Whisky News: Kentucky Bourbon Trail, Military Barrel Auction, Top Five Whisky Brands, and More

January 30, 2026 –––––– David Fleming, Julia Higgins, Danny Brandon, ,

While much of the U.S. is in a deep freeze, whisky news is heating up. This week, we received an email from Meta in response to this story, apologizing for the problems a technical update caused whisky (and other spirits) brands’ Facebook pages. Detroit Pistons fans will be happy to hear the NBA team now has a bourbon sponsor. On the sales front: The top-selling whisky brands in the U.S. see a slump, yet there's a Kentucky brand seeing sales soar. Plus, Bardstown Bourbon’s labels get a new look; the Kentucky Bourbon Trail added new stops; four distillers contribute to a barrel for charity; and more.

Kentucky Bourbon Country Auction’s Military Barrel

Next month is the inaugural Kentucky Bourbon Country Auction & Celebration, running from February 13^th-15^th. The event will honor the state’s bourbon heritage and U.S. military members, and include a charity auction of a “United We Stand” military barrel. The barrel was created by four brands with ties to the military: J. Mattingly 1845, Heritage Distilling, Four Branches Bourbon, and Pursuit Spirits. Each producer contributed a barrel to the project, and Pursuit Spirits master blender Ryan Cecil blended those whiskeys to create the United We Stand barrel. Proceeds from the auction and the full weekend will be donated to the Bob Woodruff Foundation, a nonprofit group that serves veterans, service members, and their families. The events will include tastings, a dinner, and live music in addition to the auction, all taking place at various locales around Louisville. There’s a virtual auction link for those who can’t make it in person.—Julia Higgins

The Kentucky Bourbon Trail Adds 10 New Stops

Today, the Kentucky Distillers' Association announced the addition of 10 new stops on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. This brings the total to 68 participating locations—including distilleries, tasting rooms, bars, and restaurants—for its 2.5 million-plus visitors to explore. The new attractions include:

Bardstown Region

WhistlePig Distillery & Bottling in Bradensburg (coming soon)

Central Region

J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery in Frankfort

Lexington Region

Dark Arts Whiskey House in Lexington
LF Heritage Distilling in Georgetown

Louisville Region

Left Bank Distilling Co. in Louisville
Chicken Cock Whiskey Circa 1856 – Louisville Tasting Room
Green River Louisville Tasting Room
WhistlePig, The Vault Tasting Experience in Louisville (coming soon)

Western Region

General George Stillhouse in Falls of Rough
Purple Toad Winery & Distillery in Paducah

Off Hours Bourbon Inks Partnership with Detroit Pistons

Off Hours, a bourbon and rye brand founded by mixologist Jake Ireland in 2020, has been named the official partner of the Detroit Pistons NBA team. The multi-year agreement brings the bourbon into Little Caesars Arena, the Pistons’ home stadium, on game days. The arena’s concourse bar located near the Chevy Entrance will feature an exclusive cocktail called the Off Hours Maple Berry Press that comprises Off Hours bourbon (a 4 year old with a mashbill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley from MGP), fresh berry flavor, maple syrup, and sour mix, served in a souvenir basketball cup. Off Hours will also be integrated into the Pistons Rewards program, with purchases earning points redeemable for game tickets, merch, and VIP experiences.—Danny Brandon

Bardstown Bourbon Co. Whiskeys Get A New Look

Bardstown Bourbon Co. has changed its packaging in favor of a more modern look. The refresh aims to give Bardstown’s bottles greater visibility on shelves and help consumers differentiate the core whiskeys. Label colors will identify styles—for example, its bottled in bond bourbon has a black label, while rye has a green label—and a topographical map of Bardstown will adorn each label. Expect to see these bottles on shelves starting in spring. Additionally, a wheated bourbon will join Bardstown’s private barrel program, alongside its existing bourbon and rye.—Julia Higgins

Rebel Bourbon 100 Gets a New 375ml Size

With the addition of a 375 ml bottle to the Rebel 100 bourbon lineup, Rebel now covers just about every bottle size, with 1.75 liter, 1 liter, 750 ml, and 50 ml bottles already on shelves. The new bottle, which features the brand’s 50% ABV wheated bourbon, will be available nationwide and priced at $12.—Julia Higgins

U.S. Sales of the Top 5 Whisky Brands Decline Across the Board in 2025

Our research arm, Impact Databank, recently announced its annual ranking of the top 25 spirits by volume in the U.S. for 2025. There are five whisky brands on the list, and all declined, although none fell by more than 5%. The volume figures are measured in 9-liter cases (12 750-ml bottles).

Canadian whisky Crown Royal finished the year at 7 million 9-liter cases, down 4% from the previous year, but still slightly above its level before sales skyrocketed during Covid-19. Flavors now comprise half of Crown Royal’s total business. Jack Daniel’s decreased 4.9% to 5.8 million cases, while Jim Beam saw total volume slip just 0.5% to 5.5 million cases, a fairly resilient performance. Last month, Beam announced it would halt production at its main Clermont, Kentucky facility to rebalance inventory with demand.

Rounding out the five whiskies on the list, Jameson Irish whiskey slipped 1% to 3.7 million cases—down for the first time in many years—while Evan Williams bourbon dipped by 4% to 2.9 million cases.—David Fleming

Buzzard's Roost Sees Considerable Sales Growth

Despite headwinds in the American whiskey category, Louisville, Kentucky-based Buzzard’s Roost saw considerable growth in 2025, with revenue up 23% and volume rising to 5,000 cases for the year. The company attributed its gains to its revamped packaging and mix of releases, which range from $46 for Signature Double Oak bourbon to $125 for Founder's Select 8 year old bourbon. Last year, Buzzard’s Roost had the strongest ever sales for its single barrel program. In addition, the company’s tasting room on Louisville’s Whiskey Row saw revenue rise 33%, with foot traffic up 27%, according to the company.—Shanken News Daily

Diageo's Distill Ventures Drops Starward

Starward Distillery, located in Melbourne, Australia, was founded in 2007 by David Vitale. In 2015, Diageo's Distill Ventures program invested an undisclosed sum in the distillery and held a 30% stake in the business. Recently, Distill Ventures dropped Starward from its investment portfolio, as it did with Portland-based Westward Whiskey in the spring of last year, when Diageo announced that Distill Ventures would cease new investments. Vitale has resumed full ownership. Starward has consistently received high scores from our tasting panel. Its 3 year old 100 Proof single malt was the No.-19 whisky in our Top 20 of 2024.

Indian Spirits Producer Radico Khaitan Creates Scotch Division

Radico Khaitan, best known for its prestigious Indian single malt Rampur, has approved the incorporation of a new fully owned subsidiary—Radico Khaitan Scotland—that will focus on scotch whisky. This division plans to acquire a distillery in Scotland, which it will use as a foothold to distill, age, and sell single malt whisky. The long-term goal is to have greater control over the supply chain as it expands production, with some of its whisky labels, including Sangam, requiring aged single malt scotch for blending. The move comes at a time of growth and excitement for Radico Khaitan. Earlier this month, the company reported an impressive 61.1% rise in net profit for the third quarter of its current financial year. Its Rampur Barrel Blush expression, an Indian single malt finished in Australian shiraz casks, was named our No.-8 Whisky of 2025 with a score of 95 points.—Danny Brandon

New Spirits Launches

Planteray Rum announced a high-ester expression named Hogo Monsta. It’s bottled at 56.6% ABV and was made with long fermentations and wild yeast strains. This one isn’t a sipper; instead, it’s used in very small quantities to elevate cocktails, leveraging its high-ester content to add potent tropical fruit notes. Only 5,000 bottles were produced, and it has a suggested retail price of $55.

Absolut Vodka has partnered with hot sauce brand Tabasco to release a new chili pepper-flavored vodka bottled at 38% ABV. It’s available nationwide at a suggested retail price of $25.