Glenfiddich Grand Yozakura, Dixon Dedman's Latest Creation, & More [New Releases]

This week delivered news of two major distillery builds in the U.S. In Georgetown, Kentucky, Blue Run Spirits will soon break ground on a strikingly modern new headquarters that will include a 35,000-square-foot distillery and a 20,000-square-foot rickhouse, all expected to be up and running by 2025. Over in Ohio, craft distiller Middle West has unveiled plans for a 75,000-square-foot distillery, slated to be the centerpiece of its newly developed 14-acre home that will open this summer in Columbus. While Middle West makes vodka and gin along with its whiskey labels, its new distillery will be exclusively whiskey-focused.

This week brings a varied array of new whiskies. From Scotland, Glenfiddich has introduced a single malt in celebration of Japan's cherry blossom festival—a 29 year old whisky finished in casks previously used for the Japanese spirit awamori—while Loch Lomond is releasing two new whiskies to honor The Open, which will be played in July. From Kentucky, Dixon Dedman of Kentucky Owl fame is offering a new bourbon under his recently created 2XO brand. Read on for full details.

Glenfiddich Grand Yozakura
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Speyside)
Age: 29 year old
ABV: 45.1%
Price: $2,000
Release: March 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
Glenfiddich Grand Yozakura is a toast to Hanami, Japan’s cherry blossom festival—hence the whisky’s name. The cherry blossoms, or “sakura,” are best experienced at night, with the illuminated trees known as Yozakura or “night sakura.” It’s the latest release in Glenfiddich’s Grand Series, and it’s a 29 year old single malt finished for 6 months in Japanese awamori casks. Awamori is Japan’s oldest distilled spirit and is made from long-grain Indica rice. It is traditionally stored in clay pots, with a small proportion matured in oak casks. This is the first widely known whisky to be finished in such casks.

Whisky Advocate says:
Grand Yozakura joins other ultra-premium whiskies in Glenfiddich’s Grand Series, all of which showcase aged spirit and experimental cask finishing. Previous Grand releases include Grand Cru, aged 23 years and finished in French cuvée casks (92 points); Gran Reserva, aged 21 years and finished in Caribbean rum casks (93 points); and Grand Couronne, aged 26 years and finished in French cognac casks. Each of these whiskies presents a unique flavor experience for the curious drinker, with Yozakura the rarest, and most expensive, to date. Scotch lovers will have a chance to purchase a bottle through Glenfiddich’s website, from now through April 20.

2XO The Innkeeper’s Blend
Style: Blend of straight bourbons
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 52%
Price: $100
Release: March 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
This is the second release in 2XO’s Icon Series from master blender Dixon Dedman, which highlights small batch blends. The Innkeeper’s Blend uses two Kentucky straight bourbons—one with a high-rye mashbill, the other with a more standard bourbon mashbill. After blending and barreling, some of the whiskey is re-barreled into new charred oak barrels with No. 3 and No. 4 char levels, in the process that 2XO derives its name (two times oak).

Whisky Advocate says:
The Innkeeper’s Blend pays tribute to Dedman’s family history; his great-great-grandmother opened the Beaumont Inn, a renowned hotel on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, in 1919, and Dedman himself started working there when he was just 8 years old. By 2008, he was running the place, and he says his hospitality experience greatly aided him in launching his own whiskeys—first Kentucky Owl in 2014, and then 2XO last year. Much more of 2XO whiskey is on its way, so stay tuned for future releases.

Loch Lomond The Open Special Edition (2023 Release)
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Highland)
Age: Not stated
ABV: 46%
Price: $45
Release: April 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
Loch Lomond has returned with the latest release of its The Open Special Edition, created with professional golfer Colin Montgomerie. This year’s release was aged in American oak casks and finished in red wine Rioja Alta Reserva casks.

Loch Lomond The Open Course Collection Edition (2023 Release)
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Highland)
Age: 22 year old
ABV: 48.2%
Price: $320
Release: April 2023
Availability: Limited; 4,500 bottles

Need to know:
Along with The Open Special Edition comes this year’s Course Collection, a 22 year old certified organic single malt that was distilled in 2000. The whisky was distilled in a combination of Loch Lomond’s trademark straight neck stills and more traditional swan neck stills.

Whisky Advocate says:
Loch Lomond first partnered with The Open in 2018 and continues to release limited-edition whiskies to honor the golf tournament each year. It has also teamed up with pro golfer Cristie Kerr for a limited expression, with that whisky, 2002 Kerr Cellars Red Wine Cask-Finished, scoring 94 points. We’ve featured Loch Lomond as one of the many hidden gems in the world of single malt scotch, and there is often great under-the-radar value, with these releases representing a more affordable and premium option.

The 151^st Open will take place at Royal Liverpool this July, and each of these limited whiskies comes with a QR code that offers purchasers an augmented reality experience, where they will be able to access exclusive golf content and immersive videos, all inspired by The Open. We have plenty of golf content for the whisky-loving enthusiast, with these limited editions capturing the best of both worlds as they pay homage to this historic tournament and the role whisky has played in the game.

Chicken Cock Double Oak
Style: Whiskey
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 8 year old
ABV: 46%
Price: $100
Release: March 2023
Availability: Nationwide

Need to know:
Made with a mashbill of 80% corn, 11.5% rye, and 8.5% malted barley, Double Oak was first aged in used barrels, then transferred to new American oak barrels and placed on the top floor of Bardstown Bourbon Co.’s rickhouse (Chicken Cock’s parent company, Grain & Barrel Spirits, has been involved in Bardstown Bourbon Co.’s Collaborative Distilling Program since 2018). The barrels remained there for 18 months.

Whisky Advocate says:
Back in 2014, the whisky industry faced a barrel shortage—cooperages were unable to keep up with the demand for barrels, as unusually heavy rains impacted the logging industry. Distilleries, of course, continued making whiskey, but were forced to put it into used barrels, which goes against Kentucky bourbon requirements that stipulate whiskey must be aged in new oak. This is why Double Oak can’t be called a straight bourbon, despite its mash. Chicken Cock was founded in 1856, but fell by the wayside in the 1950s after its distillery burned down; Grain & Barrel Spirits founder and CEO Matti Anttila resurrected it in 2011. Today, Chicken Cock's whiskeys are made by master distiller Gregg Snyder at Bardstown Bourbon Co.’s Collaborative Distilling Program facility.

Oak & Eden 4 Grain & Maple
Style: Bourbon
Origin: Indiana
Age: Not stated
ABV: 45%
Price: $60
Release: March 2023
Availability: Oak & Eden website only

Need to know:
This small-batch release features 4 Grain bourbon finished with Oak & Eden’s "spire" bottle finishing method—in this case placing a maple syrup-soaked American oak spire in the bottle for finishing. Oak & Eden’s portfolio comprises its Spire Series, Infused Series, and Anthro Series of collaboration whiskeys, all of which use the spire finishing in a variety of different expressions.

Whisky Advocate says:
Founded in 2017, Oak & Eden is based in Bridgeport, Texas, and sources its whiskey from MGP in Indiana. Thus far its highest score in the Whisky Advocate Buying Guide has been 91 points for its Oak & Eden Prairie Jamestown Revival Riff in our Winter 2020 issue.

The Lakes Whiskymaker’s Reserve No. 6
Style: Single malt
Origin: England
Age: Not stated
ABV: 52%
Price: $95
Release: April 2022
Availability: Limited release; Illinois initially, more states to follow

Need to know:
This new release from English distillery The Lakes is the latest step in the journey of its whisky makers to explore and hone their sherry cask-led signature style. The single malt was matured in oloroso, Pedro Ximénez, and red wine casks, with both Spanish and American oak in the mix. It is bottled at cask strength without chill filtration or caramel coloring.

Whisky Advocate says:
Reserve No. 6 will be the penultimate release of Whiskymaker’s Reserve, though only the ones since No. 4 have been released in the U.S. In January 2022, Sarah Burgess, former lead whisky maker at Macallan, was appointed as The Lakes whisky maker replacing Dhavall Ghandi. England's whisky makers, while still new to the scene, have gained a higher profile in recent years.

Traverse City Finishing Series: Port Barrel Finish
Style: Finished bourbon
Origin: Michigan
Age: 5 year old
ABV: 50%
Price: $60
Release: March 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
This straight bourbon is made with Traverse City’s typical bourbon mashbill—75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley—and aged for 5 years before being finished in 300-liter ruby port wine barrels for nearly a year.

Traverse City Finishing Series: Cab Franc Barrel Finish
Style: Finished rye
Origin: Michigan
Age: 5 year old
ABV: 48.75%
Price: $60
Release: March 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
A 100% straight rye, this whiskey was aged for 5 years, then finished in cabernet franc barrels from 45 North Vineyard & Winery, which is about 30 minutes north of Traverse City.

Traverse City Finishing Series: Sherry Barrel Finish
Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Michigan
Age: 5 year old
ABV: 47.5%
Price: $60
Release: March 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
This high-rye bourbon has a mashbill of 60% corn, 36% rye, and 4% malted barley. Like the others in this series, this whiskey was aged for 5 years, then finished for just under 12 months in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks.

Whisky Advocate says:
While Traverse City’s Finishing Series is available as a complete set, the bottles are also available for individual purchase at the distillery’s tasting rooms in Traverse City and Ferndale, Michigan, as well as online via the distillery’s website. Traverse City Whiskey Co. was founded by Jared Rapp, Moti Goldring, and Chris Frederickson in 2011, inspired by Frederickson's discovery of distillation patents owned by his great-grandfather.

Sangam World Malt
Style: Malt whisky
Origin: Multiple
Age: Not stated
ABV: 43%
Price: $65/700 ml
Release: April 2023
Availability: Nationwide

Need to know:
Part of the Radico Khaitan portfolio (which also includes Rampur Indian whiskies), Sangam is a worldly blend of single malts from India, Europe, and the New World. Master blender Anup Barik selected the whiskies for the blend based on how well they showcased the distinct qualities of their individual locales.

Whisky Advocate says:
Sangam, which means “confluence” in Hindi, aims to highlight how whisky-making traditions in the East and the West can combine to form something far greater than the sum of its parts. The whisky is made at Rampur Distillery in India, which makes a number of great single malts under the Rampur banner, among them Double Cask, Asava, and Select.

DuBlasé No. 9
Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Florida
Age: 4 year old
ABV: 45%
Price: $50
Release: March 2023
Availability: Nationwide

Need to know:
This straight bourbon is made with a mashbill of corn, rye, and malted barley at Manifest Distilling in Jacksonville, Florida. The whiskey’s name is an homage to DuBlasé founder and CEO Darrin Eakins’ Divine Nine Fraternity.

Whisky Advocate says:
No. 9 is the second whiskey from DuBlasé, a Black-owned spirits brand based in Jacksonville, Florida. Eakins launched DuBlasé in 2020 with a vanilla-flavored whiskey; a percentage of the brand’s sales go toward Black and brown-focused STEM programs for high school students. A launch party for No. 9 is being held on April 9 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Jacksonville speakeasy The Volstead.