Rites of Passage

Rites of Passage is the newest brand from Epicurean Selection, a company created in 2015 to reflect the spirits that most beguiled its founder, Jonathan Read, an industry veteran with a combined 30-plus years of experience as a chef and wine & spirits consultant. After Read spent years hand-carrying bottles to the US from abroad, Epicurean Selection imported its first brand in the beginning of 2020, bringing Kikuhime Sake stateside to much acclaim. Single Malt Scotch, however, was a category that captured the company’s imagination from the start.

Over recent years, Epicurean Selection has observed that whisky provenance has become increasingly obscured in favor of brand narratives while the average age statement on any given release has decreased. Though younger whisky may be a natural reflection of the category’s success and subsequent demand, Epicurean Selection seeks out whiskies that represent the industry’s earlier standards, acquiring exceptional casks that can be further treated in their country of origin, aged no less than 12 years, and bottled at cask strength. The result is the Rites of Passage Cask Selection Series.