Welcome back to our monthly guide to all things whisk(e)y. This month, Teeling finds a new wonder of wood, Barrell releases an exceptional rye blend and Steph Curry debuts a bourbon.
Hardin’s Creek Frankfort
Part of the Kentucky Series, the latest ultra-rare expression from this James B. Beam Distilling Co. line is the second of a three-part release. These 17-year-old bourbons (Clermont, Frankfort, Boston) all feature the same mashbill and were laid down at the same time but are differentiated by where on the Beam campus the barrels were aged. Apparently, the creek bed at the Frankfort campus covers the rack houses in a blanket of humidity, making everything age more slowly. Here, that means you’ll get notes of tobacco, caramel and dark fruits, with the oak spice front and center.
Teeling Wonders of Wood Single Pot Still Series, 2nd Edition
Featuring a recipe of 50% malted barley and 50% unmalted barley, the second iteration of Teeling’s Wonders of Wood series finds their triple-distilled Irish whiskey matured in virgin Portuguese oak barrels. Bottled at 50% ABV with no chill filtration, this WOW release features notes of sandalwood, cereal, orange and a bit of lemon butterscotch on the end. It’s a bit oily and quite delicious.
Gentleman’s Cut
Steph Curry has entered the whiskey space. The Warriors star is behind Gentleman’s Cut, a new 90-proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon. The four-time NBA champ was supposedly “intimately involved in every step of the process — from the manufacturing, blending and aging to the packaging and marketing efforts.” Featuring a mashbill of 75% corn, 21% rye and 4% malted barley, this bourbon (aged a minimum of five years) by Game Changer Distillery in Boone County, certainly has a rye-forward character, which adds some nice spice to the caramel, vanilla, toasted oak and nuttiness.
Little Book Chapter 7: In Retrospect
The seventh installment of this blended whiskey series from Fred B. Noe Distillery Master Distiller Freddie Noe is actually a reflection of its previous chapters: It’s a blend of seven cask-strength American whiskies, curated from each of the brand’s previous six chapters with a seventh new addition. A marriage of everything from a 4-year-old Kentucky Straight Rye to an 18-year bourbon, this 118.1 proof release features notes has a rich and creamy mouthfeel, but also a lot of oak and rye spice, orange peel, cloves, vanilla and burnt caramel.
Why This Year’s Old Forester Birthday Bourbon Is Unique
We had a taste and spoke with OF’s Master Taster Melissa Rift about what makes the 2023 release so special
J.J. Corry Cask Series / Spirits of Ireland
A blend of single malt Irish whiskeys finished in Amontillado, Oloroso, Palo Cortado and Pedro Ximénez casks, this collaboration with The Dead Rabbit is extremely limited for now: Only 250 bottles are available, either at the NYC speakeasy The Dead Rabbit or in select states via J.J. Corry’s site (where it’s sold out). They promise more may come in the following years — if you somehow can get to New York now and get a chance to try a sip, it’s worth it, particularly if you like Sherry. You’ll find chocolate, raisin, orange, hazelnut and some lovely floral notes.
Rosebank 31 Year Old
A Lowland Single Malt Whisky brand revived within the Ian Macleod Distillers portfolio, Rosebank’s latest is drawn from casks that were salvaged before the original distillery’s closing in 1993. Coming in at 48.1% ABV (and $3,330), this one features rich and sweet notes of vanilla, citrus, almond and peaches with a small amount of oak and tobacco spice.
Wolves American Single Malt Lot Two
The second release under the luxury whiskey brand’s Malted Barley Series banner is an 11-year-old American Single Malt using imported Irish malts with a California Ale yeast and bottled at 110-proof (55% ABV). Wrapped in a bespoke Italian sheepskin label, the latest Wolves release is dark amber in color with notes of buttery popcorn, apple, caramel and dried apricots.
Chivas XV
Hailing from the oldest continuously operating Highland distillery, this 15-year-old blended Scotch is finished in Cognac casks. The end result is rich balance of dark fruit, cinnamon, orange peel, biscuit and raisin.
Barrell Bourbon Batch 35 / Rye Batch 004
These master blenders are celebrating 10 years of whiskey making this year and marking that with several new releases. Barrell Bourbon Batch 35 (116.24 proof) is a blend of straight bourbon whiskeys distilled and aged in TN, KY and IN featuring a selection of 6, 7, 8 and 13-year-old barrels. Spicy and oaky on the nose, the palate shows off plenty of caramel, cherry and butterscotch, with a hint of tropical fruit.
Meanwhile, Rye Batch 004 (115.7 proof) is a blend of straight rye whiskeys distilled and aged in IN, TN, KY and Canada, featuring a selection of 5, 6, 10 and 14-year-old barrels. This one features hints of marmalade, lemon (almost Lemon Pledge), brown sugar and oak spice, with an underlying herbal character. It’s excellent and complex, but sadly, this one is already sold out online.
Heaven’s Door Ascension
A new addition to Bob Dylan’s whiskey brand’s core line-up, Ascension Kentucky Straight Bourbon is a blend of two Kentucky straight bourbons, featuring the company’s own distillate produced in Kentucky. This non-chill filtered bourbon is aged more than five years before being blended in small batches and bottled at 92 proof, there’s a fair amount of vanilla and baking spices here with nice amounts of oak and caramel. As well, all the Heaven’s Door bottles recently got new designs featuring soe of Dylan’s iron metalworks.
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