Whisky Watch: New Ryes From Jack Daniel's, Blade & Bow's Latest, a Blue Note Wheater & More

It's an American whiskey world for this week's new releases, with bourbons, ryes, and wheaters taking center stage. Fans of site-specific Jack Daniel's hazmat rye, you're in luck—the Tennessee distillery is back with another batch of rye whiskeys that hail from three of its warehouse locations. Also in rye, Pursuit Spirits was tapped for a single barrel selection, and TX Whiskey has added another rye to its Experimental Series. In bourbon, Blade and Bow has re-released its 22 year old, Widow Jane has an añejo-finished iteration, and both Blue Note and Hard Truth are out with wheated expressions.

Jack Daniel’s Special Release Small Batch Rye

ABV: 71.35%-73.05%
SRP: $65
Availability: Jack Daniel Distillery’s White Rabbit Bottle Shop in Lynchburg, Tennessee

Jack Daniel Distillery is amping up its focus on Tennessee rye with the release of five barrel proof batches pulled from its Coy Hill, Boiler Hill, and Fire Brigade Fields warehouses. All were made from the distillery’s standard rye recipe of 70% rye, 18% corn, and 12% malted barley.

Two of the batches came from Coy Hill—the highest point on the Jack Daniel campus, which produces some of the very best single barrels the distillery has to offer—another two from Boiler Hill, and the final batch from Fire Brigade Field. In all, 129 barrels were pulled for the release; Boiler Hill Batch 2 is the largest of the five batches, with some 1,150 cases released, while the second batch of Coy Hill is the smallest, with just 55 cases released. The whiskeys are between 8 and 10 years old, having been put into barrels from February 2016 to August 2017.

Jack Daniel’s ryes have consistently scored well with our panel, with its September 2025 release, Tanyard Hill, earning 94 points.

Blade and Bow 22 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon

ABV: 46%
SRP: $1,100
Availability: Limited

Another year, another release of Blade and Bow’s 22 year old Kentucky bourbon. While not distilled at Stitzel-Weller Distillery, Blade and Bow’s current home, the whiskey was matured there for much of its life. It’s available at the distillery on a first-come, first-served basis; alongside a bottle, guests can purchase a tasting experience ($150) at Stitzel-Weller’s Garden & Gun Club, which comes with the whiskey, a custom Glencairn, wool tartan bag, Blade and Bow pin, and tasting notes guide.

Blue Note Small Batch Wheated Bourbon

ABV: 50.5%
SRP: $45
Availability: Limited

The latest release from Blue Note is a Kentucky wheater made from a mashbill of 70% corn, 21% soft winter wheat, and 9% malted barley. Aged in Memphis—the city Blue Note calls home—the whiskey was subject to hot, humid summers that resulted in more interaction between the liquid and the barrel. While limited, there’s plenty of this whiskey to go around, with around 33,600 bottles nationwide.

Pursuit United Double Oak Rye: Whiskey Row Series 2026

ABV: 54%
SRP: $70
Availability: 160 bottles

Each year, Louisville’s whiskey industry celebrates spring and the racing season with a Whiskey Row Series Private Selection. Pursuit Spirits is this year’s featured producer. While bourbons are usually highlighted, the selection committee went in a different direction, tapping a barrel of Pursuit’s rye that features a custom “tobacco” toasted stave profile custom-made by Independent Stave Company. This is the only the second time that Pursuit has used this stave profile for its Double Oak rye. Bottles will be available at the Pursuit Spirits tasting room on Whiskey Row, as well as at Doc Crow’s, Justin’s House of Bourbon, and various Cox’s and Evergreen Liquors locations in Kentucky.

Widow Jane Tequila Ocho Cask Finished Bourbon

ABV: $75
SRP: 45.5%
Availability: 12,000 bottles

Brooklyn, New York-based Widow Jane has partnered with Tequila Ocho on an añejo-finished blend of 10 year old bourbons. The two first collaborated in 2022 on a bourbon barrel-finished reposado, and followed that up with a bourbon-finished añejo in 2023. Widow Jane head distiller Sienna Jevremov calls the agave character a “prism” for the whiskey, not masking the whiskey’s flavors but, rather, refracting them. The whiskey ultimately spent 8 months in the Ocho casks, marking the first time Tequila Ocho has offered its barrels to another producer. The new bourbon will be available starting next month.

TX Whiskey Experimental Series: Full Proof Straight Rye

ABV: 60%
SRP: $40/375 ml
Availability: Limited; distillery only

TX Whiskey, produced by Firestone & Robertson Distilling Co. in Fort Worth, has unveiled the 16th release in its Experimental Series: a 7 year old high-proof rye. The 100% rye mashbill uses local grains from TX’s main supplier, Sawyer Farms, located about 55 miles south of the downtown distillery.

The Experimental Series has been the catalyst for the label’s foray into high-proof ryes, launching its first as the inaugural expression in 2020, with an emphasis on Texas climate’s ability to shape maturation. This was followed by a bottled in bond rye in the series, and most recently, a bourbon and rye blend finished in vino de naranja casks. There are only 1,100 375-ml bottles available at Firestone & Roberson’s visitor center beginning April 25th.

Hard Truth Mizunara Finished Wheated Bourbon

ABV: 58%
SRP: $70
Availability: Limited

Just a few weeks after the launch of its French oak finished bourbon, Nashville, Indiana-based Hard Truth has unveiled a mizunara-finished wheated bourbon. Made from a mashbill of 69% corn, 19% wheat, and 12% malted barley, which first appeared in its high-scoring bottled in bond bourbon from 2024. This one was aged for 6 years, then finished in Japanese mizunara barrels for 8-12 weeks, before being bottled at cask strength. Only 25 barrels were selected for this release.

For those nearby, there’s a tasting event at the distillery this evening (April 24^th), hosted by the brand’s producers and ambassadors. Tickets are available here. The whiskey will officially launch on May 9^th at Hard Truth Distillery, with distribution nationally to follow shortly after.