It seems like every day our inboxes are flooded with press releases about new spirits that will be hitting the market soon. Before our official reviews for these bottles arrive, we wanted to give you a sneak peak about what’s coming soon to stores near you. Here’s the New Booze News for the week of May 1st, 2017!
HIGHLAND PARK VALKYRIE
Available in 15 markets beginning in May 2017, Valkyrie is a more peated expression than is typical from Highland Park using a greater portion of Orkney peated malt. The bottle was created by Danish designer Jim Lyngvild. Valkyrie is the first in a trio of Viking legend expressions. The trilogy will include Valknut which is expected in 2018 with Valhalla to arrive in 2019. Valkyrie is bottled at 49.5% ABV and has a suggested retail price of £55.
In further Highland Park news, their entire standard portfolio of whiskies is getting a facelift. New packaging for the range as well as new names will be rolled out over the remainder of 2017. Highland Park 10 Year (not sold in the US) will get the added moniker of Viking Scars. Highland Park 12 Year will also get the name Viking Honour added while Highland Park 18 Year will also be known as Viking Pride. The older range of whiskies including the 25, 30, and 40 years bottlings will also get new packaging over the next year. While the bottles and packaging are getting a makeovers, the whiskies will retain their current flavor profiles.
COMPASS BOX THE DOUBLE SINGLE
Going with the “Less is More” philosophy, this blended Scotch bottling from Compass Box is comprised of just two whiskies – one single grain and one single malt. The single malt portion hails from Glen Elgin and accounts for 72% of the volume. It was aged in re-charred ex-bourbon hogsheads. The single grain is from Girvan and accounts for 28% of the whisky. It was aged in re-charred ex-bourbon barrels. The Double Single is a limited edition release and was bottled in March 2017. There were 5838 bottles produced. As always, this blended whisky from Compass Box is non-chill-filtered has its natural color intact.
Left to Right: Highland Park Valkyrie, Highland Park Viking Honour, Compass Box The Double Single, Basil Hayden’s Straight Rye, Old Ripy, Lillard & Bond, Pierre Ferrand Reserve Double Cask Coganc, 123 Organic Extra Añejo Diablito Tequila
BASIL HAYDEN’S STRAIGHT RYE WHISKEY
Basil Hayden has released their first “Limited Edition” whiskey with their Kentucky Straight Rye release. The whiskey begins with a four-year-old rye which then sees an additional seven years in newly charred quarter-cask oak barrels. This re-barreled rye then gets blended with straight rye whiskey to create this bottling. Available beginning April 2017 nationwide in the US. It is bottled at 40% ABV and has a suggested retail price of $44.99.
WHISKEY BARONS COLLECTION: OLD RIPY AND LILLARD & BOND
Campari America has released two whiskeys as part of their new Whiskey Barons Collection. Old Ripy and Bond & Lillard are pre-Prohibition brands which have been resurrected by a team who have recreated their whiskey recipes. The team that was comprised of T.B. Ripy IV and Tom Ripy, great-grandson and great-great-grandson of T.B. Ripy and W.F. Bond; Norm Matella, Ph. D. and Campari America North American Technical Center Manager; and Robin Coupar, Campari America Global Whiskies Brand Ambassador.
Old Ripy, first bottled in 1868, is re-created by combining 8 year-old whiskey with 12 year-old and younger whiskeys. This no-age statement Kentucky Straight Whiskey is non chill-filtered and bottled at 52% ABV.
Bond & Lillard Kentucky Straight Whiskey, first created in 1869, also bares no-age statement. It is bottled at 50% ABV and is charcoal-filtered before bottling.
Both whiskeys were distilled at the Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg, KY which is approximately where the Old Ripy Distillery was located. They are both sold in 375ml sized bottles for a suggested retail price of $49.99. Available in select markets, including California, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York City, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin. They are also sold at the Wild Turkey Distillery Visitor Center in Lawrenceburg, KY.
PIERRE FERRAND RESERVE DOUBLE CASK COGNAC
This Double Cask release from Pierre Ferrand is aged first in small French oak barrels for 7-10 years. This is then blended with 20 year-old Cognac. Once blended, it is aged for one additional year in a humid cellar in casks which once held Banyuls wine, a fortified dessert wine. This is a permanent addition to the portfolio and replaces their Reserve bottling. Available beginning April 2017 it has a suggested retail price of $79.99.
123 ORGANIC EXTRA AÑEJO DIABLITO TEQUILA (New Batch Release)
Founder and Master Distiller David Ravandi has created a spirits parent company, 123 Spirits, which is dedicated to developing and promoting spirits brands which are USDA and EU certified organic. The spirits are also produced in an environmentally sound manner even down to the packaging which incorporates recycled glass, recycled paper labels and soy-based ink. This company includes his 123 (Uno, Dos, Tres) Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo Tequilas, El Luchador Tequila, and the new Cráneo Mezcal which was released late 2016.
Additionally, this includes his 123 Extra Añejo Diablito which releases a new batch beginning May 1, 2017. Aged for 40 months in new French Limousin barrels, only 2500 bottles are released annually. Suggested retail price is $150.
Can’t wait until these hit stores? Start hunting for your next bottle now!
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