Bunnahabhain's Islay Duo Leads as Chattanooga Bottles Honey Hot Toddy
Whisky Clan | Global whisky & spirits news | Friday 13 November 2026
By Filip Janczak · Original reporting and verification conducted during the morning of 13 November 2026 (GMT). Availability details are reported status or planned dates, not live stock guarantees.
Bunnahabhain is opening general sales of two very limited Islay single malts at midday today. Across the Atlantic, Chattanooga has turned the winter hot toddy into a bottled bourbon liqueur, while Cedar Ridge offers a triple-finished Iowa bourbon. Japan has a new ready-to-drink whisky highball, and Blue Note has returned to 17-year-old bourbon. Crucially, not every headline is a new announcement: some products were unveiled on 10 November and have simply been covered again since.
At a glance
New today: Bunnahabhain's general public sale is scheduled for 12:00 GMT, Friday 13 November. The maker announced the pair on 12 November and offered early access to community members that day.
Newer launches: Chattanooga's Batch 049 first went on sale on 12 November; Japan's Kamiji highball also started its regional sales on 12 November.
Earlier announcements, still useful: Cedar Ridge Portside II and Blue Note 17 Year were both announced on 10 November. Fresh reporting does not change their original announcement dates.
All dollar prices below refer to US suggested retail prices; Japanese pricing remains in yen. None of these figures has been silently converted to sterling.
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Bunnahabhain's Islay duo: 504 bottles apiece
Announcement: 12 November 2026. Scheduled general sale: noon GMT on 13 November. Bunnahabhain has selected two 2026 distillery-exclusive whiskies, each confined to just 504 bottles. The contrast is unusually clear: one uses peated spirit matured entirely in Pedro Ximénez (PX) sherry wood; the other is unpeated whisky matured entirely in cream sherry casks.
The 2020 Mòine PX is the smoky expression, distilled in 2020 and reported at 57.1% ABV. Mòine is Bunnahabhain's name for its peated spirit. The 2018 Cream Sherry is an eight-year-old unpeated malt bottled at 56.3% ABV, with a reported UK price of £80. Its tasting profile emphasises dried fruit, toffee, cinnamon and coastal salinity. Price displays vary by region; the Mòine's universal UK price has not been independently established here.
Distillery Manager Andrew Brown and the team selected the casks. These are full maturations rather than a brief finishing period, a distinction worth watching for when comparing the two: PX may lend darker, sweeter fruit to the peated spirit, while cream sherry offers a different mix of sweetness and nuttier structure. Those are producer-led flavour expectations, not our tasting verdict.
Members received early access on 12 November; general online availability is scheduled for 12:00 GMT today. With a fixed allocation, a sale time is not proof that stock remains when a reader visits. For context, explore our verified Bunnahabhain Distillery history and visitor guide.
Chattanooga turns a honey hot toddy into a bourbon liqueur
Original producer announcement: 11 November. First sale at the Experimental Distillery: 12 November 2026. Chattanooga Whiskey's Experimental Batch 049: Honey Hot Toddy brings wildflower honey, lemon peel, chamomile, cinnamon, clove and cayenne to a bourbon base. It is correctly described by its producer as a bourbon liqueur, not a conventional unflavoured straight bourbon.
The release draws on eight barrels and is bottled at 85 US proof, equal to 42.5% ABV. The 750ml bottle was offered at $49.99, starting Thursday 12 November at Chattanooga's Experimental Distillery on Market Street. Other online availability was described as forthcoming; we have not treated it as already shipped or stocked.
The distillery used a bourbon with honey and sour malts, aged for more than four years before its shorter infusion. That matters to consumers: infusions can change both classification and flavour, and the result is designed for hot or chilled serving. Producer flavour notes mention clove-studded lemon, honey and a warming finish. The photograph above shows Chattanooga's separate Riverfront site in 2025, not Batch 049's bottles or its launch location.
Chattanooga also featured in our 5 November whisky news edition for the Confluence Project Volume 2. That release is separate and is not being republished as today's news.
Cedar Ridge's Portside II: three distinct finishing woods
Original announcement and stated release: 10 November 2026; follow-up reporting appeared 11 November. Cedar Ridge in Iowa has moved its earlier Portside concept into bourbon for Portside II, a limited small-batch expression finished in new French oak, first-fill Amontillado sherry casks and first-fill port casks after time in new American oak.
The specifications are unusually transparent: 115 US proof (57.5% ABV), a 750ml bottle and a suggested price of $59.99. The mashbill comprises 74% corn, 14% rye and 12% malted barley. The distillery says its port wood came from Portugal, California and its own estate, adding a wine-making dimension to the finishing approach.
The producer announced distribution in seven US states and direct-to-consumer shipping across a wider group of states. That is a distribution plan, not confirmation of stock at every retailer. We have not invented a bottle count or described its 10 November release as breaking on Friday. The point of interest is how three finishing influences are applied to one bourbon base without losing its underlying grain-led profile.
Japan's Kamiji highball reaches the Tokai region
Documented retail commencement: 12 November 2026. ISEMAN's Ise Distillery has introduced Kamiji Highball (神路ハイボール), a pre-mixed whisky-and-carbonation drink sold in a small glass bottle. The 250ml format contains 9% ABV and has a stated Japanese price of ¥780 including tax.
The first regional channels include participating shops in Tokai, ISEMAN's direct-sales shop near Ise Grand Shrine and its online store. The producer describes a balance between malt flavour and carbonation rather than a new full-strength single malt. Its previous limited 2025 Ise single malt is a different product; the highball should not be mistaken for that bottle or for a whisky bottled at 9%.
The launch offers a useful window into Japanese whisky's convenience and tourism market, where ready-to-drink serves are marketed alongside more traditional distillery purchases. The 12 November date refers to when local sales were scheduled to begin, not a separately verified sell-out or a globally available release. Price and any age statement not published for this highball have not been invented.
Blue Note brings back its 17-year-old Tennessee bourbon
Original company announcement: 10 November 2026. Further coverage: 12 November. Memphis-based B.R. Distilling has revived Blue Note 17-Year Barrel Proof Tennessee Straight Bourbon, the expression's first return since 2022. The company says roughly 4,000 bottles are available at a US suggested retail price of $174.99.
The 17-year-old is unfiltered, bottled at 119 US proof (59.5% ABV), and made from a 70% corn, 22% rye and 8% malted-barley recipe. That sizeable rye component distinguishes the mashbill from many softer low-rye long-aged bourbons, although the producer's claimed tasting notes—deep oak, cherry, leather and dark cocoa—have not been independently tasted by Whisky Clan.
The producer reports selected US market distribution and online availability, not global retail access. The news here is the unusual return and mature age statement. Some articles dated 12 November may make it feel newly announced, but the original company dateline is explicitly 10 November.
What to watch next
Today, Friday 13 November: check Bunnahabhain's advertised noon GMT general-release window for the 504-bottle allocations. A planned opening is not evidence of the final number sold or current inventory.
This weekend: the International Whisky Festival in The Hague runs 13–15 November. We have an existing separate event and ticket guide; it is not being recycled as a newly announced product story.
Explore more from Whisky Clan
For the previous day's distinct releases, read 12 November's Glengoyne, Fettercairn and Macallan edition. The 8 November weekly whisky roundup places earlier corporate and whisky-industry news in context. We have not included speculative shop stock or unrelated Whisky Clan Store products.
Frequently asked questions
When do the Bunnahabhain November 2026 exclusives go on general sale?
The reported sale window is Friday 13 November 2026 at 12:00 GMT. Community members received 24-hour earlier access on 12 November. Each expression has 504 bottles, but a sale time does not guarantee stock remains.
Is Bunnahabhain's 2020 Mòine PX the same style as its 2018 Cream Sherry?
No. The 2020 Mòine is peated, fully PX-sherry matured and reported at 57.1% ABV. The 2018 Cream Sherry is an unpeated, eight-year-old full cream-sherry maturation at 56.3% ABV. The release pair offers a direct contrast in spirit and cask style.
Is Chattanooga Honey Hot Toddy an ordinary straight bourbon?
No. Chattanooga lists Batch 049 as a bourbon liqueur after infusion with honey, citrus, herbs and spices. It is bottled at 42.5% ABV and its initial 12 November retail location was the Experimental Distillery, not the Riverfront site pictured.
Did Cedar Ridge Portside II and Blue Note 17 first launch on 12 November?
No. Cedar Ridge's announcement and initial sale date were 10 November. Blue Note's company announcement was also dated 10 November. Articles published on 11 or 12 November are later coverage and do not change those dates.
Is Japan's Kamiji highball a new 9% ABV single malt whisky?
No. Kamiji is a ready-to-drink highball containing malt-based whisky and carbonation, packaged in a 250ml bottle at 9% ABV. ISEMAN's announced Tokai-region sales began on 12 November at ¥780 including tax.
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Sources and image credits
Open original announcements, reporting, photo rights and corrections
Each linked source records its original date or retrieval context. Producer statements are distinguished from verified sales. Both photos show real distillery sites, not the latest bottles.
7. ISEMAN official Kamiji product page, accessed 13 November 2026 — original retail link
9. IMBOLDN, 12 November 2026 — follow-up coverage of Blue Note's previously announced 17-year release
10. Cover photo: Bunnahabhain Distillery, ErikRombaut, photographed 1 February 2017; Wikimedia Commons
11. Cover image licence: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
13. Article image licence: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Corrections and editorial qualifications: checked Friday 13 November 2026, morning GMT. Bunnahabhain's reported Mòine price varies by regional storefront; no unconfirmed universal price is asserted. General availability at noon on 13 November is scheduled, not reported as already completed. The £80 UK Cream Sherry price comes from independent release reporting. Chattanooga Batch 049 is a bourbon liqueur, not unadulterated straight bourbon. Cedar Ridge and Blue Note announcements date to 10 November, even where 11–12 November publications discuss them. Retail availability and allocations may change. Images are archival and may not be reproduced apart from their stated licences.
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