Whisky Watch: Parker's Heritage 20th Edition, Penelope Cigar Sessions 2, Middle West Naranja Cask, Boss Hog's Latest & More
September 11, 2026 –––––– Julia Higgins
This week brings several commemorative releases. Heaven Hill returns with the 20th edition of Parker’s Heritage, the annual series that honors late master distiller Parker Beam. From Brown-Forman comes Kentucky Boy, a resurrected bourbon brand that celebrates master distiller emeritus Chris Morris’ 50th year with the company. Chicken Cock has added two new bourbons, both in recognition of its 170th anniversary. There are also a couple of bottles celebrating 10-year milestones: Four Roses is toasting the 10th year of its Salt River cleanup, while Jeptha Creed is commemorating a decade in the business with a new solera-aged bourbon. And from Neeley Family Distillery is a 10 year old triple pot-distilled bourbon that pays homage to master distiller Royce Neeley’s grandfather and mentor, Earl Sizemore. Elsewhere, Penelope has added a new chapter to its Cigar Sessions series, Middle West has a new vino de naranja cask finish, and WhistlePig returns with the 13th edition of The Boss Hog.
Parker’s Heritage 20th Edition: 14 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon (2026 Release)
ABV: 59%
SRP: $200
Availability: Limited
For the 20th edition of Parker’s Heritage Collection, a series that honors late Heaven Hill master distiller Parker Beam, current master distiller Conor O’Driscoll pulled 100 barrels distilled between October 2011 and January 2012 that aged across the 2nd floor of Rickhouse A; the first and second floors of Rickhouse KK; and the third floor of Rickhouses L and M. The 14 year old whiskey is made from a mashbill of 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley, and is unique in that it incorporated rye backset—a portion of rye left over after distillation—during the fermentation as opposed to bourbon backset, which is more typical of Heaven Hill (rye is only periodically made at the distillery, which puts the brunt of production toward bourbon). According to O’Driscoll, this switch-up imbues the whiskey with more depth and spice character. The 2026 edition of Parker’s Heritage is available nationwide; as with every release in the series, Heaven Hill will donate a portion of the proceeds from each bottle sold to the ALS Association in honor of Beam. To date, the distillery has donated more than $1.4 million to the organization.
Kentucky Boy Bourbon
ABV: 50%
SRP: $100
Availability: Limited
Brown-Forman master distiller emeritus Chris Morris is celebrating his 50th year with the company; to mark the milestone, Woodford Reserve master distiller Elizabeth McCall and Old Forester assistant master distiller Caleb Trigo resurrected the Kentucky Boy brand, creating a bourbon that nods to some of Morris’s most iconic releases.
The new bourbon—named after a brand originally made at Louisville’s Lynndale Distillery, which Brown-Forman acquired in 1923—blends three Morris mainstays: Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, King of Kentucky, and Woodford Reserve Double Oaked. Birthday Bourbon, one of Old Forester’s most coveted releases, debuted back in 2002 under Morris's watch; he later spearheaded the creation of an enduring Woodford classic, Double Oaked, in 2012, and revived the King of Kentucky brand in 2018.
McCall and Trigo developed the whiskey in secret, keeping it hush-hush until a recent companywide event commemorating Morris’s 50th anniversary. Now the public is privy to Kentucky Boy as well—the bourbon launched at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown on September 10th, and starting today (September 11th), bottles will be available at the Old Forester Distillery on Louisville’s Whiskey Row, as well as through the distillery’s website and at various Kentucky retailers. As an added bonus, Morris will be at the distillery tonight for the Kentucky Boy release party. A portion of the net proceeds from Kentucky Boy sales will go toward Second Stride, a nonprofit focused on the rehabilitation, retraining, and placement of retired thoroughbred racehorses. It’s a fitting alignment, given that the brand was marketed with a thoroughbred racing theme in the 1940s, and features the same theme under its new lease on life.
Four Roses Salt River Clean Up Private Barrel Selection bourbon
ABV: 61.8%
SRP: $120
Availability: Limited; distillery exclusive
Ten years ago, Four Roses partnered with the Kentucky Waterway Alliance for its first-ever Salt Water Clean Up, a project that brought the two forces together to protect and restore the 150-mile-long Salt River in Kentucky. In commemoration of the decade-long collaboration, master distiller Brent Elliot has selected a 10 year old barrel of Four Roses’ OESQ bourbon—made from the distillery’s mashbill E (75% corn, 20% rye, and 5% malted barley) and the delicate, floral yeast strain Q. The whiskey will be available starting Thursday, September 17th at 12:30 p.m., which is when this year’s cleanup is taking place. Half of the proceeds will go to the Kentucky Waterway Alliance, and each purchase will include a commemorative Salt River Clean Up water bottle.
Chicken Cock 170th Anniversary Limited Edition Rooster Decanter
ABV: 57.5%
SRP: $200
Availability: Limited
Chicken Cock 170th Anniversary Edition Legacy Kentucky Straight Bourbon
ABV: 57.5%
SRP: $100
Availability: Limited
Chicken Cock’s latest whiskey celebrates both the 170th year since the brand’s founding and its founder, James A. Miller. The 6 year old bourbon features Miller’s name on the label, a noteworthy inclusion given that his name hasn’t appeared on a Chicken Cock bottle in over 100 years (it disappeared from all branding during Prohibition). Alongside this release is the debut of a ceramic rooster decanter, Chicken Cock’s first such collectible piece, which is filled with 8 year old Kentucky bourbon—some of the first bourbon the brand laid down in Bardstown through contract distillation with Bardstown Bourbon Co. Only 1,200 decanters were made. Both limited releases will be available at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival (running September 10th-13th in Bardstown, Kentucky), as well as online and at retailers nationwide.
Penelope Cigar Sessions Chapter 2 Blended American
ABV: 58.7%
Price: $80
Availability: Nationwide
Penelope Bourbon has teamed up with cigar maker Alec Bradley for the second release in its annual Cigar Sessions series. While last year’s inaugural edition blended bourbon, American single malt, and American light whiskey after testing 19 mashbills with cigar makers Cynn Coburn and Lee Marsh, Chapter 2 takes a step away from blending as a single-component expression: a 6 year old American whiskey made from a 69% corn, 19% rye, and 12% malt mashbill. Developed in partnership with Alec Bradley’s cigar blenders specifically to stand up to medium and full-bodied cigars, it’s bottled at a high 58.7% ABV.
Middle West Vino De Naranja Cask Finished Single Barrel Blend
ABV: 61.1%
SRP: $100
Availability: Ohio retailers and online
This expression from Middle West’s Double Cask Collection is a 50/50 blend of the distillery’s straight wheat and Dark Pumpernickel rye whiskeys. It was aged for a minimum of 5 years, spending the first four in new charred American oak before being finished for 1–2 years in casks that previously held vino de naranja orange wine. It follows in the footsteps of other Middle West finished expressions, including whiskeys finished in port, oloroso, sherry, and calvados casks.
Jeptha Creed Solera Aged Bourbon
ABV: 50%
SRP: $80
Availability: At the distillery and online
Shelbyville, Kentucky grain-to-glass producer Jeptha Creed celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. The distillery is marking the occasion with a new solera-aged bourbon that includes all nine heirloom corn varieties grown on the farm, including Bloody Butcher, Bruce’s Blue, Blue Clarage, Hopi Blue, Hickory King, Jimmy Red, Oaxacan Green, Pink Heirloom, and White Cob White. The final product has a derived mashbill of 75% heirloom corn, 20% malted rye, and 5% malted barley. It’s set to debut this weekend at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival and is expected to launch at the distillery and its online retail shop on September 17th.
Neeley Family Distillery 10 year old Papaw’s Legacy Triple Pot-Stilled Bourbon
ABV: 55%
SRP: $300
Availability: Distillery exclusive
This claims to be the world’s oldest triple pot-distilled bourbon in existence. It was released by master distiller Royce Neeley in honor of his grandfather, Earl Sizemore, or PaPaw, who guided Royce during his formative years as a distiller. The liquid was pulled from a steel blending tank that contains some of the barrels the pair distilled together before Sizemore’s passing in 2024. The whiskey debuts today at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival and at the distillery, with a 10% discount offered to any buyers who dress up like PaPaw.
WhistlePig The Boss Hog XIII: The Golden Pharaoh Egyptian Black Honey Barrel Finished Straight Rye
ABV: 51.3 - 52.8% ABV
Price: $600
Availability: Nationwide beginning September 29th
Vermont-based WhistlePig is looking to ancient Egypt for the 13th edition of its Boss Hog series. This year’s single barrel iteration is a straight rye finished in casks seasoned with Egyptian black honey (sugarcane molasses) and tiger nuts, root tubers with an almond and coconut-like flavor, inspired by a tiger nut cake recipe found on an ancient tomb. It also features a King Tut-inspired topper, with a select number of bottles decorated with a rare gold version. The release continues the series’ penchant for experimental finishes, following 2025’s Mexican chocolate, chile, and pulque-seasoned casks and 2024’s Indian thandai-seasoned casks.
