Bourbon & Whiskey Quick Hits - June 20

Welcome to the latest installment of our Friday Quick Hits. This is our roundup of bourbon and whiskey news that are important, but aren't big enough to warrant an article on their own.

• Tyrconnell Introduces 16 Year Old Oloroso & Moscatel Cask Finish Limited-Edition Irish Whiskey - Irish Whiskey maker Tyrconnell has introduced their oldest cask-finished expression to date in the form of their 16 year old Oloroso & Moscatel 16 year. This new spirit will hit select markets in June with a MSRP of $100 for a 750 ml bottle and comes in at 92 proof (46% alcohol).
  
  This new spirit was produced using pot stills and only three ingredients... Irish barley, yeast and pure Irish spring water. The spirit spent '16 years in American White Oak ex-bourbon barrels before an additional maturation in wine casks from the Andalucia region of Southern Spain, which were initially seasoned with Oloroso sherry before a second seasoning with Moscatel wine.'

• Kings County Distillery Announces New 750ml Bottle Size - New York based Kings County Distillery has announced a new 750ml bottle for their three flagship whiskeys... these include Kings County Straight Bourbon, Kings County Peated Bourbon, and Kings County Single Malt whiskey. Each will have an MSRP of between $69 and $75 throughout the New York tri-state area. Additionally, the distillery has scaled up with the addition of a new 1350-gallon still that will allow them to greatly expand their production capacity. 

• New Luxury Whiskey Brand Introduced in California - In one of the most ridiculous product launches I've seen since I've been running the site, noted people James Bond (Undefeated) and Jon Buscemi (Buscemi, Greats, Truff, Oliver Peoples) have introduced a luxury whiskey called Wolves Whiskey. The new whiskey is titled 'First Run' and is:
  
  "A blend comprised of a whiskey double distilled from a craft Stout beer, aged for 8 years in French oak, a whiskey double distilled from a craft Pilsner beer, aged in New American Oak for 5 years, and a Rye whiskey selected for its spice to round out the finish.  The full blend is lightly filtered for clarity and cut with the mineral rich water of Mendocino County."
  
  The whiskey comes in at 106 proof (53% alcohol) and comes with a $150 MSRP. Each bottle is wrapped in Italian sheepskin leather, which is hand cut, embossed, printed with UV light, and laid flush to the glass by hand.
  
  This has every feel of style over substance... In my opinion you're much better off getting a nice single bottle or Master's Collection at this price point from a more established brand. 

• Roe & Co Distillery to Open to Visitors - Diageo owned Roe & Co. is opening their distillery to the public beginning on June 21. The distillery will be able to distil 14,000 litres of whiskey in every run, with an annual maximum capacity near 500,000 litres (apologies for the metric... it's an Irish distillery). This will be a new brand, distillery, and experience and looks like no expense was spared.
  
  “Our master blender, Caroline Martin began the journey of reimagining Irish whiskey, but we didn’t stop the reinvention there. We are launching a state-of-the-art distillery and experience like no other, led by our extremely talented distiller, Lora Hemy. This boutique experience, which will have a maximum of 16 guests per tour, will ensure visitors can get up close and personal with our remarkable distillery and whiskey, focusing on the five pillars of flavour”
  
  If you are in Dublin, definitely check this out. 

As always, stay tuned to ColumbusBourbon.com for bourbon and whiskey news with our reviews publishing on the 1st and 16th of every month.