Redbreast’s newest American Oak Launch, Frey Ranch Wheat Whiskey, New 15 Stars and Extra

Amid the same old fanfare of latest product bulletins, this week introduced phrase of the retirement of John MacDonald, longtime supervisor at Balblair Distillery within the Northern Highlands. One of many nice residents of the scotch whisky world, Macdonald has overseen all features of whisky making at Balblair, together with its current transition from vintage-dated releases to age assertion whiskies. Located on a hillside overlooking the Dornoch Firth, Balblair is arguably Scotland’s most picturesque distillery and positively one in all its extra underrated ones. It’s simply up the street from its well-known neighbor Glenmorangie, and whereas it has by no means achieved the celebrity of Glenmorangie or its different Northern Highlands neighbor, Dalmore, its whiskies are definitely on equal footing.

As for the brand new whisky introductions, it’s been a busy week. Issues obtained began with the rollout of the newest Lagavulin Offerman Version, adopted by the inaugural launch from Islay distillery Ardnahoe, whose manufacturing started in 2018. Right here we cowl Redbreast’s newest American oak completed expression, in addition to a brand new launch from Kentucky unbiased bottler 15 Stars, whose whiskeys proceed to attain effectively. California winemaker Jackson Household Wines has entered the American whiskey fray with Stonestreet, a Kentucky bourbon. We haven’t tasted it but, so whereas it is perhaps a bit early to tout Stonestreet, contemplate that the Jackson household has lengthy ties to Kentucky, a observe document of excellence, and the sources to make Stonestreet a participant.

Redbreast Missouri Oak Version Irish Single Pot Nonetheless

ABV: 50.5%
SRP: $199
Availability: U.S. Unique; nationwide

Redbreast has a brand new whiskey completed in American oak, following the discharge of its Redbreast Kentucky Oak Version in 2022. For this new expression, grasp blender Dave McCabe took the basic Redbreast recipe of bourbon and sherry aged single pot nonetheless whiskey and completed for 12 months in Missouri oak coopered at Kelvin Cooperage utilizing bushes felled within the Ozark forest. Like its predecessor from Kentucky, it’s bottled at a punchy 101 proof.

Redbreast Kentucky Oak was extremely rated and effectively acquired, successful the No.2 spot on our High 20 whiskies listing in 2022. Irish Distillers experimented with virgin oak ending and maturation a few years in the past and showcased it on Irish whiskeys akin to Jameson Gold Reserve, Midleton Dair Ghaelach, and numerous Technique and Insanity whiskeys.

For all its virgin oak initiatives, Redbreast has all the time gone to nice lengths to make sure that the bushes come from sustainable sources and help native conservation initiatives. The Missouri Oak Version is supporting a analysis research into the Cerulean Warbler’s use of oak forests in the course of the breeding season to enhance sustainable forestry administration practices to halt the inhabitants decline of this migratory species.

Frey Ranch Single Grain Collection Barrel Energy Single Barrel 100% Wheat Whiskey

ABV: 58.4%–67.2%
SRP: $114
Availability: Restricted; online-exclusive freyranch.com

Farm distillery Frey Ranch is including a brand new single barrel wheat whiskey to its Single Grain collection. It’s distilled fully from comfortable white winter wheat grown and milled on the Frey Ranch farm. On account of the truth that it’s each a cask energy and a single barrel whiskey, particular person bottles could have some extent of variance, however every has a minimal 58.4% ABV and ranges in age from 6 years and a pair of months to 7 years and eight months.

All Frey Ranch expressions showcase the distillery’s grain-to-glass strategy to creating whiskey, however its Single Grain collection is a specific spotlight. All on this collection are distilled from a single grain and aged for no less than 6 years. Earlier entries embrace an oat whiskey and one other wheat whiskey—utilizing the identical grains as the brand new one however bottled at at 50%. This latest wheat whiskey marks the primary time the collection has featured a cask energy bottling.

Stonestreet Kentucky Straight Bourbon

ABV: 47%
SRP: $60
Availability: CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, KY, NV, NY, TN, and TX

California’s famend winemaker Jackson Household Wines, which has in depth vineyards in California and elsewhere around the globe, has entered the whiskey recreation. Its inaugural launch, Stonestreet Kentucky Straight Bourbon Founder’s Version, is a wheated bourbon made in small batches that have been distilled at Inexperienced River Distillery, with solely 131 barrels produced. The whiskey was aged for no less than 5 years. Extra small batch releases are anticipated to observe later this yr or subsequent together with a wine barrel-finished high-rye bourbon.

The Stonestreet Bourbon enterprise is being run by Christopher Stonestreet Jackson—he’s the son of the late Jess Stonestreet Jackson, founding father of Jackson Household Wines, and Jess’s widow Barbara Banke, who serves as chairman. Jess Jackson, who handed away in 2011, had lengthy ties to Kentucky because of his involvement in horse racing and breeding within the Bluegrass State. The whiskey is in reality named for Stonestreet Farms, which Jackson based simply exterior Lexington, Kentucky again in 2005. Like most the whole lot else Jess Jackson touched, the farm turned a significant success story that continues at present. Stonestreet Farms has produced thoroughbreds which have gained quite a few huge races, along with being honored with three American Horse of the Yr awards—for Curlin (2007, 2008) and Rachel Alexandra (2009).

15 Stars Vino de Naranja Completed Bourbon

ABV: 51.4%
SRP: $139
Availability: 15stars.com

15 Stars founders and blenders Rick and Ricky Johnson created this mix of two 8 yr outdated sourced bourbons that was completed in a single vino de naranja (white wine macerated with orange peels) cask. The citrus flavors imbued by the ending cask make this splendid for summer time sipping. The 316 bottles produced from this single cask can be found starting at present by June 16^th.

Whereas using vino de naranja casks for ending will not be unparalleled, few releases function it. Heaven’s Door Bootleg Collection III and Penelope Valencia bourbons have been completed in the sort of wine cask. Compass Field Canvas scotch blended malt was matured in casks seasoned with vino de naranja.

Milam & Greene Bottled in Bond

ABV: 50%
SRP: $65
Availability: Nationwide

Bottled in bond whiskey has a brand new entrant from Milam & Greene. This bourbon is made utilizing Milam & Greene’s signature mashbill—70% corn, 22% malted rye, and eight% malted barley. The whiskey was distilled in Bardstown, Kentucky on the firm’s (undisclosed) collaborative companion within the fall of 2019; it then went into char degree 4 oak barrels and was aged for 4 years in a bonded warehouse. A complete of 72 barrels have been chosen for this launch and dropped at the model’s house of Blanco, Texas for batching and bottling.

Milam & Greene has stored busy with a slew of restricted releases, and this new restricted version bottled in bond bourbon is a everlasting member of the portfolio. Grasp blender Heather Greene works in parthership with grasp distiller Marlene Holmes, who distills in Blanco, Texas on copper pot stills. In Kentucky, Milam & Greene’s whiskey is contract distilled in column stills. Its whiskeys are aged in 4 completely different states: Texas, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana.

Templeton Midnight Rye

ABV: 45%
SRP: $40
Availability: Nationwide

Templeton is including to its rye steady with the introduction of Midnight Rye, a sourced whiskey created from a mashbill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley that was aged on the distillery in Templeton, Iowa. The identify was impressed by the whiskey’s end in port barrels, which imbued the ultimate product with a deep, darkish amber shade.

Templeton sources most of its whiskey from MGP, however is steadily altering as extra of its own-make comes of age. The model opened its distillery again in 2018, and whereas it has constructed a reputation in rye whiskey, its first whiskey that used own-make was a bourbon, which debuted final month. The 20 acre distillery campus in Templeton, Iowa is about 80 miles west of Des Moines, and the distillery has an annual manufacturing capability of three million bottles.

Nelson Brothers Honey Cask Completed Bourbon

ABV: 56.2%
SRP: $199
Availability: Restricted; obtainable on the distillery and choose retailers in Nashville, beginning Could twenty fourth.

Nashville-based Nelson’s Inexperienced Brier Distillery is slated to launch a brand new batch of its fan-favorite Honey Cask bourbon in only a few weeks. It begins as Nelson Brothers Reserve Mix, nevertheless it spends 3–15 months in wildflower honey barrels sourced from TruBee Honey in Eagleville, Tennessee. These barrels initially held Nelson’s bourbon and have been utilized by TruBee to make a whiskey barrel completed honey earlier than being returned to the distillery.

Nelson’s Inexperienced Brier has a historical past that stretches again to the mid-1800s. It was initially situated in Greenbrier, a small city about 23 miles north of Nashville; below the management of businessman Charles Nelson, it turned one of many main gamers within the state’s whiskey scene. Manufacturing would screech to a halt in 1909—like a lot of its contemporaries, it was a casualty of Tennessee’s early Prohibition legal guidelines.

The model fell silent for a full century, and was introduced again to life by Charles’s descendants Andy and Charlie—the eponymous Nelson Brothers—in 2009. The distillery, which has discovered a brand new house in Nashville, began distilling its personal whiskey in 2014 and has largely relied on sourced liquid for its blends.

Uncommon Hare Spirits 20 yr outdated The Tempest Tasmanian Single Malt

ABV: 42%
SRP: $999
Availability: Restricted; obtainable in choose retailers nationwide and on-line

Uncommon Hare, the ultra-luxe spirit label curated by Playboy Spirits, has debuted a brand new aged single malt. The liquid is sourced from Hellyers Highway Distillery, a hilltop distillery within the Australian state of Tasmania. It was distilled from native barley after which aged utilizing two separate casks: first spending 17 years in bourbon barrels earlier than being completed in port casks for 3 years.

This launch is the third whisky from Uncommon Hare Spirits. The model was launched as a collaboration between Playboy journal homeowners PLBY Group and Spirits Funding Companions, the funding group whose primary model is Bob Dylan-backed Heaven’s Door. Uncommon Hare’s debut bottling was an $899 fino sherry cask-finished añejo tequila launched in partnership with Código 1530 in November 2021. Its first whisky, a sourced bourbon completed in XXO cognac casks, appeared the next June.