Spirits industry veterans Rich Roberts and Daniel Undhammar hold Scotch whisky close to their hearts. After looking into innovative ways to create their own, the duo responsible for the revival of Polish rye vodka Wódka have perfected a versatile expression that’s meant to be enjoyed both solo and in cocktails: Harleston Green.
Luckily for Tampa Bay, Undhammar and Roberts’s locally based company, Edgewater Spirits, recently launched Harleston Green in Florida and 15 other markets: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Tennessee, plus Washington, D.C.
And it’s sort of fitting for the Edgewater Spirits founders to roll out a new blended Scotch, as they’ve previously worked with everything from Canadian whisky to Irish whiskey during their stints at Seagram’s International.
Harleston Green, the whisky, is made with 4- and 5-year-old Highland and Speyside single malts and grain whiskies aged four to 5 years. The booze pays homage to a 1786 congregation in Charleston, South Carolina, where a group of Scottish merchants met up at America’s first golf club, Harleston Green, to introduce the beloved outdoor game to the States.
Scotch fans can serve Harleston Green neat or on the rocks, as well as mix it into classics like the highball or Blood and Sand. In addition to versatility, the whisky sports an affordable price tag; depending on the market, a 750-milliliter bottle costs between $24 and $27.
Around town, Harleston Green has been involved with happenings like Sueños de Dalí and Buya Ramen's Hurricane relief-meets-Halloween event, Space Force Ghouls. The Scotch and its older sibling, Wódka, are also poured at several bars and restaurants in the area, including Buya, Copper Shaker, CW’s Gin Joint, Gratzzi Italian Grille, The Hall on Franklin, Hotel Bar, The Hub, Ichicoro Ane, Room 901, The Mandarin Hide and The Mill.
This article appears in Nov 22-29, 2018.