t know yet.”

That answer said everything.

They built it because they wanted to try something different. If the sun exposure ultimately proves detrimental, contingency plans already exist to buffer the glass. But the willingness to experiment, challenge convention, and openly pursue innovation is exactly what sets Bardstown apart right now.

And the whiskey absolutely delivers.

This barrel is oily, weighty, and deeply expressive on the palate, layering brown sugar, dark caramel, cinnamon, and warm fall spice across a rich, mouth-coating texture. Despite the proof, it drinks remarkably composed, carrying wave after wave of flavor into a finish that lingers for minutes with a classic Kentucky hug that reminds you exactly what great bourbon is supposed to feel like.

Available now at Meijer flagship Steward locations.

Grand Rapids Stewards

05/28/2026

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