Whisky Watch: Ultra-Aged Bowmore, New Riff Sherried Rye, Filmland's Malted Mummy

This week brought an interesting mix of new releases, as some producers dropped fresh batches of old favorites while others went out of their comfort zone by experimenting with new styles. In the U.S., New Riff has a new batch of its sherry cask-finished malted rye, Barrell announced a new iteration of its fan-favorite New Year blend, Dublasé has a trio of aged bourbons, blending house Filmland Spirits bottled its first American single malt, craft producer Branch & Barrel distilled its first rye whiskey aimed at bourbon drinkers, and Koopers finished a well-aged bourbon in toasted Texas oak. Over in Scotland, Bowmore released a 20 year old single malt in partnership with New York design studio Snarkitecture.

Bowmore x Snarkitecture 20 year old Oak Voyage Islay Single Malt

ABV: 50.8%
SRP: $360
Availability: Limited; from September

Part of Bowmore’s new Captivo Collection, Oak Voyage aims to highlight the influence of different casks. It matured in bourbon barrels for 20 years before a finish in oloroso sherry-seasoned American oak butts, keeping the focus on one type of oak while changing the seasoning of the wood.

The new series is a collaboration with New York-based design studio Snarkitecture, with the artwork created to act as a portal into the world of Bowmore. The collection consists of two 20 year olds, with the second release, Bowmore Captivo Collection 20 year old Sherry Cask Pursuit, expected to go on sale in Global Travel Retail later this year, bottled at 51.8% and costing $380.

With its distinctive black and red packaging, Bowmore Oak Voyage is totally different from Bowmore Voyage, a non-age statement, cask strength expression released in 2000, which was finished in port pipes.

New Riff Sherry Finish Malted Rye

ABV: 58.65%
SRP: $70
Availability: Limited

The latest iteration of New Riff’s oloroso and Pedro Ximénez-finished malted rye continues on the path forged by its forerunners: It’s made from a mashbill of 100% malted rye, and aged for 6 years. Cask finishes are more of an anomaly for New Riff, which has made a name for itself with single barrel and bottled in bond releases over the years. Even so, they’ve shown a growing prowess for secondary maturation with this whiskey, which has improved upon its scores since its first release in 2022.

Barrell New Year Blend of Straight Bourbons

ABV: 58.3%
SRP: $85
Availability: Limited

The latest edition of Barrell’s New Year blend of straight bourbons includes components from 7 different states, among them Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Wyoming, Maryland, Texas, and Ohio. The exact blend breakdown is as follows:

• 7, 8, 9, and 10 year old Indiana bourbon
• 7 and 8 year old Kentucky bourbon
• 10 and 16 year old Tennessee bourbon
• 13 year old Wyoming bourbon
• 7 and 8 year old Maryland bourbon
• 5 year old Texas bourbon
• and 5 year old Ohio bourbon

The derivative mashbill is a four-grain, comprised of 73% corn, 22% rye, 4% malted barley, and 1% wheat. This is the 11th edition of Barrell New Year, which, per the name, is a celebration of the new year to come, and often blends whiskeys from many states and of a variety of ages. It’ll be available nationwide (though in limited quantities) starting next month.

Filmland Spirits The Malted Mummy American Single Malt

ABV: 43%
SRP: $75
Availability: Limited

Los Angeles independent bottler Filmland Spirits, which takes its creative inspiration from B-movies, has blended and bottled its first American single malt. It was sourced from an undisclosed distillery in Iowa and aged for 5 years in oak barrels that previously held IPA. It’s set to make its debut on August 29th.

Filmland may not be a mainstream name in the independent bottler landscape, but it should be on your radar. It has been on a roll in recent years, releasing some very impressive whiskeys like the 92-point Ryes of the Robots and 93-point White Port Wolf. We got an early chance to taste the new whiskey, and it’s another winner, scoring 90 points with our tasting panel. Be sure to check out the full review, and many others, in our upcoming Fall issue, which hits newsstands next month.

Dublasé Signature Bourbon Trio

ABV: Varies
SRP: Varies
Availability: Limited

Founded by entrepreneur Darrin Eakins back in 2020, Dublasé Whiskey has launched a trio of new bourbons. The whiskeys are demarcated by age and are as follows:

• Signature No. 9–V: a 5 year old Indiana bourbon (75% corn, 21% rye, 4% malted barley) that spent 2 years aging in Indiana, and the rest of its maturation in Florida, where Dublasé is based
• Signature No. 9–VII: a 7 year old Indiana bourbon (75% corn, 21% rye, 4% malted barley) that aged entirely in Indiana
• Signature No. 9–X: a 10 year old Indiana bourbon (60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malted barley) that aged entirely in Indiana

The new whiskeys will be available online at Dublase’s website, as well at select Florida retailers, starting September 1st (when prices will also go live). They join a 3 year old bourbon and a vanilla-flavored whiskey in the Dublasé lineup.

Part and parcel of Dublasé is a philanthropic mission. A portion of all sales of the Signature Trio will go to the Dublasé Foundation, a non-profit Eakins created in an effort to support minority students pursuing the science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics fields. So far, Dublasé Whiskey and the Dublasé Foundation have created opportunities that have engaged 175,000 students throughout northeastern Florida.

Branch & Barrel Straight Rye

ABV: 44%
SRP: $35
Availability: Colorado exclusive

Centennial, Colorado’s Branch & Barrel Distilling has released its first whiskey. It was aged for a minimum of 3 years and has a low-rye mashbill of 51% rye, 40% corn, and 9% malted barley. According to master blender Mitchell Nester, he chose the mashbill with bourbon drinkers in mind. “This build is a bit corn-heavy for a rye,” he explains. “But we’re bourbon people, so we’re bringing those bourbon sensibilities to this bottle to create something uncommonly smooth and drinkable.”

The rye for this release was sourced from local growers in the San Luis Valley, where the grain is grown as a cover crop to protect the soil during winter. It’s a variety we’ve seen other whiskey makers use before, with fellow Colorado resident Laws Whiskey House tapping San Luis Valley rye throughout its portfolio.

Koopers Whiskey 8 year old Texas Oak Bourbon

ABV: 57.4%
SRP: $70
Availability: Online and at the tasting room

Texas independent bottler Koopers Whiskey will unveil a new bourbon finished in local oak. The base is an 8 year old MGP bourbon with a mashbill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley, which was finished in toasted oak barrels constructed from Texas-grown white oak and built by Standard Cooperage—the Lone Star State’s first cooperage—in Blanco.