WHAT'S NEW! Five ‘Blink And They're Gone’ 2022 Limited Edition Whiskeys

Russell’s Reserve announced the debut of Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse, the first of an ongoing series of terroir-driven whiskeys designed to showcase the contributions of a bourbon’s specific resting place. This inaugural release is cask-strength bourbon matured in the now dismantled Rickhouse Camp Nelson C for a minimum of 10 years at the Wild Turkey distillery.

“When I tasted this liquid from Camp Nelson C, I knew it deserved its own place in Russell’s history,” said Eddie Russell, Wild Turkey, and Russell’s Reserve Master Distiller. “It’s a little different from what folks have come to expect from our whiskies, and even though we all personally enjoy different flavor profiles, Dad, myself, and my son Bruce all agreed this is a once-in-a-blue-moon kind of whiskey and deserving of being the first release in this special series.”

After a brief delay due to transportation headaches, Teeling Irish Whiskey Single Pot Still Aged in Chinkapin Oak has finally arrived. Just 6,600 bottles comprise the inaugural release of its “Wonders of Wood” series, a triple distilled mash of malted and non-malted barley matured in virgin Chinkapin American White Oak barrels. Chinkapin grows in Eastern and Central North America and is described as similar in composition to Chestnut Oak. Teeling’s press release describes this as “a unique taste experience, layering a distinctive gingerbread spice and banana bread sweetness that is not traditionally found in Irish whiskey.”

Here is the fourth Ardbeg Traigh Bhan (pronounced tri-van) in as many years, an annual batch of 19-year-old smoky, peated, single malt scotch from Islay’s Ardbeg distillery. This year’s expression is aged with a higher proportion of Oloroso Sherry casks than previous releases. This means tons of chocolate and dried fruit flavors with a distinct menthol finish, wrapped in Ardbeg’s signature smoky profile the whole while.

“Ardbeg Traigh Bhan Batch 4 follows in the footsteps of previous bottlings,” says Master Distiller Dr. Bill Lumsden. “But thanks to some tweaks to the recipe, we’ve brought more woodsmoke, menthol, and aniseed to the fore. This is an impossibly balanced, not-to-be-missed Ardbeg.”

This is the fifth release of Little Book since its inception in 2017, a blend of whiskeys blended from Jim Beam’s extensive stocks by Freddie Noe, Beam’s latest Master Distiller like his father before him and Grandfather Booker Noe before that. This year’s Little Book Chapter 6: To Finish is a combination of five distillates comprised mostly of special wood finishes, including applewood and hickory smoked barrels:

• 4-year-old Straight Malt Whiskey finished with cherrywood staves
• 4-year-old Straight Malt Whiskey finished with applewood smoked barrels
• 4-year-old Straight Malt Whiskey finished in hickory smoked barrels
• 4-year-old Straight Malt Whiskey finished with Maplewood staves
• 5-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon

The final expression is bottled cask strength (58.7% ABV), featuring intense toasted grain flavors laced with layers of smoke.

To make OCEAN, Jefferson’s founder Trey Zoeller finishes select parcels of aged whiskey and finishes them on a ship in the open waters for several months. After sloshing around in the elements, the whiskey that docks is a much different animal than what set sail. Voyage 29 is no exception. This is the third “wheated” bourbon in the series’ history, meaning wheat replaces traditional rye as the secondary flavor grain in the mashbill. This result is baked bread, butterscotch, and vanilla aromas, followed by caramel and spice flavors with a subtle salinity and a long, nutmeg and pecan finish.