There were so many fine new releases in July it was actually quite difficult to narrow down just 10.
Tormore was a big one, but we covered that on this here blog already. Elsewhere in the whisky world: GlenWyvis expands The Highland Legacy Series, Bruichladdich adds to its Micro Provenance Series, Ardnamurchan gave us a third Midgie single malt, and Isle of Raasay gave us a whole host of new goodies: two Na Sia Single Cask Series (peated and unpeated), a Hungarian Oak release, and the 2026 Cask Strength edition. Lucky us. Boutique-y Dave will be talking all things Cutty Sark next week (spoiler!), so we won’t overstep and include the lovely 17yo here.
If rum’s your thing, there’s new Foursquare, a choice selection of spirits from the Rolling Stones or a 15-year-old blend of pot and column still molasses rums from Barbados. And if you’re a cocktail creator, there were some very interesting new playthings to explore. Like a Bloody Mary Mix, Suntory’s Matcha Liqueur, a firesome Capsichist Bitters, and a proper peach liqueur (or Pêche de Vigne, thank you).
All that, and still we can talk about 10 choice new releases in July. Here they are.
The Darkness Tasting Set contains Farkness and more, but is almost sold out
Top 10: Best New Releases in July
Secret Speyside (Farkness) 12 Year Old Oloroso Cask Finish (Darkness) 50cl Whisky
Darkness you know, but Farkness? It’s a cheeky little reference to the distillery this heavily sherried Speyside single malt whisky came from. It spent a dozen years maturing, finishing with a stay in little oloroso sherry octaves, ramping up layers of citrus, walnuts, and sticky date sweetness. Just a 109 bottles, so don’t mess about and watch it disappear.
St. Germain Elderflower Gift Set with Carafe 50cl
A full-sized bottle of St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur for your Hugo Spritz needs is always welcome, but this edition comes with a swanky Spritz carafe. It’s even marked with measures so you can make a sharing jug with ease.
Blackwater 3 Year Old 2021 (Hunter Barley) Single Cask (Master of Malt) 70cl Whiskey
I bloody love Blackwater. I’m always going on about it, to be honest. This Irish single malt whiskey we snapped up was distilled from malted Hunter barley in 2021 and aged in a first-fill bourbon barrel to let all that lovely barley character breathe.
Lindores Abbey Nectere 70cl Whisky
Four types of sherry cask have their fun in this Lindores Abbey release: oloroso, Pedro Ximénez, amontillado, and palo cortado. You know what they say, four sherries are better than one.
Thy 9 Year Old 2016 (cask 67) Odyssey Range Release – The Auld & The Bold (Berry Bros. & Rudd) 70cl Whisky
Single cask Danish single malt here. Thy Distillery’s grain-first philosophy makes it one of the most distinctive producers in modern European whisky. Grown, malted, mashed, and distilled entirely on the family farm, it combines peated Odyssey barley, initial ageing in bourbon before an oloroso finish, and a boisterous 54.5% ABV.
Coronation Khukri XXX Rum 35cl
A bottle shaped like Nepal’s national weapon, the khukri, makes this quite the display piece. But have you ever had rum from the only Himalayan distillery? Also very cool, and worth exploring.
Glasgow 1770 Peated Cask Strength Batch 03 70cl Whisky
A third batch from Glasgow Distillery’s Peated Cask Strength range, launched alongside the unpeated edition. The smoky sister was made with malted barley peated to 50ppm using mainland peat from Aberdeenshire, then aged for more than four and a half years in virgin American white oak before a further three years in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks takes things up a notch again. The batch combines three hogsheads and was bottled at cask strength, 61% ABV.
BloodMoon Viking Mead
We’ve all wanted to swig from a cup of mead and say “Skål” while slamming our fists on a wooden table like a Viking, right? Well, this mead is perfect for that. Tasty too, with honey and cherries making an ideal match.
Invergordon 50 Year Old 1974 – Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet (Uncharted Whisky) 70cl
I love old grain. If you’ve read this blog before, you know that. I particularly like very old Invergordon that’s bathed for decades in refill or bourbon casks, so all that lovely character stews into a sweet and creamy sipper. Cask strength of 46.1% ABV gives it heft, while a nod to Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s 1974 hit also pleases me.
Penderyn 25 Year Old 70cl Whisky
We wrap up our top new releases in July with a very old Welsh single malt from Penderyn, in fact, the oldest it has ever released. Need any more info? It was aged for 25 years in a sherry butt, which has elevated the delicate, fruit-forward spirit into a deeper blend of dried fruit, toffee, cocoa, nuts, and mature oak.
