Lagavulin 8 Year Old, English Single Malt & More New Whisky

There is a lot of new whisky this week, but the biggest release has been out for a while. Lagavulin 8 year old first debuted in 2016 as a special edition whisky celebrating the distillery's 200th anniversary. It has now officially been added to the Lagavulin range permanently, joining the 16 year old and Distiller's Edition.While more bourbon will soon be made in Bardstown at Kentucky Owl Park, this week's new bourbons all come from outside the state. Virginia's A. Smith Bowman is releasing a $40 port-finished bourbon as part of its permanent lineup. Isaac Bowman Straight Bourbon Finished in Port Casks is available in Virginia only right now, but will expand to other states in the near future. And FEW Spirits in Illinois has three new whiskeys with unusual finishes as well: FEW Bourbon and Rye finished in Copper & Kings brandy barrels, and FEW Bourbon finished in Sicilian wine casks. There are limited amounts of each whiskey, available mostly in Illinois and, for the wine cask finish, at Eataly stores.In other American whiskey news, Tincup is launching a 10 year old bourbon, it's first age-statement whiskey. And ASW Distillery in Atlanta has released Duality, a whiskey made of half malted barley and half malted rye. Currently it's only available in Atlanta.There's a new Irish whiskey brand coming out right now. Temple Bar includes an NAS blend and two single malts at 10 and 12 years old. The line was created by Tom Cleary, owner of The Temple Bar pub in Dublin, and it will be widely available. If you're looking to try before you buy, all three Temple Bar whiskeys will be poured at next week's WhiskyFest New York—there are still a few tickets left.Also making its debut at WhiskyFest New York: Cotswolds whisky from England. Yes, England. This single malt is barely legal, but is only the second English whisky available in the U.S. (the other is the English Whisky Company), so definitely worth a try.Finally, Scotland's Glenglassaugh Distillery has a series of cask finished single malts available in the UK and global markets, though not the U.S. Read on for full details.

Lagavulin 8 year old

Style: Single maltOrigin: Scotland (Islay)Age: 8 years oldProof: 48% ABVPrice: $60Release: November 2017Availability: Widely available

Need to know:

While not a totally brand-new whisky—it debuted in 2016—Lagavulin 8 year old is now becoming an official part of the distillery's range of whiskies.

Whisky Advocate says:

This whisky scored 88 points when reviewed in the Summer 2016 Buying Guide, proving that young whisky can be every bit as complex and delicious as whisky that has spent more time in the cask. By comparison, Lagavulin 16 year old scored 92 points.

Tincup 10 year old

Style: BourbonOrigin: IndianaAge: 10 years oldProof: 42% ABVPrice: $55Release: November 2017Availability: Nationwide

Need to know:

Tincup is launching its first age-stated whiskey, a 10 year old bourbon.

Whisky Advocate says:

Tincup sources its bourbon from Indiana's MGP Distillery, cutting it to proof with Rocky Mountain spring water in Colorado.

Isaac Bowman Straight Bourbon Finished in Port Barrels

Style: BourbonOrigin: VirginiaAge: Not statedProof: 45% ABVPrice: $40Release: November 2017Availability: Only Virginia initially, with expansion to North Carolina and other markets planned

Need to know:

A. Smith Bowman Distillery released the limited-edition Abraham Bowman Port Finished Bourbon last year. Now, it's making that whiskey a permanent part of the lineup and renaming it Isaac Bowman Straight Bourbon Finished in Port Casks. The bourbon is finished for 3 to 6 months in French and American oak casks that held either Portuguese port or Virginia port-style wine.

Whisky Advocate says:

Now that it's making the port-finished bourbon a permanent offering, A. Smith Bowman is holding back a portion of each batch to blend into future batches to help keep color and flavor consistent.

Cotswolds Single Malt

Style: Single maltOrigin: EnglandAge: Not stated, but 3 years oldProof: 46% ABVPrice: $55Release: Fall 2017Availability: 960 bottles for GA, IL, and NY

Need to know:

The first whisky release from England's Cotswolds Distillery is launching at WhiskyFest New York on November 16. It's a single malt made with locally grown barley and aged for three years. (The age is not stated, but Cotswolds only began distilling in 2014, and whisky must be aged for at least three years in the UK.) The distillery's gin is also launching at WhiskyFest.

Whisky Advocate says:

Young distilleries often choose to launch their first whiskies in their home country first, leaving expansion to other markets for later. Cotswolds has decided to bestow its brand new single malt on the U.S. at the same time it's beginning to offer it in the UK. That's great news for American whisky lovers eager to try one of the growing number of English single malts.

The Temple Bar Signature Blend

Style: Blended whiskeyOrigin: IrelandAge: Not statedProof: 40% ABVPrice: $40Release: November 2017Availability: CT, NY, NJ, DE, MD, VA, FL, and Washington, D.C. with expansion planned

Need to know:

This is a blended Irish whiskey aged for an unspecified amount of time in second-fill bourbon casks.

The Temple Bar 10 year old Single Malt

Style: Single maltOrigin: IrelandAge: 10 years oldProof: 40% ABVPrice: $64Release: November 2017Availability: CT, NY, NJ, DE, MD, VA, FL, and Washington, D.C. with expansion planned

Need to know:

This is a single malt whiskey that was doubled distilled before undergoing a 10-year maturation period in second-fill bourbon casks.

The Temple Bar 12 year old Single Malt

Style: Single maltOrigin: IrelandAge: 12 years oldProof: 40% ABVPrice: $107Release: November 2017Availability: CT, NY, NJ, DE, MD, VA, FL, and Washington, D.C. with expansion planned

Need to know:

This is a single malt whiskey that was double-distilled and then aged for ten years in second-fill bourbon casks.

Whisky Advocate says:

The Temple Bar whiskeys are a new brand of sourced whiskeys from Ireland, named for The Temple Bar pub in Dublin and blended and bottled by the pub's owner, Tom Cleary. Temple Bar will release a cask-strength expression next year and a 15 year old single malt in 2019.

ASW Duality Double Malt

Style: Malt whiskyOrigin: GeorgiaAge: Not statedProof: 44% ABVPrice: $45Release: October 2017Availability: 540 bottles in Georgia only; expansion planned

Need to know:

Made from 50% malted rye and 50% malted barley, this unique whiskey comes from ASW Distillery in Atlanta, which also makes bourbon, rye, whiskey, and apple brandy.

Whisky Advocate says:

In keeping with its twofer theme, Duality's label includes a translation in Scots Gaelic of the famous line from Shakespeare's Macbeth: "Double double, toil and trouble, fire burn, and cauldron bubble."

FEW Copper & Kings Bourbon Finished in American Brandy Barrels

Style: BourbonOrigin: IllinoisAge: Not statedProof: 46.5% ABVPrice: $50Release: November 2017Availability: 180 bottles at IL retailers, as well as the FEW and Copper & Kings distilleries

Need to know:

FEW is releasing a bourbon finished in Copper & Kings brandy barrels. The whiskey follows up on last year's collaboration with Copper & Kings, "Double Barrels," which was brandy finished in FEW bourbon barrels and a double album of drinking songs released by Bloodshot Records in Chicago

FEW Copper & Kings Rye Whiskey Finished in American Brandy Barrels

Style: Rye Origin: IllinoisAge: Not statedProof: 46.5% ABVPrice: $50Release: November 2017Availability: 180 bottles at IL retailers, as well as the FEW and Copper & Kings distilleries

Need to know:

Another collaboration with Copper & Kings, this is a rye whiskey finished in the brandy distiller's barrels.

FEW Italia Bourbon Finished in Italian Wine Barrels

Style: BourbonOrigin: IllinoisAge: Not statedProof: 46.5% ABVPrice: $50Release: November 2017Availability: 480 bottles available at Eataly stores, IL retailers, and the distillery

Need to know:

A collaboration with Eataly and Folio Fine Wine Partners, this is FEW broubon finished in wine barrels from Sicily's Donnafugata Winery.

Whisky Advocate says:

FEW has made a habit of collaborating on special whiskeys, like the Delilah's 23rd Anniversary Whiskey, made from a vatting of 23 barrels in honor of famed Chicago whiskey bar Delilah's. As for Copper & Kings, they also operate in the spirit of collaboration—in fact, they partnered with Bardstown Bourbon Company not long ago on two bourbons called Collabor&tion.

Glenglassaugh Wood Finishes

Style: Single maltOrigin: Scotland (Highlands)Age: Not statedProof: 46% ABVPrice: £60-£70Release: Fall 2017Availability: Limited edition; not available in the U.S.

Need to know:

Glenglassaugh Distillery is debuting a series of whiskies finished in different cask types: Peated Virgin Oak Finish, Pedro Ximénez Sherry Finish, Peated Port Wood Finish, and Port Wood Finish.

Whisky Advocate says:

Glenglassaugh is one of three Scottish distilleries owned by Brown-Forman, which is the parent company of Jack Daniel's, Old Forester, and Woodford Reserve. (The other two are BenRiach and GlenDronach.) Glenglassaugh doesn't get a lot of play because much of its whisky is still pretty young; it was closed from the early 1980s to 2008. Master blender Rachel Barrie created these whiskies, which are unfortunately not available in the U.S.