The Best New Whiskeys to Drink This June

Welcome back to our monthly guide to all things whisk(e)y. Please check out our more in-depth looks at new releases here, including just-released bottles by Wild Turkey, Bardstown and Teeling.

The fourth release in 2XO’s Icon Series is an ode to Kiawah Island, a barrier island on the Atlantic coast 25 miles southwest of Charleston. As a reminder, 2XO takes its name from its blending process, where every release has “additional oak exposure.” Here, it means working with two mashbills (a high- and a moderate-rye bourbon) and a double barreling process involving new charred oak barrels at both #3 and #4 char levels for up to an additional year of maturation. The spice of the rye is mellowed out a bit through this process, which finds notes of brown sugar, lemon peel, vanilla and allspice.

Basil Hayden Subtle Smoke

A limited release in 2022 returns, again, for a limited time. Same deal as before: The smoke on this Kentucky straight bourbon is achieved in the barrel, not the grain; hickory-smoked chips are “delicately ignited at a constant feed to produce smoke,” which is then pumped into a second barrel that’s been toasted and lightly charred. Subtle is the key word here, but overall this is a juicy and flavorful sipper with notes of caramel and grilled peaches.

Stranahan’s Diamond Peak Caribbean Rum Cask

The third annual Diamond Peak release from this Denver distillery —and first from new-ish head blender Justin Aden — uses a marriage of 6–9-year Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey finished in varietals of rum casks from the greater and lesser Antilles of the Caribbean: The Dominican Republic, Barbados and Martinique. We loved the second release last year, which utilized extra añejo tequila casks. This time out, the 90-proof release goes in a different direction, with notes of butterscotch, green apple, molasses, cola and tropical fruits.

Kavalan Triple Sherry Cask

Hailing from Taiwan, this acclaimed distillery ages its single malt in a combination of Oloroso, Pedro Ximénez (PX) and Moscatel-aged casks. The liquid is aged separately in each barrel and then blended together; the final result, at 43% ABV, features notes of dried fruit, cherry, toffee and malt. A new release for the U.S. market, this Triple Sherry won a Double Gold Medal at last year’s San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Little Book Chapter 08: Path Not Taken

The first Little Book release of 2024 is all about rye. A blend of different ages, chars and mashbills, this bottle is a marriage of seven liquids ranging from a 4-year-old Kentucky rye to an 18-year-old high-rye bourbon. As with all Little Book releases, this is blended by Freddie Noe and bottled uncut and unfiltered. Coming in at an ABV of 59.1%, Path Not Taken is almost tropically fruity at first; subsequent sips showcase notes of brown sugar, oak spice, butterscotch, eucalyptus, dill and toasted rye bread.

The Best Whiskey Clubs and Subscriptions for Gifting

And we certainly won’t tell if you keep these for yourself

Barrell Bourbon Cask Finish Series: Mizunara

The latest limited-release expression from this award-winning independent bottler — following the prior two Cask Finish releases (Amburana and A Tale of Two Islands Rum Finish) — is a blend of IN, KY and TN bourbon whiskeys, which was further aged for one and a half years in Mizunara casks and bottled at cask strength (116.42 proof). It has a derived mash bill of corn (76%), rye (20%) and malted barley (4%). This one is almost tropical in a way, with plenty of fruit and notes of corn, spearmint, cherry, sandalwood, coconut and vanilla. Stellar.

Chattanooga Whiskey Founder’s 12th Anniversary

Formulated each year by founder Tim Piersant, the Founder’s Anniversary Blend is a marriage of three unique whiskeys commemorating their anniversary. It’s an interesting solera method of combining three different liquids representing this independent Tennessee distillery’s past, present and future. This one is a blend of their original founding recipe from 2012, a high-malt recipe from their Experimental Distillery and an “Infinity Barrel” filled with a blend of malt and rye malt whiskeys (including a cherrywood smoked “Danko” rye malt). Rye bread, mint, butterscotch, candied cherry, caramel and malt are all at play here, pleasantly shifting with every sip.

Starward Two-Fold 90 Proof

This award-winning Australian whisky just debuted new eco-conscious packaging and introduced two new core expressions to the U.S. market. The sustainability push is great, as are the new releases, which are essentially higher-proof variations on bottles you may already know: Starward Two-Fold 90 Proof and Starward 100 Proof (aka “Fortis”). Two-Fold 90 in particular is a standout; it’s a blend of wheat and single malt whisky aged in red wine barrels, offering up a juiciness rarely found in whiskies, plus notes of caramel, butterscotch and red fruit.

Rare Hare Tempest

A Tasmanian single malt, The Tempest is the latest ultra-premium, limited-run expression from Rare Hare, purveyors of unique whiskies from around the globe (and yes, given the name, it is a part of Playboy Spirits). This 20-year bottle hails from Australia’s Hellyers Road Distillery; the liquid spent 17 years in ex-bourbon barrels and then three more in used port casks. Citrusy and full of vanilla, cereal, ginger and apricot notes.

The Last Drop 2024 Collection

Dubbed as curators of the world’s most remarkable spirits, London’s The Last Drop recently released three more limited edition bottlings: A 40 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky from the Auchentoshan Distillery (Release No. 34), a 22 Year Old Infinity Rum Blend (Release No. 35) and a 55 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky from the Tomintoul Distillery (Release No. 36). We’ll stick to the whiskies here: No. 34 is four decades old and, a rarity for Scotch, triple distilled. It’s fruity, very floral and full of licorice, oak spice and cherry. No. 36 is The Last Drop’s oldest single malt release to date; the liquid spent 53 years in six oak casks before being married into an Amoroso butt for a further 20 months. The final result features notes of apple pie, toffee, raisins and a gentle, honeyed oak spice on the finish.

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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.