Old Forester Whiskey Row 1924, Angel's Envy Cellar Collection Series, Very Olde St. Nick & more [New Releases]

American whiskey makers are getting an early jump on the year's releases, as Old Forester kicks things off with a new expression in its Whiskey Row Series. This series was started in 2014, with each release highlighting a significant historical milestone in Old Forester's history. The latest release, 1924, channels the Prohibition era. It has a bit more age than the core whiskey, which is usually matured for around 4 to 6 years. It also has a slightly different mashbill, with the rye component much lower than that of the traditional Old Forester. Commemorating its history is a prominent theme for Old Forester, even more so than most whiskey houses: its 117 Series, which launched in 2021, themes its releases in a similar way, and the company's annual Birthday Bourbon release honors the founder. Elsewhere among new rollouts, Angel's Envy is out with a three-pack of finished bourbons—oloroso sherry cask, tawny port, and madeira, all in 375-ml bottles. And Very Olde St. Nick, which thus far has scored well with our tasting panel, has a new 4 year old finished in French oak maple wood, created with winter in mind. Read on for details.

Old Forester Whiskey Row Series: 1924
Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 10 year old
ABV: 50%
Price: $115
Release: January
Availability: Nationwide

Need to know:
This 10 year old, 100-proof bourbon is the fifth release within Old Forester’s Whiskey Row Series. It features a different mashbill from the traditional Old Forester—79% corn, 11% rye, and 10% malted barley, compared to the usual recipe of 72% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley. It's also got a slightly different mashbill, the reason for which is explained below.

Whisky Advocate says:
During Prohibition, the majority of distilleries in Kentucky were forced to close. Old Forester was one of the exceptions. There were 10 permits allowing distillation, available from the federal government, though only six were applied for and issued. Old Forester was among them. Under the permit’s rules, the distillery was allowed to bottle its existing whiskey stocks as medicine (the permits did not authorize distillation until 1928). In 1924, Old Forester bought barrels of whiskey, all with different mashbills, from shuttered distilleries, and bottled it as Old Forester. This new release pays homage to that time, 100 years later. 1924 joins four other whiskeys in the Whiskey Row series, including 1870 Original Batch, 1897 Bottled in Bond, 1910 Old Fine Whisky, and 1920 Prohibition Style.

Angel’s Envy, Cellar Collection Series Volumes 1-3
Style: Finished bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 50% - 55.8%
Price: $400 (three 375-ml. bottles)
Release: February 1
Availability: Limited distribution in MD, SC, DE, KY, FL, LA, IN, TX, MO, CO, IL, NV, HI, AZ, WA, NM, AK, CA, NC, PA, VA, OR, OH, WI, MA, CT, NJ, TN, GA, DC, Domestic Military, and at the distillery

Need to know:
This trio of Angel’s Envy releases is a new set bringing together a selection of the brand’s fortified wine-finished whiskeys. The bourbons—finished in oloroso sherry (50% abv), tawny port (55.8%), and madeira (50%) casks—carry a suggested price of $400 and will receive limited distribution and be available at the distillery.

Whisky Advocate Says:
Only 8,000 sets of Cellar Collection Series Volumes 1-3 bottles will be released. At the distillery in Louisville, people can visit on February 1, starting at 9 a.m., to make a purchase. A lottery for a chance to buy the set opened on January 18 at 9 a.m. and will close on January 20, one minute before midnight.

Very Olde St. Nick Winter Maple
Style: Blend
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 4 year old
ABV: 51%
Price: $169
Release: December
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
Preservation Distillery + Farm’s newest addition to the Very Olde St. Nick lineup is a blend of Kentucky bourbon and rye whiskeys, aged between 4 and 7 years, and finished using French oak and maple wood.

Whisky Advocate says:
Very Olde St. Nick is one of various from Preservation Distillery of Bardstown, Kentucky. Last year it released the 92-point Old Man Winter, Rare Perfection, and Wattie Boone expressions. While this whiskey includes distillate from Preservation’s home state of Kentucky, it’s unclear whether it contains any own make. Previous Preservation releases of greater age were sourced, and showcased Preservation’s skills as a blender.

The Reverend Sour Mash
Style: American whiskey
Origin: Kentucky, Indiana, North Carolina
Age: 4 year old
ABV: 45%
Price: $36
Release: January
Availability: GA, MA, MI, NH, NC, OR, and TN

Need to know:
This is a blend of sour mash whiskeys aged between 4 and 6 years in virgin oak and refill bourbon casks. It has a mashbill of 76% corn, 19% rye, and 5% malted barley. The whiskey was maple charcoal filtered.

Whisky Advocate says:
This release is Call Family Distillers’ way of paying homage to Reverend Daniel Houston Call, an ancestor of the Call family and pioneer whiskey maker. According to the distillery, Dan Call worked alongside Jack Daniel and Nathan “Nearest” Green, eventually going on to found Daniel & Call Distillery No. 7, District #4 before retiring from the spirits game on account of the temperance movement. The whiskey has all the hallmarks of bourbon, but it’s categorized as an American whiskey due to the distillers’ use of refill barrels—a stylistic choice that aims to accentuate peach and apple notes that would otherwise be lessened or lost after spending 6 years in charred new oak.

Patty Green Multifarious
Style: Miscellaneous
Origin: Oregon
Age: Not stated
ABV: 49%
Price: $80
Release: January
Availability: 1,644 bottles

Patty Green Purple Karma Pinnacle
Style: Miscellaneous
Origin: Oregon
Age: Not stated
ABV: 56%
Price: $200
Release: January
Availability: 444 bottles

Need to know:
Patricia Green Cellars has debuted two new whiskeys. Both comprise blends of single malt distillate and pinot noir brandy in 80:20 ratios. The malt distillate for Multifarious was made from three separate strains of barley, while Purple Karma Pinnacle’s is entirely distilled from Purple Karma—an ancient Himalayan strain. Purple Karma Pinnacle was bottled at cask strength.

Whisky Advocate says:
Oregon-based Patricia Green Cellars was launched by Jim Anderson and the late Patty Green in 2000. Its whisky journey began in 2020, after wildfire smoke tainted the grape crop. The winery turned to local distiller Lynsee Sardell to turn the ruined grapes into a very acceptable brandy. Things grew from there, and the winery began sourcing heritage strains of barley and rye from farms in Oregon. Last year Anderson and several partners purchased the local distillery, and Patty Green Distillers was born. Liquid from the same grapes that was distilled into the brandy was also added to the blends for these two expressions. Though cask-finished expressions are ubiquitous these days, whiskey and wine/spirit blends like these are far less common. Beam notably toyed with the idea years ago releasing a rye whisky and rum blend and a rye whisky and port blend under its Basil Hayden banner.