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Well, hot diggity dam. In late August 2024, there were some significant developments in the whisky industry. From the unfortunate news of the Swedish Mackmyra distillery filing for bankruptcy to the decision to mothball one of Welsh Penderyn distilleries, it's clear that whisky enthusiasts can expect to be kept on their toes.
On the other hand, this month, Beyonce announced her entry into the whisky world with SirDavid rye, which will be officially launched on her birthday, 4 September.
Islay-based Bowmore also surprised fans with news of rebranding the range - moving away from colour-assigned age statements and introducing a black label with two new series: Sherry Oak and Appellations.
Here are some other new whisky releases that caught our attention in late August 2024. For new whisky releases in early August 2024, click here.
Larceny Bourbon Rebranding
Along with the launch of the brand's 'Seize Tonight' campaign, Heaven Hill Brands-owned wheated Bourbon Larceny introduced a new, updated look.
First introduced in 2012, Larceny was named after the act of stealing whiskey from barrels. The person behind the theft was a US Treasury agent, John E. Fitzgerald, whose job was to guard bonded warehouses by night. He used his own keys, which are used as the icon for the brand, to sneak into the warehouses to drink the good stuff. When it came time to dump the casks, some were unexpectedly light. To Fitzgerald's fame, these 'Fitzgerald's barrels' seemed to be some of the best whiskeys in the warehouse.
The Bourbon is made with a mashbill containing 68% corn, 20% wheat and 12% malted barley.
Original Images by Larceny
The Whisky Show 2024 Bottlings
For the 2024 The Whisky Show, The Whisky Exchange revealed nine bottle designs featuring the company's staff. Three barrels were chosen for the releases, with three staff members representing each cask. The bottlings were inspired by the company's 'We Are Whisky' campaign this year.
Bottles of 10-year-old 2013 Ben Nevis display the portraits of buying director Dawn Davies MW, retail area manager Alex Huskinson and ambassador Billy Abbott. The whisky was drawn from a single Sherry butt with a turnout of 857 bottles offered at 60.2% ABV.
The second set features the faces of Great Portland Street store manager Polina Malinovskaja, brand director Liz Lock, and senior buyer Ashish Basnet. The whisky is a 12-year-old Dailuaine, distilled in 2011 and aged in 'new wood hogshead' aka rejuvenated cask and limited to only 287 bottles, the Speyside single malt is offered at 53.1% ABV.
The third whisky, which features the images of brand product manager Chris Bolton, customer experience manager Corina Casu, and old and rare head buyer Jason Vaswani, was distilled in 2008 at Caol Ila distillery in Islay. The single-cask release is limited to 291 bottles and offers 53.2% ABV.
The whiskies can be found at The Whisky Show from 6-8 September, and the remaining bottles (if there are any) will be available online and in the retailer's three London shops.
Image by The Whisky Exchange
Talisker 30-year-old 2024 Release
Whisky enthusiasts got their first taste of the 30-year-old Talisker in 2006 when the expression debuted in Diageo's Special Releases. The release has since been an annual representation of Talisker's older range, excluding 2018 and 2019.
The 2024 release is offered at 49.8% ABV and limited to 2,610 bottles, making it the most limited rendition of the 30-year-old to date. The expression has a suggested retail price of £1,300 (US$1,705).
Image by Diageo
Blood Oath Trilogy 2024
Lux Row Distillers revealed its fourth Blood Oath triple-set in late August 2024. Due for release in September, the set includes three rare Bourbons labelled Pact 7, 8 and 9, all offered at 49.3% ABV. Lux Row releases the sets every three years, with the last made available in 2021.
Pact 7 combines a 14-year-old and two eight-year-old rye-led Bourbons, one of which was finished in Sauternes casks. Pact 8 brings together a 14, 11, and eight-year-old ryed Bourbon, finished in Calvados casks. Pact 9 blends a 16, 12, and seven-year-old ryed Bourbon finished in Oloroso sherry casks.
The 2024 Trilogy is limited to 1,400 three-bottle sets, each retailing for US$800 (£610).
Since Lux Row distillery in Bardstown was established in 2018, the Bourbons used in the releases were sourced from neighbouring distilleries in Kentucky.
Original Image by Lux Row Distillers
The Glenturret Still Life Summer
Following the previous season's releases, Winter and Spring, The Glenturret distillery revealed its third of four limited editions in the Still Life collection by Lalique. The Summer edition celebrates the work of whisky maker Bob Dalgarno, with the release coinciding with his 40th anniversary in the industry. The last edition, Autumn, is set to be released next year.
Still Life Summer is a blend of five casks—three refill hogsheads and two first-fill Sherry casks. Limited to 105 handblown decanters, the whisky retails for £5,500 (US$7,292) and is offered at 40.5% ABV.
In August 2024, The Glenturret also released a 600-bottle limited release to celebrate Gleneagles hotel's 100th anniversary.
Image by The Glenturret
Chichibu & Hanyu Blended Malt Roka 20th Anniversary
Ichiro Akuto created the blended malt to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the London-based restaurant Roka. The Japanese blend is offered at 48.5% ABV and combines single malts from Chichibu and the lost Hanyu distillery, which ceased production in 2000. The whisky will be available as single or double serves from 9 September at all four Roka's locations in London as long as the stocks last.
Image by Roka
Little Book Bourbon The Infinite - Edition 1 2024 Release
Little Book Bourbon was first introduced in 2012 by Suntory-owned Jim Beam and is one of the many brands produced at James B. Beam Distilling Co in Clermont, Kentucky. In August 2024, the brand revealed its first limited edition outside regular Chapters: The Infinite Edition 1. Another release of Little Book Bourbon, Chapter 8 - Path Not Taken, was released in May 2024.
The distillery campus is also home to Fred B. Noe distillery, where eight-generation master distiller Freddie Noe experimented with blending varying-aged whiskeys and sought to blend barrels his father, Fred Noe, and grandfather, Booker Noe, laid down. The result is the new limited-release series, ‘The Infinite’, which will be used annually as a base for the blend, with each year's new whiskey added to the mix.
Edition 1 includes the following Kentucky straight Bourbons: Booker Noe’s Component, 20-year-old; Fred Noe’s Component, 14-year-old; Freddie Noe’s Component, seven-year-old; and eight-year-old Shared Family Component.
The inaugural The Infinite is offered at 59.65% ABV and has a suggested retail price of US$199.99 (£152). The release will be available mainly only in the US.
Original Image by Suntory Global Spirits
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