The American Whiskey Industry Brief — the daily trade brief from Chasing the Unicorn Podcast

Corporate moves · new releases · TTB activity · craft news · community debates · secondary-market pricing — published every day, free.

LATEST ISSUE — FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2026 · ISSUE #96

Four comparison-and-community stories built around blind tastings…

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Recent issues

  • Thu, Jul 16Four live access windows anchor Thursday’s Hunt cycle, from a Louisville…
  • Wed, Jul 15Pricing architecture moves hitting shelves and secondary alike
  • Tue, Jul 14A federal BiB approval that puts a genuinely new bottle on shelves this week
  • Mon, Jul 13Capacity, succession, and continuity decisions reshaping what’s actually in…
  • Sun, Jul 12Real access and real people at the bench
  • Sat, Jul 11Real bidding data and real gate access in front of readers
  • Fri, Jul 10Four comparison-driven stories in front of readers, two of them actionable…
  • Thu, Jul 09Four Hunt-day access points, from a free state lottery to a distillery…
  • Wed, Jul 08Four TTB-confirmed spec and pricing stories across a $49.99 to $129.99 MSRP…
  • Tue, Jul 07Three TTB COLA confirmations, one live state lottery, and one national retail…
  • Mon, Jul 06Heaven Hill’s Q3 production cut and three bottles arriving at retail now or…
  • Sun, Jul 05Four stories built around immediate access, a pre-allocation that just…
  • Sat, Jul 04Four access-urgent stories spanning the Kentucky Bourbon Trail’s peak holiday…
  • Fri, Jul 03The r/bourbon Larceny Barrel Proof A926-vs-B926 community verdict, joined by…

Archive

July 2026 · 17 issues
  • Jul 17 — Friday · Four comparison-and-community stories built around blind tastings…
  • Jul 16 — Thursday · Four live access windows anchor Thursday’s Hunt cycle, from a Louisville…
  • Jul 15 — Wednesday · Pricing architecture moves hitting shelves and secondary alike
  • Jul 14 — Tuesday · A federal BiB approval that puts a genuinely new bottle on shelves this week
  • Jul 13 — Monday · Capacity, succession, and continuity decisions reshaping what’s actually in…
  • Jul 12 — Sunday · Real access and real people at the bench
  • Jul 11 — Saturday · Real bidding data and real gate access in front of readers
  • Jul 10 — Friday · Four comparison-driven stories in front of readers, two of them actionable…
  • Jul 09 — Thursday · Four Hunt-day access points, from a free state lottery to a distillery…
  • Jul 08 — Wednesday · Four TTB-confirmed spec and pricing stories across a $49.99 to $129.99 MSRP…
  • Jul 07 — Tuesday · Three TTB COLA confirmations, one live state lottery, and one national retail…
  • Jul 06 — Monday · Heaven Hill’s Q3 production cut and three bottles arriving at retail now or…
  • Jul 05 — Sunday · Four stories built around immediate access, a pre-allocation that just…
  • Jul 04 — Saturday · Four access-urgent stories spanning the Kentucky Bourbon Trail’s peak holiday…
  • Jul 03 — Friday · The r/bourbon Larceny Barrel Proof A926-vs-B926 community verdict, joined by…
  • Jul 02 — Thursday · Four Hunt-cycle stories lead today’s reader experience, anchored by a…
  • Jul 01 — Wednesday · The BTAC 2026 distributor letter, the Four Roses LESB recipe reveal, and two…
June 2026 · 30 issues
  • Jun 30 — Tuesday · Four consumer-actionable stories from TTB filings and walk-up access windows
  • Jun 29 — Monday · Heaven Hill’s H2 2026 Bernheim production reduction alongside four…
  • Jun 28 — Sunday · Four connected stories from the craft distillery floor as classroom — barrel…
  • Jun 27 — Saturday · Closing walk-up access in Louisville, the mid-year BTAC secondary floor…
  • Jun 26 — Friday · Four consumer-actionable stories from the same 48-hour window: a dual…
  • Jun 25 — Thursday · Five live access windows, with Elijah Craig 18-Year 2026 pre-allocation…
  • Jun 24 — Wednesday · Four TTB-confirmed spec stories that reframe how secondary floors and pricing…
  • Jun 23 — Tuesday · The TTB COLA confirmation of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof D926 and closes on…
  • Jun 22 — Monday · Four stories spanning a historic long-aged Beam Suntory allocation, a live…
  • Jun 21 — Sunday · Father’s Day Sunday’s Field Reports & Beginner Bench cycle covers four…
  • Jun 20 — Saturday · Father’s Day weekend’s final access day meets the Whisky Auctioneer June…
  • Jun 19 — Friday · The last viable retail day before Father’s Day, anchoring four stories around…
  • Jun 18 — Thursday · Two expiring Father’s Day ground-ship deadlines, one live pre-order window…
  • Jun 17 — Wednesday · Four stories where the shelf math shifted in the last 48 hours: a new 18-year…
  • Jun 16 — Tuesday · Four consumer-actionable announcements spanning pre-allocation, walk-up…
  • Jun 15 — Monday · One industry production signal reshaping the premium gift tier, two…
  • Jun 14 — Sunday · National Bourbon Day meets Father’s Day season on a Sunday, putting four…
  • Jun 13 — Saturday · Four access stories built around the National Bourbon Day / Father’s Day…
  • Jun 12 — Friday · Four comparison angles grounded in new data from the June 10–12 window…
  • Jun 11 — Thursday · Four bottles with live access clocks, all inside the Father’s Day…
  • Jun 10 — Wednesday · Wednesday’s 48-hour window delivered four distinct pricing signals: a BiB…
  • Jun 09 — Tuesday · Four TTB COLA confirmations with direct consumer action windows, from a…
  • Jun 08 — Monday · Four stories from the 72-hour Industry Move window: production contraction…
  • Jun 07 — Sunday · The Father’s Day weekend trail access window, a first-bourbon gift framework…
  • Jun 06 — Saturday · Father’s Day weekend on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, live auction positioning…
  • Jun 05 — Friday · Two series-record proof confirmations driving live Father’s Day comparison…
  • Jun 04 — Thursday · Four Father’s Day access windows in active play, two closing tonight at…
  • Jun 03 — Wednesday · Four TTB-confirmed access decisions inside the Father’s Day gifting window…
  • Jun 02 — Tuesday · Four Father’s Day–window stories anchored by TTB-confirmed labels and closing…
  • Jun 01 — Monday · The Clermont restart, two live Father’s Day reserve windows, and a 15-year…
May 2026 · 31 issues
  • May 31 — Sunday · Four stories for the reader navigating their first BiB purchase, gift…
  • May 30 — Saturday · Four reader-actionable stories across auction data, a master distiller’s…
  • May 29 — Friday · The comparison Heaven Hill created by running two wheated Bottled-in-Bond…
  • May 28 — Thursday · Four hard-deadline access events in the same 48-hour window, each requiring a…
  • May 27 — Wednesday · Four consumer-actionable stories spanning a confirmed 17-year Wild Turkey…
  • May 26 — Tuesday · Four consumer-actionable stories: a federal COLA confirming Woodford Reserve…
  • May 25 — Monday · Four stories across the 72-hour window: a Big 4 production commitment tied to…
  • May 24 — Sunday · Four same-day or deadline-urgent stories: a working distillery program…
  • May 23 — Saturday · Four timed and results-driven stories, from a midnight VIP deadline to fresh…
  • May 22 — Friday · A market-constructed wheated comparison at three price tiers, plus a landmark…
  • May 21 — Thursday · Four access-window stories with real deadlines: a pre-allocation closing in…
  • May 20 — Wednesday · Four confirmed-spec stories with active price signals and a ship window…
  • May 19 — Tuesday · Four consumer-actionable stories spanning a TTB-confirmed September release…
  • May 18 — Monday · A Big 4 rickhouse science curriculum, a wheated barrel-proof arrival, the…
  • May 17 — Sunday · A production-education distillery visit, two time-sensitive access windows…
  • May 16 — Saturday · Four reader-stakes stories spanning a festival’s final hours, a board-level…
  • May 15 — Friday · Hard Truth Distilling Barrel Finish Reserve French Oak 2026 — Final Hours…
  • May 14 — Thursday · Michter’s US★1 Barrel Strength Sour Mash Batch 25S1 — Day 4 Fort Nelson…
  • May 13 — Wednesday · Heaven Hill Locks the Full Retail Spec on Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C926 —…
  • May 12 — Tuesday · Beam Suntory Confirms Booker’s “Charlie’s Batch” 2026-01 Official Specs This…
  • May 11 — Monday · Wild Turkey Names Bruce Russell to Newly Created Master Distiller-in-Training…
  • May 10 — Sunday · Mother’s Day 2026 Is Today — Final-Hours Wheated Gift Pickup in Sunday-Sales…
  • May 09 — Saturday · Kentucky Bourbon Affair Pre-Events Open Today in Louisville and Bardstown —…
  • May 08 — Friday · Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Spring 2026 — Window Closes Sunday at $44.99…
  • May 07 — Thursday · Michter’s Batch 25S1 Walk-Up Today at Fort Nelson — Same-Day MSRP, 380…
  • May 06 — Wednesday · Heaven Hill Cuts Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond Below $18 — First Reduction in…
  • May 05 — Tuesday · Parker’s Heritage Collection 2026 Confirmed: 10-Year American Blended Whiskey…
  • May 04 — Monday · Four Roses SBC 2026 Lottery Closes Tonight; Three Recipes Going Live in 50…
  • May 03 — Sunday · Campari Group Q1 2026 Earnings Confirm Mass-Premium Bourbon Tier Recovery —…
  • May 02 — Saturday · Brown-Forman Strategic Review Day 14 — LVMH Moët Hennessy Named as Second NDA…
  • May 01 — Friday · Brown-Forman Strategic Review Day 13 — Pernod Ricard Confirmed in Data Room…
April 2026 · 18 issues
  • Apr 30 — Thursday · Blade and Bow 22-Year 2026 Secondary Corridor Emerges at $450-$580 Pre-Retail…
  • Apr 29 — Wednesday · Heaven Hill Confirms 2026 Maintained Barrel Fill at 95% of Prior-Year Rate —…
  • Apr 28 — Tuesday · Pernod Ricard Formally Enters the Brown-Forman Competitive Process on Day 10…
  • Apr 27 — Monday · Sazerac Answers the FTC on Day 9 — Conditional Divestiture Framework Keeps…
  • Apr 26 — Sunday · Blade and Bow 22-Year 2026 Specialty-Retailer Pre-Order Lottery Results —…
  • Apr 25 — Saturday · Blood Oath Pact 12 Italian Wine Cask Launches at Lux Row Distillery —…
  • Apr 24 — Friday · Eagle Rare 30 Bonhams Online Auction Opens — 15-Lot Sale Establishes…
  • Apr 23 — Thursday · Four North Carolina Lobbyists Indicted Over Kentucky Bourbon-Tasting Junket —…
  • Apr 22 — Wednesday · Pernod Ricard Retains Lazard as Financial Advisor — Share-Swap Framework…
  • Apr 21 — Tuesday · Garvin Brown IV Issues First Family Statement on Sazerac-Pernod Bids —…
  • Apr 20 — Monday · Brown-Forman BF.B Opens Monday Up 14.2% on Sazerac $15 Billion Bid — Pernod…
  • Apr 19 — Sunday · Sazerac Makes $15 Billion All-Cash Bid for Brown-Forman — Disrupts Pernod…
  • Apr 18 — Saturday · Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year Third Corridor Confirmation Lands At April 18…
  • Apr 17 — Friday · Brown-Forman Q4 Fiscal 2026 Full Earnings Release Lands April 17 — Lynchburg…
  • Apr 16 — Thursday · Bardstown Bourbon Company Discovery Series 11 April 16 Allocation Lottery…
  • Apr 15 — Wednesday · Wild Turkey Master’s Keep 2026 Specs Reveal — 17-Year Toasted-Barrel Finish…
  • Apr 14 — Tuesday · Pappy Van Winkle 23 Wheated-Tier Floor Holds On Day 2 — Private Sale Comps…
  • Apr 13 — Monday · Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year April 12 Auction Sets Q2 Benchmark — Hammer Lands at…

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96 issues published daily since April 13, 2026.