American Whiskey Report September 2024

Happy Bourbon Heritage Month! In 1964, Congress declared that bourbon is a distinct product of the United States. That means any nations we have trade agreements with have to abide by our rules and not call anything they make bourbon, though many have tried. Be sure to check out these Halloween cocktails for the upcoming spooky season. Now on to the American Whiskey news you can use!

Product Releases

Southern Star Paragon Cognac Finished Whiskey

Southern Distilling is releasing a special single barrel to celebrate their position as the official bourbon of the Carolina Panthers, a Cognac finished wheated bourbon bottled at barrel proof.
Locke + Co out of Denver, Colorado has expanded distribution of its Big Catch Bourbon so fans of Colorado bourbons will have a greater chance at finding it locally.
Dierks Bentley is releasing his first whiskey, Row 94, a bourbon distilled at Green River Distilling in Owensboro, Kentucky.

Bardstown Bourbon Company’s latest Collaboration Series is a bourbon finished in Silver Oak Cabernet barrels. Additionally, BBCo is releasing its 12th Discovery series.
Pursuit United has released Double Oaked Rye Whiskey, a rye whiskey finished in a second cask that is lightly toasted and heavily charred.
Heaven Hill’s 2024 Parker’s Heritage bottling will be a 14-year-old malt whiskey finished in reconstructed heavy toast Cognac barrels.

Kentucky Peerless is releasing its very first Cognac barrel finished bourbon, which will be available in Kentucky only.
New Riff Distilling has released its second iteration of sour mash single malt. The batch contains several experimental single malts batched together, including a Barleywine and a Belgian Quadrupel recipe as well as pedigreed malts including Golden Promise and Maris Otter.

Hard Truth Distilling will release Grounded In Truth Straight Rye Whiskey aged on a floating rackhouse with proceeds benefiting Farm Aid. They’ve also released a set of four fall releases, including Barrel Finish Reserve 2024 Blend, Master Distiller’s Reserve 2024 Blend, Double Oaked Sweet Mash Rye, and Maple Brûlée Rye.
Filmland Spirits has a new set of releases that comes complete with a movie trailer! It’s a blend of four bourbons from four different states — Kentucky, Tennessee, California, and an undisclosed state — check out Quadraforce.
Maker’s Mark has released its second Cellar Aged, an extra-aged standard Maker’s Mark bottled at barrel proof, which this year comes in at 119.3 proof. These barrels are matured in regular rickhouses before being transferred to the cellar, which is around 45F year-round, for additional years of maturation.

Angel’s Envy has released its Triple Oak expression, a bourbon finished in Hungarian Oak, Chinquapin Oak, and French Oak. It will be bottled at 92 proof and will be available nationally starting October 1.
King Floyd’s Bitters has released an annual limited edition Wild Plum Bitters made from hand-picked California wild plums, which are ripe only in August. Learn more about King Floyd’s Bitters here.
Hidden Barn Bourbon has released a USDA certified organic wheated bourbon with Master Blender Jackie Zykan at the helm.
Chicken Cock Whiskey has two new releases, Chicken Cock Mizunara Oak Whiskey and Chicken Cock x Field Ethos Small Batch.
Wolves has released its first flagship American Single Malt Whiskey aged five years in Arizona in California wine barrels and finished in Cognac casks.
Widow Jane has announced the latest version of The Vaults, a 15 year old blend finished in Amburana casks that will be available starting in October.
Milam & Greene has released the latest Unabridged series Bourbon Volume 3, a blend of straight bourbons from Kentucky, Tennessee, and Texas.

People News

The Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame: RM Corky Taylor, Elmer Lucille Allen, Steve Nally, Dee Ford, Ken Lewis

The Kentucky Distillers’ Association has inducted its 2024 Hall of Fame cohort, which includes Elmer Lucille Allen, retired chemist for Brown-Forman, Dee Ford, Visitor Center Manager for Angel’s Envy, Ken Lewis, co-founder of New Riff Distilling, the late Peter T. Loftin, co-founder of Bardstown Bourbon Company, and R.M. Corky Taylor, co-founder of Kentucky Peerless Distilling Company.
Jimmy Russell just celebrated 70 years at Wild Turkey. Russell joined the Wild Turkey Distillery team back when it was under the Austin Nichols brand on September 10, 1954. Today he shares the Master Distiller title with his son, Eddie Russell, and his grandson, Bruce Russell and his granddaughter, Jo Ann Street, both work with the brand, as well.
WES Brands, parent company of Fraser & Thompson Whiskey, has appointed Adam Rosen as Chief Executive Officer.
The Black Bourbon Society named Tracie Franklin to the 2024 Black Excellence Award at the Bourbon & Boule event in Louisville, Kentucky earlier this month.

Other News

Casey Jones Distillery in Hopkinsville, Kentucky is launching a Mash Makers Experience during which guests will have the opportunity to choose grains to put into a barrel and once the barrel is full it will be turned into a crowdsourced whiskey mashbill.

Whiskey Thief is opening a whiskey tasting experience in Louisville, Kentucky to complement its Frankfort, Kentucky Distillery.
The RecycWELL initiative has launched in Louisville, Kentucky in partnership between WorkWell Industries, Suntory Global, Diageo, Pernod Ricard, and O-I Glass. The program will focus on glass recycling in the region.
Barrel Global has partnered with Still Austin to offer ownership of new barrels of whiskey produced at the distillery. As with all barrel investment opportunities, do your homework and don’t gamble with money you can’t lose.
Angel’s Envy is installing a new bottling line that will allow them to handle more sizes more efficiently.
The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) and the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission have presented the TTB with more than 1000 letters supporting adding American Single Malt as a designated whiskey category in the TTB’s Standards of Identity, which governs whiskey making and labeling in the United States. The ASMWC has been petitioning for the change since 2016.
Heaven Hill has opened a kitchen in its Five Brothers Bar & Kitchen at the Bardstown Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience. It will be a fast-casual dining experience open for lunch and dinner.
Catch New Riff Co-Founder Jay Erisman at a dinner held at Hermitage Farm’s Barn 8 Restaurant on October 3. Tickets here.
McBrayer Legacy Spirits, founded by a McBrayer descendant, is working to raise money for the Anderson County Rails to Trails project to repair the Cedarbrook bridge originally connected to the historic Cedarbrook Distillery owned by Judge W. H. McBrayer. The plan is to turn the bridge into part of a hiking trail. There’s a GoFundMe and an option to buy a bottle to support the project.
The Kentucky Bourbon Festival has announced dates for 2025. It will take place September 5-7, 2025 in Bardstown, Kentucky.
The Vendome Copper and Brass Works still was installed recently at the Potter Jane Distilling Company in Springfield, Kentucky one year after the groundbreaking ceremony. Distillation is expected to begin in early 2025.
Chicken Cock Whiskey is the newest member of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association.

Bonus Cocktail Recipe

Maverick Pumpkin Spice Sazerac

Absinthe rinse

2 oz. Maverick Distilling Straight Rye Whiskey

3 dashes Peychaud's bitters

0.5 oz Spiced simple syrup

Chill a rocks glass in the freezer for 15 minutes. Add the Maverick Distilling Straight Rye Whiskey, spiced simple syrup and bitters into a mixing glass with ice and stir for 30 seconds. Remove the rocks glass from the freezer and add the absinthe, swirling it around the inside, then discard the excess. Strain the stirred mixture into the prepared glass. Garnish with lemon peel.