Before we get to the week’s newest releases, an update: Following up on the news we published previously about Macallan 52 year old, the distillery has confirmed that 42 bottles (out of 250) will be available in the U.S. The price is, as reported earlier, $53,500.
Another very old whisky is coming out, but at a much lower price. Independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail has unveiled a 70 year old Glen Grant, distilled in 1948 and matured in a sherry butt. Priced at £17,500, just 210 bottles are available, including some for the U.S.—although the exact amount and price in dollars hasn’t yet been determined.
Meanwhile, Woodford Reserve’s limited-edition Double Double Oaked bourbon is back, available at the distillery and select Kentucky retailers. The whiskey costs $50 for a half-size bottle.
West Cork Distillers has brought back its Barrel Proof Irish whiskey. The malt and grain blend clocks in at a whopping 62% ABV and costs $55.
Down in Pennsylvania, Wigle Whiskey has released the latest iteration of Phil’s Shadow, a rye whiskey finished in maple syrup barrels that honors famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil, who will make his annual prediction at Gobbler’s Knob on February 2. The limited-edition whiskey is for sale in the state at a price of $38 (375-ml.).
A couple of world whiskies are arriving in the U.S. starting next month. Mackmyra single malt from Sweden, which was previously available several years ago, is hitting shelves at $90 for a 1-liter bottle, while Teerenpeli Kaski single malt from Finland will be available for $125. Both whiskies are initially rolling out in Georgia, where the importer is based, with eventual expansion to other states.
Another brewery-distillery, Seven Stills of San Francisco, has released new whiskeys in its Modern Praxis series. Fireweed is distilled from a heavily hopped IPA and finished in Islay scotch casks, while Patience is designed as a single pot still-style whiskey whose mashbill includes unmalted barley and oats. Both whiskeys are for sale at the distillery only for $75.
Finally, New Orleans’ Atelier Vie Distillery has re-released Riz, a whiskey made from locally grown rice. There are just a few dozen bottles of the whiskey available, sold at the distillery for $65.
Read on for full details.
1/29/19: This post was updated to reflect new information about West Cork Barrel Proof.
Gordon & MacPhail 1948 Glen Grant 70 year old
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Speyside)
Age: 70 years old
Proof: 48.6% ABV
Price: £17,500 (around $22,884)
Release: January 2019; available in the U.S. in spring 2019
Availability: 210 decanters
Need to know:
Distilled and filled into cask on June 11, 1948—while the UK was still rationing barley—this whisky matured in a single sherry butt for 70 years. It was bottled on October 19, 2018, and is packaged in a crystal decanter and wooden presentation case.
Whisky Advocate says:
This whisky will be available stateside later this year, but U.S. pricing hasn’t yet been set. We can get an idea, however, from the UK price, which is equivalent to roughly $23,000. Compare that to Macallan 72 year old, released last year, which has a price tag of $65,000—nearly three times as much. If you’re one of the rare whisky lovers in the market for such an ancient dram, you’d be getting a relative bargain with this one.
Woodford Reserve Double Double Oaked (2019 Edition)
Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
Proof: 45.2% ABV
Price: $50 (375-ml.)
Release: January 2019
Availability: Limited edition; for sale at the distillery and select Kentucky retailers only
Need to know:
The latest release of Woodford Reserve’s Double Double Oaked bourbon is out now. An amped-up version of Double Oaked, Double Double Oaked is finished in a heavily toasted, lightly charred barrel for two years instead of one. It’s always a limited product, sold in 375-ml. bottles primarily at the distillery.
Whisky Advocate says:
While this isn’t a new bourbon, it is only released once a year. Fans of Woodford Reserve Double Oaked are likely to enjoy this whiskey as well, since it pumps up the spice character. Whisky Advocate scored Double Double Oaked 89 points.
West Cork Barrel Proof (2018 Release)
Style: Blended whiskey
Origin: Ireland
Age: Not stated
Proof: 62% ABV
Price: $55
Release: Fall 2018
Availability: 5,300 bottles
Need to know:
This blend that’s one-third single malt and two-thirds grain whiskey is available again in limited amounts. After blending, the whiskey spends six months finishing in a bourbon cask.
Whisky Advocate says:
At 62% ABV, this is one of the highest-proof Irish whiskeys available—and one of the highest-proof whiskeys, generally, you’re likely to find. Whiskey this strong benefits from adding water, even if just a few drops, and up to much more, depending on your taste. Use our handy calculator to figure out exactly the right amount of water to add to your whiskey.
1/29/19: This post was updated to reflect new information about the whiskey’s availability.
Phil's Shadow
Style: Rye
Origin: Pennsylvania
Age: Not stated
Proof: 47% ABV
Price: $38 (375-ml.)
Release: Winter 2019
Availability: Pennsylvania
Need to know:
Wigle Whiskey has unveiled the second iteration of a whiskey celebrating world-famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil. This rye whiskey aged for at least 18 months in new charred oak and then was finished for 16 months in maple syrup barrels from Ohio’s Bissell Maple Farm. Wigle initially released this whiskey last year and has brought it back again for Groundhog Day 2019.
Whisky Advocate says:
While not the first whiskey to nod to furry wild rodents, this one was not made with any actual animal-derived parts (unlike Eau de Musc—click through to find out what, um, unique ingredient it contains). You’ll have to head to Pennsylvania to get your hands on this bottle honoring the capricious critter.
Mackmyra Single Malt (1st Edition)
Style: Single malt
Origin: Sweden
Age: Not stated
Proof: 46.1%
Price: $90 (1 liter)
Release: February 2019
Availability: Around 4,800 bottles; currently for sale in Georgia, with expansion planned
Need to know:
Made at Sweden’s Mackmyra Distillery, this single malt whisky uses only Swedish grain. It’s matured primarily in first-fill ex-bourbon casks, then finished in a variety of cask types including Swedish oak, new American oak, and oloroso sherry.
Whisky Advocate says:
Mackmyra’s whiskies were previously available in the U.S., but it has been several years since they were imported here. To see it return is great news; its whiskies have been well received internationally, racking up several high scores in our Buying Guide. The Swedish distillery is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
Teerenpeli Kaski Single Malt
Style: Single malt
Origin: Finland
Age: Not stated
Proof: 43% ABV
Price: $125
Release: February 2019
Availability: Around 3,000 bottles; currently for sale in Georgia, with expansion planned
Need to know:
Distilled from lightly peated Finnish malt, this whisky is fully aged in sherry casks.
Whisky Advocate says:
Teerenpeli opened its first distillery in 2002, and in 2015, expanded to a larger facility. This whisky is the first of its offerings to become available in the U.S.—and, indeed, the first Finnish whisky to debut here, although the country has about a half-dozen active and planned distilleries, according to Whisky Saga. Another Finnish producer, Kyrö Distillery, began exporting its gin to the U.S. last year, but hasn’t yet brought its rye whisky over.
Seven Stills Fireweed
Style: Whiskey distilled from beer
Origin: California
Age: Not stated
Proof: 59.5% ABV
Price: $75
Release: 2018
Availability: 396 bottles for sale at the distillery only
Need to know:
Distilled from an “aggressively hopped” IPA, the mashbill is 68.1% two-row malted barley, 13.3% corn sugar, 9.7% white wheat, and 8.8% flaked oats. The spirit was aged in new charred oak and finished in an Islay scotch cask. Although distilled from beer, this isn’t technically a whiskey because the beer had hops added before distillation.
Seven Stills Patience
Style: Single pot still-style whiskey
Origin: California
Age: Not stated
Proof: 59.5% ABV
Price: $75
Release: 2018
Availability: 302 bottles for sale at the distillery only
Need to know:
Made in the Irish pot still style, this whiskey is distilled from 47.8% two-row malted barley, 47.8% unmalted barley, and 4.3% oats. It’s aged for at least a year in new charred oak barrels.
Whisky Advocate says:
Both of these whiskeys are part of Seven Stills’ “Modern Praxis” series, which “takes whiskey’s oldest traditions and gives them new inspirations, putting a modern spin on a traditional practice.” The four different expressions focus on fundamental elements of the whiskey-making process: malt and yeast, smoke, barrel finishing, and time. In addition to Fireweed and Patience, the Modern Praxis series also includes Shamrock, distilled from an Irish red ale, and Sommelier, distilled from a tripel and aged in a red wine barrel.
Atelier Vie Riz
Style: Rice whiskey
Origin: Louisiana
Age: Not stated
Proof: 45% ABV
Price: $65
Release: January 2019
Availability: 49 bottles for sale at the distillery only
Need to know:
Made at Atelier Vie Distillery in New Orleans, this whiskey is distilled from locally grown rice and aged for one year and one month in 5-gallon barrels that had previously been used to age other whiskey. Atelier Vie first released Riz as an unaged whiskey in 2013, and then as an aged whiskey in 2014, but always in limited amounts.
Whisky Advocate says:
Since rice is a grain, whisky can be made from it, although there have been few examples until recently. Rice whiskies from Japan are the easiest to find, although there are a few other American distillers using rice as their base grain as well.
