Benriach Malting Season, Angel's Envy Cask Strength Rye, New Bardstown Bourbons, & More [New Releases]

The torrent of new whiskies continues, and the many highlights include the return of A Midwinter Night’s Dram, the eleventh release in this annual series from High West Distillery in Utah. The High West annual releases were always among the most anticipated bottlings of the year, and fans were disappointed a few years ago when High West discontinued another cherished annual affair, Yippee Ki Yay. But Midwinter lives on, and we’ll have to see whether this year’s expression can still capture the old magic.

Elsewhere, there’s a new edition of Benriach Malting Season, the third release in the annual series that celebrates Scotland’s long history of floor malting. There’s a touch of romance in seeing a distillery’s floor maltings—alas, only eight whisky makers in Scotland still use this very enchanting (and very expensive) process. Benriach is one of them. Elsewhere from Scotland, young distiller Torabhaig from the Isle of Skye completes its Allt Gleann series with a new batch strength expression, hoping to equal or even top the previous superb releases in the collection, while Aberfeldy master blender Stephanie Macleod brings us a new Napa Valley wine cask finished expression.

There’s plenty more on the American side of the whisky pond too, with new releases from Angel’s Envy, Bardstown, and Orphan Barrel, while the very underrated Backbone Bourbon is out with another batch of its The Forge expression. So read on.

Scotch Whisky

Torabhaig Allt Gleann Batch Strength
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Islands)
Age: Not stated
ABV: 61.1%
Price: $90
Release: October 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
This is the final Allt Gleann release in Torabhaig Distillery’s Legacy Series. The Allt Gleann name derives from one of the springs that supplies Torabhaig. The whisky itself was distilled in 2017 and 2018, years described as Torabhaig’s “experimental phases.” Made using peated concerto malted barley, it was aged for at least five years in American oak, first-fill bourbon, and re-fill barrels.

Whisky Advocate says:
Opened in 2017, Torabhaig operates out of a restored farmstead and is located on the rugged coastline of the Isle of Skye. Considering its brief history, Torabhaig has been producing some remarkably good scotch whiskies. We’ve yet to review this one, but the previous Allt Gleann Legacy Series release scored 93 points with our panel.

Orphan Barrel Castle’s Curse 14 year old
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Highlands)
Age: 14 year old
ABV: 47.4%
Price: $175
Release: October 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
Orphan Barrel’s latest bottling is a 14 year old single malt scotch made at Teaninich Distillery and aged in European oak. This is the 11^th Orphan Barrel release and only the third to feature a scotch whisky—the other two being Forager’s Keep, a 26 year old single malt from Pittyvaich Distillery, and the Muckety Muck single grain expressions from Port Dundas. Both Pittyvaich and Port Dundas are ghost distilleries. Teaninich, which is located near Dalmore Distillery in Scotland’s Northern Highlands along the North Coast 500, was upgraded during the last decade, and it remains fully operational.

Whisky Advocate says:
The Orphan Barrel Whiskey Co. was officially launched by Diageo in early 2014, conceived as a vehicle for releasing ultra-aged whiskeys—from Stitzel-Weller Distillery in Shively, Kentucky as well as Cascade Hollow Distillery in Tennessee. Scotland soon came into the mix as well. As for this new release, Teaninich produces malt whisky and rye for Diageo’s blends including Johnnie Walker High Rye, and standalone Teaninich bottlings are thus few and far between. That makes Castle’s Curse an interesting treat for the scotch faithful.
Aberfeldy 18 year old Cabernet Sauvignon Cask Finish

Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Highlands)
Age: 18 year old
ABV: 43%
Price: $130
Release: October 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
This latest release in the Aberfeldy Red Wine Cask Collection adds a Napa Valley edition to the group to its Red Wine Cask Collection. The spirit was matured in refill casks and then finished in cabernet sauvignon wine barrels from an undisclosed Napa Valley winery.

Whisky Advocate says:
Aberfeldy’s Red Wine Cask Collection made its debut in 2019, and previous releases have been filled into wine casks from France, Italy, and California, with the French wine finish edition scoring 93 points. Master blender Stephanie Macleod also used cabernet sauvignon casks from Napa Valley to finish the Dewar’s 19 year old The Champions Edition 2023 released this past June for the U.S. Open.

Benriach Malting Season (Edition 3)
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Speyside)
Age: Not stated
ABV: 48.3%
Price: $165
Release: October 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
For the third edition of Malting Season, master blender Dr. Rachel Barrie used concerto barley, as was the case with the first two releases. The whisky was aged in a combination of virgin oak and first-fill bourbon casks.

Whisky Advocate says:
Malting Season celebrates the tradition of floor malting, where distilleries use malting floors to hand-malt barley on-site. But floor malting is more expensive than sourcing supply from a commercial malt house, and shear economics led to a decline in malting floors across Scotland over the years. Today, only eight distilleries in Scotland have malting floors: Benriach, Balvenie, Bowmore, Glen Garioch, Highland Park, Kilchoman, Laphroaig, and Springbank.

AMERICAN WHISKEY

Bardstown Bourbon Discovery #11
Style: Blended bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 59.05%
Price: $140
Release: October 2023
Availability: 36,000 bottles; available at the Bardstown Bourbon Co. gift shop, at retailers across 24 states, and at seelbachs.com

Need to know:
For the newest entry to its Discovery series, Bardstown Bourbon Co. blended a number of Kentucky bourbons. One of these bourbons follows the same recipe as Bardstown’s bonded Origin expression.

Whisky Advocate says:
This release belongs to the Discovery Series, which focuses on the art of blending. The line typically features whiskeys sourced from other places across North America. Discovery #11 stands out as all its components come from Kentucky. That’s something Bardstown hasn’t done since Discovery #4, which, at 94 points, is one of the highest-scoring expressions in the collection.

Bardstown Bourbon Collaborative Series Carter Cellars Cabernet Finished
Style: Bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 54.15%
Price: $160
Release: October 2023
Availability: 2,700 bottles; Kentucky-exclusive, available at the distillery and in select retailers.

Need to know:
This release sees a blend of bourbons finished in cabernet wine barrels sourced from the Napa Valley-based Carter Cellars.

Whisky Advocate says:
Bardstown’s second release this week belongs to the historically high-scoring Collaborative Series, which spotlights cask-finishing via barrels sourced from various partners. We’ve seen quite a few different options utilized, from rum and brandy casks to a more recent expression finished in stout barrels. The series has seen cabernet cask usage before, with two separate expressions finished in barrels from Phifer Pavitt Reserve, one of which scored a 92.

Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Sauternes and Toasted Oak Finished
Style: Rye
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 57.2%
Price: $270
Release: December 1, 2023
Availability: 5,500 bottles; available nationwide

Need to know:
This is Angel’s Envy’s first attempt at releasing a cask strength rye. It comprises a blend of two rye whiskeys—one finished in sauternes casks, and the other finished in a toasted oak.

Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Port Wine Barrel Finished (2023)
Style: Bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 59.1%
Price: $230
Release: December 1, 2023
Availability: 22,656 bottles; available nationwide

Need to know:
Angel’s Envy offers its port-finished cask strength bourbon as an annual release. 2023’s iteration is bottled at 59.1% ABV, a slight downturn from last year’s which clocked in at 59.9%.

Whisky Advocate says:
These two bottlings mark the first releases under new master distillery Owen Martin. Martin took the reins as master distiller of Angel’s Envy last fall, filling a position that had remained vacant since the 2013 passing of founder Lincoln Henderson. He previously worked for the Colorado-based Stranahan’s in an R&D capacity, with his expertise in cask finishing serving as the perfect background for his current position.

A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 11
Style: Blended rye
Origin: Indiana and Utah
Age: Not stated
ABV: 49.3%
Price: $150
Release: October 2023
Availability: Limited; available at High West Distillery and saloons and at retail nationwide

Need to know:
This annual limited release is High West Rendezvous rye that undergoes a finish in ruby and tawny port barrels. It’s a blend of 95% rye and 5% barley malt from MGP and High West distillate with a mashbill of 80% rye and 20% malted rye.

Whisky Advocate says:
Midwinter's is one is High West’s most anticipated bottling—particularly since another annual release, Yippee Ki-Yay, a blend of ryes finished in vermouth and syrah barrels, was discontinued in 2020. News of Midwinter’s release has brought fans to line up for hours to score a bottle. Previous Acts (batches) have scored 89 points and above by our tasting panel.

Widow Jane The Vaults (2023 Edition)
Style: Blend of whiskeys
Origin: Tennessee and Indiana
Age: 15 year old
ABV: 49.5%
Price: $249
Release: October 2023
Availability: Limited; 15,600 bottles

Need to know:
This is the fifth release of The Vaults, Widow Jane’s most sought-after whiskey. For the 2023 edition, head distiller and blender Sienna Jevremov blended some of the distillery’s oldest sourced stock: it comprises whiskeys from Indiana and Tennessee that are all at least 15 years old. This blend spent three months finishing in Chinquapin oak barrels.

Whisky Advocate says:
Each release of The Vaults highlights a unique wood finish. The Chinquapin oak used for the latest edition is native to northern Kentucky, and the staves were air-seasoned for at least 4 years. Air seasoning, or air drying, is a slower, more natural process than kiln drying: moisture content of the oak decreases gradually, and the flavor impact of tannins, oak lactones, and lignin starts to mellow. Distillers and blenders who use air-dried barrels say the aromas and flavors in the whiskey ultimately are superior, though it’s far more expensive than kiln drying.

Heaven’s Door Homesick Blues
Style: Wheated bourbon
Origin: Minnesota
Age: 7 year old
ABV: 61.35%
Price: $150
Release: October 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
This sourced bourbon’s name is a play on the Bob Dylan song “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” but also gets its name from the fact that the whiskey was aged for seven years in Minnesota, the state where Dylan was born and raised. Subject to the extreme temperature fluctuations between Minnesotan winters and summers, this one was bottled at cask strength.

Whisky Advocate says:
Homesick Blues is being paired with the publication of a new biography, Bob Dylan: Mixing Up The Medicine. A bottle can be purchased on its own, but Heaven’s Door is also offering a limited-edition bundle that includes the whiskey, the book, and a custom box that comes with a copy of Dylan’s original handwritten lyrics to “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.” Pre-orders will start shipping on October 24, in line with the official release of the biography. Earlier this year, Heaven’s Door announced plans to open its own distillery in Pleasureville, Kentucky, as well as plans to open a visitor center in downtown Louisville.

Backbone Bourbon The Forge Batch 3
Style: Blend of whiskeys
Origin: Indiana
Age: Not stated
ABV: 55%
Price: $75
Release: October 2023
Availability: 2,033 bottles

Need to know:
The latest edition of The Forge blends 80% straight bourbon that’s aged for at least 5 years, as well as 10% straight rye that’s aged 6 years or more, and 10% 15 year old light whiskey. Five different mashbills are blended here, including three bourbons—one with 21% rye, one with 36% rye, and the final with 45% wheat—one 95% rye, and one light whiskey that’s 99% corn. All whiskey was distilled in Lawrenceburg, Indiana at MGP.

Whisky Advocate says:
Backbone is a non-distilling producer, and in addition to The Forge, counts Old Bones, Bone Snapper, and Decade Down among its brands. While Backbone is not among the best-known players, its whiskeys have done very well with our tasting panel. Backbone Decade Down Anniversary Edition scored 93 points, while its Uncut Straight Bourbon garnered 92 points, and an earlier edition of The Forge received 91 points, among various others.

Blue Note Rye
Style: Rye
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 3 year old
ABV: 46.5%
Price: $35
Release: October 2023
Availability: Limited; AL, AR, CO, CT, FL, GA, KS, KY, LA, MS, MI, NJ, NY, OK, SC, TN, and TX

Need to know:
Blue Note has added a new rye to its ranks. It was distilled by Green River and follows a 95% rye and 5% malted barley mashbill. It's set to hit shelves later this month.

Whisky Advocate says:
Blue Note is produced by the Memphis, Tennessee-based B.R. Distilling. Since 2020, B.R. has been sourcing the bulk of its Blue Note liquid from the Bardstown Bourbon Co.-owned Green River Distillery in Owensboro, Kentucky. The Blue Note lineup includes the 93-point 17 year old Barrel Proof Straight Bourbon and Juke Joint Uncut, which scored 92 points and was crowned as the No.-7 Whisky of the Year in our 2022 Top 20 list.

Chicken Cock 8 year old Reserve Cask Kevin Kisner Barrel
Style: Bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 8 year old
ABV: 61.6%
Price: $150
Release: October 2023
Availability: 138 bottles; exclusively at chickencockwhiskey.com

Need to know:
This is the first of four single-barrel releases in Chicken Cock’s Reserve Cask Series. PGA golfer Kevin Kisner selected this barrel from a collection of 22 8 year old bourbons. Chicken Cock is collaboratively distilled at Bardstown Bourbon Company.

Whisky Advocate says:
Charleston, South Carolina-based Grain & Barrel Spirits is the owner of Chicken Cock, Virgil Kane, Elvis, and Dixie Delight whiskeys, plus gin and vodka labels. Pro golfer Kisner, a South Carolina native, is ranked No. 31 in the world.

Graverobber Unholy Rye
Style: Flavored whiskey
Origin: New Hampshire
Age: Not stated
ABV: 45%
Price: $65/200 ml
Release: October 2023
Availability: Limited; seelbachs.com and at the distillery

Need to know:
Resurrected just in time for the Halloween season, Tamworth Distilling announced the return of the flavored Graverobber Unholy. This year’s release is a 3 year old rye flavored with maple syrup tapped from trees that line an unmarked gravesite in rural New Hampshire.

Whisky Advocate says:
If you’re heading to New England to do some leaf peeping and whiskey drinking, add a stop at Tamworth Distilling and its nearby Lyceum. Situated in the foothills of the White Mountains, the distillery has been operating since 2015. Foraging and using local ingredients have led to products like Deerslayer, a venison-infused whiskey, and Eau de Musc Castoreum, a bourbon flavored with oils found in the sac under a beaver’s tail.

WORLD WHISKIES

Four Walls
Style: World whiskey—blend of Irish whiskeys and American rye
Origin: Ireland and Iowa
Age: Not stated
ABV: 40%
Price: $35
Release: October 2023
Availability: Nationwide delivery to more than 40 states through fourwallswhiskey.com

Need to know:
Four Walls is an Irish-American whiskey brand founded by Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney, and Charlie Day named in tribute to good nights at the bar. It’s a blend of Irish grain and single malt whiskeys from Great Northern Distillery, Ireland combined with an American rye whiskey produced at Cedar Ridge Distillery, Iowa.

Whisky Advocate says:
Fans of FX’s “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and the It’s Always Sunny podcast will be more than familiar with the writing, acting, and producing talent behind this brand. Having previously released limited-edition expressions including Four Walls Bartender’s Blend, made from Irish whiskey and Pennsylvania straight rye, and Four Walls single barrel 15 year old single malt Irish whiskey, the new release is designed to give drinkers and bartenders a more accessible, everyday pour suitable for drinking neat or mixed into cocktails. Four Walls joins a growing number of U.S. brands fusing Irish and American whiskey traditions such as the blends from Keeper’s Heart, Talnua’s American single pot still whiskeys from Colorado, and Kings County’s triple-distilled Irish-style American whiskey made in New York.

COLLECTIBLES

Dalmore Cask Curation Series Sherry Edition

Dalmore 26 year old Vintage Sherry Finish
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Highlands)
Age: 26 year old
ABV: 48.2%
Price: $37,500/set
Release: October 2023
Availability: Limited release of 150 three-bottle sets

Dalmore 28 year old Matusalem Finish
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Highlands)
Age: 28 year old
ABV: 55.3%
Price: $37,500/set
Release: October 2023
Availability: Limited release of 150 three-bottle sets

Dalmore 43 year old Apostoles Finish
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Highlands)
Age: 43 year old
ABV: 46.8%
Price: $37,500/set
Release: October 2023
Availability: Limited release of 150 three-bottle sets

Need to know:
This is the start of a new Dalmore annual collection of rare whiskies highlighting the role casks play in a whisky’s flavor. The collection's annual releases will run through 2026. This inaugural Sherry Edition is a trio of cask-strength, age-stated whiskies presented in a leather-finished travel case. All three in this first chapter were initially matured in American white oak bourbon barrels and then finished in different sherry cask types from González Byass. The 26 year old was distilled in 1996 and finished in Cask No. 4, a vintage sherry cask from 2002. The 28 year old, distilled in 1994, was finished in Cask No. 73, a 30 year old Matusalem sherry cask. The 43 year old is a 1979 distillate, finished in Cask No.1, a 30 year old Byass Apostoles sherry cask.

Whisky Advocate says:
Richard Paterson and Gregg Glass, Dalmore’s master whisky makers, both excel at sherry cask finishing. While they’ve used Matusalem and Apostoles sherry casks to finish previous releases, these sherry terms are not usually seen on many whisky labels. Matusalem is a sherry style made from a base of oloroso enriched with a proportion of sweeter Pedro Ximénez and then aged in a solera system. Apostoles sherry is even more complex: firstly, it’s made from Palomino and Pedro Ximénez, aged separately in Palo Cortado and Pedro Ximénez solera systems respectively. Then those are blended together in a Palo Cortado-dominant combination and added to the Apostoles solera system. The 2024 edition of Dalmore’s Cask Curation Series will focus on port casks.

Royal Salute Art of Wonder Time Chamber by Conrad Shawcross
Style: Blend
Origin: Scotland
Age: 53 year old
ABV: 41.5%
Price: $120,000
Release: October 2023
Availability: 21 decanters, 2 available in the U.S.

Need to know:
Royal Salute’s Art of Wonder series is created in partnership with artists to represent the art of crafting whisky. Last year's 94-point release, Forces of Nature was produced in collaboration with sculptor Kate MccGwire, and was also a 53 year old blend matured in a combination of European and American oak casks. This year’s bottling was produced in collaboration with sculptor Conrad Shawcross. A hand-spun glass disc adorns a crystal decanter.

Whisky Advocate says:
The 53 year old age statement is a nod to 1953, when Royal Salute was created in honor of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Earlier this year, Royal Salute released a blend of 53 malt and grain whiskies in honor of King Charles III’s coronation. That expression went for a mere $25,000 for each of the 500 bottles produced, and a special reserve bottling for charity rounded off this week's Distillers One of One Auction in Scotland.