New Spirit Releases - October 6, 2023

Crafted under the leadership of Master Distiller Owen Martin who joined the brand the previous fall, this bottling is the first ever Cask Strength Rye from Angel's Envy. Martin blended selected barrels of two rye whiskeys — one finished in Sauternes wine barrels and the other in toasted oak barrels. For this 2023 release, there were 5,500 bottles produced each with an updated bottled design for the brand. Bottled at a cask strength of 114.4 proof (57.2% ABV), availability will be limited to select retailers in KY, NY, FL, CA, TX, IL, OH, and TN as well as the Angel's Envy Distillery in Louisville beginning December 1, 2023. (SRP $269.99)

This is 12th Cask Strength Bourbon release from Angel's Envy and the first under the leadership of Master Distiller Owen Martin who joined the brand the previous fall. Noteworthy barrels were selected form their rickhouses to undergo further finishing in port wine barrels. For this 2023 release, there were 22,656 bottles produced each with an updated bottled design for the brand. Bottled at a cask strength of 118.2 proof (59.1% ABV), availability will extend to select retailers in all 50 states as well as the Angel's Envy Distillery in Louisville beginning December 1, 2023. (SRP $229.99)

This is the fifth annual release for The Vaults series which features Widow Jane's oldest and rarest whiskey. This 2023 release marks the first bourbon released under the helm of Head Distiller & Blender Sienna Jevremov who was named to the position in fall 2022. It's made with a blend of straight bourbons from Tennessee and Indiana aged a minimum of 15 years and as old as 20 years. Each release in The Vaults series have been finished with wood from various regions and with different lengths of time for its air-seasoning. Here, Chinquapin oak casks which were air-seasoned for at least 48 months were selected to finish the maturation. It's proofed to 49.5% ABV with pure limestone water from the Rosendale Mines of New York 100 miles north of the Red Hook, Brooklyn distillery. Just 2,600 cases have been released nationally with availability beginning October 2023. (SRP $249)

This is the second release in TINCUP's Fourteener series, an annual limited edition series which highlights Colorado's 14ers — mountain peaks with an elevation of at least 14,000 feet. Quandary Peak, one of the most popular 14er hikes in Colorado is illustrated on the bottle and it celebrates the Ten Mile Range of the Rocky Mountains. The whiskey is a straight bourbon which has been aged for 14 years in new, charred American white oak barrels. It is cut to proof with Eldorado Springs water. Available online via the brand's website and at select retailers nationwide beginning October 11, 2023. (SRP $70)

A Midwinter Night's Dram is a seasonal release from High West and Act 11 marks the 11th annual edition. It begins with the brand's Rendezvous Rye, a blend of straight rye whiskeys which are made from two mash bill recipes: one is a 95% rye/5% malted barley distilled in Indiana and the other is an 80% rye/20% malted rye made at High West in Utah. Then the rye blend is further finished in ruby and tawny port casks. Prior to 2018, the brand sourced the rye whiskeys for this release, but it now features its own distillate. Please note: The Act reflects the batch number (Act 11 is the 2023 release) while the Scene is the bottling date. Available in limited quantities at High West Distillery and Saloon locations as well as select retailers nationwide beginning October 2023. (SRP $149.99)

Homesick Blues is a limited edition release from Heaven's Door Spirits founded by musician Bob Dylan. It's a wheated bourbon which was cultivated, distilled, and aged in Dylan's home state of Minnesota. Made from a mash bill of 70% corn and 30% wheat, it was aged for 7 years. Bottled at cask strength, it's available for pre-order via the brand's website as of October 2023 with deliveries to coincide with the release of the biography Bob Dylan: Mixing Up The Medicine on October 24, 2023. This coincides with a nationwide release. (SRP $79.99)

This bottling from Blue Run is part of a ten-barrel single barrel collection. Blue Run Liquid Advisor Jim Rutledge selected ten 6 year-old bourbon barrels that were transferred to the "sweet spot" of a second rickhouse (Warehouse G, Third Floor, at Bardstown Bourbon Co.) to age for a further two years. The mash bill recipe for each of the ten barrels was 75% yellow corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. Each was bottled at barrel strength which ranged from 116-124.4 proof. Available beginning October 6, 2023 at select retailers and online via the brand's website. ($249.99)

This Rye Whiskey is the third product in the Nelson Brothers portfolio and the first rye from Nelson's Green Briar Distillery since before Prohibition. Since the original pre-Prohibition recipe was lost, co-founder & Head Distiller Andy Nelson and his team decided to invert the corn and rye used in the brand's bourbon recipe for this release. Announced in October 2023, availability is expected in markets nationwide. (SRP $36.99)

Malting Season is one in a limited-edition annual series from Benriach which celebrates seasonal production techniques done at the distillery. Benriach is one a few distilleries in Scotland to have a malting floor and this bottling honors that tradition. Master Blender Rachel Barrie selected concerto barley to use here and the single malt was aged in both virgin and first-fill bourbon barrels. It was then bottled at 48.3% ABV. Available in select markets for a limited time as of October 2023. (SRP $165)