Happy post-Thanksgiving Friday, spirits fans! You are likely inundated with Black Friday promotions by now, so we hope this newsletter is a welcome break today.
Once relegated to St. Patrick’s Day, the Irish whiskey category continues to grow and see new innovations that will excite whiskey fans all year round. We start the roundup with the introduction of a newcomer to the Irish whiskey landscape: Lost Irish Whiskey. The unique feature here is the whiskey uses casks sourced from six continents for maturation.
We hope you saved room for more whiskey this week. Let’s get to the new releases!
Lost Irish Whiskey Launches in the US
Here’s a whiskey for the true adventurer! Lost Irish Whiskey has obvious Irish roots, but incorporates casks sourced from six continents: Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America. The premise for the wide cask net is that there are an estimated 70 million Irish people dispersed among those same continents, and presumably the whiskey is meant to tell their story through those barrels. It is a blend of all three styles of Irish whiskey: grain, malt and pot still.
Lost Irish was founded by childhood mates, entrepreneur Neil Sands and Irish whiskey ambassador and author Tim Herlihy. The two partnered with Mexican spirits brand incubator Casa Lumbre as part of a new expansion beyond Mexican distillates.
How Did Lost Irish Find Its Way?
“The idea for Lost Irish stems from all my adventures around the world,” says Herlihy. “While the category continues to grow, it is now primed to evolve into something that is a true reflection of modern Irish. After many years exploring how the world perceives all things Irish and how the Irish influence the world, we realized we were ready to bring something unique to life. We’re eager to share a more accurate view and reflection of Ireland with bartenders and drinkers around the world.”
Lost Irish Whiskey is bottled at 40% ABV with an SRP of $39.99. It will initially be available in select markets including New York, California, Illinois and Texas. There are plans for further expansion in the coming months into 2022.
Lost Irish Whiskey /Photo Credit:
The Whistler Irish Whiskey Announces the Annual Release of Imperial Stout and Calvados Cask Finishes
Family-owned Boann Distillery has announced the annual release of The Whistler Imperial Stout and Calvados Cask Finished Irish whiskeys. These limited expressions from the distillery in Ireland’s Boyne Valley are limited to 3,000 bottles per batch.
The Whistler Imperial Stout Cask Finish Batch 002
This bottling is a blend composed of 50% wheat whiskey, 35% malt whiskey and 15% grain. The blend was first matured in ex-bourbon barrels before being married. Then it’s finished for 6 months in ex-single malt sherry casks that were previously used to mature O’Hara’s Imperial Stout, also for 6 months. The whiskey is bottled at 43% ABV, with no chill filtration or added coloring.
The Whistler Calvados Cask Finish Batch 002
This bottling continues a previous collaboration between Boann Distillery and Calvados producers Chateau du Breuil. The whiskey is triple-distilled, with a high malt content composed of 35% malt whiskey and 65% grain whiskey. Both components are matured separately in ex-bourbon casks for a minimum of 4 years before being married and re-casked for 15 months in the Calvados casks. It is bottled at 43% ABV, with no chill filtration or added coloring.
The newly released Imperial Stout and Calvados Cask Finishes have an SRP of $39.99. Availability is limited to Indiana, Minnesota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Nevada, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Texas.
The Whistler Calvados Cask Finish Batch 002 /Photo Credit: The Whistler
Announcing Booker’s Bourbon 2021-04 “Noe Strangers Batch”
The final Booker’s batch edition of the year is upon us! Each expression of Booker’s Bourbon batch editions celebrate an aspect of the life of the late Jim Beam Master Distiller Booker Noe, from bourbon stocks at the distillery selected by his son, 7th generation Master Distiller Fred Noe. According to the press materials, this release is named for Booker’s penchant for making lifelong friends with people he just met.
This one is composed of the following:
3% from the 2nd floor of 9-story warehouse H
27% from the 5th floor of 9-story warehouse D
39% from the 6th floor of 9-story warehouse J
31% from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse Q
Noe Strangers Batch is bottled at 62.2% ABV (124.4 proof). It was aged for 6 years, 6 months and 12 days.
More New Releases
Let’s take a quick look to see what else is hitting shelves this month.
Sagamore Spirit Releases 4-Year-Old Bottled in Bond Rye Whiskey, Made Entirely in Maryland
Sagamore Spirit has released its first-ever bottled-in-bond rye whiskey made entirely at its Baltimore distillery and barrel-aged for four years at its nearby rickhouse.
The brand’s Bottled in Bond is a blend of two straight rye whiskies, one with a high-rye mash bill, the other low-rye, using the distillery’s proprietary recipe used since 2016. Of course, the rye is produced according to Bottled in Bond standards, bottled at 100 proof from a single season of distillation.
Limited quantities of Sagamore Spirit Bottled in Bond are available across the country and at the distillery for an SRP of $59.99.
Blue Run Spirits Announces Holiday Rye Cask Strength Bottling
Blue Run Spirits has announced its whiskey releases for the 2021 holiday season. These will all be available via the brand’s website, through Seelbachs.com, and some select retailers.
The 2021 Holiday Edition Blue Run Rye Cask Strength is made from the same stocks as the brand’s Straight Golden Rye Whiskey. It’s bottled at 106 proof with an SRP of $139.99.
Also, starting December 1, a different single barrel expression of High Rye Bourbon — contract distilled at Castle & Key — will be released until December 12. The barrels for the bottlings have a #4 alligator char, and were aged in Frankfort and Bardstown, KY. They will range from 115 – 117 in proof, with an SRP of $139.99.
Ready to grab a bottle of Lost Irish Whiskey?
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