Whisky Watch: The Week's New Releases

The first day of spring has brought with it five new limited edition bourbons. Among them is the year’s first batch of Booker’s, which pays homage to New Orleans, and a 15 year old single barrel from Elijah Craig. Elsewhere, Peerless celebrates a major milestone with its first 10 year old release, Bardstown Bourbon Co. brings a little Pacific Northwest flair to Kentucky, and Blue Note debuts the third batch of its annual Special Reserve.

Booker’s “Big Easy” Batch Bourbon (2026-01)

ABV: 64.55%
SRP: $100
Availability: Nationwide

The first batch of Booker’s for 2026 takes its name from New Orleans, which was one of Booker Noe's favorite cities to visit. The “Big Easy” batch has an age statement of 7 years, 2 months, and 15 days, and is a blend of five parcels aged in different warehouses:

• 24% comes from the sixth floor of Warehouse G
• 22% comes from the third floor of Warehouse J
• 22% comes from the fourth floor of Warehouse M
• 16% comes from the third floor of Warehouse H
• 16% comes from the fifth floor of Warehouse O

Elijah Craig 15 year old Single Barrel Bourbon

ABV: 54%
SRP: $150
Availability: Nationwide

These days, most of the attention around Heaven Hill’s Elijah Craig label comes from its high-proof Barrel Proof expressions—and for good reason, considering their track record for outstanding quality. But the brand’s single barrel expressions are still very much in the picture, anchored by its 18 year old bottling, which has been part of the lineup since the mid-1990s. Now that whiskey is getting a younger sibling.

The 15 year old carries the same suggested retail price of $150 as its older counterpart, with its defining characteristic being its strength. It’s bottled at 54% ABV, which is notably higher than the 18 year’s 45%. That specific strength was chosen as a nod to the anniversary of the U.S. Congress’s recognition of bourbon as an American product (May 4th, 1964), while providing fans with a bolder and higher-octane alternative to the 18.

Peerless Henry Kraver’s Old Reserve Bourbon

ABV: 58.5%
SRP: $TK
Availability: Limited

It’s a big day for Kentucky Peerless: its very first 10 year old whiskey (and age statement whiskey at that!) is in the bottle. Named for Peerless founder Henry Kraver, the new bourbon is made just as the distillery’s other whiskeys are, using the sweet mash process and low barrel entry proof, and bottling at cask strength. In another nod to Kraver, it’s scheduled for release on April 22^nd—his birthday—at the Peerless Distillery on Louisville’s Whiskey Row, with limited distribution beyond the distillery to follow. Subsequent batches will also debut on April 22^nd each year.

Peerless is a bright spot in craft distilling, routinely producing whiskeys that delight our tasting panel (not one has scored below 90 points). This new release is a testament not only to the distillery’s enduring success but also to its far-reaching history; father-and-son duo Corky and Carson Taylor, 4^th and 5^{th -}generation descendants of Henry Kraver, revived the brand in 2014, bringing it back for the first time since the 1930s. Today, it operates under the same distilled spirits number (DSP-KY-50) that it did back then.

Bardstown Distillery Reserve Cascadia Garryana Oak Barrel Finish Bourbon

ABV: 53.75%
SRP: $100
Availability: Bardstown Bourbon Co. Distillery gift shop and Louisville tasting room exclusive

Last year, Bardstown Bourbon Co. introduced its Distillery Reserve series as a gift shop and tasting-room exclusive. Three releases came out over the course of the year, and now we’re getting the first in the series for 2026, a bourbon aged in garryana oak.

This is a blend of three bourbons, each made with a different mashbill and aged 9 or 10 years. It spent 10 months finishing in 10 custom garryana oak barrels from Oregon Barrel Works, a micro-cooperage in McMinnville (and the only cooperage in the Pacific Northwest) that produces around 1,000 barrels a year. The barrels were toasted for three hours—an exceptionally long time—which yielded considerable spice and complexity, according to the distillery. They were also kept on the 6^th floor of one of the distillery’s warehouses, enabling maximum extraction, especially during the warmer months.

Garryana is native to the Pacific Northwest; as such, it has, up until this point, been used almost exclusively by PNW whiskey makers, chief among them Seattle single malt distiller Westland. That said, even producers as far flung as Midleton, for its Method & Madness line, in County Cork, Ireland, have played around with garryana oak, favoring it for its ability to impart flavors of dark sugar, clove, nutmeg, and hints of smoked oak.

Blue Note Special Reserve Bourbon (Batch 3)

ABV: 59.5%
SRP: $150
Availability: Online and select retailers nationwide

Blue Note’s annual Special Reserve expression is typically characterized by its complicated blending recipe, often including an eclectic mix of bourbons of varying ages that were finished in a multitude of different barrels. This year’s release is no different, comprising nine different bourbons from Tennessee and Kentucky that were aged 5–19 years and finished in cognac, madeira, sherry, port, vino de naranja, vanilla cognac, apricot brandy, cognac, and winter bock barrels.

Seeing so many different cask finishes in one whiskey might seem like a turn-off to some, especially bourbon traditionalists who aren’t too keen on secondary maturations to begin with. But previous batches have notched very high scores with our panel, with the inaugural release and last year’s batch each earning 94-point ratings. Fans of those releases will be happy to hear that this year’s version is priced at $150, down from the typical $225.