Monthly Roundup: Top Whiskeys Released in May 2023
May was an exciting month for whiskey releases, with major whiskey brands and celebrities across the world dropping new expressions. In the latest installment of our monthly roundup, we’re here to get you up to speed on all of the top whiskeys released last month that you need to know about.
Top Whiskeys Released in May 2023
Blue Run Spirits Names Its 1st Batch of Single Barrel Rye Whiskeys After the Moms of Its Founders
(Photo: Blue Run Spirits)
This month, Blue Run Spirits announced the release of its first single-barrel rye whiskey.
The single-barrel release was a follow-up on Blue Run Emerald Rye, which launched in November as the brand’s first barrel-proof rye.
Like the original Emerald Rye, Emerald Single Barrel Rye was contract-distilled by Blue Run Liquid Advisor Jim Rutledge at Castle & Key Distillery, blended by Shaylyn Gammon and is presented at barrel proof.
In an ode to Mother’s Day, each of the single barrels from this collection is named after a mother in the lives of Blue Run Spirits founders.
Click here to read more.
Metallica Announces North American Rollout of Cask Strength Blackened Whiskey
Blackened Whiskey announced a full North American rollout of its cask-strength whiskey. Blackened Whiskey Cask Strength launched to the U.S. and Canada, beginning with Volume 01.
Blackened Whiskey Cask Strength is available at a suggested retail price of $69.99.
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Grammy-Nominated Country Music Artist Eric Church Enters the Spirits World With Whiskey JYPSI
Grammy-nominated country music artist Eric Church unveiled his whiskey brand: Whiskey JYPSI.
Whiskey JYPSY is a collaboration between Church and entrepreneur Raj Alva. The pair started a company together, Outsiders Spirits, to launch the Whiskey JYPSI brand. The first release from Outsiders Spirits, Whiskey JYPSI Legacy Batch 001, is a blended whiskey comprising 70% 7- and 8-year-old Indiana bourbon, 21% 20-year-old Canadian rye whiskey and 9% 4-year-old Indiana single malt whisky. It is bottled at 115 proof.
Whiskey JYPSI Legacy Batch 001 is available in 38 states at a suggested retail price of $199.99. Check out our review of Whiskey JYSI Legacy.
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Australian Distillery Starward Brings Fan Favorite Whisky Finished in Ginger Beer Casks to US
(Photo: Starward)
Australian whisky producer Starward announced that it will launch its ginger beer cask-finished whisky to the U.S. for the first time.
Previously available only in Australia in limited quantities, Starward Ginger Beer will be available stateside for its seventh annual release.
According to Starward, Ginger Beer Cask is one of its most popular cask finishes and has developed a “cult following” in Australia, selling out each year it’s been released.
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Redwood Empire Releases Another Run of Cask Strength Whiskeys Following ‘Overwhelming Success’ of Inaugural Launch
(Photo: Redwood Empire)
California whiskey distillery Redwood Empire announced a second allocation of the Redwood Empire cask strength range.
Redwood Empire first released its cask strength whiskeys in October, and the brand says it was inspired to follow up with a second launch due to the “overwhelming success of the inaugural release.”
The brand has increased the volume for this second launch.
Each expression is available for a limited time from Redwood Empire’s online shop and select retailers across the U.S.
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Veteran Actor James Cosmo Launches STORYMAN Scotch Whisky
(Photo: Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)
Scottish actor James Cosmo (“Braveheart,” “Highlander,” “Game of Thrones”) partnered with Annandale Distillery to create a blended scotch whisky called STORYMAN.
STORYMAN is a blend of two Annandale single malts – Man O’ Words and Man O’ Swords – and a grain whisky.
STORYMAN is available to pre-order at www.storymanwhisky.com priced at £55 ($69) per bottle.
Click here to read more.
The Distillery Founded by a Former Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller Just Released an ‘Exploratory’ Tennessee Whiskey
(Photo: Company Distilling)
Company Distilling, the whiskey producer founded by Jeff Arnett, a former master distiller at Jack Daniel’s, launched a new Tennessee whiskey.
Tennessee Three Wood is a straight Tennessee whiskey finished with apple wood. It is the second of Company Distilling’s “exploratory” whiskeys, following the November 2022 release of Seismic Rye Single Barrel.
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Former NHL Star Chris Pronger Launches ‘Delicious and Affordable’ Canadian Whisky, The JRNY
(Photo: The JRNY)
Former NHL star defenseman, Stanley Cup winner, captain of the St. Louis Blues and Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Pronger released a whisky alongside his brother, Sean Pronger. The Canadian whisky is named The JRNY (pronounced “journey”).
The JRNY Canadian Whisky was distilled and bottled by Niagara Falls Craft Distillers. The whiskey is made from Saskatchewan rye and wheat blended with purified filtered water from the Niagara River.
It is aged in lightly charred new American oak barrels for three years and one day and finished in a “proprietary used barrel” for three months, a spokesperson for The JRNY told Whiskey Raiders.
The JRNY is available in Missouri and Illinois with further expansion planned for Manitoba and Ontario, Canada, and New York, Texas and “beyond,” according to KMOV.
The JRNY is priced at under $40 in Canada and $25 in the U.S.
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Ezra Brooks Kicks it Up a Notch With Higher Proof Rye Whiskey and Bourbon Cream
Lux Row Distillers announced the release of Ezra Brooks 99 Rye and a reformulation of the Ezra Brooks Bourbon Cream.
Ezra Brooks 99 Straight Rye Whiskey undergoes the same process of charcoal filtering as the Ezra Brooks 99 Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, which launched in January 2021. This launch is the latest in the brand’s continuation of releasing higher-proof whiskeys, such as Old Ezra, a limited 7-year-old rye whiskey that clocks in at 114 proof and was released in early November.
Suggested retail pricing for Ezra Brooks Straight Rye Whiskey is $24.99, while Ezra Brooks Bourbon Cream sells for $21.99.
Click here to read more.
Jack Daniel’s Adds to Single Barrel Collection With Release of Barrel Proof Rye
Tennessee whiskey producer Jack Daniel’s unveiled the newest whiskey in its Single Barrel Collection: Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof Rye Whiskey.
Jack Daniel’s Barrel Proof Rye is distilled from a mashbill of 70% rye, 18% corn and 12% barley before aging in new American white oak barrels and being bottled straight from the barrel.
Jack Daniel’s Barrel Proof Rye is available across the U.S. at a suggested retail price of $59.99 per 750-milliliter bottle.
Click here to read more.
Santa Fe Distillery Known For Mesquite Smoked Whiskey Tries Its Hand at Unsmoked Single Malt — and Sticks the Landing
Santa Fe Spirits announced the nationwide release of Colkegan Unsmoked Single Malt Whiskey, which is available to be shipped to 42 states.
Santa Fe Spirits got its start using mesquite to imbue its whiskies with a smoky flavor — the distillery’s answer to finding a style similar to yet distinctly different from peated scotch whisky.
Until the Unsmoked, Santa Fe Spirits made each of its whiskeys from one-third smoked barley and two-thirds unsmoked barley.
Colkegan Unsmoked is aged about four years in new American oak and used bourbon barrels. A limited release, only about 1,500 bottles of Colkegan Unsmoked are available at the Santa Fe Spirits Distillery, the Santa Fe Spirits Downtown Tasting Room and the Santa Fe Spirits website for $69.99.
Click here to read more.
Liquid Legacy: GlenDronach Honors Centuries of Whiskey Tradition With Latest Cask Strength Batch
(Photo: The GlenDronach)
Scotch whisky producer The GlenDronach released its latest cask-strength offering: The GlenDronach Cask Strength Batch 12. The release is a nod to the distillery’s long history of aging Highland spirit in Spanish oak. The 12th batch was slowly matured in Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks from Andalucía, Spain.
Click here to read more.
Kentucky’s First Female Master Distiller Marianne Eaves Breaks All of the Rules With Forbidden Bourbon Launch
(Photo: Forbidden Bourbon)
Kentucky’s first female master distiller, Marianne Eaves, released Forbidden Bourbon. Forbidden Bourbon uses White Winter Wheat and white corn in the mash, making it the first bourbon of its kind. The corn is cuisine-quality, and the whiskey is made using a cold fermentation process, which bucks tradition in crafting America’s signature spirit.
Eaves made the decision to defy norms by using ingredients inspired by Southern cooking. The result is a small-batch, hand-blended, 5-year-old bourbon bottled at 95.2 proof. It was distilled, aged and bottled at Bardstown Bourbon Company by Eaves, who had total control over the production process from grain to glass.
Forbidden Bourbon will be available initially in Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina, with a suggested retail price of $129. The first release will include an allocated number of hand-blended bottles in addition to three single-barrel cask-strength expressions.
Click here to read more.
Collaboration for a Cause: 7 Colorado Distilleries Release Limited Edition Wheat Whiskey for Local Charities
(Photos: Colorado Distillers Collaboration)
Seven Colorado distilleries announced the release of the Colorado Distillers Collaboration Straight Wheat Whiskey in an effort to shed light on Colorado’s distilling community and support local charities. The 100% Colorado wheat whiskey is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between 291 Colorado Whiskey, Bear Creek Distillery, Laws Whiskey House, Old Elk Distillery, State 38 Distilling, Wood’s High Mountain Distillery and Woody Creek Distillers.
materials were donated for the production of this whiskey, and 100% of the proceeds from the sales will be donated to local Colorado charities.
The Colorado Distillers Collaboration Straight Wheat Whiskey has soft, bright floral qualities with an undercurrent of black tea aromas, according to the producers. Bottles were made available only at the tasting rooms of the participating distilleries. Each distillery had 105 bottles to sell for the price of $74.99 each.
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‘The Vampire Diaries’ Stars Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley Add 2 Whiskeys to Brother’s Bond Repertoire
Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley, actors who co-starred on the popular TV series “The Vampire Diaries” and went on to co-found Brother’s Bond Bourbon, unveiled two new whiskeys.
The new Brother’s Bond expressions are Brother’s Bond Cask Strength and Brother’s Bond American Blended Rye.
Sourced from MGP in Indiana, the cask-strength bourbon and blended rye are bottled at 57.5% ABV and 47.5% ABV, respectively.
Both whiskeys are available online and at select retailers nationwide. Brother’s Bond Cask Strength has a suggested retail price of $84.99, while Brother’s Bond American Blended Rye is priced at $59.99.
Click here to read more.
Japanese Distillery Reaches New Heights, Brings Whisky Inspired By Mt. Fuji to the US
Fuji Whisky announced the release of a blended whisky that was aged for eight years in ex-bourbon casks and inspired by Mt. Fuji’s distinctive terroir: Fuji Japanese Whisky. The distillery’s latest expression led to the establishment of a new Japanese whisky category: the single blend, a blended Japanese whisky whose components were produced at the same distillery.
Bottled at 86 proof, Fuji Japanese Whisky is available in markets including California, Texas, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Georgia with a suggested retail price of $70.
Click here to read more.
NBA Superstar Stephen Curry Enters Booze Industry With International Launch of Gentleman’s Cut Bourbon
(Photo: Gentleman’s Cut)
Golden State Warriors superstar and four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry announced the launch of his first whiskey: Gentleman’s Cut Kentucky Straight Bourbon.
Gentleman’s Cut is distilled from a mashbill of 75% corn, 21% rye and 4% malted barley. After distillation, the high-rye bourbon is aged five to seven years in charred new white oak barrels and bottled at 90 proof. Boone County Distilling Co. distills, ages and bottles Gentleman’s Cut under the name Game Changer Distillery. Game Changer is a venture between Curry’s Company, SC30, and John Schwartz, who owns the Amuse Bouche Winery in Napa Valley.
Gentleman’s Cut Bourbon will sell at a suggested retail price of $79.99 per 750-milliliter bottle.
Click here to read more.
Fewer Than 1,000 Bottles of the Latest Rabbit Hole Bourbon Are Available
(Photo: Rabbit Hole)
Louisville, Kentucky whiskey brand Rabbit Hole announced the release of Rabbit Hole Tenniel, a limited-edition double-barrel, cask-strength Kentucky straight bourbon.
Tenniel is a blend of two Rabbit Hole bourbons: the four-grain, triple-malt Cavehill and the high-rye, double-malt Heigold. The blend is finished in a char No. 1 toasted barrel.
Presented at a cask-strength 108.8 proof, Rabbit Hole Tenniel is available at the Rabbit Hole Distillery and for purchase online in Kentucky, Arkansas, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota and Washington, D.C., for a suggested retail price of $650.
Click here to read more.
Suntory Toasts to 100 Years of History With Limited-Edition Hakushu and Yamazaki Whiskies
(Photo: House of Suntory)
House of Suntory celebrated its 100th anniversary, which prompted the Japanese distillery to pay homage to the past with two limited-edition releases: Yamazaki 18 Year Old Mizunara and Hakushu 18 Year Old Peated Malt. House of Suntory is also set to release limited-edition versions of its Yamazaki 12 Year and Hakushu 12 Year expressions.
Click here to read more.
6 Months After Instant Sellout of 1st Batch, Dr Disrespect Releases 2nd Run of Black Steel Bourbon at Lower Price, Higher Proof
(Photo: Black Steel Bourbon)
Guy Beahm, better known by his video-game-streaming moniker Dr Disrespect, launched the second batch of his whiskey brand, Black Steel Bourbon.
Black Steel Bourbon Batch 2 is available now from ReserveBar for $59.99.
The first batch of Black Steel Bourbon launched in November and sold out in minutes.
Click here to read more.
The Macallan Generates Big Buzz With 2nd Edition of Coffee-Inspired Whisky
(Photo: The Macallan)
The Macallan has launched the second edition of its single malt scotch whisky inspired by Intense Arabica coffee. The expression is part of The Harmony Collection, a limited yearly release in Canada that is set to hit the shelves within the next few months.
The Macallan Harmony Collection Inspired by Intense Arabica has a suggested retail price of $249.95 CAD ($184 USD).
Click here to read more.
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