Hudson Four Part Harmony, Compass Box Orchard House, & More [New Releases]

This week, we covered yet another distillery opening, this one on the Glenmorangie campus in the Scottish Highlands. At the Lighthouse, Glenmorangie head of distilling and whisky creation Dr. Bill Lumsden will be able to pursue his wildest whisky dreams, and we’re looking forward to the forthcoming fruits of his labors.

While it’ll be awhile before we see new whiskies from the Lighthouse, there are plenty of new releases to enjoy right now, including a new, aged bourbon from Hudson Whiskey, a fruit-forward blended malt from Compass Box, and a single malt meant for pairing with cigars from Tamdhu. Read on for full details.

Hudson Four Part Harmony

Hudson Four Part Harmony

Style: Straight bourbon

Origin: New York

Age: 7 year old
ABV: 46%

Price: $70

Release: September 2021

Availability: 1,200 for CT, NJ, NY with expansion planned

Need to know:

Pot distilled from a mash of 60% corn, 15% rye, 15% wheat, and 10% malted barley, and aged for 7 years, this limited-edition is the oldest release from Hudson Whiskey. The distillery initially released a four-grain bourbon in 2010, and returns to the style here with its own mature stocks.

Whisky Advocate says:

Hudson Whiskey relaunched its full range last September, with Bright Lights Big Bourbon, Do The Rye Thing, and Short Stack. Now it seems there’s more to come from the Gardiner, New York distillery. Fall is the perfect time to visit New York’s Hudson Valley, where Hudson and other distillers have cultivated a whiskey scene focused on craftsmanship and local traditions. Use our guide to take in the sights and whiskeys just north of the city.

Compass Box Orchard House

Compass Box Orchard House

Style: Blended malt
Origin: Scotland
Age: Not stated
ABV: 46%
Price: $50
Release: October 2021
Availability: Nationwide

Need to know:

This whisky extends the Malt Whisky Collection, which is the core Compass Box range and also includes Story of the Spaniard, The Spice Tree, The Peat Monster, and Oak Cross. The majority of the whisky’s blend is made up of stocks of spirit purchased from distilleries that are renowned for their fruit-forward flavor; the blend is then aged in various Compass Box casks, including water-rinsed, first-fill bourbon barrels, oloroso sherry butts, and French oak casks.

Whisky Advocate says:

Compass Box is of course renowned as a blending house, so we’re looking forward to getting a taste of this new, fruitier whisky, which is a marked departure from the signature range.

Tamdhu Cigar Malt No. 01

Tamdhu Cigar Malt No. 01

Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Speyside)
Age: Not stated
ABV: 53.8%
Price: £180 (around $250)
Release: September
Availability: Limited

Need to know:

This is a special limited-edition bottling to celebrate the pairing of Tamdhu with fine cigars. This whisky will available in the U.S., UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Taiwan, and China. A total of 4,800 bottles are being released, with 600 bottles available in the U.S. Those bottles are currently being shipped, and should be on U.S. retail shelves by late September or early October.

Whisky Advocate says:

Tamdhu matures all its whiskies in seasoned oloroso sherry casks, and the Tamdhu team selected liquid from casks deemed most suited for supporting the spice and aromatics of cigars. In tandem with the launch, Tamdhu owner Ian Macleod Distillers has commissioned two luxury cigar humidors, crafted by British woodmaker and silversmith Anthony Holt & Sons. The humidors are made of wood from Tamdhu sherry casks, and will imbue the cigars with touches of sherry cask aromas. One of the humidors will be auctioned for charity next year, while the other is being kept at Tamdhu Customs House, a new VIP accommodation at the distillery. Learn how to pair cigars with scotch with our guide, which includes 4 foolproof combinations.

Kentucky Owl The Wiseman

Kentucky Owl The Wiseman

Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 45.4%
Price: $60
Release: September 2021
Availability: Limited

Need to know:

The Wiseman is Kentucky Owl’s first bourbon produced and distilled in collaboration with Bardstown Bourbon Company. The final blend consists of 4 year old Kentucky Owl wheat and high-rye bourbons, as well as 5 ½ year old and 8 ½ year old sourced Kentucky bourbons.

Whisky Advocate says:

This is the first Kentucky Owl whiskey created by master blender John Rhea, who joined Kentucky Owl in June of this year. Rhea is a whiskey legend himself, coming off a long career at Four Roses. Kentucky Owl’s whiskeys regularly score 90 points or above with our tasting panel, so suffice to say we’re eager to get our hands on some of The Wiseman; as an added bonus, it’s also the brand’s most affordable release to date.

Blade and Bow 22 Year Old

Blade and Bow 22 Year Old

Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 22 year old
ABV: 46%
Price: $499
Release: September 2021
Availability: Limited

Need to know:

This is the latest release of Blade and Bow’s 22 year old whiskey, which comes out each year in September. This whiskey is aged and bottled at the Stitzel-Weller Distillery.

Whisky Advocate says:

As with last year’s release, the price of this whiskey continues its steady upward climb, clocking in at nearly $500 this time around, up from $450 in 2020. As we previously noted, this is likely due to an aged stock shortage; parent company Diageo is bound to be running out of 22 year old bourbon, especially as Blade and Bow does not yet have its own distillery.

Kentucky Peerless Double Oak

Kentucky Peerless Double Oak

Style: Straight bourbon

Origin: Kentucky

Age: Not stated
ABV: 53.55%

Price: $85

Release: September 2021

Availability: CA, FL, IL, KY, TX

Need to know:

A new permanent line extension to the Kentucky Peerless range, this whiskey—aged for 6 years and 2 months—was born of necessity. When leaking barrels were beyond repair, the Peerless team placed the whiskey into new barrels to continue aging. While that whiskey was initially sold as a distillery exclusive, the response was so positive that Peerless began rebarreling intentionally, specifically looking to promote barrels with prominent grain, fruit, and herbaceous notes. Roughly 6,000 bottles will be available in the U.S., with expansion planned in the future.

Whisky Advocate says:

Introducing whiskey to multiple barrels is nothing new, but Peerless is placing aged bourbon into new oak casks, resulting in what they call “supercharged” barrel notes. While it is not this particular whiskey, the Whisky Advocate tasting panel has tried Peerless’s Double Oak single barrel bourbon in the past, scoring it 92 points in the Winter 2020 Buying Guide.

King of Kentucky 14 year old (2021 Release)

King of Kentucky 14 year old (2021 Release)

Style: Straight bourbon

Origin: Kentucky

Age: 14 year old
ABV: 65%

Price: $250

Release: September 2021

Availability: 2,700 bottles, mainly in Kentucky, with limited quantities in Illinois and Ohio

Need to know:

The fourth release from King of Kentucky, this year’s batch comes from 33 barrels filled with whiskey made just 12 days apart. While King of Kentucky has been a single barrel release in the past, Woodford Reserve master distiller Chris Morris says that given the nearly identical ages of the stocks, the differences here were undetectable.

Whisky Advocate says:

King of Kentucky was established in 1881, acquired by Brown-Forman in 1936, and, by 1940, converted into a blended whiskey until it was discontinued in 1968. In 2018, Brown-Forman revived the brand as a single barrel bourbon—to great results. Each of the past three releases have scored between 93 and 95 points with our tasting panel.

KO Distilling Distiller’s Reserve Bottled in Bond

KO Distilling Distiller’s Reserve Bottled in Bond

Style: Straight rye

Origin: Virginia

Age: 4 year old
ABV: 50%

Price: $75

Release: September 2021

Availability: DC, DE, MD, VA

Need to know:

Made from 100% Virginia rye, this whiskey is the second bottled in bond expression from KO Distilling, following a bourbon released in 2020.

KO Distilling Bare Knuckle Single Barrel High Rye

KO Distilling Bare Knuckle Single Barrel High Rye

Style: Straight bourbon

Origin: Indiana

Age: 6 year old

ABV: 45%

Price: $60
Release: September 2021

Availability: DC, DE, MD, VA

Need to know:

Made from mash of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley, this high-rye bourbon is also available at cask strength at around 63% ABV and $73. While it was distilled in Indiana, it was aged in Virginia.

Whisky Advocate says:

While bourbon is the predominant style to be bottled in bond, any whiskey can receive that designation, In fact, several bonded rye and wheat whiskeys have been released in recent years. Just last week we covered a bonded straight malt whiskey from Laws Whiskey House. As craft distillers see their stocks mature, we suspect even more will be releasing bottled in bond whiskeys of various styles.

Elvis Rye

Elvis Rye

Style: Straight rye
Origin: Indiana
Age: Not stated
ABV: 45%
Price: $50
Release: Fall 2021
Availability: 12,000 bottles

Need to know:

Sourced from MGP in Indiana, this whiskey is blended in Tennessee. As a straight rye, we can expect a minimum 2 year aged whiskey.

Elvis Whiskey

Elvis Whiskey

Style: Straight Tennessee whiskey
Origin: Tennessee
Age: Not stated
ABV: 45%
Price: $50
Release: Fall 2021
Availability: 30,000 bottles

Need to know:

While we don’t know much about the distillation and maturation process of this whiskey, we can expect it’s at least 2 years old due to it being labeled a straight whiskey.

Whisky Advocate says:

Grain & Barrel Spirits, owner of Virgil Kane and Chicken Cock whiskeys, has agreed to a long-term licensing agreement with Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE) to launch this duo of Elvis-inspired whiskeys. The whiskeys pay homage to Elvis with his nicknames, The King and Tiger Man, and his photo on the labels. 

More From Whisky Weekend