Every episode of The Cut — daily American whiskey & bourbon news. Browse them all below, and tap Listen on Spotify on any episode.
The Cut — July 16, 2026 — SE02E81 — One Founder, Thirty Barrels, One Winner
Wilderness Trail Distillery did something today it had resisted for years — it opened its first single barrel program, and co-founder Shane Baker did the picking…
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The Cut — July 15, 2026 — SE02E80 — One Price Held, One Didn’t
Buffalo Trace just answered the question everybody had about the next E.H. Taylor Jr. release: 12 years old, 100.6 proof, and an MSRP of $54.99 —…
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The Cut — July 14, 2026 — SE02E79 — Peerless Opens a Second Door
Peerless just cleared its last regulatory hurdle for a second tasting room on Louisville's Whiskey Row, opening to the public later this month right next to…
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The Cut — July 13, 2026 — SE02E78 — Heaven Hill Bet Against Itself
Heaven Hill just poured concrete for a bet most of the industry hasn't made out loud yet. The distillery broke ground today on six new warehouses…
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The Cut Weekend: On Deck — July 12, 2026 — SE02E77 — Four Roses 2026 Pre-Allocation Closes July 18
Franklin takes a quiet Sunday minute to lay out the week's real dates: Four Roses' 2026 Limited Edition Small Batch pre-allocation closes July 18 at $129.99…
▶ Listen & show notes The Cut Weekend: The Week in the Glass — July 11, 2026 — SE02E76 — Wild Turkey 101 Beats Pricier Bottles, 3 of 4
Franklin closes out the week by tracing one question through five days of news: what actually makes a bottle worth its price. From Elijah Craig Barrel…
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The Cut — July 10, 2026 — SE02E75 — A $28 Bourbon Keeps Beating $80 Ones
A $28 bourbon keeps beating $80 ones. A recurring blind-tasting series on r/bourbon has pitted Wild Turkey 101 against bottles two to three times its price…
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The Cut — July 9, 2026 — SE02E74 — Ohio’s Free Stagg Lottery Closes Sunday
Ohio's George T. Stagg lottery closes this Sunday at midnight, and it's the cleanest access story we've covered in weeks. No purchase required — just your…
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The Cut — July 8, 2026 — SE02E73 — Four Roses 2026 Pre-Allocation: Buy It Before It Exists
Four Roses 2026 Limited Edition Small Batch is open for pre-allocation right now. Master Distiller Brent Elliott confirmed the annual blend at 108.2 proof after TTB…
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The Cut — July 7, 2026 — SE02E72 — E.H. Taylor Jr. BiB 2026: The Man Who Passed the Law, $69.99
E.H. Taylor Jr. Single Barrel Bottled-in-Bond 2026 is at your store this week. The bottle cleared federal TTB review at 100 proof on July 3 and…
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The Cut — July 6, 2026 — SE02E71 — Elijah Craig Barrel Proof E926: $74.99 Before the Floor Closes
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…
▶ Listen & show notes The Cut Weekend: On Deck — July 5, 2026 — SE02E70 — Four Roses 2026 Pre-Allocation Closes Today
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…
▶ Listen & show notes The Cut Weekend: The Week in the Glass — July 4, 2026 — SE02E69 — Mount Vernon’s $1,000 Spirit of ’76, 350 Bottles
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…
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The Cut — July 3, 2026 — SE02E68 — Same Mash Bill, 2.4 Proof Points, and a Verdict Worth Knowing
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…
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The Cut — July 2, 2026 — SE02E67 — Two Bottles Per Person: Michter’s 10-Year Walk-Up at $159.99
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…
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The Cut — July 1, 2026 — SE02E66 — No Lottery: Wild Turkey Barrel Proof Confirmed at $59.99
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…
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The Cut — June 30, 2026 — SE02E65 — Birthday Bourbon Shrank a Year: What the Age Drop Means
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…
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The Cut — June 29, 2026 — SE02E64 — $99 for 18 Years: Knob Creek Pre-Allocation Closes Tonight
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…
▶ Listen & show notes The Cut Weekend: On Deck — June 28, 2026 — SE02E63 — Michter’s Toasted Barrel Walk-Up Opens July 11
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…
▶ Listen & show notes The Cut Weekend: The Week in the Glass — June 27, 2026 — SE02E62 — Wild Turkey Drops Two Master’s Keep Bottles Simultaneously
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…
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The Cut — June 26, 2026 — SE02E61 — Wild Turkey Just Solved Comparison Shopping
Friday's Cut opens on a structural first: Wild Turkey's Master's Keep 2026 lineup has both expressions in pre-allocation at the same moment. Landmark at 14 years…
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The Cut — June 25, 2026 — SE02E60 — Eighteen Years. Eighty-Nine Dollars. Tonight Only.
Thursday's Cut opens on the clearest access deadline in this week's Hunt cycle. Heaven Hill's Elijah Craig 18-Year Straight Bourbon 2026 pre-allocation closes tonight at midnight…
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The Cut — June 24, 2026 — SE02E59 — Everyone Else Dropped. This Bottle Didn’t.
Wednesday's Cut opens on the bourbon secondary market's clearest live illustration of what genuine scarcity looks like. Buffalo Trace's Weller Antique 107 Batch 2026-02 cleared the…
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The Cut — June 23, 2026 — SE02E58 — Seventy-Two Hours. Then It’s Gone.
Tuesday's Cut opens on the federal label approval bourbon hunters have been tracking since the C926 sold through. Heaven Hill's Elijah Craig Barrel Proof D926 cleared…
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