Bernheim Barrel Proof, Baker's Single Barrel, Bardstown High Wheat & More [New Releases]

Bourbon leads this week with a swarm of “B's”, as Bernheim, Baker’s, and Bardstown all weigh in with new releases. Bernheim Barrel Proof, appropriately enough for this list, is offering Batch B, the second and final installment of 2024 for this expression. We’ve yet to taste Batch B, but Batch A has been one of our favorite whiskeys so far this year. There’s also a welcome return for Baker’s, the single barrel gem whose appearances are all too infrequent. Based on previous tastings, we’d recommend that you snag a bottle. Elsewhere, Bardstown’s new super-wheater is serious business—check out that 39% wheat share in the mashbill. In comparison to other wheaters, Larceny’s is a mere 20%, as is Old Fitzgerald, while Maker’s hovers at around 15%.

Cask-finished whiskeys also feature prominently this week, as Old Elk continues its finishing work with a cognac barrel-finished wheater. Virginia Distillery Co. has a new trio of American single malts, two of them with unusual beer cask finishes, while the World Whiskey Society has a 12 year old that claims to be the first of its kind—a rye finished in barrels previously used for awamori, a Japanese rice-based spirit. Our last awamori cask-finished sighting was Glenfiddich's Grand Yozakura release last year, a $2,000 item that scored 94 points. Elsewhere this week, from Scotland comes something a bit more conventional—a 30 year old Dalmore finished in colheita and tawny port casks.

Bernheim Barrel Proof Wheat Whiskey (B924)

ABV: 61.3%
SRP: $67
Availability: Limited; nationwide

Heaven Hill’s latest Bernheim Barrel Proof batch is scheduled to arrive in September. Like previous batches, it has a mashbill of 51% wheat, 37% corn, and 12% malted barley, and comprises a blend of whiskeys aged 7–9 years. The distillery uses the same mashbill for Bernheim 90 Proof, but that whiskey is 7 years old.

Bernheim Barrel Proof is somewhat overlooked compared to other Heaven Hill heavy hitters, such as Larceny Barrel Proof and Elijah Craig Barrel Proof. That’s partly due to Bernheim Barrel Proof being a recent addition to the lineup. The first widely available batch hit shelves in February 2023, though an earlier version was available as part of an exclusive tasting at the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience in Bardstown. Bernheim Barrel Proof is released twice a year, while Elijah Craig Barrel Proof and Larceny Barrel Proof come out three times a year.

This new batch of Bernheim Barrel Proof Wheat follows Batch A224, which touched down in February. That one scored a very impressive 94 points with our tasting panel—higher than its sibling batches from Larceny and Elijah Craig, which were released the month prior. Our panelists found that A224 had a remarkably soft and gentle profile for its proof point, which is a quality shared by many other cask strength offerings from Heaven Hill.

Baker’s 13 year old Bourbon

ABV: 53.5%
SRP: $150
Availability: Limited

Last year, Beam ended a Baker’s 13 year old drought, re-releasing the extra-aged single barrel bourbon to great success (it scored a 93 with our tasting panel). Now, the whiskey is back once more, bottled at the same proof as the 2023 version and $20 more expensive. Baker’s was created by master distiller Booker Noe in 1962, in homage to his cousin, Baker Beam, who himself worked at the distillery for 38 years.

Baker's originally was a batched whiskey, but Beam revamped the franchise in 2019 to make it a single barrel-exclusive brand. The Baker’s lineup has since been comprised of two whiskeys: the widely available 7 year old (which took the 16th spot on our Top 20 Whiskies of 2019) and the more limited 13 year old, which has only appeared twice since the re-launch.

Bardstown Bourbon Co. Origin High Wheat Bourbon

ABV: 53%
SRP: $50
Availability: Nationwide

While Bardstown Bourbon Co. regularly flexes its creative muscle with one-off releases, its new High Wheat Bourbon—part of the distillery’s Origin Series—is a permanent addition to the roster. The 6 year old whiskey is made from a mashbill of 53% corn, 39% wheat, and 8% malted barley, and goes into the barrel at a lower barrel entry proof (BEP) of 108. By law, the maximum BEP allowed is 125, and few distillers enter at 110 or below, Maker’s and Michter’s being notable exceptions; typically, putting whiskey into the barrel at a lower barrel proof yields gentler, sweeter flavors.

This is only the third whiskey in Bardstown’s Origin Series, which also includes a high-rye Kentucky straight bourbon and a wheated bottled in bond bourbon. The distillery also offers its Discovery Series, which highlights the art of blending; the Collaborative Series, which has featured many partnerships with various spirits makers from around the globe; the Distillery Collection; and a variety of single barrel whiskeys.

Redemption Sur Lee Rye (2024 Release)

ABV: 47%
SRP: $60
Availability: Nationwide

Redemption has brought back Sur Lee, a rye whiskey that initially launched as part of the Specialty Series back in October 2022. This expression starts off with new make spirit from MGP, which has a mashbill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley. The new make is aged for a minimum of 3 years in barrels that contain backset—an acidic liquid containing yeast and other compounds left over after distillation, which is often used in sour mash fermentation. The maturation takes place at Castle & Key, and the barrels are rolled every 6 months or so to encourage interaction between the backset and new make.

The production process takes many cues from a French winemaking method called sur lie maturation, which is also where the whiskey’s name comes from. Sur lie sees wine maintain contact with “lees,” or dead yeast cells left over from fermentation, while it ages. Over time, these lees break down and contribute bready or grainy notes to the wine. The inspiration for Sur Lee came from Redemption’s parent company Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits, which started as a French wine importer.

Old Elk Cognac Cask Finish Straight Wheat Whiskey

ABV: 47.5%
SRP: $90
Availability: Limited

Old Elk’s new cask finished expression is a wheat whiskey that was initially aged for 6 years before being transferred into cognac casks made from French Limousin oak. The finish lasts from 6 months to a year.

This release is the fourth entry in Old Elk’s Cask Finish Series, which showcases the distillery’s forays into the world of finishing. So far, the series has been a success for the Colorado whiskey maker, with each of the bottlings scoring 90 points or higher. Last year’s Port Cask Bourbon received a 94-point rating from our tasting panel and was featured on our Top 20 Whiskies of 2023 list.

Olk Elk recently teased that the next Cask Finish Series member will also be finished in port casks. That whiskey, Tawny Port Rye, is due to arrive before year-end.

VDC Blue Ridge Toasted Oak American Single Malt

ABV: 46.2%
SRP: $45
Availability: Limited; September

VDC Brewer’s Coalition Goose Island Bourbon Stout Cask American Single Malt

ABV: 50%
SRP: $50
Availability: Limited; September

VDC Brewer’s Coalition Hardywood Gingerbread Stout Cask American Single Malt

ABV: 50%
SRP: $50
Availability: Limited; September

Next month, Virginia Distillery Co. will release three single malts that all make use of unusual casks. Blue Ridge is matured in first-fill bourbon barrels from undisclosed Kentucky distilleries. After four years, the single malt is moved into toasted virgin oak barrels from the Blue Ridge Mountains for an undisclosed period of time.

The other two whiskeys form the first entries in a new series called The Brewer’s Coalition, which will spotlight beer barrels from popular breweries. The first expression is a bottled in bond single malt which undergoes a finish in Bourbon County Stout casks from Chicago-based Goose Island Brewery. It’s launching alongside another single malt aged in gingerbread stout casks from Hardywood Brewing, based in Richmond, Virginia, about an hour and a half away from VDC’s Lovingston distillery.

J. Mattingly 1845 Classic Bourbon

ABV: 59.5%
SRP: $110
Availability: Nationwide

For J. Mattingly’s flagship bourbon release, master distiller Jeff Mattingly—a descendant of John Graves Mattingly, who owned the first distillery in Marion County, Kentucky, and the second registered distillery in the state overall—created a “house style” that will serve as a jumping off point for all future blends. The bourbon is 6 years old and, like all J. Mattingly 1845 whiskeys, it undergoes a signature double-staving process, in which it’s exposed to charred barrel staves while aging; according to Mattingly, this imbues the whiskey with heightened honey and toast notes.

In addition to its branded releases, the distillery offers online customers the opportunity to create their own bourbons, choosing from three mashbills, three bottle styles, a variety of wax seal colors, and personalized messages when buying a bottle. At the distillery itself, J. Mattingly offers a bourbon blending experience ($175 for an hour) that lets guests pull from barrels and make their own blend to take home.

World Whiskey Society Reserve Collection 12 year old Awamori Cask Finished Rye

ABV: 48%
SRP: $169
Availability: Limited; worldwhiskey.com and at select retailers nationwide

The World Whiskey Society (WWS) deals exclusively in rarefied releases, and its latest Reserve Collection dram taps into a particularly unique cask finish. A 12 year old Indiana rye, the whiskey could be compelling on age alone—there’s not a ton of rye that makes it to the double-digits—but WWS ups the ante by finishing it in Japanese awamori casks.

Awamori is a distilled spirit indigenous to Okinawa, Japan that’s made from long-grain indica rice and black koji, a mold that kickstarts fermentation; unlike fellow fermented rice beverage sake, awamori is then distilled, not brewed. The awamori casks used for this whiskey are rare on principle, as awamori is traditionally stored in clay pots, with only a small proportion matured in Japanese oak. In the rye, WWS notes that the awamori casks pull out umami and briny flavors, as well as a hit of tropical tang.

According to WWS, this is the first time a rye whiskey has been finished in awamori casks, but it’s nearly peerless, as the only other release we’ve covered in the past that’s seen such casks was Glenfiddich 29 year old Grand Yozakura single malt, released last year. As with most WWS releases, this one is limited, with 356 bottles available. WWS has been on a release streak lately, debuting the fruits of a Chip Tate partnership and two American single malts last month alone.

Dalmore 30 year old Single Malt Scotch

ABV: 43.8%
SRP: $6,000
Availability: Limited

Dalmore is out with another ultra-aged and super-limited bottling. This one is aged for 30 years, representing an initial maturation in bourbon barrels and a finishing period in a mix of colheita and tawny port casks sourced from W & J Graham’s. Only 936 bottles were released globally.

While Dalmore is perhaps better known for its integration of different sherry casks, it has also excelled using port casks. Within the core range, port pipes were used to finish Port Wood Reserve, and as part of the primary maturation processes for both Dalmore 25 year old and King Alexander III.

In recent years, Dalmore has reached for port casks for more exclusive releases. Examples include this year’s Luminary No.2 releases (The 16 year old used Graham’s tawny port while The Rare tapped Port Colheita 1963 casks) and Dalmore 2009 15 year old, which used casks that held Graham’s 10 year old tawny port.