Benromach Contrasts, Lux Row Four Grain, New Bonded Old Forester 117, & More [New Releases]

Summer is getaway time, and if London is on your radar screen, check out our London travel guide. If Ireland is in the plan, consider a side trip to Northern Ireland, where Belfast is reviving its old reputation as a whiskey city and other parts of the north are in renaissance mode as well. Read all about it in our profile of the distilleries of Northern Ireland. Of course, if you're staying close to home, you'll have a chance to keep an eye on the latest new releases. This week marked the arrival of two new single malt scotches from Benromach, a new bonded bourbon has joined the Old Forester 117 Series, Lux Row is offering a new four-grain bourbon, and new American Single Malts are out from Dogfish Head, Copperworks, and Old Line. Meanwhile, Lost Lantern is unveiling its Summer of Bourbon, a collection of eight bourbons from distilleries around the country. Read on for further details.

Old Forester 117 Series: Bottled in Bond
Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 9 year old
ABV: 50%
Price: $60
Release: July 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:

As a bottled in bond whiskey, this bourbon was made by Old Forester during a single distillation season—late spring 2014, which was particularly warm and wet in Kentucky—and matured in a U.S. bonded warehouse for at least four years, with this one clocking in well above that minimum at 9 years old.

Whisky Advocate says:

This is the fourth installment of the Old Forester 117 Series, which has previously included Extra Extra Old, an homage to a historic bottling that was fully matured, then re-barreled into new lightly toasted, heavily charred barrels; Whiskey Row Fire, a bourbon honoring the seventh anniversary of the Whiskey Row fire that tore through the historic Louisville block on July 7, 2015; and High Angels’ Share, which came from barrels with an unusually high rate of evaporation. Every release from the 117 Series showcases experimentation and innovation at Old Forester.

Lux Row Four Grain Double Single Barrel
Style: Blended bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 4 year old
ABV: 57.5%
Price: $80
Release: August 2023
Availability: 45,000 bottles; nationwide

Need to know:

To make this expression, Lux Row blended two of its own 4 year old single barrel bourbons—one ryed and one wheated. The result is a high-proof four-grain bourbon that’s slated to arrive in stores early next month.

Whisky Advocate says:

Lux Row Distillers falls under MGP’s Luxco umbrella, and also produces Blood Oath, Rebel, David Nicholson, Daviess County, and Ezra Brooks. Although the MGP subsidiary has already come out swinging this year with new releases: Blood Oath Pact 9, Rebel 100 Rye, and Yellowstone Limited Edition 2023 (in which Luxco has a 50% stake), this new blend marks the first 2023 offering from the Lux Row Distillers label.

Benromach Contrasts: Kiln Dried Oak
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Speyside)
Age: Not stated
ABV: 46%
Price: $80
Release: July 2023
Availability: Limited release

Benromach Contrasts: Air Dried Oak
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Speyside)
Age: Not stated
ABV: 46%
Price: $80
Release: July 2023
Availability: Limited release

Need to know:

Benromach is releasing two new additions to its Contrasts range, comparing the effect of different methods of oak seasoning. The new smoky Speyside whiskies were distilled in 2012 and matured in virgin oak casks coopered from oak that was air-dried for three years or kiln-dried after two years of air seasoning.

Whisky Advocate says:

When oak trees are felled and sent to the sawmill, the timber cannot be shaped into staves and made into barrels right away. First, the wood must be dried (seasoned). Seasoning is the process whereby the moisture content of the oak decreases and the flavor impact of the tannins, oak lactones, and lignin begins to mellow. Traditionalists regard the aroma and flavor contributions of air-dried oak to be superior, but this slow, natural method comes at a premium. Kiln drying is a less expensive, time-saving technique, but it can heighten the astringency of the oak, which can impact the flavor of the maturing spirit. Benromach has selected high-quality oak initially air dried for both of these cask types, so this experiment focuses on the flavor differences between subsequently kiln drying the oak over an additional year of air drying. Previous Benromach Contrasts releases have explored the flavor impacts of organic barley, triple distillation, and heavily peated malt.

Dogfish Head Let’s Get Lost
Style: American single malt
Origin: Delaware
Age: 3 year old
ABV: 51%
Price: $66
Release: July 2023
Availability: Limited; Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Washington

Need to know:

Let’s Get Lost uses a custom blend of malted barley made from pale malt, crystal malt, coffee kiln malt, and applewood-smoked malt. The whiskey is then fermented with doggie ale yeast—Dogfish Head's house yeast—which lends a sweeter banana note to the final flavor.

Whisky Advocate says:

Dogfish Head opened in 1995 as a craft brewery; it started making spirits on a minuscule scale in 2002, before ramping up production considerably in 2015. Its whiskey production is focused on American single malts like Let’s Get Lost—which first debuted in 2020 and scored 92 points—as well as experimental releases like Sonic Archeology, a whiskey distilled from the brewer’s American brown ale Palo Santo Marron.

Log Still Monk’s Road Fifth District Series II
Style: Bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 8 year old
ABV: 50%
Price: $100
Release: August 2023
Availability: Limited; Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, and Tennessee

Need to know:

Log Still finished an 8 year old high-rye bourbon in toasted barrels. The whisky follows a high rye-style mashbill. It’s set to hit shelves in select states, in limited numbers, starting by early August.

Whisky Advocate says:

This expression is a continuation of Log Still’s Monk’s Road Fifth District Series, which pays homage to distilleries in Kentucky’s historic fifth tax district—an area in Nelson County that included distilleries such as Brown-Forman Co., McKenna, Greenbrier, and Elk Ridge. Series II was released in honor of F.M. Head Distillery, which held distilled spirits plant number KY-47 long before Log Still inherited it. It follows Monk’s Road Fifth District Series I which honored Cold Spring, the distillery which previously occupied the land upon which Log Still currently sits.

Old Line Spirits Ohana
Style: American single malt
Origin: Ohio
Age: Not stated
ABV: 50%
Price: $100
Release: May 2023
Availability: 200 bottles; available at Old Line Spirits Distillery

Need to know:

Ohana is a blend of Old Line’s Double Oak series cognac cask (90 points) and armagnac cask-finished American single malts. The cognac cask component is a 4 year old finished for 1.5 years, while the armagnac-finished is a 3.5 year old that spends an additional 2 years in the finishing cask before blending.

Whisky Advocate says:

U.S. Navy veterans Mark McLaughlin and Arch Watkins founded Baltimore’s Old Line Spirits in 2017. Their veteran ties are the foundation of their friendship and their distillery: They purchased the distilling equipment from Vietnam veterans and co-owners of the now-shuttered Golden Distillery in Washington state. Old Line’s veteran bonds continue with the release of Ohana. The name is a tribute to the Team Ohana 2023 rowing team that recently completed a 40-day journey across the Pacific Ocean. The team strives to raise awareness about veteran suicide and raised funds for K9s for Warriors and The Children’s Tumor Foundation. Proceeds from Ohana American single malt benefit Team Ohana. Only 200 bottles were released. Bottles are still available at Old Line Spirits in Baltimore.

Hard Truth High Road Sweet Mash
Style: Rye
Origin: Indiana
Age: Not stated
ABV: 46.5%
Price: $40
Release: July 2023
Availability: Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Wyoming

Need to know:

This is Hard Truth Distilling’s first core sweet mash rye that includes corn in its mashbill (55% rye, 36% corn, and 9% malted barley). The lower proof and price are a means for more whiskey lovers to gain an appreciation of the sweet mash style of distillation.

Whisky Advocate says:

Most American whiskeys are distilled using sour mash, which is a process that uses mash from a previous batch to start the fermentation of a new batch. This whiskey uses the sweet mash distillation method: Fresh yeast is used in its distillation; production starts from scratch with fresh ingredients. This process is more labor and cost-intensive. Hard Truth’s Master Distiller's Reserve Caramel Malt Barrel Strength Sweet Mash (Batch 001) scored 92 points by our tasting panel.

Remus Highest Rye
Style: Bourbon
Origin: Indiana
Age: 6 year old
ABV: 54.5%
Price: $55
Release: July 2023
Availability: Nationwide

Need to know:

A permanent addition to Ross & Squibb Distillery’s lineup. Made from a mashbill of 51% corn, 39% rye, and 10% malted barley, this tips the scale for a high-rye bourbon. Though the designation is not legally defined, it’s generally accepted that bourbons containing 20-30% rye are considered high-rye.

Whisky Advocate says:

Ross & Squibb Distillery, formerly MGP, produces whiskey on a huge scale, and is the source for many whiskey labels. George Remus bourbon and Rossville Union rye are two of its own brands, and have received high ratings by our tasting panel.

Copperworks American Single Malt Single Cask No. 410
Style: American single malt
Origin: Washington
Age: 3 year old
ABV: 60.35%
Price: $90
Release: July 2023
Availability: 211 bottles; distillery and online only

Need to know:

Seattle, Washington-based Copperworks Distilling Co. has unveiled its fifth new American single malt (ASM) this year. It’s made entirely from Fritz malt, a strain designed by Washington State University for dry-land farming. It was aged for just over three years in char no. -2 barrels (with 24-month seasoned staves) from Canton Cooperage.

Whisky Advocate says:

Over the years, Copperworks Distilling Co. has followed the same plan for most of its whiskey releases: make a single malt and age it in charred barrels—preferably ones with seasoned staves. As was the case with the other expressions, the focus here is almost entirely on grain variety. Copperworks’s two cask-finished April releases, Hair of the Dog “Adam” and Hair of the Dog “Matt,” were both made entirely from an Oregon-grown barley called genie. Last month it rolled out Single Cask 7-2, which follows a five-malt mashbill. Copperworks has chosen to keep things local for this expression, settling on a barley strain that’s grown in the Skagit Valley, just 70 miles north of the distillery’s home base in Seattle.
Lost Lantern Summer of Bourbon

Style: Bourbon
Origin: United States
Age: Various
ABV: Various
Price: $80-$120
Release: July 2023
Availability: Sold online starting July 26 at lostlantern.com and seelbachs.com

Need to know:

Summer of Bourbon is a collection of eight whiskeys celebrating the vibrancy of the American distilling scene. The whiskeys were distilled in five states: Frey Ranch in Nevada, Colorado’s Boulder Spirits, Tom’s Foolery and Watershed in Ohio, New Riff in Kentucky, and Balcones, Ironroot Republic, and Still Austin represent Texas. The whiskeys each come under one of three Lost Lantern product categories: its Blend Series, Distillery Series, and Single Cask series.

Blend Series
Lost Lantern Far-Flung bourbon, is a blend of straight bourbons from four distilleries: Frey Ranch, Boulder Spirits, Watershed Distillery, and Still Austin Whiskey Co. (582 bottles, 68.4%, $110)

Single Distillery Series
Lost Lantern Soaring Spice Frey Ranch Distillery Nevada Straight Bourbon Whiskey: (900 bottles 63.8%, $100)

Single Cask Series
•Lost Lantern Frey Ranch Distillery Nevada Straight Bourbon (217 bottles, 68.6% $110)
•Lost Lantern Boulder Spirits Colorado Straight Bourbon (151 bottles 71.3%, $120)
•Lost Lantern Ironroot Republic Texas Straight Bourbon (167 bottles, 68.65%, $120)
•Lost Lantern Still Austin Texas Straight Bourbon (167 bottles 51.9%, $80)
•Lost Lantern Tom's Foolery Ohio Straight Bourbon (171 bottles, 56.9%, $120)
•Lost Lantern New Riff Kentucky Straight Bourbon (214 bottles 57.1%, $90)

Whisky Advocate Says:

Founded in 2018, Vermont-based Lost Lantern is an independent bottler focused on American craft whiskeys, with the aim of “shining a light” on the best distilleries in the U.S. The company has built a broad portfolio over the past five years, partnering on releases with 20 craft distillers around the country. Its single distillery and single cask selections have been well received, but perhaps Lost Lantern's most interesting foray has been in the blended realm. Its flagship American Vatted Malt Edition 1, one of the first blends of American single malt ever made, combines whiskeys from Balcones, Copperworks, Santa Fe Spirits, Triple Eight Distillery, Westward Whiskey, and Virginia Distillery Co.