What’s happening in wine and whiskey this week:

News of the Week

🍷 Try these hidden wine gems that are some of the best by-the-glass lists.

☹️ A worldwide wine glut might be bad news for American wine.

😛 It might be time to reconsider Lambrusco…

⬇️ U.S. whiskey production is at its lowest level since 2019.

💧 Did Dewar’s accidentally release a whole lot of whisky into the River Clyde?

New Bottle Releases

Sagamore Spirit 10 Year Old Rye
Baltimore distillery Sagamore Spirit just released its oldest whiskey to date, a 10-year-old rye that is part of its Reserve Series. The distillery produces really excellent rye whiskey, most of it sourced from MGP, that is a blend of two different mashbills. It has also released some expressions that were entirely produced in-house in recent years. This new 10-year-old consists consists of MGP-sourced whiskey that was bottled at 55.4 percent ABV (110.8 proof), and is a great option for sipping or mixing.

Hogsworth 10
This is the second Hogsworth release from Bhakta Spirits, the brand created by WhistlePig founder Raj Bhakta (who was forced out of that Vermont distillery years ago). The focus of his new company is on Armagnac, but not just as a bottled spirit—those casks are also used to finish whiskey, and it’s incorporated into different blends. In the case of Hogsworth, it’s a blend of 80 percent bourbon and 20 percent single vintage Armagnacs, with an average age of 10 years (the oldest Armagnac is a 52 years old). The bourbon character is front and center, but there are rich notes of brandy spice and fruit on the palate as well.

Booker's Batch #3 "Jerry's Batch"
News about the latest batch of Booker’s, the third of the year, arrived earlier this week. It’s named after Jerry Dalton, the only master distiller for Beam who was not part of the Beam family. This expression fits into the Booker’s mold quite neatly—it's a barrel-proof, unfiltered, uncut bourbon aged for seven years, four months, and 21 days, and bottled at 124.7 proof (right in the mid-range of what this whiskey usually is bottled at). Look for notes of grain, vanilla, caramel, and cocoa powder, along with that signature Beam nuttiness.

Unicorn Pick of the Week

Laphroaig Elements 3.0

If you’re a fan of smoky scotch whisky, the odds are that you’re familiar with Laphroaig. This Islay distillery’s 10-year-old core expression can be found at nearly every bar and restaurant, and on every liquor store’s shelves, and for good reason—it’s not too expensive and it ticks all the right boxes for a peated scotch, providing big, smoky flavors along with some unique saline and iodine notes.

Of course, there are some unique limited-edition expressions that pop up from time to time as well, including the Elements Series. The point of this collection of whiskies is to highlight various aspects of the production process at the distillery—for example, the last release, 2.0, doubled the length of time of the fermentation to reveal a new layer of fruit flavors underneath all of that smoke and vanilla spice.

Elements 3.0, according to the brand, is said to be the result of a kiln fire that burned much hotter than expected, essentially drying out the malted barley with peat at a much higher temperature. That is supposed to have unlocked notes of dark chocolate, burnt caramel, and roasted espresso on the palate, which makes sense given what is said to have occurred here.

This is a lovely whisky that fans of Laphroaig should certainly try—and one that you should consider even if you are not the biggest peat head out there. The proof is pretty high at 110.6, so a little water goes a long way. The peat is still front and center, of course, as you’d expect from any bottle from Laphroaig. But there are notes of roasted nuts, chocolate fudge, and creme brulee, along with some citrus, fruit, and spice. Add this one to your smoky scotch lineup, you won't be disappointed.