Skip to main content

Wolves Whiskey Releases Newest Expression Called Winter Run

Last year, the first release from new brand Wolves Whiskey sold out quite rapidly, something which founders James Bond (co-founder of Undefeated) and Jon Buscemi (founder of Buscemi) hope to repeat. This year’s release is called Winter Run, and like last year’s it’s a blend of various whiskeys, mostly distilled by master distiller Marko Karakasevic of Charbray Distillery. This year’s release is a blend of the following: whiskey distilled from stout beer aged in French oak for eight years, whiskey distilled from pilsner beer aged in new American oak for five years, rye whiskey (not distilled by Karakasevic), and a single malt whiskey aged for nine years in used French oak.

wolves whiskey
Wolves Whiskey

Yes, this is basically another celebrity-fronted whiskey, although not of the caliber of, say, The Rock’s new tequila venture. It’s questionable how much these fashion mavens actually had to do with selecting the liquid that you will find in the bottle, although according to Buscemi they were very involved. “We took some cues from First Run while incorporating a really earthy single malt,” he said in a prepared statement. “I like single malts all year round but enjoy them most in the colder months. It took a lot of work to get this right, but the result is special and I’m happy we were able to crank out a few more bottles this time in production.”

Recommended Videos

The availability of this bottle is extremely limited (1,338 available) and it is priced exorbitantly at $185. It’s safe to presume there are many who will buy it who know little about whiskey and a lot about sneakers; moreover, it’s reasonable to question whether the presentation is absolutely necessary — “chocolate espresso” Italian sheepskin leather is wrapped around the French-cut bottle, the cork is made of maple wood, and the whole thing comes in a hand-stitched canvas sleeve.

But — and this is the most important thing — the liquid inside the bottle is truly very interesting, and a good example of the creativity that is currently going on in the world of American whiskey outside of the bourbon sphere. To be clear, this won’t appeal to everyone. There’s a pronounced skunky hops flavor that hits you up front, with strong notes of dark chocolate, toasted nuts, and espresso on the palate, while the nose is all caramel and toffee. Overall, this stands out from other whiskeys in the crowded American field, and it’s nice to find people with some money to spend looking beyond MGP to source their whiskey.

Wolves is available now while supplies last at the Wolves Whiskey website, as well as via Flaviar.

Jonah Flicker
Jonah Flicker is a freelance writer who covers booze, travel, food, and lifestyle. His work has appeared in a variety of…
Isle of Raasay Distillery Gears Up for Inaugural Release with Final While We Wait Single Malt
isle of raasay new scotch whisky single malt distillery glencairn  2

In Scotland, the whisky industry is still dominated by the old guard, distilleries like Glenfiddich and Laphroaig that date back to the early 19th century. Though there is nothing that even comes close to the craft distilling scene that we have here in the U.S., there are some upstart distilleries that are attempting to make their mark on the single malt Scotch whisky field. One such distillery is the Isle of Raasay Distillery located on, you guessed it, the Isle of Raasay just off the east coast of the Isle of Skye. This is the first legal distillery on the island, and its inaugural release whisky is due to be released this Christmas. This lightly peated single malt was aged in ex-bourbon barrels and finished in first fill Bordeaux red wine casks, and will be bottled with no added color and non-chill filtered.

In the meantime, the distillery has also been releasing installments of its "While We Wait" whisky, a single malt that is meant to show the journey from new make spirit to aged final product. The fifth and final release of While We Wait, which ships to 21 states in the U.S., came out a few months ago, a blend of peated and unpeated whiskey finished in French oak Tuscan red wine casks. We had a chance to catch up with Raasay cofounder Alasdair Day to talk about opening a new distillery in Scotland, the evolution of the whisky, and how the distillery has been coping during the pandemic.

Read more
What is steak frites? Your new favorite comfort food
How to master the French classic of steak and fries
Steak frites

I've lived in Italy before, which afforded me a quick 2-hour plane ride to Paris in the summers. I'm from the United States, and I don't speak French, so I wasn't exactly familiar with the menu the first time I went to a restaurant in the City of Love. I picked something that looked familiar ... steak frites. I got perfectly seared steak next to a golden mound of crispy fries; it felt familiar and comforting.

So, what is steak frites? It’s one of the simplest, most iconic dishes in French cuisine. A bistro classic, it's exactly what it sounds like: steak and fries. But don't let its simplicity fool you — when done right, it delivers big flavor with minimal fuss.

Read more
Purity Coffee unveils Brazilian cold brew for home brewing
A new clean coffee blend designed specific for cold brewing
Purity Coffee Cold Brew

Health-focused coffee company, Purity Coffee, has just released its latest innovation: Cold Brew. The new Cold Brew is a single-origin Brazilian coffee, specially crafted for cold brewing at home. Purity Coffee is known for its high-end, mold-free coffee—this blend, which uses beans rich in antioxidants and prebiotic compounds. The latest cold brew blend is designed explicitly with gut health in mind, setting a new standard in health-conscious coffee. Available in whole bean or ground coffee, the new Purity Coffee Cold Brew blend is a medium-roast coffee with tasting notes of cocoa nibs and peanut butter.

The Purity Coffee Cold Brew, now available online, can be easily used with any of your favorite at-home cold brew methods. Just steep for at least 6 to 7 hours to ensure maximum flavor extraction, as well as the extraction of caffeine and antioxidants. This coffee blend, along with all products by Purity Coffee, undergoes rigorous third-party testing for mycotoxins, impurities, and other contaminants, leading to the best-tasting cup of coffee. As health-conscious coffee consumption continues to rise, coffee drinkers are increasingly paying attention to potential toxins and mold that can be present in their coffee. As a regular cold brew drinker, I'm especially excited about this new release by Purity Coffee.

Read more