It’s October and we’re officially neck deep in the fall release season in the whiskey world. There’s so much new whiskey dropping right now that I had to both extend our monthly roundup to 50 bottles and cut a ton and save them for next month.
Below, I’ve split this monthly list into two sections. In the first part, I’m calling out 25 bottles of whiskeys from various genres. The second half is 25 new bourbons. Yes, 25 new bourbons. There are that many worth paying attention to right now. And yes, I had to cut bottles from both sides of this list. Don’t worry, I’ll get to the extra good stuff before the end of the year.
As for this list, look at it this way: These are all whiskeys that are worth your time, effort, and money to try right now. Each of these bottles is either brand-new (never seen before) or the latest batches of limited releases. There’s no bad whiskey below so they’re not ranked. There’s something for everyone, which means there’s a ton of variation from peated Scottish malts to single barrel bourbons to new American single malts to cask strength ABV bombs to one-off blends we may never see again.
Find the whiskey(s) that speak to you, smash those price links, and try them for yourself. Let’s dive in!
Part 1 — THE WHISK(E)Y
15 STARS Fine Aged Rye First West A Select Blend of Straight Rye Whiskeys
ABV: 52.5%
Average Price: $89
The Whiskey:
This new release from 15 STARS is a blend of six, seven, and eight-year-old ryes from Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee. That blend informs the name “First West” as those states were considered the “West” during the early days of the United States in the late 1700s and early 1800s.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a deep winter spice — clove, anise, cinnamon, nutmeg — next to Earl Grey tea, dried cranberry, dried cherry, and a dash of sour plum next to faint notes of dry grassy fall leaves and orchard barks with a whisper of roasting herbs.
Palate: Apricot jam over buttermilk scones dusted with cinnamon leads to dry oolong tea leaves, sweet smudging sage, creamed honey, and a touch of ginger tobacco just kissed with dark chocolate sauce cut with cardamon and clove.
Finish: That sharp gingery tobacco drives the finish with a bitter chocolate underbelly toward lush cherrywood and sour plum sauce with a hint more of those opening winter spices, dry fall leaves, and old cellar floors.
Bottom Line:
This whiskey was just named “Best in Show” whiskey at the New York World Spirits Competition. It beat out stiff competition to ascend to that high accolade. The point is, get some while still can. This is the really good stuff, folks.
Shenk’s Homestead Kentucky Sour Mash Whiskey Small Batch 2023 Release
ABV: 45.6%
Average Price: $179
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is made with a fair amount of rye whiskey over a bit of bourbon in a traditional sour mash style. 2023’s release varied with the use of malted rye in the mash bill, adding an extra layer of malty depth. The whiskey was then aged in specially made toasted French oak that spent 24 months seasoning in France before they were made with barrels that spent 18 months air-drying in Kentucky before they were coppered. The barrels were all batched and bottled with just a touch of Kentucky limestone water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Soft boot leather, dried and candied orange, spiced Christmas cake, fresh vanilla beans, sultanas, and a hint of fresh firewood round out the nose with a hint of almost sweet oak char and simmering molasses cut with almond kissed with dark citrus oils.
Palate: The palate has a nice sweet spiciness like a box of Red Hots next to allspice, clove, and orange with rummy raisins, nutmeg-heavy eggnog, and a whisper of oily espresso bean sneaking in late before a bold yet measured winter spice bark sharpness arrives.
Finish: The end marries the orange oils to soft cedar notes with a woody spiciness next to soft notes of sweet cinnamon, stewed plums, minced meat pies, and brandied cherries layered with chewy tobacco leaves over a lush and creamy finish.
Bottom Line:
This is a unique and delicious whiskey. If you’re looking for something that’s very bourbon-adjacent but goes above and beyond (especially over a big rock), then this is the play.
Jack Daniel’s American Single Malt Oloroso Sherry Cask
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $99
The Whiskey:
Jack Daniel’s has been toying with American single malt for over a year and has finally pulled the trigger on a permanent expression for retail shelves (albeit just on travel retail shelves for now). The whiskey in the bottle is a 100% malted barley juice (that’s charcoal filtered) that was aged in new oak for over half a decade before being transferred into huge Oloroso sherry casks (from Tonelería Páez Lobato) for even more mellowing.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose draws you in with a sense of plums, dates, and figs swimming in brandy next to toffee rolled in roasted almond and dipped into dark chocolate with a hint of spiced wine cut with molasses and fresh green chili pepper.
Palate: The dark chocolate attaches to the black-tea-soaked dates with plenty of nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice next to malted chocolate spiced holiday cakes and a nice flourish of marzipan just kissed with pear oils.
Finish: The end has an almost woody dark chocolate vibe with the green chili making a comeback with a deep leatheriness and nice maltiness.
Bottom Line:
You’ll have to travel to grab this brand-new Jack Daniel’s release. The next time you’re waiting for an international flight, hit that duty-free shop and snag this one. It’s a killer American single malt that’ll shine over a big ol’ ice cube.
Wolves The Malted Barley Series California Single Malt Whiskey Lot No. 2
ABV: 55%
Average Price: $305
The Whiskey:
Lot 2 of this California Single malt just dropped. The whiskey was made with imported Irish malts that were fermented with California ale yeasts. That juice was aged for 11 years before very small batching, which yielded only 2,010 bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Nostalgia drips from the nose with oatmeal raisin cookies, old wicker porch furniture, lemon pepper, and dried red fruit leather next to spicy oak and soft apple cider.
Palate: Soft salted caramel and bruised apricot drive the palate with a sense of honeyed oats, old tobacco pouches, and rich malted vibes.
Finish: The end leans into the malted chocolate with a dried fruit feel with brandied pears and old oak staves leading to soft pipe tobacco and hints of floral honey.
Bottom Line:
This is another excellent new American single malt. It’s deeply hewn and a great place to start your ASM journey.
Still Austin Cask Strength Rye Whiskey
ABV: 58%
Average Price: $65
The Whiskey:
This new release from Still Austin uses 100% Texas rye in its mash bill. That whiskey is then proofed and filled into barrels and left to mellow with water getting added over the years (so that water evaporates before the whiskey does). Finally, a few barrels are selected and bottled 100% as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with pure nostalgia — summertime back porch livin’ — with soft cherry pie, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, ginger rock candy, and a note of apricot jam over buttermilk biscuits.
Palate: A note of coffee cake opens the palate toward marzipan cut with pear brandy and a light sense of lemon cake drizzled with mint frosting.
Finish: The mint gets spice on the finish with a sense of candied ginger and brown winter spices before soft salted buttercream and cherries soaked in brandy round things out.
Bottom Line:
This is a tier rye whiskey with serious depth. Pour it over a rock and let it bloom in the glass a tad. Take your time and you will be rewarded with a deep and delicious flavor profile.
New Riff Sour Mash Single Malt Kentucky Single Malt Whiskey Cask Strength
ABV: Varies
Average Price: $69
The Whiskey:
This brand-new whiskey from New Riff is years in the making. The whiskey in the bottle is a blend of single malt whiskeys made with 100% barley mash bills (Golden Promise, Maris Otter, Chevallier heirloom barley, and Scottish peated barley malt) that are aged for seven to eight years in a combination of new charred oak, de-charred toasted oak, red wine casks, Portuguese brandy casks, classic sherried oak casks, and a few others.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Rich malted winter spiced cakes lead the nose toward chili pepper spice, old dried fruits (dates, prunes, figs) all dipped in floral honey, and a light sense of citrus (both candied and dried) before old oak, orchard bark, and fall leaves arrive with a sense of fermented fruit laying on the ground of that orchard.
Palate: The funky fruit and fall leaves drive the taste back toward rich vanilla and spiced malted fruit cakes with a light sense of pipe tobacco and old leather boots before floral honey gives way to bright nasturtiums.
Finish: The floral spiced honey gets malty on the backend with a hint of salt and rock candy before hot tobacco and dried red chili build on the end.
Bottom Line:
This is a fresher American single malt that still packs a hefty and deep profile. Once you have a handle on the flavor notes, try this one in a whiskey-forward cocktail for something unique but lovingly familiar.
Tenmile Distillery Little Rest American Single Malt Whisky
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $224
The Whisky:
This new American single malt from New York is a grain-to-glass experience that highlights slow cooking and aging. The malt is made with 100% New York-grown barley that’s slow-fermented for seven days (about twice as long as the norm). After distillation, the hot juice is left to rest in Francois Freres barrels from Williams Selyem. Those barrels are small batched and whiskey is just touched with local water before bottling in Wassaic, New York.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Floral honey brightens the nose with a sense of fresh vanilla pods with a light warmth that leads to cinnamon bark, apple orchards, malted grains, and a light moment of whole dried chamomile flowers.
Palate: The honey gets creamy and vanilla-laced on the palate with a medley of leathery apricots, more soft summer florals, and a touch of woody spice that’s both bright and just touched by dried fruits.
Finish: The end has a mix of rum raisin and creamed honey with apple blossoms and a touch of malted grains cut with winter spice and salted butter.
Bottom Line:
This has a very bright and fresh vibe. If you’re looking for classic unpeated malt with lush sweetness, this is going to be your vibe.
Bernheim Original Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey Barrel Proof Batch: B923
ABV: 60.2%
Average Price: $64
The Whiskey:
The second edition of Bernheim Wheat Whiskey Barrel Proof is here. This edition is made with a mash bill of 51% winter wheat, 37% corn, and 12% malted barley. That whiskey was then left to age for seven to nine years before prime barrels were chosen for batching. Once batched, the whiskey went into the bottle 100% as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Fresh loaves of whole grain bread vibe with rich oaky winter pieces on the nose before soft vanilla cake, hints of dry grass, old leather tobacco pouches, and a touch of dried orange round things out.
Palate: Rich buttery toffee drives the palate toward clove-laced honey next to dry orange oils, salted caramel, rum raisin, and hints of cedar bark braided with smudging sage and dry tobacco.
Finish: Piney honey and salted caramel attach to the tobacco as dry straw and back porch wicker lead to a sense of dry winter spice and soft caramel candy corn.
Bottom Line:
This feels like a whiskey that’s not quite a bourbon and not quite a rye, but something in the middle that’s its own thing. Try this in a whiskey cocktail or on the rocks to really go deep with it.
Four Walls The Better Brown Made with a Blend of Irish Whiskeys and American Rye Whiskeys
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $29
The Whiskey:
The team from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, and Rob McElhenny) have released their first permanent mainstream whiskey. This new release is an Irish American whiskey made with American rye and Irish whiskey (a blend of malt and grain whiskeys). The whiskey is batched in the U.S. and proofed down to a very dive-bar-friendly 80-proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Hints of dried chilis, old leather, vanilla-laced honey, apple tarts, and caramel candy mingle on the nose.
Palate: The Irishness arrives in spades on the palate with bright apple orchard vibes next to flora honey, a hint of yellow straw, light nutshells, and a moment of sultanas just kissed with caramel.
Finish: The apple swings back around on the finish with a sense of fresh apple cider just kissed with cinnamon and caramel before fading toward leathery malt.
Bottom Line:
This is a great house pour. It’s not overly done, it’s not washed out by the low proof, and it’s truly nuanced. If you’re a fan of Sunny or simply a fan of good inexpensive whiskey, then this is a no-brainer buy. It’ll make a good basic cocktail, work in any highball, and totally rock as a shot with a beer back.
Keeper’s Heart Whiskey Irish + American Single Barrel Finished in Maple Syrup Barrels
ABV: 55%
Average Price: $59
The Whiskey:
This new release from Keeper’s Heart up in Minnesota blends Irish whiskey with American Rye. Once batched, that whiskey was re-barreled into a maple syrup barrel for another rest. Once that barrel hit the right notes, it was bottled as-is with a hint of proofing water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Rich vanilla custard with a hint of cotton candy drives the nose toward pecan waffles with salted butter and real maple syrup next to hints of apple fritters, nutty fruit cake, and a touch of leathery tobacco.
Palate: The taste opens with creme brûlée swimming in more maple syrup as deep and rich vanilla tobacco leads to softer notes of almond, malted chocolate, and a hint of winter spice mixes.
Finish: The vanilla creaminess and spices meld on the finish with a touch of spiced warm apple cider, soft almond, and mincemeat pies all grounded by rich and real maple syrup sweetness that nearly takes on a rock candy vibe.
Bottom Line:
This is the bottle for the sweet tooth in the house. That sweetness also lends to making great cocktails and drawing back the sugar component when mixing. Hell, I’d even use this for making pancakes and pies.
Basil Hayden Malted Rye Kentucky Straight Rye Malt Whiskey
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $68
The Whiskey:
Beam just released a new permanent addition to the iconic Basil Hayden lineup. This newbie is a 100% malted rye whiskey that was left to age until just right. The best barrels were batched and proofed down to Basil Hayden’s necessary 80-proof for bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: You’re immediately greeted with spiced dill and soft caramel on the nose next to old oak, soft saddle leather, and a mild sense of rye toast with salted butter and a hint of floral honey.
Palate: Sweet and creamy vanilla arrives on the palate with a nice spice — clove, cinnamon, allspice — before soft sourdough rye bread with a whisper of caraway arrives.
Finish: Chili-spiced chocolate pops late on the palate with a sense of cinnamon toast and vanilla bean before a lush creaminess leads to spiced tobacco with a leatheriness on the end.
Bottom Line:
This is soft and supple with a dynamic profile. It is a little light on the end — that proof is low after all. Overall, I can see sipping this over ice any day of the week.
The Beverly Reserve Barrel Strength American Whiskey Batch 001
ABV: 58%
Average Price: $79
The Whiskey:
This new release from The Beverly is a limited edition small batch at barrel strength. The blend in the bottle is 60% straight bourbon from Iowa and 40% Indiana rye. Those barrels were batched and bottled at Cedar Ridge in Iown for The Beverly, yielding only 550 bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Pecan waffles with plenty of butter, vanilla, and caramel open the nose toward maple syrup, cinnamon sticks, red chili pepper, and toasted marshmallows.
Palate: The pecans take on a cookie vibe on the palate as brown butter and rum raisin mingle with cinnamon syrup cut with orange and a whisper of chocolate.
Finish: That cinnamon and orange get buttery and lush with a sense of nut cake covered in caramel drizzle with a flake of salt and tobacco before a warming sense of chili arrives on the very end.
Bottom Line:
This is a warm pour of whiskey that has a nicely nuanced profile. Overall, there’s a sense of dessert and spice that just works. Though I’d pour this over a big rock to really enjoy it.
WhistlePig PiggyBack Single Barrel Rye Whiskey with Lychee and Tea Barrel Finish “Alfa Romeo F1 Team G-Force Finished”
ABV: 48.385%
Average Price: $49
The Whiskey:
This new release from WhistlePig uses the g-forces that F1 drivers endure to finish the whiskey (amping up the interaction between the wood and whiskey in the barrel). The whiskey in the bottles is made. from six-year-old 100% rye whiskey. Those barrels were then batched and then re-barreled in lychee and oolong tea barrels for a finishing touch.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a clear sense of citrus pith next to vanilla, tropical spices, chinotto bark, and soft oakiness with a hint of bright florals.
Palate: Bright tropical fruit and leaves drive the palate toward sweet herbs, green tea leaves, and a hint of tiki cocktail spice with a ton of fruitiness tied to the citruses.
Finish: The end leans into the citrus pith and dry green tea leaves with a light sense of winter spice barks, vanilla pods, and soft almost perfumed oak.
Bottom Line:
This is wildly different. It’s so bright and almost airy. It feels like a tropical holiday in a glass. I’d definitely use this in tiki drinks or as an on-the-beach sipper over plenty of ice.
Bruichladdich Bere Barley 2013 Aged 10 Years Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $72
The Whiskey:
This year’s Bere Barley 2013 is a 10-year-old malt made from very specific Scottish grains. The ancient varietal of barley is grown specifically for this whisky and is long fermented to highlight fruity and floral notes in the end whisky, which is aged in ex-bourbon barrels right on the sea in Islay.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Candied oranges and peach pie drive the nose toward a sense of malted pound cake with plenty of vanilla, poppies, and streusel next to creamed lemon curd, old fudge, and a whisper of marzipan with some pear brandy.
Palate: Malty barley biscuits greet you on the plate with plenty of wet brown sugar, Cream of Wheat cut with butter and pancake syrup, and apricot jam next to soft honeydew, more candied orange, and a sense of toasted coconut next to brandy-soaked marzipan with a hint of rose water.
Finish: A hint of milk chocolate arrives late with vanilla custard over fresh mago, more toasted coconut, rose water, and candied orange marzipan dipped in creamed honey with a whisper of lavender.
Bottom Line:
This is a great slow-sipping whisky. It’s deep and just kind of keeps delivering more and more beautiful nuance the longer you take with it. Start neat, add some water or ice, and then go back in for more. You’ll be rewarded for your patience with this one.
Glenglassaugh Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky “Sandend”
ABV: 50.5%
Average Price: $57
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is a seaside-matured Highland whisky. The unpeated malt rests on the beach on Sandend Bay in a mix of ex-bourbon, sherry, and Manzanilla casks until just right. Those barrels are vatted and then just kissed with water before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Malted vanilla full-fat ice cream opens the nose toward hints of mango, pineapple, and star fruit with a sense of salted dark chocolate-covered cherries soaked in brandy with a touch of sea breeze.
Palate: Rich salted caramel drizzles over grilled pineapple and those chocolate-covered cherries on the palate as bright grapefruit oils and malted cracked, heavy with sea salt, round out the taste.
Finish: Dark cherries and mango skins dance with driftwood and rum-forward citrus cocktails with plenty of brown spices on the malted vanilla finish with a hint of leatheriness.
Bottom Line:
This is a unique whisky with a good dose of salinity built in. Overall, I’d reach for this when I wanted something unique anything else that bridges bright fruit and deep saltiness in a wonderful fashion.
The Dalmore Cask Curation Series The Sherry Edition Aged 26 Years Finished in Tare González Byass 2002 Vintage — Cask no. 4
ABV: 48.2%
Average Price: $37,500 (set of three)
The Whiskey:
This new release is the youngest of three elite whiskies that The Dalmore is dropping this month. This very limited edition bottle is hewn from The Dalmore’s iconic malt that spent years aging in ex-bourbon casks. The whisky was batched and then re-barreled into a Tio Pepe 2002 Vintage Sherry Cask (Cask #4) for years more of aging until just right. The final product was bottled 100% as-is to highlight the beauty of that finishing barrel on classic The Dalmore.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose draws you in with a bright sense of caramelized oranges, fresh floral honey, and ripe off-the-vine apricots with a deep sense of rich vanilla pods, dry cacao, and fresh almonds with a hint of cherry syrup.
Palate: Raisin-heavy spiced cakes are cut with bright orange zest on the palate as cherry syrup leads to almond cookies cut with vanilla oils and a sense of sultanas baking in the hot sun.
Finish: There’s a buttery sense of a fresh croissant on the finish next to creamy espresso for sipping, ginger rock candy, and lush vanilla cake cut with more orange oil, almond, and poppy seed.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the lightest and airiest The Dalmore expressions I’ve ever tasted. The bright citrus oils take it in a whole new direction while holding onto some of the darker The Dalmore flavor notes on the mid-palate. That makes this an excellent sipper for anyone looking for a lighter and brighter version of The Dalmore.
This is one of three bottles that’ll be released this month in a set alongside 28- and 43-year-old bottles, hence the outrageously high price tag. I’ll be reviewing the whole set at a later date so just consider this a sneak peek of what’s to come.
Lost Lantern Single Cask Series Corbin Cash California Straight Rye Whiskey 7 Years Old
ABV: 64.9%
Average Price: $119
The Whiskey:
This new Lost Lantern Corbin Cash is a seven-year-old rye whiskey. The whiskey was made with 100% Merced rye grown by the Souza family specifically for this whiskey. After seven years of rest in a heavily charred barrel, the barrel was tapped by the Lost Lantern team and bottled 100% as-is, yielding only 146 bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a sense of walnut cake that edges toward zucchini bread with plenty of butter, brown spice, salt, and brown sugar on the nose with a light note of marzipan dipper in melon.
Palate: There’s this sense of sweet roots on the palate that leads back to the melon-laced marzipan, more of that nutcake, and a sense of spice barks dipped in syrupy mulled wine.
Finish: The end has a light grassiness that gives way to creamy floral honey, smudging sage, and a deep nuttiness tied to what almost feels like a moist carrot cake with vanilla frosting.
Bottom Line:
This was a bit of a wild ride with a fascinating savoriness tied to the more classic notes layered into the mix. Buy this if you’re looking for something completely fresh and unique.
Filmland Spirits Presents Ryes of the Robots Small Batch Straight Rye Whiskey The Extended Cut 2023 Batch
ABV: 54%
Average Price: $59
The Whiskey:
This brand-new whiskey release blends Hollywood B-movies with sourced whiskey. The actual juice is a 95/5 rye/malted barley sourced whiskey from Kentucky. Beyond that, not much is known. Though there’s been an incredible amount of work about writing a script and drawing up storyboards around the beautifully designed release.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a nice mix of dark berries and old leather next to cinnamon bark and clove berries with a hint of caramel before veering toward sheet cake and singed marshmallows.
Palate: The palate hits a mint chocolate chip vibe with a dash of black peppercorn before bright red berries floating in vanilla-laced cream lead the taste back toward smoldering marshmallows and a lot of woody winter spice.
Finish: Oak staves and cinnamon bark really peak on the finish next to very mild menthol tobacco just kissed with red berries and more of that creamy vanilla with a whisper of green grass lurking under it all.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice and very classic rye that runs deep. Pour this over a rock and enjoy reading all about the mythology around the bottle. It’s kind of like getting a 50s pulp novel with your rye pour.
Pursuit United Blended Straight Rye Whiskeys Finished in Sherry French Revere Oak
ABV: 54%
Average Price: $74
The Whiskey:
This new rye from the team over at Bourbon Pursuit is a masterful blend. The whiskey is hewn from Bardstown Bourbon Company’s 95/5 Kentucky rye batched with two Sagamore Spirit ryes — one a 95/5 and one 52/43/5 rye/corn/malted barley. Those whiskeys are batched and re-barreled into a French sherry revere cask for a final rest before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a sense of dark fruits — black cherry, dates, rum raisin — on the nose that leads to soft and sweet oak next to worn leather, mulled wine, and brandy-soaked fig cut with nutmeg and clove.
Palate: The taste is more on the woody side of the spice with a clear sense of old-school mulled wine with sweet vanilla and star anise over orange rinds and raisins with a slight chili warmth underneath.
Finish: The chili warmth drives the finish toward a soft red-wine-soaked oak that’s spiced with orchard barks and fruits next to vanilla/cherry tobacco just kissed with dark chocolate.
Bottom Line:
This is just excellent rye whiskey. Pour it neat, over a rock, or in your favorite whiskey-forward cocktail. It won’t fail you.
Starlight Distillery Old Rickhouse Huber’s Bottled-In-Bond Indiana Straight Rye Whiskey Batch No. B2306
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $60
The Whiskey:
This rye from craft distiller Starlight Distillery — part of the Huber Farm and Winery in Southern Indiana — is all about that final blend. The small batch is made from a group of five-year-old barrels and just proofed to highlight the whiskey in those barrels.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The whiskey opens with a nose full of white pepper countered by stewed apples with a twinge of sour cherry tossed in smoked sea salt before a hint of creamy espresso and summer herb gardens arrive.
Palate: The palate has a creaminess that leans toward mocha lattes with a tobacco spiciness, cedar bark, and more of that stewed orchard fruit with an underlying white pepper spiciness.
Finish: The end leans into that white pepper with plenty of warm apple cider spiked with clove and cinnamon over vanilla cake cut with salted toffee and creamy espresso just kissed with chocolate tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This new batch of Starlight Rye is a killer. I’ve been using it for fall cocktails already and it slaps. It also works wonders over a single big ice cube on a slow sipping afternoon.
Boulder Spirits American Single Malt Whiskey 2023 Limited Edition The 10 Essentials
ABV: 49.5%
Average Price: $64
The Whiskey:
This new limited release from Colorado’s Boulder is a blend of five single malt casks. Former armagnac, tawny port, PX sherry, and new American oak were batched for this release after five to 6.5 years of aging. The whiskey was then cut with El Dorado spring water for bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a medley of pear and apricot (both dried and candied) with spicy forest honey, old leather, and malty Graham Crackers dipped in dark chocolate and just flaked with sea salt.
Palate: The palate is lush with a sense of eggnog spices and creaminess that gives way to pear brandy-laced marzipan and more of that forest honey next to warm maltiness.
Finish: The warmth leans into fresh green chili, nuttiness, and dark chocolate on the end (almost getting into mole territory) before leaning back toward spiced malts with a woody tobacco finish.
Bottom Line:
This is just a good malt whiskey, American or not. It does have a fall/winter vibe to the overall profile, so maybe crack this one open closer to the end of the month.
Ardbeg Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky Traigh Bhan Batch 5 19 Years Old
ABV: 46.2%
Average Price: $316
The Whisky:
This year’s Ardbeg Traigh Bhan was bottled during the most humid time on Islay. The barrels were picked specifically to highlight tropical notes from 19-year-old barrels from the seaside distillery. A little water was added after vatting for this bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Grilled and smoked tropical fruit — smoked mango, grilled pineapple, stewed papaya — open the nose toward saddle soap, fresh green chili pepper, and vibrant spearmint next to floral honey with a whisper of sea breeze.
Palate: The taste is luscious with a sense of fatty roasting herbs next to winter spice barks, fatty smoked bacon, powdery white pepper, and clove-studded oranges next to a sweet sense of oyster shells.
Finish: Floral honey and smoky buttercream meld on the finish with a sense of those smoked and grilled tropical fruits returning with a savory note of guava and lychee.
Bottom Line:
This is a lovingly made peated malt that leans more into tropical fruits than ashen peatiness. It’s a nice balance. And don’t get me wrong, this is still very much a heavily peated malt whisky. That all said, if you pour this over a big rock and take it slow, it might hook you into the peated Islay malts once and for all.
Lost Lantern Single Cask Series Andalusia Whiskey Co. Triple Distilled Texas Single Malt
ABV: 52.6%
Average Price: $99
The Whiskey:
This single cask from Lost Lantern’s Fall 2023 series is a three-year-old single malt from a very new Texas distillery. The whiskey in this case is made with 100% 2-row malted barley and triple distilled a la Irish whiskey. A single honey barrel was picked by the Lost Lantern team and bottled 100% as-is, yielding only 177 bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Notes of fresh chili pepper and leathery spiced fruit drive the nose with hints of stroopwafel (those honey waffle cookies from The Netherlands) and candy cane.
Palate: That candy cane turns to pure peppermint on the palate as subtle notes of clove and allspice mingle with creamy eggnog ice cream and malted honey crackers.
Finish: The finish is nice with a sweet spiciness akin to moist dark Christmas cookies with a touch of malted vanilla.
Bottom Line:
This is a straightforward but nicely nuanced and deep-running whiskey. There’s a lot of enjoy here so take it slow, add water as needed, and enjoy the ride through classic Texas malt whiskey flavors.
Virginia Distillery Co. American Single Malt Whisky Courage & Conviction Double Cask Reserve
ABV: 48%
Average Price: $71
The Whiskey:
This new fall release from Virginia Distillery Co. features double asking. That means that the whiskey was aged a minimum of five years in first-fill bourbon casks and European red wine Cuvée casks before slow batching with a touch of water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with deep honey and candied orange next to apricot jam over scones with a hint of malted spice and brandy-soaked oak staves.
Palate: Black Forest cake by way of honey-pear-floral malted crackers drives the palate toward winter spice barks, soft milk chocolate sauce, and a dash of lemon malt meringue.
Finish: Fresh gingerbread and soft oak round out the finish with a nice dose of spice, chocolate, and malt.
Bottom Line:
This is a killer malt. The overall vibe feels more like a classic unpeated Speyside or Highland malt that’s 15 to 18 years old. Pour it over a big piece of ice and enjoy a slow sipping experience that keeps on giving.
The Duncan Taylor Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky 1983 Aged 40 Years Distilled At Port Ellen Distillery
ABV: 52.4%
Average Price: $7,300
The Whisky:
This special one-off bottling from The Duncan Taylor is from a 40-year-old barrel of whisky from one of the last batches produced at the Port Ellen Distillery on Islay (which has reopened yet again). The whisky was produced and barreled back in March of 1983 and was left alone for all those 40 years. Finally, in 2023, The Duncan Taylor team bottled the barrel 100% as-is at cask strength, yielding 209 bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a clear sense of deeply plummy yet lightly tart sherry on the nose with buttery toffee, old leather boots, and malted treacle biscuits next to blackberries soaked in brandy and floating in vanilla-laced cream with a hint of marzipan and pear.
Palate: Molasses-cut toffee opens the luxurious palate with a sense of stewed blackberry, cherry, and plum with a thick crumble laced with cinnamon and plenty of buttery brown sugar before roasted and candied nuts arrive with a sticky toffee pudding married to mince meat pie vibe.
Finish: Those candied nuts take on a salted dark chocolate aura as the spiced sherry sticky toffee pudding adds a hint of dry orange zest, plenty of nutmeg, and a dash of sweet smoldering oak tobacco on the silken finish.
Bottom Line:
This is a masterpiece.
Part 2 — THE BOURBON
Bomberger’s Declaration Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 2023 Release
ABV: 54%
Average Price: $179
The Whiskey:
This whiskey heralds back to Michter’s historical roots in the 19th century before the brand was even called “Michter’s.” The old Bomberger’s Distillery in Pennsylvania is where the brand started way back in the day (1753). The whiskey in the bottle is rendered from a very small batch of bourbons that were aged in Chinquapin oak. The staves for that barrel were air-dried for three years before coppering, charring, and filling. The Kentucky bourbon is then bottled in an extremely small batch that yields around 2,000 bottles per year.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Sweet mashed grains — think a bowl of Cream of Wheat cut with butter and molasses — mix with sticky toffee pudding, old saddle leather, old cellar beams, and sweet cinnamon with a hint of candied orange and dark chocolate next to luscious eggnog with a flake of salt.
Palate: The palate is super creamy with a crème brûlée feel that leads to soft winter spices, dry cedar, and orange chocolates with a hint of pear-brandy-soaked marzipan in the background.
Finish: The end has a creamed honey vibe next to brandy-soaked figs and rum-soaked prunes with fresh chewing tobacco and salted dark chocolate leading back to dark chocolate and old cellar floors with a touch of smoldering orchard bark.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the best bottles of bourbon on the shelf right now. Get it while you still can.
Blackened X Rabbit Hole A Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys Distilled in Tennessee & Kentucky Finished in Calvados Casks Cask Strength
ABV: 53.3%
Average Price: $149
The Whiskey:
This brand-new collaboration between Metallica’s Blackened and Rabbit Hole is masterful whiskey. The blend is a 13-year-old Tennessee high-rye bourbon batched with Rabbit Hole Heigold High-Rye Double Malt Bourbon (with malted rye and malted barley). Once batched, the whiskey was re-barreled into Calvados casks (an apple brandy) for a final rest before 100% as-is bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a nice sense of chili pepper warmth on the nose with a hint of macadamia cookie nuttiness, honey Graham Crackers, light summer florals, and a whisper of darkly stewed apple.
Palate: Cinnamon-infused pear brandy sparks on the palate with a sense of clover honey, walnut loaf, and this thin line of smoked applewood with a good sense of barrel warmth.
Finish: The honey and walnut drive the finish toward a soft warmth that leaves the gentlest of numbness on the senses.
Bottom Line:
This might be my favorite Blackened release to date. It’s so deeply nuanced and just tasty. Pour it neat or over a rock, you can’t go wrong.
Very Olde St. Nick Antique Cask Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 9 Years “Straight Outta Bardstown”
ABV: 65%
Average Price: Coming Soon
The Whiskey:
This new release from Preservations Distillery is all about the old and forgotten barrels sitting in Bardstown warehouses. The whiskey is a nine-year-old blend of Kentucky bourbons that highlights the beauty of Bardstown whiskey from top to bottom.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a sense of dates and prunes dipped in floral yet creamy honey and then rolled in roasted and crushed almonds before old libraries full of leather-bound books and deeply rich tobacco arrive.
Palate: That musty leather gives way to old barrel houses full of 1800s wood pillars and used barrels before winter spices add a little warmth that’s countered by deep vanilla creamy eggnog, soft date cake cut with black tea, and a fleeting sense of dried cherries soaked in brandy and dipped in dark chocolate cut with espresso.
Finish: The end builds a warmth based around sharp winter spice barks and berries with a nice counterpoint of vanilla buttercream and lush eggnog over pound cake with a hint of poppy seed and soft pipe tobacco that’s just smoldering.
Bottom Line:
This new release from Preservation is one of the most accessible expressions yet from that crew. It’s also a delightfully deep and delicious whiskey that keeps giving the more time you spend with it.
Mary Dowling Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Tequila Barrels
ABV: 46.5%
Average Price: $74
The Whiskey:
This brand-new whiskey celebrates Mary Dowling, who helped create and then save the whiskey industry in Kentucky back in the early 20th century. The whiskey in the bottle is a three-year-old bourbon from Rabbit Hole. Those barrels are batched and the whiskey is rested again, this time in reposado tequila barrels, until just right.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Floral honey and soft black licorice lean toward fresh and real root beer on the nose with a light moment of white pepper and roasted agave that’s accented by bold winter spice barks and berries with a whisper of orange rind.
Palate: That orange drives the bright palate toward a moment of smoked winter spices (smoldering barks if you will) before creamy eggnog and vanilla buttercream drive the palate back toward warming winter spice and a fleeting note of pepper.
Finish: That pepper builds towards sharp black peppercorns on the finish with sharp winter spice, a hint of buttermilk, and softly spoken notes of roasted agave attached to candied orange and vanilla paste.
Bottom Line:
This is a great example of what tequila finishing can do to really amp up the flavors of a good bourbon. Pour this over some ice or add it to your favorite whiskey-forward cocktail. You won’t be disappointed.
Milam & Greene UNABRIDGED Volume 2 A Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskies
ABV: 58.8%
Average Price: $94
The Whiskey:
Milam & Greene’s Unabridged Volume 2 just hit shelves. This edition utilizes both copper pot still bourbon made in Texas and classic column still bourbon made in Kentucky (both from Milam & Greene’s own recipes). Tennessee whiskey (two to 16 years old) was added to the final batch to add extra depth before bottling 100% as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Light notes of cherry cola, fig pudding, and marzipan lead to a sense of old boot leather and mint tobacco with a whisper of toffee.
Palate: There’s a hint of earthiness on the palate that supports more dark Cherry Dr. Pepper, dry black tea leaves, moist marzipan just kissed with pear brandy, and a sweet oakiness tied to fresh pipe tobacco.
Finish: There’s a moment of absinthe on the finish that leads to dark orange oils and maybe some lemon pepper tobacco with a touch of cedar.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice slow sipper that has depth but also a nice lightness, which makes it very approachable. It also feels like a great whiskey to make a good cocktail with.
Woodinville Ginja Cask Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Portuguese Ginjinha Casks
ABV: 47.5%
Average Price: $69
The Whiskey:
This new bourbon from Woodinville up in Seattle, Washington, is a crafty dream with a very unique finish. After about five years of aging, the bourbon is re-barreled into Ginjinha barrels (a Portuguese liqueur) with sour cherries for another maturation run. Finally, those barrels are batched, proofed, and bottled for this limited run.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a clear sense of sweet grits cut with molasses, honey, and salted butter that gives way to blackberries soaked in rum on the nose with a light sense of spiced cookies.
Palate: The sweet porridge continues on the palate as dark cherry jam mingles with spiced winter cakes, fallow orchards, fall leaves, and a light moment of soft woody cherry bark that’s just smoldering.
Finish: A touch of cinnamon bark drives the finish toward more of that smoldering cherry wood, mulled wine, and soft notes of blackberry pie covered in malted vanilla cream sauce.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the most complex whiskeys to date from Woodinville — it slaps. Take your time with this one and really dive in deep with water and ice before trying it in some fun cocktails.
Kentucky Owl Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Limited Edition “Maighstir Edition”
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $129
The Whiskey:
This new expression from Kentucky Owl is a celebration of one master blender saying goodbye to the brand while another says hello. The blend was made by Kentucky Owl Master Blender John Rhea and new Master Blender Maureen Robinson (who recently retired from Diageo’s Master Blender of single malts). The duo created a whiskey from four-, five-, eight-, and nine-year-old wheated bourbons with a hint of Scotch whisky as the driving force of the blend.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Rich vanilla buttercream and salted caramel lead on the nose with layers of spiced apple cider, rich plum jam, and a touch of old cellar beams with fall orchard barks.
Palate: Mincemeat pies and holiday spice cookies lead on the palate with a sense of creamy vanilla eggnog, old leather tobacco pouches, and a nutty chocolate vibe.
Finish: The spice attaches to the tobacco and nutty chocolate on the finish with a sense of vanilla cream cut with orange oils and honey … and this fleeting whisper of fresh white flowers (and maybe some Earl Grey?).
Bottom Line:
This is a great Kentucky Owl special release that’s really suited to fall and winter sipping. It runs deep while feeling like a stroll through a fall farmers market with a hot cup of cider in your hand (that’s got a glug of this whiskey in it).
Lost Lantern Single Cask Series New Riff Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 58.1%
Average Price: $90
The Whiskey:
This single cask bottling from Lost Lantern is a one-of-a-kind Kentucky barrel from New Riff Distilling (across the river from Cincinnati). The whiskey in the barrel was a low-corn bourbon (65% corn, 30% rye, and 5% malted barley) aged for four years. The barrel was bottled at cask strength and yielded around 120 bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with a deep burnt caramel sweetness that gives way to five-spice powder over fatty smoked pork next to dark cherry cola and rich and clear tobacco.
Palate: That tobacco is fresh and vibrant on the palate as the fatty smoked pork drives the taste toward rich dark chocolate sauce, winter spice medleys, and campfire toasted marshmallows.
Finish: Mulled wine and apple cider spices drive the finish to some wet brown sugar, more dark cherry cola, and a hint of buttermilk biscuit with marmalade just kissed with that five-spice powder.
Bottom Line:
This rare release is another one that feels like a great fall sipper for a cold day or backyard campfire pit, especially if you’re smoking some fatty meat.
Jefferson’s Finished in Singapore Tropics “Aged in Humidity” Fully Matured Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 52%
Average Price: $108
The Whiskey:
This brand-new release from Jefferson’s is a very unique blend. 720 barrels were sent from Kentucky to Singapore via ocean liner back in 2019. The barrels then spent about 18 months aging in the heat and humidity of Singapore’s climate before returning to Kentucky for batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this one is brimming with winter spice cakes, eggnog spices, cinnamon toast, clove-studded oranges, and nutcakes full of dried and candied fruit…and plenty of winter spice.
Palate: That spice remains on the palate but is supported by fresh and ripe cherries, rich and butter toffee, and just the right balance of sea salt with a fleeting whisper of almost umami-baked wood (driftwood maybe?).
Finish: The end leans into the spice barks as the orange and cherry dry out and take on a touch of caramelization with hints of rock candy tobacco rolled into a fresh cedar humidor.
Bottom Line:
This is a very unique Jefferson’s bourbon that really leans into the fruitiness of the whiskey. And it works. Swap out dark rums for this in your tropical cocktail or on the rocks sipping on the beach this winter and you’ll be all set.
Bardstown Bourbon Company Discovery Series Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Series #11
ABV: 59.05%
Average Price: $139
The Whiskey:
The latest release from Bardstown Bourbon Company is a full-on Kentucky bourbon blend. The whiskey is made with 73% 13-year-old Kentucky bourbon, 21% 10-year-old Kentucky bourbon, and 6% of Bardstown’s own six-year-old Kentucky bourbon. Once batched, the whiskey mellows before bottling 100% as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Tart cherries and rich toffee rolled in roasted almond and dipped in salted dark chocolate drive the nose toward cinnamon spice cakes with a hint of dried cranberry, plummy sauce, and rich tobacco.
Palate: The taste leans into caramel-covered peanuts with a hint of red fruit leather, old spice barks, and a whisper of orange rinds next to a touch of Cherry Coke, old leather tobacco pouches, and the old beams from a whiskey barrel house.
Finish: The end leans into a lush vanilla buttercream with notes of old back porch wicker, almost sweet cedar kindling, smudging sage, and cinnamon bark soaked in cherry brandy with a touch of chili-cut dark chocolate.
Bottom Line:
This is an excellent bourbon. Drink it however you like to drink your whiskey.
FEW Spirits Alice in Chains “All Secrets Known” Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Tequila Barrels
ABV: 50.5%
Average Price: $60
The Whiskey:
FEW Spirits just dropped their second Alice in Chains collab and it’s a doozy. The whiskey in the bottle is made with FEW’s award-winning bourbon that’s been re-barreled into ex-tequila casks for another six months of maturation. Those barrels were batched and then the whiskey was just kissed with local water before bottling. Finally, a special label was created by creative artist Justin Helton, who worked with the band on the artwork.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The whiskey draws you in with a classic sense of spiced cherries over vanilla pound cake with plenty of deep and rich oak, caramel, and winter spices with a hint of apple orchards full of falling leaves.
Palate: Those falling leaves and hints of smoldering smudging sage lead back to the dark cherries soaked in brandy and dipped in dark chocolate with a flake of salt before a rich and creamy caramel arrives.
Finish: That caramel binds with lush vanilla on the finish next to moments of apple orchards, cherry pie, and dry bales of straw next to piles of cedar-laced tobacco in leather pouches.
Bottom Line:
This is a very quintessential bourbon sipper. It’ll also make a mean cocktail. Of course, if you’re a fan of Alice in Chains, this is an easy buy.
Filmland Spirits Town at the End of Tomorrow Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey Aged 9 Years Very Small Batch
ABV: 47%
Average Price: $109
The Whiskey:
“Town at the End of Tomorrow” is a new bourbon from Filmland. The whiskey in the bottles is made with a classic bourbon hewn from 78% corn, 13% rye, and 9% malted barley. After nine long years in the barrel, a few prime barrels were batched for this new release.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose has a nice balance of dark cherry, rich caramel, and lush vanilla with a nostalgic sense of old fruit orchards in the winter with plenty of dry leaves and old fruit tree barks with a hint of barrel spice.
Palate: The palate is very old-school and grassy with a light sense of blackberry hand pies, spiced apple cider, caramel apples, and a buttery cornbread that just kissed with dried red chili next to leatheriness.
Finish: Sweet cinnamon arrives on the finish with more leatheriness next to hints of dark cherry, caramel sauce, and dry kindling with a hint of soft honey tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is a very nice and very easy sipper. Overall, I’d drink this over a big rock or make a really solid cocktail with it.
Old Dominick Fall 2018 Batch No. 2 Cask Strength Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $69
The Whiskey:
These new batches from Old Dominick are all made from the same mash bill of 52% corn, 44% rye, and 4% malted barley. After several years in West Tennessee white oak barrels, the whiskey is small batched, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Rich vanilla buttercream, sweet cinnamon cakes, and plenty of brown sugar drive the nose toward brown spices and soft oakiness.
Palate: Red dried berries and floral honey attach to the vanilla buttercream on the palate as leathery cherry and woody spice barks lead to marzipan cut with cherry brandy and some dark chocolate.
Finish: Almost leathery honey rounds out the finish with dark cherry cola, dark chocolate-covered espresso beans, malted vanilla shakes, and a deep sense of smudging sage smoldering next to toasted marshmallows.
Bottom Line:
This is another really solid bourbon that doesn’t bring the heat but still has a good depth. Try it over some ice and then mix it into your favorite cocktail.
Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse “Camp Nelson F” Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 58.8%
Average Price: $300
The Whiskey:
The second release from Wild Turkey’s Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse Collection moves to the Camp Nelson campus in Kentucky to highlight the terroir and aging happening in Rickhouse F. The whiskey barrels were pulled from the center cut of the warehouse — floors four and five (out of seven). Once batched, the whiskey was bottled 100% as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Wild Turkey’s iconic spiced cherry vibe is present in spades on the nose with a deep and dark cherry cut with anise, clove, allspice, and cinnamon next to rum-soaked raisins, black tea-soaked dates, and a rich and lush vanilla foundation.
Palate: The clove attaches to dried orange rinds as salted rich caramel drives the taste toward more dates, plum sauce, and leathery prunes with a deep winter spice bark vibe next to a dash of powdery white pepper.
Finish: Honeyed tobacco mingles with sticky toffee pudding, mincemeat pies, and sweet oak mixed with richly spiced tobacco rolled with cedar bark, sage, and old wicker porch furniture.
Bottom Line:
While the last entry was very dessert forward, this edition is quintessential Turkey through and through. It’s spicy, darkly fruity, and full of lushness. This feels like a whiskey made for Wild Turkey fans.
Woodford Reserve Toasted Oak Four Grain
ABV: 45.2%
Average Price: $59
The Whiskey:
The new Distillery Series from Woodford Reserve just dropped. This year’s release is a blend of Woodford’s rye, bourbon, wheat, and malt whiskeys. Once batched, that blend was re-barreled in brand-new toasted oak barrels for another rest.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Rich butterscotch is countered by moist marzipan on the nose with a sense of cedar kindling, fresh tobacco, and rich honeycomb with. a sense of almost earthy brown sugar.
Palate: Cinnamon bark and clove buds drive the palate toward toffee and maple syrup with a sense of crisp apples and dark cherries next to light touches of orange, espresso, and grassy orchards.
Finish: The end leans into fresh firewood with a nice sense of sweet caramel sauce, fresh marzipan, and cinnamon holiday cakes with a hint of eggnog on the back end.
Bottom Line:
This is both interesting and nostalgic. You won’t be shocked but you will enjoy this one. Take it slow, add some ice, and find all the flavors hiding around corners on this one.
Saint Cloud Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Single Barrel “Candy Corn”
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $114
The Whiskey:
This luxury bourbon is a single-barrel one-off. The whiskey in the bottle is sourced from undisclosed Kentucky distilleries. The barrel was specifically chosen for its “Candy Corn” vibe.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Rich and creamy vanilla leads on the nose with a soft caramel candied vibe next to sharp winter spices, dried fruits, and fresh apple fritters with a cinnamon glaze next to some notes of leathery apricot and a touch of marzipan dipped in dark chocolate.
Palate: The nose leaps from that dark and nutty chocolate towards braids of cedar bark intertwined with fresh tobacco and smudging sage before molasses and more of that dried apricot make another appearance.
Finish: Grilled buttermilk biscuits arrive on the finish with a sense of salted chocolate sauce binds with apricot jam, loads of winter spice barks, and a sense of smoldering tobacco, cedar, and sage.
Bottom Line:
This is just good sipping whiskey. You know what to do.
Remus Repeal Reserve VII Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $109
The Whiskey:
2023’s Remus Repeal Reserve is here! The Seventh edition is made from a lot of Indiana bourbons from Ross & Squibb — 6% is a 2007 21% rye bourbon, 26% is a 2013 21% rye bourbon, another 26% is a 2013 36% rye bourbon, 21% is a 2014 21% rye bourbon, and the final 21% is a 2014 36% rye bourbon. Once batched, the whiskey was just kissed with water before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Pecan waffles covered in salted butter and fresh maple syrup pop on the nose next to candied cherry, rum raisin, and cinnamon-heavy apple cider with a kick of fresh pipe tobacco and silky vanilla cream.
Palate: That silkiness creates a lush palate full of more rum raisin, brandy-soaked cherries, old cinnamon sticks soaked in mulled wine, walnut-laden Christmas cakes, and soft oakiness with a sweet tobacco edge.
Finish: The cinnamon amps up on the warm finish with more of that creamy vanilla veering toward eggnog with a dusting of nutmeg and drizzled with salted caramel before a whisper of peppermint candy cane arrives with an underlying sense of old oak cellars.
Bottom Line:
This is another solid entry in the Remus Repeal line. Try it neat and then experiment with water, ice, and cocktails. You’ll find a nice sweet spot with this one.
Seelbach’s Private Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Toasted French Oak And Maple Syrup Barrels
ABV: 55.66%
Average Price: $79
The Whiskey:
This special release from online retailer Seelbach’s is a Kentucky bourbon that’s bottled down in Jacksonville, FLA. The four-and-a-half-year-old bourbon is sent down to Florida where it spends a humid and hot summer in toasted French oak and ex-bourbon maple syrup barrels before batching and bottling as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Pecan waffles dripping in salted butter and fresh maple syrup drive the nose toward cinnamon rolls, cedar kindling, and apple butter-infused tobacco.
Palate: The palate is full of peach and orange with a hint of clove leading to sharp winter spices and dark chocolate with a touch of smudging sage and rich pipe tobacco.
Finish: Banana’s Foster and cigar boxes drive the finish toward apple cider spiked with allspice and cinnamon and a soft sense of nutty cinnamon doughnuts wrapped in old leather.
Bottom Line:
This is just a fun sipping whiskey, especially if you’re looking for a great brunch sipper.
Copper & Kings Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in American Apple Brandy Barrels
ABV: 55%
Average Price: $65
The Whiskey:
Copper & Kings have spent years perfecting their Kentucky brandy in Louisville. Now, they’re perfecting brandy-finished Kentucky bourbon. The whiskey in the bottle is a sourced blend of five-, 10-, and 15-year-old bourbons that once batched were re-barreled into Copper & Kings’ own apple brandy barrels. After a year of resting in those brandy barrels, the whiskey was barely touched with water and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Cranberry sauce and caramel candies drive the nose toward old tobacco rolled up with cedar and sage and packed into an old cedar box next to hints of fall leaves and fallow apple orchards.
Palate: The palate opens with a lush and leathery dried apricot next to a moment of grapefruit pith, more cranberry sauce, and plenty of winter spice before honey and chocolate arrive with a dark cherry fruit leatheriness.
Finish: Toffee-dipped tart apples lead to warm and spiced apple cider on the finish with a nice sense of dark chocolate-covered caramels and soft vanilla cream.
Bottom Line:
This is another excellent choice if you’re looking for a deep but easy-going sipper. Try it neat and on the rocks to find your balance with this pour.
Old Man Winter Bourbon From The Black Hills
ABV: 54.9%
Average Price: $154
The Whiskey:
This new release is a masterful blend of whiskeys from the core of America’s distillery region. The blend in the bottle is a batch of Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee whiskeys that are balanced to highlight classic bourbon notes at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Peach cobbler with a big scoop of malted vanilla ice cream pops on the nose with a light sense of rye bread crusts, caramel pie, and mild orange zest cut with oaky tobacco.
Palate: Apricot jam over buttermilk biscuits leads the taste toward white pepper spiciness, winter spice barks, and a bright burst of grapefruit pith before this mild sense of white grape juice and almost savory melon arrives.
Finish: That melon goes full honeydew on the finish with a bit more of that orange before black peppercorns and smoldering smudging sage drive the end toward woody tobacco boxes wrapped in old leather.
Bottom Line:
This is another that’s so unique. It feels fresh and fun from top to bottom. It is fruit-forward, so take that in stride and have fun with it.
Three Chord Cask-Finished Bourbon & Corn Whiskey Finished in Honey & Toasted Barrels
ABV: 55.65%
Average Price: $59
The Whiskey:
This is from a wide-ranging whiskey brand created by Neil Giraldo (Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame guitarist and producer behind Pat Bantar and Rick Springfield’s biggest hits). The whiskey in this expression is hewn from a high-rye five-year-old MGP bourbon, a standard six-year-old MGP bourbon, and an eight-year-old Kentucky corn whiskey. Those barrels are batched and the whiskey is re-barrelled into toasted barrels from ISC and Speyside cooperages for three months. Then those barrels are batched and that whiskey is then re-barreled once more into Fern Valley Farms honey casks for one final month of mellowing.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This has a nice spiciness to the nose that leans into cedar and smudging sage with a hint of nasturtiums, creamy honey, and gingerbread cookies.
Palate: The mouthfeel is lush with a nice layering of corncake with honey, vanilla malt with a cherry on top, and bold winter spice barks and botanicals with a hint of burnt orange and red chili pepper.
Finish: The spice ramps up on the end with a good Kentucky hug (more a buzz than a burn) next to light white grits cut with butter, honey, and caramel with a hint of orchard fruit lurking behind it all.
Bottom Line:
This is the team at Three Chord showing how good they are at their jobs. Sip this one slow and enjoy some tunes while you do.
Barrell Bourbon Cask Finish Series: Tale of Two Islands
ABV: 59.11%
Average Price: $89
The Whiskey:
This new release from Barrell Craft Spirits is a unique one. The whiskey in the bottle is batched from Indiana bourbon (five, six, and nine-year-old barrels) with Maryland bourbon (five and six-year-old barrels). Once batched, the whiskey is re-barreled into rum casks and Islay whisky casks. Then those barrels are batched and the whiskey is bottled 100% as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with big notes of bananas foster, peach cobbler, and blackberry crumble next to roasting herbs, smoldering smudging sage, old cedar kindling, and rich vanilla-chocolate malted tobacco with a dash of Cherry Coke and Almond Joy.
Palate: Lushness dominates the palate with dark chocolate-covered espresso beans, candied orange peels, candied almonds, black cherry soda, cream soda, plum pudding, and mincemeat pies dusted with powdered sugar before dark and lightly smoked oak arrives.
Finish: That smoky oak leads to pepper brisket fat and salted butter cut with cedar tobacco before veering toward blackberry pie and red currants swimming in dark chocolate with a faint whisper of fresh vanilla pods.
Bottom Line:
This is an excellent example of blending and finishing at the highest level. This is a sipper that just keeps on giving. Take your time and allow yourself to go deep on this one. You’ll be rewarded.
Hardin’s Creek “Boston” Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 55%
Average Price: $169
The Whiskey:
Part three of the Hardin’s Creek 2023 releases is finally here. This whiskey is a 17-year-old bourbon made with Beam’s classic mash bill. The whiskey spent all 17 of those years in rickhouses on the Boston, Kentucky campus (a little further south of the Bardstown area). Those warehouses are in a flatter area (instead of tucked away in hollers or perched atop hills). So the actual buildings had more access to bathing warm sunlight, wind, and rain — all of which slightly shifts the aging process of the barrels in those warehouses.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a classic medley of wet brown sugar cut with rich vanilla buttercream, cinnamon bark, and dark cherry cola just kissed with dark chocolate and salt.
Palate: The taste leans nutty (more almond shell than marzipan) with a deep sense of salted dark chocolate-covered espresso beans next to sticky toffee pudding, salted caramel sauce cut with orange zest, and a hint of coffee cake dipped in black tea with a fleeting sense of old rickhouses floors and dry tobacco.
Finish: That dry tobacco and earthiness amp up the finish as the spice barks sharpen toward a warming finish full of Kentucky hugs, vanilla beans, and soft spiced brandied cherries dipped in dark chocolate.
Bottom Line:
Nearly 20-year-old Beam? Sign me up! This is excellent bourbon that’s made for slow sipping on a lazy day. Plan accordingly.
Bardstown Bourbon Company Collaborative Series Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished In Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout Barrels
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $159
The Whiskey:
This brand-new release from Bardstown Bourbon Company is a collaboration with Chicago’s Goose Island’s iconic Bourbon County Stout. The whiskey in the bottle is a blend of six- and seven-year-old Kentucky bourbons that are batched and then re-barreled into Bourbon County stout barrels. 12 months later, the whiskey is blended with another 9-year-old Kentucky bourbon, barely proofed, and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: A moment of honey draws you in on the nose before veering toward rich and very dark chocolate with a deeply stewed cherry cut with oily vanilla, mulled wine spices, and pear brandy-soaked marzipan with a hint of candied orange zest, dry espresso beans, and moist tobacco leaves.
Palate: There’s a moment of malted chocolate shakes on the taste that leads to a rich spiced Christmas cake brimming with walnuts, sultanas, candied cherry, candied lemon rinds, and leathery dates that lead to moments of creamy and very boozy eggnog poured over a Black Forest Cake.
Finish: The Christmas spices, fruit cake, dried fruit, and eggnog all combine on the finish to create a rich and sumptuous finish full of luscious textures and just the right amount of spiced whiskey warmth.
Bottom Line:
This is chocolate-forward with wonderfully nuanced holiday vibes, making it the perfect accompaniment as fall turns to winter this year.
15 STARS Fine Aged Spirits Sherry Cask Finish A Select Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys Finished in Sherry Casks
ABV: 57.5%
Average Price: $179
The Whiskey:
This brand-new release from 15 STARS (arriving on shelves on September 26th, 2023) is made from a blend of 10 and 13-year-old Kentucky and Indiana bourbons. Those barrels were batched by the 15 STARS crew and then the whiskey was re-barreled in sherry casks for a final touch of maturation. That whiskey was then bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Plums, dates, and figs come through on the nose with deep marzipan cut with pear brandy and dipped in salted dark chocolate next to eggnog spices and creaminess with a good dose of Christmas nut cakes.
Palate: The eggnog lusciousness leads the palate toward soft vanilla cookies, salted caramel chews, and a hint of spiced plum jam next to buttermilk waffles studded with pecans before old cellar oak adds an earthen layer.
Finish: The sweetness of the leathery dried fruits drives the finish toward winter spice barks and berries with a sense of old pipe tobacco braided with smudging sage and a whisper of dried mint next to cedar and fall leaves.
Bottom Line:
This was just named the best bourbon in the world at the New York World Spirits Competition. It’s fire. Get some now while you still can.
