Knob Creek 10 Year Old Rye, Crown Royal Single Malt, Highland Park Cask Strength No. 5, & More

Knob Creek age statements are returning with a vengeance, as many of us can remember the days of 2009 when Knob Creek ran out of aged juice altogether. Of course, Knob Creek was hardly the only one caught off guard by the whisky boom—the years between 2010 and 2020 were filled with non-age statement releases and other measures as distillers scrambled to meet demand. Now, thankfully, the age-statement whiskey scene appears to be back in full bloom.

Elsewhere Crown Royal is getting into the single malt act, which adds another big distiller to a space, once the province of craft distillers. The space now also includes Jack Daniel’s, and Jim Beam. Can Heaven Hill be far behind?

Lots more is doing, including a high-proof bottling from the rapidly rising Green River Distillery, whose Owensboro, Kentucky distillery received 10,000 visitors last year. Quietly inserted in the most recent new product information from Kentucky’s Frank August was news that Potter Jane Distilling Co., the new venture by Maker’s Mark alums Jane Bowie and Denny Potter, will be supplying whiskeys for Frank August when Potter Jane’s distillery opens in early 2025.

Among scotch whiskies, Highland Park returns with the 5th edition of its cask strength expression, the 4th edition finishing second in our Whisky of the Year rankings for 2024. And in the latest news among the unobtainium, Arbdeg is offering The Abysss, a 34 year old single malt priced at $27,000. It’s made using the same whisky that went into the original limited edition Corryvreckan in 2008 before it became a permanent release a few years later.

Knob Creek 10 year old Kentucky Straight Rye

ABV: 50%
SRP: $70
Availability: Nationwide

The flagship Knob Creek rye received a 7 year old age statement just last year; now, master distiller Freddie Noe is back with a 10 year old rye that highlights what three additional years in the barrel can yield on flavor and body. Made from a mashbill of 55% rye, 35% corn, and 10% malted barley, the whiskey spent its entire maturation in char level 4 new oak barrels. This likely means that while rye spice remains, you can expect plenty of vanilla, caramel, and oak in the glass as well.

Since the permanent addition of Knob Creek 12 year old bourbon (our No.-2 whisky of 2020) in 2019, James B. Beam Distilling has slowly but surely been adding more age statement whiskeys to the brand’s lineup. Though limited in scope, 15 and 18 year old bourbons joined the fray in 2020 and 2022, while Knob Creek 9 year old bourbon saw the return of its age statement in 2021, following a 5 year hiatus that was caused by stock shortages.

Crown Royal Single Malt Canadian Whisky

ABV: 45%
SRP: $55
Availability: Nationwide

Top Canadian whisky label Crown Royal, best known for blends and flavored whiskies, now has entered the single malt space. This first-ever Crown Royal single malt was distilled at Valleyfield Distillery—formerly the historic Schenley Distillery, which sits about 30 miles outside Montreal. The new whisky, which carries no age statement, is being released as a limited-time offering.

Despite its history in blends, the Great White North is also home to some very solid single malts as well. But single malt in Canada is still in its formative years and largely the territory of smaller producers, with distillers like Macaloney’s and Shelter Point earning some impressive scores in recent years, with several whiskies scoring 91 points or higher. Crown Royal is one of the first big producers to throw its hat into the single malt ring.

Highland Park Cask Strength No. 5 Scotch Single Malt

ABV: 64.7%
SRP: $100
Availability: Nationally

Highland Park Cask Strength No. 4 came within a whisker of winning Whisky Advocate’s Whisky of the Year award in 2023, taking second place behind top-ranked Glenglassaugh Sandend. Now this distiller from Orkney in the far north of Scotland has released a follow-on expression, Cask Strength No. 5. While Cask Strength No. 4 was at 64.3% ABV, this one is kicked up slightly, to 64.7%. For this one, master distiller Gordon Motion also included Pedro Ximénez casks in the mix, as well as first-fill European oak and bourbon casks. No. 5 is also no age statement, like its predecessors.

Like its sibling brand Macallan (they’re both owned by Glasgow-based Edrington), Highland Park takes great pride in its use of sherry casks for finishing. Both distillers have all their casks custom-seasoned to their specifications, and last year Macallan even acquired its sherry cask cooper Vasyma.

Highland Park Cask Strength was first introduced in 2020, and while this latest release is by no means cheap, Highland Park has held the line on pricing this year, with No. 5 rolling out at the same SRP as No.4.

Green River Full Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon

ABV: 58.65%
SRP: $50
Availability: Nationally

This is a higher-proof bottling of the flagship bourbon from Owensboro, Kentucky-based Green River Distilling Co. It’s a blend of 5, 6, and 7 year old whiskeys made from a high-rye mashbill of 70% corn, 21% rye, and 9% malted barley. The whiskey is bottled in batches, and this first batch is at 58.65% ABV.

Green River contract distills for brands including Wheel Horse, Broken Barrel, Blue Note, and others. But it’s also been emerging as a brand maker in its own right, including a bourbon, a wheated bourbon, a rye, and a single barrel bourbon. Last year it received 10,000 visitors and is holding launch events today for the new release.

One of Kentucky’s oldest distilleries, Green River was founded in 1885 by whiskey entrepreneur John W. McCullough, it prospered until 1918, when fire destroyed the place. Then came Prohibition, and Green River didn’t reopen until 1933. It went dark again in 1956, and in the ensuing years underwent multiple ownership changes. In 2014 South Carolina-based Terressentia, maker of rapidly aged whiskeys, acquired the distillery, restarting production two years later. Terresentia called it O.Z. Tyler Distillery, as it didn’t have rights to the Green River name. But in 2019 it acquired those rights from the founder’s descendants and restored the original name in 2020. Bardstown Bourbon Co. acquired Green River in 2022.

Rebel 10 year old Single Barrel Bourbon

ABV: 50%
SRP: $100
Availability: Limited

Each year, Lux Row Distillers releases a new 10 year old single barrel bourbon under its Rebel label. This year’s edition is set for release on allocation later this month. Like its predecessors, it’s distilled using Rebel’s wheated mashbill (68% corn, 20% wheat, 12% malted barley) and is presented at the brand’s trademark 100 proof.

Rebel has a track record of impressive scores, but the 10 year old Single Barrel is particularly noteworthy. Over the years, batches have scored between 89 and 92 points. One of those high-scoring bottlings, Barrel 5043515, was named our No. 12 Whisky of 2017.

Ardbeg The Abyss Scotch Single Malt

ABV: 48%
SRP: $27,500
Availability: through Ardbeg.com, Moët Hennessy Private Client channel, and Ardbeg Distillery visitor center

Ardbeg’s director of whisky creation Dr Bill Lumsden has unveiled a 34 year old Ardbeg single malt using whisky that went into the original Corryvreckan limited release of 2008. Back then, the defining part of that limited edition included some rare Ardbeg whisky distilled in 1989 and finished in heavily toasted French oak casks. A small number of those casks were held back as the peaty whisky continued to age. The Abyss, a 400-bottle release, is solely composed of the mature whisky distilled in 1989 from the casks filled for the original limited edition Corryvreckan.

The whisky is presented in a silver diving chamber accessed by a top hatch opened by turning the locking wheel mechanism. Inside, the bottle is accompanied by an exclusive comic book in the Planet Ardbeg series that tells the legendary story of Prince Breacan and the Corryvreckan. It was created by Tradd Moore, the American comic book author and artist.

Additionally, four individual frames of Moore’s artwork for the Ardbeg The Abyss comic book have been used to create labels for the core Corryvreckan. There are 250 bottles of each design, which are on sale exclusively at the Distillery visitor center.

Bushmills The Causeway Collection 23 year old Madeira Cask Matured Irish Single Malt

ABV: 53.8%
SRP: $507
Availability: Avolta’s World Duty-Free stores

Bushmills has released a new 23 year old Travel Retail whiskey exclusively for Avolta’s World Duty Free stores. Master distiller Alex Thomas selected triple distilled single malt that had been resting in first-fill madeira casks since June 30^th, 2000. Heathrow Airport, London will have a month’s exclusivity on this edition in the Causeway Collection. Earlier this year, Heathrow Airport debuted another aged travel retail exclusive with the Glenmorangie 25 year old Pommard Wine Cask Finish. At the end of June, however, the Bushmills 23 year old will become more widely available in Avolta’s other Travel Retail outlets around the world. Avolta owns many familiar names in Travel Retail including Hudson, and it was formed in 2023 following a merger of Dufry and Autogrill.

Madeira casks are most frequently used by distillers for finishing rather than for the full maturation of a whiskey. Madeira-finished expressions from Bushmills include The Rare Casks 30 year old, rated 93 points, finished in madeira casks for 17 years, while its 21 year old, rated 96 points, also undergoes madeira cask finishing. Full maturation in madeira, like this 23 year old, is much more unusual, but examples can be found from the likes of Kilchoman, Glen Moray, Edradour, Westland, and Penderyn among others.

Bunnahabhain 23 year old Triple Sherry Wood Finish Fèis Ìle 2024 Scotch Single Malt

ABV: 53.3%
SRP: $714
Availability: Select markets including CA, IL, MA NJ, MI, VA, CO, NH, PA

Bunnahabhain 14 year old Ruby Port Cask Fèis Ìle 2024 Scotch Single Malt

ABV: 58.7%
SRP: $214
Availability: Limited

Islay distiller Bunnahabhain has released two new limited edition single malts. The whiskeys were released as part of Islay’s recent Fèis Ìle festival in the final week of May, and are now available in the U.S. The rollout is to various markets across the U.S.

The first whisky is a 14-year-old finished in ruby port casks. While Bunnahabhain is best known for its sherry-finished releases, this one was aged in ex-bourbon casks and then transferred into ruby port hogsheads for an unspecified finishing period. The second whisky is a 23 year old malt finished in a combination of amontillado, manzanilla, and oloroso sherry casks. Distilled in 1999, the spirit was transferred into the sherry cask trio: amontillado casks in November 2009, oloroso casks in June 2011, and manzanilla casks on 9/12/2016.

The whisky making was overseen by master blender Julieann Fernandez and distillery manager Andrew Brown. Fernandez also is in charge of blending for Deanston, Torbermory, Ledaig, as well as Black Bottle blended scotch and Torbermory gin, all owned by South Africa-based Distell. Brendan McCarron, well known by Islay aficionados for his many years at Arbdeg and Glenmorangie as head of maturing whisky stocks, left that role in 2021 to become head of Distell’s whisky operations. But McCarron departed last spring and is now working as an independent whisky consultant.

Frank August Cask Strength Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon

ABV: 55.6%-61.8%
SRP: $130
Availability: AZ, CA, DE, D.C., FL, KY, MD, MO, NV, NJ, NY, OH, TN, TX, and WA

Frank August Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon

ABV: 50%
SRP: $75
Availability: AZ, CA, DE, D.C., FL, KY, MD, MO, NV, NJ, NY, OH, TN, TX, and WA

Frank August entered the whiskey space in 2022, co-founded by former fashion executive Johnathan Crocker and offering a lineup of sourced bourbons from an undisclosed Kentucky distillery. There is no person named Frank August: the company takes its name from a business partner’s late father, Frank, and another partner’s son’s middle name, August. The whiskeys for its newest Cask Strength Single Barrel and Small Batch releases were selected in partnership with the founders of Potter Jane Distilling Co., Jane Bowie and Denny Potter of Maker’s Mark fame (Potter also worked for Heaven Hill). While Bowie and Potter have helped in the Frank August selection process before, there is now a distilling partnership in place, starting when Potter Jane’s distillery comes on stream in January 2025. We’ll have to wait until 2030 or so to taste the results, but it’s certainly exciting news for bourbon fans. In the meantime, Frank August will continue to release whiskeys from its current sources.

This current Cask Strength release, bottled from 24 casks selected by Bowie and Potter, is 6.8 years old. The Small Batch expression is comprised of 15 barrel lots that were selected and blended by Bowie and Potter. While Small Batch doesn’t carry an age statement it’s approximately 5 years old. Due to Frank August’s non-disclosure agreement with its distilling source, it’s not permitted to share the mashbill of its expressions (a common requirement of contract distilling), disclosing only that it’s made from a high-rye mash and enters the barrel at 110 proof.

Wyoming Whiskey Outryder (2024) Straight American Whiskey

ABV: 50%
SRP: $85
Availability: Wyoming

This is the seventh annual release of Outryder, which debuted in 2016. It has always been a blend of what Wyoming whiskey calls “almost rye” (48% rye whiskey) and a high-rye bourbon (68% corn, 20% rye, and 12% malted barley) bourbon. But this year’s release is the first to include a true rye whiskey (51% rye) in the blend, along with the standard high-rye bourbon. This seventh release of the Outyder series has a ratio of 2.5 bourbon to rye barrels.

Founded in 2006, Wyoming Whiskey began producing whiskey in 2009 under the direction of former Maker’s Mark master distiller Steve Nally. In 2010 Wyoming co-founder David DeFazio asked Nally to create a rye whiskey, as Wyoming’s main bourbon recipe uses wheat as the secondary grain. Nally had reservations about it, as rye is often known for being a difficult grain in the production process. Eventually, he agreed, and in late 2011 laid down nearly 100 barrels of his new creation. Nally departed in 2014, two years later new distiller Sam Mead discovered that the “rye” whiskey was actually from a mashbill that contained 48% rye—short of the requisite 51% mark, and therefore not a rye. Outryder debuted, but not with the rye whiskey as planned, until this year’s release.

Edrington, parent company of Macallan and Highland Park, among other brands, is a majority shareholder of Wyoming Whiskey. In 2018 it purchased 35% stake and in April 2023 it increased its stake to 80%.

Bear Fight Kentucky Reserve Bourbon

ABV: 45%
SRP: $35
Availability: Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Jersey, and bearfightwhiskey.com

Bear Fight Kentucky Reserve is a bourbon sourced from an undisclosed distillery in Kentucky, made from a mashbill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. After aging for at least 3 years, the whiskey was finished in reposado tequila casks.

Bear Fight is part of the Next Century Spirits portfolio, which includes Creek Water and Henderson whiskeys, Numbskull flavored whiskey, and other spirits. The Bear Fight brand was founded by Next Century co-CEO Anthony Moniello, with investments made by actor Seth MacFarlane and entrepreneur Matthew Bronfman—son of Edgar M. Bronfman, who formerly was chief executive of the Seagram drinks empire. Bear Fight American single malt, the brand’s initial offering, scored 90 points with our tasting panel.