New releases in American whiskey and bourbon this week include a single barrel expression from Milam & Greene and Old Forester’s Birthday Bourbon. Blue Note unveils a rye finished in honey-infused casks and Chattanooga finishes in Pinot Noir Casks. Finally, Bardstown Bourbon company expands its core range with a wheated bourbon.
Let’s take a look at these new releases in more detail.
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon
For the 24th year in a row, Old Forester is releasing its annual Birthday Bourbon. The exclusive release will take place on Monday 2nd September. Those who are interested in purchasing the whiskey can register for a place in the national sweepstakes until August 21st, 2024. The bottle will sell for $199.99.
The Old Forester Birthday Bourbon has been aged for 12 years and bottled at 107 proof. Official tasting notes state that you can expect: “A bright fruit medley with accents of apricot and apple are complemented by rich spice cake and buttercream icing with undertones of sweet tobacco and warm oak,” on the nose. On the palate, “ Juicy fruits jump out on the front of the palate with toasted oak and warm cinnamon spice rounding out the flavor to follow.” The finish is characterized by, “Hints of caramel apple lead the finish with a long and flavorful mix of sweet tobacco, ground cinnamon and cacao.”
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Milam & Greene Roadrunner Single Barrel Bourbon
Milam & Greene has, again, expanded its Wildlife Collection with the release of the Milam & Greene Roadrunner Single Barrel Bourbon. Available exclusively from the Milam & Greene website and tasting room from 21st August, the bourbon has a suggested RRP of $149.99. Only 143 bottles have been produced.
The new Milam & Green Roadrunner was distilled from a mash bill comprising 84% corn, 8% rye, and 8% malted barley. It was barreled in March 2016 and bottled on April 26th 2024 at 130.1 proof. The bourbon is, according to a brand press release, “loaded with aromas of leather, raisin, dark fruit, marshmallow, and almond. It has powerful cherry, vanilla, maple syrup, rye bread, and malted candy flavors and finishes with long, sweet notes of maple syrup.”
Continuing the Wildlife Collection’s 2024 theme of Texan birds, this bourbon is named after the Roadrunner, a large bird native to the arid deserts of the Southern states.
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Milam & Greene Whiskey Distillery Manager, Rikk Munroe, said: “Roadrunners hang out during the warm summer months patrolling the grounds at our distillery in Blanco for small snakes and lizards. We’ve affectionately named our favorite bird of the bunch ‘Meep Meep’ as she loves to show off her blazing speed for visitors like the roadrunner in the famous cartoon. We recommend that wily whiskey lovers mark their calendars for a wild chase because we expect this release to sell out as fast as ‘Meep Meep’ races around the distillery grounds.”
Blue Note Honey Rye Cask
Memphis-based Blue Note Bourbon has unveiled a rye whisky finished in honey-infused casks. Bottled at 117.2 proof, the whisky is now available via BlueNoteBourbon.com or via Seelbach’s for an RRP of $64.99.
The whiskey was distilled from a mash bill comprising 95% rye and 5% malted barley. It was then aged for three years in virgin American oak casks, before undergoing an additional round of maturation in a honey-infused cask. Said cask was once used for bourbon finishing, but was repurposed to produce the barrel-aged honey.
The resulting whiskey has notes of “apricot, vanilla, all spice, and oak,” on the nose. “Caramel, hints of apricot, oak, floral finish, and all spice,” characterize the palate. The finish is gentle with “lingering hints of wildflower and honey.”
Logan Welk, President and Chief Operating Officer, B.R. Distilling Company, said: “Limited releases like our Honey Rye Cask allow our team to flex its creative muscles and shine a spotlight on special finishes. Blue Note’s bold and spicy notes blended with the nuanced flavors of wildflower honey deliver an intricate balance of strength and sweetness.”
Chattanooga Russian River Pinot Cask Finished
Chattanooga Whiskey has expanded its Barrel Finishing Series with the new Chattanooga Russian River Pinot Cask Finished. The Tennessee High Malt whisky will retail for $59.99 in selected states. A small quantity will also be available via Seelbachs.com.
The new whiskey was blended from five different bourbon mash bills from Chattanooga. These include a wheated bourbon recipe, a roasted mash bill recipe, and one of Chattanooga’s Barrel 91 recipes. The resulting whiskey was then finished in hand-selected Pinot Noir casks from the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County. The cool and coastal climate yields “vibrant fruit and subtle spice characteristics” in the wines from this region.
Head Distiller, Tiana Saul, told drinkers what they might expect from the new whiskey: “These classic California pinot noir casks brought a dynamic balance of fruit forward top notes and earthy, barrel driven base notes. To complement this wide range of flavor, we specifically chose a a blend of whiskeys that spoke to both sides – resulting in a bright, juicy nose of fresh picked blackberries and cherry pie, followed by dark chocolate icing and brown sugar. This is a robust whiskey with a full mouthfeel, a punchy palate, and lightly tannic finish. Add a couple drops of water to enjoy the full evolution of flavor.”
Grant McCracken, Chief Product Officer, added: “If there was one word to describe our finishing series, it’d be ‘focus.’ ‘Focus’ on barrel origin, and ‘focus’ on whiskey recipe. This particular finishing release focused on one of the world’s best known pinot noir growing regions: California’s Russian River Valley. To these barrels, our distillers introduced a variety of mash bills which collectively spoke to the complex yet delicate fruit flavors of this region.”
Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Wheat Bourbon
Bardstown Bourbon Company has expanded its Origin Series, the core offerings from the KY distillery, with a High Wheat Bourbon. The experimental wheated bourbon will retail for $49.99.
High Wheat Bourbon features the highest wheat content of any mash bill in the bourbon category. The exact specifications are 53% corn, 39% wheat, and 7% malted barley. The bourbon was aged for six years in virgin American white oak casks before being bottled at 106 proof. According to a brand press release, the high wheat content in the mash bill, when combined with a low entry proof in the barrel that extracts maximum wood sugars, produces a bourbon that is “imbued with ripe apricot and lemon, resting on leather and crème brûlée on the nose. A bold palate of oak and pastry leads to a lightly spiced, yet full-bodied finish.”
Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Wheat Bourbon was conceived by Nick Smith, Head Distiller, and Master Distiller, Steve Nally. Smith commented: “Once we perfected the distillate, we focused on the aging modifications that would make this whiskey best-in-class. The lower barrel entry proof of 108 pulls more wood sugars in from the onset, leading to a drinking experience that is elegant and complex.”
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