Larceny's Latest Barrel Proof Batch, Peerless Rum Finished, & More [New Releases]

Heaven Hill is out with Batch B of Larceny Barrel Proof, the second of what will be three releases in 2024 for this former Whisky of the Year (2020), while Kentucky Peerless has a new rum cask finished offering. It’s the first venture into rum for the highly acclaimed Peerless, which opened its doors in downtown Louisville back in 2015. The Peerless barrel finishing resumé thus far includes double-oaked and absinthe-finished ryes, as well as a double-oaked bourbon, and now this rum cask expression. Elsewhere, we have a new whiskey from the Georgia-based 13th Colony, and Spanish winemaker Bodegas Jaime, which produces the vermouth brand Turmeon, now has a vermouth-finished whiskey that should be shipping out to the U.S. market in the coming months.

Larceny Barrel Proof Bourbon (Batch B524)

ABV: 62.7%
SRP: $65
Availability: Nationwide

Kentucky distiller Heaven Hill has released the latest batch of its Larceny Barrel Proof bourbon brand. Like previous batches, B524 was made with Heaven Hill’s wheated mashbill— 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley—and was aged for 6–8 years.

While the lower-proof Larceny Small Batch is available as an ongoing release, only three batches of Larceny Barrel Proof are released each year. Each batch is identified by a code comprising three numbers and a letter. The letters—A, B, or C—A being the first, B the second, and C the third. The numbers outline the month and year of release (in this case, 524 means May 2024).

Larceny Barrel Proof is among the more popular releases from Heaven Hill. No batch has ever scored below 91 points with our tasting panel, and many have scored much higher than that. The highest went to Batch B520, which earned 95 points and was crowned our No. 1 Whisky of 2020.

Kentucky Peerless Rum Barrel Finished Bourbon (Batch 2)

ABV: 54.55%
SRP: $150
Availability: Limited

Kentucky Peerless Distilling has announced the release of the second batch of its Rum Barrel Finished bourbon. Peerless’ core sweet mash bourbon, finished in rum casks, will be available on a limited basis beginning June 1^st at the Louisville distillery beginning at 10 a.m. Anyone at the distillery can have their bottle signed until 12 p.m. at the release event.

Peerless first ventured into cask finishing with an absinthe barrel-finished rye in 2020. That was followed by Double Oak bourbon—the result of a leaking barrel, the aging bourbon was transferred to a new charred oak barrel—which landed on our 2021 Top 20 list.

Samuel Maverick Bottled In Bond Triticale Whiskey (Batch 2)

ABV: 50%
SRP: $135
Availability: Limited; at Maverick Distilling and maverickwhiskey.com

Located in a former bank constructed in the early 1900s, Maverick Distilling is situated steps away from the site of the Alamo in San Antonio. Maverick uses the bank’s basement vault for barrel storage where this whiskey spent at least 4 years aging in new oak barrels. This batch was distilled in April 2019 from triticale—a hybrid of wheat and rye—grown in the Texas panhandle. The original batch, released in December 2023, is said to be the result of an accident: The distillery ordered rye but received triticale in error. Triticale whiskeys often appeal to both rye and wheat whiskey lovers with its rye component delivering subtle spice and the wheat contributing sweetness. Maverick offers bourbon, rye, gin, agave spirits, and beer. Tours are available and the paranormal seeking whiskey lovers just might get their fill of both kinds of spirits.

13th Colony Cask Strength Southern Bourbon

ABV: 60.32%
SRP: $90
Availability: Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, and online

13th Colony is introducing a new whiskey in its limited edition series. It’s a cask strength iteration of the distillery’s flagship Southern Bourbon: The whiskey was aged for 5-6 years and was made with a 70% corn, 21% rye, and 9% malted barley mashbill. 7,407 bottles are being released.

Americus, Georgia-based 13th Colony was founded in 2009 and claims to be the oldest operating distillery in the state since Prohibition. Graham Arthur, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran and classically trained chef, serves as master distiller for the brand. The core lineup includes a bourbon and a rye, but the distillery also offers limited edition bottlings and single barrel releases.

Its whiskeys comprise both the distillery’s own-make distillate and contract-distilled liquid from elsewhere. All the barrels are aged at the distillery, benefitting from the Americus climate which has an average humidity of 72%—slightly higher than the 67% average humidity seen in Bardstown, Kentucky.

Bellos Single Malt Signature Vermouth Cask

ABV: 40%
SRP: $45
Availability: Illinois, Rhode Island, and Texas initially

Bodegas Jaime, a 150 year old family-run bodega in the Aragon region of northern Spain, is the vermouth specialist behind the Spanish brand Turmeon, and it's now launching a whisky in the U.S. market. Bellos Single Malt Signature Vermouth Cask whisky was sourced from a Slovakian distillery in the Lubovnianska Kotlina basin and then finished in Bodegas Jaime's vermouth solera system, which contains barrels up to 80 years old. Bellos, which is named after an ancient Celtiberian settlement doesn’t carry an age statement, but it's approximately 5 years old.

The Bodegas Jaime team was looking for a young whisky made from mineral-rich spring water to act as a blank canvas for its vermouth casks to layer on the flavor. It started with malted barley that undergoes a post-malting smoking process using cherry and beech woods, which adds unique aromatic notes and subtle smokiness. The spirit is made in the Slovakian distillery's continuous seven-column still that produces a smooth, pure new make that's then aged in new European oak casks. Once it arrives at Bodegas Jaime, the whisky spends one year in the Vermouth solera system, picking up the sugars and aromas from the vermouth soaked into the wood, though the team believes future batches will develop the same flavors in six months.

Next year the bodega plans to make 8,500 bottles, with wider distribution. Batches from the first edition come with a piece of old vermouth barrels so you can smoke your glass. Vermouth casks are a relatively rare choice of finishing vessel, but expressions have been released by FEW, Stauning, Rabbit Hole, and Bushmills among others.