It’s Distiller’s first Friday roundup of the new year and decade, and we couldn’t be more excited. Aside from all of the things we plan to add to the platform this year, the spirits industry is showing no signs of slowing down. That means more releases for us to cover, and more bottles for you to seek out. First up, Teeling Irish Whiskey is bringing two new releases to the United States including the new Teeling Single Cask Chestnut Cask. Then, the folks at Seattle’s Westland Distillery are ready to kick off their 6th annual Peat Weak.
In bourbon news, Old Forester debuted some changes to its single barrel program. Woodford Reserve also shared news of its Double Double Oaked Winter 2019 special release. Next, Tequila Partida unveiled a new single barrel reposado. Finally, Powers Irish Whiskey has re-designed its core range with new bottles and labels. Now, on to the news!
Announcing Teeling Single Pot Still and Teeling Single Cask Chestnut Cask
Teeling Irish Whiskey is bringing two new releases to the United States to kick off 2020. The first, Teeling Single Pot Still, claims to be the first whiskey distilled in Dublin in almost 50 years. Teeling has previously released three batches of Teeling Single Pot Still outside of the United States. The brand has decided to do away with batch numbers moving forward and plans to do another limited release of the Single Pot Still bottling in the US in 2021. Just 6,000 bottles are available in this limited release. It is made from 50% malted barley and 50% unmalted barley and aged in ex-bourbon, virgin oak and ex-sherry barrels. It is bottled at 46% ABV and has a suggested price of $64.99.
The second release is Teeling Single Cask Chestnut Cask. This single malt whiskey matured in ex-bourbon barrels before being finished in chestnut casks. A total of 846 bottles of Teeling Single Cask Chestnut Cask will be available only in New York, California and Illinois. It is bottled at 55.1% ABV and has a suggested price of $99.99.
Teeling Single Cask Chestnut Cask / Photo Credit: Teeling Whiskey
Old Forester Updates Its “By the Barrel” Single Barrel Program
Old Forester Bourbon is updating its single barrel program, known as “By the Barrel”. The brand previously offered barrels at 45% ABV, but starting in 2020 will begin offering barrels at 50% ABV. Additionally, it has announced offers of unfiltered barrel strength options. As part of this change to the program, Old Forester is eliminating the 90 proof single barrel offering.
Barrels of Old Forester Single Barrel Bourbon 100 Proof will produce roughly 200 bottles at a suggested retail price of $49.99. Depending on the proof of Old Forester Single Barrel Bourbon Barrel Strength barrels, buyers can expect somewhere around a 160 bottle yield with a suggested price of $79.99 per bottle.
Westland Celebrates 6th Annual Peat Week
Every year Westland Distillery hosts Peat Week in Seattle. The celebration consists of panels, tastings, food and cocktails, and culminates with the release of the brand’s American single malt. Westland 6th Annual Peat Week American Single Malt is a single cask release, and matured for 50 months in a French oak puncheon. This cask, #3369, is bottled at 60.4% ABV. Only 580 bottles will be available at the distillery on Saturday, January 25th. Bottles are priced at $99.99.
Westland 6th Annual Peat Week American Single Malt / Photo Credit: Westland Distillery
Westland’s 6th Annual Peat Week kicks off on Tuesday, January 21st at 7pm with a symposium focused on the role of smoke in food. Panelists will join Westland’s Master Distiller Matt Hofmann for a discussion and tasting of smoked foods and peated whiskies. On Thursday January 23rd Westland will host a cocktail competition at Cursed Oak. Competitors will attempt to create the best peated American single malt cocktail. Bottles of Westland 6th Annual Peat Week American Single Malt go on sale at 11am at Westland Distillery on Saturday, January 25th.
For more information and to buy tickets for the Peat Week events, visit Westland’s Peat Week site.
Woodford Reserve Double Double Oaked 2019 Release
To kick off 2020, Woodford Reserve recently announced its latest Distillery Series bottling: Woodford Reserve Double Double Oaked 2019. The original bottling of Double Double Oaked debuted in 2015 and has inspired re-releases since then. This bourbon starts as fully matured Woodford Reserve Bourbon. Then, instead of spending only one year in heavily-toasted and lightly charred barrels like Woodford Reserve Double Oaked, it spends two years.
Woodford Reserve Double Double Oaked 2019 was bottled at 90.4% ABV in late 2019 and comes in 375ml bottles. Available for $49.99, this bourbon can only be purchased at the Woodford Reserve distillery in Versailles, KY.
Woodford Reserve Double Double Oaked 2019 / Photo Credit: Woodford Reserve
Partida Unveils Single Barrel Reposado Tequila
First announced in January 2020, Partida Single Barrel Reposado is a limited edition release of only thirty barrels. Each barrel was selected by Partida’s Maestro Tequilero, José Valdez. The tequila is aged for a minimum of 6 months in white American oak with a medium char. Three separate tasting profiles were created amongst the barrels, so the purchaser of each barrel can choose from ligero (light), medio (medium) and intenso (intense) flavor profiles.
Partida Single Barrel Reposado is bottled at 40% ABV and has a suggested price of $54.99 per bottle.
Powers Irish Whiskey Reveals New Bottle Design
Powers Irish Whiskey, one of Irish Distillers’ brands, has announced a brand new bottle and label design for its three core expressions. The first bottle that will receive a facelift is Powers Gold Label, which will begin rolling out in the United States in March of 2020. Powers Three Swallow and Powers John’s Lane will come next, starting in mid-2020 in the United States and globally in late 2020. In Ireland, Three Swallow and John’s Lane will receive the new design in March 2020.
Left to Right: Powers Gold Label, Powers Three Swallow and Powers John’s Lane / Photo Credit: Powers
The new bottle shape is inspired by the silhouette of the pot still stillhouse at John’s Lane Distillery in Dublin. Each of the three whiskeys will come with a different label color. Gold Label will be red to mark the original red Powers diamond marque. Three Swallow will be blue to represent the feathers of its namesake bird. John Lane’s Release will have a metallic ink color to “reflect the industrial innovation” that the Powers family brought to the original distillery.
The new labels all showcase the classic “P” inside of a diamond—one of the first trademarks ever registered in Ireland. The brand has long used the “diamond P”, on casks, paperwork, and even on the Powers-branded mirrors that still hang in many Irish pubs to this day. The new label is meant to pay homage to the history of the whiskey which dates back to 1791.
Did any of the spirits in this roundup tickle your fancy? Maybe the Teeling Single Cask Chestnut Cask?
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