Happy Friday, spirits fans!
We start with El Tesoro Tequila which has launched a new experimental limited-edition cask-finished series — El Tesoro Mundial Collection: The Laphroaig Edition. Yes, that’s peat cask-aged tequila!
As for American whiskey, a deep dive into the early history of rye production, and a shared respect for whiskey geekery, resulted in a double-rye project between Nicole Austin of George Dickel with Todd Leopold of Leopold Bros.
And can whisky embody aesthetic ingenuity? That’s the question Bowmore seeks to answer with Bowmore Masters’ Selection, a collaboration with Aston Martin.
All this and more in this week’s New Spirits Roundup. Let’s get to the booze!
El Tesoro Mundial Collection Series Begins with Laphroaig Cask Finish
This week El Tesoro Tequila and Master Distiller Carlos Camarena have introduced the Mundial Limited Edition Series, a new experimental collection from La Alteña Distillery in Jalisco, Mexico. The Mundial expressions will feature one-of-a-kind single barrels of El Tesoro tequilas finished in unique casks that have previously held other spirits from around the globe.
The premiere release in the series, El Tesoro Mundial: The Laphroaig Edition, features El Tesoro Añejo finished in casks that once held Laphroaig single malt Scotch whisky. For this expression, Camarena worked closely with the Laphroaig distillery team to arrive at the final flavor profile. First, the tequila was aged for nine months in ex-bourbon barrels. Then the tequila was finished for four additional months in Laphroaig 10 Year Single Malt casks.
“While we continue upholding the traditional processes that have made El Tesoro the treasure of Jalisco, we also like to experiment with ways to bring tequila production to a different level,” explains Camarena. “The Laphroaig finish imparts a slight whiff of smoke on the nose but not heavy peat as one might expect. It is just enough to create a specific spiciness that shows how well the peatiness of Laphroaig intertwines and complements the deep, rich agave flavors we are most proud of with our El Tesoro Añejo.”
Significantly, new Mundial Collection editions will be introduced in the coming years. Each edition will be finished in different types of casks.
El Tesoro Mundial Collection: The Laphroaig Edition is bottled at 40% ABV. The tequila is available in limited quantities at select markets at retailers and bars as of mid-November 2021. The SRP is $125.00.
El Tesoro Mundial Collection: The Laphroaig Edition /Photo Credit: Gabi Porter
George Dickel & Leopold Bros. Announce New Collaboration Blend
Here’s a rye for true whiskey nerds! George Dickel x Leopold Bros Collaboration Blend is the brainchild of colleagues and friends Nicole Austin, general manager and distiller at Cascade Hollow Distilling Co. and Todd Leopold, founder and master distiller at Leopold Bros Distillery. Apparently the idea was hatched when Leopold shared a sample of his Three Chamber Rye with Austin, and said he was looking for a partner to collaborate on a new blend with the goal to, according to the press release, “challenge the status quo for rye offerings on the market.”
The whisky is composed of two different styles of rye whisky: Leopold Bros’ Three Chamber Rye and George Dickel never-before-released traditional column still rye. The resulting historically-inspired blend of straight rye whiskies harkens back to the late 1800s and early 1900s when a more heavy-bodied, aromatic rye style was the typical offering at bars and saloons across America.
“When you look back at official records for Three Chamber Rye Whiskies, they weren’t just sold as is, but they were also blended together with column still whiskies,” said Leopold. “It feels fitting our rare rye release combines this historic style with something new from George Dickel. We hope whisky fans will enjoy this take on an American classic and inspire the resurgence of rare rye whisky.”
The George Dickel x Leopold Bros Collaboration Blend is bottled at 100 proof. The whisky is currently rolling out in select markets across the US for an SRP of $109.99.
George Dickel x Leopold Bros Collaboration Blend /Photo Credit: George Dickel
Bowmore Masters’ Collection Aims To Unite The Worlds Of Whisky Making And Automotive Design
The latest single malt whisky from Islay’s Bowmore Distillery is a collaboration with Aston Martin, with the intention of showcasing a shared heritage of craftsmanship.
Here’s what to look forward to according to the press release: the whisky itself was created with the Golden Ratio theory – the mathematical ratio found in nature that creates aesthetically pleasing compositions — in mind.
To explain further, this whisky uses what is considered the “divine proportion” of 61.8%. In this instance, a base of 21 year Bowmore matured in first-fill Pedro Ximenez and oloroso sherry casks is used. The remaining parts are made up of exact ratios of each other, again in line with the Golden Ratio theory. Additionally, the whisky includes Bowmore matured for over 35 years.
Bowmore Masters’ Selection is bottled at 51.8% ABV. The whisky is available now in select global markets including the UK, Germany, Canada and China. However, in the US availability won’t begin until January 2022. The SRP is $400.00.
Bowmore Masters’ Selection /Photo Credit: Beam Suntory
Nikka Whisky Releases First Two Limited Editions From The “Nikka Discovery” Series: Yoichi and Miyagikyo Single Malts
Nikka Whisky has introduced its first set of single malt releases from the “Nikka Discovery” series in the US. This series will continue with other limited editions over the next three years in anticipation of Nikka Whisky’s 90th Anniversary in 2024. Each year will focus on a different component of Nikka’s whisky-making process, presenting various experiments from Nikka’s two distilleries.
Yoichi Non-Peated is entirely composed of unpeated malts for a diverse expression that defies the peaty image of Yoichi.
Conversely, Miyagikyo Peated is crafted solely from batches of peated malts. The idea here is to examine something different from the light, fruity perception of Miyagikyo.
“We are so pleased to introduce these unique expressions from our emblematic Yoichi and Miyagikyo single malts.” says Emiko Kaji, Nikka Whisky international business development manager. “It is an exciting process, like treasure hunting, to try various whisky batches from our vast reserve guided by Nikka blenders, and to create products that embody the “Discovery” concept.”
Both expressions are non-chill-filtered and limited to 20,000 bottles each worldwide. They are sold at an SRP of $274.99 each.
Yoichi Non-Peated & Miyagikyo Peated
More New Releases
Let’s take a quick look to see what else what is hitting shelves this month.
Baker’s Bourbon Introduces Baker’s Exclusive Selection
Baker’s Bourbon was launched in 1992 by Sixth Generation Beam Master Distiller Booker Noe as part of the original Small Batch Bourbon Collection. Noe named the brand after Baker Beam, grand-nephew of Jim Beam and a veteran distiller who worked at the Jim Beam Distillery for 38 years.
Baker’s Exclusive Selection is a limited-time series that takes the initial concept and gives it some oomph. In detail, the bourbon is sourced from what the brand says were some of Baker Beam’s favorite warehouses on the James B. Beam Distilling Co.’s campus in Clermont, KY. It is aged for 11 years and 8 months.
Like the standard Baker’s Bourbon, Baker’s Exclusive Selection is released as a single barrel bottling. While each barrel will offer slight flavor variations, all bottlings will come in at 107 proof. It will be available at select retailers nationwide beginning this month with an SRP of $99.99.
Brad Paisley to Launch ‘American Highway’ Reserve Bourbon
Country music superstar Brad Paisley is launching “American Highway” Reserve Bourbon in collaboration with Bardstown Bourbon Co. this month. The release includes bourbon which was matured in a “Rolling Rickhouse” — barrels which were stored in a semi-trailer that followed Paisley’s coast-to-coast 2019 nationwide tour for 7,314 miles across 25 states.
“Bourbon is like songwriting, it’s a blend of things coming together to make something incredible,” said Paisley. “These are really special barrels that saw more of the United States than most people I know.”
This whiskey then went into a blend with 3, 13 and 15-year-old Kentucky high-rye bourbons. And yes, expect more road-aged bourbon to come from Paisley’s 2021 tour in 2022.
Bottled at 96 proof, the first batch of American Highway Reserve Bourbon is limited to 30,000 bottles. It’s available in select markets across the US and exclusively online through seelbachs.com with a SRP of $99.99.
Jeptha Creed Distillery Releases Bottled-In-Bond Rye Bourbon
Released to celebrate Jeptha Creed’s 5th anniversary on November 11, this rye bourbon was produced according to bottled-in-bond standards. It has a rye mash bill of estate grown Bloody Butcher corn, malted rye and malted barley. Of course, all of the Bloody Butcher corn was grown on its own farmland within 10 miles of the distillery.
Bottled at 100 proof, Jeptha Creed Rye Bourbon will be available at the distillery gift shop. It will also be available online in KY, ND, AK, DC, and in select stores throughout KY and IN. More will be available in select stores throughout IL, TN, and MO in March 2022. It has an SRP of $52.99
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