Michter's US*1 Barrel Strength Rye, Bardstown French Oak, Bernheim Barrel Proof & More

Higher proof whiskeys have been expanding their presence these days—indeed, among the latest releases, it almost seems like a rare thing to find a whisky with an ABV in the 40% bracket. These new expressions are nearly all in the high 50% or low 60% range, with only two bottlings in the mid-40s. It seems to be what whisky drinkers want as they seek intense, amped up flavors, and, so distillers are delivering. This lineup spans most of the major styles, including bourbon, rye, single malt, and Irish, nearly all pushing up the needle on proof.

Michter’s US*1 Barrel Strength Rye

ABV: 55.25%
SRP: $120
Availability: Limited

While your favorite Michter’s releases can sometimes go on hiatus due to a combination of limited supply and the judgment of master distiller Dan McKee and master of maturation Andrea Wilson, the distillery has made concerted efforts in recent years to make sure that its whiskeys are on shelves. That effort has paid off for its US*1 Barrel Strength rye, which is back once more following last year’s release.

The average ABV of this year’s single barrels hovers around 55.25%—a smidge higher than the 2024 release. Its price has increased a tad as well, coming in at $120 (whereas previous years rang in at $110). It’ll be available in limited quantities starting next month.

Bardstown Bourbon Distillery Reserve Cathedral French Oak Bourbon

ABV: 55.05%
SRP: $100/375 ml
Availability: Gift shop exclusive

Bardstown Bourbon Co.’s newest creation is a French oak barrel finished blend of bourbons. All five components come from Kentucky, were made from one of four mashbills, and range in age from 9–18 years old. The main ingredients are a 14 year old that’s 45% of the blend, and an 18 year old which makes up 37.5%. The finishing barrels were sourced from the Bercé Forest in the Loire Valley, which was harvested to rebuild parts of the Notre-Dame Cathedral following its fire in April 2019.

This release kicks off Bardstown’s new Distillery Reserve series, exclusively available at the distillery’s gift shops in Bardstown and Louisville. These whiskeys come from various experiments carried out by blender Dan Callaway, and are intended to be far smaller in scale than Bardstown’s typical releases—encompassing around two to nine barrels per blend. For that reason, they’re all going to be sold as 375-ml bottles.

Barrell Craft Spirits Toasted Vantage Blend of Straight Bourbons

ABV: 57.58%
SRP: $200
Availability: Barrell's tasting outpost and online next month

Barrell Craft Spirits is planning to release a highly limited riff of its popular Vantage blend on March 5th, with 330 bottles available at Barrell’s blending outpost in Watterson, Kentucky and via the brand's website. This expression starts off as BCS Vantage—a blend of straight bourbons finished in mizunara, French, and toasted American oak. That blend was finished for an additional 22 months in Grand Cru Limited Edition American oak barrels—a specialty barrel from Canton Cooperage that was open-air seasoned for 48 months and has a custom toast profile.

Bernheim Barrel Proof Wheat (Batch A225)

ABV: 62.8%
SRP: $67
Availability: Nationwide

Bernheim Barrel Proof has the same masbhilll as Bernheim Original wheat whiskey label—51% wheat, 37% corn, and 12% malted barley—and encompasses liquid aged 7 and 9 years old. At 62.8% ABV, this is the highest-proof batch we’ve seen since the expression debuted two years ago.

Bernheim Barrel Proof is a relatively quiet player in Heaven Hill’s lineup, but it’s one that has really started to catch on. Last February’s batch, A224, was a particularly remarkable release—netting 94 points with our tasting panel and finding a top spot in our Top 20 list for 2024.

Lost Lantern Spring 2025 Collection

Independent bottler Lost Lantern, which specializes in sourcing exceptional barrels from craft distillers around the country, has announced its Spring 2025 lineup. This is the first time a Lost Lantern collection has exclusively featured cask finished whiskeys. When they’re released on April 2nd, the bottles can be found on Lost Lantern’s website, seelbachs.com, at Lost Lantern’s tasting room in Vermont, and select retailers in California, Massachusetts, and New York.

New York Distilling Co. Opulent Orchard Apple Brandy Finished Straight Rye, 57.45%, $100

The only expression in this collection that isn’t a single cask, this is a combination of 7 year old ryes from New York Distilling Co.—blended by Lost Lantern—that’s finished in apple brandy barrels. 410 bottles.

Santa Fe Spirits Apple Brandy Finished Single Cask Single Malt, 55.05%, $100

From New Mexico, this mesquite-smoked American single malt was aged for 3.5 years in a 53-gallon barrel before being finished for over a year in one of Santa Fe Spirits’ own apple brandy barrel. 100 bottles.

Andalusia Tequila Finished Peated Single Cask Single Malt, 61.5%, $100

This lightly peated Texan single malt was aged for 2.5 years in a barrel that once held Andalusia’s wood-smoked Stryker single malt before being finished in an añejo tequila barrel for half a year. 150 bottles.

Starlight Honey Finished Straight Single Cask Bourbon, 55%, $80

This 4 year old bourbon from Indiana’s Starlight Distillery was finished for 3 months in a barrel that was previously used to make Starlight’s barrel-aged honey. 265 bottles.

Watershed 8 year old Nocino Finished Single Cask Straight Bourbon, 63.25%, $90

The oldest and highest proof bottling in this collection, this Ohio bourbon was initially aged for 3 years and 8 months before being moved into nocino black walnut liqueur barrels for a 4 year and 7 month-long finish. 200 bottles.

Finger Lakers Distilling Pommeau Finished Single Cask Straight Rye, 45.85%, $100

From Finger Lakes Distilling in upstate New York, this rye was aged for 6 years and finished for 3 months in barrels that previously held pommeau—a drink traditionally made in France that combines apple brandy and apple juice—from the distillery’s cider house. 205 bottles.

Chattanooga Whiskey Single Barrel Rye

ABV: 59.9%
SRP: $65
Availability: Limited; Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin, and seelbachs.com

The latest addition to Chattanooga Whiskey’s Single Barrel Series highlights its four-grain rye whiskey. The two new releases are made with yellow corn and three types of malted rye—pale, caramel, and chocolate—which account for over 60% of the mashbill, and they spotlight two different barrels: one, a char no. 4 barrel, and the other, Chattanooga’s custom toasted and charred barrel. (Whiskeys from those barrels are blended for the distillery’s 99 Rye; this series offers the first chance to taste the components on their own.)

Navy SEAL Foundation x J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery Double Staved Trident Collection

ABV: 59.5%-64.5%
Price: $155 each, $425 for the set
Availability: Pre-order available online, shipping March 3^rd; and at the distillery

For the 25th year, Frankfort, Kentucky’s J. Mattingly 1845 has partnered with Navy SEAL Foundation (NSF), this time unveiling a limited-edition collection of three whiskeys. The lineup includes Sea 5 year old Kentucky bourbon, Air 9 year old light whiskey, and Land 5 year old rye. Named for the SEALS’ different areas of operation. Like all Mattingly expressions, these are double-staved, which is the process of exposing the whiskey to charred barrel staves during maturation. $30 from each bottle sale will be donated to NSF’s support programs benefiting SEALS warriors, veterans, and their families.

These whiskeys follow of a slew of Mattingly releases from last year, notably its flagship 6 year old bourbon and a string of military-related bourbons including the 5th Edition Combat Infantry Badge, and more recently the 10th Mountain Division and POW/MIA Small Batch expressions, all of which donate portions of bottle sales to U.S. armed forces charities. It's a natural fit for the family-run company, whose members have a long tradition of military service.

J. Mattingly 1845 Sea Edition Double Staved 5 year Old Kentucky Bourbon

78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley

J. Mattingly 1845 Air Edition Double Staved 9 Year Old Light Whiskey

99% corn, 1% malted barley; aged in bourbon barrels

J. Mattingly 1845 Land Edition Double Staved 5 Year Old Rye

95% rye and 5% malted barley

Teeling Tequila Single Cask (No. 88946) Irish Single Malt

ABV: 58.9%
SRP: $99
Availability: Florida exclusive; 258 bottles; imported by Bacardi

Teeling 15 year old PX Sherry Single Cask (No. 29594) Irish Single Malt

ABV: 56.1%
SRP: $125
Availability: California exclusive; 270 bottles; imported by Bacardi

Teeling Whiskey is going coast-to-coast with two exclusive single cask releases for Florida and California, both bottled at cask strength. Few people working in Ireland have more experience at cask finishing than Alex Chasko, Teeling’s master distiller. Tequila and mezcal casks have been used by Bushmills, Teeling, and Irish Distillers before, but they are still rare in Irish whiskey. For the Florida cask, Chasko chose triple-distilled Teeling single malt, initially matured it in first-fill bourbon barrels, and gave it a 2-year finish in a tequila cask. The source of the tequila cask is not disclosed, but Bacardi, who owns a majority share of Teeling Whiskey Co., also owns tequila brands including Patrón and Cazadores. As Teeling Distillery opened in 2015, Chasko hand-selected the 15 year old single cask for California from an undisclosed distillery, and it promises to be a sherry bomb. It was matured for the first 9 years in a sherry butt, before spending nearly 7 years in a first-fill Pedro Ximénez sherry cask.

Drumshanbo Marsala Cask Edition Irish Single Pot Still

ABV: 43%
SRP: $80
Availability: Limited; imported by Palm Bay International

Drumshanbo Tawny Port Cask Edition Irish Single Pot Still

ABV: 43%
SRP: $80
Availability: Limited imported by Palm Bay International

Two new limited edition Irish whiskeys are hitting our shores from The Shed Distillery in Drumshanbo, County Leitrim. Both are 7 year old single pot still whiskeys distilled by head distiller Brian Taft from malted and unmalted Irish barley, with the addition of Irish Barra oats, which are known for their golden color and mainly used for culinary purposes. These are not finished whiskeys, instead each was fully matured in its respective barrel type; one in tawny port casks, the other in Sicilian marsala casks. Drumshanbo’s inaugural whiskey was ranked No. 14 in our Top 20 of 2020.

Nc’nean AON-17-518 “The Big Apple” Single Cask Single Malt Scotch

ABV: 60.2%
SRP: $125
Availability: Limited; New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut

This whisky initially aged in a bourbon barrel starting in 2017—during Nc’nean’s first year of production—before being transferred into a cask that previously held Avallen calvados in April 2021. It was left to finish for over 3 years, before being emptied and bottled last August. Only 348 bottles were produced.

Set on the western coast of the Scottish Highlands, Nc’nean hangs its hat on making whisky as sustainably as possible—achieving net zero carbon emissions, using 100% recycled glass for its bottles, and cutting down its waste output by 99.9%. Style-wise, founder Annabel Thomas places a premium on creating a flavorful new make through fermentation, yeast selection, and using 100% organic Scottish-grown barley. The distillery has been impressive so far, with most of its expressions scoring 92 points or higher by our tasting panel.