<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Willett&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Willett</a>, one of the biggest names in Kentucky bourbon and rye, has a lineup of legendary bottles that is longer than most bars&rsquo; menus. Names like Red Hook Rye and Doug&rsquo;s Green Ink have entered the pantheon of god-tier whiskey&mdash;in the rare circumstances they come up for auction, they can net hammer prices as high as $40,000 per bottle. And yet Willet itself&mdash;the distillery and its people&mdash;remains a modest, family-owned operation, with a master distiller at the helm, Drew Kulsveen, who knows every employee by name.
&ldquo;I try to make a point every day that I'm on the property to say hi and talk to as many people as possible&mdash;not necessarily always about work, but about them, their families, their kids,&rdquo; said Kulsveen, who runs Willett with his sister, president and chief whiskey officer Britt Kulsveen, who joined in 2005. &ldquo;I genuinely do it because I care about everybody there. And in addition to that, if there's anything going on, you're going to have a better opportunity to find out and give clarity and answers and support.&rdquo;
<h3 dir="ltr">The Family Business</h3>
The Willett family history includes a line of distillers dating back to the 1700s. Drew&rsquo;s great-grandfather operated his own distillery after Prohibition, though by 1981 it had closed. It was Drew and Britt&rsquo;s parents, Even and Martha Kulsveen (n&eacute;e Willett), who bought the old Bardstown, Kentucky plant in 1984. They set about bottling barrels of aged Kentucky whiskey, mostly for the overseas market, under the name Kentucky Bourbon Distillers. This was a glut period for bourbon, a time when selling off excess stock largely took precedence over thoughts of making new whiskey for future generations. Except that Even and Martha did dream of reopening Willett and distilling themselves someday.
That would take a while. In the meantime, during the 1990s and early 2000s, they bottled whiskey for the likes of <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Black+Maple+Hill&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Black Maple Hill</a>,<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/michters-magliocco"> Michter&rsquo;s</a>, and numerous other brands&mdash;most of which sold for modest prices at the time, years before bourbon&rsquo;s resurgence. &ldquo;That era of all the private labeling business was a way for my father to be engaged without having to be all over the place and be a whiskey salesman,&rdquo; said Drew. He and Britt grew up immersed in the business, their developing palates exposed to some of the best American whiskey ever made.
<h3 dir="ltr">The Single Barrel Era</h3>
Drew joined Kentucky Bourbon Distillers in 2004, catalyzing the dream of rebuilding the family distillery. First he started the Willett Family Estate label for single barrel releases, understated bottles featuring the Willett coat of arms on the front label and details about the whiskey on the back. Customers could choose from the wide array of bourbons and ryes that the Kulsveens had sourced from all over Kentucky, a carefully curated selection with such maturity that some barrels yielded only a few dozen bottles.
The program proved so popular that it ran dry around 2014. Drew eventually brought it back, but with just a small number of barrels offered per year. In the meantime, the company launched Willett Pot Still bourbon in 2008&mdash;a release that received harsh blowback from certain quarters. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been on the internet,&rdquo; said Drew. &ldquo;There was a lot of hate.&rdquo; But it doesn&rsquo;t bother him; the bourbon is Willett&rsquo;s top seller today. &ldquo;It's fine if you don't want to buy it. I don't really care. We're ultimately going to do the right thing by our customers.&rdquo;
<h3 dir="ltr">Looking to the Future</h3>
As the 2010s dawned, the Kulsveens moved ahead with the distillery plans. But they also saw how the industry was changing, especially for companies that relied on purchased whiskey. &ldquo;We knew we would have control of a distillery and the product, process, flavor profiles, and recipes,&rdquo; said Drew. &ldquo;That gives us a solid foundation for growth.&rdquo;
In 2011, Willett&rsquo;s visitor center opened, and by the following year the distillery was up and running. Under Drew and Britt&rsquo;s leadership, Willett has thrived, with hospitality becoming as important as production. The Bar at Willett, which opened in 2019, was a semifinalist for a James Beard Award in 2025. Its<a href="https://vinepair.com/articles/willett-distillery-iconic-egg-salad-sandwich/"> egg salad sandwich</a> has legions of fans, not to mention <a href="https://www.instagram.com/theeggsaladsandwichatwillett/">its own Instagram account</a>.
Demand for Willett&rsquo;s whiskey&mdash;including more under-the-radar brands like <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Noah%E2%80%99s+Mill&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Noah&rsquo;s Mill</a>, Rowan&rsquo;s Creek, and Johnny Drum&mdash;spurred the company to expand to a second site in Springfield, Kentucky, which filled its first barrel in June. Even and Martha passed away in 2025, but Drew said their example shaped his character and the way he works to this day.
&ldquo;Our dad was literally a perfectionist and I have those same qualities,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It's not obsessive, but we strive to make it as best we can, because it's a reflection of who we are as people.&rdquo;
The Unicorn Review talked to Drew about growth during a downturn, Willett Pot Still haters, and why hospitality matters even more than distilling.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The Unicorn Review: When I think of Willett, I divide the company&rsquo;s modern history into three phases: the Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD) era, when your parents were bottling for many brands; the early 2000s when you started accelerating toward distilling; and the current era of making all your own whiskey. What is the next phase?
Drew Kulsveen: KBD never went away. That&rsquo;s still our company name. It&rsquo;s the same corporation.
In the early 2000s, when me and my sister joined, we were like, "Let's go out and meet our customers and talk about our brands and focus on ourselves." Then that's when all that started to transition and shift, and it was exciting.
We built this amazing new facility for future generations to continue to propel our company and help people learn about Willett. I could walk into 50 places in Chicago right now and people have not heard of or tasted Willett. There's so much opportunity for us and we just have to keep knocking on the doors.
The new facility in Springfield is definitely exciting, especially at a time when other distillers are slowing production. Tell me about it.
It allows us to continue the things that we're doing in Bardstown on a much different scale. And it's security&mdash;to have a secondary site so if something were to happen, we at least have a backup plan. The scale is about two and a half times our production at Bardstown. We'll obviously grow into that, but we've also built in space for future production. If it needs to continue to grow, we've set that opportunity up for us to do so very easily.
You very well may need that extra capacity soon, because Willett has a strong international presence, right?
Yeah, my father was one of the first people to export to Asia and we still have those relationships. We sell all over Europe. Before any of the current downturn, Britt and I were like, "We need to restructure this and find a better way to do this.&rdquo; And we have.
We've got great partners around the world. Our exports are actually up even with tariffs and all the stuff going on in the world. There are some people that are not doom and gloom that are actually doing really well. I'm glad to say that we're one of those few companies that's thriving right now.
We're patient. We're not looking for what's happening this half of the year or the quarter or the next 120 days. We look at things from a bigger picture perspective of what's going to happen in five, ten, 20, 25 years. That's the business that we're in. If you look at the numbers, the market's down three or four percent. Why are you panicking when things are down single digits for a very short period of time when you've been riding on this cloud for the last 20 years? I don't understand it.
Taking a long view is part of your advantage as a family company, right?
Our strength is being able to make consistent, decisive decisions across the board. Literally, Britt and I can make a split-second decision, and we're able to do that with confidence. It's not like we're doing that because we have the ability to do it; we think it's the right thing to do.
Opportunities sometimes are very time-based. A lot of these large companies, they'll have a meeting about a meeting to have a meeting, and we don't do that. We need substance; we need information so that we can give direction. If you don't have that, you don't have good communication. When you don't have good communication, that's when really bad things start to happen.
The hospitality side of your business sets a high standard, even with so many other excellent visitor experiences in Kentucky. How does that fit in with the production side?
You're literally coming to our home. We spend more time there than anywhere else in the world, and we want that environment to feel welcoming. We feel that that is more important than the whiskey business because it creates a great experience and a great memory. When you're having a great whiskey to pair that with, it's something that you're going to talk about forever.
So many KBD bottlings have achieved mythic status. Do you aspire to create whiskeys at the distillery that reach those same legendary heights?
I don't think our intention ever was to create what it turned into. It just kind of happened. We knew the whiskey was amazing and special. It was probably the most expensive bottle of American whiskey on the shelf [20 years ago]. These bottles that are now four, five, six figures didn't exist back then.
Our intention's never been to do that. At the end of the day, my goal is to create an amazing whiskey that you enjoy. That brings me happiness, and I'm glad that people have the patience and the money, and also the ability, to have these bottles to preserve for the future. But one day I want them to be enjoyed. That&rsquo;s the reason that we strive for excellence&mdash;we really want people to open that bottle and share it and enjoy it.
Have you held onto a lot of those older, in-demand bottlings?
Yes, but it's not to hold onto them because they hold so much value in the marketplace. We're holding them back to share with people. I want to share them with the next generation of whiskey drinkers. I want them to understand and have the ability to not just hear about something, but actually try it.
I don't want a museum. I don't want to see a collection of Willetts that are just there to take pictures of for social media. I want people to come and enjoy them. I want people to have the experience to try something that they thought they'd never be able to try. We&rsquo;ve purposefully held bottles back so that people will have that experience in the future.
Does it bum you out to see people bragging about their unopened bottles?
It&rsquo;s fine. It's theirs. They own it, they get to do whatever they want to with it. Would I do that? Absolutely not. I'm the kind of guy that's going to open that bottle and not think about it and just enjoy it.
These bottles are very relevant for a reason. They have been opened, they have been enjoyed, and that's why they fetch so much money. And one day somebody's kid's going to make a bourbon and Coke in high school with it. There is the risk of that happening. I've heard stories like, &ldquo;My wife was making a bourbon dessert and she used the 20-year-old Willett Family Estate.&rdquo; If you would've actually drank that bottle, that would not have happened.
You&rsquo;ve said you hate the word &ldquo;allocated,&rdquo; but you do have to allocate some things, right?
Yeah, we have to, but we don't really control the way that that's done. We trust the people that represent all of our brands in the marketplace to do the right thing by Willett. They know who our best customers are. They know the people that are actually supporting the entire line and supporting our overall business. At the end of the day, that's how we stay in business and can continue to grow, by having loyalty to people that really do care about Willett.
Speaking of core range, brands like Noah&rsquo;s Mill and Rowan&rsquo;s Creek are really excellent but they fly under the radar. A lot of people don&rsquo;t realize they&rsquo;re made at Willett. Is that by design?
Britt and I intentionally have left a lot of these things alone. When we reintroduced Old Bardstown, we went back to the original bottle shape, label color, and label design from when it first came out in the 1940s. We were trying to replicate when our family first put whiskey in a bottle after Prohibition.
The same thing is done with those other brands that our father created in the '80s and '90s. We've left them the way that they are. You can walk down any bourbon aisle today and recognize that those bottles probably could use a little refreshing design on the package, but then it's just going to start to look like everything else. We like that era of when the term &ldquo;small batch&rdquo; was reinvigorated and reinvited people back to American whiskey from an era when they had no taste for it.
We do go out and talk about these brands. I tell people that Rowan's Creek is my favorite whiskey that we make that you can actually find on the shelf. It&rsquo;s delicious and I'll stand behind it 100 percent. It&rsquo;s a great product at a great price. These are the driving forces of Willett, even though they don't say Willett on the brand.
When Willett Pot Still came out, it drew a strong backlash from some bourbon drinkers. Have the haters come around?
I don't care about the hate. I think it's good and healthy to have some criticism. The way I look at things is&mdash;this is our number-one selling brand, and if people didn't like it, they wouldn't buy it. It might not be the bourbon for the person chasing Willett Family Estate. But I can literally walk into any bar and drink any bottle of bourbon on the shelf and be a happy person walking out. I don't have to drink the rarest and most expensive thing to be happy and satisfied.
I think that there's a group of people that feel like their status is better represented when they criticize a lot of brands. They probably haven't tasted Pot Still since it came out, so I don't believe them. When that brand first came out, it was sourced liquid. It transitioned to a blend of sourced and our distillate. Now it's our stuff and we're crushing it.
That's what drives our business. Our customers direct our sales. They tell us what to make. They tell us what to produce, what to put into glass. And the fact that Pot Still is still the driving force tells me that there's a lot of love for it.
The distillate that goes into that product could literally be Family Estate one day. It&rsquo;s really interesting that people don't make that correlation.
Your dad was from Norway, which has a thriving whisky scene of its own these days. Have you tried any Norwegian whiskies?
I have. People probably don't know this about Willett, but we import gin and aquavit from a small producer in Norway, and brandy and Cognac from France because that's where the Willetts came from originally. We are working on bringing some Norwegian whisky over. It's delicious.

Master Distiller Drew Kulsveen Is Planning a Long Future for Willett

One could argue that Africa is already in the midst of a minor gin boom, as small distilleries on the continent have sparked interest amongst drinkers across the Western world. Consider South Africa&rsquo;s thriving craft gin movement, with brands like Six Dog and A Mari Ocean showcasing unique, indigenous botanicals such as fynbos. Then there&rsquo;s Procera from Kenya, which is making a significant impact in the U.S. due to the use of fresh African juniper as its main botanical, which imparts a distinctive flavor to the gin. And Bayab African Gin, which is infused with baobab fruit, is finding its way to the back shelves of bars in the UK and the U.S.&nbsp;
More recently, African rum and agave spirits have begun to make a mark. Building on this wave, Sango African Agave has come up with a contemporary take on a tradition more associated with Mexico. Made from 100 percent African agave, it is one of the few available in both the United States and South Africa.
<h3 dir="ltr">The Rise of African Agave</h3>
Spearhead Spirits, producer of Bayab Gin and Vusa Vodka, launched Sango in 2024. According to co‑founder Damola Timeyin, growing curiosity about agave is encouraging consumers to look beyond traditional regions and discover new expressions from different parts of the world.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s just an overall curiosity, and people are recognizing that Africa has a lot to offer,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;People are becoming more exploratory, and finding brands like ours along that journey. Producers across [different] spirits are drawing attention to what Africa has to offer.&rdquo;
Another example is Rho, an agave spirit from Kenya made from Agave sisalana (sisal), a plant introduced to the country over a century ago. Other notable examples include Leonista and Inzalo Agave Spirit, both produced in South Africa.
Although these agave spirits cannot be labeled as mezcal or tequila, which have legally defined geographical indications, consumers are embracing them despite their limited market availability. Sango, for example, has begun appearing in cities such as Atlanta and Chicago, as well as in bars and restaurants in Disney&rsquo;s Animal Kingdom Theme Park in Orlando, Florida.
Inzalo, another South African agave spirit, was founded by Sebastian O&rsquo;Keefe and Diego Avila. It is made from red agave rather than blue weber agave, which is&nbsp; used for tequila, or the various agave species commonly used in mezcal production. Red agave is a descendant of Mexican agaves introduced to South Africa more than 300 years ago. Over centuries, it has adapted to one of the most extreme environments on earth, find a way to thrive in ancient seabed soil despite intense UV exposure and as little as 200 millimeters of rainfall per year.
O&rsquo;Keefe believes Inzalo differs from other African agave spirits because of its focus on plant and place. The founders spent nearly a year driving across South Africa and documenting agave species before identifying the ideal terroir in the Western Cape.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re building Africa&rsquo;s first commercial agave spirits farm specifically around red agave,&rdquo; said O&rsquo;Keefe. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re not trying to compete with Mexico. South Africa&rsquo;s terroir is fundamentally different. Mexican spirits are shaped by volcanic soils, cultivated agaves, and centuries of inherited processes. Inzalo is shaped by ancient seabed, wild agaves, and a production process built from scratch. The result exists in its own space&mdash;not tequila or mezcal, but a new class of agave spirit that could only come from here.&rdquo;
<h3 dir="ltr">The New Wave of African Rum&nbsp;</h3>
Rum is also emerging as a diverse category in Africa. Made from both molasses and cane juice, African rum offers unique flavor profiles that come from the use of indigenous ingredients, as well as aging the spirit in used wine barrels instead of the bourbon barrels that are typically used.
Rum has been produced on the continent since the 18th century, but countries such as Ghana, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda, Cape Verde, and Kenya have embraced the category more actively over the past decade. Notable producers include Takamaka in Seychelles, Dodo Plantain‑Infused Rum in Nigeria, and MIM Distiller and Reign Rum in Ghana.
Pierra Ntayombya and Rohan Shah founded IMIZI Forest Rum in 2023 in Kigali, Rwanda. This country is traditionally not known for rum production, as sugarcane cultivation is only about a century old. &ldquo;What intrigued us was whether we could make a spirit from Rwanda that was truly unique and captured the essence of the country,&rdquo; said Ntayombya. &ldquo;We looked at sugarcane as something different both locally and regionally. Rwanda doesn&rsquo;t carry the dark history of slavery and exploitation associated with many traditional rum‑producing countries. That gave us an opportunity to create something with a completely new story, one that felt culturally appropriate and meaningful.&rdquo;
As the story of IMIZI unfolds, the brand has found a home behind the bar at venues like the Pinnacle Kigali Hotel and Imizi Residency, a Kigali cocktail and listening bar that features the rum in unique drinks. While the spirit is currently only available in Rwanda, the opening of a new distillery will allow exports to begin across the continent within the next year. Ntayombya ultimately hopes to reach Europe and North America, but for now the focus remains on growing its African footprint.&nbsp;
While most of the African agave and rum brands would love to have global availability in the future, for now they are focused on finding success n their home countries and on the continent. But keep a look out for these brands, because you never know when they might make it to a bar or restaurant near you, or even start showing up at auction.

African Agave Spirits and Rum are Ready For The Spotlight

When most people see a bottle of whiskey, they are thinking more about the good stuff inside of it than about what&rsquo;s on the outside. But the fact of the matter is that whiskey labels are actually government-issued documents that are approved by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). That means that there is actually a great deal of information to be found on a whiskey label that can help you understand just what that good stuff inside actually is. Things can get a little bit complicated, so here&rsquo;s a guide to help you decipher the language.
First of all, some information is strictly regulated as far as where it must appear, while other information has a bit more leeway. The former&mdash;brand name, class, type of whiskey (straight bourbon, blended whiskey, American single malt), and alcohol by volume&mdash;must all appear together in the same field of vision. Meanwhile, net contents and the government warning placement is a bit more flexible (within reason). The minimum font size for all of this information is 2 mm, or about the thickness of a nickel.
One thing that doesn&rsquo;t have to appear on the label is who actually made the whiskey, as important as this information might seem. Marshall Fawley, a partner at Lehrman Beverage Law who has spent 15 years navigating TTB regulations, said that every label requires a name and address&mdash;specifically, the bottler's address, not the distiller's.
&ldquo;What does that name and address tell me about the product? A lot,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The actual city and state may be different from where the brand originates from, so is this a co-packed product? Maybe somebody else owns the intellectual property? Are they having it contract-produced somewhere else?&rdquo;&nbsp;
In practice, if the state on the label doesn't match where you'd expect the brand to be from, you may be looking at a sourced product. That means liquid made elsewhere and sold under a different name by one of the <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/field-guide-to-american-ibs">many American independent bottlers</a> or non-distiller producers (NDPs)&mdash;many of whom, Fawley acknowledged, make very fine whiskey.
&ldquo;That knowledge doesn&rsquo;t necessarily change whether or not I'm going to buy the product, but I just like knowing that information for my own nerdy self,&rdquo; he said.
The age statement is another area with some defined rules. For whiskey, the TTB only requires one if the liquid is less than four years old, so the absence of an age statement tells you the liquid is at least four years old&mdash;but nothing more. The word "straight" adds its own floor&mdash;a minimum of two years in the barrel, with no added coloring or flavoring. And if straight whiskey is between two and four years old, it must have an age statement. That means that a 30-year whiskey and a four-year-and-one-day-old bottle of straight whiskey can both go to market with no age disclosure whatsoever.
Brands that do include an age statement are going beyond what's required&mdash;and every voluntary claim, Fawley noted, is a potential area for TTB to push back on during the Certificate of Label Approval (COLA) process. "It's completely conceivable," he said, "that two separate specialists at TTB can look at the same label, and one would say it's compliant and the other one would say it's not."
Some brands go further still. <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Blanton%27s&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blanton's</a>, for instance, notes the specific barrel each bottle was dumped from. The TTB doesn't require it, but Fawley says the agency could ask a brand to prove any voluntary claim on the label. Not every term gets that scrutiny, though, because not every term is defined. "Small batch" has no legal meaning at all, so while a brand could theoretically put it on anything, most use it as a broad term of art. "Barrel proof" does have a definition, but there&rsquo;s some leeway&mdash;the bottle has to land within two proof degrees of what actually came out of the barrel.
That tension explains a lot about why labels look the way they do. Brands want to differentiate with things like origin stories, process claims, and local grain sourcing. But each additional line increases the chance a TTB specialist flags something ambiguous. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s part marketing, but it's part sorcery,&rdquo; Fawley said.
The<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/american-single-malt-whiskey-tasting-brief"> American Single Malt standard</a> is the clearest recent example of how precisely these definitions are drawn, and what happens when a distillery can't fit inside them. Minneapolis-based<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/whiskey-innovation"> Brother Justus</a>, which distills above the new standard's 160-proof cap, decided to opt out of the category rather than change its methods. "We won't change our distillation craft just to be included in a particular category," said founder Phil Steger. The label now reads &ldquo;American whiskey.&rdquo;
None of this means whiskey labels are useless. In fact, if you understand what you are looking at, they can be helpful. Class and type tells you what the TTB has certified the liquid to be. Name and address tells you who's responsible for it. The absence of an age statement tells you it's at least four years old. The DSP (distilled spirits plant) number tells you which distillery made the liquid (it's also<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/how-to-decipher-and-date-old-bottles-of-whiskey"> the key to dating vintage bottles</a>). Everything else is either romance, or&mdash;if you know how to read it&mdash;a clue.

A Field Guide to Reading a Whiskey Label

The 4th of July this year is going to be an extra special holiday because America is celebrating its semiquincentennial, commemorating 250 years of the red, white, and blue. Of course, there are many whiskey distilleries and brands who are marking the occasion as well by releasing everything from limited-edition bottles with patriotic labels, to whiskey bottled at proofs and in numbers that reference the year 1776, to some special high-end releases of America&rsquo;s native spirit. We&rsquo;ve put together a list of some of the best whiskeys that you should look out for this summer, some of which just might prove to be valuable collector&rsquo;s items down the road.
<h3 dir="ltr">Old Overholt 250th Edition (SRP $20)</h3>
This is the same <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=old+overholt&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc">Old Overholt</a> rye whiskey, produced at the James B. Beam Distilling Co. in Clermont, Kentucky, that you know and love. That means the whiskey is four years old and bottled at 86 proof just like the original, but it comes in a new bottle designed to celebrate America&rsquo;s 250th birthday. It&rsquo;s only being released in five states, however&mdash;Pennsylvania, Ohio, Oregon, Maryland, and New Orleans, LA&mdash;so keep an eye out for bottles appearing at <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">auction</a>.
<h3 dir="ltr">United States of Bourbon 1776 Edition (SRP $200)</h3>
Vermont independent bottler Lost Lantern released the new United States of Bourbon just last week. This was the very first blend of bourbon to combine liquid from all 50 states, including distilleries like <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=New+Riff&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc">New Riff</a>, Kings County, and Woodinville Whiskey. The 1776 Edition pared the concept down to just 13 East Coast states to celebrate the 250th, and was released in a run of 1,776 bottles.
<h3 dir="ltr">Wattie Boone 250th Anniversary Edition (SRP $250)</h3>
This is really a celebration of the 250th anniversary of the <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=wattie+boone&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc">Wattie Boone</a> distillery in Kentucky, but it coincides nicely with America&rsquo;s birthday as well. Wattie Boone a brand produced by Preservation Distillery, and this 250th Anniversary Edition is a blend of just two barrels: one is an 11-year-old Kentucky bourbon, the other is a 22-year-old Tennessee bourbon. The final blend was bottled at 124.8 proof, and just 250 bottles were released.
<h3 dir="ltr">WhistlePig Red, White &amp; Blue PiggyBank (SRP $250) and Declaration Wheat Whiskey (SRP $74)</h3>
Vermont distillery <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=WhistlePig&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc">WhistlePig</a> is celebrating the 250th anniversary with two new special releases. The first is a Red, White, &amp; Blue version of its annual PiggyBank release, a 110-proof, 10-year-old sourced rye whiskey that comes in a collectible pig decanter (the whiskey pours out of the rear end). The second is a wheat whiskey, which obviously has a very different flavor profile than the distillery&rsquo;s usual rye. This 86-proof whiskey was doubled aged in American oak barrels, and comes with a cracked Liberty Bell topper.
<h3 dir="ltr">Peg Leg Porker Spirit of America (SRP $60)</h3>
Peg Leg Porker is a Tennessee whiskey brand founded by pitmaster Carey Bringle, owner of a barbecue restaurant in Nashville who lost his leg to cancer when he was just 17. The new Spirit of America expression is a bottled-in-bond bourbon, meaning it&rsquo;s at least four years old, the product of one distillery and one distilling season, and bottled at exactly 100 proof.&nbsp;&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">Barrell Bourbon Batch 038 (SRP $80)</h3>
Louisville whiskey blending house <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=barrell+craft+spirits&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc">Barrell Craft Spirits</a> released its latest batch of bourbon last month. Like past releases, this is a blend of sourced barrels from different distilleries, including whiskey from Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, and Maryland that was aged between eight and 15 years and bottled at 116.96 proof. This release stands out for its red, white, and blue label commemorating the country&rsquo;s 250th birthday.
<h3 dir="ltr">Rittenhouse United States 250th Anniversary Commemorative Edition (SRP $100)</h3>
<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=rittenhouse+rye&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc">Rittenhouse</a> is <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Heaven+Hill&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc">Heaven Hill&rsquo;s</a> dependable budget rye brand, but this new 250th Anniversary edition presents a major upgrade to the whiskey. This release was made from the regular Heaven Hill rye mashbill of 51% rye, 35% corn, and 14% malted barley, but it was aged for a full decade and bottled without chill filtration at 100 proof. It also features a special label for the occasion.
<h3 dir="ltr">BHAKTA 1868 America250 Edition ($250)</h3>
Bhakta Spirits is the brand started by the founder of <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=WhistlePig&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc">WhistlePig</a>, Raj Bhakta, after he left the company years ago. The focus of his new endeavor is on Armagnac, but there are a few excellent whiskeys in the lineup as well. The new 1868 America250 Edition is a blend of bourbon and 100 different vintages of Armagnac with an average age of 30 years. Just five barrels were produced of this very limited-edition spirit, each named after a different person who played a major role in American history.
<h3 dir="ltr">Evan Williams Single Barrel (SRP $40)</h3>
Heaven Hill bourbon brand <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=evan+williams&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc">Evan Williams</a> released a few expressions to commemorate America&rsquo;s 250th, including 1.75-liter versions of Black Label and 1783 Small Batch. The best of the group is this new higher proof <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Evan+Williams+Single+Barrel+Bourbon&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon</a>, bottled, of course, at 117.76 proof. This often underrated single barrel bourbon comes with special packaging with a hand-dipped blue wax topper.
<h3 dir="ltr">Horse Soldier Liberty Edition (SRP $800)</h3>
The latest release from <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=horse+soldier&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc">Horse Soldier</a>, a brand that was founded by a group of ex-Green Berets, is a very expensive 13-year-old bourbon released to mark 250 years of America. 1,776 bottles of this 100-proof Kentucky bourbon were released, and a portion of the proceeds from the sales will go to the Statue of Liberty &amp; Ellis Island Foundation. The brand is also opening the new Horse Soldier Farms, its new distillery and visitor center, this July 4.

The Best Bottles of Whiskey Commemorating America’s 250th Anniversary

The wine scene is ever evolving. These days, consumers are not just seeking out wines from traditional regions like California, France, and Italy. Instead, many are interested in lesser-known areas that offer a hyper-local experience with wines as unique as the land they come from. Emerging wine regions like<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/virginia-wine"> Virginia</a>, Colorado, Texas, and the now-thriving <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/new-york-finger-lakes-wine">Finger Lakes</a> have shown that consumers are open to expanding their horizons while building collections.
Maryland can, and should, be added to the list. The state, traditionally known for its crab cakes and maritime heritage, is now also home to some excellent vineyards. &ldquo;We're getting greater visibility with increased wine tourism,&rdquo; said Janna Howley, executive director of the Maryland Wineries Association. &ldquo;More consumers are interested in exploring the entire wine world and are curious about lesser-known regions&mdash;like Maryland.&rdquo;
<h3 dir="ltr">Diverse Geography and Improved Winemaking Practices</h3>
Maryland&rsquo;s climate can be challenging. Summers are usually hot and humid, and fall is typically the rainy season due to lingering southeastern hurricane weather. But there is an upside.&nbsp;
The long growing season gives grapes more time to develop complexity while sustaining acidity, and diverse soils help create lively, nuanced wines. Yes, there are challenges, but when vineyards are carefully managed and adapted to the weather, the wines are well-balanced.
&ldquo;Maryland has wide diversity, beginning with geography as well as a focus on disease-resistant varieties with thick skins,&rdquo; said Paige Post Bindel, sommelier at Pebble Beach Resorts and member of the USA Wine Tasting Team 2024 and 2025. &ldquo;There is also a unique innovation in Maryland with unexpected varieties from Europe and aromatic whites.&rdquo;
The area's diverse geography and topography allow for different varietals of grapes to be grown. So each region in the state offers its own unique wines to explore. &ldquo;It's exciting to see the growth of more unfamiliar wine areas like Maryland,&rdquo; said Stefani Jackenthal, wine journalist, consultant, and author of Wanderlust Wining. &ldquo;Over the years, vineyard managers and winemakers have figured out what varietals will flourish in the climate and soil.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Now that winemaking practices are improving, Maryland is delivering sweet, dry, and even sparkling wines, with Cabernet Franc and Albari&ntilde;o leading the pack along with a few surprise guest stars like the French-American hybrids Chambourcin and Traminette.
There are currently over 100 licensed wineries in Maryland, giving you plenty of options to choose from. These producers are just a handful of what you'll find there, but they will help get you started on your journey into Maryland wine.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">Wineries to Begin Building Your Maryland Collection</h3>
Black Ankle Vineyards&nbsp; Wine enthusiasts Ed Boyce and Sarah O&rsquo;Herron founded Black Angle Vineyards in 2008 after leaving their consulting jobs behind to fulfill their dreams of producing wine. All of the grapes used in the wines are estate-grown on the vineyard&rsquo;s farms in Mount Airy and Clarksburg, and are harvested all by hand.
The Bordeaux-style blend Crumbling Rock is a bold, dry red with dark fruit notes and spice that&rsquo;s perfect for aging. The Italian-inspired Passeggiata is a bright, fruit-forward red with soft tannins that pair well with food and can be enjoyed straight away.
Made using the classic Champagne method, Malintzi Sparkling Wine is crisp and elegant, with fine bubbles and hints of apple that make it ideal for a celebratory toast.&nbsp;
Linganore Winecellars Jack and Lucille Aellen opened Linganore Winecellars in 1976. Two years later, they introduced the first semi-sweet grape wines in Maryland. Their children have since taken over operations and now focus on delivering sweeter varietals grown using the most sustainable methods whenever possible.
The majority of grapes are grown on their farm, but some are purchased within roughly 100 miles of the East Coast. They recently purchased another farm and planted five acres of no-spray and low-spray varietals from Germany and Italy, an attempt to minimize environmental impact.
&ldquo;We started with dry wines, but are now well-known for our sweet and fruit wines,&rdquo; said Melissa Aellen, director of winery operations at Linganore. &ldquo;We actually make wine from 100 percent fruit, so not only do we have grape wines, but we also have raspberry, blueberry, and strawberry.&rdquo;
The Aria is a classic sweet wine, with heavy floral aromas and fruity, citrus notes. It recently took home the Double Gold medal and Best in Class - White Blend at the 2025 Maryland Governor&rsquo;s Cup Wine Competition.
In 2024, Aellen launched its sister company, Simple Theory, with her cousin, which grows all of its own grapes and is already gaining rave reviews for its Barbera.
Old Westminster Winery Old Westminster Winery was founded by three siblings who hand-planted 7,600 grapevines on an unused family juniper nursery&mdash;it would later become Maryland&rsquo;s first winery with a licensed outdoor kitchen.
Today, Lisa Hinton is Old Westminster&rsquo;s winemaker and Ashli Johnson is in charge of operations. Drew Baker tends to 134 acres and 50,000 vines between the winery and its second location, Burnt Hill Farms, which features a fine dining restaurant located above the estate vineyard.&nbsp;
Burnt Hills Farm is an estate project, so 100 percent of its wines are made from grapes grown exclusively on the farm. Old Westminster Winery uses grapes grown throughout Maryland, leaning heavily into single-vineyard expressions of specific grape varieties from different soils and elevations to showcase all the state has to offer.
&ldquo;By sourcing from a number of other vineyards, we get to tell the story of so many unique sites,&rdquo; said Baker. &ldquo;We let those conditions and varieties determine the style, rather than imprint some predetermined plan onto them.&rdquo;
The Cabernet Franc combines scents of blackberry and cedar with a bitter mix of dark chocolate and vanilla on the palate. The Honey is a unique white wine, sweetened with local wildflower honey. Expect a nose full of grassy honeycomb aromas, followed by a fresh tropical taste.&nbsp;
Boordy Wines Broody Wines has been around since 1945, making it the oldest winery in Maryland. Originally founded by Baltimore residents Philip and Jocelyn Wagner, the winery is now run by the Deford family, who operate the longstanding farm in the Long Green Valley and its second location, South Mountain Vineyard.
While the winery enjoys testing wines in an experimental plot in Frederick County that includes 25 varietals, it focuses mainly on dry wines and a red Bordeaux blend.
The Albari&ntilde;o in the Landmark Series is a stunner, made from Spanish grapes sourced from its South Mountain Vineyard, resulting in a zesty, bright, and slightly floral wine.&nbsp;
The full-bodied Merlot Dry Bench Reserve is also quite good. This wine is made from grapes hand-selected from rocky soil that produce highly concentrated flavors, and aged 17 months in French oak barrels.&nbsp;

Why Maryland is an Upcoming Wine Region to Watch

<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Bardstown+Bourbon+Company&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bardstown Bourbon Company</a> didn't invent the idea of contract distilling, but it did make that model more innovative, more transparent, and more modern than it had ever been&mdash;and moved it into the heart of bourbon country. The distillery was founded in 2014 and began distilling by 2016, combining contract distillation, collaborative projects, and its own branded releases at a scale that was unusual at the time. Like much of the whiskey industry, BBC has faced some tough times recently and scaled back its production, but it continues to release some truly innovative and excellent whiskeys.
Dan Callaway joined Bardstown in 2018 and moved into the position of master blender in 2025 (the distillery is now part of parent company Lofted Spirits along with <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Green+River&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Green River</a>, a distillery that it acquired in 2022). Over that time, he&rsquo;s become one of the clearest voices in blending, and was even featured in a <a href="https://www.bardstownbourbon.com/news/featured-on-60-minutes/">60 Minutes segment</a> about the life of a bourbon barrel. As the broader market cools after years of expansion, Bardstown is balancing its in-house brands, large-scale custom distilling, and an expanding portfolio.&nbsp;
Just this year, the company has released an expression using hard-to-find Garryana oak, along with a collaboration with respected Japanese distillery <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Mars&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mars</a>, while Green River delivered a Honey Finished Bourbon along with their oldest expression yet, the Toasted Double Oak Distillery Select.
Callaway talked to The Unicorn Review about what the market slowdown actually looks like from the inside, how blending functions when supply and demand shift, why Bardstown rethought its visual identity, and how scale changes the creative process.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The Unicorn Review: Bardstown has become a central player in American whiskey in a fairly short time. What stands out most about where the company is now?
Dan Callaway: It started with Peter Loftin, our founder. We started distilling in September of 2016, and we came out of the gate sourcing whiskey, making blends, and doing finishes. And then we slowly started incorporating our liquid. The cool part was putting the distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky. We&rsquo;ve got all the history and tradition&mdash;we&rsquo;re in the bourbon capital of the world&mdash;but we bring a modern take to the industry. Innovation, collaboration, transparency; you'll see that in the building, you'll see it in the bottles, and you&rsquo;ll see it in the products.
One innovation was treating hospitality as an opportunity to build the brand. Previously, brands looked at bourbon tourism as more of an obligation, a box to check. From day one, we had this amazing restaurant and bar team getting people to stay on site. Whether it's a tour thieving from barrels or cocktail classes, we were building our brand through our hospitality program.&nbsp;
You mentioned the building. Can you talk about the glass-front rickhouse?
Initially, it was all glass looking into the distillery. In the corner of the warehouse was this little glass pocket. We started taking samples from those barrels, and when the sun hits them, we&rsquo;d get a day-to-day change, a diurnal shift. Traditionally, in Kentucky spirits, you look at the really cold winters, the really hot summers, and you're getting an annual development from the barrel change and that interaction and wood extraction.&nbsp;
We loved the flavor of that corner, so we pivoted and did an entire wall of the rickhouse facing the sunset. Every afternoon, those barrels are getting hit with direct heat, and that&rsquo;s causing more flavor development, and a day-to-day change in the temperature of the liquid. We've had barrels up there for a few years, everything from new make going into the barrel to a finishing project. We&rsquo;ll keep sampling and see.
<h3>Adapting to a Cooling Market</h3>
The global whiskey market is in a difficult place right now. From where you sit, what is just hearsay versus what is actually changing on the ground?
The narrative that I often hear, that I don't agree with, is that &ldquo;the sky is falling.&rdquo; The excitement around brands has never been higher. Look at bourbon tourism in Kentucky. Just speaking with our VIP coordinator, seeing how busy he is&mdash;the people are coming.&nbsp;
Now, we do have a lot of barrels sitting, so it&rsquo;s never been a better time to be a consumer, as these things age. The truth of it is, as those barrels age, people will still need younger bourbon for their releases, so the distillation side will pick back up. I think we're in the middle of a correction from overproduction, but it will correct itself over time.
Can you talk a little bit more about how that affects the two sides of Bardstown differently&mdash;contract distilling and in-house brands?
We balance both. Bardstown has had tremendous growth as the industry is flat or even a little down. Then we look at our distillation volumes and see what we need to do and what barrels we&rsquo;re sitting on as our partner brands adjust their inventories. That&rsquo;s a balancing act that takes the whole team. I think we&rsquo;re about a year or so away from the new-make demand coming back.
When demand cools or is a bit flat on the distilling side, does that create more room for experimentation on the brand side?
Exactly. We can free up a fermenter, for example, and our team is open to doing that if there's a unique grain or something. Nick Smith, our director of distillation, has some cool projects going, and there's an opportunity to experiment if there's room in the schedule.
Is it fair to say that things are stratifying into a bit of a winner-take-more market?
That&rsquo;s a good question. The huge success story is RTDs. But in bourbon specifically, you can look year-over-year, and certain brands are just having a really good time right now. Others are a little more flat, and it comes down to the quality of your liquid and the authenticity of your story.
<h3 dir="ltr">Custom Distillation and Radical Transparency</h3>
Bardstown is very transparent about its story, even if the history isn't necessarily long. Do you think that that is a contributing factor to your success?
It&rsquo;s funny, because I feel like we've been around forever, but we are such a new brand. A lot of people are still learning about Bardstown, and we're seeing that in the sales. As people learn about us, they like what they hear. I think the growth has been organic from the beginning. It&rsquo;s not like we suddenly hit a switch and did something different. It's just been a slow build.
Bardstown is often described as a contract distiller, but you&rsquo;ve pushed back on that language. Why?
Before Bardstown, if you wanted a bourbon, you would get the excess or an existing recipe from a big guy. You wouldn't be able to say where you got it, and you wouldn't be able to shape the profile, right? So then you&rsquo;ve got all these bourbons on the back bar that are the same liquid with different labels.
What Bardstown kicked off, instead of contract distillation, was custom distillation. You pick your yeast, how long you want to ferment, the temperature off the still, the barrel. It's like you're a chef coming in and using our kitchen. That's how Peter Loftin, the founder, wanted it from the beginning.
As you've said, contract distilling used to be something that brands weren&rsquo;t necessarily willing to talk about. Now there&rsquo;s more transparency around sourcing and production. How do you think that came to be?
When people were buying from a large distiller, they often didn't want the public to know that was happening, or that it existed. So you weren't allowed to say where you got it from. You could get away with kind of just making up a story and slapping it on a label. And now I think there is a demand for authenticity.&nbsp;
I also think our partner brands have realized that their fans appreciate the story and connection. If it&rsquo;s made at Bardstown, fans know that the brand has their own recipe, and they did it their way. If you visit us, every partner brand is on the back bar. We sell our partner brands in retail. It's just a complete pivot and a different way to look at things.
<h3 dir="ltr">Blending, Stewardship, and Green River</h3>
Talk a little bit about your background, and your history with the company.
I was a musician, my whole life. I come from a family of musicians. I was playing French horn down in New Orleans, and I was doing these tours every year that would go to China, and I met my now wife on that tour. She was from Kentucky, so I moved to Kentucky.
I had always been really deep into wine and cocktails, so when I moved I got my sommelier certification, and from there I met the people starting Bardstown. I initially came down because they were building this restaurant and beverage program, and that&rsquo;s how I got into the company. As we slowly started to add expressions, I started shifting into product development, and then went full-time into blending and finishing. With the acquisition of Green River, I now oversee that for both brands.&nbsp;
That leads to my next question: where does Green River sit in relation to the company?
To me, it's the perfect juxtaposition to Bardstown. If Bardstown is exploring, innovative, modern, then Green River is everything that's beautiful about classic Kentucky bourbon. It was started in 1885, DSP-KY-10, the tenth registered distillery. It&rsquo;s accessible, and honestly, it's really fun to blend, because you're making these beautiful traditional profiles. We have the bourbon, the wheated bourbon, the rye, we're now launching a full-proof wheated to go with our full-proof bourbon, and then single barrels. What I'm looking at right now, as we expand Green River, is a lot of distillery-only releases. I think it's a unicorn of a brand, and we've only scratched the surface of what Green River can do. &nbsp;
From a volume perspective, what would you say is the split between Green River and Bardstown?
They&rsquo;re pretty much 50-50, if not Bardstown by a hair. And with the price point, I wouldn't be surprised if they kind of go back and forth.
<h3 dir="ltr">Collaboration and Creativity</h3>
Speaking of partners, Bardstown has a huge range of collaborators. What makes a collaboration something that's worth pursuing?
We&rsquo;re always looking for firsts. That might be Indian whisky barrels with <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/auction/8d1c3e8d-dc32-4cc3-8925-ee795db81e8d/lot/46328d94-ee6e-4247-b106-3aa96dca14dd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amrut</a>, or Armagnac barrels; with Chateau de Labaude, they had to cut a hole in the roof to get the barrels out. I get excited when I hear it&rsquo;s a first. These collaborations are personal relationships. Probably my favorite part of the job is partnerships, because a lot of these aren&rsquo;t contracts, they&rsquo;re relationships. Some of them actually start on Instagram: &ldquo;Hey, do you want to do something cool?&rdquo;
Do you feel there's something important about being in Kentucky for building these relationships?
Absolutely. To me, it&rsquo;s the central nervous system, it's where the knowledge is. You're seeing people constantly and connecting with them, and there are so many warehouses and labs and innovation happening here. I always tell people, when they ask, "How do I get into bourbon?" I say move to Kentucky. It&rsquo;s a welcoming group, too.
<h3 dir="ltr">Cathedral, Scarcity, and 60 Minutes</h3>
When you look at the company now, what stands out to you most about its trajectory?
We're in this unique place as a spirits brand, because we're still a tiny team, and we are able to be agile and make these quick decisions&ndash;although we've grown! We now have three stills, and we're producing a large volume of liquid, but at our core, we can shift and pivot on a dime. So whether it's the Cathedral French Oak, a finish featuring rare wood, or distilling from popcorn or rare grains, we're able to innovate and explore and push flavor.&nbsp;
I also think one thing that people are still finding out about is the quality of our core lineup. The six-year bourbon, the rye, the high wheat, the wheated bottled-in-bond, these are all something I think people are still learning about and discovering. The core is still our driver; that's probably 10 times the volume of the experimental side.
It feels like you can&rsquo;t find that Cathedral release anywhere.
It is so hard to find, but I mean, the <a href="https://www.bardstownbourbon.com/news/featured-on-60-minutes/">60 Minutes</a> thing just catapulted it.
What happened there?
60 Minutes was doing a story on the life of a whiskey barrel with a barrel maker, a barrel broker, and then us, since we're known for these creative projects. Someone basically said, "Hey, talk to the Bardstown guys." They were really interested in what we did with India, and then I was talking with their producer and I was telling him about the Cathedral. They were about to air their piece on the reopening of Notre Dame. So it was just this perfect timing and fit, and it was really great to have their team visit.&nbsp;
Has that been your personal favorite release?
It would be hard not to say the Cathedral, for how cool that was. But I also loved one that was in the same series, the Normandie release. All the releases are different, but the flavor of that one just really resonates with me, and I was proud of the team for creating that.
What flies under the radar for me is our double-barreled rye. It&rsquo;s true cask-strength rye finished in cherry wood and American oak zebra barrels, going around with alternating staves, and an infrared toast. The flavor is incredible. Every time someone tries one for the first time, they buy a bottle.
<h3 dir="ltr">Labels and What&rsquo;s Next</h3>
On the topic of bottles, you recently modified your labels. What was the thought process there?
[There was] push on the label redesign to, one, get a little more type up higher, so nothing's buried and so you can see it. Second, underneath Bardstown is a clear way to identify the bottle, whether it's bourbon or bottle-in-bond. And then, with our Collaboration and Discovery offerings, you'll see some revamping there that elevates it as well.
Can you share anything that you have coming up?
Our next distillery-only that's coming soon is Garryana oak, which only grows in the Pacific Northwest [this has been released since the interview took place&mdash;ed]. It&rsquo;s rare, and it has to fall naturally. That oak with bourbon, to me, is just tremendous. We worked with a micro cooperage, Oregon Barrel Works, who do about a thousand barrels a year. We produce about 800 barrels a day, just at Bardstown, so it's been very cool to partner with them. They initially sent us some staves to play around with, and I was really impressed by the character that we were getting. It's not something you see regularly, and I think that could be a really popular one.

At Bardstown Bourbon Company, Dan Callaway Is Defining the Modern Era of American Whiskey Blending

NBA players operate on a different plane&mdash;sometimes literally, drinking trophy bottles on private flights&mdash;and their wine habits during the season reflect that altitude. While most people debate whether a bottle is &ldquo;special‑occasion worthy,&rdquo; some players finish a game and immediately try to source Domaine de la Roman&eacute;e‑Conti, the famously scarce Burgundy estate whose wines routinely sell for five figures.
Thatcher Baker‑Briggs, certified sommelier and founder of Thatcher&rsquo;s Wine, has had to handle many requests like that, at times having to hunt down a $7,000 bottle on a late New York night to be, as he put it, &ldquo;DoorDashed to your house very quickly.&rdquo; It&rsquo;s a glimpse into a wine culture that has moved far beyond nightclub Champagne and status bottles. Today&rsquo;s players who are into wine drink with aplomb, and have educated opinions on things like limestone and fermentation vessels.
Some players still begin with the expensive, highly recognizable labels that sellers tend to push on wealthy buyers&mdash;wines like Screaming Eagle, P&eacute;trus, or the occasional trophy Burgundy. Carlton McCoy, master sommelier and CEO of Lawrence Wine Estates, said athletes are often treated as &ldquo;whales,&rdquo; and steered toward the priciest bottles first.
But for the players who get serious, the arc doesn&rsquo;t stop there. As their interest deepens, they start traveling to places like Burgundy and Napa, meeting winemakers and asking questions. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not just a status symbol,&rdquo; McCoy said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re culturally curious.&rdquo;
That subset of players has helped shift the league&rsquo;s palate. The old model&mdash;big Napa Cabernets and flashy Champagne&mdash;has given way to wines with nuance, structure, and a sense of place among those who choose to go deeper.
<h3 dir="ltr">Burgundy: The Rite of Passage</h3>
For NBA players who move past the initial luxury‑label phase, Burgundy is often the first region that pulls them into deeper waters. It&rsquo;s where they start paying attention to producers, vintages, and style, rather than just focusing on price. &ldquo;Once you get in it, there&rsquo;s really nothing better,&rdquo; said Baker‑Briggs.
It&rsquo;s also where the late‑night texts begin. Draymond Green recently tried a white Burgundy from <a href="https://www.thatcherswine.com/pages/domaine-vincent-dancer?srsltid=AfmBOoqR_kMa2EHBCwf_E9dI4kymNHgP9dCnLoCeVu6ByFrRXjbfIM0Z&amp;_su_rec=_3ks7aoN0zTpvMeOAMp37Vf5f9EH35flutIYwADIEVWf1N0HkQtxfjFPCLLP8Ef8dGaCU1-HqGCyG1uUdjpcAqoSH6nOV4bHVy-Iwb8eFDxYIEiaBfseAIPK2r-ROq4xZCmNyoOLf6ZX1wTJvPwSNidCkdTukkzyD3kjHjhTvcxdkalGwlPO6dHo_dgnOU1mzBNO6haNBt6de1cAn38B8SVuQd-f7RD1zLvG_VgZLSHVpkCV1PnXk7htwRVnuABimsUWhGV2gvNA2iI5dTJFe6NRd1kIjWM1n8JjsHyfCWMCbdQO4uRXn4X-&amp;_su_rec_id=adc59108-52b9-4210-848c-51a22045ab57-1781074579">Domaine Vincent Dancer</a>, now made largely by Vincent&rsquo;s son Th&eacute;o, a young winemaker whose bottles have become increasingly sought after, and immediately messaged Baker‑Briggs. &ldquo;Dude, I just had this wine, I need you to find me all of it,&rdquo; he told Baker-Briggs.
But Burgundy isn&rsquo;t the final destination. It&rsquo;s the moment players realize wine is more than a flex&mdash;and then they keep going. McCoy sees it constantly. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve gotten a little over Burgundy now,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They went so hard and learned so much.&rdquo;
<h3 dir="ltr">Geeky Champagne: The New Flex</h3>
The Champagne players drink today has nothing to do with the nightclub bottles of the early 2000s. Instead, they&rsquo;re chasing grower Champagne&mdash;small‑production, vineyard‑specific wines made by the people who farm the grapes.
Selosse, Ulysse Collin, and J&eacute;r&ocirc;me Pr&eacute;vost are the names circulating in group chats and on team planes. &ldquo;None of them drink Cristal,&rdquo; noted McCoy.&nbsp;
And they don't necessarily drink it in flutes, something that Baker‑Briggs has <a href="https://www.foodandwine.com/best-glass-for-champagne-11991718">strong feelings about </a>(&ldquo;Champagne flutes and coupes should really just never exist anywhere. You ruin everything about the wine, and you miss the aromatics.&rdquo;). Instead, they use white wine glasses, where the aromatics actually show. Champagne, in this world, is treated like the serious wine it is.
<h3 dir="ltr">Old‑School Napa &amp; Niche Barolo</h3>
After Burgundy and Champagne, NBA players don&rsquo;t go bigger&mdash;they go older and cooler.
Library Napa is a major obsession: Heitz, Stony Hill, Mayacamas, Burgess. These estates are known for balance and structure, not the high‑alcohol style of the Parker era, a stretch from the 1990s through the early 2010s when critic Robert Parker&rsquo;s influence drove wineries&mdash;especially in Napa&mdash;to make riper, higher‑alcohol, more heavily oaked wines that matched his palate and earned high scores.
Instead, players want the vintages with history. &ldquo;They want &lsquo;70s, &lsquo;80s, &lsquo;90s, nothing younger,&rdquo; said McCoy. What appeals to players now is that these older Napa wines are ready to drink, because most aren&rsquo;t looking to cellar bottles for decades. They want wines they can open and enjoy right away.
Then there&rsquo;s Barolo; not the famous names, but the geeky ones. &ldquo;They want the cool niche Barolo producers,&rdquo; McCoy explained. The appeal is that these wines deliver Burgundian elegance and aromatic complexity without Burgundy&rsquo;s $5,000 price tags, and players have started to treat the region as the next frontier.
<h3 dir="ltr">How They Actually Drink: Urgency, Access, and Volume</h3>
The most distinctive part of NBA wine culture isn&rsquo;t what players drink&mdash;it&rsquo;s how they drink it.
They drink immediately. They drink socially. They drink in quantities that would flatten most civilians. McCoy has learned not to try to match their pace. &ldquo;These are large human beings&hellip; they can consume an enormous amount,&rdquo; he said.
Baker‑Briggs tailors his allocations to the way players actually drink. He sends only a few bottles at a time and keeps the rest in storage, knowing that if everything shows up at once, it&rsquo;ll get opened. For him, it&rsquo;s a way to help players enjoy bottles in the moment without losing sight of the long game. This is not a collector culture in the traditional sense. This is a &ldquo;let&rsquo;s open a case of Selosse at dinner&rdquo; culture.
<h3 dir="ltr">Who Drives Trends</h3>
LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Paul were early adopters, and their influence still shapes the league&rsquo;s palate. Anthony, in particular, has surprisingly classical taste&mdash;&ldquo;almost like an old British guy,&rdquo; McCoy said, describing his love of old Claret and Napa. Paul helped drive the early wave of interest simply by being one of the first players to take wine seriously, and James&rsquo; curiosity has made him one of the most diverse drinkers in the league&mdash;someone who&rsquo;ll try anything, even bottles that contradict his usual preferences. &ldquo;He has the energy of an entrepreneur,&rdquo; McCoy said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s open to everything.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;
But trendsetting can be simpler than that. Sometimes it&rsquo;s just the player who brings the best bottle onto the team plane, Baker-Briggs said.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">The Finals Effect</h3>
Players currently still in the Finals aren&rsquo;t drinking. But the moment the season ends, the requests start up again. Baker‑Briggs knows what&rsquo;s coming&mdash;the celebratory orders, the &ldquo;we need a case of this&rdquo; texts, the scramble to find bottles that rarely appear on the market.
The bottles that NBA players want now say more about taste than status. The league&rsquo;s palate has matured. The flex has changed shape.
And in a world where great bottles often disappear into storage, waiting for the right market moment or the next auction cycle, players bring a different energy entirely. They&rsquo;re not treating wine like a financial instrument or a long‑term asset class. &ldquo;These guys are actually helping with consumption,&rdquo; McCoy said. They&rsquo;re treating wine like something meant to be opened, shared, and enjoyed. Simply put, according to McCoy, &ldquo;They buy the wines and they drink them.&rdquo;

Some of the NBA's Biggest Names Have Gone Deep Into Wine—With Help From Expert Sommeliers

Let's be honest, dads can be hard to shop for.&nbsp; I say this as a dad myself, because when my wife and kids ask what I would like for Father's Day, I usually just shrug and tell them whatever they come up with will make me happy. And while that's generally true, one thing that always brings me&mdash;and many other dads&mdash;a great deal of joy is a good bottle of whiskey.&nbsp;
There is no shortage of fantastic options to choose from in all categories these days, from bourbon to single malt scotch to Japanese blends. And there can be real intention in finding a good bottle to gift for Father's Day, because so many brands and distilleries have long family ties, particularly when it comes to American whiskey. Generations of fathers and sons have worked or are still working at distilleries like Wild Turkey, the James B. Beam Distilling Co., and <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Angel%27s+Envy&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Angel's Envy</a>. Keeping this in mind, and of course focusing on really high-quality releases, we've put together a list of some of the best bottles to consider giving to your dad this Father's Day.
<h3><a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Little+Book&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Little Book</a></h3>
This series of blended whiskeys was created by Freddie Noe, eighth-generation master distiller at the James B. Beam Distilling Co., the home of <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Jim+Beam&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jim Beam</a> bourbon. Noe is the son of master distiller Fred Noe and the grandson of the late, legendary master distiller Booker Noe, who created the Jim Beam Small Batch Collection (<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Knob+Creek&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Knob Creek</a>, <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Baker%27s&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Baker's</a>, <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Booker%27s&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Booker's</a>, and <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Basil+Hayden&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Basil Hayden</a>). Each chapter of Little Book differs from the last one in terms of the component whiskeys in the blend. The latest, Chapter 10, was one of the best, combining older, cask-strength versions of the entire Small Batch Collection along with some Jim Beam finished in sherry and toasted bourbon casks.
<h3><a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Booker%27s&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Booker's</a></h3>
It would be remiss not to include Booker's in this list, the uncut, unfiltered bourbon created by Booker Noe in the late '80s that is part of the Jim Beam Small Batch Collection. This bourbon is released in four batches per year, and there is some consistency&mdash;the whiskey is usually aged somewhere between six and seven years and bottled between 120 and 130 proof. But of course there are differences between batches, and it can be fun to try a couple of bottles side by side to see how they compare. In addition to the regular releases, there are also some highly collectible expressions like <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Booker%27s+Rye&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Booker's Rye</a> and the <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Booker%27s+30th+Anniversary&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">30th Anniversary</a> edition to look out for.
<h3><a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Russell%27s+Reserve+15&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Russell's Reserve 15</a></h3>
<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Wild+Turkey&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wild Turkey</a> is another distillery with three generations of fathers and sons that are part of its legacy: master distiller Jimmy Russell, his son Eddie Russell (also master distiller), and his grandson Bruce Russell (associate master blender). Their namesake brand, <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Russell%27s+Reserve&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Russell's Reserve</a>, has been overseen by Eddie and is generally is made up of smaller batches of whiskey compared to regular Wild Turkey. A few years ago, they started releasing age statement expressions, starting with a 13-year-old and moving into this 15-year. Each batch differs a bit depending on the year, but this is a truly fantastic bourbon with a strong family lineage behind it.
<h3><a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Wild+Turkey+Gold+Foil+Edition&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wild Turkey Gold Foil Edition</a></h3>
This whiskey is significant for a few reasons. Most importantly, it represents the first time that Wild Turkey has really leaned into the legacy of its <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Cheesy+Gold+Foil&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cheesy Gold Foil</a> whiskeys, vintage expressions from the '80s and '90s that have become serious collector's items at auction. Also, it's the first bourbon that Bruce Russell has overseen from conception to bottling, continuing his family's legacy at the distillery. This is a 16-year-old bourbon bottled at 120 proof with a label design that recalls the vintage era, and it's a superb new release from Wild Turkey.
<h3><a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Angel%27s+Envy+Cask+Strength+Bourbon&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Angel's Envy Cask Strength Bourbon</a></h3>
<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Angel%27s+Envy&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Angel's Envy</a> was founded in 2010 by a father-son team: master distiller and Bourbon Hall of Fame member Lincoln Henderson, and his son Wes.&nbsp; Unfortunately, the elder Henderson died a few years later, but his son steered the brand until he left in 2022 (Angel's Envy is now owned by Bacardi, and Wes started a new brand called True Story). Over the years, Angel's Envy has stood out because of its focus on cask-finishing&mdash;the core bourbon is given a secondary maturation in port barrels. That is also the case with the very popular cask-strength expression. This annual release differs in terms of age and strength each year, but has become a very popular and often sells out soon after it comes out. The good news is that you can find many past expressions available to purchase at auction now.
<h3><a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Jefferson%27s+bourbon&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jefferson's Presidential Select 18 Year</a></h3>
Trey Zoeller founded Jefferson's along with his father Chet back in 1997, and the brand (now owned by Pernod Ricard) is still going strong today. There are many different expressions to choose from, including the <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Jefferson%27s+ocean+aged&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ocean Aged</a> series, in which barrels are placed on container ships to travel the world and expose the whiskey to different climates as it matures. The Presidential Select expression doesn't go on any journeys, however; instead, this is just a really excellent well-aged bourbon that has been released in different batches over the years. This can be hard to find and a bit pricy when you do, but it's well worth the expense and effort.
<h3><a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Pappy+Van+Winkle+15+Year&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year</a></h3>
As most bourbon fans already know, the Van Winkles have a long history in American whiskey. The Pappy Van Winkle lineup has been produced at <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Buffalo+Trace&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buffalo Trace </a>since the turn of the century in partnership with the Van Winkle family, and the brand is still led by third-generation family member Julian Van Winkle III&mdash;son of Julian Jr., grandson of Pappy himself&mdash;along with his son Preston. There are some younger and older age statements in the Pappy lineup to consider, but the 15-year hits that sweet spot of maturation, resulting in a delicious bourbon that is worth hunting down.&nbsp;
<h3>Kentucke County 12 Year Old American Whiskey</h3>
Father and son master blenders Rick and Ricky Johnson make up the team behind 15 Stars, a brand of sourced whiskeys that,&nbsp; it should be noted, just released its first in-house produced expression. They also launched the new Kentucke County brand recently with two inaugural expressions, a six-year-old bourbon and a 12-year-old American whiskey. The latter is a blend of straight bourbon and American whiskey that was aged in used oak for seven years followed by another five in virgin oak&mdash;a pretty unconventional formula, but one that really works here, making this a great new whiskey that your dad will enjoy.
<h3>Fathertime</h3>
This bourbon brand was founded by comedian Jim Gaffigan, an avid father and whiskey fan (read our interview with him <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/jim-gaffigan-interview-bourbon-set" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>). The Father's Day tie-in is right there in the name, but this is a good whiskey in its own right, with several expressions to choose from. The most recent is called The Caboose, a blend of barrels selected by Jim and his partner and friend Stu Pollard that was bottled at 92.4 proof. It also comes in the Empty Nester cask strength version at 121 proof.&nbsp; Many of the past releases are sold out, but take a look around to see what you can find, and if your dad is a fan of comedy and bourbon&mdash;or just bourbon&mdash;this would be a great bottle to gift.
<h3>Sweeten's Cove Father's Finish</h3>
This whiskey brand was founded by some star athletes and musicians, including Andy Roddick, Peyton Manning, and Drew Holcomb. There have been several releases over the past few years, and the most recent is called Father's Finish. This is a blend of Kentucky and Tennessee bourbons that was finished in cuvee wine barrels and bottled at 98 proof. Granted, the main tie-in to Father's Day is really in the name, but the juice is good so this is a bottle to consider gifting.
<h3><a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Willett&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Willett</a></h3>
Where do you even start when it comes to Willett? The modern history of the brand and distillery is certainly a family affair. Norwegian immigrant Even Kulsveen took over the property with his wife Martha in the mid-'80s, and he was responsible for releasing bourbons like <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Rowan%27s+Creek&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rowan's Creek</a> and Noah's Mill. His son Drew joined the business in 2003, and his daughter Britt a few years later, and eventually the distillery started releasing its own in-house produced whiskey. The old purple top bottles are still some of the most popular that you'll find at auction, and for good reason&mdash;they are often well-aged, high-proof, superb bourbons and rye whiskeys. Any of these would be a treat for dad.
<h3><a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Four+Roses&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Four Roses</a> Father's Day</h3>
Last month, Four Roses released its Mother's Day Private Barrel Selection, a single barrel release made from the OBSQ recipe and bottled at 115.78 proof (the distillery uses five yeast strains and two mashbills to create 10 different recipes). Later this month, it will release a Father's Day version, made using the OBSV recipe, aged for 14 years, and bottled at a high 128.71 proof. This is Four Roses for the dads who are hardcore Four Roses fans, a singular bourbon that will never be repeated in this exact form. It will be released on June 20 (SRP $139) with a two bottle per customer limit.

The Best Whiskeys to Give Your Dad On Father's Day

There&rsquo;s still a corner of the whiskey world that hears the term &ldquo;blend&rdquo; and assumes it means an inferior product, even though brands like <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=dewar%27s&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc">Dewar&rsquo;s</a> and <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Johnnie+Walker&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc">Johnnie Walker</a> have been proving for generations how refined blended whisky can be. Those houses built their reputations on scale, consistency, and the mandate to recreate a signature profile year after year&mdash;the classic mentality of a storied blender.
Relative newcomer <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Compass+Box&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Compass Box</a> came along in a different era, working on a smaller scale and with a different set of priorities: transparency about components, a willingness to put grain whisky in the foreground, and blends built for character rather than consistency. The brand&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Hedonism&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc">Hedonism</a> expression became one of the early examples of how grain whisky could stand on its own when treated with real age and attention.
When Hedonism first appeared in 2000, it didn&rsquo;t look or behave like the blended grain whiskies most people knew. It was built from older parcels than most people associated with grain whisky at the time, and it immediately stood out for its silky, almost custard‑like texture and maturity. As those parcels became harder to source, Hedonism moved into an annual limited‑release format, shaped each year by whatever older grain components were available. The 2026 release (46% ABV, $165) reflects that shift, built around older grain components that give it more weight and darker flavors than recent editions.
This year&rsquo;s blend leans on some of the oldest grain whisky Compass Box has used to date, including a 30‑year Strathclyde and 20&ndash;24‑year whiskies from Port Dundas and Cameronbridge. There&rsquo;s also an older sherry element in the mix, and it shows. The nose is warm and rich&mdash;clove‑spiked fruitcake, dates, toffee&mdash;with that familiar Hedonism dryness underneath. On the palate, the texture is classic: soft, melting, almost custardy. But the flavors run darker than in previous editions, with coffee, roasted almond, tart raisin, and a cocoa‑tinged creaminess that lingers. The sherry doesn&rsquo;t take over; it simply adds depth.
That idea is showing up in American whiskey too, where a handful of producers are making straight blends built from mature straight components assembled with intention. If Hedonism shows how blending can evolve within scotch, these bottles show what happens when American distillers and blenders take the same approach.
<h3 dir="ltr">High West Bourye ($125)</h3>
<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=High+West&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">High West&rsquo;s</a><a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=bourye&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc"> 2026 Bourye</a> leans more heavily on older stock and is a higher proof than previous editions, built entirely from 10 to 19‑year‑old bourbon and rye and bottled at 50.5% ABV without chill filtration. The blend includes two MGP bourbons (75% corn, 21% rye, 4% malted barley; and 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malted barley), MGP&rsquo;s 95% rye/5% malted barley rye, and High West&rsquo;s own 80% rye/20% malted‑rye distillate&mdash;one of the few house‑made components that has now reached meaningful age. The elevated proof gives the blend a darker, more concentrated profile and a confectionary nose with orange‑cr&egrave;me and ginger‑spice character peeking through.
<h3 dir="ltr">Barrell Craft Spirits 12‑Year French Oak Cask Finish Bourbon ($159)</h3>
<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Barrell%E2%80%99s+12%E2%80%91Year+French+Oak+Cask+Finish+Bourbon&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc">Barrell&rsquo;s 12‑Year French Oak Cask Finish Bourbon</a> is a blend of straight bourbons distilled in Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, and Wyoming, all at least 12 years old. Each was given a secondary maturation in French oak casks with distinct toast levels designed to build aromatic spice and deepen the nutty, vanilla‑forward character. The French oak shows immediately, revealing hazelnut, vanilla, nutmeg, and allspice notes, with a worn‑leather earthiness that keeps the sweetness grounded. The palate carries the same toasted‑nut and baking‑spice profile, but there&rsquo;s also a faint herbaceous lift&mdash;a little spearmint, a little green freshness&mdash;that cuts through the richness.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">WhistlePig 12‑Year Market Street Bank Heist ($165)</h3>
Available only at <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=WhistlePig&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WhistlePig&rsquo;s</a> Vault tasting room in Louisville, the 12‑Year Market Street Bank Heist is built from mature rye finished across three cask types&mdash;20% Port, 28% Sauternes, and 52% Madeira&mdash;a combination that gives the whiskey a broader mouthfeel, a longer finish, and a darker flavor profile than the core 12‑year releases. According to Jennifer Bowker, lead tasting room host at the Vault, the Port component brings deep chocolate, dark fruit, and a warm baking‑spice edge, while the Sauternes and Madeira add lift while it remains a dessert dram.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">Little Book Chapter 9: None for Granted ($160)</h3>
<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=little+book+chapter+9&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc">Little Book Chapter 9</a> is built from five Kentucky straight whiskeys: 11‑year bourbon, 8‑year rye, 8‑year brown‑rice bourbon, and two 7‑year bourbons (one fermented for five days at a lower distillation proof, the other finished in toasted oak). Freddie Noe still jokes about his first attempt at a blend&mdash;&ldquo;terrible&hellip; it tasted pretty much just like corn whiskey,&rdquo; he said in a recent interview&mdash;and how people questioned whether blending was even worth pursuing. The success of the <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Little+Book&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Little Book</a> series, each of which has a different inspiration, has long since answered that skepticism, and Chapter 9 leans into the classic whiskey flavors he wanted to honor. The profile is deliberately traditional: caramel, vanilla, butterscotch, and toffee, with a little spice and dried fruit in the background.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">Stranahan&rsquo;s Snowflake 2025 &mdash; Windom Peak ($120)</h3>
Snowflake has always been <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=snowflake&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc">Stranahan&rsquo;s</a> annual showcase for what blended American single malt can do. Each year&rsquo;s blend is built from a different set of finishing casks, and each year&rsquo;s release is treated like a pilgrimage by the brand&rsquo;s fans&mdash;a two‑day winter festival, a camp‑out, and a bottle that sells out within hours. Windom Peak, the 2025 edition and Justin Aden&rsquo;s third Snowflake since taking over blending in 2023, leans into that ethos with one of the most layered cask medleys Stranahan&rsquo;s has assembled to date.
The blend draws on 8- to 13‑year-old American single malts, all initially aged in new American oak before being moved into a set of expressive finishing barrels. The backbone is extra a&ntilde;ejo tequila casks, a profile Aden says he uses sparingly because agave barrels can dominate, but here they&rsquo;re softened by the presence of other finishes. Around that core he layers rhum agricole, peach brandy, applejack, white port, and orange wine casks, each contributing a different shade of fruit, texture, or acidity. Aden describes the process as &ldquo;staying under the same fruit umbrella&rdquo; as 2024&rsquo;s Redcloud Peak, but shifting the spectrum from dark, jammy fruit to bright and tropical flavors.
<h3 dir="ltr">Bardstown Bourbon Co. Distillery Reserve Mars Single Malt Japanese Blend ($100)&nbsp;&nbsp;</h3>
Launched in 2025, <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=bardstown+bourbon+company&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc">Bardstown&rsquo;s</a> Distillery Reserve series serves as an outlet for small‑scale experimentation, including one‑off releases built around unusual casks, extended aging, and blending ideas that sit outside the core lineup.&nbsp;
This <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Mars+distillery&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">edition</a>, developed with Japan&rsquo;s Mars distilleries, is the first Distillery Reserve built around co‑aging rather than finishing. Japanese single malts from Mars <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Komagatake&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Komagatake</a> and Tsunuki were shipped to Kentucky and introduced directly into barrels holding mature 10‑ and 16‑year bourbons, then aged together for a full year. Instead of layering flavors after the fact, the spirits integrated in‑barrel through a warm Kentucky summer, picking up additional wood sugars and structure along the way.
You can taste both the bourbon backbone and the Japanese malt character in the whiskey. Komagatake&rsquo;s Umeshu‑cask maturation adds plum and floral notes, while Tsunuki&rsquo;s Sakura‑cask influence contributes delicate spice.
<h3 dir="ltr">Jefferson&rsquo;s Marian McLain, Second Release ($300)&nbsp;&nbsp;</h3>
The second release in <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=jefferson%27s&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc">Jefferson&rsquo;s</a> Marian McLain series continues Trey Zoeller&rsquo;s effort to honor his eighth‑generation grandmother, a woman arrested in 1799 for illicit whiskey production while supporting her family after the Revolutionary War.&nbsp;
Bottled at 106 proof and built from older components, this is a bolder expression than the inaugural release. The 2025 blend is anchored by 62% 13‑year Kentucky bourbon, a dark‑fruited, tobacco‑leaning whiskey that sets the tone. It&rsquo;s joined by 15% 11‑year Indiana wheated bourbon double‑barreled in oak for added coconut, leather, and toasted sweetness; 11% Kentucky bourbon finished in wine barrels that brings spice and red fruit; 6% Kentucky bourbon finished in rum barrels for honeyed brown sugar; and 6% 9‑year Kentucky bourbon for caramel and fig notes.
<h3>Laws Whiskey House Solstice Barrel Series, Armagnac Cask ($80)</h3>
The Solstice Barrel Series began as an internal tradition at <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=laws&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc">Laws Whiskey House</a> in Denver. Every winter solstice, the blending team would gather employees, toast a barrel, and fill it with something experimental, according to Casey Rizzo, brand manager at the distillery. After several years of these annual fills, one of the early barrels finally reached maturity, and the distillery decided to bottle it as a limited distillery‑exclusive.
This first Solstice release is a blend of bourbon and rye, a style Laws has explored before in its Rackhouse Series. The whiskey was aged in an Armagnac cask that had been re‑toasted in 2022&mdash;a detail that matters, because the re‑toast opened up fresh oak to add more fruit and baking spice notes once the whiskey went in the barrel. The result is a whiskey that sits comfortably between the two mashbills: the bourbon brings warmth with caramel and vanilla, while the rye, grown in the high‑altitude San Luis Valley, is green, herbaceous and savory.

What to Drink Next If You Love Compass Box Scotch Whisky

In the bourbon world, there is no name that is more famous than Van Winkle. And yet the man behind the moniker, Julian Van Winkle III, is as modest as they come. The grandson of Pappy Van Winkle, Julian is the custodian of his family&rsquo;s legacy, but he is also a key figure&mdash;perhaps the key figure&mdash;in the transformation of bourbon&rsquo;s reputation from a rough-and-ready shot to a collectible luxury spirit. And yet he hardly drinks much bourbon at all anymore.
Van Winkle&rsquo;s story may be familiar to most bourbon drinkers today, but it&rsquo;s no less remarkable in the retelling. When he joined his father, Julian Van Winkle Jr., in the whiskey business in 1977, bourbon was on a downward trajectory, as baby boomers opted for clear spirits like vodka and fine wine over the brown liquor their parents favored. Faced with a glut of unwanted whiskey, distillers started offering novelty decanters meant to appeal to specific demographics like<a href="https://www.revivalky.com/1979-michters-pot-still-sour-mash-university-of-texas-football-decanter/"> Texas fans</a>,<a href="https://www.revivalky.com/1983-paramount-james-a-rhodes-ohio-statehouse-decanter-vintage/"> Ohio voters</a>, or members of the<a href="https://www.revivalky.com/1971-jim-beam-honorable-order-of-the-blue-goose-international-vintage/"> Honorable Order of the Blue Goose</a>, who would purchase the package without much regard for the liquid.
<h3 dir="ltr">Surviving the Bourbon Doldrums</h3>
The Van Winkles sold decanters of their <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Old+Rip+Van+Winkle&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Old Rip Van Winkle</a> brand as well, using wheated bourbon from the family&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Stitzel-Weller&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stitzel-Weller</a> distillery (sold in 1972 and closed in 1992)&mdash;a means of keeping the brand going during a dark time. Later, Van Winkle began purchasing bourbon from other Kentucky distilleries to bottle, trusting that the quality would be up to snuff without the need to verify ahead of time. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d buy the barrels and taste them once they came to the warehouse,&rdquo; Van Winkle recalled. &ldquo;Ninety-nine percent of the time they were just fine.&rdquo;
After his father&rsquo;s death in 1981, Van Winkle continued in the bottling business at a site he called <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Old+Commonwealth&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Old Commonwealth</a> Distillery, and began to focus on overseas markets. Japan stood out in particular as a lifeline, because consumers there couldn&rsquo;t get enough American whiskey, even as domestic consumption continued to tank. &ldquo;It kept me alive for a while,&rdquo; he said.
Van Winkle came up with numerous brands and labels exclusively for export, like<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=lottas+home&amp;state=ENDED&amp;sortBy=number_aschttps://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Lottas+Home&amp;state=ENDED&amp;sortBy=number_asc"> Lottas Home</a> and<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=society+of+bourbon+connoisseurs&amp;state=ENDED&amp;sortBy=number_aschttps://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Society+of+Bourbon+Connoisseurs&amp;state=ENDED&amp;sortBy=number_asc"> Society of Bourbon Connoisseurs.</a> At the time, these flew under the radar in the U.S., but now are some of the rarest and most collectible bottles netting auction prices in the tens of thousands of dollars. In addition to his own brands, Van Winkle bottled whiskey for others, like Marci Palatella&rsquo;s International Beverage. Unfortunately, he held onto very few of these bottlings. &ldquo;Back then, who knew?&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It was just a regular bottling for me and I saw no huge value down the road for these things like they are now. I didn't see that coming at all.&rdquo;
<h3 dir="ltr">The Age Statement Era</h3>
In 1994, Van Winkle released the first <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Pappy+Van+Winkle%E2%80%99s+Family+Reserve&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pappy Van Winkle&rsquo;s Family Reserve</a>, a 20-year-old Stitzel-Weller bourbon named after his grandfather, Julian Van Winkle Sr. It hit the market inconspicuously, but garnered high scores in spirits competitions and caught enough attention that Van Winkle continued to add to the lineup, releasing a 23-year-old in 1998 and a 15-year-old in 2004. The timing was fortuitous, as bourbon was just starting to emerge from the doldrums and would eventually, by the early 2010s, surge dramatically.
By that point, the Van Winkle brand&mdash;increasingly just called &ldquo;Pappy&rdquo; by many bourbon drinkers&mdash;was so well-known that tracking down a bottle at the suggested retail price of $90 for the 20-year-old was increasingly unlikely. &ldquo;Allocation&rdquo; was the magic word, as bar, restaurant, and store owners vied for a share of each annual run, which since 2002 had been produced at <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Buffalo+Trace+Distillery&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buffalo Trace Distillery</a> in partnership with the Van Winkles. Since there was so much demand for so few bottles, some retailers began to jack up the price, while others offered their customers the chance to purchase through a lottery or raffle. Charity auctions became another popular method for distributing the limited supply of whiskey. It&rsquo;s not an exaggeration to suggest that the Van Winkle brand is responsible for more philanthropic largesse than any other Kentucky whiskey.
<h3 dir="ltr">Iconic Status</h3>
All this, plus the allure of the wheated mashbill and the high-profile scandal of the &ldquo;<a href="https://gardenandgun.com/articles/what-netflix-gets-right-and-wrong-about-pappygate/">Pappygate</a>&rdquo; thefts at Buffalo Trace, have cemented the Van Winkle name in American whiskey lore. Pappy is a byword for rarity and luxury, the bottle&rsquo;s sepia-toned label popping up in movies and on TV, lit dramatically on back bars from Las Vegas to London. Its desirability, bolstered by cultural icons like <a href="https://x.com/Bourdain/status/146711608599642112">Anthony Bourdain</a>, has continued to grow even as other collectible bourbons took their places in the pantheon over the past decade and a half.
None of this would have happened without Julian Van Winkle keeping faith that really good whiskey would always find an appreciative audience. It goes back to the original Pappy&rsquo;s motto, which hung on a sign at Stitzel-Weller: &ldquo;We make fine bourbon. At a profit if we can, at a loss if we must, but always fine bourbon.&rdquo;
The Unicorn Review talked with Julian Van Winkle III about counterfeit bottles, unopened collections, and the infamous Pappy Jell-O shots.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/69328e75-339f-43d1-9ada-5f5055eee8f5.png?width=4250&amp;height=2833" alt="Julian Van Winkle Iii">
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
The Unicorn Review: Decanters were a big thing in the 1970s and &lsquo;80s, when there was a bourbon surplus. I&rsquo;ve noticed some companies offering them in the present day. Are we back to a period where some people are trying to sell the bottle more than what&rsquo;s inside it?
Julian Van Winkle III: I don't think so. I think they're just trying to do something different.
People have a lot of money these days. The decanter business went down the tubes when the retail price got to be about $49.99. That's when I quit&mdash;when the public didn't want to spend $50 for a damn decanter, not caring about the whiskey.
But it's funny, if you see these bottles and they're full, these days you save the whiskey and throw the decanter away because the whiskey was damn good. Nobody really cared about the main product back then. It's kind of ironic the way things have flipped over.
In many ways the Van Winkle brand has become bigger than your family name. Was there a moment that you noticed it had taken on a life of its own?
I think I bottled the first Pappy label in about 1994, and it got a nice rating by the Beverage Testing Institute. [The rating was 99 points. &ndash; Ed.] That kind of kicked things off for us and that brand. But when Anthony Bourdain starts talking about it and then chefs start talking about it and wine people start talking and it ends up in magazines, movies, and TV shows&hellip; It's hard to pinpoint when it happened and there was no particular thing that set it off. It was just kind of a gradual appreciation by different people. I think it happened because it's a good product. It deserves its acclaim.
Bourbon drinkers can feel a sense of ownership in brands that they really love. How do you feel about fans being possessive and emotional about your whiskey?
It certainly doesn't bother me. It bothers me when you see some guy's collection of 50 bottles of the 12-year-old sitting on their shelf in their bar that they're not enjoying, because that's why we make it. But to see the popularity and the people just going crazy over the name, and it's hard to get&mdash;it's frustrating that there's not enough to go around. I wish there was more.
There&rsquo;s a dark side to that frenzy&mdash;the thefts and counterfeits that can damage the brand&rsquo;s reputation. Is that difficult for you to witness?
It&rsquo;s upsetting that these crooks are out there and they do it with wine and ladies' handbags and whatever. Anything that's popular, the bad people seem to want to make money illegally.
Counterfeiting is a big deal and there's a lot of it. It's hard to determine if a bottle is legitimate or not, because they can counterfeit these things so well these days. So that is frustrating. We can't control it and some people are getting ripped off. That's the worst part.
We're trying to put these devices on the bottlings that you can scan and guarantee that it's legitimate or if it's been opened or not&mdash;that's good for the stuff from now on. But the older stuff out there, there's no way to guarantee unless you open the bottle and taste it.
I've tasted a counterfeit bottle before and they put in decent whiskey. Some of them just put junk in there and some of them put something that's fairly close so the customer will not know the difference.
Do you get asked to authenticate bottles?
Yeah, quite often since they're being used in all these charity auctions.&nbsp; They want to make sure they're legitimate. I do the best I can as far as looking at the packaging and the bottling date etched in the glass and printed on the bottom of the glass bottle.
I haven't really detected that many fakes. Buffalo Trace, of course, they have a lab and they can determine in a heartbeat, once they open the bottle and check it, if it's bad or not. They probably get a lot of the questionable bottles.
Some people call everything in the lineup &ldquo;Pappy.&rdquo; Does that drive you crazy?
Not really. I mean, a little bit just because they're not paying attention, but that's the way it is. It's fine. It's a little annoying if they say, give me some of that Pappy rye whiskey or whatever, when it's not that particular label, but I can live with that. At least they're interested in our whiskey and not somebody else's.
What did you think of the Louisville bar owner who served his Van Winkle allocation in<a href="https://robbreport.com/food-drink/spirits/pappy-van-winkle-jell-o-shots-follow-up-1235620892/"> Jell-O shots</a>?
I kind of go both ways on that. I think I just read the other day that his place had<a href="https://www.wdrb.com/news/business/a-true-adventure-downtown-louisville-bar-to-close-after-12-years/article_bd78169b-c050-4513-ba1f-4b7a10c2f02c.html"> gone out of business</a>. It was kind of a gimmicky thing. I think he was upset because he didn't get a very good allocation, so he decided to just say to hell with it and make something ridiculous like a Jell-O shot. I think he took advantage of the popularity and presented it as a publicity stunt. I guess it's a good idea if you're him, but not if you're the producer.
In the past few years a new company started up under the name Old Commonwealth. Did you sell them the trademark?
No, unfortunately I just let it go. I saw no need for it. I knew we weren't going to keep the Old Commonwealth brand because Buffalo Trace wasn't interested in bottling it as a spinoff brand. The name lapsed as far as the trademark.
These folks picked it up and they're using it as best they can, purchasing whiskey from other distilleries. I've tasted some of them; it's pretty good. Even the Old Commonwealth package is pretty much the same, and there's some others that they've duplicated using what we did, which is kind of screwy. They're nice folks, but I wish I had hung onto it because they probably would've paid pretty good money for it.
Fifteen years ago, you did an<a href="https://nunncenter.net/ohms-spokedb/render.php?cachefile=2010oh059_bik016_ohm.xml"> interview</a> with the University of Kentucky in which you had to define wheated bourbon, and you named the five others that were available besides yours. Now there are dozens of distilleries making wheaters, due at least partly&mdash;maybe mostly&mdash;to the fact that you popularized the style in the modern era. Is this an unmitigated positive thing, or is the abundance of wheated bourbon diluting what makes it so special?
It&rsquo;s an honor to have someone duplicate what you're doing. We're not sure where exactly what distillery made the first wheated bourbon. It was either the <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Old+Fitzgerald&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Old Fitzgerald</a> plant in Frankfort back before Pappy bought the label, back when he started Stitzel-Weller, or it could have been the Stitzel Distillery who made whiskey for the Wellers. There&rsquo;s the problem with bourbon history&mdash;none of it's written down.
Pappy liked the wheated brand, obviously, and stuck with it, so all the brands at Stitzel-Weller were wheated. It's an honor that people have seen how popular it is as far as our brand, so they're trying to duplicate it or at least make their own wheated bourbon.
Do you ever drink rye bourbon?
I like Buffalo Trace, some older <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Wild+Turkey&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wild Turkey</a>, and a particular <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Four+Roses&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Four Roses</a> single barrel&mdash;I don't remember which one. Some of the other rye-based bourbons I am not that fond of. And I haven't tried many of the new ones because there's just too many, all these craft distilleries out there.
I drink very little anymore. We hardly ever have our whiskey sitting around the house, to be honest with you. If there's anything, it's going to be a bottle of Weller, which is the same recipe, just a younger version of ours. That would be my go-to for sure, back when bourbon was a regular drink of mine.
When we hooked up with Buffalo Trace 20-something years ago, [then-CEO] Mark Brown said, &ldquo;One of the things I'd like you to do to make this thing work is promote <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Weller&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Weller</a>." Mission accomplished. Now it's hard to find in most places.
There&rsquo;s a lot of speculation that you&rsquo;re getting rich off all these inflated shelf prices for Pappy. I even found an article purporting to disclose your net worth. What&rsquo;s the real story?
We sell to the distributor and the distributor has a certain markup. He makes his 20 percent or 30 percent or whatever it is, and then when it hits the retail store, it's out of our hands. That&rsquo;s where the huge markup comes. We have nothing to do with that. We still split [profits] with Buffalo Trace when we sell it. We get a normal profit, but we're certainly not getting that huge profit that the retail stores are. They're obviously taking advantage of the supply and demand.
Have you ever tried &ldquo;<a href="http://bourbonr.com/blog/poor-mans-pappy/">Poor Man&rsquo;s Pappy</a>&rdquo;?
I can't even remember what the actual recipe is for the knockoff Pappy. I've never tried it myself. I&rsquo;ll have to do that sometime.
You said you are not drinking as much bourbon these days, but are there any bottles you&rsquo;ve held onto that you want to open with a grandchild or on a significant date?
I did keep some of the older whiskey that I bottled back at Lawrenceburg and some at Buffalo Trace. Through the years we've used them at my children's weddings.
I like wine a lot too, and if you&rsquo;ve got a really nice bottle of wine, you never know what's the best opportunity to open it. How good an opportunity or an event does it have to be? I'm always kind of reluctant to open it up. I'm that way with the whiskeys also. But I do have supply that we can use for when a grandchild becomes 21 and so forth.
Your son Preston followed you into the whiskey industry and your three daughters opened their own lifestyle business,<a href="https://pappyco.com/?srsltid=AfmBOooRVzIqu2ZTfgKQFNdISb-f8YtF-i7hLfsLuVKpt_QK-RNhvbOk"> Pappy &amp; Company</a>. Do you expect the grandkids will join someday too?
They&rsquo;re a little young yet. We're not going to force it on them. They&rsquo;ve got to make their own decision. But we&rsquo;re planning on hopefully having some of these grandkids be in the business. They&rsquo;d be the fifth generation. The third generation usually screws it up, which is my generation. So I&rsquo;m trying not to do that. There&rsquo;s still time to screw it up, but I&rsquo;m hanging in there.

 Setting the Bourbon Benchmark: An Interview with Pappy Van Winkle's Julian Van Winkle

Whether it&rsquo;s food or music, a good collaboration combines the best of both worlds&mdash;think chocolate and peanut butter, or Jay-Z and Linkin Park. When done right, these partnerships can pull in fans from either side, but are especially appealing to those who appreciate both parties. The same is true in the world of spirits, where new releases drive sales and a good team-up can substantially increase an existing audience.
<h3 dir="ltr">Sports Partnership Potential</h3>
The goal of a collab is to drum up excitement, and that has certainly been the case this spring as spirits brands in all categories have announced commemorative releases for the forthcoming World Cup, which is hosted this year by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Diageo serves as an official tournament sponsor, and this past March the global spirits giant announced the release of a limited-edition green-and-gold <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=don+julio+1942&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Don Julio 1942</a>, along with a series of <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Buchanan%E2%80%99s&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buchanan&rsquo;s</a> bottles designed by LA-based brand Kids of immigrants. Both releases commemorate the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
&ldquo;Sports collaborations and crossover releases help Buchanan&rsquo;s show up in culture in a way that goes beyond traditional spirits marketing,&rdquo; said Jesse Damasheck, whiskey portfolio SVP North America for Diageo. &ldquo;With this collection, we&rsquo;re creating a bridge between sport, music, fashion, and lifestyle that feels real, not imposed. It&rsquo;s not about inserting ourselves into culture, but about meeting consumers where they are already living and creating and finding ways to tap into that identity authentically.&rdquo;
Dameasheck acknowledged the way that Buchanan&rsquo;s has been embraced by the Latino community, making the World Cup a perfect crossover opportunity. But there are other non-Diageo brands on the pitch as well. <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Clase+Azul&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Clase Azul</a> released a commemorative &ldquo;Spirit of Champions&rdquo; bottle priced at $1,700 (not officially affiliated with the World Cup, but inspired by it). On the other end of the price spectrum, Bacardi is releasing a limited edition gold rum featuring a soccer ball on the label at just $13. Kansas City&rsquo;s J. Rieger &amp; Co distillery is capitalizing on its role as a host city with a &ldquo;Raise the Cup&rdquo; edition of its Kansas City Whiskey, priced at $48.
<h3 dir="ltr">Collabs Beyond the Cup</h3>
It&rsquo;s clear there&rsquo;s a lot of hype heading into the 2026 World Cup, but does that same excitement exist for these limited edition bottles? And, more broadly speaking, what is the market&rsquo;s appetite for a sporty spirit?
Beyond the Raise the Cup bottle, <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=J.+Rieger&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">J. Rieger</a> president Andy Rieger estimates that the distillery has worked on at least a dozen sports collaborations, including a commemorative whiskey to celebrate Kansas winning the 2022 NCAA men&rsquo;s basketball championship, and two vodkas celebrating the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl in 2022 and 2023. One challenge, he said, is that despite category troubles, beer remains the go-to drink for fans, especially when they are at stadiums watching games.
In many ways, beer brands are the more logical partner for sports teams&mdash;there is a contextual familiarity, and beer&rsquo;s lower ABV lends it to more sessionable consumption and larger sales volume. Fans do not consume spirits the same way they do beer, even if both products are catering to fandom in similar ways. &ldquo;Right around the start of COVID, sports teams started viewing spirits [in the same way]&nbsp; as beer,&rdquo; Rieger said, calling his brand a guinea pig of sorts for sports and spirits collaborations. One lesson he&rsquo;s learned along the way is to make these collaborations limited rather than year-round offerings.
Another lesson: there needs to be something special about the bottle or the spirit. He referenced a barrel of 10-year-old whiskey made with champagne yeast that was distilled the day after the Kansas City Royals won the 2015 World Series, and is just being bottled now. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s [about] finding those moments of enjoyment, but not making things consistent and persistent,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Collaboration projects are fun, but they get stale.&rdquo;
Surprisingly, Rieger is not so enthusiastic about sports collaborations in general, unless it's a commemorative limited release. &ldquo;Then it&rsquo;s clear and obvious what the purpose of it is,&rdquo; he said. The Raise The Cup edition, for example, is part of an effort to welcome visitors to the city and guide them to landmarks, restaurants, and bars during their stay. Rieger talks about making a lasting impression with these collaborations and using them as a way to capture new drinkers while allowing the quality of the whiskey to bring them back for more.
In this way, spirits pegged to specific events like a tournament or championship function better than simply licensing a team's logo. Either the moment or the spirit needs to have impact and to convey something special&mdash;and smart partnerships can do that. &ldquo;Sports teams so often treat them not as collaborations, but as sponsorships,&rdquo; Rieger said. &ldquo;There needs to be more partnership.&rdquo;
<h3>Kentucky Bourbon Enters the Picture</h3>
Partnership was central to <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Elijah+Craig&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elijah Craig&rsquo;s</a> 2025 Ryder Cup Small Batch release, a bourbon finished for eight weeks with toasted sugar maple and applewood staves. Elijah Craig was the official sponsor of the Ryder Cup and has a team of golf ambassadors including PGA pros J.T. Poston and Robert MacIntyre.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We believe the most effective sports collaborations are rooted in shared values, not just visibility,&rdquo; said Max Stefka, assistant vice president of global whiskey brands at Heaven Hill. Collector status is earned when a collaboration transcends marketing and becomes culturally or emotionally meaningful. From a sports perspective, moments matter.
In other words, the products become a time-stamp of occasions that the consumer is already passionate about. &ldquo;When a collaboration reflects both the heritage of the sport and the heritage of the brand, it resonates more deeply, and that&rsquo;s what drives collectability,&rdquo; Stefka said.&nbsp;
While Elijah Craig found success innovating with its Ryder Cup collaboration, there is value in label-driven releases as well. According to Julian Garcia, VP of marketing for Tequila Don Julio, early response to the brand&rsquo;s World Cup release, which has been available for pre-sale since February, has centered on the bottle&rsquo;s design and its appeal as a collectible item.&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/search?term=Woodford+Reserve&amp;state=LIVE%26UPCOMING&amp;sortBy=number_asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Woodford Reserve</a> has found similar success with its annual Kentucky Derby bottle, which taps a different artist each year to design a custom label. These bottles become collectible for their visual artistry as well as their limited availability, and in terms of celebrating a moment, they have become fixtures of Derby parties in Kentucky and beyond.
&ldquo;The Derby bottle is absolutely a centerpiece at Derby parties, whether someone is mixing Mint Juleps or Spires or pouring it neat for guests,&rdquo; said Woodford Reserve master distiller Elizabeth McCall. &ldquo;But it's also a collector's item that people proudly display. We've been releasing these bottles since 1999, with a new artist and design each year for many fans, it's become a tradition to add the latest edition to their collection. It really lives in both worlds.&rdquo;
And that is the true sweet spot for sports and spirit collaborations&mdash;they serve as collectors items for some and as a celebratory focal point for others. These bottles mark occasions, reminding you with their presence of memories shared, and, if you&rsquo;re lucky, championships won. So will these World Cup bottles be collectible? It depends on who lifts the trophy and what that means to you in the end.&nbsp;

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the Unicorn Review

Master Distiller Drew Kulsveen Is Planning a Long Future for Willett

Bourbon

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Spirits

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Whiskey

A Field Guide to Reading a Whiskey Label

Everyday Drinking

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Wine

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Bourbon

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Bourbon

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What to Drink

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