Garrison Brothers Hye Rye Bourbon Pre-Sale: Dates, How to Buy

Jack Daniel Distillery released Distillery Series Selection #17 — a batch-proof "High Angel's Share" Tennessee Whiskey pulled from the top floor of Barrelhouse 1-13 at Coy Hill in Lynchburg, where extreme heat concentrated what was left of the barrel after years of evaporation (Jack Daniel Distillery Series Selection #17 release, accessed August 2026) [2].

The whiskey was laid down in 2016 and comes out the other end at 138.4 proof, bottled in 375ml formats for $44.75 SRP, and sold exclusively in Tennessee and at the distillery's own White Rabbit Bottle Shop [2].

Whiskey taster Dale McGee selected the barrel, and Master Distiller Chris Fletcher attributed the unusually high proof directly to the barrelhouse's top-floor heat accelerating the angel's share loss beyond what a typical rick location would see [2].

The release format is deliberately narrow — no national rollout, no allocation lottery, just a bottle tied to one physical location in one warehouse that isn't repeatable once that barrel is gone.

Stetson released its first-ever bourbon on August 4, 2026 — a 100-proof, high-rye Kentucky straight bourbon distilled and bottled in Bardstown through a first-time collaboration between Green River Distilling Co. and Bardstown Bourbon Company, under parent company Lofted Spirits (Stetson bourbon launch, August 4, 2026) [3] [4].

The blend averages seven years old and was developed over three years by Kentucky master blender Dan Callaway before Stetson signed off on the final profile [3].

It launched at $70 per bottle, available direct-to-consumer and at select Texas retailers first, with broader distribution planned but not yet dated [4].

What separates this from the usual celebrity-label bourbon play is the production arrangement itself — two established Bardstown producers combining stock under a brand-new label, rather than either brand simply relabeling an existing product or a single contract distiller filling an order.

Callaway's three-year sourcing and tasting process before release suggests Stetson treated the blend as a real product decision, not a marketing afterthought bolted onto a licensing deal.

The Alabama ABC Board opened registration for its quarterly Limited Release Program lottery on August 3, 2026, at 8:00 a.m., giving entrants a shot at a guaranteed line position for allocated bottles at 22 ABC Select Spirits locations statewide (Alabama ABC Limited Release Program registration, accessed August 2026) [5].

Registration runs through August 23 at 11:59 p.m., ahead of the program's next in-person event, which is held on a Saturday — Alabama runs these events in March, June, and September [5].

Winners don't get a guaranteed bottle, but a guaranteed line position, split across two purchase tables: Table 1 for the most highly allocated products, Table 2 for the second tier [5].

The two-table system is Alabama's way of spreading access across both the marquee bottles and the deeper allocation list, rather than one line where only the fastest entrants walk away with anything.

One camp treats the pre-sale as a straightforward upgrade over the old system: paying now for a guaranteed allocation beats losing a browser refresh war against bots and resellers, and a two-year wait is a small price for certainty on a bottle this hard to get otherwise.

The skeptical camp points out that Garrison Brothers is effectively taking an interest-free loan from its most loyal customers, and that a lot can change — ownership, pricing, even the whiskey itself — in the twenty-six months between payment and pickup.

The Hye Rye pre-sale opened July 27 and runs through August 10, 2026, priced at $99.99 plus tax with a four-bottle limit, requiring in-person pickup at the Hye, Texas distillery in October 2028 (Garrison Brothers Hye Rye pre-sale announcement, accessed August 2026) [6].

The math favors the distillery more than the buyer, but that doesn't make it a bad deal — it makes it a different kind of deal.

A guaranteed allocation removes the single biggest pain point in allocated-bourbon buying, which is the odds, not the wait.

The real risk isn't getting stood up on the whiskey; it's the twenty-six-month gap between commitment and delivery, which is a long time to hold a distillery to a handshake. For a brand with Garrison Brothers' track record, that risk reads as manageable.

One camp reads MGP's flat Branded Spirits performance as proof its pivot toward owned labels like Penelope and Yellowstone is working exactly as designed, insulating the company from a bulk-whiskey market that's cratering everywhere else.

The other camp says "roughly flat" is not growth, and a company can't claim strategic success when total sales fell 15% and gross profit fell 20% for the quarter.

MGP's Q2 2026 results showed Distilling Solutions whiskey sales down 59% year-over-year to $29.2 million, total company sales down 15%, gross profit down 20%, while Branded Spirits held roughly flat and Limestone Branch and Lux Row remain idled (MGP Q2 2026 earnings, accessed August 2026) [8].

The skeptics have the headline numbers on their side, but the divergence between segments is real and it's the more useful signal for readers than the topline.

A business built almost entirely on bulk contracts couldn't produce flat branded sales in this environment without a deliberate reallocation of resources already underway.

The pivot is directionally sound; it's just not yet big enough to carry the company through a bulk-whiskey downturn this steep.

One camp argues the two-table structure genuinely spreads access, since separating the marquee allocated bottles from the second-tier list means a buyer who strikes out on the biggest names still has a real shot at something worthwhile at Table 2.

The other camp says splitting the pool doesn't change the underlying scarcity — it just relabels the same long odds into two smaller lines.

Alabama's Limited Release Program registration opened August 3, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. and closes August 23 at 11:59 p.m., covering 22 ABC Select Spirits locations with events held in March, June, and September; winners receive a guaranteed line position, split between Table 1 for the most highly allocated products and Table 2 for the second tier (Alabama ABC Limited Release Program registration, accessed August 2026) [7].

The two-table system is a real structural improvement over a single winner-take-all line, even if it doesn't create new bottles out of thin air.

Guaranteeing a line position rather than a specific bottle keeps expectations honest, and splitting allocation tiers means a bad draw at Table 1 doesn't leave a buyer completely empty-handed.

It's not a fix for scarcity — nothing is — but it's a more transparent way to manage it than most state systems attempt.

A no-lottery, one-bottle-per-visitor walk-up on a 10-year-old Bottled-in-Bond decanter closes today — the last chance to buy this national release without an entry drawing (Old Fitzgerald BiB Decanter walk-up window, accessed August 2026) [15]. At $54.99 for a decade-old, federally aged BiB, this is priced well under most decanter-format releases at comparable age.

Garrison Brothers is running its first-ever pre-sale format for a bottle that normally sells out on release day, giving buyers a guaranteed spot on a cult high-rye Texas bourbon two years ahead of pickup (Garrison Brothers Hye Rye pre-sale, accessed August 2026) [16].

A free registration window guarantees entrants a line position — not a specific bottle — at 22 statewide locations, split across two purchase tables for the most and second-most allocated products (Alabama ABC Limited Release Program registration, accessed August 2026) [17]. The quarterly cadence and guaranteed-position structure make this one of the more transparent state lottery formats currently running.

A batch-proof Tennessee whiskey pulled from the top floor of Barrelhouse 1-13 at Coy Hill, where extreme heat concentrated the remaining spirit, is a rare distillery-direct look at top-floor rickhouse character from Jack Daniel's (Jack Daniel's Distillery Series Selection #17, accessed August 2026) [18].

A 250th-anniversary commemorative bourbon made entirely from Wyoming grain and limestone-aquifer water is exclusive to a small handful of in-state retailers rather than a national rollout, making this a genuine regional-only chase for anyone outside Wyoming (Wyoming Whiskey State of the Union release, August 5, 2026) [19].

Stetson's first-ever bourbon carries a Bardstown, Kentucky distillation and bottling address on its federally approved label — a detail that confirms the release as a real production partnership between Green River Distilling Co. and Bardstown Bourbon Company rather than a single-source contract fill wearing a new name (Stetson bourbon launch, August 4, 2026) [20].

The label discloses a 100-proof, high-rye Kentucky straight bourbon averaging seven years old, developed over three years under Kentucky master blender Dan Callaway [21].

Initial distribution is confined to select Texas retailers and the brand's direct-to-consumer channel, with a national rollout still undated.

The choice to name both contributing distilleries on the label, rather than defaulting to a generic "blended and bottled by" disclosure, puts Stetson ahead of most lifestyle-brand whiskey launches on transparency.

A cluster of age-statement releases surfaced together this week: Old Elk brought three 10-year-old expressions to market — a straight bourbon, a wheated bourbon, and a straight wheat whiskey — while Dancing Goat Distillery introduced its new Stillman's Sonder line with two 10-year-old whiskeys built from MGP barrels distilled between 2010 and 2016 (Shanken News Daily briefs, August 4, 2026) [22].

Bib & Tucker added an 8-year-old bourbon to its portfolio, and Root Shoot released a peach-brandy cask-finished American single malt [22].

The common thread across all four is a willingness to print a real age statement at a moment when many competing labels have moved toward NAS blending for flexibility — a signal that at least some producers are confident enough in aged inventory position to lead with the number rather than obscure it.

The no-lottery, walk-up sale window for Heaven Hill's Spring 2026 Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Decanter at the Bourbon Heritage Center closes August 5, capping a one-bottle-per-visitor run on the 10-year-old, 100-proof wheated bourbon at $54.99 (Old Fitzgerald BiB Decanter walk-up, accessed August 2026) [23].

It's the 17th national release in the Decanter series, and the walk-up format — no application, no drawing, first-come availability at the distillery counter — has become Heaven Hill's default access mechanism for this line rather than an occasional exception.

Wyoming Whiskey released State of the Union on August 5, a 6-year straight bourbon at 98 proof (49% ABV) commemorating the 250th anniversary of American independence, priced at $79.99 SRP and confined to a handful of Wyoming retailers rather than a national release (Wyoming Whiskey State of the Union release, accessed August 2026) [24].

The bourbon is made from locally sourced non-GMO Wyoming grains and limestone aquifer water, aged in newly charred oak.

Co-founder David DeFazio tied the release to the state's 1890 statehood alongside the national anniversary framing (Wyoming Whiskey State of the Union release, accessed August 2026) [25].

Washington, D.C.-based Jos. A. Magnus released the tenth annual edition of its Cigar Blend bourbon on August 5, a sourced whiskey blending 11- and 18-year-old stocks finished in Armagnac casks, bottled at 120 proof and priced at $179 (Jos. A. Magnus Cigar Blend tenth edition, accessed August 2026) [26].

The brand, founded in 2015 and named for a 19th-century Cincinnati distiller, has kept the Cigar Blend format consistent across all ten annual editions — a rare run of continuity in a category where finished-cask releases often churn through different wood programs year to year.

($1,450 − $1,050) ÷ $1,450 × 100 = 27.6% erosion

Stagg's floor continues softening as newer BTAC vintages enter circulation, but the erosion here is materially shallower than the mid-tier BTAC bottles tracking 40%+ off peak — the blue-chip label is holding better than the category average even as it comes down.

($1,750 − $1,200) ÷ $1,750 × 100 = 31.4% erosion

Weller's floor has eroded faster than Stagg's in percentage terms, but it still commands the second-highest realized price in the BTAC lineup — the wheated mash bill's collector premium remains intact even as absolute dollars retreat from the pandemic-era peak.

($650 − $420) ÷ $650 × 100 = 35.4% erosion

The lowest-proof, longest-aged BTAC bottle continues to erode fastest in percentage terms, consistent with a market that's rewarding barrel-proof intensity over pure age right now — a reversal of the age-statement premium that defined the category a decade ago.

Garrison Brothers, Texas's oldest legal whiskey distillery, is running its first-ever pre-sale window for Hye Rye Bourbon, the cult high-rye expression that has historically vanished within minutes of release (Garrison Brothers Hye Rye pre-sale, accessed August 2026) [28].

The window opened July 27 and runs through August 10 — meaning it's live for the back half of this reporting cycle — with buyers paying $99.99 plus tax now for a bottle they won't take home until October 2028, when in-person pickup opens at the distillery in Hye, Texas [28].

The mash bill is 52% South Texas corn, 37% organic rye, and 11% barley, bottled at 98 proof, with a four-bottle-per-customer limit enforced through store.garrisonbros.com [28]. Hye Rye first debuted in a 1,000-bottle run back in December 2020, and every release since has followed the same pattern: gone almost immediately, no meaningful shot for anyone outside a refresh-button contest.

The pre-sale format is the real story here. Rather than adding another instant-sellout drop to the calendar, Garrison Brothers is converting demand into a two-year prepaid commitment — a structural shift in how the distillery manages access to its most-chased bottle, and a signal other allocation-heavy producers may be watching closely.

MGP Ingredients' second-quarter 2026 results show its Distilling Solutions arm — the contract-distilling division supplying bulk whiskey to sourced-label brands nationwide — down 59% year-over-year to $29.2 million, driven by a 42% decline in contract distilling specifically (MGP Q2 2026 earnings, accessed August 2026) [29].

Total company sales fell 15% and gross profit fell 20% for the quarter [29]. Branded Spirits, by contrast, held roughly flat, with Penelope and Yellowstone continuing to grow even as the wider bulk market contracts [29].

Two of MGP's own Kentucky distilleries, Limestone Branch and Lux Row, remain idled — a decision the company made in April 2026 that is still in effect months later, with no restart date disclosed [29]. Ingredient Solutions, the company's food-and-grain business, was the only division to post real growth this quarter, up 2% to $35.5 million [29].

The divergence between the two whiskey-facing segments is the clearest read yet on where MGP sees its future: bulk contracts that fueled a decade of new sourced-whiskey brands are contracting fast, while the company's own labels are, at minimum, holding ground.

The walk-up sale window for Heaven Hill's Spring 2026 Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Decanter closes August 5 at the Bourbon Heritage Center in Bardstown, giving fans a final one-bottle-per-visitor shot at the allocated 10-year-old decanter without an entry drawing (Old Fitzgerald BiB Decanter walk-up window, accessed August 2026) [30].

The walk-up price is $54.99, and this marks the 17th national release in the Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Decanter series [30].

Heaven Hill has run this series as a walk-up-only mechanism at the distillery for years, a deliberate contrast to the lottery systems most control states use for comparably allocated bottles. No account registration, no waiting period, no drawing — just a line and a one-bottle limit.

The Alabama ABC Board opened registration for its quarterly Limited Release Program lottery on August 3 at 8:00 a.m., giving entrants a shot at guaranteed line positions — not guaranteed specific bottles — for allocated spirits at 22 ABC Select Spirits locations statewide (Alabama ABC Limited Release Program registration, accessed August 2026) [31].

Registration runs through August 23 at 11:59 p.m., ahead of the program's next in-person event weekend [31].

The program runs on two purchase tables: Table 1 for the most highly allocated products, Table 2 for second-tier allocated releases [31]. Events are held on Saturdays in March, June, and September, meaning today's registration window feeds directly into the program's next scheduled event [31].

At Bar Convent Brooklyn, American Craft Spirits Association CEO Emily Pennington presented "State of Craft Spirits 2026" on August 4, charting two decades of growth alongside the market-access hurdles still facing small producers (ACSA State of Craft Spirits 2026, accessed August 2026) [32].

Craft distillers grew from 75 in 2006 to more than 2,000 today, generating $7.6 billion in sales and 12.7 million 9-liter cases annually, holding 4.5% volume share and 7.5% value share of the total U.S. spirits category [32].

Whiskey ranks second among liquid categories by volume produced by craft distillers, trailing only specialty spirits [32]. A typical craft distiller removes about 4,500 cases from bond annually, and more than 90% qualify as micro-distilleries under federal definitions [32].

Distribution remains the segment's bottleneck: 10% of craft producers have no wholesale distribution at all, while 60% hold out-of-state distribution agreements [32].

Jack Daniel Distillery unveiled Distillery Series Selection #17, a batch-proof "High Angel's Share" Tennessee Whiskey aged on the top floor of Barrelhouse 1-13 at Coy Hill in Lynchburg, where extreme heat concentrated what remained of the spirit (Jack Daniel's Distillery Series Selection #17, accessed August 2026) [33].

The whiskey was laid down in 2016 and bottled at 138.4 proof in 375ml bottles at $44.75 SRP, sold exclusively in Tennessee and at the distillery's own White Rabbit Bottle Shop [33].

Whiskey taster Dale McGee selected the batch, and Master Distiller Chris Fletcher attributed the unusually high proof directly to increased angel's share evaporation on the barrelhouse's top floor [33].

Wyoming Whiskey released State of the Union on August 5, a 6-year straight bourbon commemorating the 250th anniversary of American independence, bottled at 98 proof and priced at $79.99 SRP (Wyoming Whiskey State of the Union release, accessed August 2026) [34].

The release is exclusive to a handful of in-state retailers — the Whiskey Shop in Kirby, Barrel House in Jackson, and select others — rather than a national rollout [34].

The bourbon is made from locally sourced non-GMO Wyoming grains and limestone aquifer water, aged in newly charred oak. Co-founder David DeFazio said the release honors Wyoming's 1890 statehood and "the spirit of independence that continues to define America" (Wyoming Whiskey State of the Union release, accessed August 2026) [35].

Seattle's Copperworks Distilling released Single Cask No. 97-2, a 7.5-year-old American single malt distilled from Baronesse pale malt barley sourced from Joseph's Grainery in Colfax, Washington, and finished in the distillery's only French oak cask (Copperworks Single Cask No. 97-2, accessed August 2026) [36].

The whiskey bottles at 125 proof and sells for $125 plus tax and shipping, with buyers able to hand-fill the bottle themselves at the Seattle tasting room [36].

A prior release built from the same Baronesse barley supply won gold at the 2025 American Craft Spirits Association Competition and sold out quickly [36].

This window's three regional stories share a common thread: single-location exclusivity built on hyper-local sourcing — Coy Hill's top-floor heat, Wyoming's own grain and aquifer water, Colfax barley traced to a named farm. None of these producers are competing with the Big 4 on volume; all three are competing on a story a national brand structurally cannot tell.