Friday, June 3, 2016

New Whiskey Labels: Diageo Special Releases and More


This week's most interesting new labels from the federal TTB database:

This week Diageo cleared labels for its 2016 special releases. They include Brora 38, Port Ellen 37, Auchroisk 25, Caol Ila 15 Unpeated and Lagavulin 12.

A new set of Douglas Laing private barrel Scotch for K&L cleared this week. They include Arran 19, Auchentoshan 18, Bunnahabhain 25, Glenturret 28 and two single grain whiskeys, Garnheath 42 and Invergordon 50.

Here's an interesting new bourbon from Rock Town Distillery in Little Rock, Arkansas. It's a bourbon made from a mash of 61% corn, 30% sorghum and 9% barley. I've seen sorghum whiskeys before, but I don't think I've ever seen a bourbon with sorghum as the flavor grain.

Note:  The fact that a label appears on the TTB database does not necessarily mean it will be produced.  In addition, some details on the label, such as proof, can change in the final product.


7 comments:

kpiz said...

Great tasting notes on some of these. The Garnheath is described as: "Abundantly fructiferous, mouthcoating and mellifluously sugar candied". I don't know what it means, but I'll take a bottle!

CLT said...

The Rock Town whiskey says it's aged in "used charred oak barrels". Doesn't that mean that it's not bourbon?

sku said...

CLT, good catch. I assume that is a mistake, since in the preceding paragraph it says it's aged in new charred oak, but who knows.

Anonymous said...

Since Rocktown asserts aging in NEW charred barrels then asserts, in the same label, that they age in USED charred barrels, on what basis did TTB approve this label?

Certainly they should have rejected it because of these conflicting assertions.

Did TTB even read the proposed label?

I find this kind of thing astounding and very disturbing.

Dan

tanstaafl2 said...

Not had a chance to try Rock Town before but some reviews have been OK. But Sourghum or not, 12 month old whiskey from a small barrel likely at a premium price isn't likely to say buy me if I can't try it first.

And since getting to try it first is unlikely...

Mark said...

Looks like Diageo is out of ideas for the $pecial releases. Which I would think is impossible given their lineup of distilleries, but here we are...

Phil Brandon said...

It was a mistake on the back label... trust me it'll be correct on the actual bottle and aged in NEW charred oak barrels.