Baker's 13 Year Old, Hardin's Creek Frankfort, WhistlePig Beyond Bonded, & More [New Releases]

Whatever happened to the dog days of summer? The whisky world has been keeping us busy lately with new releases from distillers far and wide. We've been tasting some excellent ones, as attested by some of our latest new whisky ratings. This week, there's more. Baker's is back with its 13 year old expression, which we haven't seen since 2019. Hardin's Creek has dropped the second release in its three-part Kentucky Series (the third is due in September), while Elijah Craig honors the players at golf's Ryder Cup with a new bourbon finished in toasted European oak. WhistlePig is out with FarmStock Beyond Bonded, which is actually 3 bottlings—a bourbon, rye, and wheat whiskey, all of them single barrels. And whisky purists, take cover! Glenlivet has just released two pre-made cocktails, a Manhattan and an Old Fashioned, in 375 ml bottles. Back in 2019 Glenlivet briefly stepped outside the box with its Capsule Collection, described as "glassless cocktails" wrapped in edible pods made of dried seaweed, and designed to be popped in your mouth and enjoyed. It was merely a one-week promotion designed by a London bartender, but it caused quite a "stir" in the whisky and cocktail world. Read on for all the latest!

Baker’s 13 year old Single Barrel
Style: Bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 13 year old
ABV: 53.5%
Price: $130
Release: August 2023
Availability: Limited; nationwide

Need to know:
Baker’s was originally a batched whiskey, but a few years ago owner Jim Beam decided to change things up by converting it into a single barrel-only label. Its new life began in 2019 with the release of two single barrel whiskeys—a 7 year old that became widely available, and a 13 year old limited edition that was Baker’s first-ever limited expression.

Whisky Advocate Says:
The 7 year old Baker’s earned a spot on Whisky Advocate’s Top 20 Whiskies of the Year in 2019. While supply of the 7 year old has been plentiful, this is the first release of the 13 year old since the expression in 2019. The Baker’s brand itself was created in 1962 by master distiller Booker Noe, and honored Baker Beam, who worked at the distillery for 38 years.

Hardin’s Creek The Kentucky Series Frankfort
Style: Bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 17 year old
ABV: 55%
Price: $170
Release: August 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
The Hardin’s Creek label was launched by James B. Beam Distilling Co. in the spring of last year. That debut featured two expressions, a 2 year old called Hardin's Creek Colonel James B. Beam, and a 15 year and 3 month old called Hardin's Creek Jacob's Well. Both scored 90 or above, and the 2 year old made Whisky Advocate's Top 20 Whiskies list for 2022. This year the releases are titled Hardin's Creek The Kentucky Series, and are designed as a trilogy of whiskeys with identical mashbills, aging, and ABVs that are each aged at a different Beam warehouse site in Kentucky—Clermont, Frankfort, and Boston. In June of this year came Hardin's Creek The Kentucky Series Clermont, a 17 year old at 55% ABV, and now we have The Kentucky Series Frankfort, also aged 17 years and bottled at 55% ABV. In September, we'll see The Kentucky Series Boston to complete the trilogy.

Whisky Advocate says:

The idea is to explore the differences of the terroir at the three warehouse sites, to see how it impacts the whiskey's taste profile. We can't think of any precedent for this—and certainly not with Beam, which in the past has been reluctant to reveal the warehouse provenance of their whiskeys. It's certainly a bold experiment, and we'll have to dissect it all when the right time comes.

Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel European Oak Finished
Style: Bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 47%
Price: $100
Release: August 2023
Availability: Limited; nationwide

Need to know:
For this expression, Heaven Hill’s standard Elijah Craig Small Batch is finished in new toasted European oak barrels. The limited release is a celebration of the 2023 Ryder Cup, which has partnered with Elijah Craig in a multi-year deal as the “official” bourbon. The 2023 Ryder Cup will be held September 29th through October 1st at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club near Rome, Italy.

Whisky Advocate says:
The no-age stated Small Batch has been in the Elijah Craig core lineup since 2016 when it replaced the 12 year old. Since 2016, it has been bottled as a blend of 200 to 250 barrels aged for 8 to 12 years in char no. 3 barrels. The packaging and bottle include the logo and Ryder Cup trophy commemorating the golf outing that occurs every two years alternating between courses in the U.S. and Europe.

Widow Jane Paradigm
Style: Rye
Origin: Indiana, Kentucky, and Brooklyn, New York
Age: Unstated
ABV: 46.5%
Price: $50
Release: August 2023
Availability: Nationwide

Need to know:
Widow Jane’s goal with this whiskey was to create a sweeter rye that’s more reminiscent of bourbon. The whiskey is non-chill filtered and, in Widow Jane’s usual practice, was proofed with mineral water from the Rosendale mines in upstate New York, about 100 miles north of New York City. The Rosendale mines include the Widow Jane mine, for which the Brooklyn, New York-based Widow Jane Distillery is named.

Whisky Advocate Says:
This is the first nationally available whisky from Widow Jane to include some of the distillery’s own-make whiskey. Previous releases with its own make have been limited in nature. Widow Jane has been laying down its own whiskey for the past five years, and the oldest of those barrels have now reached maturity. It’s blended with whiskeys from Kentucky and Indiana.

WhistlePig FarmStock Beyond Bonded

Style: 3 expressions, including a bourbon, rye, and wheat whiskey
Origin: Vermont
Age: Not stated
ABV: 50%
Price: $100
Release: August 2023
Availability: Limited; Vermont

Need to know:

FarmStock Beyond Bonded is WhistlePig’s annual release of single-barrel bonded whiskey. This year’s release is actually three separate bottlings—from 11 barrels of 100% rye, 9 barrels of bourbon with a mashbill of 51% corn, and 49% rye, and 3 barrels of 100% wheat whiskey. By way of a QR code on each bottle’s label, 30 points of traceability—from field location of the grains to warehousing—offer an in-depth perspective of each whiskey’s progression from grain to glass.

Whisky Advocate Says:

WhistlePig, once focused solely on rye whiskey, continues its experimentation and its expansion into other styles. This release of FarmStock Beyond Bonded Wheat is the distillery’s first straight wheat whiskey. The three expressions are available only in Vermont at WhistlePig Farm and Distillery in Shoreham, the Tasting Room in Quechee, and at retailers, bars, and restaurants until the end of summer.

Maclean’s Nose
Style: Blend
Origin: Scotland
Age: Not stated
ABV: 46%
Price: $35
Release: August 2023
Availability: Global release of 25,000 700 ml bottles, 3,384 bottles for the U.S.

Need to know:
Adelphi Distillery Ltd, owner of Ardnamurchan Distillery in Scotland's far west Highlands, has created this blend. Maclean's Nose is the name of a promontory that juts out from the Ardnamurchan peninsula in the western Highlands, where the distillery is located. It's also a nod to whisky author Charles Maclean, who chairs the selection panel for Adelphi’s independent bottlings. With a malt-to-grain ratio of 70:30 and a sherry cask-led maturation profile, the blend was created to reflect the robust style of whiskies from Scotland’s west coast.

Whisky Advocate says:
Adelphi has designed Maclean’s Nose with sustainability in mind, presenting it in clear glass bottles without a box. The label is made from crush barley, which is a sustainable material made from barley draff and industrial waste. Ardnamurchan Distillery calls itself Scotland’s greenest distillery, and runs on 100% locally produced renewable energy, thanks to its hydroelectric generator and the heat provided by the wood chip biomass boiler.

Mayor Pingree Red Label Bosco
Style: Blended bourbon
Origin: Indiana and Michigan
Age: 5 year old
ABV: 47%
Price: $50
Release: August 2023
Availability: 3,500 bottles; Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin

Need to know:
The second expression in the Mayor Pingree Red Label lineup is a blended bourbon comprising two bourbons, one 6 year old and one 5 year old, married in a 52:48 ratio. The 5 year old component is sourced from MGP.

Whisky Advocate says:
Mayor Pingree is the flagship whiskey label of Michigan-based Valentine Distilling Co. It’s named after Hazen S. Pingree (1840-1901), one of Detroit’s most lauded mayors who, after a series of successful public works programs and an anti-monopoly campaign, eventually went on to serve as governor too. The Red Label series features Valentine’s own bourbon distillate blended with bourbon sourced from MGP. Bosco follows the inaugural batch Alina, with a third expression, teased as “Batch C”, slated for release this Fall.

Rod & Hammer 6 Year Old Single Barrel
Style: Bourbon
Origin: California
Age: 6 year old
ABV: 57.5%
Price: $130
Release: August 2023
Availability: 800 Bottles; California-exclusive, available at the distillery, at local retailers, and online at rodandhammer.com

Need to know:
This single-barrel bourbon has a mashbill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. It’s bottled at cask strength, clocking in at 57.5% ABV. Only 800 bottles were produced; each is individually numbered with an accompanying gift box.

Whisky Advocate says:
Rod & Hammer’s SLO Stills is a whiskey maker based in San Luis Obispo, California. It was founded in 2019 by Rodney Cegelski and Hamish Marshall—the “Rod” and “Hammer” in the distillery’s name. Rod & Hammer says its spirits are distilled and cut using water from the Pacific Ocean, which has been desalinated and purified. Its portfolio comprises a bourbon, rye, and RTD whiskey-based cocktails. While this isn’t the distillery’s first rodeo when it comes to single barrel expressions, the new expression does mark a shift in aging. Previously, Rod & Hammer expressions have had 2 year old age statements, with this one being the oldest yet.

The Glenlivet Twist and Mix New Manhattan and Old Fashioned
Style: Ready-to-drink cocktail
Origin: Scotland
Age: Not stated
ABV: 40%
Price: $22
Release: August 2023
Availability: CO, CT, DE, FL, IL, LA, MA, MN, NJ, NV, NY, RI, SC, TX

Need to know:
The Glenlivet has entered the ready-to-drink (RTD) arena with the release of two new cocktail expressions. Both are bottled at 40% ABV, and use a Glenlivet non-age stated single malt as the base spirit.

Whisky Advocate says:
Unlike other whisky-based RTDs, these expressions are actually sold unmixed. You’re probably wondering how an unmixed cocktail still counts as ready-to-drink. Well, these expressions are produced using a patented method called “Vessl” closure. The base whisky is pressurized in a bottle without oxygen, and the mixers are contained inside the cap. When the cap is twisted, the broken seal opens a valve, releasing the pressure and firing the ingredients from the cap into the whisky below—no additional mixing required. These “Twist and Mix” cocktails will initially roll out in 14 states.