Midway through the first month of the year, the pace of new releases has picked right up, especially for bourbon. High West has debuted a blend of sourced straight bourbons that range in age from 6 to 20 years, while Penelope has partnered with a southern furniture company on a bespoke bourbon blend. In single barrel bourbon, Knob Creek has launched the second whiskey in its Bold Pick collection, Still 630 has kick-started its celebration of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. with a line of 12 bottled in bond single barrels, and Wyoming Whiskey has unveiled the latest edition of its annually released single barrel. And calling all Woodford fans: This week brings the return of Double Double Oaked, now in its second year of nationwide availability.
That’s it for bourbon! Elsewhere in American whiskey, New Riff is back with this year's batch of Balboa rye, and Rebel Bourbon is trotting out its discontinued root beer-flavored whiskey once more. And from overseas, Royal Salute and Kavalan both have special edition whiskies to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
High West Cask Strength Blend of Straight Bourbons
ABV: 58.5%
SRP: $70
Availability: Limited
High West’s first release of 2026 is a blend of five straight bourbons sourced from Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee. The blend’s components are as follows:
- Kentucky bourbon with a mashbill of 60% corn and 40% malted barley
- Kentucky bourbon with a mashbill of 60% corn and 40% rye
- Kentucky bourbon with a mashbill of 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley
- Indiana bourbon with a mashbill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley
- Tennessee bourbon with a mashbill of 84% corn, 8% rye, and 8% malted barley
The exact proportions of each whiskey in the blend aren’t shared, nor are their ages, but the distillery notes that they range from 6 to 20 years old. The blend was put together by High West’s distilling director Isaac Winter, who took the lead role at the distillery following master distiller Brendan Coyle’s departure last summer. While limited, High West Cask Strength will be available nationwide, as well as for purchase on the distillery’s website and at its Saloon in Park City, Utah.
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Knob Creek Bold Pick: 2026 Batch Straight Bourbon
ABV: 56.1%-60.8%
SRP: $70
Availability: Limited
Last year, James B. Beam Distilling Co. partnered with former NFL star Eli Manning on the very first Knob Creek Bold Pick bourbon. For the collection’s second release, Manning once again selected a single barrel alongside master distiller Freddie Noe. Their 2026 pick is another 9 year old bourbon, this one striking Manning’s fancy thanks to its full-bodied texture and rich notes of vanilla, oak spice, and roasted nuts.
Woodford Double Double Oaked Straight Bourbon
ABV: 45.2%
SRP: $200
Availability: Limited
Woodford Reserve made headlines last January when it announced that its beloved Double Double Oaked—a riff on the distillery’s flagship bourbon that’s finished in toasted and flash-charred barrels for an additional 24 months—would no longer be a distillery exclusive, but available nationwide moving forward. The 2026 batch of the whiskey is here.
Penelope Serena & Lily Collaboration “Beaufain” Four Grain Bourbon
ABV: 47%
SRP: $45
Availability Online, North Carolina, and in select surrounding markets
For this release, Penelope partnered with southern furniture company Serena & Lily (S&L) to commemorate the opening of S&'L's first storefront in Charleston, South Carolina, this month. The whiskey is a bespoke blend, but it does have the same mashbill as Penelope’s flagship four-grain bourbon (75% corn, 15% wheat, 7% rye, and 3% malted barley). One of the key differences between the two is that Beaufain has a higher proof, bottled at 47% ABV compared to the flagship’s 40%.
New Riff Balboa Rye (2026 Release)
ABV: 50%
Price: $60
Availability: Available online and in select retailers beginning Friday, Jan. 23
For its annual release of Balboa Rye, New Riff has kept the same formula as previous fan-favorite iterations: 4 year old bottled in bond sour mash whiskey. After starting New Riff’s exploration of heirloom grains back in 2019, Balboa rye has since become one of our favorite whiskeys of 2025, landing at the No.-4 spot on our annual Top 20 list.
Its mashbill is composed of 5% malted rye and 95% Balboa rye, which was a popular 1940s-era rye variety. It’s sourced from Fogg Family Farm in Indiana, where Charles Fogg has grown it for years. In addition to the Balboa rye recurring annual release, this heirloom grain has been used in other New Riff expressions, including Ol’ New Riff bourbon and Maltser bourbon.
Wyoming Whiskey Single Barrel Barrel Strength Bourbon (Barrel No. 6429)
ABV: 62%
Price: $300
Availability: Wyoming exclusive
Wyoming Whiskey has unveiled its annual single barrel bourbon selected by master distiller Brendan Cook. It’s composed of the brand’s signature wheated mashbill–68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley–used across the portfolio (except Outryder, a rye and high-rye bourbon blend). All grains are sourced locally and distilled with mineral-rich water from the Bighorn Basin. Like previous Wyoming single barrel releases, this one was aged 10 years.
As with other western climates, temperature plays a big role at Wyoming Whiskey. The distillery is located at an altitude of more than 4,200 feet in the Big Horn River Basin, an area with extreme weather fluctuations. The dramatic shift in temperatures, from scorching heat in the summer to freezing temperatures in the winter, intensifies barrel interaction. Fewer than 500 bottles of the single barrel selections are released each year. It’s available at select Wyoming retailers, at the distillery, and the distillery’s shops—the Jackson Barrel Shop in Jackson Hole and the Kirby Whiskey Shop.
Still 630 1776 5 year old Indomitable Spirits Bottled in Bond Single Barrel Bourbon
ABV: 50%
SRP: $76
Availability: Online
Still 630 has unveiled Indomitable Spirit of America, a new line of 12 bottled in bond single barrel bourbons released in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Each one has the same mashbill (Missouri yellow corn, Missouri red corn, rye, wheat, and malted barley), and is identified by a date that coincides with a major event in American history. The first expression, 1776, pays homage to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It has a 5-year age statement and was aged in local Missouri oak.
The bottlings in the series will be released monthly throughout the year, with tastings available at the distillery on the first Friday of each month and bottles available for purchase the following day. Still 630 is located in downtown St. Louis, near the city’s famed Gateway Arch and Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. The distillery offers a variety of visitor experiences.
Rebel Root Beer Flavored Whiskey
ABV: 35%
SRP: $20
Availability: Nationwide
Lux Row’s Rebel Bourbon brand has brought back its Root Beer Flavored Whiskey, which had previously been discontinued. It uses a base of Rebel wheated bourbon—68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley—which is infused with natural flavors and proofed down to 35% ABV. The brand recommends it with bourbon, root beer, and a splash of cola, or with Ezra Brooks bourbon cream for a boozy riff on a root beer float.
Royal Salute 21 year old Signature Blend Lunar New Year Special Edition Blended scotch
ABV: 40%
SRP: $200
Availability: Limited; imported by Pernod Ricard USA
Royal Salute is celebrating Lunar New Year with a colorful limited-edition label and box designed by British artist Emily Carter for its 21 year old Signature blend. The design bursts with bold blooms, dazzling fireworks, and butterflies, symbolizing good fortune, rebirth, and prosperity. Traditional Lunar New Year elements such as cranes, peonies, and festive lanterns intertwine with royal icons, including the Tower of London, reflecting Royal Salute’s heritage dating back to 1953. Unlike the standard blue flagons of Royal Salute 21 year old Signature Blend, the Lunar New Year Special Edition is presented in a ruby red flagon.
In December 2025, Sandy Hyslop retired, becoming Royal Salute master blender emeritus, stepping down after a 42-year career in scotch whisky.
Kavalan Triple Sherry Cask Year of the Horse Taiwanese single malt
ABV: 43%
SRP: $115
Availability: Limited; imported by Hotaling & Co.
Kavalan has released a Lunar New Year label of its Triple Sherry Cask, a marriage of Kavalan single malt whiskies matured in oloroso, Pedro Ximénez, and moscatel sherry casks. Triple Sherry Cask was released in the U.S. market in 2024 and received a 90-point rating. The Year of the Horse packaging features a golden horse cantering over peonies, symbolizing vitality, good fortune, and prosperity, and the gift set includes a tulip-shaped snifter glass.
As a major occasion for exchanging gifts, special packaging designs for Lunar New Year, such as this Johnnie Walker Blue Label, are hitting the shelves ahead of the start of the new zodiac cycle on February 17th.
