Black Button Distilling, the first grain-to-glass craft spirits producer in Rochester, N.Y. since prohibition, in partnership with the world-renowned Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, announce the release of a limited sonic-aged bourbon.

The Black Button Distilling and RPO Sonic Aged Bourbon was unveiled at the RPO’s concert on Wednesday Feb 15th at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theater in Rochester, NY. The evening was co-hosted by Music Director Andreas Delfs and Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik, the orchestra’s artistic leaders. Together they revealed September 2023-June 2024’s concert schedule, with excerpts performed by the world-class orchestra. Audience members were invited to join a post-concert cocktail hour featuring selected Black Button Distilling products as well as to toast the upcoming season with Maestros Delfs and Tyzik.

As portrayed in a short video screened at the unveiling, sonic aging involves playing a piece of music directly to the aging barrel, where the pulsating sound waves agitate the bourbon, making it more vibrant and flavorful. Black Button Distilling worked with the RPO to find a performance featuring accents of brass and percussion, as well as great highs in order to give the proper vibrations to the barrel.

The agitator chosen was the RPO’s own performance of Beethoven’s Egmont Overture, a recording made at its benefit Concert for Ukraine in Kodak Hall on March 12, 2022. A speaker was strapped to the head of the barrel and played the piece consistently for six straight months.

“While other distillers have chosen music from the likes of Metallica and Pearl Jam, Black Button Distilling specifically partnered with the RPO to bring a more refined and complex character to our bourbon,” Jason Barrett, Black Button Distilling Founder & Master Distiller, said in a news release. “We are excited for the local community to taste, listen, and experience the collaboration of our two great Rochester institutions.”

This special limited release is available only for purchase at Black Button Distilling (85 Railroad Street, Rochester). There are only 100 bottles available.

For more information, visit https://blackbuttondistilling.com/2023/02/15/sonic-barrel-aging-bourbon-worthy-of-a-standing-ovation/.