Cask-Strength Old Overholt, Bowmore and Aston Martin, High West The Prisoner's Share & More [New Releases]

The holiday season is swiftly approaching, and with it, a slew of extra-special releases that would make interesting end-of-year gifts. For the car lover in your life, there is Bowmore's latest opus in partnership with luxury British automaker Aston Martin. Also out is a new edition from the Heaven's Door Bootleg series—the crème de la crème of the brand, which was created in partnership with Bob Dylan. Of great interest to us is the new release from Old Overholt, a 10 year old, cask strength rye priced at $100. That seems like quite a departure for this price-friendly label that has long been a favorite of rye lovers, though this release is in fact a throwback to Old Overholt ryes of the previous century.

Elsewhere in new whisky, High West returns with a fresh edition of The Prisoner's Share, this one using no sourced whiskey, as it's 100% made at High West's Wanship, Utah distillery, which opened back in 2015. Northern Ireland's Rademon Estate Distillery has announced the U.S. debut of its Shortcross Rye & Malt label, made from 100% Irish malted rye and malted barley, and it also has two whiskeys from sister firm Irish Bonding Co., while India's Piccadily Distilleries is offering a new cask strength version of its much acclaimed Indri expression. Read on for more details.

Old Overholt Extra Aged Cask Strength
Style: Straight rye
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 10 year old
ABV: 60.5%
Price: $100
Release: November 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
This whiskey was distilled in 2012, and barreled throughout autumn and winter of that year. It was then laid down in James B. Beam Distilling’s Clermont, Kentucky-based escalator warehouse, Warehouse V, for ten years.

Whisky Advocate says:
Prices for Old Overholt’s core expression generally hover in the low-$20s range, so a $100 release is quite a leap for this bargain-oriented rye, which has been known as a go-to for rye lovers for generations. There is some history here, however, as an older age statement cask-strength rye was part of the mix for Old Overholt way back in the mid-20^th century. Old Overholt is all about history, in fact: founded in 1810, it’s the oldest rye in the United States still being produced. In its early days, it was one of the most respected and highly regarded whiskeys in the U.S., distinguished as a preferred dram of the likes of Ulysses S. Grant and John Henry “Doc” Holliday. It’s a rye whiskey that, even though now made in Kentucky, has its roots in Old Monongahela rye—the regional style that originated during Colonial times, mainly in southwestern Pennsylvania’s Monongahela Valley, which was defined by a mashbill of rye and malted barley, and made with sweet mash fermentation and three-chamber distillation.

Bowmore Masters’ Selection Third Edition
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Islay)
Age: 22 year old
ABV: 51%
Price: $400
Release: November 2023
Availability: 1,110 bottles globally

Need to know:
This is the latest collaboration between Bowmore and luxury English automaker Aston Martin. Crafted by Bowmore master blender Ron Welsh and Aston Martin chief creative officer Marek Reichman, Bowmore Masters’ Selection Third Edition was aged in a combination of European oak, oloroso sherry casks, and American oak hogsheads.

Whisky Advocate says:
Bowmore and Aston Martin kicked off their collaborative partnership in 2020. Since then, a number of whiskies have debuted under the Bowmore-Aston Martin banner, ranging from ultra-luxury releases such as Black Bowmore 1964 DB5 31 year old (which had a price tag of $65,000) and more accessibly priced Masters’ Selection single malts like this one.

Heaven’s Door Bootleg Series Volume V
Style: Finished bourbon
Origin: Tennessee
Age: 18 year old
ABV: 57%
Price: $599
Release: November 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
The fifth release of Heaven’s Door’s Bootleg Series is an 18 year old straight bourbon finished in sweet vermouth casks from Spain. As with past releases, this one was overseen by Heaven’s Door master distiller Ken Pierce and master blender Alex Moore. The ceramic Bootleg Vol. V bottle comes in a bespoke leather journal and features Bob Dylan’s “No Vacancies” painting, which he debuted in 2019 within his The Beaten Path collection.

Whisky Advocate says:
The Bootleg whiskey name was inspired by Bob Dylan’s long-running series of rare and unreleased songs, spanning back to 1991. The first Bootleg whiskey release was a 26 year old Canadian expression that came out in 2019; it was followed by an aged Tennessee whiskey, a Kentucky bourbon, and a wheated bourbon finished in Islay single malt casks. Heaven’s Door is a collaboration between Dylan and Spirits Investment Partners, whose CEO, Marc Bushala, was a founding partner in Angel’s Envy. While Heaven’s Door has been using sourced whiskey up until now, plans call for the opening of a distillery in Pleasureville, Kentucky next spring, as well as a brand and visual arts experience in downtown Louisville, slated to open before the end of this year. The company had originally planned for its main visitor center to be housed in a former church in Nashville, but that will now serve as the seat of The Heaven’s Door Foundation, the company’s philanthropic arm supporting charities for the arts.

High West The Prisoner’s Share (2023)
Style: Blend
Origin: Utah
Age: 11 month old
ABV: 51%
Price: $150
Release: November
Availability: Limited; available at the distillery and at retailers nationwide

Need to know:
High West’s The Prisoner’s Share has made its return. This whiskey is a blend of High West bourbons and ryes which have been finished in wine barrels from The Prisoner Wine Company in California. This new release is noteworthy, as it was made entirely using High West’s own distillate. Historically High West sourced most of its liquid from MGP, but it has been gradually phasing in its own-make whiskeys.

Whisky Advocate says:
The new batch of The Prisoner’s Share comes at a busy time of year for High West. It follows the release of two fan-favorite annual expressions in Campfire and A Midwinter Night’s Dram. Long a pioneer in the modern whiskey boom, High West has a state-of-the-art distillery and visitor center in Wanship, Utah, about 15 miles outside of Park City, that opened in 2015. The company started in Park City in 2006, where it still operates the Saloon, a renowned, old-style bar and restaurant as well as The Nelson Cottage, a more upscale dining venue next door. All are well worth a visit.

Iron Smoke Purple Heart Bourbon
Style: Bourbon
Origin: New York
Age: Not stated
ABV: 45%
Price: $150
Release: November
Availability: 700 bottles; available online at ironsmokedistillery.com

Need to know:
Iron Smoke’s newest four-grain bourbon represents the blending of four barrels picked by former NFL footballers Rocky Bleier and cousin Bob Bleier, who partnered with the distillery for this expression. A majority of the profits from Purple Heart bourbon will be donated to the Military Order of the Purple Heart, an organization that provides service to combat veterans.

Whisky Advocate says:
Purple Heart bourbon is the Fairport, New York-based Iron Smoke Distillery’s way of giving back to members of the armed forces on Veterans Day, and its partnership with Rocky Bleier runs deeper than meets the eye. While Rocky is chiefly known for his legendary tenure as a running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers, he’s also a decorated U.S. Army veteran. In 1969, he was awarded a Purple Heart medal for injuries sustained while serving in Vietnam. All of the bottles were signed by both Rocky and Bob Bleier.

Dread River Master Series Batch 2
Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Alabama
Age: 2 year old
ABV: 53%
Price: $107
Release: November 2023
Availability: 500 bottles

Need to know:
A double barrel straight bourbon, this whiskey was first aged in American oak for one year, then moved to toasted French oak barrels for nearly two years. Its mashbill is 60% corn, 30% wheat, and 10% malted barley. While Master Series Batch 2 is available for pre-order right now, it’ll be available starting November 11 (Veteran’s Day).

Whisky Advocate says:
Dread River Distilling Co. launched its first Master Series bourbon earlier this year. That bourbon was made by master blender Eboni Major (who’s not affiliated with the distillery); this second release, however, was selected by assistant distiller Trey Bruner, a United States Air Force Sergeant and veteran with eight combat deployments under his belt. Bruner joined Dread River following enrollment in the Department of Defense’s Skill Bridge program, which helps service members transition into new job experiences after their deployments. Dread River officially opened its doors in Birmingham, Alabama in August 2019.

Cathead Old Soul Tintype #2
Style: Bourbon
Origin: Indiana
Age: 9 year old
ABV: 61.1%
Price: $165
Release: November
Availability: Limited; available in retailers across 18 states and online at catheaddistillery.com

Need to know:
This high-proof bourbon was made in Indiana, following a 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley mashbill. It was aged in Mississippi, in American white oak, for 9 years.

Whisky Advocate says:
The team behind Jackson, Mississippi-based Cathead Distillery has a long-held affinity for music, and the distillery's ongoing Tintype series showcases bourbons that pay homage to renowned icons of the Southern music scene. The first entry was dedicated to the late “Captain Luke” Luther Mayer, a blues musician from Southern Carolina who helped start the Music Maker Foundation, an organization that Cathead has long supported. This new batch honors Hermon Hitson, a guitarist who played with stars including Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, and Bobby Womack.

Broken Barrel Black Hjerte
Style: Blended rye
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 53.5%
Price: $99
Release: November 2023
Availability: Limited; available in California and online at brokenbarrelwhiskey.com

Need to know:
Broken Barrel Black Hjerte is a blend of light whiskey and rye, both from Kentucky, with a derived mashbill of 51% corn, 48% rye, and less than 1% malted barley. The blend was finished using Black Hjerte Coffee Liqueur and Blood Orange Coffee Liqueur staves (in a 66:33 ratio) sourced from Laurel Canyon Spirits.

Whisky Advocate says:
Broken Barrel was founded in 2017 in Los Angeles, California. Its expressions follow a fairly steady formula: the liquid comes by way of Green River Distilling in Owensboro, Kentucky, and is aged for at least two years before undergoing a finishing process. Instead of using traditional casks, however, Broken Barrel finishes its whiskeys in large steel tanks with a mix of different stave types.

Indri Drú Cask Strength
Style: Single malt
Origin: India
Age: Not stated
ABV: 57.2%
Price: $80
Release: November
Availability: Nationwide

Need to know:
Piccadily Distilleries, located in Northern India, has released Indri Drú, a cask strength expression created from a marriage of bourbon barrel-aged Indian single malt selected by master blender Surrinder Kumar.

Whisky Advocate says:
In ancient Indian mythology, Drú was a vessel used to offer a drink to the gods. This third Indri expression in the U.S. follows Indri Trini The Three Wood, which made the Whisky Advocate Top 20 in 2022, and the recent peated limited edition Indri Diwali Collector’s Edition 2023.

Shortcross Rye & Malt
Style: Irish whiskey
Origin: Ireland
Age: Not stated
ABV: 46%
Price: $103
Release: November
Availability: Nationwide

Irish Whiskey Bonding Co. Grafter
Style: Blend
Origin: Ireland
Age: Not stated
ABV: 43%
Price: $54
Release: November
Availability: Nationwide

Irish Whiskey Bonding Co. Chancer
Style: Blend
Origin: Ireland
Age: Not stated
ABV: 43%
Price: $54
Release: November
Availability: Nationwide

Need to know:
Shortcross Rye & Malt is the U.S. debut whiskey from Northern Ireland’s Rademon Estate Distillery. It’s made from a mixed mashbill of 100% Irish malted rye and malted barley double-distilled in Italian-made copper pot stills, and then aged for at least 5 years in new chinquapin oak and bourbon casks. Head distiller David Boyd-Armstrong became fascinated with rye whiskeys and mixed mashbills while touring U.S. distilleries when he was developing the concept for Rademon Estate Distillery with his wife Fiona, the distillery’s managing director. This is definitely an Irish whiskey, but using between 30–50% malted rye during trials with the balance coming from malted barley, it’s made not to fit into any of the Irish whiskey categories of single malt, single grain, or single pot still.

Rademon Estate also launched the Irish Whiskey Bonding Co. in October, which pays homage to Belfast’s great bonders and blenders of the past. The company is focused on the art of blending to create new Irish expressions, drawing on stocks of sourced liquid and their own casks of Shortcross Irish whiskey. Both blends use three sourced whiskeys matured in bourbon casks including a triple-distilled single malt, triple-distilled single pot still, and a grain whiskey, with some triple-distilled single malt matured in oloroso sherry casks, which were combined with parcels of double-distilled Shortcross single malt matured in bourbon and new American oak casks. The Shortcross single malts in Grafter are unpeated, while those in Chancer are peated, using peated malt from Glenesk maltings in Scotland peated to 55 PPM.

Whisky Advocate says:
Rademon Estate is a craft distillery on the outskirts of Crossgar, Co. Down in Northern Ireland, a 30-minute drive south of Belfast. The Irish name for the town is an Chrois Ghearr, meaning “the short cross,” which became the inspiration for the brand name. Following the launch of its Shortcross gin, Rademon began filling casks for Shortcross in 2015, using long fermentation times and slow distillation, releasing its inaugural whiskey in late 2021.