Whiskey Roundup — Week of April 19–25, 2026
April 19, 2026
Whiskey Roundup — Week of April 19–25, 2026
Your weekly dispatch from the Backyard Whiskey Club.
Derby season is breathing life into the whiskey world this week. Angel’s Envy made a pair of bold moves right in the thick of Louisville’s most celebrated stretch, Garrison Brothers’ beloved Lady Bird hit the internet, and a wave of craft expressions reminded us just how deep the American whiskey bench has gotten. Here’s what happened in the glass — and what’s coming.
This Week’s Headlines
- Angel’s Envy drops its biggest annual release — both the 2026 Cask Strength Bourbon and its first-ever age-stated Cask Strength Rye hit shelves April 17
- Garrison Brothers 2026 Lady Bird opened for online orders April 13 — the cognac-finished, honey-infused limited edition that raises money for native wildflower conservation
- Knob Creek Blender’s Edition 01 is now on shelves nationwide — 10+ years, 106 proof, and an accessible $44.99
- Frey Ranch Farm Strength Uncut Rye becomes a permanent expression in the lineup — 124.52 proof of Nevada grain-to-glass conviction
New & Notable Releases
Bourbon
Angel’s Envy 2026 Cask Strength Bourbon launched April 17 and it’s the one to track down. Master distiller Owen Martin bottled this year’s expression at 117.8 proof after finishing in Ruby Port barrels for up to three years — the resulting profile is rich, candied, and undeniably Angel’s Envy. About 20,640 bottles made it to market at $249.99 per 750ml. It’s Derby-season pricing, but the quality justifies the conversation.
Knob Creek Blender’s Edition 01 slipped onto shelves with far less fanfare but deserves a spot on your radar. This expression digs into Knob Creek’s warehouse stock with a minimum 10-year age statement, bottled at 106 proof for $44.99. Given what comparable aged bourbons typically run these days, it may be the best value release of the month. Nationwide availability makes it actually findable.
Buffalo Trace continued its deep-dive experimental work with two releases this week: the Single Oak Project Barrel #80 (90 proof, $74.99 for a 375ml) and the 28th entry in the Experimental Collection — a Low Entry Proof Wheated Bourbon (107 proof, $46.99 for 375ml) exploring how reduced barrel-entry proof changes the wood interaction over a long aging period. Both are collector pieces as much as drinkers.
Rye
The week’s most interesting rye story belongs to Angel’s Envy — alongside its cask strength bourbon, the Louisville distillery debuted its very first age-stated rye: a 10-Year Cask Strength Straight Rye bottled at 111.6 proof and finished in Caribbean rum casks for up to four years. With only approximately 10,800 bottles at $269.99 each, this one will be allocated and competitive. The rum-cask finish is a genuinely creative move, and the age statement gives serious credibility to a category that often skips that detail.
Meanwhile, Nevada’s Frey Ranch Distillery quietly added the Farm Strength Uncut Rye as a permanent expression. At 124.52 proof and a minimum 6-year age, this is a grain-to-glass rye from their own estate-farmed grain, available through their online shop and tasting room for $79.99. For fans of honest, unfussy cask-strength American rye, this deserves a spot in the rotation.
Scotch
Oban 15 Port Cask Finish is just now hitting US retail after its March launch, and it’s worth seeking out at $130 SRP. Fifteen years in American oak hogsheads followed by a finish in 100% American oak Ruby Port casks from Porto — classic West Highland structure with a warm sweetness layered on top. A nice step from the classic 14-year.
Also of note: Loch Lomond announced two limited-edition single malts tied to the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in July. The Open Course Special Edition 2026 is a bourbon-cask matured expression with a six-month Malbec wine finish, bottled at 46% ABV for £45. The rarer Open Course Collection 2026 is a 19-year matured in American oak with a Tawny Port finish, bottled at 46.9% ABV with only 3,000 bottles. Golf fans and whisky fans: plan accordingly.
Irish & Japanese
Ireland’s whiskey renaissance continues its quiet momentum in 2026. Bushmills, Redbreast, Teeling, and Midleton are all pushing the category forward with single pot still expressions, single malts, and single grains competing at a level that’s drawing serious attention from bourbon drinkers looking to expand their palates. No single blockbuster Irish release this week, but the trajectory of the category as a whole is unmistakably upward — watch this space through the summer.
Craft & Limited Editions
Michter’s rolled out its 2026 Legacy Series this week: Shenk’s Homestead Sour Mash Whiskey ($110) and Bomberger’s Declaration Bourbon ($120). Shenk’s brings its familiar rye-forward caramel bread pudding profile, while Bomberger’s this year explores Chinquapin and Hungarian oak in the production. Both are annual limited releases with devoted followings — if you see them, don’t deliberate too long.
Texas Distillery Spotlight
Garrison Brothers — 2026 Lady Bird
The 2026 Lady Bird Bourbon from Garrison Brothers hit the internet on April 13, and the online allocation moved quickly. This is one of the more distinctive production processes in Texas whiskey: the bourbon ages 4 years in new white American oak, then absorbs 8–9 months of infusion with Burleson’s Texas Wildflower Honey before spending a final 3 years maturing in French Cognac XO casks. The result — bottled at 114 proof — is, in the words of Master Distiller Donnis Todd, “a harmonious marriage of honey and cognac flavors,” with freshly cut grass and honey on the nose and dark chocolate-covered cherries and cognac-soaked fruit on the palate.
At $179.99 for the standard expression (and $189.99 for the Cask Strength Single Barrel), it’s a premium purchase. But there’s a layer to it beyond the liquid: Garrison Brothers donates $5 per bottle sold to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin. Since the program launched, they’ve raised over $100,000 supporting native plant preservation — a legacy as Texas as the bourbon itself. If you missed the online drop, watch for the May retail rollout.
What We’re Pouring This Week
Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Bourbon is the label of the moment — and while the $249.99 price is real, it drinks like the kind of bottle you’re glad you didn’t talk yourself out of. If budget is a factor, the Knob Creek Blender’s Edition 01 is a genuinely underrated buy for a 10-year-aged, 106-proof bourbon at $44.99. And if you’ve never explored Frey Ranch’s grain-to-glass ryes, the new Farm Strength Uncut is a worthy introduction to what Nevada can do with American whiskey.
On the Horizon
Kentucky Peerless drops its debut 10-year-old whiskey — Henry Kraver’s Old Reserve Bourbon — on April 22 at the distillery in Louisville. Peerless has built one of the most attentive craft programs in the country, and a decade of patience is worth watching. Also on the calendar: Whiskey Riot hits Austin on April 25 at Fair Market, featuring 150+ spirits with Balcones, Still Austin, Devils River, Garrison Brothers, and Milam & Greene among the Texas brands pouring. And on May 15, Woody Creek Distillers releases the third edition of actor William H. Macy’s Reserve Rye — a 10-year, bottled-in-bond expression built from a five-barrel blend of Colorado-grown grain, at 100 proof and $199.99.
“Do not indulge in dreams of what you do not have, but count the blessings actually present and think how much you would want them if they were not yours.” — Marcus Aurelius. Every bottle worth drinking teaches that lesson again.