PIQUA — What do you get when you mix Watershed Bourbon and Winans chocolates? Bourbon Cherry Cordials of course—now available for purchase at all Winans stores, online and at Watershed Distillery’s bottle shop—just in time for the holidays.
The candy maker soaks maraschino cherries in bourbon for three months and then coats them in Winans family-recipe fondant, made with Watershed Bourbon. Each cherry is then covered with Winans premium dark or milk chocolate and topped with a white chocolate drizzle. The retail price is $34.95 per pound.
“We are committed to supporting local businesses by making our chocolates and coffee with locally sourced ingredients whenever possible,” shares Wilson Reiser, CEO of Winans Chocolates + Coffees. “We’re big fans of Watershed so this partnership was really a no-brainer for us. We can’t wait for people to experience these Bourbon Cherry Cordials.”
“Since our inception in 2010, Watershed has truly championed the idea of building up the community and supporting those who support us,” adds Greg Lehman, CEO of Watershed Distillery. “Working with other brands who value that sort of commitment as well is always a priority for us, and we are grateful to Winans for the partnership.”
Now in 21 locations, Winans Chocolates + Coffees is a family-owned company that has been inspiring moments of joy for over 60 years.
Beginning in October 1961, Max and his older brother, Dick, opened Winans Carriage House Candies in a historic carriage house. In the 1970s, Max took full ownership of Winans Carriage House Candies and continued running the business until June 1993 when Max’s daughter, Laurie Winans Reiser, and her husband Joe Reiser, bought Winans Carriage House Candies. Laurie and Joe added coffee to Winans products in the early days of the specialty coffee movement in the United States. Winans has now been serving small-batch roasted coffee for over 25 years.
Piqua was the first town to have this specialty coffee in Miami County and Winans soon thereafter expanded to Troy. Max Winans, who passed away in 2008, complimented the second generation’s success in the coffee industry. After watching the company grow, Max agreed that coffee had been a great addition to the business, saying “they [coffee and chocolate] seem to fit together like a glove.”
In 2009, the flagship Piqua store moved from its carriage house beginnings into the recently renovated Fort Piqua Plaza, formerly the Fort Piqua Hotel. In August 2015, the downtown Piqua Winans location moved again, to the former Piqua Daily Call newspaper building. Then, in 2021, Max’s oldest grandson, Wilson Reiser, took over as Winans’ CEO.
Bourbon Cherry Cordials are now available at all Winans retail locations, Watershed Distillery, and online at www.winanscandies.com.
