Ardbeg Heavy Vapours, Crown Royal Noble Collection's Final Release, & More [New Releases]

The Vendome pot stills at Michter’s Fort Nelson distillery in Louisville have had quite a life. They were built in 1976, and first made whiskey in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania, for Pennco Distillery—a contract distiller whose clients included a small brand called Michter’s. How did those very stills end up in Kentucky, and what other hands did they pass through? We detailed their origin story, and how they ultimately landed with Joseph Magliocco, owner of the Michter's brand today.

There’s new whisky aplenty this week, starting with the annual Ardbeg Day single malt, this one a particularly peaty dram. Elsewhere, Crown Royal returns with the final edition of its Noble Collection, and Proof and Wood has another Polish rye in the offing. Read on for full details.

Ardbeg Heavy Vapours

Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Islay)
Age: Not stated
ABV: 46%
Price: $132
Release: June 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:

Heavy Vapours, the latest Ardbeg Day release, was distilled without a purifier, marking a first in Ardbeg’s history—the distillery always uses a purifier, which makes it possible for its roughly 50 phenol parts per million whiskies to remain quite light, even with that high phenol content. Without the purifier, the resulting whisky is a heavier, smokier peat bomb, as the most highly condensed vapors were captured and bottled in the still (as opposed to being balanced out during distillation).

Whisky Advocate says:

Ardbeg Day is held annually on the last Saturday of Islay’s Festival of Music and Malt, Fèis Ìle. This year’s celebrations will kick off on May 26, with Ardbeg Day falling on June 3. Like all Ardbeg releases, Heavy Vapours was the brainchild of Dr. Bill Lumsden. Accompanying the release is a graphic novel by comic artist and illustrator Dilraj Mann; the plot is centered around Agent 46—who is Jackie Thomson, Ardbeg visitor center manager and committee chair—as she embarks on a quest to find the missing purifier and restore Ardbeg’s balance. As with all Ardbeg Day releases, in addition to the general public release there’s also a special committee release for Ardbeg Committee members (it's free to join) that is proofed slightly higher at 50.2% ABV, and also comes with a higher price tag of $158.

Crown Royal Noble Collection: Barley Edition
Style: Blend
Origin: Canada
Age: Not stated
ABV: 45%
Price: $80
Release: April 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:

This is the seventh and final edition of the Crown Royal Noble Collection, an annual release that has been different each year and celebrates innovation. Its mashbill is 100% barley—85% malted and 15% unmalted. All whiskies in the blend are aged at least 5 years.

Whisky Advocate Says:

Crown Royal Noble Collection launched in 2017 with its Wine Barrel Finished expression as the first edition, scoring 90 points and finishing at number 18 on our Top 20 Whiskies of the Year list. That one was Crown Royal’s first-ever foray into cask finishing, if you can believe it. The Noble Collection’s 13 year old Blender’s Mash release the following year did even better, finishing at number 5. The Noble Collection was a big step in the creative direction for the massive distillery in Gimli, Manitoba, where Crown Royal is made.

Macallan Home Collection: The Distillery
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Highlands)
Age: Not stated
ABV: 43.5%
Price: $525
Release: April 2023
Availability: 255 bottles

Need to know:

This is the first whisky in Macallan’s Home Collection, which celebrates the brand’s new distillery. The artwork on the bottle’s box is by Colin Rizza, who along with several of his family members, has worked at Macallan Distillery for more than 30 years. Future Home Collection whiskies will also feature art by people who have been a part of Macallan’s community.

Whisky Advocate says:

The release was first launched last year in global Travel Retail; now it’s available exclusively on Macallan’s e-boutique, with Macallan Society members receiving priority access to the 255 bottles on offer. The new Macallan distillery, a stunning, state-of-the-art facility that blends seamlessly into the Scottish landscape—opened its doors in Speyside in 2018.

Proof and Wood The Globe
Style: Finished rye
Origin: Poland
Age: 9 year old
ABV: 49.5%
Price: $80
Release: April 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:

This 100% rye was distilled in Poland (the name of the distillery was not disclosed) in 2013. The whisky was first aged in French oak, then transferred to Kentucky, where it aged in bourbon barrels. After 8 years of maturation in the bourbon barrels, the rye was put into pot-distill rum casks from Jamaica, where it was finished for just over a year.

Whisky Advocate says:

Proof and Wood has previously released a 100% Polish rye. That whisky, called The Stranger, was aged in bourbon barrels before being finished in rye barrels. This takes the finishing even further by adding French oak and Jamaican rum casks to the mix, which contribute sweet and spicy notes to the final product. The Globe will be the last whisky to make use of Proof and Wood’s Polish rye stock, given that the distillery is no longer operational and there’s no more whisky to be had.

Forthwest
Style: Blend
Origin: Canada
Age: 5 year old (unflavored) and 3 year old flavored expressions
ABV: 40%
Price: $30
Release: Spring 2023
Availability: National

Need to know:

This new line from Oregon’s Hood River Distillers offers four whiskies: an unflavored expression and three flavors. The core unflavored label is a 5 year old Canadian whisky. The flavored whiskies are Forthwest Shiny Apple, Forthwest Giant Peach, and Forthwest Spice of Life—the last having flavors of nutmeg, clove, orange peel, ginger, and other spices. They're made from 3 year old Canadian whisky, with “natural flavors” that aim to “take flavored spirits to a new level,” Hood River says.

Whisky Advocate Says:

Hood River makes a variety of different spirits, and is perhaps best known among whiskey lovers for its McCarthy’s Oregon single malt label. It also makes the Clear Creek line of fruit-flavored brandies, both of those were acquired when Clear Creek Distillery’s founder, the late Steve McCarthy, merged with Hood River in 2014. The brandies appear to be the source of inspiration for Hood River’s forays into flavors. Its Marionberry flavored whiskey (at 30% abv so technically not a whisky) was launched in 2021 as part of a series of flavored whiskey-style drinks.

Barmen 1783
Bourbon
Origin: Not stated, bottled in Bardstown, Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV:45.5%
Price: $43
Release: April 2023
Availability: 13 states, CO, GA, IL, KS, KY, MO, NY, NV, PA, OK, TN, TX, and WI

Need to know:

This is the latest release from U.S.-Canadian brewing group MolsonCoors, which has moved into the spirits side in recent years. It follows Five Trail, a blended American whiskey that launched in 2021 as a limited annual release, retailing at $60 and selling in the 13 markets where Barmen 1783 will start. The liquid was developed and sourced in consultation with renowned bourbon expert Peggy Noe Stevens.

Whisky Advocate Says:

While the big national brewers have dabbled in spirits over the years, nothing of consequence has emerged. Anheuser-Busch dipped its toe into the spirits sector back in 2005 with its Long Tail Libations subsidiary, which initially focused on liqueurs and promised more to come. That effort never amounted to anything. Although we whisky lovers might see beer and spirits as cousins, from a business perspective the two activities were always very separate. Most distributors in the market, for example, focus either on beer or spirits, and not both. That situation has gradually been changing, however, and it may be part of the motivation for MolsonCoors. Only time will tell whether this big brewer's venture into whiskey will become a long-running success.

Four Gate Split Stave by Kelvin Cask-Finished (Batch 27)
Style: Straight rye
Origin: Indiana
Age: 7 year old
ABV: 58%
Price: $199
Release: March 2023
Availability: 2,628 bottles

Need to know:

Batch 27 in Four Gate’s Split Stave series uses 7 year old 95% rye and 5% barley sourced from MGP. Four Gate then finished it in barrels constructed of alternating charred and toasted French oak staves.

Four Gate The Kelvin Collaboration V (Batch 28)
Style: Blend of straight bourbons
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 58.5%
Price: $199
Release: March 2023
Availability: 4,802 bottles

Need to know:

Batch 28 comprises a blend of three Kentucky straight bourbons: 7 and 8 year olds with a mashbill of 74% corn, 20% rye, and 6% malted barley and a 9 year old made from 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley. Once blended, the whiskey was finished in Australian Mariposa sherry and añejo dark rum casks.

Whisky Advocate says:

Founded in 2018, Four Gate aims to create uniquely finished sourced whiskeys in limited releases. In the case of its Split Stave by Kelvin line, it finishes sourced whiskey in custom-made barrels constructed from toasted and charred staves by Kelvin Cooperage in Kentucky. Four Gate’s Kelvin Collaboration bottlings are released annually just before the Kentucky Derby. Like its Split Stave releases, these bottlings include sourced whiskey, but in this series the whiskeys are finished in a variety of used barrels. For this year’s release, the choice was sherry and dark rum casks.

Old Dominick Bottled in Bond (Batch 3)
Style: Tennessee
Origin: Tennessee
Age: 4 year old
ABV: 50%
Price: $70
Release: March 2023
Availability: Tennessee only

Need to know:

This expression from Old Dominick was made from a mashbill of 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley. It then underwent the Lincoln County Process, which filters the whiskey through charcoal before maturation. The whiskey was then aged in American oak barrels. As the name implies, it is a bonded whiskey. It was barreled in the fall of 2017.

Old Dominick Bottled in Bond (Batch 4)
Style: Tennessee whiskey
Origin: Tennessee
Age: 4 year old
ABV: 50%
Price: $70
Availability: Arkansas, Illinois Mississippi, and Missouri

Need to know:

Old Dominick Bottled in Bond Batch 4 has an identical mashbill to Batch 3 and undergoes the same processes as the above whiskey. Batch 4 was barreled in Fall 2018, and will be available for purchase in four states.

Whisky Advocate says:

Old Dominick whiskey has existed, in one form or another, since 1866. It was first made by Domenico Canale, a food wholesaler who emigrated to Memphis from Italy. He sold it in ceramic jugs from his warehouse under the D. Canale & Co. brand name. Although Prohibition put a stop to D. Canale & Co.’s whiskey production, Old Dominick made a comeback nearly a century later in 2013 when Domenico’s great-grandchildren, Alex and Chris Canale, discovered an unopened bottle of the family's whiskey and decided to jump back into the spirits business. By 2017, Old Dominick Distillery was open for business in Memphis. Since then, the distillery has released noted expressions, such as their Huling Station Very Small Batch Bourbon, which scored a 91 with our tasting panel.

Rock Town Column Still Collection Small Batch
Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 3 year old
ABV: 46%
Price: $40
Release: April 2023
Availability: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Illinois, Georgia, Washington, Maryland, DC, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Kentucky, and at rocktowndistillery.com

Need to know:

Released in collaboration with Bardstown Bourbon Co., this new small batch bourbon has a mashbill of 79% Arkansas corn, 8% Arkansas wheat, and 13% malted barley. After its column distillation, it was aged for 36 months.

Rock Town Column Still Collection Single Barrel
Style: Straight Bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 3 year old
ABV: Around 57.5%
Price: $60
Release: April 2023
Availability: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Illinois, Georgia, Washington, Maryland, D.C., New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Kentucky, and at rocktowndistillery.com

Need to know:

The second release in the Column Still Collection, the single barrel expression, is bottled at cask strength. The whiskey entered the barrel at exactly 55% ABV. By the end of the 3 year maturation, the ABV hovered closer to 57.5% with some variance.

Rock Town Column Still Collection Toasted French Oak
Style: Straight Bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 3 year old
ABV: 50%
Price: $70
Release: April 2023
Availability: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Illinois, Georgia, Washington, Maryland, D.C., New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Kentucky, and at rocktowndistillery.com

Need to know:

Rock Town rounds out its Column Still Collection with a cask-finished bourbon. After a 3 year aging period, this whiskey was finished in toasted French oak casks.

Whisky Advocate says:

Named for its hometown, Rock Town Distillery is located on Main St. in the heart of Little Rock, Arkansas. Founded in 2010, the distillery produces bourbon, rye, single malt, vodka, gin, liqueurs, and moonshine from locally sourced ingredients. The Column Still Collection, comprising the above three expressions, was distilled at Bardstown Bourbon Co. in Kentucky using Arkansas-grown corn and wheat. The whiskeys were aged in Rock Town’s barrelhouse in Little Rock.

Copperworks Distilling Co. Hair of the Dog Adam Cask
Style: American single malt
Origin: Washington
Age: 3 year old
ABV: 50%
Price: $90
Release: April 2023
Availability: 253 bottles

Need to know:

Copperworks’ American single malt is made from Oregon-grown genie barley that is twice distilled in copper pot stills. After maturing for 3 years and 3 months in new char No.-2 American oak barrels, it was finished for 8 months in Adam ale casks from the now-closed Portland-based Hair of the Dog Brewing Company.

Copperworks Distilling Co. Hair of the Dog Matt Cask
Style: American single malt
Origin: Washington
Age: 3 year old
ABV: 50%
Price: $90
Release: April 2023
Availability: 179 bottles

Need to know:

Like the Adam cask, this whiskey was made from Oregon-grown genie barley, and matured for 3 years and 3 months in new American oak barrels with No.-2 char. It’s finished in Hair of the Dog Matt American strong ale barrels for 8 months.

Whisky Advocate says:

Copperworks Distilling Co. has been making small-batch spirits on the Seattle waterfront since 2013. Founders Jason Parker and Micah Nutt had prior experience as craft brewers, and started the distillery with the intention of exploring malted barley’s utility as an ingredient in spirit-making. Copperworks’ single malt whiskeys start their journey as unhopped craft beers, which are distilled twice. This isn’t the first time Copperworks has used beer casks to finish a whiskey. Copperworks entered into a partnership with Three Magnets Brewing Co. of Olympia, Washington which saw the distillery’s whiskey barrels used to finish Three Magnets’ Copperworks Tompkins Imperial stout. Afterward, the barrels were returned to Copperworks where they were used to finish its 24th release: Imperial Stout Cask Finished whiskey.