Royal Salute The Time Series 51 year old (2021 Release)

Style: Blend
Origin: Scotland
Age: 51 year old
ABV: 45.4%
Price: $30,000
Release: November 2021
Availability: Limited, 101 bottles

Need to know:

The second in Royal Salute’s Time Series Collection includes whiskies distilled no later than 1970—some of which are sourced from ghost, or shuttered, distilleries—and bottled at cask strength. The Time Series debuted in 2019 with a 52 year old blend.

Whisky Advocate says:

It’s no easy task managing the maturation of whisky for 50 years, as the climate in Scotland causes proof to decrease over time. Those barrels have to be monitored carefully to ensure the ABV doesn’t dip below 40%—otherwise the liquid can no longer be considered whisky. As a result, these ultra-aged scotch expressions are often bottled at cask strength, though the proof is still relatively low. You can read more about the rarity of 50 year old scotch in our feature from last year.

Blue Run Cask Strength

Style: Rye
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 53%
Price: $140
Release: November 2021
Availability: 10,000 bottles

Need to know:

Blue Run is releasing this cask strength rye as part of its 2021 holiday collection. The whiskey is from the same group of barrels as the recently unveiled Golden Rye. There is also a gift set available ($230) that includes this bottle and two rocks glasses from Aged & Ore, available on Seelbach’s starting in mid-December. Additionally, Blue Run is releasing 12 single barrels of its High Rye bourbon from December 1 to December 12, priced at $140.

Whisky Advocate says:

While cask strength bourbon is readily available, cask strength rye can be harder to come by, though the results are often superb. Knob Creek Cask Strength rye landed at No. 2 on the 2018 Top 20 list, while last year, Wild Turkey Rare Breed rye slotted in at No. 5. Look for a review of Blue Run Golden rye in an upcoming issue of the magazine.

The Whistler Calvados Cask Finish (Batch 002)

Style: Blend
Origin: Ireland
Age: Not stated
ABV: 43%
Price: $40
Release: November 2021
Availability: Limited; 3,000 bottles for the U.S.

Need to know:

Like the first batch of The Whistler’s Calvados Finish, this is a collaboration between Boann Distillery, which makes The Whistler, and calvados maker Chateau du Breuil. It is composed of 35% malt whiskey and 65% grain whiskey, with each component independently matured in bourbon barrels for a minimum of 4 years before being married and rebarreled in the Calvados casks for an additional 15 months.

The Whistler Imperial Stout Cask Finish (Batch 002)

Style: Blend
Origin: Ireland
Age: Not stated
ABV: 43%
Price: $40
Release: November 2021
Availability: Limited; 3,000 bottles for the U.S.

Need to know:

Made from 50% wheat whiskey, 35% malt whiskey, and 15% grain whiskey, the components of this blend initially were matured in bourbon barrels before being married together and then finished in O’Hara’s Imperial stout casks. These casks were sherry casks that held single malt whiskey, were emptied, filled with stout, and left to mature for 6 months. After being emptied again, The Whistler whiskey sat in them for 6 months before being bottled.

Whisky Advocate says:

The first batch of these whiskeys debuted in August 2020 with a similarly limited run. Our Summer 2021 issue was all about Irish whiskey’s resurgence, focusing in part on the role that cask finishing has played in developing new flavors. These finished blends are a great example of the affordable quality and innovation coming out of Ireland. Batch 001 of the Imperial Stout cask scored 91 points, while Batch 001 of the Calvados cask scored 90 points.

Adelphi Single Casks

Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland
Age: Varies; 5 to 21 year old
ABV: Varies
Price: Varies
Release: November 2021
Availability: Limited

Need to know:

This Adelphi Single Casks collection includes:

• 5 year old Ben Nevis, distilled in 2015, aged in first-fill oloroso sherry puncheon (No. 10712), 59.5%, $100, 645 bottles
• 12 year old Caol Ila, distilled in 2008, aged in first-fill oloroso sherry cask (No. 309451), 53%, $135, 645 bottles
• 18 year old Mortlach, distilled in 2003, aged in first-fill bourbon barrel cask (No. 800265), 57.4%, $300, 225 bottles
• 21 year old Springbank, distilled in 1999, aged in refill rum cask (No. 308), 53.4%, $850, 181 bottles

Whisky Advocate says:

Adelphi is one of Scotland’s most acclaimed independent bottlers, with a reputation for offering rare, limited edition whiskies. In 2014, the company moved into the production side, with its Highland distillery Ardnamurchan. But Adelphi remains active on the independent bottling side, and its releases are always highly anticipated.

Johnnie Walker Masters of Flavor

Style: Blend
Origin: Scotland
Age: Not stated
ABV: 41.9%
Price: $25,000
Release: November 2021
Availability: Limited, but with U.S. availability in CA, CT, FL, IL, MA, MD, NJ, NY, TX, Washington D.C., and reservebar.com

Need to know:

This ultra-aged blend is made from Diageo’s most rare stocks, with all the component whiskies aged at least 48 years. Only 288 bottles will be available for this expression, which will be among master blender Jim Beveridge’s final releases before his retirement at year-end. This one was a collaboration between Beveridge and three other members of the Diageo whisky making team: malt master Donna Anderson, cask master James Carson, and distillation master Douglas Murray.

Whisky Advocate says:

This is the third and final whisky in the Johnnie Walker Masters series, all of which were made from extremely rare liquid. Previous releases were Johnnie Walker Master’s Ruby Reserve, and The John Walker Masters’ Edition—the latter crafted with whisky aged at least 50 years, from distilleries that were operational during the lifetime of John Walker, who was Johnnie Walker’s founder. All three of the Masters releases come in Baccarat crystal decanters and oak boxes.