Glenmorangie A Tale of Tokyo, New Westland Garryana Edition 8, Deanston Virgin Oak Cask Strength & More [New Releases]

Whisky can be transportive, evoking memories of places you've been and trips you've taken. Distillers know this well and sometimes use it to great effect. Look to Dr. Bill Lumsden, the director of whisky creation for Glenmorangie and Ardbeg, who has time and again used his own experiences as inspiration for his creations. In the Glenmorangie "A Tale Of" series, he's explored Scottish forests and the delights of enjoying a dram by the fire, and now he's fathoming Tokyo through a glass with Glenmorangie's A Tale of Tokyo release. And while only the most adventurous among us have been to the Isle of Harris, this tiny island in the Outer Hebrides has a distillery. This week it introduces The Hearach, its very first single malt—a gently peated Islands expression that arrived on the eighth anniversary of the distillery's opening. That one seems likely to be a transportive experience of its own.

Isle of Harris isn't the only first of the week: a few years ago renowned winemaker Dave Phinney of Napa Valley fame opened Savage & Cooke Distillery on Mare Island, across the bay from San Francisco, and he's now debuting the first whiskey made with his own liquid. Ireland's Powerscourt Distillery is out with Fercullen, the first whiskey to be distilled in County Wicklow in more than a century. And Woodford Reserve's Distillery Series has launched the first Woodford whiskey to bear the name of new master distiller Elizabeth McCall on the label. There's also a welcome return from Deanston, whose Cask Strength expression hasn't seen on these shores in 13 years—great news from this very underrated Scottish distiller, which isn't often heard from on the pages of Whisky Weekend. There's lots more to discover here, so read on.

SCOTCH AND IRISH

Glenmorangie A Tale of Tokyo
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Highlands)
Age: Not stated
ABV: 46%
Price: $110
Release: September 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
The newest limited expression from Glenmorangie is a single malt that’s been aged in a mix of bourbon, sherry, and mizunara casks.

Whisky Advocate says:
This is the latest in Glenmorangie’s “A Tale Of” series, which features single malts inspired by director of whisky creation Dr. Bill Lumsden’s travels. The series’s hallmark is experimentation, with most of its bottlings featuring a cask finish or specific maturation vessel. This time the focus is on mizunara oak, but previous expressions have featured marsala casks (A Tale of Winter), and tokaji casks (A Tale of Cake). The series also produced A Tale of The Forest, a 93-point whisky made using barley kilned with woodland botanicals.

Isle of Harris The Hearach
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Islands)
Age: Not stated
ABV: 46%
Price: $90
Release: October 2023
Availability: Ongoing release available in AZ, CA, CO, GA, IL, LA, MA, NJ, NV, NY, TX, and WA

Need to know:
Isle of Harris Distillery’s inaugural release is called The Hearach, named after the Scottish Gaelic term for a native of the island. The gently peated single malt was matured in first-fill bourbon, oloroso, and fino sherry casks and is being released on the eighth anniversary of the distillery’s opening in 2015.

Whisky Advocate says:
Isle of Harris Distillery is situated in Tarbert on the Outer Hebrides, beside the port where the ferry sails to Uig on the Isle of Skye, connecting the island to the Inner Hebrides. Harris has around 2,000 inhabitants, and the distillery has strong links with the island community, providing employment and a meeting place for the local inhabitants. Blender Shona Macleod created eight batches of The Hearach initially, with subtle differences in flavor due to individual cask variations and marrying periods.

Deanston Virgin Oak Cask Strength (Batch 1)
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Highlands)
Age: Not stated
ABV: 58.5%
Price: $70
Release: September 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
Deanston’s Virgin Oak label (46.3% ABV) debuted in 2010. Thirteen years later, its cask strength version is now available. Virgin Oak is bourbon barrel matured and then finished for one year in virgin American oak barrels from Kentucky’s Kelvin Cooperage.

Whisky Advocate says:
Deanston Distillery opened in 1966, making it one of Scotland’s younger distilleries. It’s located in the southern Highlands, just north of the historic city of Stirling. Sitting right on the banks of the River Teith, Deanston was once a textile mill, and the weaving sheds are now used for aging whisky. The riverside location allows Deanston to produce its own hydroelectric power on-site.

Fercullen
Style: Single malt
Origin: Ireland
Age: Not stated
ABV: 46%
Price: $50
Release: September 2023
Availability: Widely available

Need to know:
This single malt whiskey was triple distilled and matured in bourbon casks at the Powerscourt Distillery, making it the first whiskey to be distilled and released from Co. Wicklow in over 100 years.

Whisky Advocate says:
The Powerscourt Distillery and visitor center opened to the public in 2019 within the Powerscourt Estate House & Gardens and is the home to Fercullen Irish whiskey. Three-quarters of its annual production is single malt, with the remainder focusing on single pot still, though distillery manager Paul Corbett is experimenting with recipes when time permits. Earlier this year, Powerscourt released a small batch blend called Fercullen Falls, which has a 50% malt content, and marked the first time the distillery had included its own whiskey in a bottling.

AMERICAN WHISKEY

Westland Garryana Edition 8
Style: American single malt
Origin: Washington
Age: 4 year old
ABV: 50%
Price: $150
Release: November 2023
Availability: 7,380 bottles

Need to know:
The latest edition of Garryana is here, and while it certainly isn’t starting from scratch, distillery manager Tyler Pederson says this year’s edition differentiates itself from previous releases through two factors: 38% of the whiskey is matured in garryana oak (making it second only to last year’s release, which saw 46% finished in garryana), and it’s the third edition to be aged in Pedro Ximénez casks (45%). Rounding out the cask types used are Washington State red wine barrels (12%) and first-fill bourbon barrels (5%). The 100% malted barley mashbill includes Washington Select pale malt, Munich malt, extra special malt, pale chocolate malt, brown malt, and Golden Promise malt.

Whisky Advocate says:
Key to Garryana’s DNA is maturation in the eponymous oak, Quercus garryana, which is indigenous to the Pacific Northwest. It’s a difficult wood to work with, and fairly scarce as well, though Westland has partnered with various forestry experts, mills, and coopers on sustainability practices. In addition to exploring the influence of garryana on its whiskeys, Westland is also looking into heirloom barley varietals via its Colere single malt, and peating whiskey with Washington-sourced peat for Solum, released earlier this year.

Woodford Reserve Distillery Series: Toasted Oak Four Grain
Style: Blend of whiskeys
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 45.2%
Price: $60/375 ml
Release: September 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
The latest edition of Woodford’s Distillery Series is a blend of four grains: corn, rye, wheat, and malted barley. It was first aged in new oak before being finished in heavily toasted oak barrels. Aside from being a new addition, Toasted Oak Four Grain is notable in that it’s the first Woodford whiskey to feature master distiller Elizabeth McCall’s name on the label. McCall took the master distiller reins from Chris Morris, now master distiller emeritus, at the beginning of this year.

Whisky Advocate says:
The Distillery Series continues to highlight Woodford’s creative efforts; while this release focuses on both blending and maturation, previous releases have put the spotlight on using more unique grains, like oats, or unusual combinations, like bourbon and chocolate malted rye.

Chattanooga Bottled in Bond: Fall 2019
Style: Bourbon
Origin: Tennessee
Age: Not stated
ABV: 50%
Price: $55
Release: September 2023
Availability: Limited; AL, CO, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, OH, SC, and TN

Need to know:
Distilled and barreled during Chattanooga’s July-December distilling season in 2019, this is a blend of three of the distillery’s high-malt bourbon mashbills. The blend includes at least 25% specially malted grains, like caramel malted rye, honey malted rye, and oak-smoked malted wheat.

Whisky Advocate says:
Chattanooga Whiskey was founded in 2011, at a time when distilling wasn’t legal in Chattanooga. Whiskey was sourced while founders Tim Piersant and Joe Ledbetter lobbied to have distilling permitted. On May 16, 2013 their efforts paid off with the passing of Tennessee’s HB 102. Chattanooga launched its Bottled in Bond series in June 2021.

RY3 Cask Strength Cigar Series
Style: Blended rye
Origin: Indiana (MGP)
Age: Not stated
ABV: 60.6%
Price: $125
Release: September 2023
Availability: 5,000 bottles, available in CA, CO, TN, GA, MO, CT, MA, NC, MS, AL, LA, TX, WI, and rye3whiskey.com

Need to know:
This includes three individually finished rye whiskeys—one finished in rum casks, one in madeira casks, and the last in vino de naranja (Spanish orange wine) casks—that are blended, and then the final whiskey is finished with toasted oak staves for three months.

Whisky Advocate says:
RY3 is owned by Phenomenal Spirits, which released its first whiskey, a blended rye sourced from Indiana and Alberta, Canada, back in 2020. The company is based in Virginia Beach; while it’s solely a non-distiller producer, master distiller Matt Witzig (who previously made whiskey at Jos. A. Magnus & Co.) is at the helm when it comes to all things blending. In addition to blended ryes, RY3’s lineup has also previously included a 14 year old light whiskey.

Savage & Cooke Rye
Style: Rye
Origin: California
Age: 3 year old
ABV: 50%
Price: $49
Release: September 2023
Availability: Nationwide

Need to know:
This rye is made from 51% rye, 45% corn, and 4% malted barley, all of which are grown just 50 miles away from the distillery on Mare Island, California—an old naval yard that’s a short hop from San Francisco. The whiskey is a blend of five batches, and it was aged in American oak. A portion of the rye was finished in grenache barrels from Napa Valley winemaker (and distillery owner) Dave Phinney for about two months.

Savage & Cooke Bourbon
Style: Bourbon
Origin: California
Age: 3 year old
ABV: 50%
Price: $49
Release: September 2023
Availability: Nationwide

Need to know:
As with the rye, the grains for this bourbon (75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley) were grown within 50 miles of the distillery, and the final whiskey is a blend of five separate batches. Maturation took place in American oak, and a portion of the bourbon was finished in Phinney’s cabernet sauvignon barrels for around 2 months.

Savage & Cooke American Whiskey
Style: American whiskey
Origin: Not stated
Age: 4 year old
ABV: 56.5%
Price: $49
Release: September 2023
Availability: Nationwide

Need to know:
The barrels for this whiskey, which has a mashbill of 66% corn, 30% rye, and 4% malted barley, were purchased by Savage & Cooke back in 2019, and spent four years aging on Mare Island before being finished in zinfandel barrels, also from Phinney, for about two months. While the whiskey has what is ostensibly a bourbon mashbill, it wasn’t aged in new charred oak; rather, it was originally put into bourbon barrels. The whiskey was bottled at cask strength.

Whisky Advocate says:
With the release of the bourbon and the rye, Savage & Cooke is finally debuting its own-make distillate. The distillery opened its doors in 2018, and while it started laying down its own whiskeys right away, Phinney was also sourcing barrels in the interim. While Phinney is the distillery’s owner, its master distiller is Jordan Via, who also distills for Breckenridge Distillery in Colorado, and previously made whiskey at California’s Stillwater Spirits. Alongside the new releases comes new packaging for the brand, and a more streamlined approach—previously, each whiskey had a different name, with the bourbon called “The Burning Chair,” the rye referred to as “Lip Service,” and the American whiskey known as “Second Glance.” More limited-release whiskeys will live on through the existing Guero lineup.

Quest’s End: Paladin
Style: Blended bourbon
Origin: Kentucky and Indiana
Age: 4 year old
ABV: 50%
Price: $150
Release: October 2023
Availability: 5,000 bottles

Need to know:
This debut bottling in the Quest’s End series is a blend of whiskeys sourced from undisclosed distilleries in Indiana and Kentucky. It goes on sale on October 6th, and is set to ship in November.

Whisky Advocate says:
With this release, actor Matthew Lillard, of “Scooby Doo” and “Scream” fame, and screenwriter Justin Ware have joined the ranks of celebrities with a whiskey label. Quest’s End represents Lillard’s passion for the fantasy genre, with a name that takes inspiration from tabletop role-playing video games like Dungeons & Dragons. It was crafted by master blender Ale Ochoa, formerly of TX Whiskey, and under the guidance of Blue Run Spirits co-founder Tim Sparapani. The second release, Rogue, is set to launch in January with two others, Warlock and Dragon, launching sometime after.

13^th Colony Double Oaked
Style: Finished bourbon
Origin: Georgia
Age: 10 year old
ABV: 68.4%
Price: $200
Release: September 2023
Availability: 3,216 bottles

Need to know:
Double Oaked is made with a mashbill of 70% corn, 21% rye, and 9% malted barley. The bourbon is first aged in American oak before being finished in toasted maple wood.

Whisky Advocate says:
13^th Colony Distillery is located in Americus, Georgia, and counts itself as the state’s oldest operating distillery since Prohibition, having opened its doors in 2009. The distillery prefers to source its ingredients locally, when it can, using corn from its private farm and water from the oldest aquifer in the southeast. Master distiller Graham Arthur got his start in the culinary world, studying at Le Cordon Bleu in Atlanta, and is also a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Chicken Cock Red Stave
Style: Finished bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 51.2%
Price: $200
Release: September 2023
Availability: Limited; available nationwide

Need to know:
Chicken Cock’s newest bourbon follows a mashbill of 70% corn, 21% rye, and 9% malted barley. It’s been finished in J. Wilkes Petite Sirah barrels.

Whisky Advocate says:
Kentucky’s Chicken Cock Whiskey was established in 1856, and its initial run lasted nearly a full century. The distillery survived Prohibition, kept alive by smuggling whiskey stored in tin cans, and only met its end following a catastrophic fire after WWII. The brand was resurrected in 2012 by Grain & Barrel Spirits, the same outfit behind Virgil Kaine. Chicken Cock’s expressions have historically scored in the mid 80’s range with our tasting panel, but its cask-finished bottlings (like this one) have tended to score much higher.

15 Stars Sherry Cask
Style: Bourbon
Origin: Indiana and Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 57.5%
Price: $180
Release: September 2023
Availability: Limited; GA, IN, KY, LA, MO, TN, and at 15stars.com

Need to know:
This low-rye bourbon consists of a 13 year old distilled at an undisclosed Bardstown, Kentucky distillery and a 10 year old from an unspecified distillery in Indiana. The blend was then finished in sherry casks.

Whisky Advocate says:
15 Stars started as an experiment in 2019 when founders Rick and Ricky Johnson distilled heirloom black corn, a varietal that is used in the family’s Black Jewell Popcorn business. Since then they also distill using red, blue, and white corn. The first expression of 15 Stars bourbon was in April of last year.

Varchas Reserve 102
Style: Bourbon
Origin: Indiana
Age: Not stated
ABV: 51%
Price: $60
Release: September 2023
Availability: Limited; Michigan only

Need to know:
This Indiana-distilled high-rye bourbon has a mashbill of 60% corn, 36% rye, and 4% malted barley and was aged in both Indiana and Michigan.

Whisky Advocate says:
Founded in 2020, Troy, Michigan-based Varchas Spirits’ Reserve 102 is the brand's third whiskey. Varchas Spirits intends to open its distillery to the public for tours and tastings in the near future.

Catoctin Creek Hot Honey Rye
Style: Flavored whiskey
Origin: Virginia
Age: Not stated
ABV: 40%
Price: $50
Release: September 2023
Availability: Nationwide

Need to know:
Catoctin Creek’s newest expression is a pot-stilled flavored whisky, made using 100% rye, that’s been infused with three types of honey (wildflower, clover, and buckwheat) and chile peppers.

Whisky Advocate says:
Purcellville, Virginia’s Catoctin Creek, the first legal distillery in Loudoun County since Prohibition, first debuted Hot Honey Rye as a barrel select expression back in May 2022. That version of the rye featured a honey barrel finish, and only around 350 bottles were produced. This version, however, aims to dial up both the heat and the honey by eschewing the cask finish in favor of a honey and chile infusion. The new Hot Honey Rye is also slated as the next permanent member of the Catoctin Creek family, and comes just two months after the release of Ragnarök Rye: Oderus Edition.

COLLECTIBLE

The Last Drop Signature Creation 32 year old by Louise McGuane
Style: Single malt
Origin: Ireland
Age: 32 year old
ABV: 47%
Price: $2,550
Release: November 2023
Availability: Limited global release of 663 bottles

Need to know:
The Last Drop is making its first-ever foray into Irish whiskey with a new signature creation by Louise McGuane, the founder of whiskey bonder J.J. Corry. The whiskeys were distilled in 1991 and selected from stocks in the J.J. Corry bond by McGuane with managing director of The Last Drop Distillers Rebecca Jago and Lough Gill Distillery master blender Helen Mulholland. The chosen whiskeys were then married together and finished in an oloroso sherry butt.

Whisky Advocate says:
This is The Last Drop’s third signature creation following the release of a 50 year old blend by Colin Scott in 2021, and a blend of Kentucky whiskeys by Drew Mayville in 2022. McGuane was invited to join The Last Drop Assembly in 2020, a six-person panel of industry experts who share ideas with the aim of shaping The Last Drop’s pursuit of extraordinary liquids. The Last Drop was founded in 2008 and this Irish whiskey is their 32^nd release.

Duncan Taylor Rarest 1983 Distilled at Port Ellen
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Islay)
Age: 40 years old
ABV: 52.4%
Price: $7,300
Release: October 2023
Availability: Limited global release of 209 bottles, available for purchase in the U.S. upon request by contacting info@shandimportllc.com.

Need to know:
Independent bottler Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky Ltd. is releasing a 40 year old Port Ellen distilled during the final weeks of production before the distillery was shuttered in May 1983. Matured in a first-fill European oak sherry cask, No. 667 was filled on March 16^th 1983 and matured on Islay until 2010 when it was moved to Duncan Taylor’s warehouse in Aberdeenshire.

Whisky Advocate says:
This is the first Port Ellen release from Duncan Taylor since 2013, but this fall is shaping up to be a good year for Port Ellen collectors with more than 800 cask-strength bottles coming on the market across three different releases. Gordon & MacPhail’s Recollection Series includes a 1981 Port Ellen and Diageo’s Prima & Ultima 2023 releases contained a 1978 Port Ellen. The Duncan Taylor 40 year old release is the least expensive and the only one of these Port Ellen whiskies to be fully matured in a first-fill sherry cask­—the 1981 release was matured in a refill sherry cask while the 1978 release was drawn from four American oak hogsheads.