The popular Blade and Bow 22 year old bourbon is returning in time for Derby Day, while Lord Calvert has a new Canadian blended whisky and Rabbit Hole Distilling has rolled out two bourbons and a rye.
Blade and Bow 22 year old
Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Proof: 46% ABV
Price: $200
Release: April 2017
Availability: Highly limited
Need to know:
Originally launched on Derby Day two years ago, this is a re-release. The first bottling scored a 91 in our Buying Guide.
Whisky Advocate says:
Though the brand talks a lot about Stitzel-Weller, this whiskey wasn’t made there. According to a press release, the liquid came from “the distillery historically located at 17th and Breckenridge in Louisville, Ky. And the distillery historically located at 1001 Wilkinson Blvd. in Frankfort, Ky.”—aka Bernheim and Buffalo Trace. It completed maturation and was bottled at the site of the old Stitzel-Weller Distillery. There will be additional re-releases of Blade and Bow 22 year old annually around Derby Day as long as supply exists.
Lord Calvert Black
Style: Blended whisky
Origin: Canada
Proof: 40% ABV
Price: $13-$14
Release: Spring 2017
Availability: Select markets nationwide
Need to know:
A new expression in the Lord Calvert range of Canadian whiskies, this 3 year old blend is made with rye, corn, wheat, and barley.
Whisky Advocate says:
Lord Calvert Black offers more caramel, vanilla, and spice than the regular expression. A Spiced Peach flavored whisky, priced at $11, is also rolling out.
Rabbit Hole Straight Bourbon
Style: Bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Proof: 47.5% ABV
Price: $49
Release: Fall 2016
Availability: Kentucky, Illinois, and Tennessee, with expansion planned
Need to know:
Made with a mash bill that’s 70% corn, 10% malted wheat, 10% honey malted barley, and 10% malted barley, this is bourbon is contract-distilled at an undisclosed distillery. The two types of barley plus malted wheat—a highly unusual combination of flavoring grains—are said to bring out apple, custard, and caramel flavors.
Rabbit Hole Straight Rye
Style: Straight rye
Origin: Kentucky
Proof: 47.5% ABV
Price: $59
Release: Fall 2016
Availability: Kentucky, Illinois, and Tennessee, with expansion planned
Need to know:
It’s a 95% rye-5% malted barley whiskey, contract-distilled at an undisclosed Kentucky distillery.
Rabbit Hole Straight Bourbon Fingerprint Edition
Style: Bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Proof: 46.5% ABV
Price: $79
Release: Fall 2016
Availability: Kentucky, Illinois, and Tennessee, with expansion planned
Need to know:
This wheated bourbon—the mash bill is 68% corn, 18% wheat, and 14% malted barley—aged for five years in new charred oak barrels. It was then finished in 30 year old Pedro Ximénez sherry casks for 6 months.
Whisky Advocate says:
Rabbit Hole is currently building a distillery in Louisville, Kentucky, scheduled to open in 2018. Meanwhile, the company is contract distilling its whiskeys at an undisclosed Kentucky distillery. It also has a London Dry gin that’s finished in a rye barrel, launching this spring.
