King of Kentucky, High Proof Rye and Wheat from New Riff, Laphroaig The Elements & More [New Releases]

Amid all the razzmatazz of new releases, we note with some nostalgia that Cutty Sark, that grand old scotch, is celebrating its 100^th anniversary this year, and it just rolled out a limited anniversary edition to mark the occasion. Cutty has been dressed up in a festive bottle and gift box that is hitting retail across the U.S., and there will be 100 celebratory events around the country in its honor. Named for the fastest clipper ship in the 19^th century, during Prohibition years Cutty became a favorite of rum runners plying the Caribbean and the eastern seaboard. This light-tasting blend was a very popular choice for cocktails, and for years Cutty Sark was America’s number-one scotch whisky, peaking in 1980 at an astounding 22 million bottles annually, according to our research arm Impact Databank. Today it's far smaller, selling just under a milllion bottles a year.

But on to the business at hand. Halloween is not quite here yet, but we have some very nice treats for you already, with a new batch from Booker’s, a Master's Collection release from Woodford Reserve, the sixth edition of King of Kentucky, a high-proof wheat and rye from New Riff, an all-new series from Laphroaig, and a tequila-finished scotch from Deanston at a rather eye-popping price of $280. From Ireland, Dingle has a new expression—it's nice to see this highly considered whiskey from the Emerald Isle's Atlantic coast gaining steaming steam on our side of the ocean. So read on.

AMERICAN

Booker’s 2023-03 “Mighty Fine Batch”
Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 7 year old
ABV: 63.3%
Price: $90
Release: October 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
This is the third Booker’s release of 2023. Its name refers to the signature phrase that famed Beam distiller Booker Noe would use to signal his approval for something, be it a batch of whiskey or a nice meal. When it came to samples of Booker’s bourbon, everyone knew he was pleased when he would sip one, declare it “mighty fine,” and then conclude with, “that’s a damn good batch!” This batch is aged for 7 years, 1 month, and 10 days, and the barrels were selected by master distiller Fred Noe. The majority of the bourbon (55%) came from the 5th floor of Warehouse 3, with 20% coming from the 5th floor of Warehouse G, 10% from the 5th floor of Warehouse H, 10% from the 5th floor of Warehouse I, 3% from the 6th floor of Warehouse Z, and finally, 2% from the 5th floor of Warehouse Q.

Whisky Advocate says:
Booker’s was created back in 2015, as a way to celebrate key people, places, or themes within the James. B Beam Distillery universe. Four batches are released each year, with each one bottled at cask strength. This year, the second batch, “Apprentice,” celebrated Booker Noe, and the final installation of 2023, “Storyteller Batch,” will also honor the legendary master distiller.

Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection: Sonoma Triple Finish
Style: Finished bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 45.2%
Price: $150
Release: October 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
This Master’s Collection release pulls from earlier Master’s Collection whiskeys. Master distiller Elizabeth McCall combined Woodford finished in three unique barrel types: Sonoma County pinot noir casks, American brandy casks (sourced from a Sonoma County winery), and bourbon barrels that previously aged red wine. In the case of the Sonoma-Cutrer finishes, a pinot noir-finished Woodford first debuted in 2014, while an American brandy-finished Woodford followed in 2016.

Whisky Advocate says:
For Woodford, finishing means barreling fully matured bourbon for at least a year, imbuing the whiskey with intense flavors from whatever spirit or wine cask it’s sitting in. While Woodford has many cask types at its disposal, it also sends its used barrels to wineries, including Sonoma-Cutrer. Today, the Master’s Collection is overseen by Elizabeth McCall; it was originally introduced by master distiller emeritus Chris Morris back in 2004 as a means of experimenting with different elements of flavor creation.

King of Kentucky (6th Edition)
Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 16 year old
ABV: 62.9%
Price: $300
Release: October 2023
Availability: 3,800 bottles

Need to know:
The sixth edition of King of Kentucky is a 16 year old barrel proof, single barrel straight bourbon. This year’s release comes from 51 barrels; the whiskey within was all made on July 19, 2007. The barrels were matured at Brown-Forman Distillery’s Warehouse G, and then selected by master distiller Chris Morris for this release.

Whisky Advocate says:
Brown-Forman revived the King of Kentucky label back in 2018, and since then, it’s remained the cream of its crop: its higher age statements, rarity, and overall fantastic quality make it a cult favorite that’s hard to find. The majority of the whiskey will stay within Kentucky, but unlike past releases, this one makes it farther afield, available in limited quantities in Alabama, California, Florida, Illinois, Nevada, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, and Tennessee.

New Riff High Note Collection Bohemian Wheat
Style: Wheated bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 8 year old
ABV: 58.95%
Price: $70
Release: October 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
This bourbon represents barrels of New Riff’s Maltster that were held back for additional aging. It follows a mashbill of 65% corn, 18% floor-malted Bohemian wheat, 10% unmalted wheat, and 7% malted wheat.

New Riff High Note Collection Malted Rye 8 year old
Style: Rye
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 8 year old
ABV: 59.1%
Price: $70
Release: October 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
This was distilled during New Riff’s first year of malted rye production. It’s made entirely from malted rye, and is offered at cask strength.

Whisky Advocate says:
Fans of Newport, Kentucky-based New Riff Distilling might be a little surprised at the proofing of these two expressions. The distillery’s forte is bonded in bond whiskeys, with most of its expressions thus clocking in exactly 50%. We have seen a few other cask-strength expressions from New Riff, and they’ve typically scored well with our tasting panel.

Union Horse Bottled in Bond
Style: Bourbon
Origin: Kansas
Age: Not stated
ABV: 50%
Price: $60
Release: October 2023
Availability: 2,000 bottles; Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, and Oklahoma

Need to know:
This small batch release was distilled using a sour mash with a mashbill of 80% corn and 20% rye on Union Horse’s 500-gallon column pot still, just like its Reserve bourbon. This label is set apart by meeting the bottled in bond criteria.

Whisky Advocate says:
Union Horse Distilling Co. was founded in 2010. It distills using locally sourced grains. Its lineup consists of rye, bourbon, American single malt, four-grain whiskey, white whiskey, and vodka. This bottled in bond expression will be available at retail later this month.

Unsinkable Bourbon Finished in Cabernet Sauvignon Casks
Style: Bourbon
Origin: Not stated
Age: 5 year old
ABV: 49.5%
Price: $55
Release: October 2023
Availability: Available online at sausalitoliquor.com with shipping to 42 states.

Unsinkable Rye Finished in Port Wine Casks
Style: Rye
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 3 year old
ABV: 47.5%
Price: $55
Release: October 2023
Availability: Available online at sausalitoliquor.com with shipping to 42 states.

Need to know:
The inaugural Unsinkable rye and bourbon both feature 6 month-long finishing processes, in port and cabernet sauvignon casks from Napa. The liquid is sourced from unnamed distilleries, with the rye coming by way of Kentucky.

Whisky Advocate says:
These releases mark the debut of Sausalito Liquor Co., a new outfit based out of Sausalito, California. The label was founded by Scott Jampol, a former marketing executive turned local bartender. The name “Unsinkable” refers to Sausalito’s history as a hub for shipbuilding during World War II. The launch will initially be online-only, with retail expansion throughout California planned for later.

SCOTCH

Laphroaig The Elements Series 1.0
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Islay)
Age: Not stated
ABV: 58.6%
Price: $206
Release: October 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
This is the first whisky within Laphroaig’s new Elements Series, which takes fans on a deep dive into specific aspects of the distillery’s production. For this inaugural release, Laphroaig played around with three different mashing and fermentation styles:

• A combination of cloudy and semi-cloudy wort (liquid extracted during the mashing process) to evoke more tropical notes
• Use of both 8.5 tonne and 11 tonne mashes, in a combination of the distillery’s past and present production standards (these days, it uses two 5.5 tonne mashes; 8.5 tonne mashes were used pre-1990s).
• Use of 100% Islay malt

Whisky Advocate says:
Elements 1.0 highlights the raw materials used by Laphroaig. As the series evolves, each new expression will feature "easter eggs," or hidden components that catalog the previous experiments undertaken and the people behind them.

Deanston 15 year old Tequila Cask Finish
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Highlands)
Age: 15 year old
ABV: 51%
Price: $280
Release: October 2023
Availability: Limited; available in select retailers and online at reservebar.com.

Need to know:
Deanston’s newest single malt is aged in oak hogsheads for 13 years before spending an additional two years in tequila casks.

Whisky Advocate says:
The Highlands-based Deanston Distillery has become the latest operation to dabble in using tequila barrels. Tequila cask finishing has been catching on recently, with expressions from Lagavulin, Mary Dowling, Smokehead, and Jack Daniel’s. Deanston has released plenty of limited cask-finished expressions like this one.

IRISH

Dingle Samhain
Style: Single malt
Origin: Ireland
Age: Not stated
ABV: 50.5%
Price: $150
Release: October 2023
Availability: 10,000 bottles, 1,500 for the U.S.; available in 15 states and through ReserveBar

Need to know:
Dingle Samhain is the first expression in Dingle’s Wheel of the Year series, and was finished for two years in first-fill muscatel casks following an initial maturation in first-fill bourbon casks. This new series will feature eight expressions in total.

Whisky Advocate says:
Samhain is named after the ancient fire festival that marked the end of summer and the beginning of winter in Ireland and is believed to be the pagan origin of Halloween. The year is divided into the summer and winter solstices and spring and autumn equinoxes, with the midpoints between them known as Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh, and Samhain.

JAPANESE

Takamine 8 year old
Style: Koji whiskey
Origin: Japan
Age: 8 year old
ABV: 40%
Price: $99
Release: November 2023
Availability: Widely available

Need to know:
This is an 8 year old koji whisky made from barley at Shinozaki Distillery in Fukuoka prefecture on Kyushu. This type of whisky uses the koji mold method rather than malting to convert the barley’s starch into sugar to ferment into alcohol.

Whisky Advocate says:
Takamine 8 year old has been re-launched in new packaging to mark the 170th anniversary of the birth of Takamine Jokichi in November 2024, the Japanese chemist who patented koji fermentation for whisky. Takamine was the first scientist to isolate the hormone epinephrine in 1901, and this whisky’s rice paper label uses graphics inspired by Takamine’s 1891 enzyme patent for the digestive aid Taka-Diastase.

WORLD WHISKY

Kavalan Cask Strength 2023 Single Cask Releases

Kavalan ex-Bourbon Cask
Style: Single malt
Origin: Taiwan
Age: Not stated
ABV: 54%
Price: $200
Release: October 2023
Availability: ReserveBar and select retailers in AZ, CA, FL, GA, HI, IL, MA, NV, NJ, and WA

Kavalan Oloroso Sherry Cask
Style: Single malt
Origin: Taiwan
Age: Not stated
ABV: 58.6%
Price: $250
Release: October 2023
Availability: ReserveBar and select retailers in AZ, CA, FL, GA, HI, IL, MA, NV, NJ, and WA

Kavalan Port Cask
Style: Single malt
Origin: Taiwan
Age: Not stated
ABV: 56.3%
Price: $250
Release: October 2023
Availability: ReserveBar and select retailers in AZ, CA, FL, GA, HI, IL, MA, NV, NJ, and WA

Kavalan Vinho Barrique
Style: Single malt
Origin: Taiwan
Age: Not stated
ABV: 61.8%
Price: $250
Release: October 2023
Availability: ReserveBar and select retailers in AZ, CA, FL, GA, HI, IL, MA, NV, NJ, and WA.

Need to know:
Taiwan-based distiller Kavalan has announced the return of its Cask Strength Single Cask releases for the first time since 2018, with four different expressions matured in bourbon, oloroso sherry, port, and STR casks respectively. These bottlings do not carry age statements as Kavalan Distillery enjoys a subtropical climate meaning Taiwanese whiskies reach peak maturity much faster than casks of single malt would in Scotland. As these are single-cask releases bottled at cask strength, be prepared that the ABVs may vary from those shown above.

Whisky Advocate says:
The late Dr. Jim Swan acted as consultant distiller alongside master blender Ian Chang to pioneer Kavalan’s whisky style through its formative years. Kavalan Distillery will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2025. Chang left Kavalan in 2020 and moved to Japan, where he founded the Komoro Distillery with Koji Shimaoka of Karuizawa Distillers Inc. in the summer of 2023. These new Taiwanese whiskies are thus the first to be selected for the U.S. market by Zerose Yang, Kavalan’s new senior blender.

COLLECTIBLES

Bowmore Timeless Series 29 year old
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Islay)
Age: 29 year old
ABV: 53.7%
Price: $1,800
Release: October 2023
Availability: 3,000 bottles globally

Bowmore Timeless Series 33 year old
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Islay)
Age: 33 year old
ABV: 45.5%
Price: $2,800
Release: October 2023
Availability: 3,000 bottles; Travel Retail: Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Paris, Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, and Hainan

Need to know:
Bowmore Timeless 29 year old consists of sherry and bourbon cask-matured whiskies and is available at retail. While the 33 year old Travel Retail-exclusive was bourbon barrel matured and finished in sherry casks.

Whisky Advocate says:
Bowmore launched its Timeless Series in 2021 with 27 year old and 31 year old expressions released in collaboration with French independent film director and artist Thomas Vanz. This year’s series release is in partnership with Polish pianist, composer, and singer Hania Rani. The whiskies are encased in an hourglass-shaped box that includes a three-minute sand timer intended for use when nosing the whiskies.