AquaPalooza Grand Tasting Tour Showcases Rock Creek Distillery’s

As the headline sponsor, the Oklahoma-based distillery

will also be featured at pre-parties and AquaPalooza

Grand Lake on Saturday, July 16

GRAND LAKE O’ THE CHEROKEES, Okla., Thursday, June 23, 2022 — If you’re throwing the largest party on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, you want it sponsored by companies that understand how to have a good time.

So when your headline sponsor uses “Whiskey is Serious … Rum is for Fun” as a tagline, that’s a sure sign that you’ve got the right fit.

That’s exactly what 360GrandLake.com, the organizers of AquaPalooza Grand Lake, have found with headline sponsor Rock Creek Distillery for its 12th annual on-the-water concert and raft up on Saturday, July 16.

As it rocks the lake this year, the floating four-hour concert, which will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. just off The Point at Grand Lake RV Resort, on Duck Creek, will be a celebration of Oklahoma.

That Rock Creek Distillery is based in Oklahoma is another indication of how perfectly matched this sponsor is to AquaPalooza Grand Lake.

“AquaPalooza is a great fit for us. We’ve found that the best way to introduce people to our brands is by meeting us,” said Sean Flinn, a co-founder of Rock Creek Distillery. “We were looking for an event, and friends who have retired to Grand Lake told us about AquaPalooza.

“We try to enjoy ourselves and like to have fun. This looked like a really fun time so we reached out to Michelle [Robertson, owner/president of 360GrandLake.com]. She liked the idea of an Oklahoma company. It makes sense to be a sponsor. It’s a good opportunity to make people aware of our brands.”

To introduce Rock Creek Distillery and give everyone a taste (literally) of its handcrafted Oklahoma-made spirits, 360GrandLake.com has announced the AquaPalooza Grand Tasting Tour.

Leading up to the on-the-water concert, Rock Creek Distillery will be visiting local bars, restaurants and liquor stores around Grand Lake to showcase its handcrafted spirits, Dead Parrot Rum and Schultz Vodka.

The AquaPalooza Grand Tasting Tour dates and locations include:

• Thursday, June 23, from 5 to 8 p.m. at The Lighthouse restaurant, 104 E. Ketchum Ave., Ketchum
• Friday, June 24, from 4 to 6 p.m., at Pier 13 Wine & Spirits, next to Fiesta Mart at the junction of Highways 28 and 82 in Langley
• Friday, June 24, from 4 to 6 p.m., at Grand Spirits Wine & Liquor, 1623C S. Main St., Grove
• Thursday, June 30, from 5:30 to 8 p.m., at Bella Donna’s at Grand Lake, 2530 S. Main St., Grove
• Friday, July 1, from 8:30 p.m. to midnight, at Sharky’s Bar at Hammerhead Marina, 34988 Hammerhead Road, Ketchum.
• Saturday, July 2, from 6 to 9 p.m., at Blind Swine Duck Creek, 451107 E. 320 Road, Cleora
• Friday, July 8, from 6 to 9 p.m., at Pickles at the Lake, 2036 N. 3rd St. (Highway 82), Langley
• Saturday, July 9, from 6 to 9 p.m., at The Copper Penny, 711 E. Ketchum Ave., Ketchum
• Thursday, July 14, from 6 to 9 p.m., at Monkey Island Pub, 55950 E 290 Rd, Afton, OK

Rock Creek Distillery has developed two signature drinks for AquaPalooza: Electric Lemonade made with Schultz Vodka, and The Beach, a tropical blend of all three Dead Parrot Rum flavors, Coconut, Vanilla Bean, and Pineapple, along with fresh fruit juices.

Dead Parrot Rum and Schultz Vodka, as well as these signature drinks, will be featured at the AquaPalooza VIP Party and the AquaPalooza pre-party at Sharky’s Bar on Friday, July 15, and at AquaPalooza Grand Lake on Saturday, July 16.

The hottest party in town on Friday, July 15 will be the AquaPalooza VIP Party. Held from 6 to 9 p.m. at The Lighthouse restaurant in Ketchum, the VIP party is presented by 360GrandLake.com and Rock Creek Distillery. To amp up the fun, there will be live music, delicious finger foods and drinks featuring Dead Parrot Rum and Schultz Vodka, as well as swag bags filled with an array of goodies.

Swag bags for gold package VIP ticket holders will include a 2022 AquaPalooza Grand Lake T-shirt, exclusive AquaPalooza gift certificates, coupons and promo items from Grand Lake area businesses and lots of fun items from Rock Creek Distillery. Silver package ticket holders will also receive a swag bag with lots of Grand Lake promo items, coupons and gift certificates.

Tickets to the AquaPalooza VIP Party are available at GrandLakeConcert.com.

There are two levels of tickets with a limited number of each available. The exclusive gold package VIP tickets are $110 each with only 100 available. Silver package VIP tickets are $55 and limited to 200.

The Lighthouse Restaurant is located at 104 E. Ketchum Ave., in Ketchum. The restaurant will also be open to the public for dining on Friday, July 15, with purchased tickets only for the VIP area.

After the VIP event, the fun will continue at Sharky’s Bar at Hammerhead Marina for the second of the two AquaPalooza Grand Lake pre-parties.

Everyone 21 and over is invited to join in on the fun at the AquaPalooza Grand Lake pre-party bash from 9 p.m. to midnight. This event is open to the public.

Gold package VIP ticket holders will receive wristband VIP entry to Sharky’s Bar with access to a VIP area as they dance the night away to the bar’s live entertainment.

Sharky’s Bar at Hammerhead Marina is located at 34988 Hammerhead Road, in Ketchum.

Rock Creek Distillery will also host a locals party for Grand Lakers to let them see what all the AquaPalooza fun is about. The locals party will be from 7 to 11 p.m., Wednesday, July 13, at the Blind Swine on Duck Creek, 451107 E. 320 Road, in Cleora.

For updates on the locals party as well as the pre-parties, join the AquaPalooza Grand Lake event on Facebook at 2022.

ABOUT ROCK CREEK DISTILLERY

Based in Shattuck, Okla., Rock Creek Distillery was founded by Sean Flinn, Lance Schultz and Jason Swanson in 2017. After spending time planning and tinkering with recipes, Rock Creek fully hit the market in late summer 2021. The three founders fulfilled a dream of making spirits that put a smile on people's faces when they drink them.

Although still a relative newcomer to the craft distilling industry, Rock Creek Distillery is already garnering attention. By focusing on “simply spirits” and paying careful attention to each detail, the distillery handcrafts Dead Parrot* Rum and Schultz Vodka, both of which were recognized as gold winners this year by the John Barleycorn Society and the New York International Spirits Competition. Rock Creek also won the Oklahoma Distillery of the Year from the New York International Spirits Competition this year.

Offering a full-mouth taste and aroma, the small batch rum starts with raw cane sugar and blackstrap molasses. Pot distilled twice to deliver a smooth finish, Dead Parrot Rum is available in the original Silver, as well as naturally flavored, no sugar added, Coconut, Vanilla Bean and Pineapple.

Literally homegrown and handcrafted, Schultz Vodka is 100 percent made from homegrown wheat. Distilled 12 times, first in a pot and then finished in a column still, the vodka is filtered through 35 feet of pipe packed with charcoal for a very smooth vodka with a pleasant taste and a clean finish.

Rock Creek Distillery has not forgotten whiskey lovers. Crafted from corn, wheat and rye grown in western Oklahoma, Dennis Brothers Bourbon and Rye Whiskey is aging in the barrels and will be available in a couple of years.

To find out more about Rock Creek Distillery, where to purchase its spirits or to schedule a tour of the distillery, visit rockcreekdistllery.com, email info@rockcreekdistillery.com or call (844) 762-5275.

*Full disclosure: No parrots die in the making of Dead Parrot Rum. That’s just Rock Creek Distillery’s pal Ozzy, who is dead drunk and passed out over a barrel.

ABOUT 360GRANDLAKE.COM

360GrandLake.com is Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees’ premier information website, promoting businesses and organizations through online marketing on 360GrandLake.com and cross-promotion on social media channels. The website also features area events, coupons, job listings and more. Its parent company, Grand Splash Marketing, is a full-service marketing, advertising and public relations agency that covers all aspects of marketing for its clients, from business cards and billboards to full-scale digital marketing. 360GrandLake.com first got involved with AquaPalooza Grand Lake 13 years ago while promoting and marketing the event for a client. Ten years ago, 360GrandLake.com became the presenting sponsor and has produced the event itself ever since.

MEDIA CONTACT

Michelle Robertson

Owner/President of 360GrandLake.com

(918) 782-9546

AquaPaloozaGrandLake@gmail.com

www.360GrandLake.com

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