So. It’s been a week. As the world turns upside down because of COVID-19, we’ve been trying to keep grounded through what we know best: whisky. We’re continuing to compile resources for connecting over a dram even while social distancing, along with content that we hope you’ll find entertaining, useful, or just downright fun during this period of uncertainty and isolation. We’ll continue to serve and support you, our readers, as best we can, remembering that even when separated from each other, whisky friendships will persevere.
And today, that means bringing you news about the latest releases. First up is an age-stated Canadian whisky. Benjamin Chapman 7 year old is a blend of rye and wheat whiskies, launching widely and priced at $39.
Following the recent debut of its first rye distilled at partner Castle & Key, Pinhook is rolling out a C&K bourbon to match. The Bohemian High Proof bourbon will be widely available at $50.
A new brand with Indian roots, but made in Canada, will hit shelves later this spring. Priced at $30, Daru whiskey will initially launch in Arizona and California, with national expansion coming later.
Finally, later this year Scottish distillery Tomintoul will launch a new sherry cask-finished single malt in the U.S. There are 6,000 bottles of the first batch of Tomintoul Seiridh, which is priced at $55.
Read on for full details.
4/1/2020: This post was updated to reflect new information about Daru whiskey.
Benjamin Chapman 7 year old
Style: Blended whisky
Origin: Canada
Age: 7 years old
Proof: 45% ABV
Price: $39
Release: March 2020
Availability: Widely available
Need to know:
Sourced from Canada, this blend is comprised of 51% 10 year old rye aged in first-fill bourbon barrels and 49% wheat whisky aged in used American whiskey barrels.
Whisky Advocate says:
While hardly a week passes that there’s not a new scotch, Irish, or American whiskey release, new whiskies from Canada seem to be in short supply these days. So it’s exciting to see a new Canadian blend, with an age statement, hitting shelves. We look forward to bringing you a review soon!
Pinhook Bohemian High Proof Bourbon
Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 2 years, 10 months old
Proof: 57.25% ABV
Price: $50
Release: March 2020
Availability: Widely available
Need to know:
Pinhook’s first bourbon distilled and matured at Castle & Key, this was made with the brand’s custom mashbill of 75% corn, 15% malted barley, and 10% rye.
Whisky Advocate says:
This is among Pinhook’s highest-proof whiskeys to date, although not the highest; that title goes to the 2018 vintage of the brand’s Cask-Strength bourbon, which clocked in at 57.65% ABV—at just .4% higher, beating out this bourbon by a hair.
Daru Whiskey
Style: Grain whisky
Origin: Canada
Age: 3 years old
Proof: 40% ABV
Price: $30
Release: Spring 2020
Availability: AZ and CA to start, with expansion planned
Need to know:
Distilled in Canada from a corn base, this whisky is aged for three years.
Whisky Advocate says:
Brothers Sonny and Andy Sran started Sran Spirits, debuting with this whisky as the first product. It’s inspired by a spirit made by their father decades ago in India. Indeed, the word “daru” means alcoholic beverage in India.
Tomintoul Seiridh (Batch One)
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Highlands)
Age: Not stated
Proof: 40% ABV
Price: $55
Release: March 2020 globally; September 2020 in the U.S.
Availability: 6,000 bottles
Need to know:
This whisky was initially matured in bourbon barrels and then finished in first-fill oloroso sherry casks.
Whisky Advocate says:
“Seiridh” is Scottish Gaelic for sherry, and the pronunciation is identical: “sheh-ree”. No excuses for forgetting the whisky’s maturation program!
