Thanks to the explosion of boutique distilleries and a resurgence in rye whiskey, the American whiskey market has rarely been more exciting.

So in an effort to keep up with the boutique and brand leaders alike, here is a list of five new American whiskey’s we’re excited about;

Buffalo Trace White Dog Mash #1 (62.5% abv)

A spirit category set to be the next big thing – Buffalo Trace White Dog Mash #1 is the exact mash bill of their signature Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon, missing only a touch of dilution and 8 or so years of oak maturation. In short – this is a whiskey stripped bare.

With around 70% of the final bourbon taste influenced by the maturation process, a White Dog spirit boldly reveals the caliber of the distillation, the unique character of a distillers mash bill and even the type of yeast used in the fermentation – an influence said to account for up to a quarter of the spirits final taste profile.

Lacking the oak influence, the sweetness of the corn really shines through with a spicy finish influenced by the balanced rye content. Most impressively is just how smooth a double distilled 62.5% (125 Proof) unaged spirit can be. And in a world where this would also qualify as a vodka, a catagoury largely redistilled into blandness, why aren’t we drinking White Dog Martinis?

NB: Buffalo trace also retail their signature Rye Mash (Sazerac, Van Winkle 13) and Wheated Mash (Pappy Van Winkle, W L Weller) in a White Dog spirit.

[Visit Brand Page: buffalotracedistillery.com]

Balcones Brimstone Smoked Corn Whiskey (53% abv)

And now for something completely different. Described by Jim Murray in his 2013 Whisky Bible,

“When a distillery goes out of its way to offer something different, and then does so on a silver platter, one can only stand back and applaud”.

Balcones Brimstone is a 100% Texas corn-based whiskey smoked with sun-baked Texas scrub oak and lightly matured in charred American oak barrels. Unlike the peat logs use to dry and infuse smokey flavours into classic Islay single malts, Balcones Head Distiller Chip Tate (best name ever) infuses scrub smoke directly into the distillate producing a whiskey described as a “Texas campfire in a bottle” backed up with aromas of “masa [tortilla dough] and salty goodness”.

The creative team behind Balcones represent the epitome of the term ‘craft’ having hand-built their own distillery (equipment and all) in an old welding shop under a bridge in Waco, Texas. Everything from the condensers, wash stills, heat exchangers, hot liquor tank and pot stills were designed and manufactured on site by the distillery team.

Less than five years old and with already over 40 national and international awards to their name, Balcones is a whiskey redefining a global catagoury and clearly one to watch.

[Visit Brand Page: balconesdistilling.com]

Booker’s 25th Anniversary Bourbon (65% abv)

Already regarded a champion of Beam’s Small Batch Collection, Booker’s bourbon is an example of one families liquid heritage spanning seven generations and 60 bourbon brands.

In respect to late Jim Beam Master Distiller Booker Noe and a quarter of a century since releasing his first self entitled signature bottle, Jim Beam Distilleries have released Booker’s 25th Anniversary bourbon in respect of an iconic whiskey and an iconic man. Each bottle represents some of the final whiskies laid down in barrels before Booker passed away.

Each barrel is matured for a minimum of ten years compared to the 6-8 of regular Booker’s and is bottled at between 60% – 65% abv (120-130 proof) from an uncut, undiluted single barrel selection from the most choice locations of their aging warehouses.

A bourbon truly worthy of the memory of Booker Noe.

[Visit Brand Page: beamsuntory.com]

Rhetoric 20yo Bourbon (45% abv)

Launched by brand owner Diageo earlier this year, The Orphan Barrel Whiskey Distilling Co. is a project launched earlier this year in a bid to locate forgotten barrels of craft whiskies from around the world which have otherwise been “lost or forgotten”.

Rhetoric is the third in the series of releases to date but stands out from the pack with a planned consecutive release each year for consumers to sample the evolution taken by the spirit, one additional year at a time. The current stock of Rhetoric were discovered in warehouses at the Stitzel-Weller facility in Louisville, Kentucky where they were distilled in both the New and Old Bernheim Distilleries and is currently only available in the US at a suggested retail price of USD$85.00.

While the hunt continues for rare and unique whiskeys to add to the portfolio, any future releases will be announced and made available as and when they are discovered. So watch this space.

[Visit Brand Page: orphanbarrel.com]

Single Oak Project Bourbon (45% abv)

The most extensive bourbon experiment ever undertaken. Driven exclusively by the creatives at Buffalo Trace Distillery, an initial selection of 96 individually elected American White Oak trees, each with a unique grain character and growth environment, are harvested for cooperage.

The trunks are then separated into two halves (top & bottom), each used to make a single barrel of unique character and style. The staves are then seasoned at different levels and barrels charred at different depths and temperatures before being filled with whiskies at different strengths matured in different locations within different warehouses. This is the Single Oak Project.

192 different barrels, 192 different bottle releases covering a possible 1,396 flavour variables across seven core influence’s. What’s not to be excited about?

[Visit Brand Page: singleoakproject.com]

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