High West The Prisoner's Share, Penelope Cigar Sessions Chapter 1, Tomatin 12 Year Old Sherry Cask & More [New Releases]

A mixture of bourbons, ryes, and American blends leads the week’s new releases. High West brings back its The Prisoner Wine Co. red wine-finished blend of bourbon and rye, while Penelope has a blend that includes straight bourbon, American single malt, and American light whiskey. Woodinville has upped the age on its flagship rye, while 15 Stars introduces its oldest blend of rye yet; new bourbons include the fourth chapter of Castle & Key’s Untold Story series, a wheater from Great Jones, and a tribute to Buffalo Bill Cody from Wyoming Whiskey. Overseas, Tomatin, Loch Lomond, and Gordon & MacPhail all have new single malt scotch whiskies.

High West The Prisoner’s Share (2025 Edition) American blend

ABV: 51%
SRP: $175
Availability: Limited

High West’s latest batch of The Prisoner’s Share—a blend of whiskeys finished in The Prisoner Wine Co. red wine barrels—features bourbon and rye distilled at High West, MGP, Bardstown Bourbon Co., and an undisclosed Kentucky distillery. The individual mashbill components are as follows:

• MGP bourbon: 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley
• Bardstown Bourbon Co. bourbon: 60% corn and 40% rye
• Undisclosed distillery bourbon: 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley
• MGP rye made: 95% rye and 5% malted barley
• High West rye: 80% rye and 20% malted rye

The whiskeys were aged anywhere from 4 to 12 years, making it quite a bit older than the previous release of Prisoner’s Share, and the blend was finished in red wine barrels for 11 months. This is a limited release, but it’s available nationwide. While The Prisoner’s Share isn’t new, having first debuted in 2022, it's emblematic of High West’s interest in exploring cask finishes. Late last year, the distillery partnered with Casa Noble tequila on The Noble Share, a blend of straight ryes finished in Marques de Casa Noble añejo barrels.

Penelope Cigar Sessions Chapter 1 American Whiskey

ABV: 50.5%
SRP: $80
Availability: Limited, nationwide

Penelope joined forces with cigar makers Cynn Coburn (Dissident Cigars) and Lee Marsh (Stolen Throne Cigars) for this release, enlisting their help to taste through 19 different mashbills to determine which paired best with cigars. They landed on a blend that includes straight bourbon, American single malt, and American light whiskey, all of which were aged for at least 6 years. The final product has a derived mashbill of 72% corn, 15% rye, and 13% malt.

Cigar whiskies, which are specifically made to be paired with cigars (and sometimes pipe tobacco), have been around since the 1980s when Dalmore released the first version of its now-famous Cigar Malt. But in recent years, more distillers have been jumping on the bandwagon. Typically, cigar whiskies focus on maturation and cask finishing—with most of them drawing influences from at least three different types of barrels—but Penelope instead focuses on blending, grabbing flavors from mixing different mashbills together. Penelope is planning to turn Cigar Sessions into an annual series, with each new expression focusing on pairing with specific cigars.

Woodinville 8 year old 100% Rye

ABV: 50%
SRP: $130
Availability: Limited; nationwide, distillery, and online later this month

Washington craft distillery Woodinville is releasing its oldest rye whiskey to date. The newcomer is distilled entirely from unmalted rye—just like Woodinville’s flagship rye—and it carries an 8 year old age statement. The first 500 bottles will be available at the distillery beginning tomorrow, June 7th, at 7:00 a.m. Later this month, the whiskey will be available on Woodinville’s online store and at retailers around the country.

Castle & Key Untold Story of Kentucky Whiskey Chapter 4 Kentucky Straight Bourbon

ABV: 52%
Price: $175
Availability: online and retail at Castle & Key

First launched in 2021, the limited release Untold Story of Kentucky series partners with the Kentucky Black Bourbon Guild to highlight African Americans’ modern and historical contributions to the spirits industry. The bottle’s label depicts the narrative of Dallas Peters, an African American who was a pivotal distiller and falsely accused barrel thief at Old Taylor Distillery, what is now modern-day Castle & Key. His story underpins the brand’s continuing focus on nurturing diversity and equity within the distilling industry. All bottle sales will be donated to the label’s scholarship fund.

Unlike the two-barrel blends elsewhere in the series, this release is the first single barrel, with only 204 bottles available. As a cask strength bottling of the brand’s flagship small batch bourbon, the focus of the recipe is on the brand’s beloved heirloom Hickory King corn. Supplied from local Walnut Grove Farms, the grain was widely cultivated a century ago and said to contribute notes of dark fruits and chocolate in 73% of the mashbill, alongside 10% Kentucky-grown rye and 17% malted barley.

Those in Kentucky have the opportunity to purchase the whiskey at a ticketed dinner ($120 each) on June 19th at the state’s first Black-owned USDA Certified Organic Farm: Coleman Crest Farm. The dinner kicks off the beginning of SoulFeast Week, a cultural celebration of the community and cuisine in Lexington.

RD1 Sister Cities Japanese Mizunara Cask and French Oak Finished Kentucky Straight Whiskey

ABV: 51%
Price: $70
Availability: Nationwide, online, and at the distillery

Known for its wood-finished bourbons, RD1 has unveiled its first blended whiskey: a limited-edition wood stave-finished expression honoring the sister cities of its home in Lexington. The whiskey begins with a 5 year old high-rye bourbon aged in American Oak barrels. French Oak “Necklaces" sourced from the forests of Central France are added to the barrels, a nod to Lexington’s seaside sister city of Deauville, France. A 7 year old bourbon and 8 year old rye whiskey are then added to the mix, finished with lightly toasted mizunara staves honoring Lexington’s other sister city of Shinhidaka, located on Japan’s Northernmost island of Hokkaido.

Though French Oak made its first appearance in 2022 as a permanent fixture in the core lineup, this release marks the first time the label has used mizunara. The prized oak is known to lend itself well to working alongside other woods for finishing, characterized by gentle notes of incense and sandalwood without overpowering the final flavor. This is the second release from the label after moving operations to the newly minted tourist destination and distillery at The Commons in Lexington.

Great Jones Wheated Bourbon

ABV: 45%
Price: $45
Availability: Nationwide

This Manhattan distillery has released a wheated bourbon as part of its core lineup. Aged for a minimum of 4 years, its mashbill is composed of corn, malted barley, rye, and red winter wheat. All grains are sourced from the Black Dirt region, an area rich with fertile soils, located in Southern Orange County in Warwick Valley, New York. It joins the core lineup of a straight bourbon, straight rye, and four-grain bourbon, all of which were released in 2021 when the distillery first opened its doors.

This widely available new wheat bourbon sits in contrast to Great Jones’s other cask-finished distillery-exclusives. Experimental casks such as moscatel and mezcal were used in the Distiller’s Drop blend from this past March, while last year the label released a cabernet franc red wine cask-finished bourbon, which scored 90 points with our tasting panel.

15 Stars Founders Reserve Fine Aged Rye

ABV: 47.5%
SRP: $139
Availability: Limited; nationwide and 15stars.com

While 15 Stars has primarily specialized in ultra-aged bourbon since its first whiskey debuted in 2022, its new Founders Reserve represents its oldest blend of straight ryes yet. Sourced from Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee, the blend includes ryes aged 8, 9, 13, and 14 years.

15 Stars is owned by father-son blending duo Rick and Ricky Johnson, who are based in Bardstown, Kentucky. The brand’s name references Kentucky’s history—it was the 15^th state admitted into the Union.

Wyoming Whiskey Buffalo Bill Cody Bourbon

ABV: 48.5%
SRP: $80
Availability: Limited; Wyoming-exclusive

Throughout its 16-year history, Wyoming Whiskey has paid tribute to the people, places, and animals that have shaped the American West, among them Senator Clifford P. Hansen; Old Faithful; and Grizzly 399. Its new release honors Buffalo Bill Cody, a famous fixture of the Old West who was also a highly decorated war hero by the time of his death in 1917.

Made from Wyoming-grown grains and distilled at Wyoming Whiskey’s Kirby-based distillery, the new bourbon is a blend of 26 barrels, all selected by master blender Brendan Cook. The whiskey is 6 years old. As a Wyoming-only release, you’ll be hard-pressed to find this if you’re not local to the state; that said, the distillery does offer shipping through several websites, including Caskers, ReserveBar, Flaviar, and Minibar.

Lost Lantern Summer 2025 Collection

ABV: Varies
SRP: Varies
Availability: Limited

Vermont-based independent bottler Lost Lantern has debuted its Summer 2025 Collection, highlighting farm distillers across the U.S. As part of the collection, the company is also introducing Farmers’ Fields bourbon and rye, two estate blends that co-founders Adam Polonski and Nora Ganley-Roper created.

The six single cask releases come from four different distilleries across the country, and include:

• Frey Ranch Estate-Grown Nevada Straight Bourbon (62.64%, $100; 200 bottles)
  6 year old (67% corn, 12% malted barley, 11% rye, and 10% wheat); exclusive to New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island
• Whiskey Acres Estate-Grown Illinois Straight Bourbon (59.05%, $100; 176 bottles)
  5 year old (75% yellow dent corn, 15% wheat, and 10% malted barley)
• Frey Ranch Estate-Grown Nevada Straight Rye (59.25%, $100; 230 bottles)
  6 year old whiskey made from 100% winter rye
• Corbin Cash Estate-Grown California Straight Rye (66.5%, $130; 230 bottles)
  7 year old (100% Merced rye); online exclusive
• Far North Estate-Grown Minnesota Straight Rye (55.75%, 226 bottles; $100)
  4 year old (65% Hazlet rye, 25% heirloom corn, and 10% malted barley)
• Frey Ranch Estate-Grown Nevada Straight Wheat (60.65%, $100; 233 bottles)
  6 year old (100% soft white winter wheat)

Frey Ranch, Whiskey Acres, Corbin Cash, and Far North represent some of the most dedicated grain-to-glass distillers in the U.S.; all of the founders operated family farms before jumping into the whiskey business, and remain active in agriculture to this day.

When it comes to the Farmers’ Fields blends, the bourbon (58.95%; $100; 428 bottles) is a marriage of Far North, Frey Ranch, and Whiskey Acres bourbons, while the rye (58.7%; $100; 538 bottles) blends whiskey from all four featured distilleries. All releases are bottled at cask strength and non-chill filtered; for those that aren’t state- or online-exclusives, bottles are available at lostlanternwhiskey.com, seelbachs.com, and in California, New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, as well as at the Lost Lantern Tasting Room in Vergennes, Vermont.

Laws Headwaters Series: Rio Grande Rye

ABV: 50%
SRP: $85
Availability: Laws Whiskey Sanctuary exclusive

Denver-based Laws Whiskey House has released the second expression in its annual Headwaters Series, which honors the state’s rivers. This year’s edition is a rye whiskey made in honor of the Rio Grande. It’s distilled from heirloom rye grown in the San Luis Valley and was cut to 50% ABV using water from the Rio Grande. The whiskey will be available only at the Laws Whiskey Sanctuary, the distillery’s new tasting experience center which opened in January. Ten percent of the sales for this release will be donated to the Rio Grande Headwaters Restoration Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving the river.

Brother’s Bond 7 year old Regenerative Single Barrel Bourbon

ABV: 47.5%
SRP: Varies
Availability: 1 Hotels exclusive

Brother’s Bond, the whiskey brand of actors Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley, is debuting a new bourbon in partnership with the luxury hospitality group 1 Hotel. It’s a single barrel expression that was picked by 1 Hotels beverage directors Steve Minor and Harrison Deakin. The liquid was distilled entirely from regenerative grains, and it bears a 7 year old age statement. This release can only be found at 1 Hotels locations, with 375 ml bottles available for in-room minibars and pours available at bars. The price will vary depending on the location.

Scotch

Tomatin 12 year old Sherry Cask Single Malt Scotch

ABV: 40%
SRP: $70
Availability: Nationwide; imported by

Last year, Highlands distillery Tomatin added a seventh expression to its core range with the release of its 12 year old Sherry Cask. But the whiskey has not been available in the U.S.–until now. It’s now stateside and will remain a permanent expression going forward.

The whisky was aged entirely in sherry casks. Tomatin’s other core offerings include a quartet of NAS single malts aged in different cask combinations; a 12 year old aged in both bourbon and sherry casks; a 14 year old matured in bourbon barrels and tawny port casks; and an 18 year old aged in oloroso casks.

Loch Lomond The Open Course Special Edition 2025 Chianti Wine Cask Finished Single Malt Scotch

ABV: 46%
Price: $60
Availability: Limited annual release; imported by Foley Family Wine & Spirits

Loch Lomond 2002 22 year old The Open Course Collection 2025 Spanish Oak Casks Single Malt Scotch

ABV: 46.7%
SRP: $350
Availability: Limited annual release; 3,500 bottles globally; imported by Foley Family Wine & Spirits

Loch Lomond whisky has been the official spirit of The Open Championship and the AIG Women’s Open since 2018. Master blender Michael Henry’s latest Highland single malt creations celebrate The 153^rd Open at Royal Portrush, Northern Ireland in July. The Special Edition is a non-age statement whisky matured in a combination of American oak and finished in first-fill chianti wine casks for 8 months. The use of American oak at Loch Lomond can include first-fill bourbon casks, refill casks, hogsheads, and re-charred casks. Both whiskies use spirit distilled in Loch Lomond’s straight-necked stills only. The 22 year old was matured in American oak casks and hogsheads and finished in first-fill Spanish oak casks, chosen as a link to La Girona, the Spanish Armada warship that sank off Lacada Point along the north coast of Ulster in 1588, just a few miles up the road from Royal Portrush.

The Open is golf’s oldest championship and dates back to 1860; the name of every tournament winner is printed inside the box of this 22 year old. Royal Portrush has the capacity to deliver all the challenges that links golf brings, setting the stage for a memorable tournament this year. After winning in Augusta, Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy will be hoping to continue his recent form when he comes home for The Open.

Collectible

Gordon & MacPhail The Mr George Legacy Series 1954 from Glen Grant Distillery single malt scotch

ABV: 50.5%
SRP: $10,000
Availability: Limited; 130 bottles globally

Honoring George Urquhart, “The father of single malt scotch whisky,” the final release in the five-part series is a 70 year old Speyside single malt distilled on April 28, 1954. Its entire maturation was spent in first-fill sherry puncheon No. 1823. All five releases in the series were distilled at Glen Grant Distillery between 1953 and 1959; the fourth edition was rated 96 points, while the third edition, released in 2023, scored 95 points.

George Urquhart was the second generation of the Urquhart family to run the company. He helped popularize single malt scotch through the Connoisseur’s Choice range from the late 1960s onward, a series that included whiskies from close to 100 different scotch distilleries. He established and maintained relationships with dozens of distilleries, enabling Gordon & MacPhail to buy newly filled casks that G&M would mature and bottle themselves. Now run by the fourth generation of the family, the grandchildren of George Urquhart, Gordon & MacPhail is celebrating its 130^th anniversary this year. This final release consists of just 130 bottles in tribute to the occasion.