New Spirits Releases - May 6, 2022
Check out the latest releases hitting shelves soon. Photo Credit: Blackened Whiskey
May 06, 2022
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12This release from the Blackened American Whiskey brand begins as a blend of 5-8 year old Kentucky straight rye whiskeys, selected by Master Distiller & Blender Rob Dietrich. The rye blend was then finished in Madeira and rum casks for 2-14 weeks each. During the rum finishing, the brand used its proprietary "Black Noise" sonic enhancement process. The playlist used here consisted entirely of songs from Metallica's Ride the Lightning album. But instead of playing the original album, the tracks played were from a live 2012 festival performance where the band played the album live, but in reverse order. Blackened Rye the Lightning launched in April 2022 as a pre-order with wider availability to follow.
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11Caorunn (ka-roon) is a gin brand made at Balmenach Distillery in the Scottish Highlands. This Highland Strength Gin was made using the same ingredients as the original version which includes five locally foraged Celtic botanicals: rowan berry, bog myrtle, heather, dandelion, and coul blush apple. Six traditional gin botanicals are also used. Fun fact: the copper berry chamber used in distillation was built in the 1920s. This 108 proof gin was released in the UK market in 2019, and as of May 2022 is now available in the US.
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10Launched May 2022, Gin Mare Capri is a special edition release which is intended to celebrate the island of Capri and its "Dolce Vita" lifestyle. The gin includes the core botanicals as the original bottling -- Arbequina olives from Spain, rosemary from Greece, thyme from Turkey, and Italian sweet basil which are all individually macerated in a barley neutral spirit and distilled. The two additional botanicals added here are Italian bergamot from Calabria and lemons from Capri. Recommended serve is a Gin & Tonic with a lemon twist and sprig of thyme garnish.
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9Tequila Zarpado is made from 100% blue weber agave grown in the Tequila Valley in Jalisco. It's rested in ex-Kentucky bourbon barrels for 3-4 months before bottling. The brand was launched in 2021 by Latitude Beverage which has a portfolio of wine and spirits brands including Wheel Horse Whiskey, the source of the barrels for this reposado tequila. Available in select markets across the US as of late April 2022.
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8Gran Coramino is a tequila brand made in collaboration with entertainer Kevin Hart and 11th generation tequila producer Juan Domingo Beckmann. Made with 100% blue weber agave, it's distilled at La Rojeña Distillery in Tequila, Mexico. After distillation, the tequila is first aged for some time in eastern European oak barrels. Then it's finished in California cabernet sauvignon wine barrels. It's then slow-filtered in a process Beckmann invented to remove the color. Available as of May 2, 2022 in CA, IL, TX, GA, and NY and then nationwide as of June 2022.
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7This 100% Highlands blue agave añejo tequila is crafted by Maestra Tequilera Ana Maria Romero Mena. Uniquely, the tequila is aged for 18 months in a series of four types of casks. First it's aged in American white oak, then in French oak, followed by acacia wood, and for the last two months, it's aged in cherry wood. Like the other Mijenta Tequilas, the paper label and box are all made from agave waste products. Available online beginning May 2, 2022 for the first two months followed by a wider release in select states. (SRP $199)
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6Blue Run Reflection I is a limited edition release which was contract distilled by the brand's "liquid advisor" Jim Rutledge. Distillation occurred at Castle & Key Distillery in 2018 and they were aged in barrels with a medium or heavy char. Only 200 barrels were selected for this release which was bottled at 95 proof. Available in select US and Canadian markets as of May 2022.
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5Alias Straight Rye is a whiskey release from Luxco which was distilled at the company's Indiana-based Ross & Squibb Distillery (aka MGP). The mash bill here is 51% rye, 45% corn, and 4% malted barley. It is a no-age statement release which is bottled at 90 proof. Per Luxco, the Alias brand name "pays tribute to our country's early female pioneers, many who used their initials to hid their gender in order to own and operate their own distilleries." Available as of May 2022.
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4This bottling is one in the Outpost series from Seattle's Westland Distillery which puts a focus on the barley. In fact, the name Colere is Latin for "to cultivate." For this second edition, Westland uses Talisman, a two-row winter barley, in its production. Additionally, the brand intentionally uses only used casks here so the barley can be the highlight. Both second-fill Independent Stave Company Cooper's Reserve barrels and first-fill ex-bourbon barrels are used. Only 3,000 bottles are available worldwide as of May 2022.
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3This rye whiskey from New Riff expands on the brand's 2021 Malted Rye Whiskey release. Like that whiskey, this bottling is made from 100% malted rye. It's aged for 5 years and then further aged for one additional year in sherry casks -- 12 oloroso and 3 Pedro Ximenez. The finished whiskey was then vatted in fall 2021 and allowed to mingle until bottling in spring 2022. It's bottled without chill filtration at barrel strength of 112.7 proof. Released May 2022. (SRP $64.99)
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2This bottled in bond expression of Jack Daniel's is one of two new permanent additions to the Jack Daniel's Bonded Series in 2022. It's made with the brand's traditional recipe -- 80% corn, 12% malted barley, and 8% rye. It also follows all the regulations in the Bottled in Bond Act such as distillation by a single distiller in a single season; maturation in a government bonded warehouse for at least 4 years; and bottling at 100 proof. The packaging was inspired by the original design of the 1895 Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey bottle. Packaged in 700ml bottles, it's available in the US in May 2022 with international markets to follow later in 2022.
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1This whiskey is one of two new permanent additions to the Jack Daniel's Bonded Series in 2022. This Triple Mash whiskey is a blend of three straight bottled-in-bond whiskeys, all distilled in the same season in Lynchburg, Tennessee. The breakdown is as follows: 60% Jack Daniel's Tennessee Rye, 20% Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey, and 20% Jack Daniel's American Malt. It's bottled at 100 proof after at least 4 years of aging in a government bonded warehouse. Packaged in 700ml bottles, it's available in the US in May 2022 with international markets to follow later in 2022.