Lots of new whiskies are hitting stores this week, including a galactic bourbon, limited-edition Canadian whisky, and more.
Straight off the Starship Enterprise comes James T. Kirk bourbon, named for the ship’s fearless leader. The sourced whiskey is 10 years old, distilled in Tennessee, and will be featured at San Diego Comic Con next month. It’s available for pre-order now for $60, with bottles shipping in the fall, at jamestkirkbourbon.com. Update 10/3/18: Future batches of James T. Kirk bourbon will vary in origin and age, from 4 to 12 years old.
Back down on earth, Crown Royal has unveiled the 2018 release in its Noble Collection, a 13 year old version of the recently released Blenders’ Mash. The whisky was distilled from corn, rye, and malted barley and aged entirely in new charred oak barrels. It will be available in limited amounts for $60.
In Kentucky, Wild Turkey Distillery has released the latest Russell’s Reserve vintage, this one comprised of whiskey from 25 barrels filled in 2002. The non-chill-filtered, barrel-proof bourbon is available in very limited amounts with an asking price of $250.
Previously sold in Canada, Gooderham & Worts is becoming available in the U.S. for the first time. The blended Canadian whisky, made at Hiram Walker & Sons Distillery in Ontario, uses four grains—corn, rye, wheat, and barley—and is distilled using both pot and column stills. It costs $45 and is widely available.
Loch Lomond Distillery has created two limited-edition single malts in honor of its partnership with The Open golf tournament. Loch Lomond The Open Special Edition costs $30 and features the distillery’s four different types of malt; 4,500 bottles are available in the U.S. Loch Lomond 1999 Carnoustie Edition is 18 years old and will sell for $150. Only 150 bottles are available in the U.S.
France’s Warenghem Distillery has released its first peated single malt. Armorik Triagoz is named for an archipelago off the coast of Brittany, where the distillery is located. 240 bottles are coming to the U.S., out of 2,000 worldwide, at a price of around $75.
Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery in Nashville has two new releases in its sourced Belle Meade bourbon line. Belle Meade Cask Strength Reserve, a barrel-proof bourbon aged at least 7 years, will be available nationwide at a price of $60, while Belle Meade Nashville Select Cask Madeira-Finished will cost $100 with just 288 bottles for sale in Nashville only.
Finally, Coppersea Distilling has two new whiskeys for sale in New York. Springtown Straight Whiskey is a blend of Coppersea’s straight corn, malted rye, and bourbon or rye whiskeys. It will be regularly available for $40. In addition, the distillery is releasing a Bottled in Bond version of its Bonticou Crag 100% Malted Rye—making Coppersea the first distillery to offer two Empire Ryes. Like Springtown, this rye will be a part of the permanent lineup, though only 300 bottles are available this year at $125 each. Read on for full details.
James T. Kirk Straight Bourbon
Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Tennessee
Age: 10 years old (first release; future releases will vary from 4 to 12 years old)
Proof: 45% ABV
Price: $70
Release: October 2018
Availability: Pre-order at jamestkirkbourbon.com
Need to know:
This is a straight bourbon sourced from a distillery in Tennessee and bottled in Kentucky. It is 10 years old and is named for Admiral Kirk of the starship USS Enterprise of Star Trek fame.
Update 10/3/18: Batches of James T. Kirk straight bourbon will range in age from 4 to 12 years old, depending on what the brand is able to source for each batch.
Whisky Advocate says:
Although you might think something like this would be a limited-time-only release, the plan for this brand is to bottle it regularly. For now, it’s only available through the retail partner on jamestkirkbourbon.com, with pre-orders leading up to the official release in the fall.
Crown Royal Noble Collection 13 Year Old Blenders' Mash
Style: Blended whisky
Origin: Canada
Age: 13 years old
Proof: 45% ABV
Price: $60
Release: June 2018
Availability: Limited edition
Need to know:
A 13 year old version of Crown Royal Blenders’ Mash, which came out earlier this year, this whisky is the latest release in the Noble Collection. It is distilled from 60% corn, 36% rye, and 4% malted barley, and aged entirely in new charred oak barrels—a change from the regular Blenders’ Mash, which is aged in both new and used barrels.
Whisky Advocate says:
The Noble Collection highlights the skill of the distillers and blenders who make Crown Royal. Last year’s release, Wine Barrel Finished, ranked as Number 18 in the Whisky Advocate Top 20 of 2017. This whiskey—which has strong corn and rye notes and a bold flavor thanks to its use of only new charred barrels for aging—should interest anyone who enjoys Crown Royal Blenders’ Mash.
Russell's Reserve 2002
Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 15 years old
Proof: 57.3% ABV
Price: $250
Release: June 2018
Availability: Limited quantities in AZ, CA, FL, GA, IL, KY, NC, NV, NY, OH, OR, TN, TX, and WA
Need to know:
This is a 15 year old straight bourbon made at Wild Turkey. It was selected by master distiller Eddie Russell and bottled with no chill-filtration at barrel proof.
Whisky Advocate says:
The last vintage-dated Russell’s Reserve was the 1998; it scored 94 points in the Whisky Advocate Buying Guide. Expect nothing less from this whiskey—and also expect it to sell out fairly quickly, even at the hefty price of $250.
Gooderham & Worts
Style: Blended whisky
Origin: Canada
Age: Not stated
Proof: 44.4% ABV
Price: $45
Release: June 2018
Availability: Widely available
Need to know:
Previously available in Canada only, Gooderham & Worts blends four different grains—rye, wheat, barley, and corn—distilled on both pot and column stills.
Whisky Advocate says:
Thanks to a change in distributors, Gooderham & Worts is now coming to the U.S. for the first time. Its sibling whiskies, Lot 40 and Pike Creek, have been available here for some time. If you’ve attended one of the WhiskyFest seminars led by Hiram Walker master distiller Don Livermore in the last few years, you may have gotten the chance to taste this excellent four-grain blend, which scored 90 points in the Whisky Advocate Buying Guide.
Loch Lomond The Open Special Edition
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Highlands)
Age: Not stated
Proof: 46% ABV
Price: $30
Release: June 2018
Availability: 4,500 in the U.S.
Need to know:
A special non-age-statement single malt released in honor of The Open, this whisky includes four different spirit styles distilled at Loch Lomond:
- Straight neck pot still collected at high strength, distilled from unpeated malt
- Straight neck pot still collected at low strength, distilled from unpeated malt
- Swan neck pot still distilled from unpeated malt
- Straight neck pot still collected at low strength, distilled from heavy peated malt (50ppm)
The whisky was aged in refill American oak hogsheads, first fill bourbon barrels and recharred American oak hogsheads.
Loch Lomond 1999 Carnoustie Edition
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Highlands)
Age: 18 years old
Proof: 47.2% ABV
Price: $150
Release: June 2018
Availability: 150 bottles for the U.S.
Need to know:
A special vintage release of Loch Lomond single malt, this whisky was matured in refill American oak hogsheads and refill bourbon barrels.
Whisky Advocate says:
Both of these Loch Lomond whiskies have been specially bottled in honor of The Open, which is taking place in Carnoustie, Scotland next month, and of which Loch Lomond is a sponsor.
Armorik Triagoz
Style: Single malt
Origin: France
Age: Not stated
Proof: 46% ABV
Price: $70-$75
Release: June 2018
Availability: 240 bottles for the U.S.; 2,000 globally
Need to know:
Distilled at Warenghem Distillery in Brittany, France, Armorik Triagoz is made with French barley and aged in ex-bourbon casks. This is the first peated expression in the Armorik line. “Triagoz” is the name of an archipelago off the wild, rocky coast of northwest Brittany.
Whisky Advocate says:
Three decades ago, Warenghem Distillery was the first whisky distillery in France, although today the country has dozens of producers making single malt and blends, as well as whiskies from grains like rye and buckwheat. The peat used in this expression was sourced from Scotland, as there are no available peat sources in France. Triagoz celebrates the 20th anniversary of the release of Warenghem’s first single malt in 1998.
Belle Meade Cask Strength Reserve Bourbon
Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Indiana
Age: Not stated, but at least 7 years old
Proof: 55%-60% ABV
Price: $60
Release: June 2018
Availability: Widely available
Need to know:
This is a blend of seven barrels of straight bourbon from MGP Distillery, ranging in age from 7 to 11 years old. The whiskey is bottled at barrel proof, and is blended in batches, so the ABV will vary accordingly.
Belle Meade Nashville Select Cask Madeira-Finished Bourbon
Style: Bourbon
Origin: Indiana
Age: Not stated
Proof: 55.6% ABV
Price: $100
Release: June 2018
Availability: 288 bottles in Nashville only
Need to know:
Nelson’s Green Brier is releasing a new series of barrel-proof single-barrel bourbons in the Belle Meade line. Each bourbon will be finished in either sherry, madeira, or cognac casks, and each single cask will be bottled for a specific city. The first release has been finished in madeira casks and bottle for Nashville, the hometown of Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery.
Whisky Advocate says:
As it waits for its own whiskey to age, Nelson’s Green Brier has been bottling sourced whiskey for its Belle Meade line. The brand has a strong fanbase—no wonder they’re bottling special barrels for certain cities.
Coppersea Springtown Straight Whiskey
Style: Blend of straight whiskeys
Origin: New York
Age: Not stated
Proof: 48% ABV
Price: $40
Release: June 2018
Availability: New York
Need to know:
A permanent addition to Coppersea’s lineup, this whiskey blends the New York distillery’s straight corn whiskey (70%), 100% straight rye malt whiskey (15%), and either its straight bourbon or straight rye (15%), “depending on the needs of the blend,” according to chief distiller and blender Christopher Briar Williams.
Coppersea Distilling Bonticou Crag Bottled in Bond Straight Rye Malt Whiskey
Style: Malted rye
Origin: New York
Age: 4 years old
Proof: 50% ABV
Price: $125
Release: June 2018
Availability: 300 bottles in New York only
Need to know:
An amped-up version of Coppersea’s standard Bonticou Crag Straight Rye Malt whiskey, this whiskey adheres to the standards of the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897. It was made with 100% Hudson Valley rye that was malted in-house and distilled using direct-fire stills.
Whisky Advocate says:
Bonticou Crag was already an Empire Rye, a new whiskey style voluntarily designated by a group of New York distillers. This bonded version of the whiskey makes it Coppersea’s second Empire Rye. Although only 300 bottles will be available in 2018, the bonded Bonticou is part of Coppersea’s permanent lineup.
Why no delivery to Canada?? Would love the star trek bourbon.
Perhaps you ought to get your facts straight. Bought a rr2002 in Maryland this past Monday. Store I bought if from got 2 bottles and I know of another that got one as well
My information came straight from Campari, the parent company of Wild Turkey. It’s very lucky you found some in Maryland—perhaps they expanded distribution.