A New Whiskey Pays Tribute To Hillary Clinton

Looking to raise a glass to all the fabulously nasty women in your life? There's now a whiskey designed specifically for that. A female-founded craft distillery in Washington, D.C. has just launched Rodham Rye, a whiskey created in honor of Hillary Clinton.

Donald Trump's presidential election victory caught a lot of people off guard, including the owners of Republic Restoratives. In the run up to the 2016 election, Republic Restoratives co-founders Pia Carusone and Rachel Gardner began creating Rodham Rye, a whiskey designed and named for Clinton, a woman they thought was set to become the nation's first female president. Their original intent was to launch the whiskey sometime around the inauguration in the ultimate toast to empowering female leaders.

But then election night didn't end as everyone had assumed it would and Carusone (a former chief of staff to Rep. Gabby Giffords who reportedly campaigned for Clinton in Arizona) and Gardner decided production of Rodham Rye should be put on hold, at least temporarily, while they mulled over their options. Ultimately, the two distillers opted to forge ahead as planned with Rodham Rye, which is comprised of "a selection of whiskies that are stronger together than apart" (get it?).

Rodham Rye blends sourced 1-year-old and 3-and-a-half-year-old Tennessee ryes, which the distillers point out is the most resilient of all the grains used in whiskey production, one that "thrives in tough conditions." In a nod to Clinton's time as a New York senator, the whisky is cut to bottle strength with Adirondack Mountain spring water from Gardner's family farm in upstate New York. Rodham Rye is described as having "tastes of vanilla bean, cassia bark, pink peppercorn, kettle corn, and butterscotch."

Although named for (and heavily inspired by) Clinton, Rodham Rye is meant to be a celebration of all women. "It's a tribute to women in history, and a tribute to women in our everyday lives," Carusone told the Washingtonian.

Indeed, in announcing the launch of Rodham Rye, Carusone and Gardner called it "a tribute to the women who make us what we are today. From those who fought for the vote, and to end prohibition, our sisters and mothers, and women everywhere who speak out, take risks, and raise up the leaders of tomorrow."

Rodham Rye went on sale March 25 and is currently available online for about $70 a bottle. A portion of the proceeds from Rodham Rye will be donated to EMILY's List, which supports pro-choice Democratic women running for office at local, state, and national levels.