Woodford Reserve’s Batch Proof release for 2024 arrives early this time, arriving this year at a relatively tame 121.2 proof. As always, “Batch Proof showcases the flavor nuances created from batching 100+ different Woodford Reserve barrels together, then presenting that bourbon at the exact proof from the barrels.” Other than abv, it’s essentially a barrel pick of Woodford’s best stock available at the moment. Unlike many annually released cask strength bourbons, Woodford’s Batch Proof doesn’t immediately seem to change a whole lot from year to year, though spending some time with the whiske ..read more

Just last year we introduced you to the impressive core range from Pokeno, and now the Kiwi whisky maker, which has only been distilling since 2017, is out with another lineup of unique single malts. Pokeno’s Exploration Series is a line that is intended to showcase the distillery’s most innovative whiskeys with emphasis on the culture and unique environment of Pokeno’s hometown, Aotearoa. Say that three times fast. If you can even pronounce it. Thoughts follow. Pokeno Totara Cask New Zealand Single Malt Whiskey – Fully matured in first fill bourbon casks with a secondary maturation in 200 li ..read more

  While they are known for their “riffs” on American whiskey traditions, Kentucky’s New Riff Distillery is out with a new bourbon that’s about as straightforward as they come. That said, it is twice as old as the flagship bourbon they debuted in 2018, making it their oldest rye bourbon yet (a more limited eight-year wheated bourbon and rye made up the High Note Collection last year). Per New Riff: A new riff on a coveted classic, this 8-year-old expression of New Riff’s award-winning flagship bourbon is bottled without chill filtration at 100 proof with a mashbill of 65% corn, 30% rye a ..read more

We got our first taste of an M&H Apex single cask single malt back in 2022. Several single casks, in fact, including a stripped and recharred cask like this latest expression that recently crossed our desk. As a reminder, Apex is the top of the Milk & Honey portfolio featuring both small batch and limited edition, single cask expressions focusing on unique finishings and maturation. We weren’t given any specific age or maturation information on this one other than the obvious fact that it was aged in a shaved, toasted, and recharred cask (STR). Head distiller Tomer Goren reportedly se ..read more

The latest release from Hirsch is a second edition of its Single Barrel Double Oak release, Kentucky distillate made from 72% corn, 13% rye, and 15% malted barley, bottled at 9 years old. The first 8 years were spent in a new American oak barrel, char #4, followed by another year in a #1 ultra-light char barrel. Hirsch says the finishing barrel was done at a lower proof than in the first edition, should you be looking for a point of comparison with the earlier release. (We unfortunately haven’t tasted it.) There’s no shortage of barrel influence here, the nose providing a grand gesture of cha ..read more

Glenmorangie already tweaked the Extra Matured Range portion of its portfolio five years ago with age statements becoming a little more prominent for The Lasanta and The Quinta Ruban (the latter jumping from 12 to 14 years old). The exotically named, Sauternes-finished Nectar D’Or, however, suspiciously went from being a 12-year-old single malt to a non-age-stated offering. When I interviewed Dr. Bill Lumsden, Glenmorangie’s Director of Whisky Creation, back in 2022 he confirmed that Nectar D’Or was still a 12-year-old single malt despite the change, but he also hinted that it was going to ge ..read more

Our slow march through Bowmore’s travel retail, Aston Martin-inspired selections continues. As a reminder, these hit airport duty free shops in 2021 as 10-year, 15-year, and 18-year bottlings under the Bowmore x Aston Martin label. They mirror the existing travel retail line in age but are drawn from special cask selections, each commemorating a specific car model important to the British automaker’s storied automotive history. This 18-year expression is the oldest in the lineup, drawn from a mix of “the finest” Pedro Ximenez and oloroso sherry casks. The packaging highlights the 2003 launch ..read more

Last year we had our first taste of Piccadilly Distilleries’ whisky when we reviewed Indri Trini, followed by its 2023 Diwali Edition. Today we sample a new release. Indri Dru is a cask strength single malt whisky that has been aged exclusively in ex-bourbon barrels. This makes it quite different from Trini, which was aged in three different types of casks. The choice to age the release in a single type of cask and to bottle it at full strength should allow the character of the underlying whisky to shine through more clearly. Let’s give it a try. The nose shows expressive ex-bourbon character ..read more

Independent bottler Lost Lantern‘s spring collection has a name: The Midwest Collection, with a focus on bourbon and rye whiskeys (plus one wheat whiskey) from the center cut of the country. Seven total whiskeys are in this as-always tiny release, including one blend made out of rye sourced five of the six distilleries represented here. Let’s try them out. Lost Lantern Far-Flung Rye – Lost Lantern’s first blend of straight rye whiskey blends ryes ranging from four to nine years old from Cedar Ridge (IA), Middle West Spirits (OH), Starlight Distillery (IN), Tom’s Foolery Distillery (OH), and W ..read more

Last year saw the return of a full slate of Michter’s 10-year-old bottlings (bourbon and rye) plus a new Toasted Barrel Finish Rye and some other unicorns we unfortunately didn’t get a chance to sample. Missing from the 2023 release calendar was a Barrel Strength Straight Rye (which seems to happen when a toasted offering is on tap). Well, in case your 2022 bottling is on its last drops (or, more likely, long gone), a new Barrel Strength Rye is luckily first on deck for the Michter’s 2024 releases. As always, this is a single barrel product, so some variation is to be expected across barrels ..read more