FUJI Japanese Whisky, Jack Daniels Barrel Proof Rye, & More [New Releases]

The whisky world was abuzz with news this week. WhiskyFest took place in Chicago last Friday, May 12th, drawing in newcomers and returnees to the Windy City’s marquee whisky event. Bourbon heavyweight James B. Beam Distilling Co. has thrown its hat into the American single malt ring with the release of Clermont Steep—its first official ASM expression, and a permanent addition to its whiskey family. In an exclusive interview with Whisky Advocate, Justin Sloan and Justin Thompson of Washington, D.C. retail outfit Justins’ House of Bourbon have responded to the TTB dropping its counterfeiting claims.

As far as new expressions go, whisky fans are spoiled for choice this week. Newcomer Forbidden has debuted with a small batch bourbon expression, Chattanooga Whiskey has added a new bourbon to its Experimental Batch series, Jack Daniel’s has a new barrel proof rye, and Kilchoman released its 2023 edition of Loch Gorm. Read on for full details.

Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof
Style: Rye
Origin: Tennessee
Age: Not stated
ABV: Varies per barrel, 62.5%-72.5%
Price: $60
Release: May 2023
Availability: Nationwide

Need to know:

Jack Daniel’s adds a barrel proof rye to its Single Barrel Collection, which also offers a barrel proof Tennessee whiskey, Single Barrel Select Tennessee whiskey, and Single Barrel rye expressions. Once again Jack steps up to the plate with a 70% rye share in the mashbill, along with 18% corn and 12% malted barley—the same recipe as the regular strength single barrel rye. That rye proportion tilts decidedly to the high side among Tennessee and Kentucky ryes, though it’s not as high as Bulleit Rye’s 95% share, the most lip-smacking of the bunch.

Whisky Advocate says:

While Jack Daniel spends much of its time making the core Old No. 7 Tennessee whiskey and its variations, the company has been making rye for over a decade now. Seeing the rye renaissance beginning to bloom, in 2010 it began distilling rye for the first time in its modern history, and released its Unaged Tennessee rye in 2012. That was followed by Rested Tennessee rye in 2014, Single Barrel rye in 2016, and Tennessee rye the following year. The Jack Daniel’s mashbill practically flips Jack’s Tennessee whiskey recipe of 80% corn, 12% malted barley, and 8% rye. Like other Jack Daniel’s expressions, this one is charcoal filtered.

Clermont Steep
Style: American single malt
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 5 year old
ABV: 47%
Price: $60
Release: May 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:

Made at the Fred B. Noe Distillery by eighth-generation master distiller Freddie Noe, this small batch single malt is made with midwestern barley and Beam family jug yeast. It was distilled in a column still and aged for five years in barrels that were toasted and charred to level 1.

Whisky Advocate says:

This is the first American single malt from James B. Beam Distilling Co., which has made its name with a slew of Kentucky bourbons and ryes, among them Jim Beam—the biggest bourbon brand in the world—Knob Creek, Booker’s, Baker’s, Basil Hayden, and more. It’s a major addition to the American single malt space, which is still on its way to receiving formal guidelines. Watch this video of Freddie Noe as he describes how he approached the making of his latest creation.

Dewar’s 19 year old The Champions Edition 2023
Style: Blend
Origin: Scotland
Age: 19 year old
ABV: 43%
Price: $80
Release: June 2023
Availability: Limited annual release

Need to know:

Dewar’s is releasing the official whisky of the 123rd U.S. Open Championship, which tees off on June 15 at The Los Angeles Country Club and is scheduled to finish on Father’s Day. To tie in with the tournament being hosted in California, master blender Stephanie Macleod has double aged this 19 year old blend in red wine casks from Napa Valley. The age statement on The Champions Edition is a nod to the final round at the 19th hole, while the Dewar’s silver box evokes the U.S. Open winner’s Wanamaker trophy.

Whisky Advocate says:

Each of Dewar’s whiskies produced for the U.S. Open has been slightly different from the previous one. The first release in 2021 was finished in first-fill bourbon casks, the second brought in new American oak, bourbon, and rye whiskey barrels, and this year, Macleod chose red wine casks from California. Next year, the event returns to Pinehurst, North Carolina, the scene of the late Payne Stewart’s memorable U.S. Open victory in 1999, when he holed a 15-foot putt to beat Phil Mickelson. While we have no advance notice of next year’s release, distilling has flourished in North Carolina in the 21st century giving Dewar's one option, but the architect of Pinehurst’s original courses was Scotsman Donald Ross, and Pinehurst Resort No. 2 is said to be the closest course in the U.S. to St. Andrews, so perhaps the Dewar’s 19 year old The Champions Edition 2024 release will have more of a Scottish theme.

Kilchoman Loch Gorm 2023 Edition
Style: Single malt scotch
Origin: Scotland (Islay)
Age: Not stated
ABV: 46%
Price: $125
Release: End of May
Availability:18,000 bottles worldwide; 2,280 bottles for the U.S.

Need to know:

This is the 12th edition of Loch Gorm, which is named for Islay’s largest loch, located just two miles from the distillery. Loch Gorm continues to be Kilchoman’s only expression matured solely in oloroso sherry casks. For this year’s release, owner Anthony Wills and distiller/production manager Robin Bignal selected a total of 22 oloroso sherry butts—8 distilled in 2013, 6 distilled in 2014, and 8 distilled in 2015.

Whisky Advocate says:

When Kilchoman opened in 2005, it became the first distillery built on Islay in 124 years. This farm distiller, situated on the island’s far west coast just a mile and a half from the Atlantic Ocean, focuses on annual special releases. In addition to Loch Gorm, those include Machir Bay, Sanaig, and 100% Islay Barley. In a bit of good news for fans, Loch Gorm’s availability has been slowly creeping upward over recent years. Back in 2017 there were 13,500 bottles available worldwide, of which 1,788 were for the U.S. Availability rose to 15,500/1,920 in 2020, 17,000/2,040 in 2021,17,250/2,040 in 2022, and this year's 18,000/2,280.

FUJI
Style: Single Blend
Origin: Japan
Age: Not stated
ABV: 43%
Price: $70
Release: May 2023
Availability: CA, FL, GA, IL, NJ, NY, MD, TX

Need to know:

This is a blend of 100% Japanese whiskies produced at Fuji Gotemba Distillery, which produces malt whisky and three styles of grain whiskies using snowmelt from nearby Mount Fuji. While it doesn’t carry an age statement, the component whiskies have been aged between 7 and 16 years in medium-toasted and charred new American white oak casks.

Whisky Advocate says:

Fuji has established a new category of Japanese whisky with this release–the single blend. Its whiskies launched in the U.S. in 2021, and the reason Fuji’s master blender Jota Tanaka can make a Japanese single blend is because of the legacy of the distillery’s founding partners: Kirin and Seagram, the latter of which owned Chivas Brothers. Fuji Gotemba Distillery is equipped with traditional copper pot stills, as well as a beer column, doubler stills, kettle still, and column stills. Not only can it produce double-distilled single malt, but it also makes light, medium, and heavy styles of grain whisky akin to the character of Scottish and Canadian grain whiskies and bourbon.

The GlenDronach Cask Strength Batch 12

Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Highlands)
Age: Not stated
ABV: 58.2%
Price: $105
Release: May 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:

The 12th batch of GlenDronach Cask Strength was matured in a combination of Pedro Ximénez and oloroso sherry casks.

Whisky Advocate says:

The latest release of GlenDronach Cask Strength comes quickly on the heels of Batch 11, which debuted in January. Every GlenDronach single malt sees maturation in sherry casks, with master blender Rachel Barrie looking to pull notes of stewed apples and grapes and a certain nuttiness from oloroso casks and flavors of prunes and syrup from the PX.

Royal Salute 21 year old Jodhpur Polo Edition
Style: Blended malt
Origin: Scotland
Age: 21 year old
ABV: 40%
Price: $160
Release: May 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:

The fifth release in the Royal Salute Polo Collection draws inspiration from the Blue City of Jodhpur, India, the birthplace of modern polo. Master blender Sandy Hyslop used virgin oak cask finishing on a unique blend of aged malt whiskies to capture the rich spices and flavors of India.

Whisky Advocate says:

This whisky, which is packaged in a vibrant yellow decanter is the first blended malt in the Royal Salute Polo Collection and joins the four earlier releases that have all received impressive ratings over the years. This Royal Salute series of 21 year olds began with the Polo Edition (91 points), a light blend made for daytime consumption, followed by the Beach Polo Edition (90 points) created to evoke warm sands and beach barbecue smoke. Then came blended grain whisky Snow Polo (91 points), designed for serving over ice to toast polo’s winter season, and the Polo Estancia Edition (91 points), inspired by Argentina and given a malbec cask finish.

Forbidden Small Batch
Style: Bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 5 year old
ABV: 47.6%
Price: $129
Release: May 2023
Availability: Limited to Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina. Online presale at bourbonoutfitter.com, shipping in June.

Need to know:

Forbidden’s debut expression is a bourbon made from 75% white corn, 12% white winter wheat, and 13% malted barley. White corn, the main component, is a popular food staple in the southern United States. This is a blend of whiskeys made at both Castle & Key and Bardstown Bourbon Company in Kentucky.

Whisky Advocate says:

Forbidden is the newest project undertaken by master distiller Marianne Eaves, formerly of Castle & Key fame. Eaves has partnered with South Carolina-based businessmen Daniel Rickenmann, Michael Fawcett, Murray Baroody, and Brad Valdes on the brand. Forbidden plans to release this bourbon alongside three single barrel cask strength expressions, with more details to come. Eaves had not yet left Castle & Key when she started making this one, hence the dual distillery origins. Going forward it will all be made at one distillery, presumably Bardstown.

The JRNY
Style: Canadian
Origin: Ontario
Age: 3 year old
ABV: 44%
Price: $25
Release: May 2023
Availability: Limited; Missouri and Illinois

Need to know:

This new hockey-themed whisky is aged for 3 years in light-charred American Oak, with an additional 3-month finish carried out in used proprietary barrels. The mashbill comprises both wheat and rye. The whiskey will initially be available in Missouri and Illinois, but expanded U.S. distribution is planned.

Whisky Advocate says:

The JRNY is the brainchild of brothers and former NHL players Chris and Sean Pronger. The whisky itself is an ode to reconnecting friendships and enduring hardships, with the name JRNY being inspired by the two journeys the brothers took in their respective hockey careers. The 44% ABV is a reference to Chris’s jersey number 44, which the St. Louis Blues retired in early 2022. It was distilled by Niagara Falls Craft Distillers in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. The Prongers are native Ontarians who grew up in the western Ontario town of Dryden.

Chattanooga Experimental Batch 031: Red, White & Blue Grist
Style: Bourbon
Origin: Tennessee
Age: 4 years
ABV: 51%
Price: $75
Release: May 2023
Availability: 1,200 bottles; at the Chattanooga Experimental Distillery and online at seelbachs.com

Need to know:

Chattanooga Whiskey’s newest experimental release is a high-malt bourbon, made from stone-ground red, white, and blue corns. It has a mashbill of 72% corn (28% red, 28% white, and 16% blue) and 28% malted barley. After distillation, it’s aged in charred and toasted barrels for over 4 years.

Whisky Advocate says:

This expression marks the 31st entry in Chattanooga’s ongoing Experimental Batch series. Established in August 2017 with the release of a high malt bourbon, this series focuses on creativity and innovation—with each limited expression often the product of a unique technique or process, and often not specifically involving whiskey. For example, Batch 24, Batch 28, and Batch 30 were all bourbon liqueurs with different infusions (mint, cacao, and honey, respectively). Batches 11, 12, 17, and 22 were all finished in relatively unusual cask types (maple syrup, mead, apricot brandy, and nocino walnut liqueur, respectively). Although the Experimental Batches have often strayed from whiskey, with Chattanooga dabbling in aquavit, liqueurs, aged gin, and amaro, this new release marks a return to the whiskey genre for the series.

Colorado Distillers Collaboration
Style: Wheat
Origin: Colorado
Age: 4 year old
ABV: 50%
Price: $75
Release: May 2023
Availability: Limited; 105 bottles at seven distilleries

Need to know:

This 100% centennial wheat whiskey was born from a collaboration between seven Colorado distilleries: 291 Colorado Whiskey, Bear Creek Distillery, Laws Whiskey House, Old Elk Distillery, State 38 Distilling, Wood’s High Mountain Distillery, and Woody Creek Distillers. Three conditions were agreed upon by all seven participants—only distillate made by the seven distilleries could be included in the final product, each distillery would use the same Centennial wheat grown by Colorado Malting Co., and 100% of the proceeds would go toward Colorado nonprofits.

Whisky Advocate says:

In the spring of 2018, all seven of the distillery collaborators distilled a 100% centennial wheat whiskey. The wheat itself is an heirloom varietal that was grown by the Cody family in Colorado’s San Luis Valley. Once distilled, the whiskeys were transferred to Laws Whiskey House in Denver, where they were blended and barreled. All materials for the release were donated, including the grain, barrels (from Independent Stave Co.), bottles (from O-I Glass), corks (Tapi Group), and labels (from Columbine Label Co.). As such, 100% of the whiskey’s sales are going toward local Colorado charities, among them Bridge of Hope, Urban Peak, Chaffee County Community Foundation, Larimer County Food Bank, and Cattlemen’s Days Tough Enough to Wear Pink. The whiskey will be available exclusively at each participating distillery’s tasting room.

Gordon & MacPhail Mr. George Legacy Glen Grant 1959 63 year old
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Speyside)
Age: 63 year old
ABV: 56.5%
Price: $8,500
Release: May 2023
Availability: 368 bottles; 22 bottles for the U.S. available in CA, FL, IL, KS

Need to know:

Elgin, Scotland-based independent bottler and distiller Gordon & MacPhail has released the third edition in its annual Mr. George Legacy series, which honors George Urquhart (1919–2001), the grandfather of the current Urquhart family, which is now in its fourth generation of owning the business. This single cask single malt was distilled in the 1950s at Glen Grant Distillery and matured in a first-fill sherry butt, and represents the last cask from 1959 in Gordon & MacPhail’s inventory.

Whisky Advocate says:

Mr. George, as Gordon & MacPhail staff and Speyside distillers knew him, became the senior partner in the business in 1956, taking over from his father to run the grocery, wine, and spirits business and oversee operations in blending and bottling scotch whiskies. He developed long-standing relationships with distillers in his Speyside base and beyond, opening up access to different scotch whiskies throughout his career, as he pioneered the bottling and sale of single malts, which back then were a rarely seen style. Through the subsequent decade, their Connoisseur’s Choice range helped establish a preference for single malt scotch among customers, and word began to spread. Today, George Urquhart is remembered for being one the first advocates of single malt scotch whisky, helping to establish its popularity around the world.

Rabbit Hole Tenniel
Style: Finished bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 54.4%
Price: $650
Release: May 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:

Tenniel is a blend of Cavehill—Rabbit Hole’s four-grain triple malt bourbon—and Heigold, its high-rye double malt bourbon. The final blend was finished in a toasted char level-1 barrel, and bottled at cask strength.

Whisky Advocate says:

This bourbon is a celebration of Rabbit Hole’s 10 years in business. Over the past decade, the brand has introduced a number of one-of-a-kind whiskeys with unique mashbills, and opened its own distillery. The two bourbons used in the Tenniel blend are flagships for the brand; Cavehill has a mashbill of 70% corn, 10% malted wheat, 10% malted barley, and 10% honey malted barley, while Heigold is made with 70% corn, 25% malted rye, and 5% malted barley.

Westward Whiskey Two Malts Rye (2023)
Style: American whiskey
Origin: Oregon
Age: 4 year old
ABV: 45%
Price: $100
Release: May 2023
Availability: 3,300 Bottles; Exclusive to Westward Whiskey Club members

Need to know:

Distilled in 2018, the second edition of Westward’s Two Malts Rye is made from a mashbill of 88% Pacific Northwest malted barley and 12% malted rye—meaning that despite its name, it is technically not a rye whiskey. This was aged nearly 5 years before bottling. This whiskey is a Westward Whiskey Club exclusive bottling.

Whisky Advocate says:

Westward Whiskey has been crafting “two-malt” whiskeys, like this one, for quite some time. Expressions of this type usually feature malted barley-dominant mashbills, with malted rye accents that rarely exceed 15%. Its first Two Malts Rye launched in 2019, sporting just 10% malted rye in its mashbill. Last year, a similar Whiskey Club exclusive called Two Malts Chocolate Rye released with only 2.5% chocolate roasted rye in its mashbill. In 2020, however, Westward broke from tradition with the American BridgePort Two Malts (68% malted barley and 32% malted rye) which scored 90 points with our tasting panel.

Glen Scotia 11 year old Lightly Peated White Port Cask Finish (Campbeltown Malts Festival 2023)
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Campbeltown)
Age: 11 year old
ABV: 54.7%
Price: $80
Release: July 2023
Availability: Limited edition

Need to know:

The Campbeltown Malts Festival takes place May 23–26, and to mark the events at Glen Scotia Distillery, master distiller Iain McAlister has produced an 11 year old lightly peated single malt finished in a white port cask for 12 months for this year’s Glen Scotia festival release.

Whisky Advocate says:

This year’s festival bottling carton has a QR code on the back enabling users to discover the Glen Scotia Whisky Experiment. This is a virtual tasting experience devised by OurWhisky Founder and TV drinks presenter Becky Paskin that explores your sensory perceptions as you sip the whisky.

At the Campbeltown Malts Festival 2023, the distillery will premier The Sound of Glen Scotia, a musical collaboration between whisky writer and musician Neil Ridley, Shetland singer-songwriter Jenny Sturgeon, and music producer Dean Honer. Woven through the track “Copper Heart” are the everyday sounds of the distillery captured using a binaural microphone and underwater microphones which the trio used to record everything from the morning grain delivery to the interior of the mashtun and washbacks during production, the sound of casks rolling into the warehouse, and the opening of the finished bottle. Sturgeon and Ridley will be in Campbeltown to release the track to coincide with the Glen Scotia Festival Day 2023.