American Whiskey Report May 2025

Summer is here! If you’re planning to do some distillery tourism during the warmer months, check out Destination Distillery from DISCUS for a listing of all the whiskey trails across the United States. Now for the American whiskey news you can use!

Product Releases

American Whiskey Report May 2025 — Whiskey Row Bourbon Bottled in Bond

Whiskey Row has re-launched with new branding and three new expressions: Triple Wood, Bottled in Bond, and Cask Strength.
Lux Row has released a small batch Bourbon finished in Albarino wine casks, available at the Bardstown, Kentucky distillery only.
Michter’s has released its latest batch of US*1 Barrel Strength Rye at 110.5 proof.
Barrell has released its first full proof Bourbon, a blend of straight Bourbons from Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee aged between 11 and 20 years with a derived mashbill of 78% corn, 11% rye, and 11% malted barley bottled at 123 proof.

Star Trek Spirits whiskey in Romulan Ale-style bottles

Stellum Spirits, made by Barrell Craft Spirits, has partnered with Star Trek Spirits to create two limited edition whiskeys bottled in Romulan Ale-style bottles.

Fincasa has released an Indiana rye whiskey finished in rum casks.
Woodinville Whiskey has released a Bourbon finished in tequila casks.
Oaklore has released its four grain Bourbon nationwide.
Chicken C o ck’s double oak whiskey now has a 10 year age statement.
Filmland Spirits has a new release: Moonlight Mayhem 2, The White Port Wolf. It’s a 7-year straight Kentucky Bourbon finished in white port casks.

High N’ Wicked has released Witches’ Tree Rye, a 91% rye, 9% malted barley rye named for the Witches’ Tree in Central Park in Louisville, Kentucky.
New Riff has released its third iteration of Sour Mash Single Malt, a blend of three single malts: Maris Otter, Scottish peated barley, and a beer-inspired mashbill based on classic Barleywine. Additionally, the brand has released its first Bourbon and rye whiskeys aged over a decade distilled entirely at the Newport, Kentucky distillery.
Edmond’s Honor is a new Bourbon finished in vanilla-soaked Cognac casks, honoring Edmond Albius, whose hand-pollination techniques developed for orchids revolutionized vanilla cultivation.
Heaven Hill has released its 2025 Grain to Glass Bourbon, the second edition which features Beck’s seeds grown by nearby Peterson Farms. This release comes in conjunction with Heaven Hill’s Family Farms First initiative along with Farm Rescue, in which Heaven Hill will donate a portion of proceeds to the organization to help family farms succeed. They’ve also released the Spring 2025 Old Fitzgerald decanter series, a 9 year Bourbon produced in the Spring of 2016.
Chattanooga Whiskey has released its spring 2025 Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon 2021 vintage.
Pursuit Spirits has 4 new whiskeys out: two 88 proofers, a Bourbon and a Rye, and two barrel proofers, 119.8 proof Bourbon and a 121.2 proof Rye.
The World Whiskey Society has released a 12 year old Bourbon finished in a black currant Brandy barrel.
Hard Truth Distilling has released a new Mellencamp collab called American Odd, a sweet mash Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon featuring artwork by John Cougar Mellencamp.
The Malty Verse has two new releases, A Wreak in Kentucky: MaltyVerse x Green River Distillery 6-year-old Bourbon and No Pressure Whiskey: MaltyVerse x MB Roland Distillery 5-year-old Bourbon.
Knob Creek has released two new single barrels, a cask strength Bourbon and a cask strength Rye.
Michter’s has released a 10 year straight Kentucky Bourbon bottled at 94.4 proof.
Blue Run has released Flight III Sails and Rails, a blend of straight Bourbon and Rye whiskeys.
Angel’s E nvy has released a new Cellar Collection release, Vol. 5 Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in French Oak Extra Añejo Tequila Barrels for 12 months then blended with an additional 11 year old straight rye whiskey. (Writer’s note: this is the first tequila barrel aged whiskey that I have actually liked.)
Cedar Ridge Distillery has released The QuintEssential Special Release: Number Five, an American Single Malt whiskey finished in five casks: imported Port casks, estate Port casks, imported Madeira wine casks, Estate V casks (a Madeira inspired wine), and Estate Marquette Red Wine Casks.

People News

Dan Callaway has been named Master Blender of Lofted Spirits, the parent company of Bardstown Bourbon Company and Green River Distillery.
Jordan Cotton of Cotton & Reed has been elected President of the American Craft Spirits Association Board of Directors. Jaime Windon of Windon Distilling Co has been elected Vice President, and Tom Bard of The Bard Distillery has been elected Secretary/Treasurer.

Other News

National Bourbon Week will be held June 19-25, 2025 in Bardstown, Kentucky.
RD1’s new experimental distillery and visitor experience is open in Lexington, Kentucky at 113 Turner Commons Way, Suite 110, Lexington, Ky. 40511.
Spirits exports from the United States hit a record $2.4 billion in 2024. Says DISCUS President Chris Swonger, “U.S. spirits exports hit a new high in 2024, recapturing lost market share since the UK and EU lifted retaliatory tariffs that were applied between 2018-2021 in connection with two trade disputes. Unfortunately, ongoing trade disputes unrelated to our sector have caused uncertainty, keeping many U.S. distillers on the sidelines and curtailing sales growth. The EU’s recent decision not to reimpose a retaliatory tariff on American Whiskeys and other U.S. spirits is a positive first step toward getting the U.S.-EU spirits sectors back to zero-for-zero tariffs and untangling spirits from these trade disputes.”
Hotaling & Co. has announced the passing of its long-time cellar master, Eric Forget.
Martha Willett Kulsveen, mother to Willett Distillery President Britt Kulsveen and Willet Distillery Master Distiller Drew Kulsveen, passed away at her home on May 6, 2025. She and her husband took ownership of her family’s distillery in 1984 and served as the distillery’s President until 2018, when she passed the baton to her daughter.
Lost Lantern has launched a monthly “Discovery Club,” a whiskey-of-the-month subscription that gives members bottlings from underappreciated distilleries across the nation.
Neat Bourbon Bar has opened a new location in Bardstown, Kentucky.
Ohio-based Middle West Spirits has acquired Colorado-based Old Elk.
Bernie Lubbers, The Whiskey Professor, is stepping out of his current role at Heaven Hill and becoming Whiskey Ambassador Emeritus, a sort of semi-retired version of his decades-long role in the Kentucky Bourbon industry.
Westland Whiskey and Alaska Airlines have partnered to create an Alaska Airlines exclusive cocktail for the airline’s Seattle lounge, the Narita Banana. In conjunction with this partnership, there’s a chance to win a trip to Tokyo! Enter here thru July 31, 2025.
Sespe Creek will collaborate with UFC fighter Valentina Shevchenko on a series of small batch Bourbons.

Book Recommendation

Mother of Bourbon by Rabbit Hole Distillery and Mary Dowling Whiskey Founder Kaveh Zamanian and Eric Goodman is a fictitious account of the real life Mary Dowling, who ran her family’s distillery after the death of her husband in the early 1900s and later moved her whole operation to Juarez, Mexico to escape Prohibition.