Castle & Key Announces Two New 2025 Cask Strength Whiskeys

Press Release

The 2025 Castle & Key Cask Strength Wheated Bourbon and Limited-Edition Straight Rye Finished in Extra Old Haitian Rhum Casks Represent Distillery’s Pursuit of Bold Flavors 

Frankfort, KY – November 5, 2025 – Steeped in Kentucky distilling history, Castle & Key Distillery announces the release of Castle & Key Cask Strength Wheated Bourbon (54.1% ABV; $59.99–$64.99 SRP, 750ml), the latest edition of the distillery’s wheaters with an additional two years of aging, and Castle & Key Straight Rye Finished in Extra Old Haitian Rhum Casks (58.05% ABV; $64.99–$69.99 SRP, 750ml), the new experimental series bottling. Both expressions are available online at castleandkey.com for shipping to California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas City, Kentucky, Missouri, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin, with the bourbon also available at the distillery shop in Frankfort, KY.

Seven-Year Wheated Bourbon Marks a Milestone in Castle & Key’s Aging Program

Housed on the former site of the historic Old Taylor Distillery founded in 1887, Castle & Key is a testament to reinvention. Castle & Key now bottles its Cask Strength Wheated Bourbon at seven years of age, a true landmark for a distillery that began releasing aged spirits in 2020. The Cask Strength Wheated Bourbon earned Double Platinum at the 2025 ASCOT Awards and is composed of 73% locally grown non-GMO white corn, 10% winter wheat, and 17% malted barley before being barreled at 108.2 proof.

Rhum Cask Finished Rye Expands Experimental Series

The experimental series consists of intentional small batches, always bottled at cask strength, with this year’s release aged 18 months in cask finish barrels and bottled at 116.1 proof.

“Although many of our spirits are guided by tradition, we enjoy letting our minds wander,” says Brett Connors, Master Distiller at Castle & Key. “Our experimental series offers the chance to test new boundaries, with unique barrel finishes, blends and mashbills. These are rare by design and only 1,800 cases were produced of the Straight Rye Finished in Extra Old Haitian Rhum Casks.”

Tasting Notes From The Brand: Castle & Key Straight Rye Finished in Extra Old Haitian Rhum Casks

• ABV: 58.05%
• SRP: $64.99–$69.99
• Mashbill: 63% rye, 17% corn, 20% malted barley
• Barrel Proof: 116.1
• Nose: Bruleed banana, charred thyme, cream cheese frosting, jasmine, dried pineapple, demerara sugar, vanilla bean, cinnamon
• Palate: Fruitcake, blackstrap molasses, plum hibiscus, rum raisin, fried plantains, black cardamom, clove
• Finish: Currants, anise, cigar wrap, lingering dark sugar

Tasting Notes: Castle & Key Wheated Bourbon Cask Strength 2025 Edition

• ABV: 54.1%
• SRP: $59.99–$64.99
• Mashbill: 73% white corn, 10% winter wheat, 17% malted barley
• Barrel Proof: 108.2
• Nose: Oatmeal raisin cookie, vanilla frosting, baked peach, candied pear, orange peel, lilac, soft cinnamon
• Palate: Almond pastry, butterscotch, macaroon, baking chocolate, dried cranberry, craisin, clove, marigold
• Finish: Raw brown sugar and roasted walnut, leading into leather and French toast

Castle & Key Continues Bourbon Portfolio Expansion

“Our wheated bourbons are a reflection of patience, precision, and the evolving character of our barrels,” adds Connors. “The 2025 edition showcases the richness and depth of our wheated mash bill and is a reimaging of our flagship bourbon. It brings forward deep notes of oatmeal raisin cookie, baked peach, lilac, soft cinnamon, and a finish that speaks to the quality of our aging program. This was crafted at our castle to enjoy at yours.”

Castle & Key first introduced its Small Batch Wheated Bourbon in 2022 with two initial batches, followed by its first cask-strength bourbon in 2024. Earlier this year, Castle & Key released a new, older small-batch bourbon, Castle & Key 6-Year-Old Small Batch Bourbon (50.5% ABV; $39.99 SRP, 750ml), marking a significant evolution in Castle & Key’s whiskey portfolio.

For more information, visit CastleAndKey.com.

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!