Seven years after acquiring Glenglassaugh Distillery, Brown-Forman is releasing a new core range from the coastal distillery. The lineup includes the first 12-year-old single malt since Glenglassaugh was revived in 2008, along with two no-age statement expressions.
Sandend gets its name from the nearby Sandend Bay, and is matured in a combination of ex-Bourbon, Sherry, and Manzanilla casks, and will carry a recommended retail price of £55 in the U.K. Portsoy gets its name from the village near the distillery, and also because it’s matured in Port wine casks along with Sherry and Bourbon casks. Portsoy will carry a recommended retail price of £60 in the U.K. The 12-year-old will carry a recommended retail price of £50 in the U.K. U.S. pricing and availability have not been announced.
Aberfeldy Distillery is expanding its Red Wine Cask Collection series with a 15 year old limited edition single malt. It’s been finished in Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon wine casks, and is available while supplies last for $69.99 a bottle in the U.S.
Beam Suntory is launching a new blended Scotch whisky. Ardray is a collaboration between Beam Suntory chief Scotch blender Calum Fraser and the Suntory whisky blending team in Japan. Ardray will be available initially in London, Shanghai, Los Angeles, and New York with a recommended retail price of $80 a bottle, with plans to expand to other global markets in the coming months.
Ian Macleod Distillers is expanding the availability of its King Robert the Second blended Scotch range to the U.S. There are three different whiskies in the range with a no-age statement Treble Cask Matured blend, along with 12 and 15-year-old blends. Prices range from $14.99 for the Treble Cask to $28.99 for the 15-year-old.
Buffalo Trace is expanding its line of Weller Bourbons with a new experimental range named for Daniel Weller, the grandfather of William Larue Weller. The initial release is almost 12 years old, and was made with Emmer wheat, an ancient grain mainly used for bread and beer. There will be a new Daniel Weller wheated Bourbon every other year, but this year’s version is available in limited quantities at a recommended retail price of $499.99 a bottle.
New York’s Hudson Whiskey is celebrating the 20th anniversary of Tuthilltown Distillery with a new 5-year-old straight Bourbon. It’s made from a mashbill of 95 percent corn and 5 percent malted barley, all supplied by Hudson Valley farmers, and will be available nationwide with a recommended retail price of $49.99 a bottle.
Ireland’s Killowen Distillery has released two single cask bottlings exclusively for the U-S market. One is a single pot still whiskey matured completely in a white Cognac cask using Killowen’s own distillate that will be priced at $106 a bottle. The second is a sourced whiskey from Cooley Distillery that was finished in a West Indies coconut rum cask and is priced at $69 a bottle.
Published June 11, 2023