Toki Black, Laphroaig Elements 3.0, Buchanan's Green Seal, Elijah Craig Rye, and More New Whisky

What a week for new releases! There’s no shortage of new whiskies as we transition from summer into fall, and they range from highly allocated collectible single malts and experimental limited editions to widely available permanent expressions.

Scotch lovers have plenty to be excited about, with new malts and blends coming from all over the country. Laphroaig has debuted the third edition of its experimental Elements series; Single Cask Nation has bottled three new single malts; Buchanan’s has added a luxurious new blend; and Johnnie Walker has launched a limited-edition Blue Label bottle and box that celebrates the Indian festive season. In bourbon, there’s cask finishes galore. Both Barton 1792 and Hirsch have introduced cognac-finished bourbons, while Widow Jane is back with its maple syrup-finished Decadence, and Steph Curry’s Gentleman’s Cut has a Pedro Ximénez sherry-finished bourbon, made in collaboration with chef José Andrés. Rounding out the new bourbons is a new batch of Regenerative Grain from Brother’s Bond, and a whiskey from Hartman’s Distilling Co. that’s aged within a peculiar place—a piano.

Elsewhere, Elijah Craig has its first-ever barrel proof rye, while Sagamore Spirit brings out its oldest whiskey to date, a 10 year old rye. There’s also a new American single malt from Stranahan’s, this one aged in a variety of beer barrels. And overseas, Suntory Global’s Toki receives its first-ever limited edition whisky. In collectible whiskies, there are ultra-aged single malts from Balvenie, Glendronach, and Bushmills.

Toki Black Japanese Blend

ABV: 43%
SRP: $40
Availability: Limited

Suntory’s Japanese blend Toki has announced its first limited-edition expression. Toki Black aims to capture some of the same qualities of the original—namely the 43% ABV, the approachability for newcomers, and mixability in cocktails—but it tries to move the flavor in a different direction: tapping peated malts and grain whiskies from Hakushu to add a new smoky dimension. The brand recommends trying it in a Toki Ginger Sour.

Laphroaig Elements 3.0 Scotch Single Malt

ABV: 55.3%
SRP: $165
Availability: Limited

We were immense fans of Islay distiller Laphroaig’s second Elements release, 2.0, which took the top spot on our Top 20 list last year. That single malt experimented with changes in fermentation; this one, in contrast, explored how a small change during the peat smoking process—an unexpected kiln fire burned longer and at significantly higher temperatures than usual—impacted flavor, eliciting notes of roasted cocoa beans and bitter dark chocolate, according to the distillery.

Single Cask Nation Scotch Single Malt

Benriach 14 Year Old Toasted Chinkapin Oak

ABV: 57.9%
SRP: $140
Availability: 172 bottles

Cawdor Springs 8 Year Old New Charred Oak Quarter Cask

ABV: 58.6%
SRP: $85
Availability: 179 bottles

Clynelish 12 Year Old First-Fill Bourbon

ABV: 61.1%
SRP: $120
Availability: 228 bottles

Independent bottler Single Cask Nation has been on a tear lately, dropping new releases of highly limited single cask whiskies from around the world nearly every other week. This time around, the company is debuting three new scotch single malts.

First up is a 14 year old Benriach single malt that spent 4 years finishing in chinkapin oak barrels that were lightly toasted and given a medium char. It marks a return to the Speyside distiller for Single Cask, which hadn’t released a Benriach bottling since 2011.

Next is a whisky that comes from an unnamed source, but Single Cask drops one meaningful hint: its name, Cawdor Springs, also happens to be the name of the water source this distillery uses (that narrows it down to Highlands-based Royal Brackla, though technically we can’t say for sure). The 8 year old single malt spent 3 years finishing in new charred oak quarter casks.

Lastly, Single Cask has bottled a 12 year old Highland single malt from Clynelish that was aged entirely in bourbon barrels. While the Clynelish bottling represents what Single Cask founders Joshua Hatton and Jason Johnstone-Yellin call a “classic example” of the distillery’s drams, the other two releases are dramatic departures from the norm for both Benriach and…that unnamed distillery, providing an unusual opportunity to try a different side of each. All three whiskies are available on the Single Cask Nation website.

Buchanan’s Green Seal Blended Scotch

ABV: 40%
SRP: $100
Availability: Selected retailers nationwide and reservebar.com

Green Seal is a luxury addition to the Buchanan’s blended whisky range, crafted to celebrate the vibrant ritmo (rhythm) of Latin culture. It has a delicate flavor profile with subdued peatiness. Buchanan’s master blender Craig Wallace created this new scotch using an experimental Speyside single malt from Glen Elgin Distillery, complemented by other bourbon barrel-matured malts and grains. Instead of traditional distiller’s yeast, Glen Elgin’s distillers used wine yeast during fermentation, enhancing the whisky’s tropical fruit character. Scotch whisky distillers have long experimented with yeast in the search for novel flavors, but the details are often kept under wraps. A rare exception came with the Diageo Special Releases 2017, which included a Glen Elgin 18 year old fermented with pombe yeast, typically used in millet beer.

With this release, Buchanan’s aims to celebrate the 200%ers—the generation that identifies as both 100% American and 100% Hispanic, enjoying the best of both worlds. The emerald green bottle was inspired by the distinctive wax seal on Buchanan’s bottles, while the rounded shape taps into the concept of celebrating with your inner circle.

Johnnie Walker Blue Label x Rahul Mishra Blended Scotch

ABV: 40%
SRP: $264
Availability: Limited; imported by Diageo USA

Johnnie Walker has launched a limited-edition Blue Label bottle and box to celebrate the Indian festive season, in collaboration with fashion designer Rahul Mishra. Known for his intricate craftsmanship and bold use of color, Mishra drew inspiration from the vibrancy of South Asian culture for his design, paying tribute to the rich cultural tapestry of India. Through illustrations of bright floral stems, a golden tiered fountain, and strings of Diwali lights, the packaging symbolizes abundance and the anticipation of joyful celebrations. The limited-edition bottle will be featured at Indian festive celebrations throughout October and November.

Whisky companies, including Indian whisky producers like Rampur and Indri, are increasingly leaning into Diwali as an occasion to release new limited expressions for an international audience. Inside, this is the same classic Johnnie Walker Blue Label of course, though it’s not the brand’s first Diwali release. Diageo, Johnnie Walker’s parent company, also controls United Spirits in India, which produces the Godawan series of artisanal Indian whiskies from Alwar, Rajasthan. The peacock, which features prominently in Mishra’s Johnnie Walker design, also made an appearance on the 92-point Indri Diwali Collector’s Edition 2023, as well as the 87-point Arran The Icons of Arran Distillery The Peacock back in 2009. This Johnnie Walker label adds to the trend of limited edition scotches inspired by India: In 2023, the 91-point Royal Salute 21 year old The Jodhpur Edition championed its links with the Blue City of Jodhpur, the birthplace of modern polo.

1792 Cognac Cask Finish Bourbon

ABV: 47.5%
SRP: $38
Availability: Nationwide

The first cask-finished bourbon to become a permanent part of 1792’s lineup follows the same blueprint as distillery Barton 1792's flagship, maintaining an identical high-rye mashbill, fermentation process, and distillation method. Where the new whiskey deviates from the original is at the end of production—it’s transferred into cognac casks, placed on the top floors of the distillery's warehouses, and finished for around 6 months.

Though this may be Barton’s first permanently available cask-finished bourbon, it’s not the first cask finish the distillery has ever produced—its Port Cask Finish bourbon, introduced in 2015, laid the groundwork for this new release.

Hirsch The Cask Strength HINE Cognac Cask Finished Straight Bourbon

ABV: 57%
SRP: $180
Availability: Limited

This bourbon from Hotaling & Co.’s Hirsch label is sourced from an undisclosed Kentucky distillery, and it has a mashbill of 72% corn, 13% rye, and 15% malted barley. After maturing for 5 years and 8 months in char No.-3 and toasted barrels, the bourbon was finished for 1 year and 1 month in casks that previously held 30 year old Hine cognac (which is also part of the Hotaling portfolio.) According to head distiller Kevin Aslan, the cognac casks “add a layer of almond, light nutmeg, citrus, and tannic structure that leads to a dry finish. The cognac that these casks absorbed over the 30-year aging period balances out the bourbon’s vanilla and baking spice.” The launch accounts for 3,900 bottles.

Brother’s Bond Regenerative Grain New Batch Bourbon

ABV: 46%
SRP: $60
Availability: Nationwide

Actors Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley have debuted a new batch of Regenerative Grain bourbon within their Brother’s Bond brand. As with the inaugural batch, the new 4 year old is distilled from grains grown using regenerative agriculture—a farming approach that involves restoring soil health, mitigating climate change, and enhancing local ecosystems. The release coincides with an entirely new look for Brother’s Bond, as the company taps U.S.-made glass for its bottles in its quest for sustainable practices.

Gentleman’s Cut Player Exclusive: José Andrés Kentucky Straight Bourbon

ABV: 53.5%
SRP: $375
Availability: 800 bottles; select retailers and gentlemanscutbourbon.com

For his second Player Exclusive bourbon, Gentleman’s Cut founder (and NBA star) Steph Curry collaborated with culinary powerhouse and humanitarian José Andrés. The bourbon was crafted from a mashbill of 78% corn, 13% rye, and 9% malted barley, and aged for 10 years before being finished in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks. While this is the second whiskey in the Player Exclusive line, it marks the first collaborative effort in the series; the first release was deeply personal for Curry, paying tribute to both his own NBA legacy and that of his father, Wardell Curry.

A majority of the proceeds from the bottling will go toward Andrés’ World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit dedicated to providing food relief to communities in crisis around the globe.

Widow Jane Decadence Maple Syrup Barrel Finished Bourbon

ABV: 45.5%
Price: $100
Availability: Nationwide

Widow Jane is back with its annual fall release of Decadence, a blend of straight bourbons that’s finished 6 months up to a year in American oak barrels that previously held organic, artisanal amber maple syrup. The barrels come from longtime partner Crown Maple, located on Madava Farms, an 800-acre family estate in the heart of the Hudson Valley. Roughly 40 miles Northeast are the Rosendale Mines, where the label sources water used to proof its whiskey. The lore around this area explains the label’s namesake, as the mines were inherited by a wealthy widow named Jane.

The main draw for Decadence since its inception in 2020 has been the maple syrup barrel finish. As a fan favorite, demand for Decadence has grown, with the label now expanding production up to 16,000 cases this year–a considerable jump from the initial 1,100 cases released in 2020. It arrives on the heels of Borough Blend, released earlier this summer, and joins a lineup of ultra-aged bourbons, a proprietary heirloom bourbon, and two ryes.

Chattanooga Experimental Series Batch 045: Kola Infused Bourbon

ABV: 45%
SRP: $50
Availability: At the distillery and select retailers

Following the release of its Limecello in July, Chattanooga’s Experimental Series is back with another project. This one attempts to put an interesting spin on the classic pairing of whiskey and cola. Rather than mixing the two, Chattanooga infused a bourbon with ingredients typically found in traditional 19th–20th century American cola, including citrus peel, sarsaparilla, vanilla, kola nut, and others. The base liquid is a blend of four bourbon mashbills. Chattanooga recommends pouring it over soda water and ice for what it calls a Chatt & Koke.

Hartman’s Distilling Co. Shea’s Centennial Blend of Straight Bourbons

ABV: 50%
Price: $53
Availability: New York Exclusive

Whiskey producers have gotten creative when it comes to where their whiskey is aged, and Buffalo-based Hartman’s Distilling Co. is adding to that list with its latest limited release straight bourbon blend partially aged inside a piano. Aged for 4 years and 10 months, the final blend is composed of high-rye and wheated bourbon.

Two barrels of each spent a final year nestled between two 30-foot organ pipes of a Wurlitzer 285 Special at Buffalo’s historic Shea’s Theatre. During this time, the Five Star Bank Broadway season was in full swing, which means the barrels saw movement from the active organ on a nightly basis. The bottling pays homage to the 100th anniversary of the theatre’s legacy and its rare custom-built organ.

Only 954 bottles were produced, joining the company’s varied spirits lineup that includes bourbon, rye, gin, vodka, liqueurs, and ready-to-drink cocktails.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Rye (Batch A925)

ABV: 56%
SRP: $75
Availability: Nationwide

Since its debut in 2013, the Elijah Craig Barrel Proof line has included only bourbon. Brand owner Heaven Hill, however, has just announced an expansion of the range, introducing its first Barrel Proof rye, which joins Toasted and straight ryes in the Elijah Craig family.

Aged for 12 years and bottled at 108 proof, master distiller Conor O’Driscoll notes that it may appeal to experienced palates and barrel proof newcomers alike, rich with well-balanced spice and stewed fruits as it is. Moving forward, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof rye will be released three times a year, with new batches debuting in January, May, and September.

Sagamore Reserve Series 10 Year Old Straight Rye

ABV: 55.4%
Price: $80
Availability: Nationwide and at the distillery

Baltimore-based Sagamore has unveiled a 10 year old rye, its oldest whiskey to date. Its high-rye and low-rye mashbill blend achieves the label’s signature Maryland style, known for exuding a sweet and full-bodied flavor profile as opposed to the spice-forward ryes from neighboring Pennsylvania. Though this whiskey is sourced from Indiana-based MGP, the distillery has gradually been phasing out sourced liquid in favor of house-distillates.

Launched in 2017 and acquired by Illva Saronno in 2023, the label has endeavored to revive Maryland’s robust rye whiskey tradition, which saw its heyday prior to Prohibition. Now, the label sports a variety of core, cask strength, and creatively finished ryes–several releases within the past five years scoring 90 points or more with our tasting panel. This limited edition bottling joins four others in the Reserve Series lineup: a 9 year old rye, a bottled in bond rye, and a unique Manhattan rye—finished in vermouth, bitters, and cherry brandy barrels—inspired by its namesake cocktail.

Stranahan’s Diamond Peak Local Brewer’s Cask American Single Malt

ABV: 45%
SRP: $80
Availability: Limited

Stranahan’s has close ties to the Colorado brewing community; founder Jess Graber distilled his first batch of American single malt using beer mash from Denver’s Flying Dog Brewery, and the distillery regularly shares its used whiskey barrels with local breweries, eventually finishing whiskeys of its own in those same used barrels. Now, the distillery is honoring that tradition more purposefully with its latest Diamond Peak release.

Stranahan’s partnered with four local breweries, each of which used Stranahan’s barrels to age their beer, among them a coffee stout, barley wine, and Belgian quad. Once back at the distillery, each barrel was refilled with 4 to 6 year old American single malt and aged for an additional 18 months.

Attendees of the Great American Beer Festival, which takes place October 9-11 in Denver, will get the first taste of this new American single malt. After that, the whiskey will be available at the Stranahan’s distillery in Denver and at its Whiskey Lodge in Aspen, as well as online and at retailers nationwide.

COLLECTIBLE

Balvenie 50 year old Speyside Scotch Single Malt (2nd Edition)

ABV: 49.8%
SRP: $55,000
Availability: Highly limited

Last year, Speyside distillery Balvenie launched The Balvenie Fifty Collection: an annual series of extremely rare and ultra-aged single malts, slated for three entries by 2026. The 2024 edition was a single cask expression, which was vintage-dated to 1973 and was aged entirely in a European oak refill butt.

The 2025 edition is a blend rather than a single cask. It combines some of the leftover liquid from last year’s single cask with a different 50 year old distilled in 1973, which was aged in an American oak hogshead. According to the brand, the American oak component was chosen for its balance and complementary notes of sweet honey and warming oak. Only 97 bottles are available globally, with 13 allocated for the U.S.

Bushmills 26 year old Crystal Malt Irish Single Malt

ABV: 46%
SRP: $1,000
Availability: Limited; retailers and online at Bushmills.com; imported by Proximo Spirits

There is a rich history and plenty of creativity behind the latest Bushmills release from master blender Alex Thomas. First, there’s the use of crystal malt, a specialty brewing malt made by stewing and then roasting green malt, which creates crystalized sugars in each kernel and adds sweetness to the spirit. Bushmills experimented with crystal malt during the era of Pernod Ricard ownership (1988–2005), and while this triple distilled Irish whiskey was distilled in 1997, long-time Bushmills fans may have already tasted the results. It was a key component in the 90-point Bushmills 1608 Anniversary Edition blend released in 2008 under its Diageo ownership era (2005–2014), which was released to mark the 400^th anniversary of the original license to distill. Next, the new release boasts the prestige of a substantial age statement, and through endeavors such as the Bushmills Rare Cask Series or the release of the oldest Irish single malt at 46 years old, we know Bushmills has a strong maturation game. Released under the current owners, Proximo Spirits (2014–present), the caramel and chocolate flavors attributable to the crystal malt used for Bushmills 26 year old are complemented by full maturation in first-fill bourbon barrels. Combining the innovative use of specialty malt and aging for more than a quarter of a century, the new Bushmills expression is a one-of-a-kind release.

Glendronach 30 year old Highland Scotch Single Malt

ABV: 46.8%
SRP: $1,300
Availability: Limited

Glendronach 40 year old Highland Scotch Single Malt (2025 Release)

ABV: 43.9%
SRP: $6,700
Availability: Limited

Glendronach has unveiled two highly limited ultra-aged single malts. The 30 year old is a marriage of whiskies aged in three different types of sherry casks, including Pedro Ximénez, oloroso, and amontillado. This marks the first time that Glendronach has used amontillado casks, and the distillery says that they contributed notes of toasted hazelnut and mellow crème caramel. Only 1,300 bottles are available in the U.S.

The 40 year old is a bit more straightforward, featuring whiskies aged in Spanish oak oloroso and PX casks. It’s also much more limited than the 30 year old, with only 70 bottles allocated for the U.S.