Good news for stateside scotch lovers: The pound recently fell to its lowest position against the dollar in 37 years (dropping below $1.14 at times), meaning that whisky aficionados can benefit from substantial savings at retail, in duty-free, and the auction market abroad. In UK travel retail, savings can soar as high as 59%; a 1-liter bottle of Caol Ila 12 year old, for example, will set you back just $39 at Heathrow, compared to $97 in U.S. stores. If you’re visiting the UK in the near future, it will be well worth it to do some whisky shopping—either in duty free or local stores—to score some whisky at prices below U.S. retail prices.
Meanwhile, there’s plenty on offer among this week’s new releases. Metallica’s Blackened has collaborated with Angel’s Envy co-founder Wes Henderson on a port cask-finished bourbon, Glenfiddich has added a sherry cask-finished single malt to its core range, and Dewar’s has reintroduced its flagship 12 year old blended scotch. Read on for full details.
Blackened x Wes Henderson White Port Wine Cask Finished
Style: Finished bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 58.1%
Price: $100
Release: September 2022
Availability: Limited
Need to know:
Metallica-owned Blackened has announced the second release in its Masters of Whiskey Series, a 6 year old Kentucky straight bourbon that was finished in white port wine casks. The series pairs Blackened master distiller Rob Dietrich with other industry creatives. This release is a collaboration with recently retired Angel’s Envy co-founder Wes Henderson. The whiskey is non-chill filtered and bottled at cask strength.
Whisky Advocate says:
This is Wes Henderson’s first post-retirement project, and, fittingly, it involves port finishing. Henderson was among the first whiskey makers to release a cask-finished bourbon when he launched Angel’s Envy in 2006 with his father Lincoln, using port wine barrels. The previous Masters of Whiskey release was a madeira cask-finished rye made in collaboration with Willet master distiller Drew Kulsveen that scored 92 points.
Glenfiddich 12 year old Sherry Cask Finish
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Speyside)
Age: 12 year old
ABV: 43%
Price: $55
Release: September 2022
Availability: CA and FL
Need to know:
This is a new take on the classic Glenfiddich 12 year old, as it’s finished in amontillado sherry casks (unlike the flagship, which is only matured in American and European oak). The new whisky is a permanent addition to Glenfiddich’s core lineup, which also includes the 12 year old, 14 year old Bourbon Barrel Reserve, 15 year old Solera, and 18 year old Small Batch single malt whiskies.
Whisky Advocate says:
With the addition of this whisky, Glenfiddich re-enters the realm of sherry cask-finished single malts. While plenty of distillers play around with oloroso, fino, and Pedro Ximénez casks, amontillado barrels are less commonly used, as amontillado represents less than 2% of all sherry produced. Other amontillado cask-finished whiskies out on shelves include Kavalan Amontillado Sherry Finish Cask Strength single malt and Broken Barrel The Cask of Amontillado American whiskey.
Dewar’s 12 year old
Style: Blend
Origin: Scotland
Age: 12 year old
ABV: 40%
Price: $30
Release: October 2022
Availability: Nationwide
Need to know:
Dewar’s has relaunched its flagship 12 year old scotch. For this new bottling, first-fill bourbon casks are used in the double-aging process, while the recipe and the price remain the same.
Whisky Advocate says:
Previously, Dewar’s 12 year old was double aged in inert oak vessels that facilitated integration of the components without adding new flavors from the oak, but now the secondary maturation phase has been given a new twist. Dewar’s master blender Stephanie Macleod hit upon the idea of introducing double aging in first-fill bourbon casks while developing the Dewar’s 19 year old Champions Edition. The impact has been an augmenting of the vanilla and toffee sweetness of Dewar’s house style, and elevating the creaminess of the blend.
Redemption Whiskey Sur Lee
Style: Straight rye
Origin: Indiana
Age: Not stated
ABV: 47%
Price: $60
Release: October 2022
Availability: Limited
Need to know:
Part of Redemption’s Specialty Series, this whiskey was created using techniques inspired by the French sur lie winemaking process, in which wines are aged on the dead yeast particles—lees—that collect during fermentation. Here, Redemption adds “whiskey lees”—the backset, or acidic liquid that’s strained from the mash after distillation—into the barrels before aging. The barrels are then periodically rotated during maturation, ensuring that the whiskey and its “lees” continuously interact.
Whisky Advocate says:
Redemption says this method breaks production norms to create a more complex, developed whiskey. Other labels have utilized the backset, albeit in different ways. New Riff, for example, released its Backsetter bourbon and rye whiskeys back in 2020. With those expressions, the backset from a distillation of peat-smoked malted barley was incorporated into each new whiskey’s mash. (The rye was especially celebrated, scoring 93 points for its deep, complex flavors in our Fall 2020 Buying Guide.)
Bardstown Bourbon Co. Fusion 8
Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 47.75%
Price: $65
Release: September 2022
Availability: Limited
Need to know:
This is the penultimate release in Bardstown Bourbon Co.’s Fusion Series. The whiskey features two high-rye 4 year old bourbons distilled at Bardstown—its oldest released whiskey to date—as well as a sourced 12 year old Kentucky bourbon.
Whisky Advocate says:
With its Fusion Series, Bardstown aims to showcase the best of its own-make distillate alongside that of more mature sourced whiskey. Previous releases of Fusion have won favor with our panel, with the inaugural iteration coming in at 11th on our 2019 Top 2020. The next, and last, Fusion whiskey, Fusion 9, will debut later this fall.
Hirsch The Bivouac
Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 50%
Price: $55
Release: October 1, 2022
Availability: Nationally
Need to know:
This new bourbon from Hirsch uses a custom mashbill that takes inspiration from A.H. Hirsch 16 year old reserve. The final whiskey blends together two mashbills:
- 95% of the blend comes from bourbon, with a mash of 74% corn, 18% rye, and 8% malted barley that’s been aged for 3 years and 9 months
- 5% of the blend comes from bourbon, with a mash of 72% corn, 13% rye, and 15% malted barley that’s been aged for at least 8 years
The name The Bivouac (pronounced be-voo-ak) means a temporary camp and alludes to a way of travel meant for those who want to immerse themselves in nature.
Whisky Advocate says:
Fall is the perfect time to get out into nature and enjoy a whiskey. Our Fall 2022 issue spotlights a number of New England distilleries perfect for visiting, while we have previously recommended the distilling scene in New York’s Hudson Valley. Once a highly celebrated brand, Hirsch has made a comeback in recent years, with whiskies like The Horizon (90 points) and now The Bivouac.
The Last Drop Signature Blend: Drew Mayville (Release 28)
Style: Blend
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 60.7%
Price: $4,000
Release: October 2022
Availability: 1,458 bottles worldwide
Need to know:
In 2021, The Last Drop released its first Signature Blend; a 50 year old blended scotch. The second release is a blend of “vintage” bourbon and rye whiskeys created by Sazerac master blender Drew Mayville. Mayville joined Buffalo Trace Distillery in 2004, and since then has been reserving minimal amounts of his favorite whiskeys. Those whiskeys were used in this uncut and unfiltered blend. Each bottle is numbered, signed by Mayville, and presented in a green leather case that includes a 50 ml bottle of the whiskey.
Whisky Advocate says:
UK-based The Last Drop Distillers was founded in 2008 as a curator and purveyor of ultra-aged spirits, sometimes producing its own blended creations. The company was purchased by Buffalo Trace Distillery’s owner, Sazerac, in 2016.
New Liberty Bloody Butcher Sour Mash
Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Pennsylvania
Age: 3 year old
ABV: 47.5%
Price: $25/200 ml.
Release: September 2022
Availability: Pennsylvania only; 350 bottles
Need to know:
A new take on New Liberty’s Bloody Butcher bourbon, this whiskey is not only made with local heirloom corn, but also with a sourdough starter from local breadbasket High Street Philly. The whiskey is made from a mash of 70% Bloody Butcher corn, 27% malted rye, and 3% malted barley, double pot distilled, and aged for three years in 53-gallon barrels. The corn comes from Castle Valley Mill, while the barley and rye are from Deer Creek Malthouse, both Pennsylvania-based companies.
Whisky Advocate says:
Sour mash is a distilling technique in which leftover mash from a previous batch of whiskey is used to start the fermentation of a new one. For this whiskey, New Liberty allowed spent mash from a previous batch of Bloody Butcher bourbon to sour in open barrels before adding the sourdough starter. They then left the mash to ferment and produce wild esters. We’d expect that combination of heirloom grains and the sour mash process to produce a pretty unique spirit.
Clonakilty Single Malt
Style: Single malt
Origin: Ireland
Age: Not stated
ABV: 46%
Price: $50
Release: September 2022
Availability: 3,500 bottles
Need to know:
Clonakilty Distillery has introduced a new Bordeaux red wine-finished single malt whiskey. This new release in their Cask Finish Series is a double-distilled single malt finished in cold-toasted red wine casks from Château La Cardonne in the Médoc.
Whisky Advocate says:
With a history of farming the area for nine generations, the Scully family opened Clonakilty Distillery in southwest Ireland on the Wild Atlantic Way in 2019. They use malted barley from the family farm to produce single pot still whiskeys in their three copper pot stills, although these have yet to be released. Meanwhile, Clonakilty sources single malt, taking charge of the maturation, finishing, and bottling of these casks for the range. Clonakilty has been building its presence in the U.S. through an active program of limited edition beer-finished whiskeys in collaboration with different American breweries.
Indri Trini The Three Wood
Style: Single malt
Origin: India
Age: Not stated
ABV: 46%
Price: $55
Release: September 2022
Availability: 5,700 bottles
Need to know:
Indri is an Indian whisky distilled at a single malt distillery built in 2012 in the foothills of the Himalayas. It’s distilled from indigenous six-row Indian barley grown organically in Rajasthan. Master blender Surrinder Kumar, former Amrut master distiller and blender, is the creator of Trini – The Three Wood from whisky matured in first-fill bourbon, French wine, and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks.
Whisky Advocate says:
As distilleries in Scotland and Ireland devise strategies to meet targets for carbon-neutral distilling, this Indian distillery in Indri, Karnal District in Haryana State already gets all its energy requirements from renewable sources and doesn’t burn any fossil fuels. Master distiller Graeme Bowie oversees production at the distillery, which is equipped with six Indian-made copper pot stills. Bowie was the former distillery production manager at Angus Dundee Distillers in Scotland and previously worked as the first distillery manager at Ardnamurchan Distillery. We reviewed this impressive single malt Indian whisky ahead of release, awarding it Editor’s Choice, and a score of 92 points in our Summer issue’s Buying Guide.
Pinhook Rye Munny (2022)
Style: Straight rye
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 49.5%
Price: $40
Release: September 2022
Availability: Nationwide
Need to know:
Pinhook releases annual vintages of bourbon and rye, each with a different thoroughbred on its label. This year’s flagship rye has a mashbill of 60% rye, 20% corn, and 20% malted barley. Distilled and aged for two-plus years at Castle & Key in Frankfort, Kentucky, Rye Munny was blended and proofed by Pinhook co-owner and master blender Sean Josephs.
Whisky Advocate says:
Pinhook prides itself on small batch blending and proofing to create unique whiskeys with each release. This year’s vintage rye is named after Kentucky-bred Rye Munny, a 16-hand mare. Founded in 2010, Pinhook initially sourced sourced its whiskeys from MGP. In 2017 it began distilling at Castle & Key and released its first whiskey from there in 2020.
