Tequila Meets Bourbon in the Cask
As any distiller will tell you, the barrel is essential when it comes to imparting flavor into the final spirit. Bourbon is required by law to be aged in new charred American white oak barrels to bear the title of America’s spirit. But that doesn’t have to be where the barrel’s work stops.
Barrel or cask finishing occurs when the bourbon is aged in a spent barrel from another spirit to pick up additional flavors. It’s common to see spirits aged in spent barrels previously used for wine, sherry, and port. You’ll also find several tequila companies using spent bourbon barrels for aging, including collaborations between Corazon and Buffalo Trace, as well as Tequila Ocho and Old Fitzgerald.
Agave
But we’re only just now starting to see bourbon finished in tequila barrels hit the market in the past few years. These spirits pick up the spice and dark molasses notes of the agave base and lend well to cocktails or can be enjoyed neat.
Many are limited releases, like Sagamore Spirit Tequila Finish Rye Whiskey, and the trend even extends across the pond with tequila-finished Irish and Scotch whiskey. Deanston 15-Year-Old Tequila Cask Finish and Writers Tears Tequila Cask Finish are two notable examples.
With tariffs impacting the price of tequila, there’s never been a better time to try tequila-finished bourbon, starting with these picks.
Angel’s Envy Cedar Collection Vol. 5 Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in French Oak Extra Extra Añejo Tequila Barrels
104.2 Proof
Angel's Envy Cellar Collection Series, Vol. 5 Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in French Oak Extra Añejo Tequila Barrels photo credit Angel’s Envy
The latest release from Angel’s Envy’s Cellar Collection series is a rye whiskey finished in tequila barrels, set to debut in May 2025 for nationwide availability. Master Distiller Owen Martin traveled to Jalisco to collaborate with Patrón Tequila's Master Distiller, David Rodriguez, selecting the barrels. The whiskey, aged up to seven years, was then placed in barrels for up to 12 months and blended with another, older rye, providing the finished product with a caramel color and notes of tobacco and brown sugar.
Casa Noble x High West, The Noble Share Rye Finished in Tequila Barrels
104 proof $174
Casa Noble High West photo credit High West Distillery
The Noble Share is a partnership between Utah-based High West Distillery and Casa Noble Tequila, using the company’s top-shelf Marques de Casa Noble extra añejo barrels for added flavor. High West is known for its rye whiskies, which pair well with the agave notes, and this special release came about from an earlier experiment with finishing.
“The age range of those spirits is four to ten years old, and we finished it in the Marques barrels for six months, but then we took another portion of the blend and put it into amburana barrels as kind of an experiment,” says Tara Lindley, director of Sensory & New Product Development at the brand. “We got this really beautiful botanical rye spice from the base spirit, this beautiful cooked agave and lemongrass from the tequila barrels, and that cinnamon stick character from the amburana barrels.”
FEW Spirits x Alice in Chains “All Secrets Known” Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Tequila Barrels
101 proof
FEW Spirits x Alice in Chains “All Secrets Known” Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Tequila Barrels photo credit FEW Spirits
Grain-to-glass Illinois distillery FEW Spirits has released several collaborations with rock icons in the past few years. But this Alice in Chains expression was released in 2019 in very limited amounts. The overproof bourbon was finished in spent tequila barrels for six months and bottled. The name comes from the band’s 2009 album, Black Gives Way to Blue.
“High-quality barrels were always going to be a key component in delivering on the vision we had for All Secrets Known. They needed to provide balance while also getting us the flavors that we wanted,” says Paul Hletko, founder of FEW Spirits. “We think people will enjoy the sweetness with the overproof bourbon. We really like the desert notes from the agave, layered over the corn and cinnamon of FEW bourbon.” Currently unavailable, only 3300 bottles were produced.
Mary Dowling High Rye Bourbon Finished In Tequila Barrels photo credit Mary Dowling Whiskey Co.
Launched in 2023, there may be no brand more appropriate for tequila-finished bourbon than Mary Dowling Whiskey Co. The company was created by Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame Whiskey Maker Kaveh Zamanian, also of Rabbit Hole, in honor of the “Mother of Bourbon,” who operated Waterfill & Frazier as one of the few female distillers during Prohibition by moving operations to Mexico.
One offering is a bourbon aged in tequila barrels, which is a nod to both Dowling’s origin story and the time south of the border that allowed the distillery to survive. The high rye bourbon produced at Rabbit Hole is first aged for three years in wood-fired, toasted, and charred new American oak barrels. It’s finished in barrels that also held Oloroso sherry and Vin Doux Naturel before the reposado tequila, picking up the flavors of each.
“It's really kind of multi-flavored with smokiness and more herbaceous, earthy notes,” says Zamanian. “Depending on the shape of the barrel and how much flavor it could impart, the range of time, it could be anywhere from a couple months on the very, very short end to about six months.”
Lonerider Straight Bourbon Whiskey Tequila Cask Finish
90 proof $139.99
Lonerider Straight Bourbon Whiskey Tequila Cask Finish
Winner of the silver medal at the New York International Spirits Competition, North Carolina’s Lonerider Spirits tequila-finished bourbon joined the brand’s existing lineup alongside bourbon finished in stout and sherry barrels. The bourbon was aged in former small-batch barrels with a high percentage of agave straight from Jalisco. With accents of cacao and leather, this was a way to bridge the gap between fans of both spirits and use the bourbon in cocktails you might otherwise use tequila for.
Bear Fight Kentucky Reserve, 90 Proof
The flagship bourbon from Bear Fight is finished in reposado tequila casks, adding vanilla and smoky notes to the high rye bourbon.
“It was a deliberate move to create something innovative that brings together two of the fastest-growing spirits categories, bourbon and tequila, while offering a flavor profile that’s bold, unexpected, and entirely our own,” says Shari Baxter, the company’s vice president of R&D and quality.
It also goes through a filtration process to create more consistency. The barrel aging lends the bourbon well to inclusion in the expected cocktails, like Old Fashioneds, as well as the non-traditional, like margaritas.