POULTNEY, VT — Have you ever tasted a nearly 100-year-old spirit? A century may have once seemed impossible to consume in one snifter. But now — compliments of an innovative spirits maverick — you can finally mix a cocktail with time itself. 
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BHAKTA Spirits, the world’s preeminent House of Vintages, announced today the national debut of its new flagship spirit, BHAKTA 1928 (SRP $69). A boundary-breaking blend of straight rye whiskey, XO Calvados, and ultra-aged Armagnac named in honor of the most ancient vintage contained in each bottle, BHAKTA 1928 unifies America’s finest rye with France’s two most exquisite brandies. 
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Building from a bold base of 2018 vintage American straight rye whiskey (60%), the blend is then enriched with XO Calvados (30%) — adding deep age and complex layers of rich, juicy fruit. But it’s the final fortification of ancient Armagnac from the über-rare 1928, 1941, 1962, 1973, and 1996 vintages (10%) which transport BHAKTA 1928 into unprecedented territory. 
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Upon composition by French Master Blender Bernard Domecq — a 50-year career stalwart of the House of Vintages himself, and one of the spirits world’s most unsung masters — BHAKTA 1928 undergoes a double cask finish in virgin French oak. While the spirit’s total average age registers an impressive 15 Years, 30% of its blend is over 30 years old, 5% is over 50 years old, and its oldest vintage clocks in at nearly 100 years old. 
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Call it “whiskey, perfected” — through the magic touch of Armagnac. And while the mystical properties of this ancient eau-de-vie have been studied by scholars and spiritualists since 1310, not until today have its powers of transubstantiation been brought to bear on rye whiskey; through the alchemy granted by the ancient 1928 vintage, this spirit literally channels the Roaring Twenties. 

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It also serves as a liquid chronicle of numerous other epochs: America’s entrance into WWII, and subsequent triumph over Fascism (1941); the dawn of the Space Age (1962); and the “Golden Anniversary” vintage of a year that changed our nation forever (1973). BHAKTA 1973 Armagnac (SRP $399) was recently named in the “No. 1 Spirit in the World” for 2023 by top critic and global spirits authority F. Paul Pacult. 
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It comes as no surprise that rye whiskey, the calling card of BHAKTA Spirits Founder Raj Peter Bhakta, forms the core of the brand’s new flagship spirit. Arguably the most category-defining spirits entrepreneur of the 21st century, Bhakta proved his place as a pioneer with the phenomenon of WhistlePig Whiskey, through which he instigated a national rye renaissance. Now he’s ushering the world of drinks into a new Roaring Twenties. Only BHAKTA has the boundless stocks of ancient brandy necessary to offer this landmark release conjoining the past, present, and future of spirits. 
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After successfully exiting WhistlePig, Bhakta set out on a global odyssey in pursuit of the world’s oldest spirits. His quest culminated in the cellar of a storybook château in a majestic but overlooked corner of French countryside where he unearthed an ancient trove of Armagnac boasting nearly every vintage back to 1868. 
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He parted with a small fortune to possess it. Today, by offering BHAKTA 1928 at scale and at less than $100, he’s throwing the party of the century — and all of America is invited. 
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“Have you ever tasted a nearly 100-year-old spirit?” asks BHAKTA Spirits Cofounder Leo Gibson. “The ultimate distillation of the Roaring Twenties, BHAKTA 1928 channels the unbridled optimism, unstoppable boom, and ‘extraordinary gift for hope’ — as F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote of fictional tycoon Jay Gatsby — that defined America’s most iconic era yet. BHAKTA 1928 offers consumers the chance to enjoy a spirit of astounding age for a genuinely jaw-dropping price, directly from the visionary creator of the modern rye category himself.” 
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There’s no doubt the present day could use its own magic touch of the spirit of 1928. Consider the original Roaring Twenties: peace reigned, fortunes were made, and “the war to end all wars” was over at last. America found its footing on the global stage. Drinks flowed freely; dance crazes swept the nation. The scene was set with flappers, Packards, dapper gentlemen, and a defining and inspiring character in the form of Jay Gatsby. It felt like the party would last forever — and now it can, through BHAKTA 1928. 
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“Since long before I founded WhistlePig, my quest to perfect whiskey has been the absolute focus of my career,’” says BHAKTA Spirits Founder Raj Peter Bhakta. “Beginning with a base rye superior to almost any I’ve created before, BHAKTA 1928 finally achieves the dream of whiskey, perfected — through the transubstantiation granted by a magic touch of 1928 Armagnac. Isn’t it time we brought back the spirit of the Roaring Twenties? Let the new boom times begin.” 
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So we blend on, barrels against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. But forget Fitzgerald’s fiction for now. Raj Peter Bhakta has returned to rye.
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For more information about BHAKTA Spirits, BHAKTA 1928 and its national launch activations, and Raj Peter Bhakta’s media availability, please contact Andrew Lohse at andrew@overtonandassociates.com. 
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About BHAKTA 1928 (SRP $69) 

Have you ever tasted a nearly 100-year-old spirit? BHAKTA 1928 is a blend of our bold and spicy straight rye whiskey from the 2018 vintage, enriched with XO Calvados and fortified with rare Armagnac from unquestionably old vintages — including our 99 point-winning 1973, critic Paul Pacult’s 2023 “No. 1 Spirit in the World,” and a magic touch of transubstantiation courtesy of pure 1928, one of the rarest and most valuable vintages in our library. 
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● WhistlePig Founder Raj Peter Bhakta’s return to rye 

● 1928 in every bottle — a literal distillation of the Roaring Twenties 

● Featuring BHAKTA Spirits’ 99 point-winning, “No. 1 Spirit in the World” 1973 Armagnac ● Double cask finished in virgin French oak 

● 5% over 50 years of age 

● 30% over 30 years of age 

● Average age of 15 years 
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Tasting Notes 

● Aspect: Golden orange 

● Nose: custard, caramel and vanilla 

● Palate: oak, vanilla and spice 

● Finish: lingering oak and mellow tannins 
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About BHAKTA Spirits 

BHAKTA Spirits is the world’s preeminent House of Vintages. Founded by visionary entrepreneur Raj Peter Bhakta — also the founder of WhistlePig Whiskey — BHAKTA offers a luxury craft spirits portfolio of limited release Single Vintage whiskeys, brandies, rums, and more, anchored by its ancient and awe-inspiring Armagnac holdings dating back to 1868. An innovator in the experiential hospitality space on a quest to help guests “Find Their Spirit,” BHAKTA’s destinations include historic properties in France, Vermont, and Florida. BHAKTA Spirits is headquartered on its BHAKTA-GRISWOLD Campus in Poultney, VT, the former site of Green Mountain College.