September kicks off the high season for new whiskey releases, especially limited editions that command silly prices and sillier behavior from the clamoring masses. You won’t find those listed here, though, because you don’t need me to tell you that they’re out there and that you might want them. Instead, I’ve selected a few bottles that are new and noteworthy for other reasons. And yes, that includes the new whiskey from Beyoncé, SirDavis.

Baker’s 13-Year-Old ($150)

The regular Baker’s, 7 years old and 107 proof, is low-key one of the most consistent, and consistently overlooked, bourbons. (That’s why I named it one of my “shelf gems.”) Its elder sibling, though, is more in demand thanks to its limited nature and that unusual age statement. (A Baker’s dozen, geddit?) Oh, and because it’s delicious. This is an instant-buy for me at the suggested retail price.

Redemption Sur Lee Straight Rye ($60)

Liquor stores are littered with non-distiller producer (NDP) whiskies these days. But Redemption is one of the OGs of this era, founded way back in 2010, when the rye renaissance was taking off. At that time, just bottling high-quality MGP whiskey was an appealing proposition, but as NDPs proliferated and drinkers look for more novelty, Redemption began putting out some unique offerings—including whiskey aged “on the lees.” And by lees they mean backset, the solids that are left at the end of distillation. Not quite the same thing as in winemaking, and I can’t vouch for the impact on flavor or texture, but it’s an interesting technique to try nonetheless—and an actual innovation, something no one else has tried. 

SirDavis ($89)

By now the entire whiskey-drinking population has heard about Beyoncé’s new brand, a collaboration with luxury goods conglomerate LVMH that’s named in honor of her great-grandfather. I admit to some skepticism about the choice of whiskey—rye, not Japanese as Queen B openly prefers—and the price. But I’m also excited that SirDavis was developed by Bill Lumsden, the master distiller at Glenmorangie and Ardbeg, and one of the whiskey world’s true mad scientists. This is Lumsden’s first open foray into American whiskey, an area that he’s long expressed interest in. I’m really looking forward to tasting how it turned out.

2XO French Oak ($50)

Anything Dixon Dedman blends is worth paying attention to. After exiting Kentucky Owl, the high-end whiskey brand he co-founded (with Mark and Sherri Carter of Carter Cellars) and later sold to Stoli, Dedman started 2XO (“two times oak”). So far the range has included several limited, and expensive, blends, as well as a more modestly priced line called the Oak Series. French Oak joins American Oak, and employs the same enhanced maturation technique of inserting charred oak “chains” into the barrel to increase surface area interaction.

Little Book The Infinite: Edition 1 ($200)

The annual Little Book release, whose components change from year to year, has spun off its first line extension. The Infinite will offer a somewhat more consistent blend by employing solera-esque techniques: the base is established with this inaugural release, and master blender Freddie Noe will continue adding new liquid to it in the future. The starting components nod to the multi-generation legacy that Noe continues: 20-year-old bourbon honoring his grandfather, master distiller Booker Noe, who died in 2004; 14-year-old bourbon honoring his father, master distiller Fred Noe; 7-year-old bourbon for Freddie Noe; and an 8-year-old bourbon representing all three men. Should be an interesting whiskey, although I’m disappointed in how much it costs. Pricing the line extension below Little Book’s $150 would have made an even stronger statement about the family legacy.