Glenmorangie Tale of Spice, Teeling and Sagamore Football Releases, and More New Whisky

New whiskies are coming from all over the world this week. Glenmorangie has its latest Tale Of limited-edition single malt, this one a spotlight on spices. Elsewhere across the pond, Torabhaig has the fourth installment in its Legacy Series, Port Ellen celebrates its 200th anniversary with a 42 year old single malt, and Teeling debuts another release in its multi-year partnership with the University of Notre Dame. In American whiskey, there’s plenty to enjoy, with new ryes from Sagamore Spirit, Wigle Whiskey, and Blue Note, and bourbons from Yellowstone, 15 Stars, and Jackson Purchase. And for the single North American single malt fans, WhistlePig has brought out a 30 year old bottling finished in Italian dessert wine casks.

Glenmorangie A Tale of Spices Single Malt Scotch

ABV: 46%
SRP: $92
Availability: Limited; imported by Moët Hennessy USA

The sixth instalment in Glenmorangie’s annual A Tale Of limited-edition series, A Tale of Spices captures the vivid colors and aromas of a bustling spice market. Director of whisky creation Dr. Bill Lumsden and master blender Gillian Macdonald devised a complex marriage of four different whiskies, initially matured in bourbon casks, then finished in a range of cask types chosen for the ability to impart spice notes. For the first time in Glenmorangie’s history, Moroccan red wine casks made of medium-toasted French oak were used. The second type was red wine STR casks—rejuvenated by shaving, toasting, and recharring the interior surface—a cask type previously used for Glenmorangie Milsean, as part of the now retired Glenmorangie Private Edition series, the forerunner to this series. To deepen the spice profile, new charred oak casks were added to the finishing recipe; previously used for the Travel Retail exclusive Elementa and Triple Cask Reserve. Finally, Pedro Ximénez sherry casks were added to the mix, contributing richness and layers of fruity sweetness to the creation.

This annual series draws inspiration from personal memories, sensations, and experiences ranging from the joy of cake and ice cream, bundling up for winter, to the vibrant cityscape of Tokyo. Notably, the 94-point A Tale of the Forest ranked No.8 on our Top 20 Whiskies of 2023.

Torabhaig The Legacy Series: Sound of Sleat Scotch Single Malt

ABV: 46%
SRP: $100
Availability: Limited

For many years, Talisker was the sole distillery located on the Isle of Skye—but that changed when Torabhaig opened its doors. Torabhaig is a relative newcomer to the scotch game, having only been established in 2017. The strategy thus far has been to offer The Legacy Series, a yearly release that tracks the distillery on its journey toward building a flagship 10 year old expression. Each Legacy Series expression is characterized by one or two distinct features that set it apart from the others, with each being the result of some experiment that’s meant to better define what the eventual house style will taste like.

Last year’s heavily peated Cnoc Na Móine represented the distillery’s first stab at using sherry casks, but this year the focus is back on American white oak. Taking its name from the Sleat Peninsula where the distillery sits, Sound of Sleat primarily taps bourbon barrels just like some of the original Legacy Series bottlings such as Alt Gleann and 2017. But this one is unique for its inclusion of virgin white oak barrels, which is something we’ve seen a few other scotch distillers do recently as well—including Glengoyne’s new Oak Masters’ Series expressions, and the new Glenfiddich 16 year old that launched last week. 45,000 bottles were released globally.

Teeling x Notre Dame Small Batch Irish Blend

SRP: $35
ABV: 46%
Availability: Limited; imported by Bacardi

Teeling has unveiled the latest release in its multi-year partnership with the University of Notre Dame: a special edition of its flagship Small Batch Irish whiskey (bourbon barrel matured for up to 6 years, then finished 6 months in rum casks). Teeling’s signature triple-distilled rum cask-finished blend is presented in a new design that pays tribute to the legendary Fighting Irish football program. Inspired by Notre Dame’s iconic gold helmets, the limited-edition bottle showcases a gleaming gold capsule, a label styled after the team’s uniforms, and a bold ND emblem front and center.

Excitement is building ahead of the highly anticipated Notre Dame vs Texas A&M clash at Notre Dame Stadium on September 13^th, with the sting of last year’s 23–13 loss at the Aggies’ Kyle Field still felt by their fans.

Sagamore Spirit Baltimore Ravens Festivus Maximus Small Batch Rye

ABV: 46.5%
SRP: $40
Availability: Maryland exclusive

Sagamore Spirit has partnered with its hometown football team, the Baltimore Ravens, for a third commemorative release. Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Ravens’ first World Championship, Festivus Maximus is blended entirely from rye stocks distilled by Sagamore. The release will be limited to the state of Maryland, with bottles available at select retailers in Baltimore and at the distillery.

Wigle Whiskey Reserve Mezcal & Sherry Cask Finished Rye

ABV: 46%
Price: $75
Availability: distillery, bottle shop, online for shipping within Pennsylvania and to Washington D.C.

Pittsburgh-based Wigle Whiskey has released a cask finished rye, aged for almost 10 years. As the newest addition in its Reserve series, it’s the distillery’s first double cask expression. It was aged for 6 years, then transferred to sherry casks for 3 1/2 years, followed by a secondary 6-month finish in mezcal casks.

There isn’t a lot of liquid to go around: only 256 bottles were released. Elsewhere in the Reserve series are straight, cask strength, and single barrel bourbons and ryes. Wigle reinvigorated Pittsburgh’s distilling scene when it was founded in 2011. Its name honors Philip Wigle, best known in history for starting the Whiskey Rebellion in 1790 in opposition of Alexander Hamilton’s Whiskey tax, which was the first excise tax in American history.

Yellowstone Limited Edition 10 year Old Straight Bourbon Blend (2025 Release)

ABV: 52.5%
Price: $100
Availability: Retail and Limestone Branch Distillery

Limestone Branch’s Yellowstone celebrates the 10th anniversary of its annual Limited Edition Collection with a 10 year old blend of three bourbons. The blend is composed of three mashbills and bottled at a 52.5% ABV. In Limestone Branch’s own-make, the final product includes whiskey from Ross & Squibb (MGP) as well as Limestone Branch.

Yellowstone unveiled its first age statement whiskey only a few months ago with the release of a core 6 year old bourbon. This marks the first time an age is stated in the collection. Experimental barrel cask finishes tend to be the hallmark of previous releases, generally scoring well with our tasting panel. Last year’s French brandy and cognac cask-finished iteration scored 89 and the 2023 edition finished in tokaji casks scored a 91.

Founded in 2011 by Beam family descendants Stephen and Paul Beam, Limestone Branch Distillery set out to restore the Yellowstone label to its former glory, as it was the best-selling bourbon in Kentucky back in the 1960s. Limestone today has a portfolio for Yellowstone, that includes Limited Edition and Special Finishes collections, alongside a small batch bourbon, single barrel, and American single malt. Limestone also produces Minor Case rye and Bowling and Burch gin.

Blue Note Honey Cask Rye

ABV: 58.245%
SRP: $65
Availability: limited

Memphis-based whiskey brand Blue Note has brought back its Honey Cask rye. As with the inaugural release, this one is made from a mashbill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley, which aged for 3 years before being finished in honey-infused casks for a brief stint. The new whiskey is available online at bluenotebourbon.com, as well as in select states across the U.S. Blue Note owner B.R. Distilling Co. doesn’t make its own whiskey, but instead partners with Lofted Spirits (owner of Green River Distilling Co. and Bardstown Bourbon Co.).

15 Stars Artisan Collection: Aged 15 and 12 Years Bourbon

ABV: 54.5%
SRP: $179
Availability: limited

For its latest release, 15 Stars blended 12 and 15 year old bourbons from Kentucky and Indiana. 15 Stars co-founder Ricky Johnson says the blend’s high-corn mashbill gives it a “liquid dessert” sweetness, resplendent with maple, caramel, vanilla, and dried fruit. While just 1,290 bottles of Artisan Collection are available, they’re going nationwide and can also be found at 15stars.com.

Jackson Purchase Batch No. 1 Full Proof Bourbon

ABV: 58.9%
SRP: $59
Availability: Kentucky exclusive

Jackson Purchase has been distilling whiskey in Hickman, Kentucky, a city on the banks of the Mississippi River near the Tennessee line, since 2021. The distillery is led by two prominent whiskey makers: former Heaven Hill master distiller Craig Beam and former Willet Head Distiller Terry Ballard. Most of the operation’s whiskey was made for other producers on contract, but now it’s releasing a whiskey of its own for the very first time.

Batch No.1 Full Proof has a mashbill of 70% corn, 20% rye, and 10% malted barley, with most of those grains coming from local farmers. It was aged for 4 years in No.-4 char barrels in the Mississippi River Valley—an area that Beam says has slightly higher temperatures than the rest of the state, which he claims sped up how quickly the whiskey picked up both color and flavor from the barrels. As the name suggests, the whiskey was bottled at full proof: having been entered into the barrel at 120 proof and bottled at 117.8 proof.

COLLECTIBLES

WhistlePig The BigShǝBàng Canadian Single Malt

ABV: 45.2%
SRP: $4,999
Availability: Limited

Since 2023, WhistlePig has dabbled in ultra-aged single malt, first releasing the 21 year old The Béhôlden in 2023, and following it with The Badönkådonk, a 25 year old in 2024. Those whiskeys are now being joined by WhistlePig’s oldest release to-date: a 30 year old North American single malt.

Of course, given that WhistlePig is but 15 years old and first and foremost known for rye, The BigShǝBàng wasn’t distilled at the Shoreham, Vermont-based producer, but, rather, at Glenora Inn & Distillery, located on Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island. (WhistlePig doesn’t say this outright, but we’re using context clues—the whiskey’s packaging says it’s distilled at “the first malt distillery in North America,” which is Glenora’s claim to fame.) Once the whisky reached 30 years of age, WhistlePig moved it to vin santo barrels (Italian dessert wine).

Just four barrels of the whisky were bottled, so there’s not a whole lot to go around; that said, if you’re hankering for a taste of this $5,000 dram, you can travel to the WhistlePig Vault in Louisville, Kentucky, or find it at select retailers nationwide. It’s not available for purchase online, though limited quantities of its 21 and 25 year old counterparts are up on whistlepigwhiskey.com.

Port Ellen 200th Anniversary Edition 42 Year Old Scotch Single Malt

ABV: 54.8%
SRP: $10,077
Availability: limited

Legendary Islay distillery Port Ellen is celebrating its 200th anniversary with a 42 year old single malt. The road to 200 hasn’t been without some bumps—Port Ellen was most recently silent for over 40 years, shuttering in 1983 and reopening just last year, but it spent a great deal of the 20th century closed, having closed from 1930 until 1967 as well. This release of 150 bottles marks the first limited edition from Port Ellen since it reopened.

The new single malt aged entirely in European oak. It’ll be available to purchase starting this October, either at the distillery (by appointment only) or by interfacing with the private client team in Scotland (which can be reached at diageorareandexceptional.com). If you happen to be in Islay in October, Port Ellen will also be pouring the 42 year old dram as part of a commemorative experience, which will also include pours of brand owner Diageo’s Prima & Ultima whiskies.

Port Ellen’s 200th anniversary celebrations aren’t stopping with the 42 year old single malt; the distillery is also set to unveil a new art installation by American-Nigerian artist Ini Archibong that explores the nuances of smoke flavor, and will soon launch the first in a series of distillery experiments that investigate just what affects the flavors of smoke.