Jack Daniel's Sweet Mash, Barrell French Oak Finish, Ardbeg Vintage Y2K And More

An eclectic and interesting array of new releases has greeted us this week, starting with Tuesday’s unveiling of Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Beacon, the final bottling in the distillery’s long-running Master’s Keep series. In today’s roundup, we have a rare sweet mash whiskey from Jack Daniel’s, a 12 year old French oak finished bourbon from Barrell Craft Spirits, and the fall release of Still Austin’s bottled in bond bourbon, this one a 7 year old that’s the distillery’s oldest whiskey yet. Among new scotch releases, Ardbeg has announced Y2K 24 year old, which was distilled in 2000, while Nc’Nean offers an amarone-finished single cask expression as a U.S. exclusive.

Jack Daniel’s Distillery Series No. 15: Sweet Mash Tennessee Whiskey

ABV: 58.5%
SRP: $45/375ml
Availability: Distillery exclusive

Jack Daniel’s is best known for its sour mash whiskey, but the distillery also uses sweet mash on occasion, particularly at the start of each distillation season when it’s primarily done to support the distillery’s sour mashing for the entire season. This limited edition whiskey is meant to spotlight that system. It was distilled in 2016 using Jack Daniel’s flagship recipe (80% corn, 12% malted barley, and 8% rye) from a sweet mash. It was aged for around 9 years on the top floors of the Track 2 rickhouse. The barrels used for this release were selected by Kathy Thurmond, who serves as whiskey taster and quality control manager at the distillery.

The mashing component might seem like a minor distinction, but some would argue that it can make a world of difference in determining how a whiskey tastes. Those who use sweet mash have particularly strong opinions about it, with distillers like Bryan Smith of Hard Truth and Wilderness Trail’s Shane Baker arguing that it gives distillers more control over flavors that come from fermentation.

Still Austin 7 year old Bottled in Bond Bourbon (Fall 2025 Release)

ABV: 50%
SRP: $80
Availability: At the distillery and at select Total Wine & More locations

Each year, Texas craft distillery Still Austin releases a quartet of whiskeys through its Bottled in Bond series. Each one takes inspiration from the specific season of its launch: a blue corn bourbon for winter, a rye whiskey for spring, a red corn bourbon for summer, and a high-rye bourbon for fall. Thus far, the series has produced some impressive whiskeys, with last year’s Red Corn bourbon batch scoring 94 points and being named our No. 7 whisky in our Top 20.

This year’s fall expression has just been released, and at 7 years old, it’s the oldest whiskey we’ve seen from Still Austin. Like previous batches, this one taps a high-rye mashbill of 70% white corn, 25% rye, and 5% malted barley.

Barrell Craft Spirits 12 year old French Oak Cask Finished Bourbon

ABV: 54.25%
SRP: $159
Availability: Online and at select retailers nationwide

Kentucky blending house Barrell Craft Spirits announced its release of a blend of straight bourbons from Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Wyoming—all aged for at least 12 years—and finished in French oak barrels with varying toasts. “French oak offers a more refined subtle contribution compared to heavily toasted American oak barrels used for initial maturation or heavy charring, adding layers of flavor without overpowering the bourbon itself,” says founder Joe Beatrice. We explored French oak-finished whiskies in a story this past July.

Nc’nean Aon 20-674 Amarone Finish Single Cask Highland single malt

SRP: $130
ABV: 57.1%
Availability: 486 bottles, U.S. exclusive; imported by ImpEx Beverages Inc.

Organic scotch whisky distiller Nc’nean has bottled its first single cask amarone finished exclusively for the U.S. Bottled under its Aon range—the Gaelic word for “one”—the whisky was distilled from 100% organic Scottish malted barley using renewable energy in May 2020. The spirit was initially matured in two first-fill bourbon casks, which were later combined and transferred into a single amarone cask in March 2024, and bottled in 100% recycled glass after a 14-month finishing period.

Collectible

Ardbeg Vintage Y2K 24 year old Islay single malt

SRP: $800
ABV: 47.8%
Availability: limited edition, online, and the Ardbeg distillery store; imported by Moët Hennessy USA

Ardbeg has released the second edition in its vintage millennium series: a delicate, yet smoky, 24 year old Islay single malt finished in amontillado sherry casks. It was distilled in 2000, during a pivotal moment in the distillery’s revival when it returned to full production after several years of restoration work. The whisky was crafted using some of the last spirit to run from Ardbeg’s historic still. That still, which served the distillery faithfully for 51 years, was retired in 2001 and now stands proudly in the distillery’s courtyard; a landmark for the thousands of visitors who make the pilgrimage to Ardbeg each year. Ardbeg’s director of whisky creation Dr. Bill Lumsden blended some of the first Ardbeg ever finished in amontillado casks with stock from the millennium that was fully matured in bourbon barrels.

The series debuted in 2024 with the 94-point Ardbeg Vintage Y2K 23 year old, which was aged in bourbon and oloroso sherry casks. The second release in the series continues the series’ distinctive packaging—inspired by glitchy, crashing computer screens—evoking the global anxiety surrounding the Y2K bug as the world prepared to enter the new millennium.