Booker's Third Release, Knob Creek 18, Sagamore, High West & More [New Releases]

Suddenly it's quite a time for aged whiskies, at least compared to the past 10 or 15 years. The days of drastic shortages and non-age statement releases have faded as whisky inventories swing back into full supply—and possible oversupply going forward. But putting industry prognostications aside, what we know for sure is that it's all good news for people who appreciate fine whisky, because there are more aged whiskeys that weren't available only a short time ago. Knob Creek is back once again with its 18 year old, while Sagamore has a 7 year old Bottled in Bond, as does Brother's Bond. The most sought-after labels are still offering their best aged expressions in fairly limited fashion, but it's still a noticeable change from previous years, and a great opportunity to try some new—or should we say old—whiskies.

Orphan Barrel Woven Honor 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch

ABV: 46.3%
SRP: $185
Availability: Nationwide; reservebar.com and thebar.com

Orphan Barrel Whiskey Co., the Diageo subsidiary that releases aged and rare bottlings, mainly from the U.S. but also from Scotland, has added another exclusive release to its portfolio with the debut of Woven Honor 18 year old Highland single malt scotch, a specialty bottling from Diageo’s Linkwood Distillery in Elgin, Scotland.

Woven Honor aims to celebrate the history of Linkwood and the process of whisky making with minimal interference. The new single malt, which was released in the U.S. on October 1, aged for 18 years in American oak barrels, resulting in a medium-bodied whisky. Like all Orphan Barrel releases, Woven Honor is a limited one-time offering and features specialty artwork on its label. The whisky’s bottle depicts a spider constructing its web, crafted to represent how the spirit was made using the same precision. Woven Honor is one of 13 specialty and limited releases in the Orphan Barrel portfolio.

Booker’s The Master Distiller’s Batch Straight Bourbon

ABV: 65.15%
SRP: $100
Availability: Limited

The third Booker’s batch of the year is here, this one named in honor of all the master distillers admired by Fred Noe, Beam’s master distiller. Early on in his whiskey career, Noe watched as a group of distillers—among them his father, Booker Noe—brought bourbon out of a prolonged slump and back into the hearts and homes of American whiskey drinkers. The efforts of these “elder statesmen,” as Noe calls them, enabled today’s distillers to step out of the distillery and travel the world spreading the good word about bourbon.

On to the whiskey itself—it’s comprised of bourbons made on two production dates (one of those being on Booker Noe’s birthdate, December 7), and stored in four different warehouses. The majority of the whiskey (42%) came from the sixth floor of the seven-story warehouse 3; 37% aged on the third floor of nine-story warehouse J; 11% spent its life on the sixth floor of seven-story warehouse 1; and the remaining 10% came from the sixth floor of seven-story warehouse Z. Altogether, the average age of the whiskey is 7 years, 8 months, and 7 days.

A limited release, the latest Booker’s is available nationwide while supplies last.

Knob Creek 18 Year Old Bourbon

ABV: 50%
SRP: $180

Availability: Limited

Knob Creek’s 18 year old bourbon is back for the third year in a row. The ultra-aged whiskey, which is twice as old as the flagship Knob Creek bourbon, is the brand’s oldest release to-date, and among the oldest whiskeys ever released from the James B. Beam Distilling Co.

While the whiskey will be available nationwide, supplies are limited. This year sees the price tag rise ever-so-slightly, too, up from $170 in previous years to $180.

Old Overholt Extra Aged Cask Strength 11 Year Old Straight Rye

ABV: 53.7%
SRP: $100
Availability: Nationwide

Distilled during the autumn of 2013, this cask-strength straight rye spent 11 years aging in four of Beam’s warehouses in Clermont, Kentucky. This is both a continuation of Old Overholt’s Cask Strength age statement line, which debuted last November with a 10 year old rye, and a revamping of the brand’s previously released 11 year old rye, which, at the time of its introduction in 2020, was touted as likely the oldest Old Overholt ever released.

That initial 11 year old rye was extremely limited, being as it was a culmination of just 50 barrels and exclusive to Ohio and Pennsylvania. This release will have further reach, as it's available online and will have distribution nationwide. Given that this is following in the footsteps of last year's 10 year old, this may very well be an indication that older Old Overholt is here to stay, as the brand continues to explore the upper echelons of its maturity.

High West A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 12

ABV: 49.3%
SRP: $150
Availability: Limited

The 12th act of High West’s A Midwinter Night’s Dram is a blend of two separate rye mashbills—one of them 95% rye, 5% malted barley sourced from MGP, the other an 80% rye and 20% malted rye made at High West. As always, the final blend is finished in port barrels. This year’s release is available at High West’s Park City, Utah-based Saloon, as well as on the distillery’s website.

High West has incorporated some of its own rye into the Midwinter Night’s Dram blend since 2018. Earlier that same year, the distillery had begun blending more of its pot-distilled rye into its other ryes as well, including Double Rye, Rendezvous Rye, and Yippee Ki-Yay (which was discontinued in 2020).

Tincup Fourteener Bourbon (Batch 3)

ABV: 42%
SRP: $70
Availability: Nationwide

Tincup is out with the third iteration of its Fourteener bourbon. The series, which showcases the brand’s oldest liquid at 14 years old, kicked off in December 2022. Each expression pays homage to one of Colorado’s 53 “fourteeners,” or mountain ranges with a minimum elevation of 14,000 feet at the peak. This year’s version honors the Sneffels Range in the Rocky Mountains, and was cut to proof using water from Eldorado Springs.

Tincup is the sister brand of Denver, Colorado-based single malt maker Stranahan’s, and doesn’t have its own distillery. The brand takes its name from the old Colorado mining town of Tincup, and its flagship whiskey is a blend of Indiana high-rye bourbon and American single malt made at Stranahan’s. The Fourteener series has shown a fair bit of improvement over the years: The inaugural batch scored modestly with our tasting panel, but the second release took home a 90-point rating.

Sagamore 9 Year Old Straight Rye

ABV: 56.3%
SRP: $80
Availability: Limited

Sagamore Bottled in Bond Straight Rye

ABV: 50%
SRP: $60
Availability: Limited

Baltimore, Maryland-based Sagamore Spirit has released two new ryes within its Reserve Series. The first is a 9 year old straight rye, which holds the distinction of being the distillery’s oldest age statement release. It's not distilled at Sagamore, but rather sourced from Indiana's MGP and then blended by Sagamore's distilling team. The whiskey aged entirely in charred American oak.

The second new rye, set to come out in November, is Sagamore’s oldest-ever bottled in bond whiskey at 7 years old. Triple-distilled in the fall of 2017 from a blend of high-rye and low-rye mashbills—key to Sagamore’s signature Maryland-style rye—the whiskey follows in the footsteps of last year's 6 year old bottled in bond rye; the bottled in bond lineup has gradually increased in age since the first release in 2021.

Last year, Sagamore Spirit was acquired by Italian drinks company Illva Saronno (most famous for its Disaronno amaretto).

Brother’s Bond 7 year old Bottled in Bond Bourbon

ABV: 50%
SRP: $60
Availability: Nationwide

The latest release from Brother’s Bond is a bottled in bond bourbon, which was aged for 7 years in deep-char barrels. It’s the first high-rye bourbon from the label, and has a mashbill of 51% corn, 39% rye, and 10% malted rye.

Launched in 2021, Brother’s Bond is the whiskey brand of actors Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley, who are best known for their on-screen roles as brothers Damon and Stefan Salvatore in “Vampire Diaries.” The pair put the blends together at Somerhalder’s farm in California, using juice sourced from MGP in Indiana.

RD1 10 year old Brazilian Amburana

ABV: 58.89%
SRP: $299
Availability: Nationwide and online

After previously dipping its toe into the world of amburana, Kentucky-based RD1 Spirits has gone back in with a new stave-finished bourbon. The newcomer has a few key differences from the first iteration, which scored 93 points with our tasting panel. It arrives with a 10 year old age statement, making it one of the oldest releases from the brand. It also has slightly more corn in the mashbill, and was bottled at cask strength.

Stave finishes are growing more popular with distillers who want to play around with amburana. This exotic South American hardwood contributes flavors to whiskey with lightning speed and can leave its unmistakable flavors and aromas within mere days of coming into contact with liquid. Some distillers tap staves rather than casks as a means of keeping that flavor contribution under control and preventing it from completely overtaking the whiskey. It’s also much cheaper than bearing the cost of an entire barrel.

Mary Dowling Winter Wheat Bourbon

ABV: 45.5%
SRP: $55
Availability: Available in 18 states

Mary Dowling Whiskey Co. has released its third expression: a wheated bourbon made with locally grown Kentucky winter wheat. It was aged for 4 years in toasted and No.-3 char barrels. The combination of the barrel toast and wheat content is meant to draw out autumnal flavors like roasted nuts and warm spices.

The Mary Dowling brand was launched in 2023 by Kaveh Zamanian, owner of Rabbit Hole Distillery in Louisville, Kentucky. The label’s namesake is the real-life Mary Dowling, whose husband John acquired Lawrenceburg, Kentucky-based Waterfill and Frazier Distilling Co. in 1903. Following a disastrous fire in 1904 and John’s passing in 1905, Mary inherited the distillery, rebuilt the distillery and led it through Prohibition—eventually relocating the entire operation to Juarez, Mexico, from where it produced whiskey to be smuggled across the Rio Grande.

The modern-day Mary Dowling brand offers three whiskeys, including this new wheater. The other two are the twice-barreled Double Oak ($130), and a bourbon finished in tequila barrels ($75), the latter a tribute to Mary’s time spent in Mexico. At $55, Winter Wheat is easily the most affordable whiskey of the bunch.

Woodinville Harvest Release Sauternes Finished Bourbon

ABV: 52.5%
SRP: $70
Availability: At the distillery, with online availability to follow

Woodinville Harvest Release Founder’s Find Blend (2024)

ABV: 53.5%
SRP: $130
Availability: At the distillery, with online availability to follow

Washington-based Woodinville Whiskey Company announced two new whiskeys, which are being released later this month as part of the annual Harvest Release series. The first is a bourbon that’s been finished in casks that previously held sauternes, a sweet white wine that comes from the Bordeaux region of France. The bourbon was made from grains grown on the Omlin family farm in Quincy, Washington.

The second release is a blend, and it's the first time Woodinville has made use of sourced whiskey. The main ingredient, which accounts for around 96% of the blend, is a 12 year old Tennessee whiskey that was aged in STR barrels. When the Tennessee component turned 6 years old, it was blended with a small amount of 15 year old Indiana bourbon, before being left to carry out the rest of its maturation.

For longtime fans, the very notion of Woodinville tapping sourced juice may come across as something of a shock. That’s because, in the brand’s infancy, founders Orlin Sorensen and Brett Carlile took a hardline stance against sourcing distillate—wanting to make a craft whiskey that was authentically from Washington. But, while conducting tastings with parent company Moët Hennessey, the pair stumbled across certain sourced stocks that they felt were too good to not share. These whiskeys will be released as part of the new Founder’s Find collection.

The first 500 bottles of each will be available at a distillery event on October 19th, where Brett and Orlin will be signing bottles. Additional bottles of each will be available for purchase online, though the timing of that has yet to be announced.

Milam & Greene 2024 Wildlife Collection: Barn Owl Single Barrel Bourbon

ABV: 65%
SRP: $150
Availability: milamandgreenewhiskey.com and Milam & Greene tasting room

The fifth release in Milam & Greene’s 2024 Wildlife Collection, a series of cask strength single barrel bourbons, will be available beginning October 17^th at 3 p.m. Barrel no. 508 was distilled at an undisclosed Tennessee distillery from a mashbill of 84% corn, 8% rye, and 8% malted barley, barreled and aged there for 6 years 8 months before being transferred to Milam & Greene in Blanco, Texas. There it aged an additional year and 8 months on the top row of the south side of the distillery’s non-temperature controlled rickhouse 1, a one-story structure, where it was exposed to periods of both freezing and triple-digit temperatures. Hence its name: this barrel of Barn Owl rested close to the rafters where barn owls roost.

There are only 158 bottles available, so act fast. Previous releases in this year’s collection—Golden Eagle, Mockingbird, Cardinal, and Roadrunner—sold out the same day they were released. Proceeds from the sale of the whiskeys in this series which began in 2023 benefit Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation.