Bourbon News May 31, 2024 Edition

Welcome to our biweekly Bourbon Newsletter for May 31, 2024! We’ll do a short recap of notable Distillery, Whiskey & Bourbon News from the past two weeks. If you want to learn more about any entry, then simply follow the links to read the full press release or other sources. Cheers!🥃

But First, Here’s What’s New on BourbonObsessed.com!

We have quite a few new whiskey and bourbon reviews: (Click the whiskey’s name to read the full review)

• Milam & Greene Bottled in Bond Bourbon – This complex and enjoyable bourbon is the first Bottled In Bond release from this Texas craft distillery. It was distilled and aged almost 5 years at Bardstown Bourbon Company, through their Collaborative Distilling program, and then bottled in Blanco, TX.
• Bardstown Bourbon Company Amrut Collaborative Series – Speaking of BBC, this is the latest release in their collaborative series. It’s a blend of two Indiana ryes finished for 18 months in Amrut Indian Single Malt barrels, blended with 3 Kentucky bourbons aged 10-14 years. This may be one of Bardstown Bourbon Company’s best collaborations so far!
• Blood Oath Pact 10 – This is the latest release in this series from Lux Row Distillers. To celebrate this 10th edition, one of the three bourbons in the blend is double finished in Cabernet and Merlot barrels. My friend, Ray Marcano from The Bourbon Resource, reviewed this one and was a fan. In fact, I tried it last night, and really liked it, too!
• Ezra Brooks Port Wine Cask Finished Bourbon – Ray reviewed this one, also from Lux Row, and really enjoyed it, as well. He found it to have notes of cherry candy, cinnamon, and dark chocolate, all at an attractive price point. I haven’t had the opportunity to try this one yet.
• Hatozaki Omakase Rye Mizunara Cask Finish – This is a bit of an unusual one. The rye whiskey was distilled in the US and was first aged in American new charred oak barrels. Then, it aged further in Japanese Mizunara barrels, in Japan. The result is a very uniquely flavored rye.
• Fireball Dragon Reserve – In case you were wondering what a barrel aged Fireball might be like, wonder no more. It’s basically indistinguishable from the regular version.🤷🏻‍♂️ However, you still might want to read my review!

Now, on to the news!

Weekly Whiskey & Bourbon News – May 31, 2024

National Bourbon Week is just a week away!

National Bourbon Week Takes Place in Bardstown June 11-16, 2024

Bardstown, KY, the “Bourbon Capital of the World” has proclaimed the week of June 11 to be the first annual National Bourbon Week. This week does encompass National Bourbon Day (June 14), which had already been established, but is not to be confused with Bourbon Heritage Month, which is September.

The highlight of the week is the release of this year’s Bardstown Collection. The Bardstown Collection are special bourbons that are released at specific times throughout the week at each participating distillery. This year there are 7 bottles, one each from the following distilleries: Bardstown Bourbon Company, Heaven Hill Distillery, James B. Beam Distilling Co., Limestone Branch Distillery, Log Still Distillery, Lux Row Distillers and Preservation Distillery + Farm. There is the opportunity to sample all of these bourbons at the opening Bardstown Collection Release Party, which is held on Tuesday June 11, 2024. The remainder of the week is filled with events at each distillery, special tastings, dinners & brunches, and the 21st annual Bourbon City Street Concert. Details about National Bourbon week and the related events, including the schedule and ticketing information, can be found at this link: https://visitbardstown.com/national-bourbon-week/

Weekly Whiskey & Bourbon News – May 31, 2024

Perhaps Steph Curry is taking this celebrity bourbon thing a bit too far…

Steph Curry’s $4500 Bourbon: “Player Exclusive”

As a disclaimer, I haven’t seen an official press release for this, it is not listed on his brand’s website (gentlemanscutbourbon.com) and it is not listed on the website of the store where it will be sold starting in June (backroomwines.com), so I can’t independently verify any of this information. However, according to a number of websites such as The Lane Report and The Robb Report, this new bourbon is a limited release 15 year old straight bourbon, bottled in a decanter which is etched with Curry’s signature.

We are given a few specifics. The bourbon was distilled in 2005 and the mash bill is 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. Also, Player Exclusive was produced at Boone County Distilling, as was Curry’s first bourbon, Gentleman’s Cut. I have not seen a bottle in person, but on the photos, the front label says Straight Bourbon, with no state named, and no proof given (which is unusual, since listing the proof is a legal requirement). Putting everything together, since Boone County was not distilling in 2005 and their bourbon was sourced from MGP (Ross & Squibb) while their own was aging, and 75/21/4 is a standard MGP bourbon mash bill, I think it is safe to assume that this is 15 year bourbon from MGP…for $4,500!! That’s well, complete craziness. Both Lane and Robb say there are 100 bottles, but The Lane Report also says they are numbered 1-230… Either way, there are not many of these bottles available. So, if you’re interested in it, you’ll want to act fast!

Weekly Whiskey & Bourbon News – May 31, 2024

And the winners are:

15th Annual New York International Spirits Competition Winners

The New York International Spirits Competition took place recently and I thought we would take a look at some of the winners. Competitions these days tend to give out quite a few medals, so I really just make note of the highest level, in this case the Double Gold. The NYISC is an interesting competition because, according to the website “Our trade-only judging panelists work with spirits and their customers on a daily basis. They are a mix of restauranteurs, mixologists, retail spirits buyers, distributors and importers. The trade buyers wlll be blind tasting the spirits by its category and actual price as if buying it for their business.”

One thing to note about this, and all of the other competitions, is that spirits are only competing against other that were entered in the competition, not their entire universe of peers. To be entered, a fee must be paid. Therefore, many whiskeys from each category are not necessarily included in the competition.

The following are bourbons which were the recent New York International Spirits Competition Double Gold Winners:

• Garrison Brothers Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon
• August Distillery Buckners 10 yr Bourbon
• Forbidden Bourbon Single Barrel
• Wilderness Trail (High Rye) Bourbon
• Brother’s Bond Bottled-In-Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• 1845 Distilling Co Preemption Reverence Texas Straight Wheated Bourbon Whiskey
• 2XO The Kiawah Blend
• Shelter Distilling Tributary Bourbon
• Litchfield Distillery Double Barreled Bourbon Whiskey
• Jim Beam Devil’s Cut

More information can be found at: https://nyispiritscompetition.com

Weekly Whiskey & Bourbon News – May 31, 2024

A surprise new Distillery Series release from Woodford Reserve…

Woodford Reserve Distillery Series Toasted Bourbon

Woodford Reserve released the latest bourbon in their Distillery Series. According to Elizabeth McCall, Master Distiller, “18 Double Oaked Barrels were accidentally delivered to the distillery and inadvertently filled with our new-make bourbon distillate. We stenciled “Toasted Oak” on these barrels and placed them in our historic Warehouse C to closely monitor their flavor development.I was excited to see how the Double Oaked barrels—which are heavily toasted and lightly charred—would influence our bourbon distillate. After more than six years of patiently waiting and tasting, these barrels are finally ready to be enjoyed in our latest Distillery Series release—Toasted Bourbon.”

Mistake or not, this one sounds interesting to me. I didn’t make it to the distillery to pick one up, but I hope to try it one day! Available (or at least they were) at the Woodford Reserve Distillery and select Kentucky retailers. 90.4 Proof. $64.99/375ml

Weekly Whiskey & Bourbon News – May 31, 2024 – New Releases

There are only a few other new releases this week:

• Few Spirits Smashing Pumpkins – This is another musical collaboration for Few Spirits. It is their Bourbon, proofed down to 93 proof using Madame Zuzu’s Midnight Rose Tea. The tea brand is owned by the band’s Billy Corgan and his wife. $55.99 on the Few website.
• New Riff Ol’ New Riff Bourbon & Rye – The latest release for New Riff Distilling’s Whiskey Club is made from heirloom grains such as Blue Clarage and Yellow Learning Corns, and Balboa rye. Although this was a New Riff Whiskey Club Release, in the past these bottles have been known to find their way to a few Kentucky retailers. Bottled in Bond. $54.99.

Weekly Whiskey & Bourbon News – May 31, 2024

Thanks For Reading!

Well, that’s it! I hope you have enjoyed this week’s Bourbon News! If you would like our bourbon and distillery news delivered directly to your inbox, please sign up for our mailing list here. You can also follow us on Instagram and Facebook. I hope you have a great weekend and we’ll see you again in two weeks! Cheers!🥃

If you would like to read some of our other recent newsletters, then check out Bourbon News May 3, 2024 Edition and Bourbon News May 17, 2024 Edition. You can also use our search tool and search for “Bourbon News” to see all prior editions.

Would you like to learn more about distilleries and bourbon? Are you planning a trip to Kentucky Distilleries? Maybe you would like to live the bourbon life vicariously through us? If any of these are true, then check out BourbonObsessed.com today!