Blackened x Rabbit Hole, Russell's Reserve Single Rickhouse, Compass Box Extinct Blends, & More [New Releases]

A bounty of new whiskies is on offer this week, with American whiskey weighing in heavily as usual. Blackened and Rabbit Hole have teamed up on a collaborative bourbon, while Russell’s Reserve offers its second single rickhouse release. Still Austin has a new bottled in bond high-rye bourbon, and Ross & Squibb is asking a cool $200 for its 15 year old limited edition Remus Gatsby Reserve. In scotch whisky, we all received great news with the return of Glenglassaugh. This distillery was acquired by Jack Daniel's owner Brown-Forman back in 2016, and that purchase also included Benriach and GlenDronach. While we've seen master blender Rachel Barrie turn her formidable talents to Benriach and GlenDronach, it's been a quiet time for Glenglassaugh. But now it's back and with a troika of new releases that should delight single malt scotch drinkers. Also from Scotland, Johnnie Walker Blue has a new collaborative effort with famed Japanese chef Kei Kobayashi, while Compass Box has yet another tour de force in Metropolis, the third of four planned releases from its Extinct Blends series. Read on for more details.

AMERICAN WHISKEY

Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse Collection: Camp Nelson F
Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 10 year old
ABV: 58.8%
Price: $300
Release: September 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
This bourbon was aged in Wild Turkey’s Camp Nelson Rickhouse F. Built in the 1940s, the rickhouse overlooks the Kentucky River and thus gets plenty of airflow which, according to master distiller Eddie Russell, helps the barrels breathe. For this release, Russell chose barrels from floors four and five, which constitute the center of the seven-story building, and are its sweet spot. The whiskey aged for at least 10 years and was bottled at barrel proof.

Whisky Advocate says:
This is the second release in the Single Rickhouse Collection, which launched in 2022 with the aim of exploring just how warehouse location can impact whiskey. While the type of barrel used for maturation is crucial, the place where it ages is also important. That’s why so many distillers have their favorite warehouse sites, and even specific spots within those.

Basil Hayden Malted Rye
Style: Rye malt
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 40%
Price: $60
Release: September 2023
Availability: Nationwide

Need to know:
A permanent addition to the Basil Hayden lineup. With Malted Rye, what you see is what you get—rye grain steeped, germinated, and dried. Master distiller Freddie Noe says it shows more subtle, mellow spice notes than a regular rye.

Whisky Advocate says:
Malted ryes are popping up more frequently these days, with iterations from New Riff, Hard Truth, Corsair, Stauning, and others. Even some Scottish distillers are turning from their malted barley to play around with malted (and unmalted) rye—we delved into the topic for our Fall 2023 issue, which will be on newsstands October 3rd.

Blackened x Rabbit Hole
Style: Finished blend of straight bourbons
Origin: Kentucky and Tennessee
Age: Not stated
ABV: 53.3%
Price: $149
Release: September 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
This whiskey was a collaborative effort between Blackened’s master distiller Rob Dietrich and Rabbit Hole founder Kaveh Zamanian. It’s a blend of 13 year old Tennessee bourbon (mashbill of 64% corn and 36% rye) and Rabbit Hole Heigold—a high-rye, double-malt straight bourbon with a mashbill of 70% corn, 25% malted rye, and 5% malted barley—and it was finished in calvados casks. Like all Blackened whiskeys, this collaboration was exposed to low hertz sound waves during the finishing process, as part of what Blackened calls its “sonic enhancement” technique.

Whisky Advocate says:
For the past couple of years, Blackened has been specializing in creative collaborations with other whisky makers. Blackened debuted its Masters of Whiskey Series in September 2021, when Rob Dietrich worked with Willett master distiller Drew Kulsveen on a barrel proof rye finished in madeira casks. Last year, Dietrich partnered with Wes Henderson for the second Masters of Whiskey release, a port-finished bourbon. For his part, Kaveh Zamanian is constantly experimenting with unique barrel finishes and mashbills. Rabbit Hole's four-grain bourbon uses a mashbill of 70% corn, 10% malted wheat, 10% honey-malted barley, and 10% malted barley. Its barrel finishes have used vermouth casks, mizunara oak, and other wood types.

Wyoming Whiskey National Parks No. 3
Style: Bourbon
Origin: Wyoming
Age: 5 year old
ABV: 52.5%
Price: $80
Release: September 2023
Availability: Limited; annual series

Need to know:
Using Wyoming-grown grains, this is made from a mashbill of 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley, and aged for a minimum of 5 years. Release No. 3’s label honors Snake River—approximately 50 miles of its 1,056-mile span flows through Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park.

Whisky Advocate says:
Launched in 2021 as a tribute to the natural wonders of America, each annual release’s label takes inspiration from a National Park. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each bottle goes to the National Parks Foundation. The first release scored 88 and No. 2 was rated 90 points by our tasting panel.

Wyoming Whiskey The Grand Single Barrels
Style: Bourbon
Origin: Wyoming
Age: 10 year old
ABV: 55.9%, 60.2%, and 62.6%
Price: $500
Release: September 2023
Availability: Limited; CA, CO, NY, and WY

Need to know:
The Grand collection consists of three single barrel 10 year old high-rye bourbons, each with a mashbill of 68% corn, 20% rye, and 12% malted barley, all Wyoming grown. Initially considered for Wyoming Whiskey’s 10th-anniversary blend released last year, these barrels were deemed standouts and were set aside for The Grand Collection.

Whisky Advocate says:
The peak of Grand Teton is referred to as The Grand by locals. Each of the three single barrel bottlings’ labels are adorned with a scene of The Grand's peak—one in fall, another in winter, and the third in spring. The distillery, based in Kirby, Wyoming, opened in 2009. In 2018 Edrington, the owner of Macallan and Highland Park, among other whiskies, became a stakeholder and earlier this year, it became the majority stakeholder.

Still Austin Bottled in Bond High Rye
Style: Bourbon
Origin: Texas
Age: 5 year old
ABV: 50%
Price: $80
Release: September 2023
Availability: Limited; available at the distillery, in select retailers. Available online at reservebar.com starting in October.

Need to know:
Still Austin’s newest whiskey is a bonded high-rye bourbon. It has a mashbill of 70% white corn, 25% rye, and 5% malted barley, and all the grains are grown in Texas.

Whisky Advocate says:
This bottling is the autumn release in Still Austin Whiskey Co.’s seasonal Bottled in Bond series. It follows the summer release of Still Austin Red Corn Bourbon, which launched in June. The series is set to receive a third member, Still Austin Blue Corn Bourbon, this winter, and will conclude with the release of a bonded straight rye next spring.

Remus Gatsby Reserve (2023)
Style: Blended bourbon
Origin: Indiana
Age: 15 year old
ABV: 49.05%
Price: $200
Release: September 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
For this release, Ross & Squibb blended 15 year old stocks of straight bourbon from two mashbills: (75% corn, 21% rye, 4% malted barley) and (60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malted barley). It was released in very limited quantities.

Whisky Advocate says:
Named after the legendary bootlegger George Remus, the Luxco-owned Ross & Squibb Distillery’s Remus label features high-rye bourbons, made in tribute to pre-Prohibition bourbons which followed similar mashbills. This is the second expression in the Gatsby Reserve series, following 2022’s inaugural release, which pays homage to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel “The Great Gatsby.”

Daviess County Kentucky Straight Finished in Medium Toasted Barrels
Style: Blended bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 4 year old
ABV: 48%
Price: $50
Release: September 2023
Availability: 18,000 bottles

Need to know:
The newest Daviess County bourbon comprises a blend of two bourbon mashbills, one ryed and one wheated, which have been aged in charred oak for at least 4 years. This one undergoes an additional 4–5 month-long finish in medium-toasted barrels.

Whisky Advocate says:
The Daviess County Distilling Co. name has been around, in one way or another, since 1874. It was one of the first distilleries founded in Kentucky's historic distilling hotspot Daviess County, and one of the few that survived Prohibition via a medicinal whiskey license. After laying dormant for some time, the brand was brought back by Luxco in 2020. This release marks a continuation of its experimentations with toasted barrels. Last August the label released a bourbon finished in lightly toasted barrels, which scored 89 points with our tasting panel—placing it on par with most of its portfolio mates.

Three Chord Bourbon Backstage Series

The Cadillac Three
Style: Tennessee whiskey
Origin: Tennessee
Age: Not Stated
ABV: 45%
Price: $50
Release: September 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
Nashville-based The Cadillac Three, a country-Southern rock band, is the first release in Three Cord’s Backstage Series. College football fans may recognize the band from its partnership with Darius Rucker and Lainey Wilson on ESPN’s revamped “Comin’ To Your City” College GameDay theme song, which replaced Big & Rich’s anthem that’s been heard for the last 16 years.

Goodbye June
Style: Bourbon
Origin: Not specified
Age: 5 year old
ABV: 61%
Price: $50
Release: September 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
Founded in 2009 by three cousins from Nashville, Goodbye June’s bottling consists of a blend of cask strength and cherry bounce-finished bourbons.

Whisky Advocate says:
Founded in 2017 by musician, producer, and film composer Neil Giraldo, Three Chord is a blending house that sources whiskey from Kentucky and Tennessee, aged up to 12 years, and finishes it using a proprietary application of tonal vibrations. While details of this application are not disclosed, we’d imagine it’s a similar approach to Blackened Whiskey’s use of sonic enhancement: Its method of playing Metallica’s music to filled barrels using its frequencies to move the whiskey in and out of the wood.

Lost Lantern Fall Single Cask Releases

Style: Bourbon, rye, American whiskey, American single malt
Origin: U.S.
Age: Various
ABV: Various
Price: $90-$120
Release: September 27
Availability: Limited, online at lostlanternwhiskey.com and seelbachs.com

Need to know:

Vermont-based independent bottler Lost Lantern is set to release its Fall 2023 collection of single cask whiskeys, which features the following five expressions:

Lost Lantern Balcones Distilling Texas Single Malt Finished in a Peated Whiskey Cask, 60.2%, $100: Aged 3 years in new oak and finished for a further 20 months in a cask that previously held peated single malt. (241 bottles)
Lost Lantern Smooth Ambler West Virginia Straight Bourbon, 60.7%, $100: Made from a high-rye bourbon mashbill and aged 6 years in a 53-gallon char no.-4 cask. (87 bottles)
Lost Lantern New Riff Kentucky Straight Bourbon, 58.1%, $90: Aged 4 years and made from a mashbill of 65% corn, 30% rye, and 5% malted barley. (196 bottles)
Lost Lantern 7 year old Corbin Cash California Straight Rye, 64.9%, $120: The lone rye in the collection, aged 7 years and made from 100% estate-grown Merced rye. (146 bottles)
Lost Lantern Andalusia Whiskey Co. Triple Distilled Texas Single Malt, 52.6%, $100: Triple distilled and aged for 3 years. This release is one of the only ways to get Andalusia’s whiskeys outside of Texas. (177 bottles)

Whisky Advocate says:

These fall single cask releases come on the heels of Lost Lantern’s Summer of Bourbon collection, a range of eight whiskeys that launched in late July. Summer of Bourbon received high scores from our tasting panel, with all but one of them scoring 90 points and above.

SCOTCH

Johnnie Walker Blue Label Elusive Umami
Style: Blend
Origin: Scotland
Age: Not stated
ABV: 43%
Price: $400
Release: October 16, 2023
Availability: Limited release

Need to know:
The taste of umami has inspired this new Johnnie Walker Blue collaboration with renowned Japanese chef Kei Kobayashi, whose Paris restaurant was awarded three Michelin stars back in 2020. Kobayashi and Johnnie Walker master blender Emma Walker collaborated in selecting whiskies for the final blend, which aims to express the enigma of umami.

Whisky Advocate says:
Known as the “fifth taste” alongside sweet, sour, bitter, and salty, umami was discovered by Japanese scientists in the early 20th century, and its savory characteristics are often found in Japanese cuisine. Walker and Kobayashi recommend serving this expression neat, and suggest pairing a glass with caviar—sturgeon caviar in particular for its concentration of umami and minerality.

Glenglassaugh 12 year old
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Highlands)
Age: 12 year old
ABV: 45%
Price: $65
Release: September 2023
Availability: Widely Available

Glenglassaugh Sandend
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Highlands)
Age: Not stated
ABV: 50.5%
Price: $70
Release: September 2023
Availability: Widely Available

Glenglassaugh Portsoy
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Highlands)
Age: Not stated
ABV: 49.1%
Price: $75
Release: September 2023
Availability: Widely Available

Need to know:
Glenglassaugh is launching a new lineup with a coastal theme, inspired by the distillery’s location on the northern shores of Scotland. Created by master blender Rachel Barrie, the range includes the flagship 12 year old and two non-age-stated whiskies. Of the latter two, Sandend is matured in bourbon, sherry, and manzanilla casks, while Portsoy is a peated expression matured in sherry, bourbon, and ruby port casks.

Whisky Advocate says:
Glenglassaugh has one of the most dramatic settings of any distillery in Scotland, perched on high ground overlooking the North Sea. Shuttered in 1986, Glenglassaugh was reopened in 2008 with industry veteran Stuart Nickerson at the helm. In 2016 it was acquired by Brown-Forman, owner of Jack Daniel’s and Woodford Reserve, which also gained ownership of Benriach and Glendronach in the deal. Rachel Barrie was tapped to oversee all three whiskies the following year. This launch marks the first time Glenglassaugh has released an age-stated whisky using stocks laid down since the 2008 reopening.

Compass Box Extinct Blends Quartet Part III Metropolis
Style: Blend
Origin: Scotland
Age: Not stated
ABV: 49%
Price: $325
Release: September 2023
Availability: 5,910 bottles worldwide

Need to know:
Metropolis pays homage to bustling cities past and present, and the blending vats of Glasgow and Edinburgh where great whiskies were born. This is a recreation of Bailie Nicol Jarvie, a scotch blend with a long history, that had a brief resurrection in 1994 by Macdonald & Muir of Leith, which also owned Glenmorangie at the time. But it then became extinct in 2014. The youngest whisky of this blend is a 19 year old blended grain parcel of Compass Box's own make. According to John Glaser, the parcel was originally intended to be used for an earlier batch of Hedonism, but it was ultimately passed over for its oaky character before finding its home in Metropolis.

Whisky Advocate says:
Metropolis is the third expression in the Extinct Blends Quartet, following Delos and Ultramarine. Created by lead whiskymaker James Saxon, the blend includes a parcel of blended malt matured in sherry casks, blended grain, blended scotch, and single malts from Aberlour, Bowmore, and Miltonduff Distilleries, designed to showcase a time capsule of blending techniques. Compass Box has championed transparency regarding all of its blending recipes which are available on the Compass Box website.

Nc’nean Organic
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Highlands)
Age: Not Stated
ABV: 46%
Price: $95
Release: September 2023
Availability: 1,260 bottles, but expected to be an ongoing release

Need to know:
The core bottling from Nc’nean Distillery (pronounced Nc-NEE-an) is made from 100% organic Scottish malted barley. The cask recipe is split 55% STR red wine casks, 43% American whiskey barrels, and 2% oloroso sherry butts.

Whisky Advocate says:
Opened in 2017, Nc’nean Distillery is situated on the Drimnin Estate on the Morvern peninsula in the west of Scotland. Founded and owned by Annabel Thomas, the distillery is known for its pioneering approach to sustainability. It’s a carbon-neutral operation, entirely run using renewable energy sources, with the Nc’nean bottles made from 100% recycled glass.

Claxton’s 2023 releases
Style: Single malt and single grain
Origin: Scotland
Age: 5–30 years old
ABV: 40.3%–58.5%
Price: $115–$240
Release: September 2023
Availability: Limited releases including five U.S. exclusives, plus one ongoing bottling

Need to know:
Claxton’s is an independent bottler located near Dumfries in southwest Scotland. This new batch of bottlings includes six single malt and five single grain whiskies.

Single malt releases:

• Caol Ila 9 year old STR barrique, 50%, $127 (60 bottles)
• Inchfad 5 year old oloroso sherry hogshead, 50%, $115 (72 bottles)
• Mannochmore 7 year old oloroso sherry hogshead, 50%, $116 (24 bottles)
• Royal Brackla 12 year old tawny port cask, 58.2%, $170 (U.S. exclusive, 144 bottles)
• Tomintoul 8 year old tawny port cask, 50%, $120 (48 bottles)
• Tomintoul 18 year old oloroso sherry hogshead, 54.8%, $180 (U.S. exclusive, 216 bottles)

Single grain releases:

• Cameronbridge 30 year old brandy quarter cask, 48.9%, $205 (U.S. exclusive, 156 bottles)
• Dumbarton 22 year old bourbon hogshead, 58.5%, $182 (U.S. exclusive, 202 bottles)
• Grain Barn 30 year old, 48%, $190 (ongoing release)
• Invergordon 16 year old madeira barrique, 50%, $116 (36 bottles)
• Strathclyde 28 year old oloroso sherry hogshead, 40.3%, $240 (U.S. exclusive, 188 bottles)

Whisky Advocate says:
In addition to a young Caol Ila, peat lovers should note the Inchfad bottling, which is a heavily peated single malt produced at Loch Lomond Distillery. The older age statements can be found in the grain whisky selections, including a closed-distillery bottling from Dumbarton that was shuttered in 2002 and subsequently demolished.

WORLD WHISKY

Rampur Sangam World Malt
Style: Blended malt
Origin: World
Age: Not stated
ABV: 43%
Price: $70
Release: September 2023
Availability: General release

Need to know:
Radico Khaitan, the owner of India's Rampur Distillery, has released Sangam World Malt, an East meets West blend of Rampur Distillery’s Indian single malt blended with other unspecified whiskies from European and New World distilleries. Sangam is a Hindi word meaning confluence, union, or juncture. It was chosen to reflect the creation of this whisky by bringing together malt whiskies from different parts of the world.

Whisky Advocate says:
World malt involves blending together a number of single malt whiskies produced in different countries—unlike world blends, which include grain whisky. Given the logistical and inventory challenges, there aren’t many examples of world malts on the shelves. Rampur’s Sangam joins expressions such as Ichiro’s Malt & Grain, Suntory Ao, High West Campfire, Alberta Rye Dark Batch, and Oola Discourse Three Shores in the small but emerging scene of world blends and blended malts.

Collectibles

Hibiki 21 Year Old
Style: Blend
Origin: Japan
Age: 21 year old
ABV: 43%
Price: $5,000
Release: September 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
This limited-edition blend was made in celebration of Suntory’s 100th anniversary. The malt whiskies used in the blend come from Yamazaki and Hakushu, with the Chita Distillery supplying the grain whisky. Maturation took place in mizunara oak.

Whisky Advocate says:
Earlier this year, Suntory kicked off its 100-year celebration with the release of two special, limited-edition bottlings of Yamazaki and Hakushu. Centennial editions of Yamazaki 12 year old and Hakushu 12 year old were also released, featuring limited edition label designs honoring the Japanese concept of Monozukuri—which emphasizes quality, ingenuity, and expressiveness in artisanship. Now, in addition to the Hibiki 21 year old, a centennial release of Hibiki Japanese Harmony has joined the mix, with the label also highlighting Monozukuri.

Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection 1949 from Glenlivet Distillery
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Speyside)
Age: 74 year old
ABV: 49.3%
Price: $45,000
Release: September 2023
Availability: Global release of 192 bottles

Need to know:
Scottish Independent bottler and distiller Gordon & MacPhail is releasing a 74 year old whisky from Glenlivet. Distilled on January 1st 1949 and bottled on March 6th 2023, this Speyside single malt was matured for its entirety in a single refill sherry butt selected by Gordon & MacPhail.

Whisky Advocate says:
This 74 year old is one of the oldest whisky releases of the year, and represents the last cask of Glenlivet from 1949 in the Gordon & MacPhail warehouse. This bottling follows last year’s Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection 1949 72 year old release from the Milton Distillery, the former name of Strathisla Distillery in Keith.