In bourbon country, spring began with a vengeance of rain. As the old saying goes, April showers bring May flowers or, more accurately, today’s rainfall is tomorrow’s whisky. We’re anticipating a colourful and bountiful few months. Like Mother Nature, America’s fine whiskey and bourbon distillers are not slowing down — they continue to flood my inbox with new releases. But I would rather have a basement filled with whiskey than rainwater.
Here are 10 new releases that have caught my attention. Despite recent gloomy headlines, the American whiskey industry is still moving forward. This is because it focuses on innovation and traditional values.
Bomberger’s PFG
Details When I heard about a new Bomberger concept by Michter’s, it made me very happy. I didn’t know what PFG stood for, but I knew this would be a great product. It is. PFG stands for Precision Fine Grain. This means that they have experimented with different wood finishes after the initial ageing in toasted and charcoaled American oak. This second barrel contains a proprietary blend of toasted and charred French Oak, which is air-dried for at least 40 months near the Charente River. This all leads to a bourbon which is pretty frickin’ good (PFG).
Tasting notes: This Bourbon feels viscous when swirled around in the glass. The nose is floral and bright, like a spring flower garden. The palate also carries this brightness with notes of honeycomb, tart raspberry and oak. I can detect a difference between oakiness here. The finish is dry and mild, but it lingers.
Bulleit Bottled-In-Bond
Details For me, Bulleit is a bourbon that I use to make cocktails. It’s definitely a high-rye bourbon, but I don’t choose it as my first pick when looking for a neat pour. This has all changed now that the Diageo company is releasing this new release. This is a drink I would happily sip all day. This is the first BIB from Bulleit. It was distilled and matured entirely at the Shelbyville distillery. It was distilled in spring 2017, so they say it is about 7 years old.
Tasting notes: Bulleit’s Bottled-In Bond is classic Kentucky Bourbon at its best, with flavours such as melted caramel and butterscotch. It also has hints of citrus peel and baked cherries. The nose is like a Kentucky summer Brickhouse, while the finish is like a Kentucky winter.
Rabbit Hole Sucrule Whiskey
Details Rabbit Hole has released some fun distillery releases in recent years, and I think this is my favourite. The Sucrule, sold in a 375 ml bottle, is a finish made with their four-grain Cavehill bourbon. It is then placed in custom-made Maple Brule barrels, courtesy of Tonnellerie Moreau in Quebec, for six months. The barrels with high char were seasoned using maple syrup.
Tasting notes: As you can imagine, this Bourbon has a lot to offer. The Bourbon is only lightly flavoured with maple despite being bottled at cask strength. On the nose, you can smell straight frosting, like that which is drizzled over cinnamon rolls. There are also notes of honey and pear. On the palate, I get caramel, green apple, nutmeg, black pepper and oak. This is the perfect porch sipper.
Jack Daniel’s 14 Years
DetailsI am sure that you have heard about Jack Daniel’s Unicorn by now, but let me explain it. This is the Tennessee Distillery’s first age-stated whisky in more than 100 years. The age-stated releases, which include 10, 12, and 14, are a throwback to the actual products that were released in the early 1900s—when Jack Daniel still lived! The 14-year-old is bottled at barrel strength. Master Distiller Chris Fletcher says they plan to release an 18-year-old whiskey and possibly a 21-year-old in the future.
Tasting notes: Mamma Mia… This is a wonderful whiskey. I smell a rich, vintage whiskey aroma that makes me think this is going to be a special whiskey. It also has molasses and some dark chocolate. On the palate, there is more of that dusty note, as well as nice tobacco, leather and sweet candy flavours. The finish is bananas for days.
Heaven Hill Heritage Collection 2025 Wheat Whiskey
Details Heaven Hill has a vast inventory, so it is not surprising that they pulled a 19-year-old wheat whiskey out of the vaults to release for their annual Heritage Collection. This is their oldest wheat whiskey. It has a mash bill of 51% corn, 37% wheat and 12% malted barley. With a large amount of corn, this whiskey will be similar to a wheat bourbon.
Tasting notes: On the nose, there is a beautiful note of cherry bloom along with honey and mild oak. On the palate, you’ll find a little black pepper, cloves, sweet vanilla, subtle strawberries, jelly and cinnamon. The oak and brown sugar tingle in the finish. This 19-year-old Bourbon will please any bourbon lover — especially those who love wheat.
Angel’s Envy Cellar: Rye Whiskey finished in French Oak Tequila Barrels.
Details Angel’s Envy’s Cellar Collection has not released a new bottle since 2022. This is the first one that Master Distiller Owen Martin oversaw. Martin was able to use some of the best anejo Tequila aged in French Oak barrels because Bacardi owned both Angel’s Envy & Patron Tequila. This special release is a mixture of 6.5 and 7.5-year-old rye aged in these tequila casks plus 10% straight 11-year-old rye.
Tasting notes: This one is awash with vibrant fruit flavours like cherry, pear and red apple. It’s viscous, too. The rye gives me the black pepper I expect, but it’s balanced by a lovely herbaceous spice that counters the sweetness of the cotton candy. If you hadn’t said it was aged in tequila casks, I would never have known. The finish starts juicier and then becomes almost dry, like white wine. It begs me to take another sip.
Woodford Reserve Chocolate Whisper Redux
DetailsThis Distillery Series is the highest-proof offering Woodford ever did, with a hefty 139.4-proof. Its story is quite complex. In 2019, they released the Master’s Collection, which was chocolate malted Rye. They noticed that after distilling that whiskey several years earlier, the flavour notes of the bourbons that followed contained chocolate malt, thus the “whisper”. In 2021, the first Chocolate Malt Whisper was released as a bottle exclusive to the distillery. They held back some and let it age for four more years. This resulted in the release of Chocolate Whisper Redux – a 12-year-old barrel-proof bourbon.
Tasting notes: Maybe it’s the name, but on the nose, I get lots of coffee and dark chocolate with a hint of butterscotch. On the palate, there are notes of baker’s cocoa powder and red fruits like cherries and blackberries. Oak and cold brew espresso follow. The finish is a swirl of malted milk and oak. This drink is a bit hot due to the high proof. I recommend adding a few drops of water to cool it down.
Penelope Havana
Details Penelope Havana is a popular bourbon that has been available since the beginning of the year. This bottle is for those who like their Bourbon sweeter or are just starting with whiskey. This is part of the Penelope Cooper Series’ cask finishes. It takes a four-year-old four-grain Bourbon, puts it in a Caribbean Rum barrel for a whole year, and then spends a month in a newly dumped barrel with maple syrup. This increases your chances of getting a tooth cavity.
Tasting notes: This finished Bourbon at 93 proof is too sweet and syrupy to me. However, many people love it. I would have preferred to see the Bourbon bottled at a higher strength. On the nose, I smell banana nut bread with simple syrup. The palate is rum and Coke. But the Coke tastes flat. The caramel corn has a nice savoury note. The finish is sweet but short.
Three Ports Bourbon
Details 15 Stars is an NDP based in Kentucky that has won many awards for its passion for blending, selecting, and ageing well-aged barrels. This new Three Port release consists of a blend between 9 and 15-year-old Kentucky Bourbons that were finished in tawny white and ruby Port casks. Why three ports? I think it’s to set them apart from typical whiskies and add even more layers of flavour and complexity to the spirit. Why duplicate when you can invent?
Tasting notes: The nose is fruity, as you would expect, with notes such as cherry, plum, and oak from the maturation of the barrels. The fruitiness is carried over to the palate. It’s almost like a Hawaiian Punch at first, but then it settles down to the caramel, brown sugar and tobacco that you expect from Bourbon. Don’t be put off by the punchy taste. It will disappear after a few more drinks. It is definitely different but interesting. I haven’t had white port before, but it sounds interesting. The finish is a cinnamon toast with a slight schmier raspberry jam.
Woodinville Whiskey tequila finish
Details This release from Woodinville in Washington State showcases Head Distiller Brett Carlile’s knack for finishing pot-distilled Bourbon. Although tequila finishing is not a new concept (see Angel’s Envy above), the art of crafting the perfect blend and knowing the length of time to finish the secondary barrel is a skill. Carlile used a 6-year-old base bourbon to create this project, which he then completed in extra anejo barrels. He and his team only deemed the Bourbon ready to drink a few short months ago.
Tasting notes: On my nose, I get bright, fruity notes like pear, green apple and honeysuckle, as well as lavender and honeysuckle. On the palate, I get some of those pot-still notes that I love, along with a flavour I can only compare to Corn Pops cereal – part sweet corn and part vanilla sugar. I can’t detect any tequila notes, but the agave spirit probably amplified that vanilla. The finish is long, savoury and sweet with vanilla frosting and more corn.
