What’s happening in wine and whiskey this week:

News of the Week

🍷 The Michelin guide is moving into wine scores.

🇮🇹 Chianti Classico is still one of the best values in Italian wine.

🥂 Why are more wines being aged in ceramic barrels?

❓ What does the term “master distiller” really mean in whiskey?

🇮🇪 Could regional identifiers help to boost the Irish whiskey industry?

New Bottle Releases

The Glenlivet 12 Year Old Jamaica Edition
The Glenlivet, one of the most popular single malt scotches in the world, just dropped a new release called Jamaica Edition, which should clue you into what’s in the bottle. This is a 12-year-old whisky that was finished in Jamaican rum casks—not exactly a new thing in the single malt world, but one that works well here. Look for notes of maple, raisin, and tropical fruit on the palate of this intriuging new release. 80 proof; SRP $55

Tamdhu 21 Year Old
Fans of single malt scotch aged in sherry casks should try this new whisky from Tamdhu. If you’re familiar with bottles from names like the Macallan and the Glendronach, give this a try—it’s the first 21-year-old age statement from this distillery, which is owned by Ian MacLeod, and it was aged entirely in sherry casks. The whisky is rich and deep with notes of dried fruit, spice, and oak. 47.5 percent ABV; SRP $400

Old Overholt Extra Aged Cask Strength 12YR
Jim Beam’s Old Overholt rye has long been a bottom shelf bottle. But in recent years the brand has gotten a bit of an upgrade by increasing the age statement and proof of the core expression. There have also been a few cask-strength, age-statement releases, and the latest is this 12-year-old whiskey bottled at between 53 and 65 percent ABV depending on the batch. 53-65 percent ABV; SRP $110

Unicorn Pick of the Week

Booker’s “Jerry’s Batch”

The third batch of Booker’s Bourbon has arrived, and it's called Jerry’s Batch. As fans of this whiskey know, Booker’s is Jim Beam’s uncut, unfiltered, barrel-strength bourbon, and the original member of the Jim Beam Small Batch Collection. It was created by master distiller Booker Noe, father of Fred Noe and grandfather of Freddie Noe, back in 1988 as a special gift for friends and family before becoming commercially available a few years later.

Jerry’s Batch is named after Jerry Dalton who, according to the brand, was the only master distiller to work at the James B. Beam Distilling Co. (as it’s now called) who wasn’t a member of the Beam family, taking over after Booker retired until Fred took on the role. Fred now credits Jerry with teaching him what he knows about the science of distilling, which is why he decided to name this new batch after him.

Every batch of Booker’s differs slightly in terms of age and proof, but there is some consistency throughout the brand—usually the whiskey is about six or seven years old and somewhere between 120 and 130 proof. Jerry’s Batch is a bit on the older side, at seven years, four months, and 21 days old, and falls right in the mid-range of proof at 124.7. Booker’s always lists the precise details about where the barrels selected for each batch come from, and in this case it is nine different warehouses in equal proportions of 11.1 percent per location (you can check the website to find out the exact numbers).

According to Fred’s notes, Jerry’s batch “brings together the micro-climate conditions that these warehouses experience. For anyone that has spent any time at the Clermont plant and surrounding area, and working with our products, it’s understood that each warehouse brings its own nuance to the barrels stored within and can influence the maturation process significantly.” In this case, expect a classic Booker’s flavor profile, with big notes of vanilla, maple, caramel, oak, and the signature Beam grain and peanut profile. There are also ample flavors of fruit, both dried and stewed, along with some soft baking spices and, of course, a flash of heat on the finish.