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

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

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

New Holland and its flagship Dragon’s Milk bourbon barrel-aged stout is, and was, a beer that always felt a step or two behind its pseudo-mass market, craft contemporaries in Founders’ KBS and Goose Island’s Bourbon County. Despite a mid-2010s distribution deal with Pabst, KBS and Bourbon County won the races in accessibility, visibility, accolades, and to be honest, quality. And due to their broad distro and increased production, I can currently walk down to my local beer shop, half-a-block away, and snag a 4-pack or bottle of each world class limited release for MSRP. Though what’s lost in ..read more

Casey Jones Distillery in Hopkinsville, Kentucky is a relatively new distillery on the scene, but they put the whiskey community on notice when taking home Best in Show from the 2023 American Craft Spirits Association. The history of Casey Jones is that of illicit distilling near Golden Pond, but now very licit. Casey Jones refers to their 4-grain wheater as Mashbill 3 and consists of 26.5% Bloody Butcher corn, 26.5% yellow dent corn, 35% soft red winter wheat, and 12% malted barley with a 4:1 ratio of Pilsner to caramel. Casey Jones runs around a 72-hour sweet mash fermentation and ages in b ..read more

Heaven’s Door has become a juggernaut of whiskeydom, to the point where we’ve lost count of the number of expressions the outfit has cranked out to date. The good news is they are almost uniformly excellent, so we aren’t complaining about the arrival of yet another series from Heaven’s Door: The Exploration Series. Heaven’s Door will unveil two unique expressions under The Exploration Series banner annually, each standing as a testament to the brand’s dedication to pioneering the frontier of the whiskey category. Fueled by the restless and uncompromising spirit of co-founder Bob Dylan, the t ..read more

Heaven Hill’s first 2024 release of the Old Fitzgerald bottled in bond series has arrived with extra-special vibes attached: This release commemorates the 25th anniversary of Heaven Hill acquiring the historic Bernheim Distillery (DSP-KY-1) in Louisville — and along with it the Old Fitzgerald brand. This isn’t the spring release of Old Fitz — we figure that will show up by the end of summer — but rather a special “VVS” edition, which features a maroon label. Since 2018, there have only ever been two other VVS releases, including VVS 2018 14-year-old and VVS 2020 16-year-old — neither of which ..read more

In the overcrowded world of American whiskey, it’s getting harder and harder to grab the consumer’s attention, but Filmland Spirits seems well-positioned to crack that code. The brand has one of the most creative and eye-catching bottle labels in the industry right now, with each offering sporting a B-movie name and a full, pulp-style movie poster to go along. Each expression even includes snippets of script, storyboards, and an animated trailer for those curious enough to visit the brand’s website. But we all know what matters most is what’s on the inside of the bottle. And Filmland made a r ..read more

The recently rebranded and relaunched Savage & Cooke whiskey brand just got its first line extensions with the arrival of a new Bottled in Bond Series. These two whiskeys are both built around heirloom corn varietals designed to showcase the grain above all else. We got a very early look at these whiskeys, so let’s dive in to see how they fare. Savage & Cooke Bloody Butcher Bourbon Bottled in Bond – Made from 70% Bloody Butcher heirloom corn, 16% red winter wheat, and 14% malted barley, 4 years old, aged in #3 char barrels. The nose is complex and expressive but refined, the note ..read more

Heaven Hill’s Elijah Craig Barrel Proof machine is rolling for 2024, and we’re off to a curious start: A124 is one of the youngest releases in the series, at 10 years, 9 months old — and one of the lowest in proof, at just 59.5% alcohol. That’s still toasty, but considering some ECBP releases have hit over 66% abv, it comparatively feels like it should come in a juice box. Much to my surprise, right out of the gate, this is tough stuff. The nose is heavy, weighted down by notes of well-roasted meat, saddle leather, and some camphor. In time, the aroma lightens up to reveal dried flowers and a ..read more