Whiskey Del Bac Has A New PX Sherry Cask Offering

Whiskey Del Bac is a brand of American single malts made by Hamilton Distillers that’s best known for using mesquite smoke in the malting process of the grain of some of their whiskeys. Their latest release is not one of these, but still interesting nonetheless for its PX sherry cask finish.

The new Whiskey Del Bac Frontera, according to those behind it, takes the brand’s Classic expression, aged in new American white oak, and finishes it an additional 13 months in Pedro Ximénez Sherry botas. It was formerly released as the Whiskey Del Bac 2021 Spring Distiller’s Cut and sold out quickly.

Frontera is the first whiskey release included in the Whiskey Del Bac Global Cask Collection, which includes a total of three limited annual releases each year all inspired by European regions. Frontera’s Pedro Ximénez sherry finish is inspired by what’s described as the bold and complex sherry wines of Jerez. The Global Cask Collection will include two additional releases in 2022: a Normandy-inspired Calvados finish on their Classic and the heavily-mesquited Winter Release, a Desert Southwest interpretation of the heavily-peated Islay Scotches.

“The response for the 2021 Spring Distiller’s Cut was incredible,” said Amanda Paul, Whiskey Del Bac Co-founder, in a prepared statement. “So many people kept sharing their love for this Pedro Ximénez finish that we couldn’t retire it like most Distiller’s Cuts. We knew that we had to bring it back each year.”

Frontera —900 bottles total — will be available in national markets where Whiskey Del Bac is distributed including Arizona, New York, California, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Illinois. Arizona residents will also be able to purchase directly from the distillery onsite or purchase online and have it shipped anywhere in the state. Frontera has an ABV of 47.5% and is 95-proof. The suggested retail price will be $90 a bottle.

Official tasting notes are as follows.

• On the nose, you may find raisin, walnut and crushed red grapeskin.
• On the palate, you may taste heavy vanilla, stone fruits, followed by bright acidity, finishing with lingering honey, oak and leather.