Booker's By The Pond, Peerless Toasted Rye, and More New Whiskies

Bourbons, blends, and compelling finishes set the tone for this week's new whiskies. The year's second batch of Booker's is here, blending whiskeys from seven different production dates that aged in eight separate warehouses. Peerless has debuted the second iteration of its Toasted Rye, which aged first in new oak before being finished in barrels with a medium toast. From Bardstown Bourbon Co. comes the latest Distillery Reserve Series release, this one a blend of bourbon, rye, and Tennessee whiskey finished in mizunara oak; World Whiskey Society has gone with a different Japanese finish for its new bourbon, putting it in shochu casks. Castle & Key, Wheel Horse, and Rebel each have new bourbons, while Uncle Nearest unveils its newest Master Blend. Rounding out the U.S. contingent are an imperial stout cask-finished straight rye from Old Potrero, a new single cask American single malt from Copperworks, and a Kentucky whiskey aged in Scotland from independent bottler The Perfect Fifth. Also from The Perfect Fifth is a 50 year old single grain scotch from a now-defunct distillery; one other scotch, a single malt from The Hearach, joins its ranks this week.

Booker’s Bourbon “By the Pond” Batch (Batch 2025-02)

ABV: 63.25%
SRP: $100
Availability: Limited

The second Booker’s batch of the year is comprised of barrels from seven different production dates and aged in eight unique warehouses. The exact breakdown is as follows:

• 29% came from the 6^th floor of 7-story warehouse G
• 11% came from the 3^rd floor of 9-story warehouse J
• 11% came from the 5^th floor of 7-story warehouse 3
• 11% came from the 5^th floor of 7-story warehouse 1
• 11% came from the 4^th floor of 7-story warehouse K
• 11% came from the 5^th floor of 7-story warehouse L
• 11% came from the 4^th floor of 7-story warehouse 4
• 5% came from the 7^th floor of 9-story warehouse H

The aggregate age of the whiskey is 7 years, 1 month, and 20 days. “By the Pond” is so named for the backyard pond that Booker Noe would frequent on sunny afternoons; according to master distiller Fred Noe (Booker’s son), Booker installed the pond behind the family home to ensure that fresh catfish and bluegill would always be readily available for supper. Eventually, however, the pond became less a place to fish and more a site of refuge and reflection.

Kentucky Peerless Toasted Rye (Batch 2)

ABV: 53.5%
SRP: $110
Availability: Limited

Just six months after the debut of Toasted Rye Batch 1, Kentucky Peerless is introducing its follow-up, and this one will have a slightly further reach than its predecessor, with nationwide, albeit limited, availability. The whiskey within remains the same—it’s 4-8 year old Peerless rye aged in no.-3 char barrels and finished for a month in medium toast new American oak—as do its proof and price.

Peerless is no stranger to toasted barrels, having released its Toasted bourbon in March 2024. That whiskey received a 91 in our Winter 2024 Buying Guide, and we look forward to getting our hands on the rye.

Bardstown Hokkaido Distillery Reserve Series Mizunara Oak Barrel Finished Blend of Straights

ABV: 54.65%
Price: $100/375 ml
Availability: Limited; at Bardstown Bourbon gift shop and Louisville tasting room

Bardstown Bourbon Co. has unveiled the second expression in its Distillery Reserve Series: a blended whiskey finished in mizunara oak barrels. The four-mashbill blend is composed of two high-rye Kentucky bourbons (47% is a 15 year old and 33% a 14 year old), 15% is a 9 year old Indiana rye, and 5% is 18 year old Tennessee whiskey. The blend was aged for 2 years and 4 months in six 66-gallon barrels.

The inaugural Distillery Reserve released in February, was a bourbon finished in 300 year old French oak. Thus far, the series’ releases are small-scale with an emphasis on the complexity of different wood finishes.

Castle & Key 6 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon

ABV: 50.5%
Price: $40
Availability: Limited; online and at Castle & Key

After unveiling its first single barrel last month, Frankfort-based Castle & Key is back with a new addition to its core offerings: a 6 year old bourbon. It's the label’s 4 year old bourbon, initially released in 2022, that’s aged for 2 more years. Its bottled at 50% ABV and is composed of the label’s signature mashbill of 73% Hickory King white corn, 10% rye, and 17% malted barley. Castle & Key Distillery has a colorful history given it was once home to Old Taylor Distillery (est. 1887). Whiskey production ceased in 1972, and in 2014 began its restoration to what is now Castle & Key.

Wheel Horse 5 year old Barrel Master Select Bourbon (Batch 1)

ABV: 56.3%
SRP: $40
Availability: Select retailers nationwide and online

Rhode Island blending house Wheel Horse is releasing its first barrel proof whiskey: A straight bourbon that was distilled by Green River in Owensboro, Kentucky. Though the whiskey carries a 5 year old age statement, the blend does include some 6 year old as well. Batch 1 accounts for around 2,100 bottles. Wheel Horse teased that the next barrel proof expression is a Kentucky straight rye that is slated to release this coming fall.

Rebel 10 year old Single Barrel Bourbon (2025 Release)

ABV: 50%
SRP: $100
Availability: Nationwide

Each year, MGP’s Lux Row Distillery rolls out a fresh batch of Rebel 10 year old Single Barrel bourbon. The 2025 version follows the same recipe as previous batches: using Lux Row’s signature wheated mashbill (68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley) and proofed to 50% ABV before bottling. 15,600 bottles were produced.

Uncle Nearest Master Blend (2025 Release)

ABV: 59.2%
SRP: $150
Availability: Limited; nationwide

Tennessee’s Uncle Nearest has just announced that its annual Master Blend distillery exclusive expression will be available nationwide for the first time this year. The whiskey is a mix of undisclosed components selected and blended by master blender Victoria Eady Butler. This year’s batch yielded 8,888 bottles—some signed by Butler—which are currently rolling out to retailers in 32 states.

World Whiskey Society Mizunara Shochu Barrel Finished Kentucky Straight Bourbon (2025 Release)

ABV: 54%
SRP: $124
Availability: At select retailers nationwide and online

Rare whiskey purveyor World Whiskey Society has unveiled a new run of its fan-favorite Classic Collection Mizunara Cask bourbon. Unlike the previous iteration, which carried a 6 year old age statement, the newcomer is non-age-stated. It was distilled at Bardstown Bourbon Co. with a mashbill of 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley. After aging in new charred oak barrels, the bourbon was finished in mizunara oak casks that previously held the Japanese spirit shochu. Only 2,000 bottles of this whiskey were produced.

Copperworks Distilling Co. Single Cask (No. 440) American Single Malt

ABV: 61.2%
Price: $90
Availability: Limited; 200 bottles available online and at Copperworks Tasting Rooms

Seattle-based Copperworks, known for its American single malts, is back with its single cask expression. The whiskey follows the distillery’s farm-focused approach, which showcases Washington-grown barley. The mashbill is comprised of one strain of barley, grown on a single farm during a single growing season, following the exact approach as last year’s core American single malt, Farmsmith. That one used Baronesse barley grown on Joseph’s Grainery in Colfax, 60 miles south of Spokane, while this release uses 100% Genie malt from Coulee Hite Farm located in Reardan, just east of Spokane. Genie malt is typically used in craft beer, which is fitting as former brewer and co-owner Jason Parker crafts all the spirits from a malted beer base.

This single cask release is comprised of just 200 bottles. It was distilled on copper pot stills and then aged in new American oak barrels for 4 years and 8 months.

Old Potrero Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Almanac Beer Co. Imperial Stout Oak Barrels

ABV: 57.5%
SRP: $80
Availability: Online at oldpotrero.com

Old Potrero Toasted Barrel Rye Whiskey Finished in Gundlach Bundschu Gewurztraminer Barrels

ABV: 57.3%
SRP: $80
Availability: Online at oldpotrero.com

Old Potrero’s latest California Cellar Series ryes are here. The first is a straight rye aged 6 years in new oak before being moved to imperial stout barrels from Almanac Beer Co., where it rested for an additional 8 months. Like Old Potrero, Almanac Beer is local to the Bay Area—it’s based in Alameda, California. The second release is a 5 year old toasted rye finished in Gundlach Bundschu Gewurztraminer barrels for 14 months. Both are available for preorder on Old Potrero's website now.

The California Cellar Series launched last October with two wine cask-finished ryes. Those whiskeys marked the first time Old Potrero had worked with California wineries (and this new release marks the first collaboration with a California brewery).

The Perfect Fifth Canongate 15 Year Old Single Barrel American

ABV: 63.53%
SRP: $185
Availability: 236 bottles

The Perfect Fifth North of Scotland Single Grain Scotch

ABV: 45.6%
SRP: $915
Availability: 90 bottles

American independent bottler The Perfect Fifth has debuted two new ultra-aged whiskies. The first, North of Scotland, is a Lowlands single grain that was distilled in 1973 at the North of Scotland Distillery before its closure in 1980. While the majority of North of Scotland’s whisky went into blends throughout its 20-year run, recent releases from independent bottlers have put the spotlight exclusively on the distillery’s oldest remaining stocks.

The second new release, Canongate, is an American whiskey with a Scottish twist that’s part of the company’s “Born and Bottled” series. Distilled in Bardstown, Kentucky, in 2009, the whiskey—for which no mashbill details are readily available—was aged for 3 years in the Bluegrass State before being sent to Scotland for the remainder of its 12-year maturation. “Born and Bottled” releases vary in age, but all go back and forth between Kentucky and Scotland in celebration of the two entities’ history of cask sharing.

Karl Schoen founded The Perfect Fifth in 2019; he was inspired to jump into the whisky world following years of watching family members toast special events with scotch. Together with his brother Ben, Schoen now travels Scotland searching for samples; thus far, he’s released bottlings of Springbank, Highland Park, Glen Scotia, Cambus, and more.

The Hearach Croft Strength Single Malt Scotch

ABV: 52%
Price: $88.65
Availability: Limited; Duty-free exclusive in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, and Glasgow, with others to follow

Opened in 2015, Isle of Harris Distillery is named after the Outer Hebridean island it calls home. The distillery hangs its hat on two signature spirits: The Hearach single malt and Isle of Harris gin. Both expressions are bottled at cask strength.

This single malt whisky, Croft Strength, is a cask strength version of the Hearach. The flagship name Hearach is Gaelic for a person from the Isle of Harris, while a “Croft” Is a small farm. This one sits at 52% ABV, higher than the classic bottling at 46% ABV. In every other way it’s the same. Made from Scottish barley and lightly peated, it’s distilled on-site and then matured in first-fill casks including bourbon barrels from Heaven Hill and Buffalo Trace as well as José Miguel Martín Oloroso and Fino sherry butts. It's then married in batches for a minimum of 12 weeks.