Wednesday’s Cut opens with a proof confirmation and a timing problem. The federal government confirmed Four Roses’ 2026 Limited Edition Small Batch at 108.2 proof this week — the highest annual LESB bottling since 2021 — before Master Distiller Brent Elliott has said a word about which of his ten recipe combinations ended up in…
Tuesday’s Cut opens with a proof record and a three-day deadline. Heaven Hill’s Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C926 is TTB-confirmed at 130.4 proof and 14.2 years average age — the highest-proof C-designated batch in the expression’s tracked history — shipping June 8 to pre-allocation accounts at $79.99 MSRP. Most specialty retailer lists close Thursday, June…
Monday’s Cut opens with the most consequential production decision in American bourbon this year. Beam Suntory’s Clermont, Kentucky distillery — source of Knob Creek, Booker’s, Baker’s, and Jim Beam — resumed full distillation this morning after a 14-week production pause. The barrels entering the rickhouse today won’t reach your shelf for nine years. Knob Creek’s…
Today’s Sunday Cut opens with a four-day deadline most bourbon buyers will miss. Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Fall 2026 is in pre-allocation at $79.99 through June 4 at participating Heaven Hill retail accounts. Eleven years, 100 proof, wheated mash bill, federally certified under all four conditions of the Bottled-in-Bond Act. Last spring’s allocation ran out before…
This weekend Brent Elliott is at the Four Roses Lawrenceburg distillery walking through the decision that produced “Reunion” OBSV 2026. Four pours — OBSV at seven years, nine years, and eleven years plus — with the master distiller explaining the V-yeast maturation arc that made him hold the selection four years past the conventional window….
This week, Heaven Hill’s production calendar created the most useful direct comparison in the current bourbon window. Two federally certified wheated bourbons from the same Bardstown distillery entered distribution within 72 hours of each other — and one of them is still available. Parker’s Heritage 2026 Bottled-in-Bond pre-allocation closed last night at $99.99. Old Fitzgerald…
Thursday’s biggest bourbon deadline lands tonight. Two access windows close at midnight — one requires luck, one requires a phone call. Ohio’s OHLQ BTAC 2026 lottery portal closes at midnight tonight. One free entry per eligible Ohio resident, no purchase required, five minutes to submit. Pennsylvania’s PLCB window closes tomorrow. George T. Stagg 2025 realized…
Wednesday’s biggest bourbon story didn’t arrive with a press release. It arrived in a federal label approval filed May 25 and a distributor trade deck circulated to Campari-aligned accounts before the general market knew to look. Wild Turkey’s Master’s Keep 2026 “Triumph” is confirmed: 17 years of age, 116.4 proof, $199.99 MSRP, 11,400 bottles nationally,…
Tuesday’s biggest story didn’t come from a distillery marketing team. It came from a federal database most bourbon buyers don’t know to check. A TTB Certificates of Label Approvals filing dated May 24, 2026 confirms Woodford Reserve Batch Proof 2026 at 123.2 proof — the largest single-year proof jump in the expression’s five-year run and…
Monday’s biggest story isn’t a new product launch or an auction result — it’s a master distiller willing to connect a state tax law to a barrel-filling decision on the record. Heaven Hill’s Conor O’Driscoll confirmed this week that the distillery is adding distilling runs at its Bardstown, Kentucky campus for Q3 and Q4 2026,…