Whiskies come and go, and while new releases are always heralded, expressions that are phased out get much less attention. But earlier this week, High West announced plans to discontinue Yippee Ki-Yay, its blend of ryes finished in vermouth and syrah barrels. Bottles can still be found on shelves, so if you’re a fan, snatch them up when you see them.
Moving on to new releases, which this week all come from these United States.
Westland Distillery announced a new series called the Outpost Collection, which will encompass the existing Garryana expression ($150) as well as two new single malt whiskeys: Colere ($150), coming in the spring of 2021, and Solum, which won’t be ready until 2023. All of these whiskeys will be released annually in limited amounts.
Sagamore Spirit is also launching a new range called Distiller’s Select, starting with Manhattan Finish, a rye finished in select barrel types to impart the classic cocktail’s flavors. The whiskey is available in limited amounts, priced at $70.
Bardstown Bourbon Co.’s latest collaboration whiskey is out now, a bourbon finished in oloroso sherry casks that were previously used for brandy maturation at Copper & Kings. Just 1,100 bottles of the whiskey, priced at $125, are available.
The Fresh Bourbon Distilling Co. has started pre-sales of its first release, expected by early next year. There will be 7,500 bottles of the first batch available, priced at $42.
Chattanooga Whiskey is making an experimental malted rye a permanent part of the lineup. Chattanooga Straight Tennessee rye malt is priced at $40, available in nine states and online.
Rogue Spirits has debuted a whiskey made in collaboration with Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto and distilled from two un-hopped beers. There are 942 bottles of Rogue Morimoto whiskey, priced at $80.
Texas’ Treaty Oak Distilling is launching Day Drinker, a 40% ABV bourbon. Priced at $26, Day Drinker is available in three states and online, with expansion planned.
A bourbon that has been finished with French oak and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks is rolling out now. Barrica PX is priced at $46 and initially available in Ohio, with expansion to other states coming soon.
Finally, Crater Lake Spirits is offering a limited-edition single malt at its two Oregon tasting rooms. There are 300 bottles of Crater Lake Barley whiskey, priced at $35.
Read on for full details.
11/2/2020: This post was updated to correct the percentage of Westland Garryana that was matured in virgin Garry oak casks.
Westland Garryana (Edition 5)
Style: Single malt
Origin: Washington
Age: Not stated
Proof: 50% ABV
Price: $150
Release: November 2020
Availability: 5,625 bottles
Need to know:
The fifth release of Westland’s Garryana expression, this peated single malt whiskey was matured in 36% virgin Garry oak casks—the highest proportion of garry oak maturation thus far—and 64% first-fill bourbon casks.
Westland Colere (Edition 1)
Style: Single malt
Origin: Washington
Age: Not stated
Proof: 50% ABV
Price: $150
Release: Spring 2021
Availability: Limited edition
Need to know:
Distilled from Alba, a six-row winter barley, this whiskey was matured in used casks only (62% second-fill and 38% first-fill bourbon) to better showcase the grain’s character. The Colere (Latin for “to cultivate”) series of single malts will showcase a different barley varietal each year.
Westland Solum
Style: Single malt
Origin: Washington
Age: TBD
Proof: TBD
Price: TBD
Release: 2023
Availability: Limited edition
Need to know:
Planned for release in 2023, this whiskey’s barley was malted using locally sourced peat. Solum means “soil” in Latin.
Whisky Advocate says:
Each of these whiskeys—Garryana, Colere, and Solum—will be released annually as part of Westland’s Outpost range. The series is intended to push the boundaries of production and flavor into new territories, using the familiar ingredients of oak (Garryana), barley (Colere), and peat (Solum). The whiskeys are limited and likely to quickly become collectible, but I hope buyers drink them. That’s the whole point!
Sagamore Spirit Distiller's Select Manhattan Finish
Style: Finished rye
Origin: Indiana
Age: Not stated
Proof: 51.5% ABV
Price: $70
Release: Fall 2020
Availability: Limited edition
Need to know:
To create a whiskey influenced by the flavors of the Manhattan, Sagamore Spirit finished straight rye in three different barrel types: cherry brandy, vermouth, and bitters.
Whisky Advocate says:
This Manhattan Finish rye is the first in a planned series of finishes in spirits barrels, called Distiller’s Select. The line joins Sagamore’s Brewer’s Select collection, finished in beer barrels, which debuted earlier this year.
Bardstown Bourbon Co. Collaborative Series Copper & Kings Oloroso Sherry Cask-Finished
Style: Finished bourbon
Origin: Indiana
Age: 12 years old
Proof: 50% ABV
Price: $125
Release: August 2020
Availability: 1,100 bottles; for sale in KY, IL, and IN
Need to know:
The latest release in Bardstown Bourbon Co.’s Collaborative series, this bourbon was distilled from a mashbill of 60% corn, 36% rye, and 4% malted barley, and finished in oloroso sherry casks from Louisville’s Copper & Kings, which had used them to mature brandy.
Whisky Advocate says:
Sherry casks are widely used for finishing all kinds of whisky, but the ones used here are more than just sherry casks, because they held brandy before the bourbon. Let’s call them sherry-plus casks.
There are a few other examples of whisky makers using “-plus” casks, such as when a distiller ages its whiskey in new charred oak, then sends the barrel to a brewery for aging stout, and then takes it back again for a different whiskey to mature in (at that points, it’s a whiskey-plus-beer cask). Four Gate Whiskey Co. released a bourbon finished in sherry-rum casks.
Is this a growing trend? Let’s wait and see.
Fresh Bourbon
Style: Bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
Proof: 47.5% ABV
Price: $42
Release: Late 2020/early 2021
Availability: 7,500 bottles; for sale online
Need to know:
Made with a mashbill of 60% corn, 20% honey malted barley, 10% malted wheat, and 10% malted rye, this bourbon was distilled in a pot still and aged in a mix of barrel sizes. Pre-orders for the first batch are available until September 30, with bottles shipping in late 2020 or early 2021. In addition to the standard bottle, special “first batch” and “first barrel” bottles in autographed, commemorative boxes are also available.
Whisky Advocate says:
Founded by husband-and-wife team Sean and Tia Edwards, the Fresh Bourbon Distilling Co. is Kentucky’s first African American-owned distillery, as recognized by the state legislature. While the brand’s initial release was distilled at Hartfield & Co., the Edwardses plan to open their own distillery in Lexington, and will announce additional details in early 2021.
Chattanooga Straight Tennessee Rye Malt
Style: Straight malted rye whiskey
Origin: Tennessee
Age: At least 3 years old
Proof: 49.5% ABV
Price: $40
Release: July 2020
Availability: For sale in AL, CO, FL, GA, KY, MS, SC, TN, TX, and online
Need to know:
In 2018, Chattanooga Whiskey released a straight malted rye as part of its experimental series. The whiskey was so well-received that it’s now a permanent part of the distillery’s lineup. It’s made with 60% malted rye—a blend of “slow-toasted” and drum-roasted malts—and aged for over 3 years in 53-gallon barrels.
Whisky Advocate says:
Whereas the experimental version of this rye was aged in a mix of 25- and 53-gallon barrels, this permanent release used only the latter. Look for a review in an upcoming issue of Whisky Advocate!
Rogue Morimoto Whiskey
Style: Whiskey
Origin: Oregon
Age: Not stated
Proof: 42.5% ABV
Price: $80
Release: August 2020
Availability: 942 bottles
Need to know:
Made in collaboration with Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, this whiskey was distilled from Rogue’s Morimoto imperial pilsner and Morimoto Black Obi ale. It matured for over 2 years in new American oak barrels, then spent a year and a half finishing in Oregon oak barrels that had previously held Rogue’s Rolling Thunder imperial stout. Rogue head distiller Jake Holshue gave Whisky Advocate more information about the whiskey earlier this week.
Whisky Advocate says:
Although Rogue has labeled this a single malt whiskey, one of the beers used for the wash, Black Obi ale, includes buckwheat (soba) in its grain bill. “Single malt whiskey” isn’t a regulated term in the U.S.; however, the prevailing and widely accepted definition of single malt (including the one put forth by the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission) requires the use of only malted barley. If aged only in new oak barrels, this could be considered a malt whiskey. But because the maturation also includes used barrels, this whiskey’s technical categorization is, simply, whiskey.
Treaty Oak Day Drinker Bourbon
Style: Bourbon
Origin: Texas
Age: 1 year old
Proof: 40% ABV
Price: $26
Release: September 2020
Availability: For sale in CA, FL, and TX and online, with expansion planned
Need to know:
Made by Treaty Oak Distilling in Dripping Springs, Texas, this bourbon is distilled from corn and wheat and aged for 12 months.
Whisky Advocate says:
At 40% ABV, this bourbon is intended to be a more “sessionable” whiskey than Treaty Oak’s 47.5% ABV bourbon, Ghost Hill. After its launch next month in Texas, Florida, and California, the bourbon will roll out more widely.
Barrica PX
Style: Finished bourbon
Origin: Indiana
Age: Not stated
Proof: 46.5% ABV
Price: $46
Release: Summer 2020
Availability: For sale in OH, with expansion planned
Need to know:
Made at MGP Distillery, this bourbon was “enhanced” with French oak staves and finished in a Pedro Ximénez (PX) sherry cask.
Whisky Advocate says:
Barrica PX is being bottled as a single-cask whiskey, with the first release for sale in Ohio only. Subsequent releases will be available in Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
Crater Lake Rare Spirits Collection Barley Whiskey
Style: Single malt whiskey
Origin: Oregon
Age: 5 years old
Proof: 45.6% ABV
Price: $35
Release: August 2020
Availability: 300 bottles; for sale in the distillery's tasting rooms only
Need to know:
Made with 100% malted barley and aged in new charred oak, this whiskey is the first in Crater Lake’s Rare Spirits Collection.
Whisky Advocate says:
Crater Lake calls this a barley whiskey, but it also meets the standards of single malt whiskey or straight malt whiskey.
The distillery plans to release additional expressions in the Rare Spirits Collection in the coming year.
