Whisky Watch: Miyagikyo 10, a Barton Rye, Old Grand-Dad 7 & More New Releases

It’s a bustling week for new releases, chock-full of eagerly anticipated limited editions and permanently available whiskeys alike. There are a couple of single malts from overseas: Bunnahabhain has introduced the second whisky within its Westering Home series, while in Japan, Nikka has brought back the Miyagikyo 10 year old for the first time since 2015. Stateside, there are new bourbons and ryes galore, starting with the first-ever rye from Barton 1792, as well as the distillery’s oldest-ever age statement bourbon. Elsewhere, Old Grand-Dad is out with the latest batch of its 7 year old bottled in bond bourbon, and Atlanta’s ASW Distillery has a new bourbon—it’s part of a new partnership with John Deere, which also includes a rye. Other new ryes come from Breckenridge, which has bottled a core rye, and Silver Brothers, which has debuted its first single barrel whiskey. And from New Riff, you can get the best of both worlds with its latest Headliner whiskey—it's a 50/50 blend of bourbon and rye.

Bunnahabhain An Cuan Garbh No. 1 scotch single malt

ABV: 51.6%
SRP: $205
Availability: Limited

For the second release within its Westering Home collection, which takes its name from Islay’s folk anthem, Bunnahabhain finished this 15 year old single malt in white port casks. The unpeated single malt (whose name translates to “The Rough Sea”) matured for 15 years in oak before a shorter finishing period in the white port casks, which were sourced from Portugal’s Douro Valley.

The first Westering Home release, Turas Math No. 1 (“bon voyage” in Gaelic), highlighted warming savory and sweet spices following a manzanilla sherry cask maturation and an amarone cask finish. An Cuan Garbh No. 1 emphasizes stone fruit, gentle spice, and coastal character. The limited release will be available across the U.S. at select retailers.

Miyagikyo 10 year old Japanese single malt

ABV: 45%
SRP: $175
Availability: 1,572 bottles in select retailers nationwide; imported by Hotaling & Co.

More than a decade since it disappeared from shelves, Nikka Whisky is bringing back Miyagikyo 10 year old. Nikka discontinued their age-stated single malt ranges from the company’s Miyagikyo and Yoichi Distilleries in 2015, as sales of Japanese whisky surged, leading to stock shortages. The long-awaited release marks the first age-statement expression from the distillery since 2015 and follows the return of Yoichi 10 year old in 2022. The refreshed Miyagikyo bottle has a Japanese washi paper label, with deep forest green accents, inspired by the distillery's natural surroundings. The whisky's recipe is shaped by subtle flavor influences from sherry cask and new American oak cask matured stock, but the majority of maturation taking place in remade casks, which are assembled from staves of used barrels fitted with new cask heads. Nikka operates cooperages at Yoichi and Miyagikyo, with a larger cooperage at the Tochigi Aging Cellar.

Miyagikyo opened in 1969 and it is best known for its signature fruity, non-peated single malts, which made their debut in 1989. The distillers have experimented with peated malt, though the distillery’s landmark kiln and floor maltings were taken out of service in 1975. The Miyagikyo stillhouse has eight copper pot stills for single malt production, but it also installed a pair of 1960s Coffey stills in 1999 in a nearby second stillhouse for continuous distillation, relocating them from the company’s Nishinomiya Distillery. Nikka Coffey Grain, made from corn, was launched in 2012, followed by Nikka Coffey Malt in 2014, made from malted barley (though here’s why only Nikka Coffey Grain is recognized as a Product of Japan). Miyagikyo commissioned a new Coffey still in 2025, replacing one of those 1960s Coffey stills. The return of Miyagikyo 10 year old, like Yoichi 10 year old, is expected to be an ongoing core range release, with stock set aside for future batches for release in limited quantities each year.

Barton 1792 rye

ABV: 50%
SRP: $40
Availability: Nationwide

This is Barton 1792’s first-ever foray into rye, and is a permanent addition to the lineup. The mashbill details aren’t shared, but we do know that the whiskey’s grains are sourced from Canada, Europe, and northern U.S. The entry proof (125) mirrors that of Barton’s bourbons, and master distiller Ross Cornelissen used the distillery’s signature bourbon yeast during fermentation, resulting in a fruit-forward sweetness that steadies the intensity of the rye. It’s bottled at 100 proof and available for $40.

Barton 1792 XV 15 year old Cask Strength bourbon

ABV: 62.1%
SRP: $250/liter
Availability: Travel Retail

Barton has introduced 1792 XV, which, at 15 years old, is the brand’s oldest age-stated bourbon and first-ever cask-strength whiskey. While Barton has dabbled in older age statements before, coming out with a 12 year old back in 2019, XV marks a step into ultra-aged territory. This one wasn’t intended as a barrel-proof whiskey, but as Cornelissen tasted through the casks, he decided they were worthy of keeping at cask strength. As a limited edition release, 1792 XV is priced at $250/1 liter, and exclusive to Global Travel Retail at airports including Los Angeles International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, and South Korea’s Incheon International Airport.

Old Grand-Dad 7 year old bottled in bond bourbon(2026 Release)

ABV: 50%
SRP: $40
Availability: Nationwide

Beam is out with a new batch for this annual release, which launched last July. In keeping with the regulations governing bonded whiskeys, this one was distilled in fall 2018. Its predecessor was distilled in spring 2018, and it scored 90 points with our tasting panel.

New Riff Headliner Blend (2026 Release)

ABV: 50%
SRP: $150
Availability: New Riff’s Whiskey Club, which is free to join

Newport, Kentucky-based New Riff has released the third batch of its highly limited Headliner expression. This is the distillery’s first 50/50 bourbon and rye blend, including 50% bourbon distilled with malted rye, 25% rye whiskey, and 25% Balboa heirloom rye. It’s also the oldest expression of Headliner yet, with all the components aged for at least 10 years. It follows in the footsteps of two other 10 year old whiskeys that were released in May for New Riff Whiskey Club members.

As with previous Headliner expressions, the newcomer supports local charities. Proceeds from the sales will benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati and Tri-State Trails.

Breckenridge Rye

ABV: 50%
SRP: $35-$40
Availability: Nationwide

From the highest distillery in the world, at 9,600 feet above sea level, comes a brand new rye. This is Breckenridge Distillery’s first core rye, joining a handful of bourbons, blended American whiskeys, and finished whiskeys in the lineup. The new release is made from a mashbill of 80% rye, 14% corn, and 6% malted barley, and carries a 5 year old age statement.

Breckenridge got its start in 2008, when physician Bryan Nolt made the leap from medicine to distilling. In addition to whiskey, Nolt makes vodka, gin, rum, aquavit, and more (and many of those barrels are later used for whiskey finishes).

Fiddler Combine Bourbon

ABV: 56%
SRP: $80
Availability: Nationwide

Fiddler Steel Plow Rye

ABV: 56%
SRP: $80
Availability: Nationwide

Collaborations between whiskey makers and non-drinks products are widespread these days, with brands ranging from luxury car companies to TV shows and movies to literary characters getting in on the action. Now, American agricultural machinery giant John Deere has joined the mix, having inked a two-year partnership deal with Atlanta, Georgia’s ASW Distillery.

As part of the collaboration, which is called “Soil to Still,” ASW has launched two permanently available whiskeys: Fiddler Combine bourbon and Fiddler Steel Plow rye. The bourbon is a wheater made from a high-wheat mashbill and is aged 8 years. The rye is also 8 years old. Both whiskeys were finished with Georgian white oak staves; master distiller Justin Manglitz selected the wood from trees that were felled by storms, then seasoned the staves for two years before charring them and inserting them into the whiskey for 2 months.

Whisky is, at its core, an agricultural product, making this collaboration with John Deere an especially fitting one.

Silver Brothers Barrel No. 8 Rye

ABV: 55.4%
SRP: $88
Availability: 120 bottles, distillery exclusive

Old Chatham, New York-based Silver Brothers is out with its third whiskey in little more than a month since opening. The latest from the fledgling distillery is its very first single barrel release, this one a rye bottled from a 30-gallon barrel (slightly smaller than the standard 53-gallon barrels used by most distillers). It’s made from the same mashbill as the inaugural batch of Silver Brothers rye—40% rye, 40% malted rye, and 20% malted barley—and, at 3 years old, it’s the same age as well. What differentiates this single barrel from the debut rye is the use of kveik, a Norwegian yeast strain that thrives at higher temperatures and enables faster fermentation and distinctive flavors—in this case, what the distillery calls a “darker, more brooding character than the standard release,” with notes of dark plum, cocoa, and black cherry, among others. There are only 120 bottles of the new rye available, and they’ll be exclusive to the Silver Brothers Distillery starting later this month.