Hirsch The Single Barrel Double Oak, Santa Fe Spirits Colkegan Unsmoked, & More [New Releases]

This Sunday is Mother's Day, and while the classics are always a safe bet—think flowers, chocolate, and jewelry—what better way to celebrate the whisky-appreciating mom in your life than with a memorable trip to a distillery event? Distilleries across the country are hosting events this weekend, ranging from a gift market at Westward Whiskey in Portland, Oregon happening tomorrow to a special guided tour of Sagamore Spirit in Baltimore, Maryland on Sunday. Of course, the "Succession" lovers among us know that Sunday is also the eighth episode of the final season—we've rounded up a complete list of whiskies spotted on the show, as well as some recommendations of our own that will have you sipping as the Roys do.

As far as new whiskies go, Hirsch pays homage to a past release with a new single barrel Kentucky bourbon, Santa Fe Spirits debuts an American single malt from New Mexico, and Colorado-based Laws Whiskey House is back with its latest bonded rye. Read on for full details.

Hirsch The Single Barrel Double Oak
Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 63.9%
Price: $99
Release: May 2023
Availability: 7,100 bottles; CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, MI, NJ, NY, TN, and TX and reservebar.com

Need to know:

Thirty barrels of this whiskey, which was distilled in Bardstown, are being released. The liquid is a blend of bourbon aged 8 years and 7 months, and bourbon aged 3 years and 7 months. The mashbills are slightly different, with the the younger one being slightly more high-rye. The whiskey was rebarreled in refill American oak casks, hence the "Double Oak" in name.

Whisky Advocate says:

The Single Barrel Double Oak was inspired by Hirsch’s A.H. Hirsch 16 year old Gold Foil, a whiskey revered for its rich flavors and its colorful history. The original bourbon, long gone, was distilled in 1974 at the old Michter’s Distillery in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania. The story of A.H. Hirsch is documented in an entertaining book by Charles K. Cowdery called “The Best Bourbon You’ll Never Taste,” which is well worth a read. Today Hirsch is owned by the artisan distiller and importer Hotaling & Co., which is based in San Francisco.

Santa Fe Spirits Colkegan Unsmoked
Style: American single malt
Origin: New Mexico
Age: Not stated
ABV: 46%
Price: $70
Release: May 2023
Availability: 1,500 bottles; at the distillery and santafespirits.com

Need to know:

This new single malt hails from New Mexico, and is made from two-row malted barley. It's aged in a mix of new American oak and bourbon barrels for approximately 4 years. The liquid is similar to Santa Fe Spirits’ original Colkegan expression, albeit without the mesquite-smoked peat. Colkegan is known for its smokiness, but this new expression caters to drinkers who prefer their New Mexican single malts without the smoke.

Whisky Advocate says:

For whiskey fans with a passion for American single malts, Colkegan series will be a familiar name. The inaugural whiskey in this line was a mesquite-smoked single malt, which the Whisky Advocate tasting panel scored 91. This was followed up by the release of a cask strength version (reviewed twice, scoring 90 both times), a version finished in brandy casks (89), and the very limited Colekgan PX —celebrating the distillery’s 10th anniversary.

Laws Whiskey House Bottled in Bond San Luis Valley (Batch 4)
Style: Rye
Origin: Colorado
Age: 7 year old
ABV: 50%
Price: $80
Release: May 2023
Availability: 4,848 bottles

Need to know:

The newest batch of Laws Whiskey House’s bonded rye comes from 24 barrels that were distilled between February and April 2016. Some of the barrels had a 100% rye mashbill, while others were 95% rye and 5% malted two-row barley. All the grains were from the San Luis Valley in south central Colorado..

Whisky Advocate says:

Denver-based Laws Whiskey House has been making whiskey since 2011, with a focus on grain profile and terroir. While the distillery has put out several limited-edition whiskeys, San Luis Valley rye is one of two flagship expressions—alongside its Four Grain bourbon—that receives annual, small-batch releases. Last year’s San Luis Valley expression, Batch 3 (90), was similarly a 7 year old bonded rye. Its inaugural batch (88) and subsequent Batch 2 were only 6 years old, however. Laws Whiskey House also unveiled its newest Bonded Four Grain bourbon just two months ago.

Starward Ginger Beer Cask No. 7
Style: Single malt
Origin: Australia
Age: Not stated
ABV: 48%
Price: $100
Release: May 2023
Availability: Limited release sold by ballot in the U.S. via starward.com and select retailers

Need to know:

This is one of Starward’s most popular limited editions in Australia, and the distillery now brings the latest iteration to the U.S. for the first time. It’s a combination of Starward's Nova and Solera single malt whiskies, filled into French and American oak casks previously seasoned with ginger beer. This version has a 12-month finish, rather than the 6-month finish of the previous release.

Whisky Advocate says:

Starward is among the more experimental distillers on the world whisky scene. Sam Slaney, Starward’s head of distilling, devised the concept for this release through the company’s Innovative Projects Program. It’s an unusual finish technique, but not unprecedented—Teeling Distillery in Ireland previously released a ginger beer cask finish, though it wasn’t released in the U.S.