Earlier this year, I was delighted to learn that my grandfather’s whiskey had won some very prestigious awards. It began with a Gold Medal from the 2025 Bartender Spirits Awards, for Knobel Tennessee Whiskey, (the original juice.) That was followed by another Gold Medal from the Denver International Spirits Competition, this time, for our Rickhouse Edition.
I didn’t say anything at the time, partly because I hate to brag, but mostly because the man who deserves all the credit for creating this award-winning hootch prefers to remain anonymous. The fact is, this immensely talented
distiller – let’s call him “Ezra” – who graciously agreed to make me a whiskey worthy of my grandfather’s name, also works for another label – a very famous label that would prefer not to see their distiller’s name associated with a superior brand. Thus, it’s not possible for me to properly acknowledge “Ezra’s” extraordinary skill, or credit him for all his success. Which is becoming a 
real problem, because the Gold Medals keep rolling in, and I need somebody to thank!
Pictured here, in a hasty photoshoot conducted on the roof of my office in Santa Monica, are the receipts for Ezra’s latest handiwork. A Double Gold Medal for our Knobel Barrel Strength Whiskey, and another Double Gold Medal for our Rickhouse Edition, which we can barely keep on the shelves. Both of these awards came from the ADI, The American Distillers Institute, who does not offer these kinds of accolades casually. In other words, Ezra is crushing it!
Since I can’t acknowledge Ezra properly, I thought the least I could do is proudly pose with his award winning juice, and thank all of you for helping us raise a tidy sum for mikeroweWORKS with every online purchase. What started as a modest fundraiser for a foundation inspired by my grandfather, has become an Gold Medal whiskey. I also want to thank and congratulate my partners, Denise and Volker, who first introduced Mary 
and me to Ezra, and got this delicious whiskey out of the cask, into the bottles, onto the shelves, and perhaps, into a cabinet in your home. You can pick one up at Knobelspirits.com.
Cheers,
Mike