Michael Steinkamp of Arnold recently released the second selection from his new business, Investment Whiskey.
He released the new selection, called Investment Whiskey Finished in Madeira Cask, on Dec. 9 at ABV Barrel Shop, 6 Fox Valley Center, in Arnold.
Steinkamp’s company released its first product, Investment Whiskey Finished in Port Cask, on Nov. 18 at the ABV Barrel Shop.
“It was such a good time,” said Steinkamp, a 53-year-old financial adviser, of the Nov. 18 release party. “We had a fantastic turnout. We had really good sales, not only of the bottles, but we also sold T-shirts, hats and glasses. It was a great day.
“What I liked was the feedback from whiskey drinkers was, ‘Wow, that is really good.’ Non-whiskey drinkers said, ‘That’s OK; I can drink that.’ That is not something you always hear from non-whiskey drinkers.”
Before becoming a financial adviser, Steinkamp was a band teacher at Ridgewood Middle School and an assistant director for the Fox and Seckman high schools marching bands from 1995 to 2002.
Steinkamp said he has been a financial adviser for 15 years and started Amicus Wealth Partners, 10805 Sunset Office Drive, in St. Louis County, in 2022.
“I own (Amicus Wealth Partners), and it has gone really well,” he said.
Steinkamp, who also plays bass in The RetroNerds band, said he has enjoyed whiskey and bourbon for a while, but he became more passionate about the product over the past three years.
He also said his interest in the whiskey and bourbon business grew once ABV Barrel opened in July 2022.
“They bring some really good bottles, and they have the education side with them, bringing in distillers and master blenders,” he said. “It has really helped me learn a lot more about whiskey and bourbon.”
Steinkamp said he began planning to start his Investment Whiskey venture in May and attended Moonshine University in Louisville, Ky.
“I became an executive bourbon steward,” he said. “It is a full-day class that you take a test at the end to be able to use that title.”
Steinkamp also started a business relationship with Royce Neeley from Neeley Family Distillery in Kentucky.
“He is an 11th generation distiller,” Steinkamp said. “He lines up barrels for me to taste. I pick out the ones I like.”
After Steinkamp selects whiskey barrels, he then has the whisky aged longer in specific casks.
For his first release, the whiskey, which already had been aged for five years, was stored in a port wine cask for 10 weeks. The blending of the whiskey in the wine cask creates a unique flavor.
A statement announcing the release of Investment Whiskey Finished in Port Cask describes the whiskey flavors as sweet vanilla, raisin and butter brickle candy, stone fruit, tobacco, leather, grains, herbal, citrus, honey lemon and port wine.
After the barrel of whiskey is ready in Kentucky, it is packaged and shipped to a warehouse in Arnold. Steinkamp said 302 bottles were produced from the port cask.
“It is really good whiskey that Royce distills,” Steinkamp said. “He makes great stuff to start with. We take the best barrels that he has and put (the whiskey) in a port cask, which still has a little bit of wine in it. The blending of the two give it a unique flavor profile.”
Steinkamp said the process of creating Investment Whiskey Finished in Madeira Cask was similar to the Investment Whiskey Finished in Port Cask, except being stored in a Madeira wine cask. Whiskey matured in a Madeira cask typically picks up the spice and fruitiness of the wine, according to whiskey.com.
Steinkamp said about 270 bottles were produced from the Madeira cask.
“Each barrel is different,” Steinkamp said. “When you talk about a Jack Daniels, they blend 10,000 barrels to make sure Jack Daniels always tastes like Jack Daniels. Investment Whiskey is a one off. There is only one time you will be able to get a flavor profile.”
Steinkamp said he plans to release four whiskey products each year. He said each bottle his company creates will typically cost $149.95.
Steinkamp said he will release a port-cask whiskey every year, and the other three releases will vary.
“We will always have a port because that is my favorite,” he said. “The rest will change quite a bit. The lineup for next year is exciting, but I am not ready to give that out yet.”
