DramMaster Daily Whisky News — 23 September 2026
Murray
By Murray
Five stories today, from barley grown and malted on one Colorado farm to the rather different business of selling bourbon across America. The New York International Spirits Competition also has fresh Scotch and Irish results. Its judges work in the drinks trade and assess bottles within category and price point; a medal is a buying judgement, not a universal ranking of every whisky on the shelf.
Root Shoot releases two farm-grown single malts
Colorado's Root Shoot Spirits has released two six-year-old American single malts. One marks ten years of Root Shoot Malting; the other marks a century of the Olander family's farm. Both use barley grown and malted on the family's permanently conserved farm in Loveland. That is a more interesting origin story than a commemorative label: the same operation grows the grain, malts it and puts its name on the whiskey.
The Single Barrel expression spent six years in first-use, medium-char American white oak. It is bottled at 61.5% ABV, with a suggested retail price of $89.99 for 750ml; fewer than 50 bottles were allocated for online sale. The Small Batch Bottled-in-Bond release blends five barrels, comes in at 50% ABV and costs $84.99, with 60 bottles allocated online. The latter also has availability at select Colorado retailers. Those figures describe online allocations, not the entire production runs. Root Shoot says the barley was fermented off grain and distilled in a pot still. The brand's published notes for the single barrel include dark cherry, toasted grain and cocoa; for the bottled-in-bond, vanilla, dried cherry and baking spice.
Murray's take: Taste these side by side if you can. Single barrel at 61.5% against a five-barrel marriage at 50%, both made from the farm's barley: that tells you more about Root Shoot than either anniversary label. Finding both may be the hard part, given those tiny online allocations. Don't pay extra just because a bottle is scarce.
Hooten Young and Jack Carr announce a ten-year bourbon
Hooten Young has announced Warrior Select Bourbon, made with author and retired Navy SEAL Jack Carr. Batch No. 1 is a ten-year-old bourbon limited to 1,500 bottles. Pre-sale opens on 15 October at a suggested $65.99 for 750ml, with shipping expected in late October. It is the second whiskey collaboration between the brand and Carr, following a 16-year-old American whiskey called Warrior Proof.
MGP distilled the bourbon in Indiana from a mash bill of 60% corn, 36% rye and 4% barley malt. Manifest Distilling bottles it in Jacksonville, Florida, at 53.5% ABV. Hooten Young's notes describe toasted hazelnut, dry hay and red apple on the nose, and sweet bread, toasted marshmallow, rye spice and vanilla on the palate. Those are the brand's descriptions, not a DramMaster tasting. Retail distribution is planned for selected shops in Florida, Texas and Nevada as well as the brand's online store, subject to shipping restrictions.
Murray's take: Set Carr's name aside for a minute. Ten years in cask, 36% rye in the mash bill, 53.5% ABV and a named distillation source are useful details for a $65.99 bourbon. The television tie-in will get eyes on it, but the stated shipping window is late October. Ordering on 15 October won't put it in your glass that night.
Wooler Whiskey expands online shipping
Family-owned Wooler Brands says its bourbon and JP Vodka can now be shipped to 45 eligible US states. Big Thirst and a network of licensed retail partners handle online ordering and fulfilment. That is a distribution change, not a new whiskey release. The company already has a presence in selected bars, restaurants and retailers in California and Georgia.
The whiskey is a Kentucky straight bourbon distilled in Bardstown and aged for more than five years. Its mash bill is 72% corn, 18% rye, 5% malted barley and 5% wheat. It matures in No. 3 char barrels, is bottled at 45% ABV and has a suggested retail price of $39.99. Wooler cites a 92-point rating and a Best Buy designation from Wine Enthusiast; those are the publication's judgements, not ours. Availability remains subject to local laws and the stock held by participating retailers.
Murray's take: Shipping to 45 states sounds impressive until you try the checkout. The suggested price is $39.99; delivery charges and retailer pricing will decide what most people actually pay. Still, for someone outside California or Georgia who wanted to try Wooler, this removes an obvious obstacle.
Four very different Scotches share a New York score
The Whiskey Wash has compiled the Scotch winners at the 2026 New York International Spirits Competition. Its table lists Glenfiddich 14 Year Old Bourbon Barrel Reserve, Nc'nean Huntress Malted Teacake, Ardbeg Ten Years Old and Glenmorangie The Altus 25 Year Old among the Double Gold recipients, each on 96 points. These are not interchangeable bottles: the listed categories and ages differ substantially. Double Gold requires a unanimous decision from the judging panel.
The competition uses drinks-trade judges, including retailers, distributors and hospitality professionals, who taste blind within category and price point. The published Scotch list also includes The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old and Oban 15 Port Cask Finish on Gold with 95 points. The Whiskey Wash explicitly notes that there are fewer Scotch winners than American whiskey winners in the results, but entry numbers by category have not been published. A smaller winners list does not prove one country's whisky performed worse.
Murray's take: Seeing Ardbeg Ten and a 25-year-old Glenmorangie on the same score is faintly absurd if you read it as a head-to-head contest. It isn't one. The judges considered category and price; you should too. Choose the style of whisky first, then use the medal as one more piece of information.
Redbreast and Jameson top the Irish results
The Irish results from the same New York competition put Redbreast 18 Year Old and Jameson Triple Triple on Double Gold, both with 96 points. The Whiskey Wash identifies Midleton Distillery in County Cork as the producer behind both. Redbreast 18 is listed as a single pot still whiskey; the wider winners list spans single malt, blends and even an orange-flavoured spirit drink at 30% ABV. That last product belongs in its stated category, not alongside straight whiskey in a blind comparison.
The judges are trade buyers who assess spirits by category and actual price. In the competition's terminology, Double Gold means every member of the panel gave Gold. It does not mean that two products on 96 points share a flavour profile, and it does not tell a UK buyer what a particular retailer will charge. The Irish list also includes three awards for products from a Belfast distillery that opened in 2023, according to the report; no claim is made here that all the liquid was distilled after it opened.
Murray's take: Midleton has two bottles on 96 points, but Redbreast 18 and Jameson Triple Triple are hardly substitutes. Read the category before the score. The Belfast winners deserve a closer look too; a young distillery can sell award-winning whiskey without having distilled every component itself. Read the label rather than filling in that gap with a story.
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