The Best New Whiskeys to Drink This May

Welcome back to our monthly guide to all things whisk(e)y. Please check out our more in-depth looks at new releases here.

An exclusive to the U.S., this new limited-edition expression from Hatozaki — which makes an incredible Small Batch — marries a rye whiskey with Japanese oak. The rye begins in new charred oak before finishing in Mizunara casks; coming in at 42% ABV, this Omakase release features notes of sandalwood, orange peel, coconut, mint, yeasty rye bread and oak.

A. Overholt

It’s pretty rare to see a new product from Overholt, the longest-standing American whiskey brand (it’s been maintained continuously since 1810). A. Overholt, a tribute to founder Abraham Overholt, is a Pennsylvania-style rye — now produced at the James B. Beam Distilling Co. in Kentucky — with a historical mashbill of 80% rye grain and 20% soft malted barley. You’ll find notes of eucalyptus, butterscotch, caraway, cherry and cloves. Ideal in a Manhattan.

Blackened Rye the Lightning

This is the second limited-edition iteration of Rye the Lightning from Blackened, the spirits brand owned by Metallica, where their whiskey undergoes a sonically-agitated process called “Black Noise.” This one is a blend of straight rye whiskeys that are double cask-finished in Madeira and rum casks. It’s a slightly higher proof than the 2022 version and not chill-filtered. The end result is bold and fruity, with notes of caramel apple, banana bread, cinnamon, allspice and a nice hint of the rum’s (well, rum cask) grassiness on the mouthfeel.

Stranahan’s Aspen Exclusive Calvados Cask Finish

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, this American Single Malt distillery recently opened the Stranahan’s Whiskey Lodge in Aspen, which features (among other things) some rare Lodge- and distillery-only bottles. That includes this bottle, a six-cask blend of whiskeys that matured over eight years, with two to four of those finished in barrels that formerly held Calvados, an apple brandy made in Normandy. Obviously, apple is a big tasting note here, along with cinnamon, baking spices, cherry, vanilla, ginger and honey.

Ardbeg Spectacular

No one would ever accuse of Ardbeg, the Islay distillery known for its peat-heavy releases, of being subtle. But this limited-edition Ardbeg Day release is surprisingly balanced, perhaps because of its time spent aging in both port casks and ex-bourbon barrels. It’s rich, fruity, floral and full of mint, chocolate and candied fruit notes with, of course, an undertone of sweet smoke.

Inside Ardbeg Day, Where Scotch Is King and Tradition Is Moot

At Fèis Ìle, the world’s premier whisky gathering, one distillery stands out from the peated crowd

Nc’Nean

Calling themselves “Scotland’s only fully organic whisky distillery” and also 100% powered by renewable energy, Nc’Nean has a good story. Just launched in the United States, the female-led distillery has two initial releases here — a fruitier and citrusy single malt and a limited-edition standout Quiet Rebels single malt, which is both fruity (primarily pear) but also full of cocoa and butterscotch notes. Each release finds the Scotch maturing in a variety of casks, including sherry, American whiskey and STR red wine casks.

Booker’s Springfield Batch

The first 2024 batch in this series of barrel-strength, uncut and unfiltered bourbons is named after the town in central Kentucky where whiskey legend Booker Noe was born and raised. Crafted by seventh-generation master distiller Fred Noe, Springfield is made up of five production dates stored in four different aging warehouses. The age is 7 years, 7 months, 8 days, and the expression is 124.5 proof. Creme brûlée, red berries and a powerful oak spice combine to make this one a bold sipper that calms down considerably with a bit of water.

BHAKTA 2014 Bourbon

The second bourbon release from this Vermont vintage spirits brand is an MGP-distilled mashbill of 99% corn and 1% malted barley, aged for nine years and finished for 125 days in 1973 Armagnac barrels. It’s also the first bottle overseen by new Master Blender Peter Lynch, formerly of WhistlePig. Bottled at 105.4 proof, this one is delectable and full of oak spice, caramel, cinnamon, dark cherry and marzipan.

WhistlePig 25 Single Malt — The Badönkådonk

And speaking of WhistlePig, this new limited edition release was aged a whopping 25 years in new American Oak, and each barrel is finished in a Silver Oak’s Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon barrel. While the name, age and marketing effort with John Cleese will grab the attention, let’s talk about the liquid itself. Butterscotch, raspberry, cherry, malt, vanilla custard and cedar are the top notes.

Templeton Fortitude

Already a name as an independent bottler, Templeton’s Fortitude is the first distillate out of the whiskey brand’s distillery in Iowa. It’s a 92-proof, high rye bourbon mash bill (55% corn, 40% rye and 5% malted barley) with the corn sourced from local farms within 15 miles of the distillery. A sweet, nutty flavor at first (like pecan pie), the rye picks up on the palate with a hint of dill and mint. Butterscotch, caramel and lemon peel round out the flavor here, a solid distillery debut for the brand.

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Kirk Miller is InsideHook's Senior Lifestyle Editor (and longest-serving resident). He writes a lot about whisk(e)y, cocktails, consumer goods and artificial intelligence.