The Cut Weekend: On Deck — July 12, 2026 — SE02E77 — Four Roses 2026 Pre-Allocation Closes July 18

SE02E77 — On Deck

The Cut Weekend. This is The Cut Weekend. I’m Franklin. Before Monday gets loud, let’s take a quiet minute and map the week in front of us. Nothing urgent here — just a look at what’s coming so none of it catches you flat-footed.

There’s one date with a clock on it this week: July 18. That’s when the Four Roses 2026 Limited Edition Small Batch pre-allocation closes — Brent Elliott’s annual blend, confirmed at 108.2 proof, and the only way to lock in the $129.99 price before the bottle even ships. Last year’s edition was trading well above that within two weeks of landing on shelves. If you want in, get on your account’s list before that window shuts.

There’s more moving in the background too. New Riff’s Fall Bottled-in-Bond Single Barrel has its own pre-allocation window, and it closes just two days after the Four Roses deadline, on July 20 — a straightforward signup, no lottery, bottles shipping in August. Further out, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2026 has its release date locked for September 2nd, and pre-notification at retail is the only move available right now if you want a shot when it lands. Blood Oath Pact 12 is filed with the federal government and an announcement is expected sometime in the next few weeks. And Parker’s Heritage’s 2026 edition is on its way to shelves this fall at a confirmed price, with last year’s bottle already showing what happens to secondary demand once a successor is real. None of these need action today. They just need a place on your calendar.

Now, something to look forward to that’s got nothing to do with allocation lists. A week from this coming Saturday — July 18th — Hard Truth Distilling Co. up in Nashville, Indiana is hosting their Bourbon & BBQ Festival. It’s the kind of day this show was made for: a distillery that’s built its whole identity around doing things the honest way, opening its grounds for a day of good smoke and good whiskey, no velvet rope, no secondary market games. You show up, you taste what they’ve made, you eat well, and you talk to people who care about the same things you do. If you’re anywhere near southern Indiana that Saturday, that’s a drive worth planning around — and it lands the same weekend the Four Roses window closes, so if you’re in that part of the country, you can make one trip do double duty.

So here’s the week distilled to two moves: get your name on the Four Roses list before the 18th if that bottle’s calling you, and if New Riff’s Single Barrel appeals, don’t let the 20th sneak past you either. Everything else — the September release, the Blood Oath announcement, the fall Parker’s drop — just needs a place to live so you’re not relying on memory.

That’s exactly what the allocation calendar inside The Perfect Pour is built for. Every date I just walked through — the closes, the releases, the windows — you can drop right into it, and let the app do the remembering and the nudging before a window shuts on you. It’s not about chasing harder. It’s about not missing what you already decided mattered. It’s available now at theperfectpourapp.com.

That’s what’s on deck. If The Cut Weekend earned a few minutes of your Sunday, do me one favor — follow the show wherever you’re listening, so Saturday’s edition finds you on its own. The written brief’s always free at chasingtheunicornpodcast.com, and the full American Whiskey Industry Brief is on our Patreon. I’m Franklin. Pour something you like, share it with somebody worth sharing it with — and remember, your unicorn is out there.