Welcome back to our monthly guide to all things whisk(e)y. Please check out our more in-depth looks at new releases here.
Natterjack
Catching up on newer Irish whiskeys, Natterjack is noticeable for its mascot: A yellow-striped toad, the only toad native to Ireland. What really separates the brand, however, is the unique melding of both Irish and American whiskey ideals. It’s triple distilled but features an unusual mashbill of 80% corn and 20% malted barley while aging first for three-plus years in ex-bourbon barrels (which is what traditional Irish whiskeys do) and then finished for a year in virgin American oak (which is more traditional American whiskey). Overall, it splits a nice difference between domestic and Irish whiskey — there are a lot of vanilla, orange and apple notes, but also some earthier notes and a creamy mouthfeel. If you can, find the cask strength release (63% ABV), which amps up all those flavors.
The Busker Small Batch Single Pot Still
The Busker Small Batch Single Pot Still is the distillery’s first small batch offering; the Irish whiskey here is matured in first-fill bourbon casks and then finished in Oloroso sherry European oak butts. Bottled at 46.3% ABV, it offers hints of cherry, tobacco, malt and vanilla custard.
Sagamore Spirit Manhattan Finish
The second iteration of this interesting bottle — the first was a limited edition back in 2020 — is a 103-proof, 4-year-old straight rye whiskey finished in separate vermouth, bitters and cherry brandy barrels for 20 months. The collective result is supposed to resemble a Manhattan cocktail, and it nails the assignment — this feels more like an artisanal cocktail in a bottle than a barrel-finished rye.
Fort Hamilton Single Barrel Bourbon
After the success of their single-barrel New York rye, Brooklyn’s Fort Hamilton now crafts a bourbon distilled entirely from New York grain from the Hudson Valley. Aged four years and coming in at 95 proof with a mashbill of 85% corn, 10% rye and 5% malted barley, this is a bourbon that’s somewhat different from its Kentucky cousins, mixing in familiar caramel corn and vanilla notes with a nuttiness and some earthier notes.
Port Charlotte 18 Year Old
It’s not quite Octomore, but this single malt from Bruichladdich is still a peat monster. Matured in a combination of refill sherry casks (74%) and refill French oak wine casks (26%), this 54.3% ABV release — the oldest Port Charlottle bottle to date — is a lovely combination of smoky-sweet barbecue and dried fruit.
Pinhook Vertical Series Rye 8-Year
An MGP rye (95% rye, 5% malted barley mashbill) now maturing at the Castle & Key Distillery, Pinhook’s been releasing a new vintage every year to showcase how whiskey can change with additional maturation (they’re going up to 12 years; more on the process here). Blended from just 32 barrels and bottled unfiltered at cask strength — which comes in at quite a modest 108.4 proof — this one is full of mint, licorice, cloves and orange peel, with a fair amount of barrel character and a dry finish.
Midleton Very Rare Ruby Edition
Celebrating 40 years of Midleton Very Rare (the world’s most wanted Irish whiskey), this blend of single pot still and single grain Irish whiskeys — with an age range spanning four decades — is finished in a ruby port cask. Retailing for over $20,000, the whiskey is presented in a bespoke crystal decanter hand-crafted by Waterford Crystal. Coming in at 53.1% ABV, this whiskey is full of oak spice, cherry, vanilla custard, ginger and cocoa.
This Is the World’s Most Wanted Irish Whiskey
Midleton Very Rare Vintage isn’t cheap, but the annual release garners the most search requests for any Irish whiskey
Starward x Lagavulin
An unexpected collaboration between the Australian single malt and the peaty Scotch distillery, this one sees Starward’s red wine barrel matured whisky finished for 18 months in Lagavulin barrels. It strikes a nice balance of tropical fruit, toasted oak spice and earthy peat, with a nice dry finish.
Westland Solum American Single Malt
The second edition of the distillery’s peated American Single Malt utilizes 100% Washington state peat, matured in a combination of new and used oak casks. The peat is harvested from a bog two hours south of Seattle and retrieved from below the bog’s waterline rather than first draining and excavating the bog, which helps preserve the bog’s ecosystem. The 100-proof release has an approachable sweet and fruity note (close to pears), with hints of jasmine tea, vanilla and light smoke.
High N’ Wicked Foursquare Mark X 2007
An importer and specialty bottler, High N’ Wicked (started by two ex-Brown Forman execs) has released bourbons, ryes and even Irish whiskeys. It’s the latter that gets special attention here, as this 100-proof release is a unique bottling — a single-grain Irish whiskey distilled in County Cork (95% corn, 5% malted barley) matured in ex-bourbon barrels and then finished for six months in barrels previously held the “Mark X 2007” Barbados Rum from Foursquare Rum Distillery’s Exceptional Cask Selections Line. A surprisingly light straw in color, this one offers a ton of caramel, toasted coconut and red berries on the palate.
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