Whiskey Roundup — Week of February 9–15, 2026
February 15, 2026
Whiskey Roundup — Week of February 9–15, 2026
Your weekly dispatch from the Backyard Whiskey Club.
The week brought standout news from Texas, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky. Garrison Brothers is days away from releasing its first Bottled in Bond bourbon, Michter’s dropped what might be the year’s rarest bottle at $6,000 a pop, and Pennsylvania’s Stoll & Wolfe proved Monongahela rye isn’t just a history lesson. Whether you’re chasing allocated bottles or seeking something solid to pour this weekend, here’s what you need to know.
This Week’s Headlines
- Garrison Brothers announces first-ever Bottled in Bond bourbon — releases February 28 at the distillery in Hye, Texas
- Michter’s Celebration Sour Mash returns — only 315 bottles worldwide at $6,000 each
- Stoll & Wolfe revives Monongahela-style rye — earning Wine Enthusiast’s highest Pennsylvania whiskey score ever
- Lagavulin Sweet Peat arrives — the first new permanent expression from the Islay icon in nearly a decade
New & Notable Releases
Bourbon
Shortbarrel Four Grain Bourbon is now shipping nationwide to 47 states after years of being a regional favorite. The four-grain mash bill delivers a balanced, approachable pour at $39.99 — a solid value in today’s market. This is one to keep on the shelf for weeknight sipping.
Garrison Brothers Sonora Bourbon continues to earn attention. Samantha Olvera, working under Master Distiller Donnis Todd, shepherded this bourbon through four years of aging in the brutal Hye, Texas climate before finishing it in ex-rye whiskey barrels. The result? A Texas bourbon that drinks like it’s been through something. Limited to 30 barrels at $160 per bottle.
Heaven Hill 90th Anniversary Bourbon received a capsule review from Breaking Bourbon this week, adding to the celebration of one of Kentucky’s most storied distilleries. Details on wider availability remain limited, but if you see it, it’s worth considering.
Rye
Stoll & Wolfe Pure Rye Whiskey brings Monongahela-style rye back from the history books. Pennsylvania rye was the American whiskey before bourbon took over, and Stoll & Wolfe’s single-barrel expression earned a 94-point rating from Wine Enthusiast — the highest score ever given to a Pennsylvania whiskey by that publication. This is craft distilling done with reverence for what came before.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Rye A126 kicked off Heaven Hill’s 2026 barrel proof rye program in January, and bottles are still hitting shelves. Early word describes it as bold without losing composure — big proof, but it still has manners. MSRP around $75.
New Riff Balboa Rye (2026) uses 95% Balboa rye and 5% malted rye in bottled-in-bond format at 100 proof. Expect red fruit, clove, black pepper, and white pepper. Non-chill filtered. MSRP $59.99, and worth seeking out if you’re into heirloom grain expressions.
Scotch
Lagavulin 11 Year Old Sweet Peat is the week’s biggest Scotch story — and maybe the year’s best value for Islay lovers. This is Lagavulin’s first new permanent expression in nine years, aged entirely in first-fill American oak ex-bourbon casks. The result balances classic Islay peat smoke with toffee apple, vanilla, and gentle spice. It’s unmistakably Lagavulin, but the sweetness makes it more approachable than the classic 16. Gold Medal winner at the 2025 San Francisco Wine & Spirits Competition. MSRP $70 — genuinely accessible for what it is.
Tamdhu 21 Year from Ian Macleod Distillers landed this month with just 12,000 bottles. Aged solely in Oloroso sherry casks, bottled at 47.5% ABV, $400 MSRP. If you’re a sherry bomb collector, this one’s on the radar.
Irish & Japanese
High N’ Wicked “Rose Tattoo” Single Malt Irish Whiskey was named VinePair’s best Irish whiskey for 2026. The 10th expression in the Limited Singular Series, it’s matured in ex-Amarone casks at a robust 59.9% ABV. If you can find it, it’s worth the hunt.
Kanosuke Hioki Pot Still earned VinePair’s top Japanese whisky honor for 2026. Founded in 2017 along Fukiagehama Beach in Kagoshima Prefecture, Kanosuke is part of a new wave of Japanese distillers earning serious recognition beyond the Suntory-Nikka duopoly. This is craft Japanese whisky with a point of view.
Craft & Limited Editions
Michter’s Celebration Sour Mash Whiskey (2025 Edition) is the headline release of the week — and possibly the year for collectors. Only 315 bottles exist worldwide, bottled at 115.2 proof with a suggested retail price of $6,000. Seven barrels were selected: four Kentucky Straight Rye barrels and three Kentucky Straight Bourbon barrels, with the youngest whiskey over 12 years old and the oldest over 30. This is Michter’s rarest expression, and if you’re lucky enough to get an allocation, you know what you’re holding.
Fincasa Whiskey De La Tierra ($84.99 MSRP) is a blend from MGP paying tribute to Latin and Caribbean communities. Gold at the 2025 ADI International Spirits Competition, Double Gold at the 2025 San Francisco Spirits Competition. A whiskey with cultural intention and competition hardware to back it up.
Texas Distillery Spotlight
Garrison Brothers is days away from a major milestone. On Saturday, February 28 — Texas Independence Day — the Hye distillery will release its first-ever Bottled in Bond bourbon. This is the 10th expression in the Garrison lineup, distilled in fall 2019, aged six years, made from Texas grains, and proofed with pure Hill Country rainwater at 100 proof.
Tasting notes sound like a campfire in the best possible way: toasted oak and heavy wood sugars on the palate, drinking like a cross between maple syrup and homemade root beer, with layers of caramelized dark chocolate, plums, roasted almonds, and toffee. Two thousand bottles will be available first come, first served at the distillery during their Bottled in Bond, A 100 Proof Texas Celebration event. MSRP $99.99, with wider distribution (retail, restaurants, bars, and e-commerce) by end of March 2026.
This is a milestone for Texas’ oldest legal whiskey distillery. A Bottled in Bond designation requires distillation at a single distillery, by a single distiller, during a single distilling season, aged at least four years in a federally bonded warehouse, and bottled at exactly 100 proof. It’s the original American quality standard, and Garrison Brothers meeting it with a six-year Texas bourbon is no small thing.
Meanwhile, Balcones Distilling in Waco remains paused through June 2026 as Diageo temporarily halted distilling operations and barrel-filling activity last August. The visitor center remains open for tours and tastings, but seventeen roles were impacted by the pause. It’s a reminder that even acclaimed craft distilleries aren’t immune to the economics of the spirits industry in 2026.
What We’re Pouring This Week
Lagavulin 11 Year Old Sweet Peat. At $70, this is arguably the best value-to-quality ratio of anything that hit shelves this week. It’s Lagavulin — you know what you’re getting in terms of pedigree — but the first-fill bourbon cask aging adds a sweetness that makes it genuinely approachable without losing the peat. This is the bottle you pour for someone who thinks they don’t like Islay. And then they do.
Stoll & Wolfe Pure Rye Whiskey. If you’re tired of MGP rye and want something with a sense of place, this is it. Pennsylvania rye has a history worth rediscovering, and Stoll & Wolfe is doing it right.
On the Horizon
Keep your eyes open over the next few weeks for Garrison Brothers Bottled in Bond on February 28 at the distillery in Hye (details above in the Texas Spotlight), Jack Daniel’s 10 Year Old Batch 5 and 12 Year Old Batch 4 expected later in February, and Michter’s US*1 Barrel Strength Rye arriving at retail in March.
Also worth noting: Fred Minnick’s new book Bottom Shelf: How a Forgotten Brand of Bourbon Saved One Man’s Life drops February 17th. A personal memoir about taste mindfulness and overcoming PTSD through bourbon — sounds like essential reading for anyone who believes whiskey is about more than what’s in the glass.
“Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.” — Marcus Aurelius. This week, pick one glass and give it your full presence. The rest will follow.