Tequila aged in bourbon barrels is nothing new. Bourbon can only be aged in new American white oak barrels, so when these distilleries finish aging their bourbons, they sell the used barrels to distilleries across the globe. From Ireland and Scotland to Barbados and Mexico, bourbon barrels are the go-to for maturing brown spirits.
Inside these casks, notes of the former spirits linger, passing touches of flavor onto the next spirit that enters the cask. While most of the barrels used for these soon-to-be brown spirits come from mass-produced whiskeys, Corazón Tequila and Buffalo Trace wondered, what might happen if barrels used for some of the world’s most-beloved bourbons were used to age high-end tequila instead? Enter Expresiones del Corazón Collection.
Launched in 2021, the two Sazerac Company-owned brands continue to grow this project each year with ongoing success. They’ve just unveiled the latest limited-edition collection, which includes two brand new añejos aged in French Oak and ex-Weller 12-Year-Old Bourbon barrels, in addition to the award-winning Artisanal Blanco and William Larue Weller, George T. Stagg and Sazerac 18-Year-Old Rye Añejo Tequilas, which are featured again as part of this year’s Collection.
The collection celebrates the excellence that goes into making spirits, whether that’s distillation, aging, or hard-to-define experimentation. Overall, things are pretty simple conceptually: Corazón’s premium tequila is aged in barrels that once held some of the world’s most-coveted whiskeys produced at Buffalo Trace Distillery.
Expresiones del Corazón Collection
Courtesy of Corazón
The Expresiones del Corazón Collection includes:
Corazón Weller 12 Añejo Tequila: Matured for 26 months in ex-Weller 12 Kentucky Straight Bourbon barrels, this moderately sweet añejo features notes of heavily cooked agave, toasted vanilla, oak, and a smooth finish.
Corazón French Oak Añejo Tequila: Aged for at least 13 months in French oak barrels that formerly contained Old Charter Oak French Oak bourbon, the resulting liquid delivers aromas of rich oak and vanilla. The palate is smooth and lightly sweet with hints of cooked agave, apple, and caramel.
Corazón Sazerac Rye 18 Añejo Tequila: 24 months of aging in barrels that formerly held Sazerac Rye for 18 years produces a moderately sweet tequila with strong notes of fresh fruit, oak, caramel, almond, and cinnamon.
Corazón George T. Stagg Añejo Tequila: After spending 22 months maturating in barrels that previously aged the high-proof George T. Stagg bourbon, this tequila delivers salted caramel flavors that burst on the palate followed by notes of charred pineapple that slowly transforms to tobacco, leaving a sweet-yet-smoky flavor on the finish.
Corazón William Larue Weller Añejo Tequila: 15 months of aging in barrels that formerly held this beloved wheated bourbon creates a balanced and dense tequila with a hint of sweet undertones. Aromas of wood, caramel, and almond are followed by a palate filled with chocolate, vanilla, nuts, eucalyptus and chamomile.
Corazón Artisanal Small Batch Blanco Tequila: This blanco tequila is the base spirit used for the entire Expresiones del Corazón Collection. It’s made with artisanal distillation techniques using the finest estate-grown agave and boasts a higher sugar content. The result is an elegant liquid with a sweet, gentle flavor; powerful notes of cooked agave; and hints of citrus and green apple.
Each tequila is sold separately in the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection’s glass bottle, featuring a cork stopper and handwritten label specifying the barrel, bottle number, and date of bottling.
The Expresiones del Corazón Collection is available in limited quantities at select retailers, bars, and restaurants across the United States. The suggested retail price for the Artisanal Blanco is $60, while the William Larue Weller, Weller 12, French Oak, George T. Stagg, and Sazerac Rye 18-Year-Old Añejos have a suggested retail price of $80 each.
As Wild Turkey’s top of the line brand, limited release Russell’s Reserve whiskey has made a name for itself. The latest edition to the distillery’s lineup of excellent, hard-to-find whiskeys is the Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse Camp Nelson F.
The Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse Collection, which launched in 2022 with Camp Nelson C, focuses on the often-debated concept of terroir by exploring whether where a barrel rests impacts a whiskey’s final character. As you might’ve guessed, each bottling features whiskey made from stocks drawn exclusively from an individual rickhouse.
To find the second edition in the Single Rickhouse series, Wild Turkey master distiller Eddie Russell tasted aged stocks from across the distillery campus until he came across Camp Nelson F and declared it “one of the best whiskeys we’ve ever made.”
Built in the 1940s, Camp Nelson Rickhouse F overlooks the Kentucky River, sitting lower than the other warehouses on campus. According to the brand, this allows the barrels to “breathe” better, as airflow and wind currents coming off the river benefit the barrels aging inside, and have made the rickhouse a long-time favorite for the distillery’s private barrel selection program.
“We knew we had big shoes to fill with our second Single Rickhouse release after our first bottling from Camp Nelson C,” says Russell. “I didn’t expect we’d release two Camp Nelson whiskeys back-to-back, but after just one sip from those Camp Nelson F barrels, I knew we had to bring this whiskey to our fans. It’s too special not to share.”
Bottled at 117.6 proof, the bourbon has aged for over 10 years and offers aromas of oak, vanilla, and cinnamon, followed by notes of cherry, raisins, and dates. The palate delivers flavors of clove and white pepper, leading to caramel, orange peel and dark fruits. The long finish is filled with honey and baking spice that give way to tobacco and mature oak.
Russell’s Reserve’s Single Rickhouse Camp Nelson F features and is meant to retail at $300 per 750ml bottle.
Russell’s Reserve’s Single Rickhouse Camp Nelson F
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The Macallan teamed up with Chinese mixed-media artist Nini Sum to create the second edition of The Macallan’s limited edition A Night on Earth: . Sum created the multi-layered packaging for the new Scotch. Its flavor profile evokes some of her Chinese New Year memories, such as the explosion of fireworks and the sweet smell of steamed rice pudding.
Created using a combination of sherry seasoned European and American oak casks together with American ex-bourbon barrels, the whisky offers aromas of toasted oak, steamed rice and coconut milk, citrus fruits, vanilla, and oat biscuits. The palate features a citrusy burst of lemon and lime, alongside notes of vanilla and toasted coconut. The finish is sweet, delivering more toasted oak and vanilla flavors.
“The collaboration with Nini Sum focuses on the idea of bringing something special back to your family when you return home: the coming together of old friends and family, with reflection on the past year, and hope for the coming one,” said Jaume Ferras, Global Creative Director at The Macallan.
Sum instilled each layer of the packaging with meaning. The red first layer features the night sky filled with stars and fireworks as it progresses into a daylight scene of trees and cloud-wreathed mountains. The second layer represents busy city life and changes to a blue base with a contemporary urban scene. The third and final layer, with its amber and orange tones, is home.
“The steam coming off hot food during the New Year dinner is one of the most vivid ‘home’ feelings I remember,” says Sum. “I wanted to recreate that atmosphere, those precious moments of gathering and reunion under a bright moon bringing us all together.
“During this time of the year, people who work in big cities go through the world’s largest annual human migration to go back to their hometowns for that moment of reunion with their families and friends. When the fire is lit inside and paper lanterns hang from the roof, you know there is someone there waiting for you to come home so they can welcome you with a hot meal and a hug,” she says.
Bottled at 43 percent ABV, The Macallan A Night on Earth: The Journey is available globally.
Umami is the flavor of now. Dubbed the fifth primary taste—along with sweet, sour, bitter and salty—chefs, burger chains, and even spirits makers are getting in on the action. Last year, Johnnie Walker released a special savory edition of its classic Blue Label called Elusive Umami. Now Canadian whisky maker Bearface releases its own umami spirit, Matsutake 01.
Bearface launched back in 2018 with a focus on elemental aging, meaning that the whisky was finished in ex-wine casks, matured in sherry pipes, and placed in shipping containers out in the Canadian wilderness. Exposure to the elements “amplifies how the whisky and wood interact,” reads the brand’s website.
Matsutake 01 is the first bottle of Bearface’s new Wilderness Series. The limited-edition release was made with matsutake mushrooms, a scarce brown and white fungi found in Vancouver. By infusing three special casks with the mushrooms then aging the barrels for six months before blending with the other casks, Bearface imparted unique flavors to the final whisky. The result is complex, with savory and cinnamon notes, followed by wild, earthy warmth, and an umami finish featuring subtle forest floor notes.
“This Matsutake expression has been a long time in the making. With each new limited release, we strive to shatter category norms and challenge traditions,” says Bearface master blender Andrés Faustinelli. “The matsutake mushroom grows once a year in the Canadian wilderness, making it highly covetable and rare and brings a sophistication to this bottle unlike any other whisky.”
Bearface Matsutake 01 is bottled at 42.5 percet ABV. In Canada, the brand has already launched the second whisky in the collection, Mitlenatch Island 02.
If you want to mix a drink with Matsutake 01, the brand suggests this Krakauer-inspired cocktail called Into the Wild.
Matsutake 01 “Into the Wild” Cocktail
Courtesy of Bearface
Matsutake 01 “Into the Wild” Cocktail
Ingredients
2 oz Bearface Matsutake 01 Whisky
1/4 oz orgeat syrup
1/4 oz sugar syrup
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Method
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass filled with ice and stir well.
Chart-topping singer Michael Bublé travels the world to perform hits like “Feeling Good” and “Haven’t Met You Yet.” But despite global stardom, Bublé has never left his Canadian roots behind. So it’s no surprise that when he thought about launching a whiskey brand, he named it for two rivers that converge near his home, Fraser & Thompson, where he spent time with his grandfather growing up.
Released through a joint partnership with Quebec-based Cirka Distilleries, which Bublé co-owns, and Kentucky-Based Heaven Hill, Fraser & Thompson blends Canadian whisky and Kentucky bourbon to create what Bublé calls North American whiskey.
Men’s Journal spoke with the five-time Grammy winner from his house in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he lives a stone’s throw from his old middle school with his wife, Argentine actress, model, and singer Luisana Lopilato, and their four kids. He calls his whiskey brand a “family business,” and that’s not just marketing speak—his wife is on the board.
With sweet fig and blood orange on the nose and a subtle finish of caramel, vanilla, and a hint of spice, it’s no wonder Fraser & Thompson landed on our list of best Canadian whiskies. It’s a fitting bottle for a man as approachable as he, who brings fans on stage to sing with him.
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Men’s Journal: You and I first met about fifteen years ago. I was your bartender at the Chateau Marmont, back when your old roommate, Nels, was a waiter there.
Get outta here! That’s crazy. I was single back then, and I have to tell you, that part of my life was a really cool transition for me. I was just this Canadian kid surrounded by movie stars. And there was this Filipino waiter, Romulo, who I would sing with.
Romulo was a legend—the Singing Waiter. When he died, he was buried in his Chateau Marmont uniform.
He and I instantly connected. I got to know some of his family because, at that time, I wasn’t as big in America, but I was big in the Philippines. It was crazy. So, I knew a few words of Tagalog, and I would make fun of some guy sitting at the table next to us or little things like that, and he loved it. That was 16 years ago now. I’ve met zillions of people since then, but I still remember Romy’s name after all these years.
The hotel staff all liked you because you didn’t put on any airs, and it seems like it’s the same way with Fraser & Thompson. The way you’ve marketed it is funny, a little self-deprecating, and it doesn’t take itself too seriously. Is that all coming from you?
It’s me. I would call this a family business. I don’t know how else to say it. This started with my wife and I on my birthday. My manager, Bruce [Allen] said, “I got this guy here, Paul Cirka from Montreal, and he wants you to try his booze. He loves this shit, he’s passionate about the stuff, but I don’t think it’s a big enough company to have you as an ambassador.” And that’s how it started––on my birthday sitting right outside my place here.
And where do you live?
I never left home. If I opened my door, I could show you the elementary school that I went to, literally right across the street.
Wow. So how did that first tasting go?
Cirka brought whiskey, a little vodka, some spiced rum—he had all this different stuff. Well, it was good. No joke. That night, I said to Bruce, “They’re not ready for me to work alongside them as a brand ambassador.” But I looked at my wife and said, “What would you think about us buying a part of the company, if they were interested, and doing this as a family?” We’d been looking for something that we both like that we could both dive into as partners that would be creatively fun for us. Then I talked to my best friend Ron Toigo––I own a major junior hockey team with him, and every business I’m ever in, I go in with him––and I was like, “Hey, it’s probably not gonna do shit. But you know what, it’d be fun.” And that’s how it started.
What was the process from that night to actually partnering with the distillery and starting your own whiskey brand?
We ended up talking to Paul Cirka to become partners in the company, and my wife joined the board. Then Bruce called a friend of mine in Vegas named Larry Ruvo, who’s a big distributor, to get some pointers. Then, I happened to be down with Lorne Michaels, who was producing a show I was doing on the Saturday Night Live stage. Lorne says, “Would you go down and meet this guy, Shelly Stein, who’s the head of [beverage distributor] Southern Glazer’s?”
Bruce and I went to his apartment, Shelly and his wife ordered Chinese food. I had no idea what I was getting into, this was so new to me. But I started to understand that this guy was part of major partnerships with Jamie Fox and others, and we hit it off. He was like, “You know what, I think there could be something here. But listen, we need another partnership with your company Cirka, because with what I want to do, we need more supply, and the distillery in Montreal is not going to be able to do what we need.”
If that’s what led to Heaven Hill becoming involved, what was the process of actually creating the blend of “North American Whiskey,” using liquid from Cirka Distilleries and Heaven Hill?
When it all comes down to it, I was so lucky that my partner Paul [Cirka] was this beautiful, smart, passionate whiskey nerd. Did I get to taste stuff? Did I have my opinion and my wife’s opinion shared? Oh yeah. But was I sitting there mixing things from an oaken barrel? No. it was me putting my trust into this family around me, and into Paul.
Trusting people from Quebec in matters of the palate is a good idea.
And it was interesting, too, because I was so in over my head. All of a sudden, this little boutique thing that I was working on with my wife and my buddies started to get bigger and more ambitious.
All of a sudden, there was this conversation that we think Heaven Hill may have interest in creating this blend with us. It’d be [Heaven Hill’s first partnership] in over 100 years. I didn’t know that. I wanted to be a part of it. So, I went down to Heaven Hill in Kentucky. I wanted to meet the family, and I got to see the first bottle come off the line. I didn’t want this to be a thing where the guy just puts his name on the damn thing and says, “Here’s the story that we’ve made up.”
How did you get from that first bottle to the final product?
That first bottle went around the table, and everyone tasting it loved it so much that when it came back around to me, it was empty. As each new iteration came, it was a new generation of flavors. When I finally got to taste the finished product, I was sitting in a trailer with a guy from Rolling Stone. I was so nervous, because I thought, “Oh my god, if I don’t genuinely like this, it’s gonna be a struggle.”
We spent three years [making the whiskey]. At one point, we stopped everything. We stopped the marketing, the production … We stopped it all because Larry Ruvo had a couple of friends of his that are connoisseurs and big buyers try it. They said, “Meh, we’re not sure.” So we stopped everything, flew everyone to Las Vegas, and had a blind taste test. We blind tasted about 12 different top brands, some up to two grand a bottle. The same friends that originally said “meh” gave our whiskey second place.
So, my point is, they kept telling me the number one thing is the juice. We had to make sure the juice was good. Number two, we had to get people to try it. You can have the greatest marketing plan in the world, but they have to try it. And number three, slow and steady wins the race. They knew I was ambitious. They knew I wanted to see it on every shelf, in commercials, all out there. But we didn’t want to send people to the stores before it’s even in the stores. So, it’s been a real lesson in patience and trust.
“For me, this was a really cool way to pay tribute to a guy that I love,” Michael Bublé says of his grandfather, who inspired Fraser & Thompson whiskey.
Courtesy of Fraser & Thompson
As for the name of your whiskey, you’ve said you spent time with your grandfather growing up at the convergence of the Fraser and Thompson rivers near your home. How does your grandfather fit into the brand?
We kept trying to come up with a name that would mean something. My grandfather and his wine cellar were a big part of my life. He would make his famous wine, and we’d take it to a suite at hockey games with [professional hockey players] Gordie Howe and Pat Flynn, guys that are heroes of mine. My grandfather also used to make grappa and serve it with cherries—you know, a good Italian grandpa. For me, this was a really cool way to pay tribute to a guy that I love.
Again, it’s a family business. And now my poor wife is stuck on a board. I think if she could re-spell it, she’d spell it B-O-R-E-D. But it’s fun for us. Some of the marketing you haven’t seen yet features us together. She’ll be the brand ambassador in South America and places where she’s well known. So it’s cool to have something like that where we can both be part of it, we both like the product, and we both like the people we work with.
What has been the biggest surprise for you, through the whole process of bringing a new spirits brand to market?
Easily, it would be the logistics of getting it done at this level. I knew what flavor profiles were, I saw the making of the whiskey, especially being as close to Paul as I was. It was interesting because the way he spoke about whiskey, the way he spoke about the textures, the flavors, all of it, is the same way that I speak that way about music. I speak that way about a song that I’ve just done, and I’m so excited to tell you how this melody and this rhythm somehow wrap perfectly around lyrical content, and how the notes blend. I will talk and talk and I can just see people’s eyes glazing over. Because at some point, the people listening just want to hear the song––just shut up, we just want to hear the song.
And so that part I understood. It was all of the logistics that I didn’t. If you look at the team I have around me now, from our CEO, Marshall Watson, to all these other people who have had these massive careers in other brands of spirits, when they called me and said, “Well, we have a problem. We’re not going to get glass.” I thought, what do you mean you’re not going to get glass? “Glass is hard to get right now. It’s incredibly expensive.” But I understood that it would take time for distribution because I sell records. Back in the day when we sold CDs, it was slow and arduous.
Sounds like you’ve learned a lot through all of this, but that some things do connect, between making music and making whiskey.
I’ve joked about this before, but I was so naive that when I first talked to Paul Cirka, I asked him how big his brewery was. I was just like, I really like drinking whiskey, and I just want to go into business with my family and friends, and if we make money, that’s a huge bonus. You know what’s weird? No joke, I still feel that way. I’m lucky. I did good. I made good money. My family is taken care of. That’s a nice feeling. And I don’t need a Lamborghini. I’m not that guy. Another however much doesn’t change my life. For me, if there’s anything that I’m hungry for, it’s the ability to be a brand ambassador, and to help grow my brand. To fight again for a few more years of survival in a crazy business where the public can throw you out quickly. I love that, and when I’m in, I’m in. Like right now, I’m a brand ambassador for Rolex. It’s been 17 years, and I love it.
You’ve been selective with your partnerships, like Rolex, and of course the Bubly water Bublé water connection.
For Bubly, we thought we were gonna do one commercial for the Super Bowl—it’s been six years now. As a matter of fact, I did a bunch of interviews because they put out a new flavor called Merry Berry Bublé, and in every mall they built these massive installations for Merry Berry Bublé. I also just did a big thing for Asda, the big UK supermarket. My point is that once I’m in, and once I’m part of your brand, I’m in. It’s a joy. If I like the product, and I respect the people, it’s genuine for me.
You’ve been described as the last member of the Rat Pack. Where do you fit into that lineage? Or where do you diverge from it?
It’s not my choice, but I know that I do fit into that lineage. I understand that I continue the legacy of those heroes of mine, and I’m lucky enough to be one of the guys that gets to keep those legacies alive. There’s a shirt that I see everywhere, and it says Darin, Martin, Sinatra, Bublé. The first time I saw it, I jumped back.
There’s also definitely a part of that trope with whiskey, but when I started talking about what I wanted this to be, and how I wanted it to match who I was and what my real brand was, it was busting the tropes of whiskey. We did not want to be sitting in a leather chair with a cigar, telling people that this is serious whiskey that CEOs and VIPs drink. Now, we were serious about making the whiskey, and the flavor of the whiskey, but the whole idea was to reverse engineer a whiskey for people that didn’t want to drink whiskey or didn’t always like whiskey. I wanted my wife to be able to pour glass and say, “Wow, I like it, it’s really smooth. I like that it’s a little sweet.” And she fell in love with it.
For her, it was funny, any kind of spirit like that would be too strong for her to drink straight, I would take a little brown sugar, a little bitters, and make her an old fashioned with it. She went nuts for it. That’s her drink now. I understand that there are people like Paul Cirka who could spend hours talking about the barrels, the profiles, the million notes that go into creating a top end $1,000 bottle of whiskey. But that’s not what we’re doing. We’re making whiskey that’s accessible to people. And for me, thankfully, I had great partners that agreed with me. The price point was one of the most important parts for me. For 35 bucks, people are gonna try it, and they’re gonna like it. I think we’re as good or better as anything else sitting at that price point. That’s part of my brand—being accessible, having fun, and not taking it all so seriously.
Thanks, Michael. It’s great to hear the inside story of Fraser & Thompson, and it’s nice to reconnect after all these years.
I’m just tripped out that we knew each other that many years ago. I think back to that time and I loved it. I had fun. But I was also scared. There was so much of the unknown that was coming at me. I knew I had potential, but it was still all just kind of starting and bubbling up. I loved that time—but I’m happier now.
After a not-so-amicable split in 2019 from WhistlePig, the whiskey brand he founded in 2007 that ushered in a rye renaissance, American entrepreneur Raj Bhakta set off on a journey of self-discovery. He acquired a cellar of Armagnac in Condom, France, which housed brandy dating back to 1868. Inspired, Raj added two of France’s finest brandy styles, XO Calvados and the ultra-aged Armagnac, to a new rye whiskey: Bhakta 1928.
It’s made from 2018 vintage American straight rye whiskey (60 percent), then enriched with XO Calvados (30 percent), and finally fortified with a mix of Armagnac from 1928, 1941, 1962, 1973, and 1996 vintages (10 percent)—and there’s a little brandy that’s over 100 years old. Bhakta 1928 then undergoes a double cask finish in virgin French oak.
“Beginning with a base rye superior to almost any I’ve created before, Bhakta 1928 finally achieves the dream of whiskey, perfected—through the transubstantiation granted by a magic touch of 1928 Armagnac,” Raj says. “Isn’t it time we brought back the spirit of the Roaring Twenties? Let the new boom times begin.”
On the nose, the spirit offers aromas of custard, caramel, and vanilla. The palate delivers flavors of oak, spice, and more vanilla. The finish lingers with more oak alongside mellow tannins.
Since launching Bhakta Spirits, Raj has released a variety of spirits, including Bhakta 1990 Rum ($500 per bottle) and a 50-Year-Old Brandy (now priced at $450 per bottle). Bhakta 1928 is his most accessible product yet at $70 and can be purchased via the brand’s official website.
Few names resonate in the Scotch whisky world quite like Lagavulin. Over the last few decades, the brand grew into one of the world’s most recognizable, becoming emblematic of Islay’s rich smoky style. Now, Iain McArthur, Lagavulin legend and warehouse manager, has announced his retirement, and the brand is celebrating his illustrious career with a special bottling, Iain’s Farewell Dram.
“Being part of the Lagavulin family has been the adventure of a lifetime, but now I’m ready for a change of pace,” says McArthur. “At 18 Years Old, this bottling brings back fond memories for me, enjoying a dram and celebrating moments in my life. I hope everyone that loves this distillery as much as I do gets to enjoy it.”
McArthur has worked for Lagavulin for half a century.
Courtesy of Lagavulin
McArthur started his career over 50 years ago at the now shuttered—and soon to reopen—Port Ellen Distillery, before becoming part of the Lagavulin team for half a century. Over the course of his time at the distillery he easily adapted to a variety of roles, including peat cutting and overseeing casks, but may be best known for the tasting sessions he conducted for distillery visitors.
McArthur himself filled the cask used for Iain’s Farewell Dram 18 years ago, and he hand poured each of the bottles this December. Matured in second-fill manzanilla casks, the whisky begins with aromas of smoldering embers, cereal, green orchard fruits, crisp apple, vanilla, yogurt, and sherry. From there, smells of white peppercorns and tea emerge, leading to notes of toasted cardamom, cinnamon, and peat. The palate finds more smoke, apple and cinnamon, leading to hints of chili pepper that remains throughout the lingering finish.
On December 14th, Iain’s friends and family were given the first chance to buy a bottle. Next year, Lagavulin will make the rest of the bottles of Iain’s Farewell Dram (bottled at 58.7% ABV) available for £350 (about $390).
Good news for those with a little cash to burn looking to broaden your view of Irish whiskeys–the Cork-based distiller Midleton Very Rare just unveiled the latest addition to their Dair Ghaelach series: Kilranelagh Wood.
If you haven’t heard of the Midleton Very Rare Dair Ghaelach series, prepare to have your Irish whiskey world turned upside down. “Dair Ghaelach” translates to “Irish oak,” which is used to finish each whiskey in this collection.
Even in a country with as long a whiskey history as Ireland, using Irish oak is rare. Most whiskey is matured in American white oak barrels after they’re used to age bourbon. The new Kilranelagh Wood whiskey was initially matured in American oak, then finished in Irish oak casks for 20 months to elevate the liquor.
Midleton Very Rare master distiller Kevin O’Gorman spent six years exploring Irish oak’s potential before embarking on this project. He had two goals: sustainably source the Irish oak and create a distinct style of Irish single pot still whiskey.
Midleton Very Rare Dair Ghaelach Kilranelagh Wood is the fifth edition in the collection and was made from trees from the Kilranelagh Estate in County Wicklow, just south of Dublin. Six Irish oak trees were chosen for crafting by Midleton master cooper Ger Buckley and consultant-slash-forest sector manager Paddy Purser. Every bottle of whiskey can be traced back to the tree it came from.
“In the Dair Ghaelach series, we’re always looking to discover the finest Irish oak amidst Ireland’s natural beauty, and the Kilranelagh estate stands as a testament to this quest,” says O’Gorman. “The whiskey has been bottled at its cask strengths, ranging from 56.8% to 57.5% ABV, allowing the unique influence from each tree to reach its pinnacle.”
Midleton Very Rare Dair Ghaelach Kilranelagh Wood gives opening notes of warming spices and vanilla, before mellowing on the palate, says blender Dave McCabe. The Irish oak finish adds fresh pine, floral honey, and tropical fruit notes, alongside smoked almond and cinnamon aromas. “The whiskey then concludes with a wonderfully long finish which sees the pot still spices and oak effortlessly linger for a truly unique drinking experience,” he says.
Award winning Irish artist David Rooney designed the fifth expression’s fully recyclable packaging, which reveals a story inspired by the unique flora and fauna of the Kilranelagh Estate.
Midleton Very Rare Dair Ghaelach Kilranelagh Wood is available at varying cask strengths in Ireland, UK, France, USA, and China for €440 (about $480) per 70cl bottle.
Some of the world’s best whiskies are finished in sherry barrels from southern Spain. Most famously, Scotch distilleries like Macallan, Ardbeg, Bunnahabhain, Glendronach, and so many more choose to mature their spirits in such casks for the extra flavors they lend to the final product. The success of these longtime whisky makers has led distilleries across the globe to experiment with sherry barrels. Jack Daniel’s joins the parade most recently with its latest addition to their Distillery Series, Selection #12
Available exclusively in Tennessee in limited quantities, Jack Daniel’s Distillery Series Selection #12 features the brand’s classic mash bill of 80 percent corn, 12 percent malted barley, and eight percent rye. It’s then charcoal mellowed before entering into new, charred American white oak barrels for five and a half to six years before finishing for three years in oloroso sherry casks, which tend to impart oak and fruit flavors and aromas.
“We first used oloroso sherry casks with our American Single Malt, and it was only natural to continue experimenting with them,” says Chris Fletcher, Jack Daniel’s master distiller. “What resulted was something completely unique that further elevates the complexity of Old No. 7 but maintains a balanced profile.”
Jack Daniel’s Distillery Series Selection #12 offers aromas of sweet citrus. The palate finds flavors of rich baking spices, nutmeg, and caramel, leading to a lingering finish filled with red fruits. Bottled at 45 percent ABV, it’s available at select stores in Tennessee and at the White Rabbit Bottle Shop at the Jack Daniel Distillery in 375ml bottles for a suggested retail price of $42.
The Canadian tundra’s cold, glacial waters shaped the warm body of Talisker’s newest whisky: Glacial Edge Aged 45 Years. As the final bottling in Talisker’s Xpedition Series, a group of whiskies inspired by adventure and wilderness, Aged 45 Year speaks to the ethos of the Scottish Isle of Skye-based distillery, which shares a bond with the great outdoors unlike any other Scotch maker.
Talisker—whose tagline is “Made By the Sea”— has always been connected to nature and all things maritime. The brand recently released the sea-inspired 30 Year Old whisky, and has partnered with environmental organization Parley For the Oceans, a non-profit that aims to prevent damage to the world’s oceans. But of all Talisker’s sustainability-focused efforts, the Xpedition Series has been its most extreme.
The series launched in 2021 with Talisker Xpedition Oak 43-Year-Old, a whisky aged in casks that used wooden staves that crossed the Atlantic. A year later, Talisker released Forests of the Deep 44-Year-Old, which was finished in staves that were brought on an expedition to one of the world’s largest kelp forests and finished in barrels charred with sustainably farmed sea kelp. For this third and final edition, the distillery took 12 heavily-charred American oak casks on a voyage into Canadian ice fields.
During the expedition, a cooper removed the ends of the whisky casks, exposing them to sub-zero temperatures and Arctic winds for 96 hours. The ice-fractured casks added a unique flavor to the finished Scotch.
The new Talisker Scotch was aged in ice-fractured whisky casks.
Courtesy Image
On the nose, the Talisker Glacial Edge Aged 45 Years delivers the clear maritime aromas the brand is known for, alongside notes of seaweed, iodine, lime, smoke, and hints of dried fruit and vanilla. The palate is rich and full, boasting flavors of toffee, pepper, and sea salt. The finish is long and delivers notes of chili, salted caramel, and a touch more pepper, along with more smoke.
On the journey to the Canadian ice fields, Talisker was joined by Parley For the Oceans, and led by glacier scientist Alison Criscitiello, Ph.D. The team traveled across wild terrain and into ice caves, where Criscitiello helped them understand how the planet’s ecosystems are interconnected.
“From glacial ice to kelp forests, everything is interconnected and our world is changing faster than we know. Deep down, we all understand that we must rapidly transform how we create, think, and live together,” said Cyrill Gutsch, founder and CEO of Parley for the Oceans. “This limited-edition 45-Year-Old Whisky is an opportunity to tell the story of a fast-changing environment within a product shaped by time and nature, while supporting more of the climate research, activism and human connection that is urgently needed.”
Just 2,455 700 ml bottles of Talisker Glacial Edge Aged 45 Years Single Malt Scotch Whisky (49.8% ABV) are available at a price of $5,000.
