(Photo: Sazerac)

The spirits juggernaut behind Buffalo Trace and Pappy Van Winkle is reviving a historic name in Kentucky bourbon at a fraction of the price of its contemporaries.

On Tuesday, Sazerac announced the launch of Glenmore Kentucky Straight Bourbon and Glenmore Kentucky Straight Rye, a pair of whiskeys that pay homage to one of the oldest distilleries in the spirits firm’s ever-expanding portfolio.

Glenmore — not to be confused with Old Glenmore, or any number of other Scotch whisky brands that begin with “Glen” —  was a distillery founded in Owensboro, Kentucky, in the late 19th century. Throughout its over 120-year production history, the facility earned its reputation with flagship brands like Kentucky Tavern and Yellowstone Bourbon, and at one point became one of the few licensed distilleries to bottle medicinal whiskey during Prohibition.

The distillery wound down operations in 1973, exchanged hands to Guinness in 1991 and was eventually purchased by Sazerac in 2009. Though it’s still operated under the Glenmore name, the facility is nowadays used mainly as a bottling plant and the unexpected home of a corporate art collection. The name nonetheless lives on. Collectors can purchase original-era Glenmore bottles for as much as $7,000, with even the brand’s standard six-year bourbon reselling for around $700, at minimum.

Sazerac’s revival takes things in a different direction. For one, Glenmore Rye and Glenmore Bourbon are inspired by, not produced at, the Glenmore Distillery, and are not made from an original-era mashbill or recipe. What’s more, both of the whiskeys are bottled at 100 proof, both are non-age-stated and both cost a mere $20 per bottle.

Glenmore Bourbon is said to balance notes of crème brûlée, toasted marshmallow, vanilla custard, caramelized sugar and toasted pecan, while the Rye reportedly offers classic rye spice balanced by black pepper, toasted grain and subtle sweetness. The Bourbon is now available at retailers, bars and restaurants in the Sazerac distribution network, while the Rye is expected to hit shelves sometime this month.

“The Glenmore name has an incredible history, and we’re honored to help write its next chapter,” Lauren Selman, Global Growth and Innovation Director at Sazerac, remarked in a news release. “There is an entrepreneurial spirit and willingness to innovate that define the Distillery’s history, and we saw an opportunity to give those qualities new life. We’re excited to whiskey fans to try this release and celebrate this new era with us!”

(Photo: MGP)

Big news for American whiskey fans!

On Wednesday, Indiana’s bulk distilling juggernaut MGP announced that it’s expanding its in-house spirits portfolio with a namesake American whiskey series. The first release in the collection, dubbed MGP Chapter One: Out of the Shadows, pays homage to the distillers’ famed high-rye bourbon mashbill and is slated to hit shelves nationwide this fall at a suggested retail price of $69.99.

Chapter One is described as a 110-proof, 10-year-old straight bourbon selectively blended from barrels of the historic LBSV mashbill (60% corn, 36% rye and 4% malted barley). The barrels were aged for a full decade in the facility’s Rickhouse G, imbuing aromas of butterscotch, burnt sugar, molasses and cherry, followed by flavors of cola, raspberries, chocolate, sassafras and leather, according to the brand.

“We’ve been making whiskey and spirits that others have proudly put their names on for decades,” Julie Francis, president and CEO of MGP Ingredients, Inc., remarked in a news release. “Bringing the MGP name back to the distillery and launching MGP Chapter One: Out of the Shadows is an exciting opportunity to share that story directly with consumers.”

The release signals a surprise pivot for MGP, a distiller that — its latest bottle correctly points out — has long worked from the shadows.

For decades, the Lawrenceburg, Indiana-based company has been synonymous with its Distilling Solutions arm, the largest supplier of white-labeled whiskey in the United States. From Bulleit Rye to Redemption Bourbon, MGP is the workhorse distiller behind hundreds of brands, some of which exclusively rebottle MGP juice and others of which mix MGP liquid with in-house distillate.

The once-lucrative business model has taken a hit from industry headwinds. In June, the company reported a 59% drop in whiskey sales for its Distilling Solutions arm. The news came less than a year after MGP revealed that it was scaling down white-label whiskey production “in response to the softening American whiskey category trends and elevated industry-wide barrel inventories.”

Upper management has refocused MGP’s priorities on its Branded Spirits arm, which owns in-house imprints like Penelope Bourbon and Yellowstone whiskey. A recent earnings report revealed that these “premium-plus” whiskey brands outperformed the rest of MGP’s portfolio, growing by 5% in a quarter when several categories dropped by steep double digits.

“These results reflect continued momentum in our premium-plus portfolio, led by Penelope Bourbon and Yellowstone, and an improvement in select mid- and value-priced brands,” Francis said at the time. “As we move through the second half of 2026, we will maintain our strategic roadmap and drive our key growth initiatives, while prioritising our best opportunities for growth, taking decisive actions and executing with discipline.”

Chapter One: Out of the Shadows is the first Branded Spirits whiskey that bears the MGP name. As the historic distiller forges a new path forward, it appears it’ll be leaning harder than ever on the reputation of its three-letter moniker.

Kansas City distillery J. Rieger & Co. is marking National Bourbon Heritage Month with the oldest bourbon it has released in its modern era: Rieger Private Stock 10-Year Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

The new expression will be available exclusively at the J. Rieger & Co. distillery beginning Sept. 19, with fewer than 300 bottles available. The release also marks the return of the historic “Private Stock” label, which the company is reviving for a series of limited, distillery-exclusive releases.

The bourbon comes from just three 10-year-old barrels — the only in Rieger’s inventory, according to Master Distiller Nathan Perry.

“This isn’t manufactured scarcity. This release utilizes the only three 10-year-old barrels we currently have in our inventory,” Perry said in a news release. “It felt important to both honor the history of American Whiskey and the Rieger name by sharing our 10-year Bourbon under the historic ‘Private Stock’ label during National Bourbon Heritage Month.”

A New Chapter for the ‘Private Stock’ Label

The Private Stock name has roots in Rieger’s pre-Prohibition history. According to the distillery, a 1927 federal court ruling allowed the Rieger family to move its personal whiskey inventory from the company’s shuttered facility to their home during Prohibition.

More than a century later, the label is being brought back for a new series of quarterly, distillery-exclusive releases geared at whiskey enthusiasts.

The 10-year bourbon is crafted from Rieger’s Straight Bourbon Whiskey recipe, which is made at the Kansas City distillery using sweet mash fermentation and a combination of column and pot still distillation.

“Our goal has always been to build a collection of exceptional whiskeys that are impeccably made, fairly priced and true to our legacy,” said Andy Rieger, president and co-owner of J. Rieger & Co. “This limited 10-year release showcases what patience, craftsmanship, and our unique approach can bring.”

Rieger Private Stock 10-Year Straight Bourbon Whiskey goes on sale at noon Sept. 19 at the distillery. The company will also host a Private Stock First Pour on Sept. 17, offering ticket holders a guided tasting, appetizers and first access to purchase a bottle.

Founded in Kansas City in 1887, J. Rieger & Co. was once the country’s largest mail-order whiskey house before Prohibition ended its original operation. Andy Rieger, a descendant of founder Jacob Rieger, relaunched the company in 2014 with bartender Ryan Maybee.

(Photo: Basil Hayden)

On Wednesday, Basil Hayden added a French twist to its bourbon lineup with the release of Basil Hayden Cognac Cask Reserve, a limited-edition bourbon finished in French oak casks that previously held Cognac for 20-25 years.

The new expression is available now at select retailers for a suggested retail price of $49.99. It is distilled from Basil Hayden’s signature high-rye mashbill bottled at the usual 80 proof, but according to the brand, the Cognac cask finish adds notes of dried fruit, caramel and additional oak character.

According to the brand, Cognac Cask Reserve is the first Basil Hayden expression to “reimagine the brand’s approachable high-rye profile as a passport to flavors from around the world.”

“Basil Hayden Cognac Cask reflects our commitment to honoring the brand’s original bourbon while continuing to explore what’s possible within the category,” Freddie Noe, eighth generation master distiller at the James B. Beam Distilling Co., said in a news release. “This expression was thoughtfully crafted to deliver a distinctive yet approachable experience. French Cognac casks let us take our Basil Hayden signature profile that people know and love and put a twist on it, and we’re incredibly proud to share it with bourbon and cognac drinkers alike.”

The James B. Beam Distilling Company is bringing back Baker’s 13, a limited-edition 13-year-old single barrel bourbon that highlights the differences that develop from barrel to barrel during extended aging.

Named for Baker Beam, grandnephew of Jim Beam, the Baker’s brand is built around individuality within the Beam family’s long distilling tradition. According to the company, Baker’s bourbon is distilled at a lower proof and always aged for at least seven years, a process the brand says allows the whiskey to draw additional toasted nut, fruit and vanilla character from the barrel.

The returning Baker’s 13 is bottled at 107 proof and will be released in limited quantities beginning in September. Each bottle is 750 milliliters and carries a suggested retail price of $149.99.

The 13-year expression is designed to demonstrate how both time and a barrel’s location within the warehouse can influence the character of bourbon. As a single-barrel release, individual bottles can reflect the characteristics of their specific barrel rather than a uniform blend of multiple barrels.

The Baker’s line doesn’t always get the fanfare that Booker’s releases do, but in the opinion of this writer, Baker’s 13 is one of — if not the — best annual releases from Beam. 2025’s was one of my favorite whiskey releases of the year (find my review here), and I’m very excited to taste the 2026 iteration. Keep your eyes peeled for that review soon.

(Photos: Old Forester)

On Wednesday, Old Forester unveiled the 2026 release of its popular Birthday Bourbon. What’s more, the Kentucky bourbon producer is teaming up with Alpha Industries on a corresponding, limited-edition distiller’s jacket launching this month to accompany the bourbon.

The 2026 Birthday Bourbon is an 11-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon bottled at 97 proof. The release was drawn from 212 barrels stored on the third floor of Warehouse B, the oldest warehouse at the Brown-Forman Distillery in Shively, Kentucky.

Master Distiller Emeritus Chris Morris and Assistant Master Distiller Caleb Trigo selected the barrels for this year’s release, which has a suggested retail price of $199.99 and will be available in limited quantities at select retailers nationwide.

Old Forester describes the bourbon as having a dark brown sugar color, with ginger, vanilla bean, honey, malted graham cracker and cherry on the nose. The palate is said to bring honey and buttery caramel alongside tobacco, herbal notes and cherry, while the finish emphasizes toasted oak, graham cracker and lingering mint.

Birthday Bourbon dates back to 2002 and celebrates the birthday of George Garvin Brown, who founded Old Forester in 1870.

As for the outerwear portion of the collaboration: It reworks Alpha Industries’ N-1 deck-jacket silhouette with details drawn from Old Forester’s bourbon-making history. The jacket will be available in limited quantities for $250 beginning Sept. 10 at Alpha Industries stores in New York City and online.

The jacket is made with a cotton construction with a dark brown corduroy collar and a garment-washed finish intended to evoke the textures and character of bourbon production. Distillery-inspired touches include custom Old Forester woven labels, distressed hardware, a removable sleeve patch, a debossed flight ribbon and interior artwork.

The collaboration marks the first time the two heritage brands have partnered, with both positioning the jacket around craftsmanship, durability and functional design.

“Old Forester and Alpha come from very different worlds, but there’s a shared philosophy behind the two brands,” said Matt Pantoja, chief brand officer of Alpha Industries. “Both were built around products that had to deliver on quality, function and longevity.”

Old Forester says the jacket and bourbon reflect different sides of the brand’s heritage: one rooted in the practical traditions of American workwear and the other in a bourbon-making legacy that stretches back more than 150 years.

An employee pours a glass of The Bard’s product in what will be a new production area at The Bard Distillery in Graham, Ky., March 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)

A bitter legal battle over a historic Kentucky property tied to one of bourbon’s most influential families has escalated into a dispute involving millions of dollars, competing claims over an estate and allegations of sexual abuse and financial misconduct, according to a report published Tuesday by the Daily Mail

The case allegedly centers on Scotland Farm, a 145-acre estate in Frankfort, Kentucky, and the estate of Taylor Hay, a descendant of Col. Edmund Taylor Jr., a major figure in the development of the modern bourbon industry.

Hay died in February 2025 at age 94. Since then, his 61-year-old widow, Joanna Hay, and several of his adult children have become embroiled in litigation over control of a trust holding the property and the distribution of Hay’s estate, according to the Daily Mail.

The allegations detailed in the litigation are reports and have not been established in court.

Dispute Over $2.5 Million Inheritance

Joanna Hay, a documentary filmmaker who was Hay’s third wife, became trustee of the family trust following her husband’s death.

She alleges that three of her stepchildren — Douglas, Ambie and Robert Hay — engaged in a campaign to interfere with her administration of the trust after learning that she could receive $2.5 million under Hay’s estate plan.

According to the Daily Mail, Joanna contends that her late husband’s 2015 will and the terms of the trust entitle her to either $2.5 million or half the value of the estate, whichever is greater. She says the remainder is to be divided equally among Hay’s eight children after debts and expenses are paid.

In a lawsuit, Joanna accused Douglas, Ambie and Robert of harassing and intimidating her in an effort to force her out as trustee or reduce her inheritance, per the Daily Mail. She is allegedly seeking a court declaration affirming the validity of Hay’s trust and will, as well as her position as trustee.

She is also seeking a restraining order, punitive damages and reimbursement of legal expenses, according to the Daily Mail.

The three children have disputed her allegations. Robert has since renounced his claim to the trust.

Children Raise Abuse Allegations

The legal dispute took a more serious turn when Douglas Hay accused Joanna of using trust funds to pursue litigation against siblings who, he claims, were victims of sexual abuse by their father.

According to court filings reported on by the Daily Mail, Douglas alleged that Joanna had known for years about accusations that Taylor Hay sexually abused at least two of his daughters.

According to the Daily Mail, Ambie Hay told the outlet that her father groped her when she was about 10 or 11 years old and that he later engaged in similar behavior during visits while she was attending college.

She said she confronted her father about the alleged abuse years later and that he apologized for anything he had done to hurt her, while saying he did not know why he had behaved that way.

Neither Douglas nor Ambie reported the allegations to authorities, according to the Daily Mail.

According to the Daily Mail, Douglas alleged in a letter included in the court record that another sister was a survivor of incest involving their father, and claimed Taylor Hay later acknowledged the allegation.

Fight Over the Value of Scotland Farm

The property itself ia a major point of contention.

Scotland Farm includes a Grecian-style mansion on 145 acres in Frankfort. Taylor Hay created the trust in 2006 to hold his interest in the property, which he owned with his brother, John, and niece, Lynne McAleve.

Douglas Hay has accused Joanna of obtaining an $8.6 million appraisal that he described as fraudulent and artificially low. He claimed the valuation represented roughly half of what he believed the property was worth and alleged that the estate was being marketed in a way that could reduce the children’s inheritance while increasing Joanna’s financial recovery.

Joanna has denied those accusations, calling claims that she participated in a fraudulent appraisal “untrue” and “utterly baseless,” according to court filings cited by the Daily Mail.

Douglas has characterized his actions as good-faith efforts to protect the inheritance of himself and his siblings from what he described as financial manipulation by the trustee.

Joanna, meanwhile, has accused Douglas of attempting to undermine the estate plan and interfere with her responsibilities as trustee.

A Bourbon Legacy at the Center of the Fight

The family dispute has drawn attention because of the property’s connection to the Taylor family, whose history is deeply intertwined with American whiskey.

Taylor Hay was a descendant of Col. Edmund Taylor Jr., who is widely regarded as one of the founding figures of the modern bourbon industry. Taylor owned or operated numerous distilleries during his lifetime, including the one that eventually became Buffalo Trace.

Hay himself worked in real estate and land development rather than the whiskey industry. He established the Scotland Farm trust in 2006 as a way to manage his ownership interest in the property.

His daughter, Ambie, said that her father wanted Scotland Farm preserved as a family legacy rather than sold, according to the Daily Mail. She also said he wanted both Joanna and his children to benefit from his estate.

According to Ambie, Hay had repeatedly told her that he wanted the property and a $400,000 Frankfort townhouse where he lived with Joanna placed into a trust to protect his family’s future.

Joanna’s lawsuit seeks to establish that Hay’s trust and will should be enforced and that she is the property’s properly appointed trustee. She is also seeking restrictions on her stepchildren’s ability to interfere with her management of the trust.

The competing allegations have transformed what began as an inheritance dispute into a broader family conflict involving the management of a historic Kentucky property, the interpretation of a multimillion-dollar estate plan and longstanding accusations against the family’s patriarch.

The case remains a civil legal dispute, and the allegations made by both sides have not been proven in court.

Still Austin Whiskey Co. is set to release its 2026 Fall Bottled in Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey, an 8-year-old expression that matches the oldest age statement the Texas distillery has released to date.

The limited seasonal bourbon will debut Sept. 12 in Still Austin’s tasting room before expanding to select retail locations. It will be bottled at 100 proof (50% ABV) and carry a suggested retail price of $80 per 750-milliliter bottle.

The bourbon is distilled from a mashbill of 70% white corn, 25% rye and 5% malted barley. Still Austin says the high rye content and white corn were chosen to reflect the character of fall, while the whiskey’s deep amber color evokes autumn leaves.

On the nose, the bourbon offers warm carrot cake, baked plum, dark fruit preserves and toasted pumpernickel bread, along with Mexican caramelized candy.

The palate shifts toward ripe peach, grapefruit zest, floral pink peppercorn and concentrated dried fig. The finish brings orange creamsicle, clove spice, wildflower honey and gentle oak.

The seasonal series is represented on the label by a golden stallion, with artwork from internationally acclaimed artist Marc Burckhardt. Burckhardt created the label art around the ingredients, flavors and seasonal themes associated with each release in the series.

Still Austin’s seasonal Bottled in Bond releases are produced in limited quantities and are designed to be available only during their respective seasons.

What Does The Whiskey Taste Like?

We have a sample en route, so keep your eyes peeled for our review and tasting notes. In the meantime, here are the producer’s tasting notes:

• Nose: Warm carrot cake, baked plum and dark fruit preserves, toasted pumpernickel bread and Mexican caramelized candy
• Palate: Juicy ripe peach, bright grapefruit zest, floral pink peppercorn and concentrated dried fig
• Finish: Orange creamsicle, warm clove spice, delicate wildflower honey and gentle oak.

What Does Bottled-in-Bond Mean?

The “Bottled-in-Bond” designation is a federal standard that guarantees how a whiskey is produced, aged and bottled. To qualify, a whiskey must come from a single distilling season and a single distillery, be aged for at least four years in a federally bonded warehouse and be bottled at 100 proof (50% ABV).

The designation dates to the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897, which was created to give consumers greater assurance about the authenticity and quality of American whiskey. To this day, the designation remains one of the more tightly regulated production standards in the category.

(Photo: Four Roses)

On Tuesday, Four Roses unveiled one of its most anticipated annual releases, and it might just be the strongest entry the series has seen in years.

The Lawrenceburg, Kentucky distillery announced its 2026 Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon, the 19th installment of the yearly release, arriving Oct. 10 at a suggested retail price of $249. Roughly 16,800 bottles will hit select retailers nationwide and the Four Roses Distillery Visitor Centers.

Bottled non-chill filtered at barrel strength — 109.2 proof (54.6% ABV) — the 2026 release blends four hand-selected batches ranging from 14 to 23 years old, drawn from three of Four Roses’ 10 proprietary bourbon recipes: a 14-year-old OBSK, a 14-year-old OESK, a 15-year-old OESV and a 23-year-old OESK.

The blend leans heavily on the two 14-year-old batches, at roughly 39% OESK and 31% OBSK, with the 15-year-old OESV making up about 20%. The 23-year-old OESK, the oldest and rarest component, rounds out the blend at just under 10%.

That proportion moved during blending. Master Distiller Brent Elliott told media in a virtual tasting Monday that he had originally targeted around 8% for the 23-year-old OESK, but the final blend landed between 9% and 10%, adding a bit more age than expected.

“This has been an incredibly exciting year for Four Roses as we’ve explored new frontiers and introduced releases unlike anything we’ve done before,” Elliott said in a release. “Limited Edition Small Batch gives us a chance to return to a tradition we look forward to every year and celebrate the blending and craftsmanship at the heart of Four Roses.”

Review: Is This Four Roses’ Best Limited Edition Small Batch Yet?

We tasted an early pour of the 2026 Limited Edition Small Batch, and in our opinion, it’s a serious contender for bourbon of the year. Expect big vanilla and stone fruit on the nose, a mouthfeel that gains viscosity the longer you chew on it, and a long, oaky finish that keeps revealing new layers.

Full tasting notes and our score for Four Roses 2026 Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon are available in our complete review.

(Photo: James B. Beam)

Jim Beam is bringing back one of the most recognizable bottles in its history — and this time, the bowling pin-shaped decanter is filled with 10-year-old, 100-proof bourbon.

The 2026 Beam’s Ten-Pin Bottle is the latest limited-edition release from Jim Beam, reviving a collectible decanter design that dates back to the 1950s. The bottle will be available exclusively at the James B. Beam Distilling Co. in Clermont, Kentucky, beginning Saturday.

The limited 750-milliliter release carries a suggested retail price of $124.99.

The return follows Jim Beam’s 2025 release of the Beam Pin Bottle, an 8-year-old bourbon packaged in a similar bowling pin-shaped decanter to celebrate the distillery’s 230th anniversary. That bottle was priced at $99.99 and was also sold exclusively at the Clermont distillery. This newer edition looks much more like an actual bowling pin than last year’s, however, thanks to the classic white and red color scheme. 2025’s decanter was transparent with a golden top.

The 2026 version ups both the age and proof, with the bourbon aged for 10 years in new charred American oak barrels and bottled at 100 proof, or 50% alcohol by volume.

The Ten-Pin decanter traces its roots to the thousands of collectible bottles produced by the Beam family from the 1940s through the 1990s. The bowling pin design was reportedly a favorite of Jim Beam himself, who gave the bottles to friends, family and business associates.

The 2026 edition is described as having aromas of rich oak, vanilla, baked bread and caramel. The palate brings notes of toffee, toasted oak, baking spices and fruit, followed by a long, warm finish with lingering oak and subtle sweetness.

“The Ten-Pin bottle is one of those pieces of Beam history that people remember,” Freddie Noe, eighth-generation master distiller at the James B. Beam Distilling Co., said in a news release. “We wanted the bourbon inside to be just as special as the bottle itself, so we chose a 10-year-old, 100-proof expression.”

The release will be part of Jim Beam Day at the Clermont distillery, with special programming including a tasting of vintage Jim Beam expressions, bottle customization opportunities and other experiences centered around the brand’s history.

For collectors, however, the bottle itself may be the biggest draw. Jim Beam has released more than 3,000 unique decanters throughout its history, establishing the bottles as collectibles. Modern homages to those decanters are a fun nod to history — and may become collectibles in their own right.