Mary Dowling, New Jack Daniel's Rye, Glencadam 18 year old, & More [New Releases]

The whisky scene was abuzz this week about the story of Mary Dowling, and the release of two whiskeys bearing her name. Dowling (1859-1930) was a distillery owner, entrepreneur, accused bootlegger, and all-around brilliant businesswoman with one of the most remarkable careers in whisky history (see below). She's perhaps best noted for relocating her entire distilling operation down to Juarez, Mexico during the Prohibition years, outsmarting the law and her competitors. Rabbit Hole founder Kaveh Zamanian of Louisville has created two whiskeys under the Mary Dowling name to honor her legacy. While the announcement is not quite accurate in saying that Dowling's story has never been told—she was featured in Fred Minnick's 2013 book Whiskey Women, among other places—dedicating whiskeys to her name is a home run of an idea. We haven't tasted the whiskeys yet, and we certainly hope they can live up to the legacy.

In other talk around the whisky campfire, Maker's Mark has moved into older whiskey with the release of Maker's Mark Cellar Aged, which is made from 11 and 12 year old whiskeys. And we continue to be amazed at Jack Daniel's recent rye releases—this from a distillery founded in 1866 that didn't sell its first rye until 2012. But lately rye is becoming an ever bigger part of the Jack Daniel's persona, and they're good ones, too. Also, Glencadam 18 year old is returning after an absence of three years due to inventory shortfalls, though it won't hit the shelves until late fall. And Jefferson's has sailed to Singapore to create its latest sea-faring expression. Read on for more.

Jack Daniel’s Twice Barreled Heritage Barrel Rye
Style: Rye
Origin: Tennessee
Age: Not stated
ABV: 50%
Price: $75 (700 ml)
Release: August
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
The whiskey is charcoal mellowed using the Lincoln County Process and then aged for at least five years in new white oak barrels, before maturation for more than two years in heavy-toast barrels, which Jack Daniel calls its Heritage Barrels. The extra maturation in the Heritage Barrels is designed to achieve greater complexity and a richer taste. The mashbill has the usual Jack Daniel’s rye recipe at 70% rye, 18% corn, and 12% malted barley. The barrels were made at the Jack Daniel Cooperage in Trinity, Alabama.

Whisky Advocate Says:
When Jack Daniel master distiller Chris Fletcher introduced the distillery’s 10 year old expression in 2021, it was a big story, and Fletcher hinted that more new whiskeys were waiting in the wings. At the time it was just seen as a tease, but he was serious. Since then Jack has been on a creative tear—particularly with its special releases, which have included a single malt, a barrel proof rye, the Coy Hill high-proof Tennessee whiskey, and others. This release is another example of the distillery’s renewed focus on rye, where it has become a leading player. We’re hoping for more.

Mary Dowling Tequila Barrel
Style: Finished bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 4 year old
ABV: 47.5%
Price: $75
Release: August 2023
Availability: KY, NJ, MD, DC, FL, GA, TX, IL, CO, MI, MO, and LA

Need to know:
This high-rye double-malt Kentucky straight bourbon was aged for four years, then finished in tequila barrels for 2 to 6 months. The tequila finish is a nod to Mary Dowling's distilling stint in Mexico during the Prohibition years. There she made bourbon—yes, it could be called bourbon in those days even if made in Mexico—for shipment to various parts, including Prohibition-era America.

Mary Dowling Double Oak Barrel
Style: Finished bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 53.5%
Price: $130
Release: August 2023
Availability: KY, NJ, MD, DC, FL, GA, TX, IL, CO, MI, MO, and LA

Need to know:
This whiskey, a wheated Kentucky straight bourbon, was rested in two different oak barrels: one, a heavily toasted, char #3 barrel, and the other, a lightly toasted, char #1 barrel. Both these whiskies were made at Rabbit Hole Distillery in Louisville.

Whisky Advocate says:
These are the first whiskeys from Mary Dowling Whiskey Co., launched by Rabbit Hole founder Kaveh Zamanian and the distillery's owner, Pernod Ricard. The new company honors prolific distiller Mary Dowling, who’s also referred to as the “Mother of Bourbon.” She had a tumultuous career in whiskey, which began in 1903 with the opening of the Waterfill and Frazier Distilling Co. in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, in partnership with her husband John. The distillery was destroyed in a fire in 1904, and John died in 1905. Mary rebuilt their distillery alone, and operated it until Prohibition. While Dowling tried to skirt Prohibition and become a bootlegger, she was caught and charged, though the charges would eventually be dropped. With no means of legally distilling in the U.S., Dowling teamed up with father-and-son Joe and Harry Beam—eventual founder and master distiller of Heaven Hill, respectively—to move her distillery to Juarez, Mexico, under the D.M. Distilling moniker. The whiskey made there was smuggled into the U.S. via the Rio Grande, as well as sold in Central and South America. While Dowling died a few years before the repeal of Prohibition, her children carried on her legacy with distilleries near Louisville and Bardstown. Dowling's great-grandaughter, Cathy Brown, and great-grandson Bland Byrne, joined Zamanian at the new company's recent opening ceremony in Louisville.

Glencadam 18 year old
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Highlands)
Age: 18 year old
ABV: 46%
Price: $185
Release: Late fall
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
The popular Glencadam 18 year old returns after an absence of nearly three years, and will be a permanent part of the lineup. It launched in the U.K. in late July and will be available later this fall in the U.S., in time for the holidays. Glencadam’s U.S. range includes Glencadam Origin, American Oak Reserve, 10 year old, 13 year old, 15 year old, 18 year old, and 25 year old.

Whisky Advocate Says:
Glencadam Distillery, located in the town of Brechin in the eastern Highlands, was mothballed by former owner Allied Domecq from 1999-2003. Angus Dundee purchased the distillery in 2003 and brought it back to life, but that four-year production gap created an inventory shortfall that eventually choked supply for the 18 and 21 year old. Now stocks have been sufficiently restored for the 18 year old to return, while the 21 year old is due back in about 3 years. Angus Dundee owns Tomintoul Distillery as well as Glencadam. The other part of its business is in supplying blended scotch whiskies to supermarkets and other trade customers in Europe, both bottled and in bulk.

Old Fitzgerald Bottled In Bond (Spring 2023 Release)
Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 10 year old
ABV: 50%
Price: $140
Release: August 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
The latest edition of Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond is comprised of barrels filled from January to June 2013. While this year's Spring Release is out a bit later than usual, it was bottled during the spring bottling season, which runs through the end of June.

Whisky Advocate says:
This is the 11th release of Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond and comes on the heels of last November’s iteration, which was 19 years old—the oldest to date. While this whiskey is among the younger bottled in bond releases from Old Fitz, bottled at just 10 years old, it’s also among the more reasonably priced (for comparison, the Fall 2022 bottling had a price tag of $240).

Jefferson’s Tropics Aged in Humidity
Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 52%
Price: $100
Release: September 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
In July 2019, nine containers holding a total of 720 barrels of Kentucky straight bourbon set sail for Singapore. Once they arrived at their destination, the barrels were exposed to Singapore’s staggering heat and humidity. Singapore, which is near the equator, experiences average temperatures of 77-88 degrees Fahrenheit year-round, with humidity hovering around 70%-80% most days. After a sultry 18 months, the shipping containers returned to Kentucky, arriving in March 2023. Barrels were then selected and blended together by Jefferson’s founder Trey Zoeller.

Whisky Advocate says:
Jefferson’s long ago planted its flag in ocean-aged whiskeys with its Ocean series, a collection of whiskeys aged on ships that sail around the world. Now it adds this Tropics Aged bourbon as well. Trey Zoeller is keen on exploring just how whiskey is impacted by the rolling seas. For the past 11 years, he has partnered with OCEARCH (a nonprofit group that studies and tracks marine species of the world’s oceans) in an effort to test the impact of a ship’s constant rocking and the resulting contact between whiskey and wood.

Stranahan’s Experimental Series: Cold Brew Cut
Style: American single malt
Origin: Colorado
Age: 6 years old
ABV: 47%
Price: $45
Release: August 2023
Availability: Limited; distillery exclusive

Need to know:
This one starts as 6 year old whiskey aged in virgin oak barrels with a char #3. Then, instead of being cut to 94 proof with Stranahan’s usual Eldorado Natural Spring Water, Cold Brew Cut was cut using, you guessed it, cold brew coffee. The coffee comes from local roaster Cooper Door Coffee. Coffee has been used by a number of whiskey makers in recent years, including FEW, Jameson, and several others.

Whisky Advocate says:
This is the 10th release within Stranahan’s Experimental Series, which features inventive, distillery-exclusive single malts. Other releases in the series include Double Fermentation, which, as the name implies, was twice fermented and aged for 7 years in new oak, as well as Maple Cask, an 8 year old single malt aged five years in new oak, then finished for three years in barrels that previously held maple syrup. Stranahan’s is located in Denver, Colorado, and makes all of its single malts with local barley from Golden. Its yeast is from Colorado Springs, and its spring water from Boulder’s Eldorado Canyon (by way of Eldorado Natural Spring Water, Inc.).

Rossville Union Bottled In Bond Straight Rye
Style: Straight rye
Origin: Indiana
Age: 6 year old
ABV: 50%
Price: $50
Release: August 2023
Availability: 18,000 bottles

Need to know:
This rye of course follows the requirements of a bottled in bond whiskey, meaning it’s made by a single distillery—Ross & Squibb—in a single season, aged at a federally bonded warehouse for a minimum of four years (and in this case, that’s extended to six years), and bottled at 50% ABV. The whiskey, originally distilled in March 2017, has a mashbill of 51% rye and 49% malted barley.

Whisky Advocate says:

Ross & Squibb is part of MGP, and was formed in 2021 as the company's branded whiskey division. Since then, Rossville Union releases have become a fairly regular affair. The Ross & Squibb portfolio also includes the Remus bourbon brand.

Hard Truth Harvest Sweet Mash
Style: Rye
Origin: Indiana
Age: Not stated
ABV: 53%
Price: $70
Release: September 9, 2023
Availability: Limited; nationally

Need to know:
Hard Truth Distilling, based in Nashville, Indiana, has partnered with Mellencamp Whiskey Company for the launch of a four-part series. Harvest, the first release in the series, is made using a mashbill of 72% rye and 28% corn. All grains used were grown at two Indiana farms. Hud Mellencamp (singer John Mellencamp’s oldest son) and Levi Collison of the newly formed Mellencamp Whiskey Company collaborated with Hard Truth master distiller Bryan Smith on the selection and blending. The label is adorned with original artwork by John Mellencamp.

Whisky Advocate Says:
Harvest Sweet Mash Rye will be available at the distillery on September 9^th followed by national distribution to select retailers through December. In addition to this fall 2023 release, the remaining three bottlings will be released in spring 2024, fall 2024, and spring 2025; each a one-off with a new painting from John Mellencamp on the label.

Sagamore Spirit Ravens Home Reserve Edition
Style: Rye
Origin: Maryland
Age: Not stated
ABV: 41.5%
Price: $40
Release: August 2023
Availability: Limited; at the distillery and Maryland

Need to know:
This is Maryland-based Sagamore Spirit’s standard rye: a blend of a high-rye and a low-rye straight ryes, aged 4 to 6 years in high-char American oak barrels. What sets this release apart is its labeling as Ravens Home Reserve.

Whisky Advocate says:
Sagamore Spirit has announced its partnership with the NFL's Baltimore Ravens and the opening of Sagamore Spirit Bar at the M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Ravens, where Sagamore’s whiskeys and canned cocktails will be served. From September 4th-October 6th, fans can enter for a chance to be one of five people selected to attend an exclusive event at Sagamore's distillery in Baltimore to receive a bottle and meet a Ravens legend whose identity has not yet been revealed. (baltimoreravens.com).

Boulder Spirits The 10 Essentials
Style: American single malt
Origin: Colorado
Age: 5 year old
ABV: 49.5%
Price: $65
Release: August 2023
Availability: 1,800 bottles

Need to know:
This new American single malt (ASM) represents the combination of five casks aged between 5 and 6.5 years. Two of the casks were new American oak, while the other three included armagnac, tawny port, and PX sherry casks. This expression gets its name from the 10 essential needs for wilderness survival—food, water, shelter, sun protection, proper clothing, a means of navigation, light, fire, a knife, and first aid materials.

Whisky Advocate says:
Boulder Spirits is owned by Alastair Brogan, a former Royal Air Force officer from Scotland who appeared on the reality TV show “Survivor” (UK). Its distillation is carried out by Vapor Distillery, in Boulder, Colorado. The label’s portfolio includes bourbon and a few ASMs—including its 2022 release, the 91-point The Trailhead, and now this release. Boulder Spirits claims to proof-down all its expressions using water sourced from the Eldorado Springs, which is naturally filtered by sandstone deposits along the waterway.

Copperworks Release 048
Style: American single malt
Origin: Washington
Age: 3 year old
ABV: 50%
Price: $70
Release: August 2023
Availability: 1,310 bottles; available at the distillery’s tasting room and at copperworksdistilling.com

Need to know:
This new release from Copperworks Distilling Co. is a manzanilla sherry-matured ASM, made from pale malt, married with the same distillate used to make Copperworks’ previous whiskey Release 047. The youngest whisky is aged for at least 3 years.

Whisky Advocate says:
Release 048 marks the sixth single malt from Copperworks in 2023. For this one, the Seattle-based distillery used sherry casks—with 7.5% of the overall blend having been aged in sherry barrels. Copperworks has used sherry cask maturation quite a few times in its history—starting with Release 006, which included half a barrel of oloroso-matured single malt in its blend, and most recently in Release 045, which also utilized manzanilla sherry casks.

Root Shoot
Style: American single malt
Origin: Colorado
Age: 4 year old
ABV: 50%
Price: $63
Release: August 2023
Availability: Colorado-exclusive

Need to know:
Root Shoot’s first whisky is a bottled in bond ASM, which is produced entirely from locally grown Colorado grains. It will be available from retailers across the state of Colorado.

Whisky Advocate says:
Root Shoot Malting is part of a 5^th-generation family grain farm in Loveland, Colorado, owned by the Olander family. In 2016, family members Todd and Steve Olander founded Root Shoot to supply local grain and malt to craft brewers and distillers. This release marks the company’s first step into making its own whiskey, growing and malting 100% of the barley used to make this expression. The distillation was done at Vapor Distillery, which is about 30 miles from the Olander farm.

Wolves Malted Barley Series Lot Two
Style: American single malt
Origin: California
Age: 11 year old
ABV: 55%
Price: $305
Release: August 2023
Availability: 2,010 bottles; available at retailers in select states, and at wolveswhiskeyca.com

Need to know:
This ASM is made in a brandy alembic still, using imported Irish malted barley and a yeast strain called California ale (not a beer). It’s available in limited quantities, with each bottle bedecked by a bespoke label made from Italian sheepskin.

Whisky Advocate says:
Wolves was founded as a joint venture between Jon Buscemi (fashion designer behind the eponymous Buscemi streetwear line) and James Bond (co-founder of the apparel brand Undefeated, not the super spy). The role of master distiller is filled by Marko Karakasevic, a 13^th-generation distiller that leads California’s family-owned Charbay Distillery. Lot Two follows April’s release of Lot One and Lot One: The 12th Barrel, two other Wolves ASMs made using Karakasevic’s alembic still.

Black Button Distilling Experimental Series No.3 Smoked Corn
Style: Bourbon
Origin: New York
Age: Not stated
ABV: 58%
Price: $85
Release: August 18, 2023
Availability: Limited; distillery only

Need to know:
This is a twist on Black Button’s Four Grain bourbon. It consists of the same mashbill of 60% corn, 20% wheat, 11% malted barley, and 9% rye, but the corn component was split to include 70% yellow corn and 30% cherrywood-smoked yellow corn.

Whisky Advocate says:
Releasing today at the Rochester New York distillery’s tasting room only. On the day of release, a special Three Heads Brewing Helles lager will also be available. The Rochester-based brewery aged this lager in Black Button’s Smoked Corn bourbon barrel.