A Celebratory Single Malt From Balcones, Ardbeg Anamorphic, & More [New Releases]

While the tried and true whiskies might be a distillery’s bread and butter, experimental and celebratory releases offer a chance at exploration—not just for whisky fans, but for distillers, too. Look to Balcones' new single malt Cataleja, which is a toast to the Texas distiller's 15th anniversary, and testament to its non-stop creativity. It blends three batches of whiskey, which head distiller Jared Himstedt led through three separate maturation journeys. Similarly, over at Ardbeg there's always plenty of experimentation from whisky creator Dr. Bill Lumsden, whose latest Ardbeg Committee release delves deep into the effects of cask charring.

As for other new whiskies, Wild Turkey has debuted Generations, a collaborative effort between three generations of the Russell family: Jimmy, Eddie, and Bruce. In Maryland, Sagamore Spirit has cooked up two ryes, the latest iterations of its Penny's Proof and Bottled in Bond whiskeys. There's plenty more from outside the States, too, with new single malts from Kilchoman and Dalmore, and a blended grain whisky from Nikka. Read on for full details.

American Whiskey

Balcones Cataleja
Style: Single malt
Origin: Texas
Age: Not stated
ABV: 59%
Price: $125
Release: November 2023
Availability: Limited; TX, CA, IL, CO, NY, and FL

Need to know:
Made from a mashbill of 100% Golden Promise malted barley, this whiskey had quite a dizzying maturation journey. The first wave of whiskey was put into ex-bourbon and Balcones barrels for three years, then moved into a combination of moscatel, amontillado dulce, oloroso, and palo cortado sherry casks for six months. Then, the whiskey was moved back into neutral barrels (refill Kentucky bourbon casks that no longer imparted flavor) for two and a half years. The second wave of whiskey was aged for over two years in a combination of Kentucky bourbon and old Balcones barrels, then transferred to the same combination of sherry casks, this time for two and a half years. Finally, a third wave of whiskey was aged for five years in Kentucky bourbon and Balcones casks for five years, then finished in sherry casks for six months. All three waves of whiskey were blended together for Cataleja.

Whisky Advocate says:
This new entry into the American single malt space is in celebration of Balcones’ 15^th anniversary, and it’s in keeping with this distiller’s long-held penchant for creativity. The Spanish word “cataleja” means “spyglass” in English, and is meant as a tribute to the Spanish explorers who came to Texas, as well as a nod to the Balcones spirit of experimentation and discovery in whiskey. While firmly ensconced as an American single malt maker, Balcones is also known for its many other styles, that include corn whiskey, bourbon, rye, and others.

Wild Turkey Generations
Style: Bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 60.4%
Price: $450
Release: October 2023
Availability: 5,000 bottles; nationwide

Need to know:
This non-chill filtered blend of 9, 12, 14, and 15 year old bourbons was bottled at barrel proof and is one-of-a-kind in the Wild Turkey lineup. This one is a three-way collaboration from the Russell family–Jimmy, Eddie, and Bruce­–who collectively have over 100 years of distilling at Wild Turkey Distillery. “The experience of working with my son and grandson to create a blend that celebrates our family and tradition has been a highlight of my career,” says Jimmy, who is the longest-tenured active master distiller in the industry.

Whisky Advocate says:
Jimmy Russell began working at Wild Turkey in 1954. Jimmy’s son Eddie joined the company in 1981, and his son Bruce in 2010. Jimmy and Eddie have collaborated before, of course, perhaps most notably with Russell’s Reserve, but this release marks the first time that all three generations have teamed up to make a whiskey.

Sagamore Spirit Bottled in Bond
Style: Rye
Origin: Maryland
Age: 6 year old
ABV: 50%
Price: $60
Release: October 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
This is the third annual release of Sagamore’s bottled in bond rye, and it’s the oldest iteration yet. The whiskey is a blend of two straight ryes, one with a high-rye mashbill and the other a low-rye recipe, in what is Sagamore’s proprietary Maryland-style rye.

Sagamore Spirit Penny’s Proof
Style: Straight rye
Origin: Maryland
Age: 3 year old
ABV: 41.3%
Price: $17.01 during pre-sale; $0.01 at the distillery
Release: November 2023
Availability: 200 200/ml 3-packs during pre-sale; 397 at the distillery

Need to know:
Penny’s Proof is an annual release that aims to give people a taste of Maryland-made Sagamore rye ahead of it being fully matured. This year, Penny's Proof will hold an online advance sale to 200 members of Sagamore's Whiskey Thieves loyalty club (first come, first served) starting at 10 a.m. on November 1. The rest of the Sagamore faithful can line up at Sagamore's waterfront distillery in Baltimore on the morning of November 11 to get a chance at purchasing one of 397 remaining releases of this limited edition three-pack of 200 ml bottles—"one to sip, one to savor, and one to share", as the distillery puts it.

Whisky Advocate says:
Sagamore Spirit was founded in 2017 on a commitment to revive Maryland’s tradition of making rye whiskey. While waiting patiently for its liquid to age, the distiller has been sourcing liquid from MGP. But to keep people interested in the original mission, a few years ago it devised a plan to release a young whiskey. Naming it after Penny, Sagamore's 40-foot high column still, it began an annual release of a younger rye called Penny’s Proof—sold at the distillery for a penny. The idea worked, and crowds lined up outside Sagamore's waterfront distillery to buy it. People liked the whiskey even when it was younger than the current 3-year-old release. More of Sagamore’s 5 year old rye is gradually becoming available, but here’s betting that Penny’s Proof is too much fun as an annual event to ever be discontinued.

Fraser & Thompson
Style: Blend
Origin: Canada and Kentucky
Age: 3 year old
ABV: 42%
Price: $30
Release: October 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
Named for the Fraser and Thompson rivers in British Columbia and released by singer Michael Bublé, this whisky features Canadian whisky blended with Kentucky bourbon. The Kentucky bourbon and part of the Canadian whisky were sourced from Heaven Hill, with the remainder coming from Cirka Distilleries, an urban distillery located in Montreal where Paul Cirka is the master distiller and blender. The blending and bottling were done by Heaven Hill at its Kentucky location.

Whisky Advocate says:
Fraser & Thompson is called a North American whiskey, with its blend’s origins from both the U.S. and Canada. We’ve seen other expressions that blend Canadian and American whiskies before. Recently, Barrell released Rye Batch 004 and Private Release Rye, which both featured American and Canadian distillates. Bardstown Bourbon Co.’s Discovery Series also featured Kentucky bourbon/Canadian components in their blends, including Discovery #9, Discovery #8, and Discovery #7.

James E. Pepper 5 Year Old Barrel Proof
Style: Bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 5 year old
ABV: 52.5%
Price: $65
Release: October 2023
Availability: Nationwide

Need to know:
This is a new core release, distilled and bottled in Lexington, from James E. Pepper Distillery. It was aged in new toasted and charred barrels made from staves that were air-dried for a minimum of 18 months. It’s packaged in a decanter that’s a reproduction of the ones released by the original James E. Pepper Distillery.

Whisky Advocate says:
The original James E. Pepper Distillery was shuttered in 1967. Amir Peay, an avid boxing fan, discovered the James E. Pepper name in a photo of a historic fight in 1910. That was the start of his years-long quest to research the brand and collect artifacts, including the original mashbills, recipes, and distillery blueprints. Using this information, Peay reopened the distillery and filled the distillery’s first barrels in 2017 using the original recipes.

Hand Barrel Veteran’s Day
Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 52.5%
Price: $90
Release: October 2023
Availability: 9,000 bottles

Need to know:
Contract distilled at Bardstown Bourbon Co., this bourbon is a blend of two mashbills: a high-rye 64% corn, 24% rye, and 12% malted barley, and Bardstown Bourbon’s high-corn recipe of 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley. The whiskey was created in partnership with the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF), and so 10% of proceeds will go back to the SOWF, which empowers families of the fallen and severely wounded Special Operations soldiers.

Whisky Advocate says:
Hand Barrel got its start in 2021, launched by co-founders and friends Scott Pirrello, Beorn Brueckner, and Jim Hand. While Pirrello and Hand both came from technology backgrounds, Brueckner had a bit of industry experience as the manager of The Bell In Hand Tavern in Boston. Having never made their own whiskey before, the three visited Kentucky and found a distilling partner—Bardstown Bourbon Co.—that could make, mature, and bottle the whiskey for them. Together with Bardstown, they landed on their signature mashbill—that high-rye 64% corn, 24% rye, and 12% malted barley—and used #4 alligator charred barrels for maturation. The first Hand Barrel whiskeys debuted last year, and today the brand offers Single Barrel, Small Batch, and Double Oak bourbons.

Scotch and Irish Whiskey

Ardbeg Anamorphic
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Islay)
Age: Not stated
ABV: 48.2%
Price: $210
Release: October 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
This is the latest Ardbeg Committee release, and it’s a deep dive into cask charring. The distillery removed the heads from Ardbeg ex-bourbon casks, scoured them to expose more wood during the toasting process, and ultimately charred the barrels to what it calls a “high mocha” before filling them with Ardbeg new-make. According to director of distilling and whisky creation Dr. Bill Lumsden, this results in a dram that melds sweet, smoke, herbaceousness, and spice.

Whisky Advocate says:
As a Committee release, this whisky is available online only for Committee Members. But that isn’t too great a barrier to entry, since anyone can join the Committee for free. The Committee releases always skew to the experimental side—last year’s release, Hypernova, was a full-blown exploration into just how smoky Ardbeg can get, while 2021’s Arrrrrrrdbeg! featured this Islay single malt aged entirely in rye casks.

Kilchoman PX Sherry Cask Matured
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Islay)
Age: Not stated
ABV: 50%
Price: $130
Release: November 2023
Availability: 23,000 bottles; 1,980 for the U.S.

Kilchoman 100% Islay 13^th Edition
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Islay)
Age: Not stated
ABV: 50%
Price: $120
Release: November 2023
Availability: 13,000 bottles; 1,170 for the U.S.

Need to know:
Kilchoman PX Sherry Cask Matured marks the first time Kilchoman has released a limited edition whisky fully matured in PX sherry casks. Made with malt peated to 50 PPM, it’s aged for over 5 years, just long enough for the PX cask not to become overly dominant. The second release here, the new Kilchoman 100% Islay Edition, is 8 years old and was distilled using Publican barley lightly peated to 20 PPM from the distillery farm’s 2012, 2013, and 2014 harvests. It's the first 100% Islay edition since 2019 to be fully matured only in bourbon casks.

Whisky Advocate says:
When Kilchoman opened in 2005, it was the first new distillery to be built on Islay in 124 years. As Islay’s only farm distillery, Kilchoman’s 100% Islay Edition can claim to be the only single-farm Islay single malt produced from barley grown on-site and bottled at the distillery. (Islay neighbor Bruichladdich Distillery makes its 100% Islay whisky with barley from nearby Octomore Farm and other Islay growers but doesn't yet operate its own maltings.) Meanwhile, Islay’s whisky scene continues to develop. Ardnahoe filled its first casks in 2018, the new Port Ellen Distillery is nearly ready to open, Portintruan is under construction, planning permission has been granted for Laggan Bay Distillery, and two additional new distilleries are in the pipeline.

Dalmore Select Edition distilled in 2005
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Highlands)
Age: 18 year old
ABV: 49.3%
Price: $500
Release: October 2023
Availability: Limited

Dalmore Select Edition distilled in 2008
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Highlands)
Age: 15 year old
ABV: 45.8%
Price: $200
Release: October 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
Dalmore’s two newest single malts both started their maturation in white oak bourbon barrels before undergoing secondary maturations in different sherry casks:

• 2008 Vintage: whiskies finished in 15 year old PX sherry casks and Matusalem sherry casks.
• 2005 Vintage: whiskies finished in 2005 vintage sherry casks and Matusalem sherry casks.

Whisky Advocate says:
Each November, the whisky makers at Dalmore scour their warehouses in search of casks to be bottled for the Vintage Collection. Each release in the series showcases that vintage’s top barrels, which are married together to be released the following year. Previous examples include the 93-point 1973 vintage and the 92-point 1981 vintage.

The Fighting 69^th Regiment Single Malt
Style: Single malt
Origin: Ireland
Age: Not stated
ABV: 43%
Price: $60
Release: October 2023
Availability: Limited; New York, then other states as supplies last

Need to know:
Fighting 69^th Irish Whiskey, named after New York’s 69^th Infantry Regiment, is releasing its first limited-edition single malt Irish whiskey in time for Veterans Day on November 11^th. Following the release of its 90 point Irish blend, the non-aged stated whiskey was triple distilled at an undisclosed Irish distillery and matured in a combination of bourbon, sherry, rum, and port casks.

Whisky Advocate says:
For the past four years, officers from the 69^th Regiment have poured Fighting 69^th Irish whiskey as part of their traditional toast at the beginning of New York City’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The 69^th Infantry Regiment’s history dates back to New York in 1849 and traces its lineage to the American Revolution. The regiment has seen combat in five wars: the American Civil War, World War I, World War II, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Its wartime exploits have been memorialized in books and popular culture including the 1940 Warner Brothers movie “The Fighting 69th” starring James Cagney and Pat O’Brien. Members of the 69^th Infantry Regiment have just returned from a nine-month deployment to Western Africa as part of the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa. A portion of the sale of each bottle sale benefits the trust and supports its historic preservation mission as well as philanthropic activities on behalf of the Regiment’s veterans and their families.

World Whiskies

Nikka The Grain
Style: Blended grain
Origin: Japan
Age: Not stated
ABV: 48%
Price: $175
Release: October 2023
Availability: 2,600 bottles for the U.S.

Need to know:
Nikka is releasing this new grain whisky as the final expression in its Discovery Series, which previously has featured Yoichi Non-Peated, Miyagikyo Peated, Yoichi Aromatic Yeast, and Miyagikyo Aromatic Yeast. It’s a first-ever blend of grain whiskies from four Nikka distilleries: Miyagikyo, Moji, Satsuma Tsukasa, and Nishinomiya. At its core, the new release features Nikka’s Coffey grain whisky made at Miyagikyo, but also includes its Coffey malt and newer styles of grain whisky made from corn and rye.

Whisky Advocate says:
Nikka’s renown is tied to two whisky distilleries, Yoichi and Miyagikyo. But the company also has other distilleries: Moji and Satsuma Tsukasa are shochu makers, while Nishinomiya mainly produces liqueurs. Those three can also produce grain distillate—indeed, Nishinomiya was Nikka’s first grain distillery and introduced a Coffey still in 1963, though the still moved over to Miyagikyo in 1998. Making this whisky even more rare is the fact Nishinomiya is slated to close early next year.

WhistlePig The Boss Hog X: The Commandments
Style: Rye
Origin: Canada
Age: Not stated
ABV: 53.2%
Price: $600
Release: October 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
This year’s iteration of The Boss Hog is a single barrel rye that comes from Canada. It’s first finished in barrels seasoned with a spirit of WhistlePig’s own design—distilled from rye and whey grains, and infused with frankincense (Boswellia) and myrrh (Commiphora) resins. After, it undergoes a second finish in ex-mead casks.

Whisky Advocate says:
Few operations have committed to the cask finishing scene quite like Shoreham, Vermont’s WhistlePig. The label’s recent releases have shown a willingness to experiment with some very unconventional casks. Its Legends Series: Big Papi Rye was finished in barrels containing baseballer David Ortiz’s signature maple bats. Last year’s The Boss Hog IX: Siren’s Song was finished in South American teak barrels. The label also recently released a rye finished in lychee and oolong tea barrels.

Indri Diwali Collector’s Edition 2023
Style: Single malt
Origin: India
Age: Not stated
ABV: 60.5%
Price: $135
Release: November 2023
Availability: 450 bottles, available in AK, AZ, CA, CO, NY, MD, FL, GA, IL, IN, HI, KS, MA, MN, NV, MO, OR, TN,
TX, WA, WI

Need to know:
This cask-strength peated Indian single malt from Piccadily Distilleries is produced from 6-row Indian barley and was matured in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks.

Whisky Advocate says:
Whisky lovers around the world are increasingly recognizing the quality of Indian whiskies. Fans of Indri Trini The Three Wood, which made the Whisky Advocate Top 20 in 2022, will be eager to acquire this first follow-up bottling which has been created by master blender Surrinder Kumar. Indri Distillery, one of the company’s three distilleries in North India, plans to open a visitor center by the end of this year.