Whisky Watch: A 1792 Wheater, Penelope's Latest Finish, WhistlePig, Macallan & More

American whiskeys dominate this week’s new releases. In new bourbon, Barton 1792 has a higher ABV iteration of its Sweet Wheat, Jeptha Creed has the latest edition of Red, White, & Blue, and Larrikin has a new single barrel series; finished bourbons include a new Penelope Cooper Series, this one finished in cognac casks, and a sherry and cherrywood stave-finished release that pays homage to John Wick from Barrel Global. In new rye, Templeton has the second installment of its Hidden Stash Collection, WhistlePig has added a 12 year old finished in its own maple syrup barrels, and Iron City unveils its inaugural release. Rounding out the American whiskeys are a 17 year old single malt from Town Branch, a single barrel wheat whiskey from Chattanooga, and the first two whiskeys from Wilder Heart. Plus, there are a few new scotch single malts coming from Glenfiddich, Macallan, and Meikle Tòir.

1792 Wheated Full Proof Bourbon

ABV: 62.5%
SRP: $40
Availability: CA, TX, NY, FL, IL

With its latest wheater, 1792 has taken its Sweet Wheat bourbon and cranked it up, bringing its normal ABV from 45.6% to 62.5%. The mashbill remains the same as the forebear, combining soft red winter wheat with corn and malted barley (as with all 1792 whiskeys, the exact breakdown is undisclosed). The new whiskey is available in just five states. The 1792 brand is distilled by Bardstown, Kentucky-based Barton 1792, a sister distillery to Buffalo Trace.

Penelope Cooper Series Madagascar Cognac Cask Finished Bourbon

ABV: 49.5%
Price: $80
Availability: Nationwide

Penelope’s Cooper Series has previously featured cask finishes from around the globe, including French, Spanish, and Hungarian wine casks, Brazilian oak, and Caribbean rum casks. Its latest addition, Madagascar, takes the brand's usual four-grain straight bourbon and finishes it in cognac casks. The release joins a growing collection of experimental finishes in the Cooper Series, including Rio and Riviera.

Jeptha Creed Red, White & Blue Kentucky Straight Bourbon (2026 Release)

ABV: 50%
SRP: $75
Availability: Limited

The fifth edition of Red, White & Blue bourbon doesn’t reinvent the wheel—the whiskey’s mashbill remains consistent, combining 25% bloody butcher corn, 25% heirloom white corn, 25% Bruce’s blue corn, 20% malted rye, and 5% malted barley. As in years past, the bourbon pays tribute to U.S. military veterans. A portion of this year’s proceeds will go toward K9s For Warriors, a nonprofit that pairs rescue dogs with veterans in need. In celebration of the new release, Jeptha Creed is hosting a Veterans Day tribute on Saturday, November 7th, at its Shelbyville, Kentucky distillery, which will feature a color guard ceremony, guest speakers, bottle signings, food, and more.

Templeton Rye Hidden Stash Collection No. 2 15 Year Old Rye

ABV: 55.5%
Price: $190
Availability: Nationwide

Iowa-based Templeton Rye has launched a 15 year old as the second installment in its Hidden Stash Collection. Distilled in Indiana from a mashbill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley, the 111-proof whiskey was aged in char No. 4 new American oak barrels. It follows last fall's inaugural 13 year old release, which was bottled at a slightly lower 54% ABV. Just 3,456 bottles were produced. Since its 2021 rebrand, Templeton has expanded its lineup of age-stated rye whiskeys, including the 104-proof 10 Year Reserve, an ongoing single barrel series.

WhistlePig 12 Year Old Single Finish Maple Crème Brûlée Rye

ABV: 43%
Price: $125
Availability: Limited

WhistlePig's latest holiday release is a 12 year old rye finished for approximately one month in barrels that previously held the brand's barrel-aged maple syrup. The barrels were re-charred to caramelize the maple sugars in the oak, imparting notes of maple, caramel, spice, and vanilla. It follows another sweet-leaning release, Golden Pharaoh, which was aged in casks seasoned with black honey. The new rye is available online and at select bars, restaurants, and retailers.

Iron City Bessemer Heritage Rye

ABV: 50%
SRP: $48
Availability: PA

Creighton, Pennsylvania-based Iron City Distilling has released its flagship rye whiskey. Master distiller Matt Strickland aimed to create a historic Pennsylvania rye. To achieve that flavor profile, he distilled a pre-Prohibition style mashbill of 50% rye and 50% malted rye (Pennsylvania-grown danko and rosen heirloom varietals), using both pot and chamber stills. The final blend encompasses 37% pot-distilled danko rye, 36% pot-distilled rosen rye, and 27% chamber-distilled danko rye.

The distillate was barreled in new oak with high-toast and heavy-char at a low entry proof of 101. It aged in a steam-heated warehouse, where temperatures never dropped below 70° F during the winter, and occasionally rose above 105° during the summer—conditions similar to what Pennsylvania distillers of yore would’ve seen. Iron City’s inaugural rye is available at the distillery’s gift shop in Creighton and online; eventually, it’ll be available for purchase at palibations.com and Pennsylvania retailers.

Iron City claims to own one of just three whiskey-producing chamber stills in the world. Once widely used by rye distillers across the Northeast, chamber stills fell out of style following Prohibition. They’re seldom seen today because they’re tedious to operate, but for those who do use them, they’re irreplaceable, creating an oily, intense spirit that’s reminiscent of pre-Prohibition whiskey.

Larrikin Foxtrot Series 9 Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon

ABV: Varies
SRP: $110
Availability: Limited

The new Foxtrot single barrel from Larrikin Bourbon Co. features the brand’s flagship bourbon mashbill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. Larrikin was founded in 2021 by Australian-born U.S. Navy combat veteran Greg Keeley and his wife, Katie; at the time, it was called Lawrenceburg Bourbon Co., before rebranding as Larrikin in 2024. That same year, the company's first release, an 8 year old bottled in bond Kentucky bourbon, came out. Since then, Larrikin has launched a variety of whiskeys, including a small batch bourbon, bourbon cream, American light whiskey, single barrel rye, and a cigar blend bourbon.

Town Branch Archive Series Volume 3: 17 Year Old Bottled in Bond American Single Malt

ABV: 50%
SRP: $400
Availability: Limited; 85 bottles

With the third edition of its Archive Series, Lexington, Kentucky-based Town Branch has its oldest American single malt yet. The 17 year old, which the distillery is calling the oldest bottled in bond American single malt ever released, was pot-distilled and aged entirely in a bourbon barrel (much like the first two releases in the series). The barrel was filled on July 15, 2009, and it yielded just 85 bottles.

Alongside the new release, Town Branch is launching a new visitor experience: the Archive Series Cask X Tour & Tasting. It includes a tour of the distillery, a tasting of three single malts: 7 year old, distillery-exclusive Single Barrel Reserve, and Cask X, which is over 17 years old and combines all previous editions of the Archive Series into one barrel.

Chattanooga The Confluence Project Vol. 2 Single Barrel Wheat Whiskey

ABV: Variable
SRP: $70
Availability: Limited

Last fall, Chattanooga Whiskey and New Riff kicked off a new collaborative series with an interesting premise. Both distilleries agreed on a single 100% wheat mashbill—60% Red Turkey, 24% Appalachian malted, 8% dark malted Wheat, and 8% caramel malted—and used it to make different whiskeys. Now Chattanooga is releasing a follow-up expression, representing barrels from the original production run that were held back for additional maturation. It’s now 7 years and 6 months old and was barreled at varying proofs between 100 and 120.

Wilder Heart American Whiskey

Wilder Heart is a new outdoors-inspired brand from podcaster Nate Woodruff and UK-based VCL Vintners’ North America branch. It kicks off with two expressions: an American whiskey and a cask strength iteration. Blended from three mash bills, a high-rye corn, a rye, and a wheated bourbon, the whiskey is aged for a minimum of 4 years. To drive engagement, the label has launched Basecamp, a free membership where patrons can earn Trail Point rewards and the opportunity to receive gear and experiences.

Wilder Heart American Whiskey

ABV: 47%
Price: $45
Availability: Available online and retail in Colorado, Missouri, and Wyoming

Wilder Heart Cask Strength American Whiskey

ABV: 58.75%
Price: $70
Availability: Available online and retail in Colorado, Missouri, and Wyoming

John Wick Sherry & Cherry Wood Stave Finished Bourbon

ABV: 45%
SRP: $60
Availability: Online preorder

When he isn’t chasing down a target or caught in a firefight in the John Wick film series, cinematic hitman John Wick (played by Keanu Reeves) winds down with a glass of bourbon. Now the character is getting his own whiskey label through Barrel Global. The first release is a 7 year old bourbon distilled by Bardstown Bourbon Co. that’s finished in cherrywood and sherry casks. According to the brand, both finishes were inspired by the assassin’s world travels across the films: cherrywood nods to his visit to the Continental Hotel in Osaka during Chapter 4, and the sherry casks reference his European escapades in Chapter 2.

Glenfiddich x Aston Martin 28 Year Old Scotch Single Malt

ABV: 43.7%
SRP: $900
Availability: Limited, starting January 2027

The latest collaborative whisky between Glenfiddich and Aston Martin is a 28 year old single malt that combines four distinct cask types. Crafted by malt master Brian Kinsman, most of the blend matured in American oak and finished in virgin oak, then married with parcels aged exclusively in either oloroso hogsheads or bourbon casks. The new whisky’s packaging, which features flowing lines that evoke a sense of momentum, was created in collaboration with Aston Martin’s design team. Slated for release in January 2027, this ultra-aged single malt will be available nationwide.

Glenfiddich and Aston Martin have been partners since 2024. While the 28 year old single malt is significantly older than the partners’ recently released 16 year old, it falls short of the oldest collaborative releases, among them a 65 year old that paid homage to Aston Martin’s 1965 Formula One entry.

Macallan A Night on Earth The Finale Speyside single malt scotch

ABV: 43%
SRP: $120
Availability: Limited edition

A Night on Earth comes to a celebratory close with The Finale, the fifth release in Macallan’s collection inspired by global New Year traditions. This last chapter turns the spotlight on New Orleans, drawing on the city’s musical heritage, culinary excellence, and unmistakable spirit. Matured in sherry-seasoned American and European oak casks, the packaging incorporates three original artworks from New Orleans-born artist Hill Spriggins that capture the city's vibrant character, creativity, and optimism at the start of a new year.

The inaugural release, A Night on Earth In Scotland, arrived in 2021 and was inspired by Scotland’s Hogmanay traditions. It was followed in 2022 by A Night on Earth The Journey, which celebrated traveling home as family and friends gather for New Year. The third release was A Night on Earth in Jerez de la Frontera in 2024, Macallan’s bicentenary year, and celebrated New Year festivities in Andalusia, the home of sherry. In 2025, A Night on Earth The First Light celebrated the first sunrise of the New Year in New Zealand.

Meikle Tòir The Turbo 5 year old (2026 Release) Speyside single malt scotch

ABV: 50%
SRP: $90
Availability: Limited; January 2027, less than 200 bottles for the U.S.

Meikle Tòir turns up the smoke with The Turbo 2026 Edition, the fourth release in its annual series of heavily peated single malts from GlenAllachie Distillery. Led by whisky veteran Billy Walker, this 5 year old is made from malted barley peated to 71 phenol parts per million and matured in American virgin oak, oloroso, and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks, the latter making its debut in this year's release.

Peated production takes place for only six weeks a year at GlenAllachie, and the distillate for The Turbo was very limited. Its intense smoke comes from capturing the “heart of the heart” of the distillate, the cut with the highest phenol content. The Meikle Tòir label debuted in 2023, with The Turbo’s inaugural release scoring 92 points.