Glenfiddich Time Re:Imagined Collection

Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Speyside)
Age: 30–50 year old
ABV: 43%–44.6%
Price: $1,300–$50,000
Release: September 2022
Availability: Limited

Need to know:

Glenfiddich is launching a new luxury collection of single malt scotches matured under the supervision of three Glenfiddich malt masters that celebrate moments of time: 

• Glenfiddich 30 year old Suspended Time (43%, $1,300)
• Glenfiddich 40 year old Cumulative Time (44.6%, $4,600)
• Glenfiddich 50 year old Simultaneous Time (43.8%, $50,000, 220 bottles)

Whisky Advocate says:

This trio is presented in striking conceptual packaging—a swirl of silver ribbons for the 30 year old, a strategically grooved jesmonite column for the 40 year old, and a futuristic computational design for the 50 year old—aiming to capture the essence of the time taken to age these whiskies in abstract physical form. For this fourth release of Glenfiddich 50 year old, three different American oak refill casks distilled prior to 1970 were married together and finished in an American oak refill cask for a further two years. With the new 50 year old, Glenfiddich is no longer including the certificate that grants the holder the right to be a “Freeman of the Glenfiddich Distillery,” that came with the earlier releases. The Time Re:Imagined Collection replaces the existing Glenfiddich 30 and 40 year old, which have been released in limited quantities for many years. 

Glenfiddich Distillery was founded by William Grant in Dufftown 135 years ago and has an impressive track record of aged whisky releases. Its oldest release appeared in the Glenfiddich The 1950s Collection auctioned by Sotheby’s in 2021, which included a Glenfiddich 1955 bottled at 66 years old. 

George Dickel Bottled in Bond (Distilled in Fall 2008)

Style: Tennessee whiskey
Origin: Tennessee
Age: 13 year old
ABV: 50%
Price: $45
Release: September 2022
Availability: In select markets nationwide

Need to know:

This is the fourth offering in the George Dickel Bottled in Bond series, which was initiated in 2019 by current master distiller Nicole Austin. For this expression, Austin was once again drawn to the whiskey distilled at Cascade Hollow in the fall 2008 season—the season she also selected for the May 2020 bottled in bond release.

Whisky Advocate says:

If the past is prologue, this should be a good one. The previous whiskey from the fall 2008 season scored 95 points with our tasting panel, and this latest fall 2008 selection has two additional years of aging to its credit. Overall, we’ve been big fans of these whiskeys. The inaugural release in the series, George Dickel 13 year old Bottled in Bond (Distilled in 2005) was named our Whisky of the Year in 2019.

Kentucky Owl Takumi Edition

Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 50%
Price: $150
Release: October 2022
Availability: Limited; 145,000 bottles globally

Need to know:

The second in Kentucky Owl’s International Collaborations series, Takumi Edition is comprised of bourbons aged 4, 5, 6, and 13 years. It is the result of a collection of bourbon samples selected by Kentucky Owl master blender John Rhea that were sent to Nagahama Distillery master blender Yusuke Yahisa, who then chose the components of the blend with the intent of showing bourbon through the eyes of Japanese whisky. Takumi means “master” in Japanese.

Whisky Advocate says:

Takumi Edition follows Kentucky Owl St. Patrick’s Edition in the brand’s efforts to collaborate with blenders from around the globe. That whiskey scored 89 points, and in a side-by-side tasting, the Takumi Edition showcases the trademark balance and elegance that has come to define Japanese whisky. Look for an official review in an upcoming issue. 

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen American and Japanese whisky makers collaborate; Fred Noe and Shinji Fukuyo worked together on Legent, released back in 2019. According to Kentucky Owl, you can expect more from the International Collaborations series in the years to come. 

Sagamore Spirit Mezcal Cask Aged Rye

Style: Finished rye
Origin: Indiana
Age: Not stated
ABV: 53%
Price: $80
Release: September 2022
Availability: Limited; distillery only

Need to know:

This rye whiskey, contract distilled at MGP, was aged for 4 years in charred oak barrels before undergoing a finish of 2 years and 2 months in añejo mezcal barrels

Whisky Advocate says:

Sagamore Spirit, the largest distiller in Baltimore, is reintroducing drinkers to Maryland-style rye, meaning a higher percentage of corn in the mashbill, but they are committed to innovation as well, including this mezcal finish. Previous distillery exclusives have included an ale cask finish, a Manhattan finish, and a tequila finish. Dewar’s Ilegal Smooth, J.J. Corry The Battalion, Rock Island Mezcal, and Iron Fish Distillery Mezcal Finished are among the few other mezcal cask-finished expressions.

Bardstown Bourbon Co. Château de Laubade Armagnac Cask Finished

Style: Finished bourbon
Origin: Kentucky and Tennessee
Age: 11 year old
ABV: 53.5%
Price: $160
Release: September 2022
Availability: Limited

Need to know:

This whiskey is a blend of 12 year old Kentucky bourbon and 10 year old Tennessee bourbon that’s finished in Laubade armagnac casks for up to 24 months.

Whisky Advocate says:

Bardstown Bourbon Co. first collaborated with Château de Laubade in April 2020, when it released a similarly finished bourbon that was sourced from Indiana’s MGP. This is the second re-release of a Collaborative Series whiskey; the distillery has also partnered with The Prisoner Wine Co. twice now on a wine barrel-finished bourbon. Other uniquely aged whiskeys in the Collaborative Series include one finished in apple brandy barrels, and one matured in mistelle (sweet fortified French wine) casks.

Woodinville Moscatel Finished

Style: Finished bourbon
Origin: Washington
Age: 5 year old
ABV: 50%
Price: $100
Release: September 2022
Availability: At Woodinville Distillery tasting room, plus Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, DC metro, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin

Need to know:

This expression is Woodinville’s flagship 5 year old straight bourbon that has been finished for a year and a half in 10 year old, 200-gallon barrels of Moscatel de Setubal, a fortified wine produced on the Setubal peninsula in southern Portugal.

Whisky Advocate says:

A version of this style, called Woodinville 2021 Harvest Release, was first introduced at the distillery’s tasting room in Woodinville, Washington, back in September 2021. It was touted as the first moscatel-finished straight bourbon ever produced. We’ve seen moscatel finishes mainly in Irish and scotch whiskies—notably Tyrconnell 16 year old Oloroso & Moscatel Finished expression in 2019, and more recently with Egan’s 18 year old Legacy Reserve Collection 4.

Five Trail Batch 002

Style: Blended whiskey
Origin: Colorado, Indiana, and Kentucky
Age: 4 year old
ABV: 47.5%
Price: $60
Release: September 2022
Availability: Nationwide

Need to know:

The latest edition of Five Trail is a blend of 4 year old Indiana wheated bourbon, 4 year old Kentucky four-grain bourbon, 6 year old Colorado single malt, and 12 year old Kentucky bourbon. It’s proofed down with water from the Rocky Mountains. Like its predecessor, this whiskey was made in collaboration with Bardstown Bourbon Co.

Five Trail Barrel Proof

Style: Blended whiskey
Origin: Colorado, Indiana, and Kentucky
Age: 4 year old
ABV: 59.5%
Price: $80
Release: September 2022
Availability: Limited

Need to know:

This whiskey takes Batch 002 and sees it bottled at cask strength, or 119 proof.

Five Trail Cask Finish Series

Style: Finished whiskey
Origin: Colorado, Indiana, and Kentucky
Age: 4 year old
ABV: 47.5%
Price: $80
Release: September 2022
Availability: Limited

Need to know:

A blend of 4 year old Indiana wheated bourbon, 4 year old Kentucky four-grain bourbon, 4 year old Colorado single malt, and 7 year old Indiana rye, then finished in imperial porter barrels from Colorado’s AC Golden Brewing Co.

Five Trail Small Batch Blend

Style: Blended whiskey
Origin: Colorado, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee
Age: 4 year old
ABV: 47.5%
Price: $80
Release: September 2022
Availability: Limited

Need to know:

This is a marriage of 4 year old Indiana wheated bourbon, 4 year old Kentucky four-grain bourbon, 8 year old Colorado single malt, and 17 year old Tennessee whiskey.

Whisky Advocate says:

There are two notable changes between this batch of Five Trail and last year’s—in 2022, 6 year old Colorado single malt replaces the 4 year old Colorado single malt included in last year’s, while 12 year old Kentucky bourbon has been subbed in for what was 13 year old Kentucky bourbon in 2021. All four new whiskeys will be available in the same eight markets—Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Nevada, New York, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin—but the Barrel Proof, Cask Finish Series, and Small Batch Blend will be far more limited than Batch 002.

Morris Australian Single Malt Signature

Style: Single malt
Origin: Australia
Age: 3 year old
ABV: 44%
Price: $60
Release: September 2022
Availability: CA, TX, IL, NY, MA, GA, CO, FL, NJ, MD, Washington, D.C., with eventual expansion into AZ, NV, and MI

Need to know:

Morris’s signature single malt whisky is made with Australian malted barley and aged for a minimum of 3 years in barrels that previously held shiraz and cabernet sauvignon from Morris family-owned wineries in the Barossa and Coonawarra regions.

Morris Australian Single Malt Muscat Barrel

Style: Single malt
Origin: Australia
Age: 3 year old
ABV: 48%
Price: $90
Release: September 2022
Availability: CA, TX, IL, NY, MA, GA, CO, FL, NJ, MD, Washington, D.C., with eventual expansion into AZ, NV, and MI

Need to know:

This whisky is also aged for a minimum of 3 years in barrels that previously held Australian red wine, then finished in muscat casks.

Whisky Advocate says:

Morris Whisky is made in Victoria, Australia at the Morris of Rutherglen. The family-owned winery opened in 1859, and quickly gained acclaim as a fortified wine producer; the distilling arm only became functional in 2016, though it was built around a copper pot still that had been installed at the winery decades earlier. Today, sixth-generation family member David Morris runs the winery, while Darren Peck serves as head distiller of Morris Whisky. 

Rogue Spirits Dead Guy Wine Cask Finished

Style: American single malt
Origin: Oregon
Age: Not stated
ABV: 47%
Price: $65
Release: September 2022
Availability: Limited; California, Oregon, Washington, at Rogue’s pubs, and at rogue.com; Approximately 4,500 bottles

Need to know:

Rogue Ales & Spirits has unveiled new packaging for its Dead Guy whiskeys, renamed its Rolling Thunder Stouted whiskey, now Dead Guy Stout Cask Finished, and added this wine cask-finished expression to its American single malt lineup. Dead Guy is made from 100% malted barley, pot distilled, and aged in the ocean air at Rogue’s Newport-based distillery.

Whisky Advocate says:

Rogue was founded in 1988 as a brewery and began distilling in 2003. Dead Guy American single malt is distilled from the same malts as its Dead Guy ale. For the wine cask-finished release freshly dumped barrels were sourced from King Estate Winery in Eugene, Oregon for finishing. Since 2014, when Rogue opened its own cooperage, Rolling Thunder Barrel Works, it has been the only brewery-distillery-cooperage in the U.S.