Bulleit Rye 10 Year Old, Town Branch Overproof & More [New Whiskies]

Great news for bourbon, rye, and American single malt fans, as new whiskeys from U.S. distillers are in full swing. Creative finishes, high age statements, and interesting blends are leading the way, offering excellent opportunities for exploration. In even better news, Wes Henderson—the Angel's Envy co-founder and one of the pioneers of finished bourbons—has now officially unretired. His return to whiskey includes a new brand set to launch next month, as well as plans for a new distillery in Versailles, Kentucky, not far down the road from Woodford Reserve, Wild Turkey, and Four Roses.

Scotch lovers, on the other hand, aren't getting quite the love compared to the current tidal wave of new American whiskey releases. This situation comes amid the sobering news that scotch exports to the States (and elsewhere) showed a decline in the first half of the year. But superstar single malts and blends are still at the fore, led by the annual release of Bruichladdich Distillery's Octomore series. This famously peaty single malt from Islay is back with its 15th edition, which includes one of the most heavily peated Octomores—indeed one of the most heavily peated whiskies—ever. There's plenty more whiskey to consider here, so read on.

Bulleit Rye 10 Year Old

ABV: 45.6%
SRP: $50
Availability: Nationwide

With Rye 10 year old, Bulleit is adding another permanent, age-statement bottling to its lineup. The new whiskey is made with a mashbill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley, and, as the name implies, is aged for a minimum of 10 years. Bulleit has played with aged rye before, re-releasing its 12 year old iteration earlier this year. All Bulleit rye is made at MGP Distillery in Indiana, and there are no plans to move rye production to either of the brand’s Kentucky distilleries, which are based in Shelbyville and Lebanon.

Age statement ryes from Kentucky (and especially at that 10 year mark) are having a moment, as Bulleit is but one of a slew of major producers investing in the category. Wild Turkey debuted a 10 year old rye in May as part of its Master’s Keep collection, while Knob Creek has steadily been adding to its aged rye stable, most recently with a 10 year old of its own back in June. Old Overholt is in the mix too, having released a 10 year old cask strength rye late last year.

Town Branch Overproof Kentucky Straight Whiskey

ABV: 52%
SRP: $40
Availability: Nationwide

While Town Branch—part of Lexington Brewing and Distilling Co.—has dabbled in Kentucky bourbon, single malt, and rye, its latest release marks the first time the distillery has explored blended American whiskey. Overproof is made up of 90% straight bourbon and 10% straight rye, and includes four distinct Kentucky mashbills:

- bourbon: 72% corn, 15% rye, and 13% malted barley
- wheated bourbon: 70% corn, 22% wheat, and 8% malted barley
- double oaked bourbon: 72% corn, 15% rye, and 13% malted barley
- rye: 90% rye, 5% corn, and 5% malted barley

The average age of the blend is about 5 to 6 years old, with the oldest whiskey coming in at 8 years old. Town Branch specifically designed this with bartenders in mind, with the goal of creating overproof cocktails.

Hard Truth Barrel Finished Reserve Blend (2024)

ABV: 58.4%
SRP: $90
Availability: Limited

Hard Truth Double-Oaked Sweet Mash Rye

ABV: 53.54%
SRP: $70
Availability: Limited

Hard Truth Master Distiller’s Reserve Blend (2024)

ABV: 57.5%
SRP: $90
Availability: Limited

Hard Truth Maple Brûlée Rye

ABV: TBD
SRP: $90
Availability: Limited, launching September 28th

Indiana craft distillery Hard Truth has announced a quartet of new whiskeys for fall. Finished Reserve Blend combines four rye whiskeys finished in cognac (31% of the blend), sauternes (26%), PX sherry (26%), and brandy casks (17%). The final blend, which carries a 3 year old age statement, was rested on toasted French oak sourced from the Forest of Berce in Jullipes, a small area in northwestern France.

The second whiskey, Double-Oaked Sweet Mash, is a little more straightforward. It’s a rye that follows the distillery’s trademark RW-1 mashbill (94% rye, 6% malted barley). After a 2-year maturation, it was transferred into new charred oak barrels where it sat for an additional 3 years.

Hard Truth also unveiled this year’s Master Distiller’s Reserve edition, which moves in a different direction than previous batches. Rather than showcase a specific mashbill, this one is a blend that uses previous Master Distiller’s Reserve whiskeys as components, including RW-6 Malted Rye, RW-4 Caramel Malt Rye, and RW-3 Chocolate Malt Rye. It has a 5 year old age statement, and was bottled at cask strength.

The final whiskey isn’t yet available, and is slated for release this Saturday. Maple Brûlée Rye was aged for 3 years before being transferred to what the distillery calls “maple brûlée” barrels for around a year. The finishing casks first aged bourbon for 7–9 years, then were used to age maple syrup, and finally were re-charred by Tonnellerie Moreau cooperage in Quebec, Canada. Unlike most of Hard Truth’s other finished whiskeys, this one follows a unique mashbill (69% rye, 20% corn, 11% malted barley) rather than the RW-1 mashbill mentioned above.

Old Line Harvest Moon Double Oak American Single Malt

ABV: 50%
SRP: $70
Availability: Limited; at the distillery and online, with shipping to 30 states starting September 28th.

Baltimore-based Old Line has introduced a new whiskey that taps two separate cask finishes. Harvest Moon is a blend of single malts, 62% of which were amburana finished and the remainder finished in oloroso casks. Both whiskeys were distilled in Baltimore, rather than at longtime Old Line distilling partner Middle West’s distillery in Ohio.

Cask finishing is Old Line’s forte, with numerous single malts released under the distillery’s Double Oak series. While the collection includes typical casks like PX sherry, port, and madeira, there are also a few uncommon ones such as armagnac, moscatel, and sauternes. Harvest Moon stands out since it combines two finishes rather than one—something that it has in common with Ohana, a super-limited blend of armaganc and cognac-finished single malts that Old Line released in partnership with the K9s for Warriors charity.

Sable Bourbon

ABV: 47%
SRP: $60
Availability: Atlanta, Baltimore, Detroit, D.C., Los Angeles, Miami, and New York City, and online

In 1999, director Malcolm D. Lee and actors Taye Diggs, Harold Perrineau, and Morris Chestnut worked together on a movie called “The Best Man.” Now, 25 years later, they’re joining forces again, this time to release a whiskey. The group’s offering is Sable Bourbon, which was made by the recently relocated Bespoken Spirits and has a mashbill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley.

This is the third celebrity-backed whiskey in Bespoken Spirits’s portfolio, following musical collaborations with country rock band Whiskey Myers (Uncle Chicken’s) and southern rock titan Lynyrd Skynyrd (Hell House). The blending house is best known for its “micro stave” aging, a proprietary process that is purported to speed up maturation. Outside of its celebrity releases, Bespoken Spirits’s lineup includes a bourbon, rye, and American whiskey.