New Expert Spirit Reviews - July 3, 2024 - Lagavulin Offerman Caribbean Cask Finish, Balcones Mirador Eclipse, and More!
Check out the latest spirits reviewed by our Tasting Table experts! Photo Credit: Lagavulin
Jul 03, 2024
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12Caribbean Rum Cask Finish is the fourth Offerman Edition, a limited edition series made in collaboration with Lagavulin and actor, author, and woodworker Nick Offerman. This single malt whisky is matured in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks for 11 years before being recasked and finished in Caribbean rum casks for an additional 8+ months. Available in the US, the UK, Germany, China, Taiwan, Australia and at the distillery beginning May 2024. (SRP $89.99)
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11Released to coincide with the 2024 Great North American Eclipse, this American single malt is an extension of the brand's Mirador portfolio. Here, two strains of yeast — red wine & rosé — are added to their house malt whisky yeast. It's matured in a selection of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-fill Kentucky bourbon casks for 4-5 years and bottled at 55% ABV. Available at select US retailers beginning May 2024. (SRP $100)
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10Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond 10 Year is the thirteenth nationwide release in the bottled in bond decanter series. Produced by Heaven Hill, Old Fitzgerald is a wheated bourbon brand. This bottled in bond version was distilled in one distillation season (spring 2014). Aged for 10 years before bottling in spring 2024, this release bears a green label as other spring releases have done. As required, it is bottled at 100 proof. Available on an allocated basis nationwide as of May 2024. (SRP $139.99)
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9This bottling is the first of three expressions in the brand's Collaborative Series for 2024. Here, BBCo. partnered with Amrut Distillers, makers of Indian single malt based in Bengaluru, India. Two long-aged (8 & 9 year-old) Indiana straight rye whiskeys were aged in Amrut Indian Single Malt Whisky barrels for 18 months. Then that whiskey was blended with long-aged (10, 11, & 14 year-old) Kentucky straight bourbon. Bottled at 110 proof, this is available in limited quantities beginning May 2024. (SRP $159.99)
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8The 2024 release for Michter's 10 Year Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Rye is set for May 2024. Made in the "Kentucky-style," this rye is made with more corn and malted barley in a majority rye mash bill compared to many produced in Indiana and Canada. The barrels for the 2024 release were selected by Master Distiller Dan McKee and Master of Maturation Andrea Wilson. Like all Michter's whiskeys, this bottling is allocated. Available at select US retailers beginning May 2024 with limited quantities allocated to the export markets. (SRP $200)
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7Teeling Wonders of Wood is a series showcasing unique styles of wood in the maturation of Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey. This third edition in the series features Virgin Swedish Oak. The whiskey, made with 50% malted barley and 50% unmalted barley, is triple distilled at their Dublin-based distillery. It's matured entirely in this rare white oak sourced from the Nordic region in Europe. For the third consecutive year, Teeling has continued its partnership with the Tree Council of Ireland with the planting of an acre of native Irish trees across various areas in Ireland. Availability in the US begins in late May 2024. (SRP $99.99)
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6This limited edition vintage release was produced at Daftmill, a farm estate Lowlands distillery. All the barley used in the production is farmed on the estate with the distillation process occurring in the off-season. Here, the single malt was distilled from January-July 2010. Aged for 12 years, maturation was done in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels with this batch yielding 15 barrels (2,400 bottles). This release marks the first cask strength expression from the brand for the US. Bottled at 58.7% ABV, it's available beginning May 2024. (SRP $324.99)
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5This release is made from a blend of 5-7 year-old barrels selected from the favorites spots in the warehouses in Owensboro, Kentucky. Each batch will have a variable proof with the first batch coming in at 117.3 proof (58.65% ABV). It's made using the same high-rye mash bill as the brand's flagship bourbon (70% corn, 21% winter rye, 9% malted barley). Available in select US markets beginning June 2024. (SRP $54.99)
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4St. George Valley Gin is inspired by the bounty of California's Central Valley. Specifically, its citrus groves, and blooming California orange blossoms, which serves as the gin's key botanical. There are a total of 25 botanicals, also including ingredients such as California bay laurel, bergamot, cilantro, cucumber, dill, ginger, and additional citrus in the form of Seville orange, Valencia orange, grapefruit, lemon, and lime.
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3The fifth limited release in Hennessy's Master Blender's Selection series is the third from master blender Renaud Fillioux de Gironde. The series which first began in 2016 features unique blends, never to be replicated. Here, the blend celebrates 18 exclusive Hennessy distillers, some of which have been with the Maison since its founding over 200 years ago. The expression is made with selected eaux-de-vie which was then aged for a minimum of seven years in French oak barrels. Bottled at 86 proof, this is exclusive to the US beginning May 2024. (SRP $99)
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2Tequila Ocho is an additive free, single-estate tequila brand using overripe agaves from its own fields in Los Altos, Jalisco. Made artisanally, the agaves are slow roasted in brick ovens, fermented using natural airborne yeast, and double distilled at low temperatures. Each label will feature the field and year of harvest in addition to the style. Here, the agaves were sourced from Corralillos located just outside of the Highlands at 5,100 feet — the lowest altitude ever used for Ocho.
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1Mayenda is an additive free 100% blue Weber agave tequila brand that is part of the Campari Group portfolio. Maestro Tequilero Jesus Susunaga and his team at Casa San Nicolás in Jalisco use 2 production techniques that are unique to this brand. The base distillate is macerated with both the roasted piñas (the heart of the agave) and the agave miel or "honey" from the cooking stage of the agave before roasting in copper pot stills. It is then aged for 6 months in a combination of American oak and European oak barrels. It is bottled at 40% ABV, and will be released in the U.S. and Mexico in June, 2024. (SRP $75)