Ardbeg Scorch
Ardbeg is a distillery that loves its marketing. This is not a slight against the distillery, just a fact of the marketplace. But Ardbeg likes to have fun with their one-off yearly committee releases. No two are alike and they are not afraid to embrace a story. Even if it involves flavor dragons and terrible puns. The Ardbeg Scorch is their 2021 committee release and the box is bedecked with artful flavor dragons breathing, presumably, flavor fire. The Scorch in the name derives from the heavy char Ardbeg gave to the barrels this scotch matured in for an undisclosed period of time. Whether you embrace the fanciful story or not, however, the flavor abides.
Corsair Oatrage
The usage of oats in whiskey production is extremely rare, and for good reason: it has a low yield and is thicker, making it more difficult to work with compared to other grains. Still, that has not kept the distillers at Corsair from experimenting with it. The Corsair Oatrage continues the distillery’s penchant for pun-themed names that highlight the grain (at least until their recent rebranding efforts). This single pot still whiskey is made from 51% malted oats, 27% 6-row malted barley, and 22% coffee malted barley. Coffee malt is a 2-row malt that has been moderately roasted, imparting an aroma and taste of coffee, and is often used in dark beers in the same way chocolate malts are.
Balcones Brujeria
Though Balcones has a very wide portfolio with many takes on traditional American spirits staples like bourbon and rye, they are also don’t neglect one of the first things that put them on the map: their single malt. Having clearly invested in an American single malt from the beginning, time and continued experimentation has allowed them to craft various expressions of this cornerstone offering. For the distillery’s tenth anniversary in 2019, they released two single malts only available at the distillery store, both with cask finishes. The Balcones Brujeria, which approximately translates to “witchcraft” or “witchery”, is finished in a mix of ex-Oloroso and PX sherry casks.