Saddle up for an eight-year Caribbean cask finished American single malt from Colorado.
Or sip the world’s first “pechuga” tequila from Maestro Dobel. If bourbon’s your thing, Hudson Whiskey introduces its oldest release ever, while Rabbit Hole unveils a limited, double chocolate malt bourbon. These are a few new spirits on the menu in this week’s Barleycorn roundup. Cheers!
Meet Maestro Dobel Pavito, The World’s First Pechuga Tequila
80 Proof (40% ABV); $60
Maestro Dobel blurs the lines between mezcal and tequila with Pavito, a tequila made in the pechuga style. Translating to “breast,” pechuga is a traditional method in mezcal distillation where a protein and other flavors are added to the distillation. To make Pavito, Maestro Dobel’s silver tequila undergoes a third distillation where turkey breast and macerated fruits and spices are infused, adding layers of complex flavors.
A Caribbean Cowboy: Stranahan’s Rum Cask Finished American Single Malt
Proof 90 (45% ABV); $70
It took eight years for Stranahan’s ‘Distillery Exclusive’ Caribbean Rum Cask Single Malt to become available. It was worth the wait. Head distiller Owen Martin finished Stranny’s signature five-year-old American single malt three additional years in Caribbean rum casks. The only setback? “Distillery exclusive” means you can only score a bottle at Stranahan’s on Kalamath Street in Denver. So if you are in town, score yourself a bottle.
Four Part Harmony Proves Hudson Is Not A Baby Bourbon Anymore
92 proof (46% ABV); $70
Best known for its “baby” bourbon during the advent of the American craft spirits movement, Hudson Whiskey by Tuthilltown Spirits continues to mature by launching Four Part Harmony, its oldest release to date. Here is a limited edition bottling of Hudson’s four-grain bourbon recipe, a mash of corn, rye, wheat, and malted barley. The mash is pot-distilled and aged seven years in charred oak. Expect flavors of toffee, pepper, and oak from the barrel and balanced cereal notes from the grains.
Glenfiddich Grande Couronne: A Rare And Different Single Malt
Proof 96.6 (48.3% ABV); $600
Glenfiddich Grande Couronne is the third addition to its super-lux Grand Series by Glenfiddich Malt Master Brian Kinsman. Kinsman blended batches of 26-year-old single malt matured in ex-bourbon and European oak before finishing the whisky in French oak Cognac casks creating this one-of-a-kind expression. The Cognac barrel finish imparts “extra layers of sweet toasted sugar and soft spice.”
Rabbit Hole Unleashes Double Chocolate Malt Deliciousness With Raceking
109.2 proof (54.6% ABV); $295
Rabbit Hole’s latest Founder’s Collection offering is Raceking, a limited edition bourbon which relies on a variety of malts to inform this whiskey’s flavor. A traditional mash of corn, rye, and malt barley are married with malted rye plus chocolate malted wheat and barley. From there, the whiskey is aged four years and bottled at cask strength, resulting in aromas of cocoa and baked bread, plus cinnamon, cherry, and tobacco flavors on the palate with a long, chocolate laden finish.
Spirits writers, marketers and designers are among the most influential forces in the spirits industry. Their opinions, ideas and creative talents inform and influence consumer perceptions and buying decisions. The John Barleycorn Society was started by a group of spirits journalists seeking to honor excellence in all facets of the industry. The journalists spent several years creating a comprehensive competition that became the John Barleycorn Awards. An elite team of authoritative and influential spirits journalists was selected to administer the flagship component of the Awards, a blind tasting competition destined to become the preeminent arbitrator of spirits taste, quality and character.
