The American Whiskey Report: June 2024

Whoever said you can’t drink whiskey in the summer didn’t know about highballs. You can also substitute whiskey for rum in a lot of tropical cocktails, as well. Kentucky Mules, the Bourbon version of the Moscow Mule, are also fabulous in the summertime. There are lots of ways to drink Bourbon in the summertime, and one of my personal favorites is in a whiskey sour, which got a bad reputation in the 1980s and 1990s thanks to shelf-stable sour mix. However you take your whiskey in the summertime, grab a drink and check out the latest American whiskey news. Cheers!

Product Releases

Westland Distillery has released Colere #4, an American Single Malt Whiskey featuring Fritz barley, which was developed in conjunction with Washington University’s Bread Lab.

Woodford Reserve has released a toasted barrel Woodford Reserve Bourbon, which is regular Woodford Reserve Bourbon matured in heavily toasted and lightly charred barrels.
15 Stars has released a vino de naranja-finished Bourbon which is aged 8 years and bottled at 102.8 proof.

Barrell Craft Spirits has released Bourbon Batch 036, a blend of Tennessee, Indiana, and Kentucky straight Bourbon whiskeys ranging from 7.5 to 15 years. This release also sports a new label design.

FEW, known for collaborations with music acts, has released Smashing Pumpkins Bourbon proofed with Midnight Rose black tea after a partnership with the rock legends.
Lost Lantern has two new Bourbons this summer: Far Flung II, which features Bourbons from Mississippi, Indiana, New York, Wisconsin, and West Virginia, and Mississippi Memory, which is a single-source bottling from a ghost distillery in Mississippi.
Green River has a new Full Proof Bourbon for this summer, a blend of five to seven-year-old barrels with a mash bill of 70% corn, 21% rye, and 9% malted barley.

Next Century Spirits has released Bear Fight Kentucky Reserve, a Kentucky-distilled Bourbon with a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, 4% malted barley that has been finished in a tequila barrel.

Knob Creek is releasing a 10 year old rye whiskey bottled at 100 proof, aged three years longer than the standard Knob Creek 7 year rye.
Old Forester released President’s Choice, single barrels ranging from 7-12 years old and only available online.
Widow Jane is introducing Baby Jane Bourbon made from proprietary Baby Jane heirloom-hybrid corn aged 4-6 years bottled at 91 proof. This is believed to be the first nationwide release of a pedigreed grain Bourbon, according to Widow Jane’s marketing team.
RY3 has a new 7-year-old rye whiskey on the market, a 95/5 rye bottled at 119.6 proof.

Traverse City Whiskey Company is offering two RTD Old Fashioneds, one cherry and one standard, in 375ml bottles.

Spirit Hound has released an American Single Malt-finished blended Bourbon with a mash bill of 60% corn, 36% rye, and 4% malted barley.
Angel’s Envy has released its first ever Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon and Rye, which are also the first unfinished whiskeys to ever be released by the brand.

People News

Heaven Hill has hired Tony Georges, formerly of UPS, as Chief Human Resources Officer and Josh Anderson, formerly of Brown-Forman, as Chief Production Officer.

Dan Leese of Hotaling & Co. and Mary Barrazotto, Senior Vice President Deputy General Counsel of Brown-Forman, have been elected Chair and Vice Chair of DISCUS, the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.
Hotaling & Co. has named former MGP President, CEO, and Board Member David J. Colo to its Board of Directors. Ryan Ulanch has been appointed Commercial Planning & Operations Director and Rowena Rivera has been appointed Digital & E-Commerce Manager.
Brown-Forman’s retired Chair of the Board and CEO W.L. Lyons Brown Jr., great-grandson of George Garvin Brown, passed away June 9, 2024.
Brown-Forman’s Kirsten Hawley has retired. Diane Nguyen has been named Chief People, Places, and Communications Officer.

Other News

The Ultimate Bourbon Raffle tickets are $100 and give entrants a chance to win a full Weller set, a 150th anniversary Brown-Forman Bourbon, a full set of Van Winkle Bourbons, and more! Proceeds benefit the new Louisville West End School. Raffle closes June 20th.

Tickets are on sale now for the 2025 Bourbon Classic in Louisville, Kentucky, scheduled for February 19-22. Ticket options include the cocktail and culinary challenge, Bourbon University, and the grand tasting. (Check out our recap of the Bourbon Classic 2024)
A cemetery on the Jim Beam Booker Noe Plant in Boston, Kentucky has been uncovered and cleaned up. The cemetery is the final resting place of John Kennedy, a Revolutionary War veteran, and at least 100 of his family members going back to the 1700s. Jim Beam’s Veteran Employees group has added fencing, a new gate, a paved walkway, and seating as well as a Bourbon barrel American flag to the site.
Golden Moon Distillery, founded in 2008, has ceased operations. Founder Stephen Gould said in a press release that the trade wars, Covid, the war in Ukraine, and other factors led to the demise of the Colorado distillery.
Brown-Forman reported a decrease in whiskey sales of 3%, led by a 5% decrease in Jack Daniel’s sales for the fiscal year that ended in April of 2024.

Hard Truth Distilling Co.’s “Moonshiner’s Experience”

Indiana’s Hard Truth Distilling Co. is offering a “Moonshiner’s Experience,” a 3-hour class in which guests learn how to distill at a campsite while enjoying cocktails and a camp meal. There are public and private options.

The Trent DiGuiro Foundation is holding a Pappy raffle to raise money for college scholarships. Prizes include Daniel Weller and a full Pappy Van Winkle vertical. Enter the raffle here.
Suntory Global, parent company of Jim Beam, is pledging up to $100,000 a year for the next five years for conservation efforts in neighboring Bernheim Forest, built by 19th century Bourbon baron Isaac Wolfe Bernheim, in order to help protect the waterways that are shared by Beam’s Clermont distillery.
Kentucky To The World is also hosting a Bourbon raffle, and the grand prize is a full set of W.L. Weller Bourbons.
Westward Whiskey now offers a Distiller’s Select bottle gift subscription, which can be purchased in two, three, or four shipments.