Waterford Cuvée: Argot, Westland Solum Edition 1 & More [New Releases]

It's a big weekend for cigar and whisky lovers, as Big Smoke Meets WhiskyFest makes its return to Hollywood, Florida tomorrow, Saturday, March 4. We previewed some of the whiskies being poured, seminars being held, and cigar stars in attendance, but it is truly an event you have to take in for yourself, combining two worlds into one extraordinary night.

Meanwhile, with St. Patrick's Day approaching, it's another big week for Irish whiskey. Waterford brings its Cuvée series global with Argot, Method and Madness has a 60% rye and 40% unmalted barley whiskey coming to the U.S., and Writers' Tears announces its second new release in as many weeks with the 2023 edition of its cask strength whiskey. Plus, Westland unveils Solum Edition 1 and WhistlePig drops its first-ever single malt. Read on for full details.

Waterford Cuvée: Argot
Style: Single malt
Origin: Ireland
Age: Not stated
ABV: 47%
Price: $60
Release: March 2023
Availability: Global release

Need to know:
Waterford Distillery is releasing its first permanent global expression as part of its Cuvée Concepts range, inspired by the practice of the great French winemakers. Head distiller Ned Gahan combined several Waterford Single Farm Origin whiskeys, including a hint of peated whiskey, to create a single malt with greater depth and complexity than its individual components. It was matured in 37% first-fill bourbon, 19% new American oak, 19% French oak, and 23% sweet Vin Doux Naturel casks. Pronounced “Ar-go,” this non-age statement release has a lower price point than previous Waterford releases and comes without a gift carton.

Whisky Advocate says:
Although this whiskey has been blended from an array of Waterford Whisky’s stocks produced from barley grown on individual Irish farms, it is still a single malt as it was distilled from 100% malted barley at a single distillery. With a lower ABV than Waterford Whisky’s bottlings to date, Cuvée: Argot is its introductory whiskey with the aim of being accessible to drinkers yet to discover Waterford’s barley-forward approach to whiskey making. Each bottle has a TÉIREOIR code linked to a web page covering every conceivable nugget of information about the whiskey, and new converts can take their exploration beyond Argot by tracking down the individual constituent single farm origin bottlings layered together in the composition of this cuvée.

Westland Solum Edition 1
Style: American single malt
Origin: Washington
Age: Not stated
ABV: 50%
Price: $150/700ml
Release: March 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
This is Seattle-based Westland’s first official release of Solum, a single malt whiskey that showcases American peated malt sourced from Washington’s Skagit Valley. It’s part of Westland’s Outpost Range, a trio of whiskies that explore Pacific Northwest terroir. The other two in the range are Westland Garryana, a single malt at least partly matured in casks made of Garry oak, and Westland Colere, distilled from local barley. Solum has been among the more highly anticipated whiskeys of recent years, considering that its creation was first announced in 2020. The first expression in the Outpost Range was Garryana, whose existence actually predates the Outpost Range’s formation–it launched in 2016 and has released annual editions ever since. Colere was launched in 2021, and now comes Solum.

Whisky Advocate Says:
This one in some ways is the most special in the Outpost Range, as it’s the first whisky to showcase peated American malt­. While the malt was from grains harvested in the Skagit Valley north of Seattle, the peat was pulled from a bog located about two hours south of the city. Westland master distiller Matt Hoffman has noted that Pacific Northwest peat has a different organic makeup and its own mix of botanicals that make it very different from that of Scotland, and that can be tasted in the whisky. The harvesting and smoking of the barley were carried out in collaboration with Westland’s longtime partner Skagit Valley Malting.

Method and Madness Rye and Malt
Style: Blend
Origin: Ireland
Age: 6 year old
ABV: 46%
Price: $80/700 ml
Release: February 2023
Availability: Limited; 5,000 bottles, exclusive to the U.S.

Need to know:
Made from a mashbill of 60% rye and 40% unmalted barley, this whiskey was aged in bourbon barrels for 6 years before being bottled at cask strength. While an earlier version of Rye and Malt launched in 2021, it was exclusive to European markets, and unlike this triple-distilled U.S. release, it was double distilled.

Whisky Advocate says:
We reported on the release of Method and Madness earlier this week, which was wholly distilled at Irish Distillers’ Micro Distillery, an innovation hub located next door to the much larger Midleton Distillery in County Cork where many of the previous Method & Madness releases were made. Method and Madness highlights the playful side of Irish Distillers, with unique cask finishes and innovative mashbills. The Micro Distillery is led by Katherine Condon, who’s been with Irish Distillers since 2014.

Writers’ Tears Cask Strength 2023 Limited Edition
Style: Blend of single pot still and single malt
Origin: Ireland
Age: Not stated
ABV: 54.8%
Price: $160
Release: March 2023
Availability: Global release of 8,700 bottles; 1,800 for the U.S.

Need to know:
Just a week after the release of this year’s cask strength edition of The Irishman, Walsh Whiskey has announced the release of the 13^th edition of Writers’ Tears Cask Strength, a triple-distilled blend of aged single pot still and single malts that was then aged in bourbon casks.

Whisky Advocate says:
The Writers’ Tears range includes four core whiskeys and four limited editions, including the latest edition of this much-anticipated annual release. Although each edition is unique, this is a reliable purchase, receiving scores between 91–93 points in our Buying Guide over the past 5 years. While the global release has increased by nearly 800 bottles this year, Writers’ Tears fans should note that there are 300 fewer bottles coming to the U.S. than in 2022.

WhistlePig The Béhôlden
Style: Single malt
Origin: Canada
Age: 21 year old
ABV: 46%
Price: $800
Release: March 1, 2023
Availability: Limited; nationwide and at shop.whistlepigwhiskey.com

Need to know:
WhistlePig is rolling out its first-ever single malt, a 21 year old Canadian whisky that was aged in bourbon barrels and finished for 4 weeks in WhistlePig rye barrels. Just 18 barrels of this single barrel whiskey will be released, with additional barrels coming in 2024, and an even older release to follow. The barrels were primarily aged in Canada before being moved to WhistlePig’s Vermont distillery in 2020.

Whisky Advocate says:
While WhistlePig is based in the U.S., this is decidedly not an American single malt. That’s not to say that Canadian single malts aren’t great on their own. In fact, we dubbed them Canada’s best-kept secret in our Summer 2022 issue, with many distillers touting the diversity and high quality of Canadian-grown barley. WhistlePig has started to expand its portfolio of whiskeys beyond rye in recent years. In September 2022, it announced its first-ever bourbon with PiggyBack 6 year old. In terms of other rye-finished single malts we’ve seen, Stranahan’s released an American single malt finished in rye casks for two years in September 2022, though it was a distillery exclusive. And Glenmorangie released Spìos, a single malt scotch that was matured in rye casks, in 2018.

Woodford Reserve Kentucky Derby Bottle (2023 Release)
Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 42.5%
Price: 55%
Release: March 2023
Availability: Limited; nationwide

Need to know:
This year’s Woodford Reserve Kentucky Derby bottle features artwork from Kentucky native Jamie Corum. The label commemorates the 50^th anniversary of Secretariat’s Derby win by depicting the thoroughbred covered in roses in the Winner’s Circle at Churchill Downs. Woodford Reserve master distiller Elizabeth McCall calls this the distillery’s most collectible Derby bottle yet. The brand has been releasing specialty bottles honoring the race since 1999.

Whisky Advocate says:
Woodford’s annual Derby bottle makes a great collector’s item for whiskey and art enthusiasts alike. The whiskey is the same as standard Woodford, but the label changes each year as Woodford works with different artists to celebrate the Derby’s history and its importance to the state of Kentucky. These bottles look great on any bar, as they are among the more artful labels released.

The Legendary Red Silkie
Style: Blend
Origin: Ireland
Age: Not stated
ABV: 46%
Price: $55
Release: March 2023
Availability: Limited

Need to know:
This is the fourth release in the Silkie Irish whiskey series from Sliabh Liag (pronounced “Sleeve League”) in County Donegal, located in the far northwest corner of Ireland. This distiller is noted for producing whiskey using Irish peat, whereas other peated Irish expressions rely on peat from Scotland. The whiskeys first appeared in the U.S. in 2020 with peated blends The Legendary Silkie and The Legendary Dark Silkie. Those were followed last year by The Midnight Silkie, a more malted peated whiskey. This latest release is a red wine-finished expression that commemorates Red Hugh O’Donnell, Ireland’s last chieftain. He died in Spain after a journey to Rioja and Simancas in Ribera del Duero, where he had gone to ask Spanish King Philip for help fighting the English in Ireland. The Red Silkie uses The Legendary Silkie blend aged in red wine casks from Rioja and Ribera del Duero. The whiskey spent 6 months in those casks before being disgorged and blended together. Just 5,800 bottles of this new expression will be available.

Whisky Advocate Says:
Founded in 2014, Sliabh Liag first set up shop in Carrick, and became the first Irish whiskey maker in 175 years to open in County Donegal, a remote part of Ireland where Gaelic is still widely spoken. It has since built a larger, modern distillery in Ardara, where construction began in 2020. Its initial releases have used liquid sourced from Ireland’s Great Northern Distillery. The core Legendary Silkie expression is a blend of malt and grain whiskeys including some peated whiskey, while The Dark Silkie is more heavily peated than the original. Red Silkie uses the mashbill of the core label.

Laws Whiskey House Bottled in Bond Four Grain Bourbon (2023 Release)
Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Colorado
Age: 8 year old
ABV: 50%
Price: $80
Release: March 3, 2023
Availability: Limited; 2,430 bottles of batch 7-F

Need to know:
Denver’s Laws Whiskey House is back with Batch 7 of its Bottled in Bond Four Grain bourbon. Like last year’s release, the whiskey was aged for 8 years, and Laws will be releasing it in two sub-batches. Batch 7-F comes from 15 barrels distilled in the fall of 2014 with an average age of 8 years and 3 months, while batch 7-S comes from 22 barrels distilled in the spring of 2015 with an average age of 8 years and 2 months. Both batches were made using the same mashbill of 60% corn, 20% heirloom wheat, 10% heirloom rye, and 10% heirloom malted barley.

Whisky Advocate says:
Laws remains committed to showcasing Colorado terroir through heirloom grains and adhering to bottled in bond—to such an extent that the style has become something of a calling card for the distillery. In addition to this Four Grain bourbon, it also features bonded wheat, rye, and malt whiskeys. This latest batch of Four Grain bourbon is dropping on March 3, also known as Bottled in Bond Day, the anniversary of when the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897 was passed. We scored last year’s batch of 8 year old Bottled in Bond Four Grain bourbon 89 points. Whiskeys labeled bottled in bond must be at least 4 years old, bottled at 50% ABV, and distilled in a single distilling season, with Laws differentiating the sub-batches here with F for Fall and S for Spring.

Eric LeGrand
Style: Straight bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: Not stated
ABV: 44%
Price: $40
Release: March 2023
Availability: KY, NJ, and NY with expansion planned

Need to know:
Former Rutgers football player Eric LeGrand is releasing this Kentucky bourbon in tandem with spirits entrepreneur Brian Axelrod. The whiskey was distilled in Owensboro and bottled in Bardstown, is made from a mashbill of corn, rye, and barley, and aged for a minimum of 2 years. For every case sold, LeGrand and Axelrod will donate $5.20 (LeGrand wore No. 52) to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, supporting those living with and impacted by paralysis. LeGrand’s athletic career was cut short in 2010, after a tackle left him paralyzed. “My recovery journey has mirrored that of my bourbon,” LeGrand said in a statement. “Both take precision, patience, and trust in the process.”

Whisky Advocate says:
LeGrand has turned tragedy into triumph as he has become an inspirational speaker and major fundraiser following his accident. In September 2013, he launched Team LeGrand, and to date, the organization has raised over $2 million for the Reeve Foundation. LeGrand is also an entrepreneur, launching a clothing line in 2019 and a coffee brand in 2021. Through his rehabilitation journey, LeGrand has an added appreciation for life’s finer things, which led to his collaboration with Axelrod. We love a whiskey that supports a good cause, and have highlighted a few in this round-up, including Parker’s Heritage and Good Deeds malt whiskey.

Triple Dog
Style: Blend
Origin: Ireland
Age: Not stated
ABV: 40%
Price: $40
Release: March 2023
Availability: California and Texas with expansion to further states expected; delivery to 41 states via tripledogwhiskey.com

Need to know:
This is a triple-distilled blended Irish whiskey launched by serial entrepreneur Dan O’Shevlin. The name comes from the triple dog dare, an ultimate challenge issued after a dare, and double dare are not enough.

Whisky Advocate says:
Triple Dog Irish whiskey is inspired by an unexecuted family recipe for an Irish blend dating back to 1916, and has been designed to appeal to a new generation of existing Irish whiskey drinkers. Triple Dog combines single malt and single grain whiskey distilled at the Great Northern Distillery using Irish-grown grains, and it is aged in French oak casks for a minimum of 5 years.