Little Book Chapter 9, Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Rye, Shenk's, Bomberger's, and More New Releases

It’s a great week for American whiskey lovers, with new releases from Beam, Heaven Hill, Michter’s, Barrell, Kentucky Owl, and more. Freddie Noe has introduced another chapter of Little Book, which spotlights unique blends; this release is no different, combining five unique bourbon and rye components. Heaven Hill has followed up the May release of its Grain-to-Glass bourbon with the second iteration of its Grain-to-Glass rye. Elsewhere, Michter’s returns with its two Legacy Series brands, Shenk’s Homestead and Bomberger’s, which honor key figures in the distillery’s history. Rounding out the week in new releases are fresh bourbon batches from Barrell and Kentucky Owl, a rye from Wigle Distillery, a high-rye straight malt from Root Shoot Spirits, and an Irish single grain from Two Stacks.

Little Book Chapter 9: “None For Granted” Blend

ABV: 60.9%
SRP: $160
Availability: Limited

Fred B. Noe master distiller Freddie Noe’s latest Little Book expression blends bourbons and ryes aged between 7 and 11 years. The exact component breakdown is:

• 7 year old Kentucky straight bourbon
• 7 year old Kentucky straight bourbon (fermented for five days, and put into barrel at a lower entry proof than the other 7 year old bourbon)
• 8 year old Kentucky straight bourbon (mashbill includes brown rice, as previously seen in Basil Hayden Toast and Jim Beam Signature Craft)
• 8 year old Kentucky straight rye
• 11 year old Kentucky straight bourbon

Noe says the name is his way of paying homage to the flavors that make up the backbone of American whiskey—brown sugar, vanilla, caramel, and big oak. Together with his father, master distiller Fred Noe, Noe has played around with a number of bourbon-rye blends at Beam, including Little Book Chapter 8 “Path Not Taken”, which featured bourbon, rye, and malted rye, as well as Knob Creek Bourbon X Rye, and Basil Hayden’s Two by Two Rye.

Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Rye (2025 Release)

ABV: 52.6%
SRP: $100
Availability: Nationwide

The second edition of Heaven Hill’s Grain to Glass rye was made using Beck’s Hybrid 6225 corn, which was cultivated by the family-owned Peterson Farms in Loretto, Kentucky. This year’s batch has a slightly different mashbill from its predecessor, keeping the 63% rye content while using less corn and slightly more malted barley. The proof point has also dropped considerably from last year’s 62.6%.

The Grain to Glass series is a fairly new addition to the Heaven Hill portfolio, having launched last June with three whiskeys—a bourbon, a wheater, and a rye. The collection builds on a years-long partnership between the distillery and Indiana-based Beck’s Hybrids, the country’s largest family-owned seed company. Each release spotlights a specific hybrid corn strain from Beck’s that’s grown in the Petersons' field across the street from Heaven Hill Distillery. So far, the series has yielded some very impressive whiskeys: The first wave all scored 92 points or higher, with the bourbon going on to be named our No. 5 Whisky of the Year.

Shenk’s Homestead Kentucky Sour Mash (2025 Release)

ABV: 45.6%
SRP: $110
Availability: Limited

Bomberger’s Declaration Kentucky Straight Bourbon (2025 Release)

ABV: 54%
SRP: $120
Availability: Limited

Each year, Michter’s releases new editions of its Shenk’s and Bomberger’s whiskeys. While the exact mashbill breakdown of Shenk’s isn't revealed, this year’s batch contains a high percentage of rye, the spice character of which was underscored by a partial maturation in toasted oak barrels made from wood grown in France’s Vosges forest. Shenk's is notably not a rye nor bourbon, but an American whiskey; its maturation in uncharred oak takes it out of the running for either style, as does its mashbill.

The 2025 Bomberger’s release, meanwhile, is a Kentucky straight bourbon and once again was partially aged in chinquapin oak barrels, like previous editions. Master of maturation Andrea Wilson selected a spectrum of barrels this year, all made from staves that were air-seasoned between 18 months to 5 years, far longer than the 3 to 6-month average for American oak.

Both Legacy Series whiskeys will be available next month. They join Bomberger’s PFG (Precision Fine Grain), a double-oaked Kentucky straight bourbon that debuted in January.

Barrell Bourbon Batch 037 Blended American

ABV: 56.9%
SRP: $85
Availability: Online at barrellbourbon.com and retail nationwide

Barrell’s 37th batch blends bourbons from Indiana, Tennessee, and Kentucky. The Indiana whiskeys are 8, 11, and 12 years old; the Tennessee whiskeys are even older, at 13, 14, and 15 years old; and the Kentucky bourbon component is 10 years old. The final mashbill is 78% corn, 18% rye, and 4% malted barley.

In addition to this new blend, Barrell also released a Triple Rum Cask Finished bourbon earlier this month. Unfortunately, for lovers of Barrell bourbon and rum cask finishes, that whiskey—a 20 year old Tennessee bourbon that was finished for 5 years in Jamaican, Guyanese, and Barbados rum barrels—sold out the day it was released, which the brand says is par for the course with its limited edition bottles.

Kentucky Owl Bourbon (Batch 13)

ABV: 56.8%
SRP: $399
Availability: Limited

Kentucky Owl’s latest release is touted as the final whiskey made by master blender John Rhea prior to his retirement. It’s a blend of five different high-rye and wheated bourbons, with the majority of the blend coming from stocks aged for 8–9 years.

For readers who keep a close eye on the whiskey industry, a new release from Kentucky Owl might have seemed unlikely. In December, the brand’s parent company Stoli Group USA filed for bankruptcy, citing financial troubles due to market headwinds and a major cyber attack. At the time, Stoli announced that it planned to continue operating as it attempted to restructure, but it left Kentucky Owl’s future uncertain.

We got some clarity earlier this week when a judge allowed the company to vote on its formal restructuring strategy, which included its plans for Kentucky Owl. As it stands right now, Stoli plans to start “transferring and otherwise disposing” of the bulk of Kentucky Owl’s inventory, which accounts for just north of 35,000 barrels. Batch 13 is likely part of those efforts, killing two birds with one stone by offloading some of the blending houses’ older stocks while paying tribute to Rhea as he departs the brand.

Wigle Whiskey American Rye

ABV: 42%
Price: $36/375 ml
Availability: Wigle Distillery and Ross Park Mall bottle shops; online for shipping to Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.

Pittsburgh-based Wigle Whiskey has unveiled an American rye. Its mashbill is 62% rye, 15% wheat, both regionally grown, and 23% malted barley. All are milled, fermented, and distilled on-site. Through its use of state-grown ingredients and pot still distillation, it pays homage to the tradition of Western Pennsylvania's Monongahela rye, one of the nation’s first recognized categories of whiskey. Continuing to highlight the Keystone State, the bottle label features a patchwork image of the country designed by Worker Bird’s Kim Fox, an emblematic figure of Pittsburgh folk art.

Wigle Whiskey–named after Phillip Wigle, a pioneer of the industry–is located in Pittsburgh’s vibrant Strip District. This expression joins a variety of rye, bourbon, flavored expressions, reserve whiskeys, and other spirits. With only 324 bottles, this release is limited. Bottles are available to purchase at two of the brand’s bottle shops or its pop-up bar: Stars, Stripes, and Spirits. Beginning today, June 27^th through July 12th, the bar is open every Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Root Shoot Spirits High Rye Straight Malt

ABV: 46%
Price: $45
Availability: Colorado exclusive

Following the label’s inaugural release of an American single malt in 2023, Loveland, Colorado-based Root Shoot Spirits has released its second whiskey, a high-rye straight malt. As a grain-to-glass distiller, all ingredients are grown and malted by the Orlanders, a 5th-generation family farm-turned distiller. This high rye is composed of Genie malted barley and malted Bono winter rye. The label is an offshoot of Root Shoot Malting, which offers these varietals for other brewers and distillers to purchase.

This 900-bottle release was pot distilled and aged for 3 years in medium-char American white oak barrels.

Irish

Two Stacks Double Barrel Irish Single Grain

ABV: 43%
SRP: $45
Availability: Nationwide; imported by Foley Family Wines & Spirits

Irish bonding company Two Stacks has rolled out its first single grain expression. This release is a blend of stocks sourced from Cooley Distillery (producer of Kilbeggan, Tyrconnell, and Connemara) and The Great Northern Distillery. The whiskey was aged for 3–5 years in bourbon barrels before undergoing a 1–3 year finish in oloroso casks. It has a mashbill of 94% corn and 6% Irish malted barley.