Nine new premium bourbon, whiskey releases to buy including Kentucky Owl
It’s fall, which means one thing in Kentucky: New bourbon releases!
Although September is traditionally recognized as National Bourbon Month, many distillers spread the joy throughout the season with lots of special premium bottles.
And bourbon collectors know that the calendar is packed with annual premium releases that many are willing to wait in line for a chance to buy.
Here are some of the best and hottest new premium bourbon releases to possibly try and buy at stores.
Kentucky Owl’s Maighstir bourbon
This is Kentucky Owl’s third international collaboration. Maighstir (pronounced May-stir) was created by John Rhea and Scotch whisky expert Maureen Robinson. Rhea has since retired and Robinson has been named master blender.
Together, they created a bourbon that leans into Scotch.
Maighstir is a blend of 4-year-old, 5-year-old, 8-year-old and 9-year-old Kentucky straight bourbons that were selected to convey a Scottish-inspired flavor profile.
“Our latest limited edition release exemplifies the dedication of Kentucky Owl to offer bourbon enthusiasts a glimpse into the world of Scotch whiskies,” said Robinson in a statement. “It has the citrus perfumed floral green notes with hints of sweetness and oak reminiscent of a lighter style Scotch but still keeping all the credentials of a bourbon.”
Kentucky Owl Maighstir Edition is 100 proof with a suggested retail price of $150. Available globally but in limited amounts.
Why put out a bourbon that tastes like Scotch? To open a door to millions of Scotch drinkers and to give bourbon fans a little something different, said Chris Caldwell, global CEO of Stoli Group, which now owns Kentucky Owl.
“We’re not trying to move away from the core of the great bourbons that we’ve made but to give consumers something a little different, open up their consumption to other styles and flavors,” Caldwell said in an interview.
Maighstir is available to buy now but in limited amounts. Soon, though, there could be much more Kentucky Owl available.
Caldwell said that work has begun on Kentucky Owl Park in Bardstown, a 420-acre distillery and tourism campus that will serve as the brand’s home. Construction is slated to begin next year, Caldwell said, with rickhouses.
Two distilleries will be built on site, one for Kentucky Owl and a second for the Wiseman brand, he said. Kentucky Owl’s will be capable of producing 30,000 barrels a year while the Wiseman distillery will be able to produce three times that amount.
Heaven’s Door Ascension bourbon
Heaven’s Door Spirits, the brand founded by Bob Dylan, has released a its first Kentucky bourbon, Ascension. This is a blend of two Kentucky straight bourbons produced at Heaven’s Door Distillery at Six Mile Creek. It’s a non-chill filtered bourbon aged more than five years, blended in small batches and bottled at 92 proof.
According to the tasting notes, it has a nose of baked bread, buttered popcorn and dried fruit, with a complex palate that includes notes of caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and black pepper. It has a suggested retail price of $54.99, available to buy in stores and online at Heavensdoor.com.
All the bottles feature graphics that mimic iron metalworks of musician and artist Dylan, whose works have been exhibited around the world.
This fall, Heaven’s Door Spirits also is opening a distillery in Pleasureville and a brand center in Louisville called The Last Refuge.
2XO new releases
Dixon Dedman, the Kentucky blender who revived the Kentucky Owl brand before it was sold to Stoli, has two new releases coming out from his new label 2XO, which stands for “Two Times Oak.” Last year Dedman released two small batch blends (The Phoenix Blend and The Innkeeper’s Blend) that won several awards at whiskey competitions.
Now, he’s launching American Oak and The Tribute Blend.
American Oak adds charred oak to barrels with a moderate amount of rye in the mashbill, resulting in a palate of rich caramel and toffee, with savory roasted nut notes and a lingering mild spice. It’s out now and is the first in an ongoing blend in the Oak Series. It has a suggested retail price of $49.99.
The Tribute Blend is the latest small batch release from the Icon Series, made up of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskeys from two different distilling partners, one 35% rye and the other 16-18% rye. The Tribute Blend has rich notes of caramel, toffee, apricot, red cinnamon candy and a peppery spice, according to the tasting notes. It has a suggested retail price of $99.99.
Barrell Craft Spirits: Four new bottles
The busy blenders at Barrell Craft Spirits, who are celebrating 10 years of releases, have four bottles coming out this fall. Barrel Bourbon Batch 35 is a blend of straight bourbon whiskeys distilled and aged in Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana featuring a selection of barrels ranging from 6 years to 13 years old. It’s 116.24 proof, with a suggested retail price of $90.
Barrell Rye Batch 004 is a blend of straight rye whiskeys, their first rye in years, distilled and aged in Indiana, Tennessee, Canada and Kentucky, featuring barrels aged 5 years to 14 years. It’s 115.7 proof, with a suggested retail price of $90.
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There also are two releases from a new Barrell Bourbon Cask Finish Series out this fall, both with a suggested retail price of $89.99. Amburana has a nose of cinnamon and baking spice, horchata, banana bread, apple fritters and cracker jacks. On the palate, it’s rich and buttery, spicy with notes of licorice roote, pumplkin pie, masala chai and ginger beer and a citrus peel/cider apple finish. It’s 116.42 proof.
And A Tale of Two Islands Bourbon is a follow up to Barrell’s legendary 2018 release, Tale of Two Islands Rum, which was a Jamaican rum aged in peated Islay single malt barrels. Now those empty casks were used to finish a blend of straight bourbons. According to the tasting notes, the nose has hints of smoked malt, burnt marshmallow, flambe-ed banana, grilled peach and coconut macaron. On the palate you get dark chocolate, espresso, mineral notes with fruity bourbon, candied lemon peel, nectarine and plum sauce. It’s 118.22 proof.
Copper & Kings Bourbon
Copper & Kings, the Louisville distillery known for its brandy, is releasing a bourbon for the first time. Copper & Kings Bourbon will be available at the distillery as well as local Kentucky retailer stores beginning in October.
The bourbon is a blend of 5-, 10- and 15-year-old bourbons finished in American apple brandy barrels for a year. According to the tasting notes, the result has a nose of cracked pepper, cigar tobacco, fresh cut apple and dry soil on the nose, with chocolate, cinnamon sticks, bubble gum, honeysuckle, orange zest and classic cherry and fig notes on the palate. It’s 111 proof, with a suggested retail price of $65.
The distillery at 1121 E. Washington St. in the Butchertown neighborhood will celebrate the release with a party on Oct. 19; event is free and begins at 6 p.m.
This story was originally published September 20, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
