The Cut Daily

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof E926 is at your store this week. The bottle cleared federal TTB approval July 4 at 130.2 proof — the third consecutive 2026 ECBP batch to land above 130 —

The Four Roses 2026 Limited Edition Small Batch pre-allocation closes this afternoon, and Franklin lays out exactly what you’re deciding and where to go. Once that window shuts, the week ahead is calmer — Wild Turkey Rare Breed Barrel Proof 2026 and Larceny Barrel Proof B926 both arrive at standard retail mid-July with no lottery or list required. Ohio residents still have time to enter the George T. Stagg 2026 lottery through July 14, and Horse Soldier Farms in Somerset, Kentucky wraps up its grand opening weekend today with a founding story unlike anything else in the industry.

Franklin recaps a week shaped by one recurring question: what is something actually worth when the price is honest? The releases — Knob Creek 18-Year, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2026, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof D926, Wild Turkey Rare Breed Barrel Proof, and a Larceny Barrel Proof A926/B926 side-by-side — each answered differently. And on the Fourth of July, George Washington’s distillery at Mount Vernon offers the week’s most singular answer: fewer than 350 bottles of cask strength Spirit of ’76, at $1,000 each, available in person only at The Shops at Mount Vernon. Franklin closes with the supply picture — Heaven Hill, MGP, Beam Suntory all pulling back production — and what it means for the shelf in the early 2030s.

R/bourbon ran 1,100 side-by-side comparisons on Larceny Barrel Proof A926 and B926 this week and produced a verdict worth knowing before one batch thins out. Both batches are on standard retail simultaneously at $69.99

Michter’s Fort Nelson opened walk-up access this morning for the US★1 10-Year Single Barrel at $159.99 MSRP — no lottery, no application, two-bottle limit, first-come at 10 AM at 801 West Main Street in

Wild Turkey confirmed 2026 Rare Breed Barrel Proof at 116.8 proof and $59.99 MSRP — standard national distribution, no lottery, arriving mid-July. In a window defined by BTAC distributor letters, per-account limits, and Four

The TTB confirmed Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2026’s spec before Brown-Forman did. The federal COLA registry published label approval on June 29 — 100 proof, 11-year minimum age statement, one year shorter than the

Tonight’s midnight deadline is real. Knob Creek 18-Year Single Barrel Reserve 2026 pre-allocation closes at midnight CT — 4,200 bottles nationally, $99.99 MSRP, single barrels running 118 to 124 proof depending on the barrel.

Franklin walks through the week ahead while it’s still quiet. Michter’s Fort Nelson is running a walk-up release of the Toasted Barrel Finish 2026 — July 11 through 13, $59.99, no reservation required — and prior Fort Nelson programs haven’t restocked once weekend inventory clears. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof D926 hit TTB last Sunday and pre-allocation windows are opening at retailers now, following the same 72-hour burn rate as C926. Four Roses 2026 Limited Edition Small Batch is still in pre-allocation at $139.99, but Brent Elliott’s recipe reveal in late July will compress that window fast. And on July 24th, the North American Bourbon and Whiskey Competition hosts a “Best of” tasting at Antoine’s Restaurant in New Orleans — 24 top-scored products, one evening, during Tales of the Cocktail week.

Franklin recaps the week that was in American whiskey — from the Knob Creek 2001 Vintage Reserve’s phone-call-only allocation to the TTB label drop that started the Elijah Craig Barrel Proof D926 clock, to Weller Antique’s secondary floor quietly signaling where scarcity actually lives in the Buffalo Trace lineup. The week closed with Wild Turkey doing something that’s never happened before in the Master’s Keep series: Landmark and Triumph both in pre-allocation simultaneously. A few windows are still open, and Franklin tells you which ones are worth moving on — and which doors have already closed.