Booker's Apprentice Batch, Wild Turkey Master's Keep Voyage, Old Pulteney & More [New Releases]

Happy 4th of July! If you're entertaining this weekend—or even if you're not—consider our selection of cool, refreshing American whiskey cocktails that are a perfect complement. If barbecue is on the menu, we've mapped out some great pairing ideas. And if you're looking to crack open something new, two stars of American whiskey are out this week, with Booker’s releasing its second bourbon batch of 2023 and Wild Turkey unveiling the latest Master's Keep expression, a rum-finished bourbon. From Scotland come cask-finished whiskies aplenty by Kilchoman, Old Pulteney, and Glenmorangie. Read on for more details.

Booker’s Batch 2023-02 Apprentice Batch
Style: Bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 7 year old
ABV: 62.75%
Price: $90
Release: June 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:

Apprentice Batch is the newest limited release from Booker’s. It comes from barrels selected by master distiller Fred Noe, which were aged for 7 years, 1 month, and 2 days.

Whisky Advocate says:

Since the inception of the Booker’s series in 2015, all of its bourbon releases have been bottled at cask strength and pay homage to a key person, place, or theme from the James B. Beam Distillery’s history. This batch commemorates the early years of Booker Noe, Fred’s father and a sixth-generation master distiller. The name “Apprentice Batch” references Booker’s tutelage under his cousin Carl Beam, who showed him the whiskey-making ropes in the 1950s. This is the second Booker’s release this year, following 23-01 “Charlie’s Batch”—which honored craftsman Charlie Hutchens, maker of the wooden boxes that are made for every bottle of Booker’s bourbon.

Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Voyage
Style: Finished bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 10 year old
ABV: 53%
Price: $275
Release: July 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:

The latest edition of Master’s Keep is a 10 year old bourbon finished in Jamaican rum casks from Appleton Estate. Wild Turkey master distiller Eddie Russell collaborated with Appleton's master blender Dr. Joy Spence for the release, which marks the first-ever rum cask finish for Wild Turkey.

Whisky Advocate says:

Master’s Keep first appeared in 2015, as a platform for Russell to experiment with unique bourbon maturation techniques. The rum casks used for this release previously held 14 year old pot still rum; they were selected by Spence for their complementary caramel undertones. After finishing for several months in Kentucky heat, the whiskey shows an even greater tropical influence.

Old Pulteney The Coastal Series: Pineau Des Charentes
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Highlands)
Age: Not stated
ABV: 46%
Price: $80
Release: June 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:

This limited-edition single malt was finished in pineau des charentes casks—a favorite of longtime distillery manager Malcolm Waring—which deliver a delicate sweetness to Old Pulteney’s signature salinity.

Whisky Advocate says:

Since releasing a new lineup of its core range and revamping its packaging and age ranges in 2018, Old Pulteney has remained relatively quiet. This marks the distillery’s return to innovation, as well as the first of several whiskies planned for release in The Coastal Series. Perched at the tip of Scotland’s northeastern coast in the town of Wick, Old Pulteney has gained somewhat of a cult following for its reasonably priced single malts, which now include 12, 15, and 18 year old expressions, and Huddart, a single malt finished in peated whisky barrels.

Kilchoman Cognac Cask Edition
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Islay)
Age: Not stated
ABV: 50%
Price: $130
Release: July 2023
Availability: 15,100 bottles worldwide, 1,068 for the U.S.

Need to know:

This is one of Kilchoman’s annual limited-edition releases, and its first-ever cognac cask-finished expression. The barrels were sourced from Tonnellerie Bossuet, located about 25 miles south of Cognac. Kilchoman filled some 32 casks for this one, which were then blended into a final vatting. The whiskies were matured for a minimum of 6 years.

Whisky Advocate Says:

Islay farm distiller Kilchoman has four core expressions—Machir Bay, Sanaig, Loch Gorm, and 100% Islay—which are matured in various combinations of bourbon and oloroso sherry casks. For its special releases, Kilchoman has utilized PX sherry, sauternes, port, Douro red wine, madeira, and now cognac casks.

Kilchoman Fino Sherry Cask Matured
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Islay)
Age: Not stated
ABV: 50%
Price: $130
Release: July 2023
Availability: 15,650 bottles worldwide, 1,134 for the U.S.

Need to know:

For this expression, Kilchoman purchased some 20 fino sherry butts, which had contained sherry produced in 2018, from its long-time supplier Bodegas Jose & Miguel Martin in Jerez de la Frontera. The whisky was aged for a minimum of 5 years before being batched into a final blend.

Whisky Advocate Says:

Kilchoman traditionally has placed greater emphasis on oloroso sherry cask finishing, primarily for its Sanaig and Loch Gorm expressions, and the fino style is thus rarely seen from this distiller. Indeed, this is only Kilchoman’s second fino sherry cask-matured expression ever, following a limited release in 2020. Kilchoman matured in fino casks is less sweet than oloroso, offering a profile with freshness, dry salinity, and green fresh fruit.

Spearhead
Style: Single grain
Origin: Scotland (Highlands)
Age: Not stated
ABV: 43%
Price: $35
Release: June 2023
Availability: Florida, Georgia, and New York; other states to follow

Need to know:

Scotch whisky maker Loch Lomond launched this single grain expression in global markets in 2021, and it's now hitting the U.S. Spearhead has a mashbill of 100% malted barley, but it's produced on a Coffey still instead of a pot still, and therefore is designated as a single grain whisky. After an undisclosed aging period in bourbon casks, the whisky is finished in toasted American oak barrels for up to 6 months. Some of those barrels are toasted using fire—the traditional method—and others are toasted with an infrared heat source. The processes are said to bring out different flavors in the wood.

Whisky Advocate says:

Loch Lomond produces a variety of scotch whisky styles, both peated and unpeated. The distillery is known for its long fermentation times, and Spearhead is a case in point: it gets a 92-hours of fermentation, compared to scotch whisky's typical duration of about 50 hours. Loch Lomond has both pot and continuous (Coffey) stills, and Spearhead's use of the Coffey still is what gives it a lighter profile.

Glenmorangie The Cadboll Estate 15 year old
Style: Singe malt
Origin: Scotland (Highlands)
Age: 15 year old
ABV: 43%
Price: $100
Release: July 2023
Availability: Limited release

Need to know:

Highland distillery Glenmorangie is releasing the third installment in its Cadboll Estate series of field-to-glass single estate 15 year old whiskies. The single malt was distilled using barley harvested on Glenmorangie’s 440-acre Cadboll Estate near Tain and matured in bourbon casks, with a proportion finished in amontillado sherry casks.

Whisky Advocate says:

This dram enables Glenmorangie lovers to explore the impact of terroir. It's a limited-edition whisky, as Cadboll Estate's barley crop yields enough for only one to two weeks production a year. Earlier batches were fully matured in bourbon casks, with the first release making the Whisky Advocate Top 20 in 2020, but this is Cadboll Estate's first finished expression, using amontillado sherry casks. Glenmo previously used amontillado casks to finish Glenmorangie Dornoch, a Travel Retail exclusive launched in 2014, and Glenmorangie 12 year old Amontillado Finish, a 2023 release for the UK and Australia.

Talisker 30 year old
Style: Single Malt
Origin: Scotland (Islands)
Age: 30 year old
ABV: 49.6%
Price: $1,100
Release: July
Availability: 3,195 bottles globally, 561 bottles for the U.S.

Need to know:

This is the latest installment of an annual release from this renowned distillery on western Scotland’s Isle of Skye, aged entirely in refill American oak casks and bottled at cask strength.

Whisky Advocate Says:

This year’s messaging from Talisker is all about its compatibility with seafood—particularly oysters and caviar. In tandem with the release, Talisker has teamed up with oyster specialist Real Oyster Cult on curated pairings that are delivered to your door. It has also partnered with English actor, writer, and outdoorsman Peter Gadiot to tout Talisker’s coastal connections. Talisker goes well with a variety of shellfish, and was one of three whiskies chosen for pairing in a recent Whisky Advocate article on the subject.

Brush Creek Heroes Edition Single Barrel (2023)
Style: Bourbon
Origin: Indiana
Age: Not stated
ABV: 50%
Price: $175
Release: June 2023
Availability: 210 bottles, available at the distillery only

Need to know:

This single barrel release is a blend of 9 year old white corn bourbon, 6 year old crimson red corn bourbon, and 4 year old blue corn bourbon. Distilled and partially aged in Indiana, the barrels were matured further at Brush Creek’s Saratoga, Wyoming facility.

Whisky Advocate says:

This is the first release of Brush Creek’s Heroes Edition. Released just in time for July 4th, it's a single barrel bottled to honor our country’s heroes. Brush Creek Ranch is a 30,000-acre working ranch that was named among our 10 Best Getaways for Whisky Lovers.