New Bourbon Releases Coming in 2020

Over the course of 2019, there were a whole bunch of new releases and core lineup additions coming out of multiple distilleries. We saw some new and delicious selections pop up, including Four Roses Small Batch Select and Old Forester Rye. There were also a couple bourbons I was very excited about when they were first announced last year, and they fell short of my personal expectations. George Dickel Bottled in Bond and Woodford Reserve Chocolate Malted Rye were a few disappointing highlights from 2019 given my personal flavor profile preferences.

At the end of last year and leading into the new year, several new whiskeys have been announced as upcoming for 2020. Elijah Craig Rye and the new Larceny Barrel Proof have been a few pleasant surprises thus far in early 2020. There are many more announcements I couldn’t be more excited for. That being said, going into 2020 I am being more realistic about my expectations. Given the current state of the bourbon boom, both price and availability will be major factors in how the new releases will be received by the whiskey community. With more and more distilleries putting out “limited editions” and one off expressions, I am anticipating demand will never be higher for these products.  It is already challenging enough to find allocated bottles in the current state of the market, and there is no sign of that changing anytime soon.

I am going to be open and honest about my opinions regarding the distilleries and my anticipation about the juice itself. That being said, let’s dive into some of the new expressions that are already planned for release in 2020.

My Two Cents: Why Buffalo Trace, just why. We already can’t find damn near every Weller expression in the majority of the markets in the United States. I wish instead of expanding the Weller line every year, Buffalo Trace would instead up the distribution and allocation of their very limited, but solid core lineup. Guess what, there is already a single barrel Weller out there in the form of Old Weller Antique store picks. Those are even more impossible to find for most of us, even though the few I have been able to try were excellent. I am hoping this will be the last addition to the Weller lineup for several years, and they start pumping out more juice for us to get the opportunity to try them.

My Two Cents: I am kind of torn about this new announcement. Some of the older (12-15 year) single barrel reserve store picks I have tried have been some of the most flavorful and rich bourbons I have had. I really hope they do not cut back much (if any) on their single barrel program, because I don’t want to miss out on the potential of those barrels. Most likely, the majority of Knob Creek store picks you will find in the wild will be right around that 9 year age for the foreseeable future. It is logical that those olders barrels will now be reserved for the 12 and 15 year bottlings instead. I am curious to see if the quality of the 15 year will be similar to some of those older picks I have tried. If I was a betting man, I am guessing the quality will be a decent step down from the higher aged store picks of the past. Also, let us not forget, this will be 100 proof and not 120.

My Two Cents: Once again, Buffalo Trace is capitalizing on the bourbon boom and giving the consumers more aged, higher proof options (theoretically…). In my opinion, the trend of public bourbon preferences is starting to head in that direction. More and more of us are seeking out higher proof offerings, as they generally tend to provide more full and rich flavors. 

As previously mentioned, availability may become an issue with these new labels. While many more markets can find Benchmark, than say a Blantons bottle, it still isn’t everywhere. Also, how much different will a 90 proof small batch whiskey be from an 86 proof “Top Floor” bottle? The answer is, “I honestly don’t know”. What I can tell you is that Buffalo Trace is counting on me wanting to find out (And guess what? I do want to find out).

My Two Cents: Sure, I would love to find one of these, or perhaps try a sample, but the odds are very slim. The described flavor profile and mash bill specifics make it sound like it will be an excellent expression. Availability and accessibility will be the major barrier to the average consumer having an opportunity to enjoy this one. Holding true to most other EHT offerings, it will be very allocated and damn near impossible to find. If I do ever get the opportunity to be able to try this 18 Year Marriage, I am very curious to see if it can possibly live up to the hype.