Whisky Watch: Finished American Whiskeys Lead, Beam Taps the 1950s With Ten Pin Bottle

It’s been a week of finished American whiskies on the new releases front, led by the great Four Roses, which now offers its second finished whiskey in its long history, both of them coming this year. Joining Four Roses in the finishing parade are Michter’s, Blue Note, Angel’s Envy, and TX Whiskey. Jack Daniel’s, meanwhile, has taken its American single malt to national distribution, and it too is a finished whiskey. The lone non-finished release in the group is Jim Beam Ten Pin Bottle bourbon, its bowling pin packaging (originally from the 1950’s) looking very cool.

Four Roses Experimental Series Honey Cask Finished Bourbon (Experiment No. 002)

ABV: 52%
SRP: $55/375ml
Availability: Distillery exclusive

Four Roses has unveiled the second installment in its limited-edition Experimental Series, a honey cask-finished bourbon. The release blends 6, 7, and 8 year old bourbons before spending 3 to 9 months in barrels previously used to produce the distillery's Bourbon Barrel Aged Honey in partnership with local producer Bohman Bee Company. This whiskey marks only the second cask-finished bourbon in Four Roses' 138-year history, following July's inaugural Experimental Series No. 001 Mizunara Cask Finish.

This bourbon combines two of Four Roses' 10 recipes, OESQ and OBSK, which are typically bottled as single-barrel expressions. OBSK uses the distillery's high-rye "B" mashbill (60% corn, 35% rye, 5% malted barley) with its spice-forward "K" yeast strain, while OESQ features the lower-rye "E" mashbill (75% corn, 20% rye, 5% malted barley) paired with the floral "Q" yeast strain.

Jack Daniel’s American Single Malt

ABV: 45%
SRP: $75/ liter
Availability: Limited, nationwide

This Jack Daniel’s single malt debuted in Travel Retail in 2023 after a small release as part of JD’s experimental Distillery Series during the previous year. It’s now getting wider distribution across the United States, and will be an annual release. The 100% malted barley whiskey was aged in new American oak before being finished in oloroso sherry casks. Like the core Jack Daniel’s brand, this one underwent the Lincoln County process, and like its Travel Retail counterpart, it comes in 1-liter bottles.

Michter’s US*1 Toasted Barrel Finish Rye

SRP: $120
ABV: 54.55% (varies)
Availability: Limited

Rolling out in September, this barrel proof rye release was aged in new charred oak and finished in a second barrel made from wood seasoned outdoors for 24 months before the toasting process began. Michter’s is widely credited with creating the toasted barrel category with its ground-breaking Toasted Barrel bourbon release back in 2014. This one, like all Michter’s products, will likely sell out quickly.

Jim Beam Ten Pin Bottle bourbon

SRP: $125
ABV: 50%
Availability: Limited, at Beam’s distillery in Clermont, Kentucky

Jim Beam has reintroduced the legendary Ten Pin Bottle, a bowling pin-shaped bottle that first appeared in the 1950s, created as a gift from Jim Beam to friends, family, and business associates. It became one of the most sought-after releases in Beam’s history, and its vintage bottles today are prized collectibles.

Last year, Beam rolled out its Pin Bottle, with a similar idea of commemorating Beam’s decanter releases from the 1940s and 1950s. In all, Beam released more than 3,000 unique decanters from the 1940s to the 1990s.

That Pin Bottle of 2025 was an 8 year old, but the Ten Pin Bottle was aged 10 years. It’s a limited edition release that went on sale at the James B. Beam distillery in Clermont, Kentucky on August 22, which also happens to be Jim Beam Day, an annual occasion to celebrate Jim Beam’s birthday. Bottles are still available.

Blue Note Cherry Wood Cask Finished Straight Bourbon (Volume 1)

ABV: 60%
SRP: $65
Availability: Limited

Memphis-based Blue Note's latest limited release is a blend of 5 to 6 year old bourbons finished for 4 months in sustainably harvested wild-cherry wood casks from France's Jura region. Bottled at cask strength, it's made from a mashbill of 70% corn, 21% rye, and 9% malted barley.

Cherrywood is an unusual cask finish, but one that has been seen in whiskies around the world, though French cherrywood remains a rarity in American whiskey. Blue Note joins a small group of producers exploring cherrywood, alongside Irish bottlings like Method and Madness Wild Cherry Wood Irish single pot still and Teeling 15 year old Wonders of Wood Irish single malt. Approximately 1,000 cases of this release are available online through Seelbach's and at select retailers in Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, and Tennessee.

Angel’s Envy Distillery Series Imperial Stout and Amburana Barrel Finished bourbon

ABV: 50%
SRP: $55/375ml
Availability: Distillery exclusive

This one is a blend of whiskeys aged 6 and 7 years, with most of that liquid spending 6-24 months in Imperial Stout barrels sourced from Louisville craft brewer Trellis Brewing, as well as Goose Island Beer Co. in Chicago. All the barrels used originally came from Angel’s Envy for its bourbon production program. Some 99% of the total liquid was finished in those casks, with the remaining 1% finished for 1 month in Amburana casks. A total of 18,000 375ml bottles were produced, to be sold at the Angel’s Envy visitors center in Louisville starting September 10.

TX Whiskey Experimental Series Rum Finished Straight Bourbon

ABV: 40%
SRP: $40/375ml
Availability: Distillery exclusive

TX Whiskey has turned to rum casks for its latest Experimental Series release. The Fort Worth, Texas distillery’s flagship bourbon, made from a mashbill of 74% yellow corn, 14% soft red winter wheat, and 12% malted barley, gets a tropical edge after spending an undisclosed amount of time in Barbados rum casks. Its predecessor, a bourbon aged in orange wine casks, earned a commendable 89 points from our tasting panel.

Just 1,100 375-ml bottles will be available beginning August 29 at the label’s Whiskey Ranch distillery campus.