Surf’s up! Nothing cools off the dog days of August like new summertime sippers.
Classic bourbons, new-school American single malts, and rare, collectible rums are just a few fresh spirits on our round-up of brand-new, must-try spirits. And don’t miss Eterno Verano, a surfer-safari-themed tequila made by the infamous Tequilero, Arturo Fuentes. It’s bitchin’, dude.
Plantation Rum Extreme Collection No.5
Vitals: Barbados 2007: 116 Proof (58% ABV), $200; Barbados 2000: 95.6 Proof (47.8% ABV), $300; Barbados WIRD 1986: 110.2 Proof (55.1% ABV), $1,500.00
This trio of super limited edition rums by Plantation marks the fifth Extreme Collection by company founder and Master Blender Alexandre Gabriel. Extreme Collection No.5 celebrates Barbadian rum from his West Indies Rum Distillery, featuring small-batch collectible vintage rums distilled in 2007, 2000, and 1986. To strike upon these final expressions, Gabriel transports barrels by sea where it sloshes around in the wood for several weeks before finishing in cognac casks in Southwest France. The result? Magnifique!
Booker's Bourbon "The Lumberyard Batch"
Vitals: 124.8 Proof (62.4 ABV); $90
“The Lumberyard Batch” follows “Ronnie’s Batch” as the second Booker’s release of 2002 from Jim Beam, a seven year old bourbon bottled, as all Booker’s is, barrel strength and non-chill filtered. For the uninitiated, Booker’s is named after former master distiller Booker Noe who began bottling uncut bourbon expressions in relatively small parcels several times a year in 1997. This latest, dedicated to Booker Noe’s stint in a lumber yard before he came to distilling, is a classic oak and vanilla forward sipper that comes alive with a cube or splash of water.
Tequila Eterno Verano
Vitals: Blanco: 80 Proof (40 ABV), $50; Reposado 80 Proof (40 ABV), $60; Añejo: 80 Proof (40 ABV), $70
Grain & Barrel Spirits, producers of Chicken Cock and Virgil Cane whiskeys, introduces Eterno Verano Tequila to its roster of spirits. On the outside, Eterno Verano projects a mellow vibe with its surfer-safari presentation, but what’s inside the bottle is serious juice made by Master Tequilero Arturo Fuentes at the Fabrica de Tequilas Finos distillery in Jalisco. The result is a citrus, stone fruit, and pepper forward blanco tequila that picks up increasing barrel influences of honey, vanilla and butterscotch in the barrel aged reposado and añejo expressions.
Barrell Craft Spirits Gray Label Dovetail
Vitals: 131.54 Proof (65.77% ABV), $250
When you spot the words “Gray Label” on a bottle of Barrell Craft Spirits, you know what’s in the bottle is special juice. This latest Gray Label release is case-in-point: an extra aged version of BCS’s mega-award winning Dovetail American blend. With stocks topping out at 20 years old, this mash-up of whiskies from Kentucky, Indiana, and Canada finished in rum, port and Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Barrels and is bottled full strength at a nose-hair singing 65.77% ABV. Pass the water, please!
10TH Street Peated Single Malt Wine Cask Finished
Vitals: 100 Proof (50% ABV); $80
After scoring Best Whiskey in Show at the New York Wine & Spirits 2021 competition, 10th Street Distiller’s limited wine cask finished peated single malt is back. To strike upon this expression, founders Virag Saksena and Vishal Gauri mature smoky American single malt in first fill ex-bourbon barrels before finishing selected barrels in toasted, French oak Pinot Noir casks. Expect aromas of preserved strawberry mingling with smoke and honey, leading to berries and more mid-level peat on the palate, capped by a long, minty finish
Buzzard's Roost Char #1 Bourbon and Toasted American Oak Bourbon
Vitals: Char #1: 105 Proof (52.5% ABV), $55; Toasted American Oak: 105 Proof (52.5% ABV), $75
To mark the third anniversary of Buzzard’s Roost, founder Judy Hollis Jones and her team developed two bourbons: Char #1 and Toasted American Oak. Char #1 is a 4 year-old, double-barreled Indiana-sourced bourbon comprised of 59% corn, 36% rye and 5% malted barley. Expect brown sugar, baking spice and vanilla, aromas with a vanilla and brown sugar palate rounded out with hints of cherry and blackberry. Toasted American Oak is a combo of 4 and 5-year-old bourbons from Indiana finished, as the name implies, in toasted oak barrels. Caramel, coconut and floral notes are dominant flavors balanced with sweetness and spice, capped with a butterscotch and vanilla finish.
John McCarthy is a spirit, travel, and lifestyle journalist, managing editor, and author of The Modern Gentleman and Whiskey Rebels: The Dreamers, Visionaries & Badasses Who Are Revolutionizing American Whiskey. McCarthy is also editor of Barleycorn Drinks and Director of Judging of the John Barleycorn Awards.
