It’s an awesome week for American whiskey lovers, with new releases from Beam, Heaven Hill, Michter’s, Barrell, Kentucky Owl, and extra. Freddie Noe has launched one other chapter of Little Guide, which spotlights distinctive blends; this launch is not any completely different, combining 5 distinctive bourbon and rye elements. Heaven Hill has adopted up the Could launch of its Grain-to-Glass bourbon with the second iteration of its Grain-to-Glass rye. Elsewhere, Michter’s returns with its two Legacy Sequence manufacturers, Shenk’s Homestead and Bomberger’s, which honor key figures within the distillery’s historical past. Rounding out the week in new releases are recent bourbon batches from Barrell and Kentucky Owl, a rye from Wigle Distillery, a high-rye straight malt from Root Shoot Spirits, and an Irish single grain from Two Stacks.
Little Guide Chapter 9: “None For Granted” Mix
ABV: 60.9%
SRP: $160
Availability: Restricted
Fred B. Noe grasp distiller Freddie Noe’s newest Little Guide expression blends bourbons and ryes aged between 7 and 11 years. The precise part breakdown is:
- 7 yr outdated Kentucky straight bourbon
- 7 yr outdated Kentucky straight bourbon (fermented for 5 days, and put into barrel at a decrease entry proof than the opposite 7 yr outdated bourbon)
- 8 yr outdated Kentucky straight bourbon (mashbill contains brown rice, as beforehand seen in Basil Hayden Toast and Jim Beam Signature Craft)
- 8 yr outdated Kentucky straight rye
- 11 yr outdated Kentucky straight bourbon
Noe says the title is his manner of paying homage to the flavors that make up the spine of American whiskey—brown sugar, vanilla, caramel, and massive oak. Collectively together with his father, grasp distiller Fred Noe, Noe has performed round with plenty of bourbon-rye blends at Beam, together with Little Guide Chapter 8 “Path Not Taken”, which featured bourbon, rye, and malted rye, in addition to Knob Creek Bourbon X Rye, and Basil Hayden’s Two by Two Rye.
Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Rye (2025 Launch)
ABV: 52.6%
SRP: $100
Availability: Nationwide
The second version of Heaven Hill’s Grain to Glass rye was made utilizing Beck’s Hybrid 6225 corn, which was cultivated by the family-owned Peterson Farms in Loretto, Kentucky. This yr’s batch has a barely completely different mashbill from its predecessor, holding the 63% rye content material whereas utilizing much less corn and barely extra malted barley. The proof level has additionally dropped significantly from final yr’s 62.6%.
The Grain to Glass sequence is a reasonably new addition to the Heaven Hill portfolio, having launched final June with three whiskeys—a bourbon, a wheater, and a rye. The gathering builds on a years-long partnership between the distillery and Indiana-based Beck’s Hybrids, the nation’s largest family-owned seed firm. Every launch spotlights a selected hybrid corn pressure from Beck’s that’s grown within the Petersons’ area throughout the road from Heaven Hill Distillery. Up to now, the sequence has yielded some very spectacular whiskeys: The primary wave all scored 92 factors or larger, with the bourbon occurring to be named our No. 5 Whisky of the 12 months.
Shenk’s Homestead Kentucky Bitter Mash (2025 Launch)
ABV: 45.6%
SRP: $110
Availability: Restricted
Bomberger’s Declaration Kentucky Straight Bourbon (2025 Launch)
ABV: 54%
SRP: $120
Availability: Restricted
Annually, Michter’s releases new editions of its Shenk’s and Bomberger’s whiskeys. Whereas the precise mashbill breakdown of Shenk’s is not revealed, this yr’s batch incorporates a excessive share of rye, the spice character of which was underscored by a partial maturation in toasted oak barrels constructed from wooden grown in France’s Vosges forest. Shenk’s is notably not a rye nor bourbon, however an American whiskey; its maturation in uncharred oak takes it out of the operating for both type, as does its mashbill.
The 2025 Bomberger’s launch, in the meantime, is a Kentucky straight bourbon and as soon as once more was partially aged in chinquapin oak barrels, like earlier editions. Grasp of maturation Andrea Wilson chosen a spectrum of barrels this yr, all constructed from staves that had been air-seasoned between 18 months to five years, far longer than the three to 6-month common for American oak.
Each Legacy Sequence whiskeys can be obtainable subsequent month. They be a part of Bomberger’s PFG (Precision Positive Grain), a double-oaked Kentucky straight bourbon that debuted in January.
Barrell Bourbon Batch 037 Blended American
ABV: 56.9%
SRP: $85
Availability: On-line at barrellbourbon.com and retail nationwide
Barrell’s thirty seventh batch blends bourbons from Indiana, Tennessee, and Kentucky. The Indiana whiskeys are 8, 11, and 12 years outdated; the Tennessee whiskeys are even older, at 13, 14, and 15 years outdated; and the Kentucky bourbon part is 10 years outdated. The ultimate mashbill is 78% corn, 18% rye, and 4% malted barley.
Along with this new mix, Barrell additionally launched a Triple Rum Cask Completed bourbon earlier this month. Sadly, for lovers of Barrell bourbon and rum cask finishes, that whiskey—a 20 yr outdated Tennessee bourbon that was completed for five years in Jamaican, Guyanese, and Barbados rum barrels—bought out the day it was launched, which the model says is par for the course with its restricted version bottles.
Kentucky Owl Bourbon (Batch 13)
ABV: 56.8%
SRP: $399
Availability: Restricted
Kentucky Owl’s newest launch is touted as the ultimate whiskey made by grasp blender John Rhea previous to his retirement. It’s a mix of 5 completely different high-rye and wheated bourbons, with the vast majority of the mix coming from shares aged for 8–9 years.
For readers who preserve an in depth eye on the whiskey trade, a brand new launch from Kentucky Owl might need appeared unlikely. In December, the model’s father or mother firm Stoli Group USA filed for chapter, citing monetary troubles as a result of market headwinds and a significant cyber assault. On the time, Stoli introduced that it deliberate to proceed working because it tried to restructure, however it left Kentucky Owl’s future unsure.
We received some readability earlier this week when a choose allowed the corporate to vote on its formal restructuring technique, which included its plans for Kentucky Owl. Because it stands proper now, Stoli plans to start out “transferring and in any other case disposing” of the majority of Kentucky Owl’s stock, which accounts for simply north of 35,000 barrels. Batch 13 is probably going a part of these efforts, killing two birds with one stone by offloading a number of the mixing homes’ older shares whereas paying tribute to Rhea as he departs the model.
Wigle Whiskey American Rye
ABV: 42%
Value: $36/375 ml
Availability: Wigle Distillery and Ross Park Mall bottle retailers; on-line for transport to Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.
Pittsburgh-based Wigle Whiskey has unveiled an American rye. Its mashbill is 62% rye, 15% wheat, each regionally grown, and 23% malted barley. All are milled, fermented, and distilled on-site. By means of its use of state-grown elements and pot nonetheless distillation, it pays homage to the custom of Western Pennsylvania’s Monongahela rye, one of many nation’s first acknowledged classes of whiskey. Persevering with to spotlight the Keystone State, the bottle label encompasses a patchwork picture of the nation designed by Employee Hen’s Kim Fox, an emblematic determine of Pittsburgh folks artwork.
Wigle Whiskey–named after Phillip Wigle, a pioneer of the trade–is situated in Pittsburgh’s vibrant Strip District. This expression joins quite a lot of rye, bourbon, flavored expressions, reserve whiskeys, and different spirits. With solely 324 bottles, this launch is restricted. Bottles can be found to buy at two of the model’s bottle retailers or its pop-up bar: Stars, Stripes, and Spirits. Starting in the present day, June 27th by means of July twelfth, the bar is open each Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Root Shoot Spirits Excessive Rye Straight Malt
ABV: 46%
Value: $45
Availability: Colorado unique
Following the label’s inaugural launch of an American single malt in 2023, Loveland, Colorado-based Root Shoot Spirits has launched its second whiskey, a high-rye straight malt. As a grain-to-glass distiller, all elements are grown and malted by the Orlanders, a Fifth-generation household farm-turned distiller. This excessive rye consists of Genie malted barley and malted Bono winter rye. The label is an offshoot of Root Shoot Malting, which presents these varietals for different brewers and distillers to buy.
This 900-bottle launch was pot distilled and aged for 3 years in medium-char American white oak barrels.
Irish
Two Stacks Double Barrel Irish Single Grain
ABV: 43%
SRP: $45
Availability: Nationwide; imported by Foley Household Wines & Spirits
Irish bonding firm Two Stacks has rolled out its first single grain expression. This launch is a mix of shares sourced from Cooley Distillery (producer of Kilbeggan, Tyrconnell, and Connemara) and The Nice Northern Distillery. The whiskey was aged for 3–5 years in bourbon barrels earlier than present process a 1–3 yr end in oloroso casks. It has a mashbill of 94% corn and 6% Irish malted barley.
