We first reported on Brother’s Bond bourbon, the new whiskey from actors Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley, back in January, and as of this month, the four grain whiskey has wider availability. We spoke to Somerhalder and Wesley about the friendship that led to this whiskey’s creation.
As for new whiskies this week, there are plenty from all around the globe. Michter’s is releasing its annual 10 year old bourbon. Priced at $150, it is highly limited.
Kentucky’s New Riff Distilling has a 6 year old malted rye available in-state for now at $60.
The Singleton is releasing its oldest whisky to date. There are just 235 bottles of 54 year old single malt available worldwide, priced at $40,100.
Even more limited is Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Chapter 2 with just 70 bottles going for $45,000.
Tullibardine is introducing two new single malts to the U.S., a 12 year old for $45 and the no age statement Artisan for $30. Both are widely available.
Independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail has a new 67 year old whisky made at Glen Grant. With just 355 bottles available, it is going for $7,500.
Kentucky Peerless has a crop of new single barrel bourbons and ryes. They are all limited editions and priced at $124.
Heaven Hill’s Evan Williams has a new bourbon distilled at the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience on Louisville’s Whiskey Row. Evan Williams Square 6 is limited and costs $90.
A new Nashville-based brand is seeking to celebrate the moments that happen by chance. Happenstance Founder’s Edition is $56 and limited.
New York’s Kings County has two new high-proof bourbons. Barrel Strength Batch #14 is $99 while 6 year old Blender’s Reserve is $125. Both whiskeys are highly limited.
And finally, Virginia’s A. Smith Bowman has a coffee-infused distilled spirit specialty. Cane and Coffee is available at the distillery gift shop for $30 for a 375 ml.
Read on for full details.
Michter’s 10 year old Bourbon (2021 Release)
Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 10 year old
ABV: 47.2%
Price: $150
Release: May 2021
Availability: Limited
Need to know:
This annual release of Michter’s 10 year old bourbon follows the rollout of the Michter’s US*1 Barrel-Strength Straight Rye expression in February.
Whisky Advocate says:
Highly allocated and highly anticipated each year, Michter’s 10 year old consistently scores well with our tasting panel, with recent releases earning 91 and 92 points.
New Riff 6 year old Malted Rye Bottled in Bond
Style: Straight malted rye
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 6 year old
ABV: 50%
Price: $60
Release: May 2021
Availability: Kentucky only, with wider distribution later this year
Need to know:
This whiskey was made with 100% malted rye, and like all New Riff whiskeys with the exception of its barrel proof single barrel bottlings, it is bottled in bond. It’s also made without chill filtration.
Whisky Advocate says:
Malted rye continues to be a style to watch as more distillers explore its flavor possibilities. We named Chattanooga Straight Malted Rye No. 18 on our 2020 Top 20 list and New Riff’s Bottled in Bond Rye No. 17 on our 2019 Top 20 list, so we are eager to taste and review this new expression.
The Singleton 54 year old
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Speyside)
Age: 54 year old
ABV: 44.1%
Price: $40,100
Release: June 2021
Availability: 235 bottles worldwide
Need to know:
This is the second and final release in The Singleton’s Paragon of Time Collection, which debuted in 2019 with a 53 year old single malt. The whisky initially was distilled in 1966; it matured for more than 50 years in a European oak cask before being finished in a Pedro Ximénez-seasoned cask.
Whisky Advocate says:
This whisky commands a hefty price tag, in part because every last detail is a work of art—the crystal decanter was handmade by Baccarat, and its leather-lined wooden cabinet features 54 intricately carved ridges representing the Highlands landscape.
Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Chapter 2
Style: Single pot still
Origin: Ireland
Age: 46 year old
ABV: 51.2%
Price: $45,000
Release: May 2021
Availability: 70 bottles
Need to know:
This is the second installment in Midleton’s Very Rare Silent Distillery series, which eventually will include a total of six annual releases from Old Midleton Distillery between 2020 and 2025. This whiskey was distilled in 1973 and aged in bourbon and sherry casks for over 20 years, and then married and recasked into refill bourbon barrels for an unspecified number of years. It was then recasked again into port pipes, before being rested in a refill bourbon barrel.
Whisky Advocate says:
Given the scarce availability and price tag, this won’t be an easy whiskey to get. The first release in this series scored 94 points in the Buying Guide, and this one will likely be of similar quality. This whiskey was in the hands of several Midleton distillers throughout its lifetime—Max Crockett, Barry Crockett, Brian Nation, and current master distiller Kevin O’Gorman. Stay tuned for a review of this ultra-aged release in our Summer issue, whose on-sale date is June 1.
Tullibardine 12 year old
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Highlands)
Age: 12 year old
ABV: 40%
Price: $45
Release: May 2021
Availability: Widely available
Need to know:
This whisky was matured in bourbon barrels for a minimum of 12 years.
Tullibardine Artisan
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Highlands)
Age: Not stated
ABV: 40%
Price: $30
Release: May 2021
Availability: Widely available
Need to know:
This expression, like the 12 year old, was also matured in bourbon barrels. It is meant to be an introduction to the Tullibardine range and capture the distillery’s floral and cereal character.
Whisky Advocate says:
These new single malt expressions are U.S. exclusives and will join the current Tullibardine range, which includes 228 Burgundy Cask Finish, 500 Sherry Cask Finish, 15 year old, 20 year old, and 25 year old.
Gordon & MacPhail Mr. George Legacy Series 1953 (Distilled at Glen Grant Distillery, Cask No. 4209)
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Speyside)
Age: 67 year old
ABV: 59.4%
Price: $7,500
Release: May 2021
Availability: 355 bottles
Need to know:
This release was distilled on Christmas Eve in 1953 and spent its entire aging period in a first-fill sherry butt before being bottled on January 5, 2021. Despite its hefty age statement, it’s cask-strength at 59.4% ABV. It’s the first in Gordon & MacPhail’s Legacy Series, which will feature an annual single-cask release.
Whisky Advocate says:
The “Mr. George” in this single malt’s name is George Urquhart, a member of the second generation of the family that owns Gordon & MacPhail and an early champion of single malt scotch in the days when it was primarily used in blends. Urquhart had a particular fondness for Glen Grant, which is why it was selected as the inaugural Legacy Series release.
Kentucky Peerless Single Barrel Bourbons
Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 54.45%
Price: $124
Release: April 2021
Availability: Limited edition, available at the distillery and in states where shipping is allowed.
Need to know:
There are three new bourbons in Peerless’ latest single barrel release, with each barrel yielding 216 to 230 bottles. The bourbons—Bourbon Cola Float, Maple Mimosa, and Raspberry Mocha—were named by master distiller Caleb Kilburn for their respective barrel’s unique flavors.
Kentucky Peerless Single Barrel Ryes
Style: Straight rye
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 54.45%
Price: $124
Release: April 2021
Availability: Limited edition, available at the distillery and in states where shipping is allowed.
Need to know:
As with the bourbons, there are three ryes in the latest Peerless single barrel rye drop: Heirloom Candy, Smoked Sassafras, and Double Oak. The latter is available exclusively in 200 ml bottles, priced at $34.
Whisky Advocate says:
Peerless’ whiskeys regularly earn top marks here at Whisky Advocate, and most of those reviewed are younger than these new single barrel releases, so it’s safe to say we have high hopes for these.
Evan Williams Square 6
Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 5 year old
ABV: 47.5%
Price: $90
Release: May 2021
Availability: Limited, available at the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience and select KY retailers
Need to know:
This is the first release from the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience in Louisville, which opened in 2013 and became a pioneer in the revitalization of the city’s famed Whiskey Row. A high-rye bourbon, Square 6 has of mashbill of 52% corn, 35% rye, and 13% malted barley, deviating quite a bit from the corn-heavy flagship Evan Williams bourbon.
Whisky Advocate says:
The Square 6 name is an homage to the original plot of land where Evan Williams is said to have built Kentucky’s first commercial distillery in 1783. Today, the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience is situated on the same block where that distillery once stood. We’re looking forward to more releases like this in the future, though you can be sure they’ll all be limited—the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience can distill just one barrel of whiskey a day.
Happenstance Founder’s Edition
Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Indiana
Age: 4 year old
ABV: 45%
Price: $56
Release: May 2021
Availability: Limited with expansion planned
Need to know:
Blended and bottled in Nashville, this whiskey is meant to celebrate life’s moments that happen by chance.
Whisky Advocate says:
This new female-owned brand is debuting this month with its Founder’s Edition straight bourbon. Founder Paige Parker says “Although we believe many great moments happen by chance, our premium-bourbon is not one of them. At Happenstance, we’re raising a new generation of whiskey lovers who celebrate life’s little moments, so cheers to that!”
Kings County Barrel Strength Batch #14
Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: New York
Age: 4 year old
ABV: 64%
Price: $99
Release: May 2021
Availability: Limited
Need to know:
Pulled from barrels that display an oakier profile than those used for the flagship or bottled in bond bourbons, this whiskey is at least 4 years old with some barrels as old as 5 and a half years.
Kings County 6 year old Blender’s Reserve
Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: New York
Age: 6 year old
ABV: 70%
Price: $125
Release: May 2021
Availability: 300 bottles
Need to know:
A one-off blend of some of the oldest bourbon barrels in the Kings County inventory, and the oldest-ever release from the distillery of bourbon aged in 15 gallon barrels.
Whisky Advocate says:
Kings Country is bringing the heat with these two releases, both bottled at barrel proof. The Barrel Strength is available in a 200 ml bottle for $30 or you can buy 750 mls of both whiskeys for a reduced price of $199.
A. Smith Bowman Cane and Coffee
Style: Distilled spirit specialty
Origin: Virginia
Age: Not stated
ABV: 45%
Price: $30/375 ml
Release: May 2021
Availability: Distillery gift shop and website
Need to know:
A unique mixture that began in 2017 when a blend of blackstrap molasses and evaporated cane juice was co-fermented with a selection of roasted coffee. Additional coffee beans from Virginia Commonwealth Roasters were then added to the still’s botanical basket where the coffee bean essences were vapor extracted in the recovered spirit. The spirit was then aged in bourbon barrels.
Whisky Advocate says:
Perfect for those who like a little sugar in their coffee, this distilled spirit specialty adds to the growing trend of distillers experimenting with coffee flavors.
