Whiskey Roundup — Week of May 10–16, 2026
May 10, 2026
Whiskey Roundup — Week of May 10–16, 2026
Your weekly dispatch from the Backyard Whiskey Club.
May is delivering on its promise to be one of the most exciting months on the whiskey calendar. From Freddie Noe’s milestone tenth Little Book chapter to a Texas Whiskey Festival that reminded us just how far the Lone Star State has come, this week is stacked with reasons to pull a glass down from the shelf. And with World Whisky Day landing on Saturday, May 16, the timing couldn’t be more perfect.
This Week’s Headlines
- Little Book Chapter 10 “All the Wiser” drops as Freddie Noe’s most introspective release yet — a multi-aged blend finished in sherry and toasted bourbon casks, retailing at $159.99
- Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon takes Best Bourbon at the 2026 Texas Whiskey Festival, reaffirming Texas’s top-shelf credentials
- A. Smith Bowman’s Abraham Bowman #26 Rye lottery closes May 11 — this 11-year-old, 110-proof rye is the distillery’s first since 2010
- New Riff Single Malt hits nationwide shelves May 15, expanding the Kentucky distillery’s experimental lineup
- World Whisky Day falls on May 16 — raise a glass to the global dram community
New & Notable Releases
Bourbon
Little Book Chapter 10: “All the Wiser” is the marquee release of the week. Freddie Noe, third-generation master distiller at James B. Beam, marks his tenth annual Little Book chapter with a blend that he describes as guided more by instinct than precision — “allowing the whiskey itself to lead.” The blend draws from multiple aged expressions in Beam’s portfolio, with components finished in sherry casks and toasted bourbon casks. The result is a layered sipper that rewards patience. It carries a suggested retail of $159.99.
Elijah Craig’s 2026 PGA Championship Commemorative Edition is arriving at retailers now — a 108-proof small batch bourbon bottled specifically for golf season. At $36.99, it punches well above its price point and makes a solid gift for the whiskey-and-golf crowd heading into summer.
Gambit No. 6 from Master Distiller Chip Tate is generating serious buzz. This six-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon was finished in six distinct barrel types — Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, apple brandy, Muscatel, oloroso sherry, and Tokaji — before bottling. It’s an ambitious, complex pour for those who enjoy exploring finish-forward expressions.
Rye
A. Smith Bowman’s Abraham Bowman Special Release #26 is a once-in-a-generation find: the Virginia distillery’s first rye release in 16 years. Distilled in 2015 and aged 11 years — far longer than the industry norm — this 110-proof rye opens with maple syrup and spring aromatics, builds through vanilla, apricot, and orange zest, and closes with black pepper and mint. The online lottery (entry period May 4–11) is priced at $79.99. If you haven’t entered, time is nearly up.
Angel’s Envy 2026 Cask Strength Dual Release adds a first-of-its-kind 10-Year Cask Strength Rye alongside its perennial Cask Strength Bourbon. The rye offering is expected to be a hot ticket for allocated-whiskey hunters.
Scotch
Glen Scotia’s Campbeltown Malts Festival 2026 Limited Edition lands this week — a seven-year-old single malt finished in ruby port casks and bottled at cask strength (53.9% ABV). The price is a reasonable £59, and Campbeltown continues to punch above its weight on the festival circuit.
James Eadie’s Spring 2026 Collection brings three compelling single cask releases: a 10-year Laphroaig at 52.3% (refill barrel), a 14-year Glen Elgin with a Bual Madeira finish at 52.7%, and an 11-year Aberlour finished in a first-fill Oloroso sherry butt at 52.3%. All three are non-chill filtered and natural color. For Islay lovers, the Laphroaig expression is worth seeking out.
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s May Outturn is live with 16 single-cask bottlings forming the largest Creators Collection to date. SMWS members should log in now — some of these will move fast.
Irish & Japanese
Midleton Very Rare 2026 Vintage marks the 43rd annual release in Ireland’s most prestigious whiskey series. Each vintage is a carefully selected blend of pot still and grain whiskeys from the Midleton Distillery in County Cork, and this year’s edition is already drawing attention from collectors and Irish whiskey devotees alike.
On the Japanese front, Mars Komagatake’s Sumo Series #5 — available through The Whisky Exchange — is a 2017-distilled, seven-year-old single cask bottled at 57% ABV, with only 168 bottles produced. Tropical fruit, vanilla, and soft spice lead the profile. At that rarity, if you’re a Japan whisky collector, this one warrants a quick look before it disappears.
Craft & Limited Editions
New Riff Single Malt hits shelves nationwide on May 15. Newport, Kentucky’s New Riff Distilling has built a strong reputation on its bonded bourbon and rye, and this foray into American single malt is well-timed for a category that’s growing fast. Available at retailers, online, and at the distillery gift shop.
Frey Ranch Uncut Rye is a new permanent addition to the Nevada distillery’s lineup — 100% Canadian winter rye mash bill, bottled at cask strength, with notes of toasted rye, cinnamon, sarsaparilla, mint, and vanilla. A bold, grain-forward rye for those who want the full-throttle experience.
Texas Distillery Spotlight
Garrison Brothers Distillery had a big week. At the 2026 Texas Whiskey Festival — the largest annual gathering of Texas distilleries and enthusiasts — Garrison Brothers’ Cowboy Bourbon took home Best Bourbon and the overall must-try designation across all submitted whiskeys. That’s a statement.
Cowboy Bourbon is no shrinking violet: aged at least six years in new American oak and bottled at a blistering 146.4 proof, it’s the distillery’s uncut, unfiltered flagship in its most extreme form. Based outside Hye, Texas — about an hour west of Austin in the Hill Country — Garrison Brothers has been making true Texas bourbon since 2008, braving the brutal summer heat that accelerates aging and concentrates flavors in ways that other climates simply can’t replicate.
The festival also spotlighted Andalusia Whiskey Co.’s Cigar Malt as the must-try American single malt, and Milam & Green Whiskey took the People’s Choice Award. Texas whiskey is firing on all cylinders right now.
For those in San Antonio, Whiskey Riot takes over Freeman Expo Hall on May 16 with 200+ whiskeys to taste — a perfect World Whisky Day celebration.
What We’re Pouring This Week
If budget isn’t a constraint, Little Book Chapter 10 is the obvious pour of the week — but for the value hunters, the Elijah Craig PGA Edition at $36.99 is a steal at 108 proof and worth grabbing a few bottles. On the rye side, the A. Smith Bowman lottery closes May 11, but keep an eye on secondary conversations — releases like this tend to surface. For something different, we’d steer anyone toward the Glen Scotia port cask finish; Campbeltown at cask strength for under $80 equivalent is a genuine bargain. And if you haven’t done it yet, Saturday’s World Whisky Day is the excuse you need to open something from Japan.
On the Horizon
The U.S. Open arrives at Pinehurst No. 2 in mid-June, which means Dewar’s 19-Year Champion’s Edition — finished in Cabernet Franc casks from Long Island’s Wölffer Estate — will be on-site in limited quantities around June 18–21 at approximately $80. It’s also worth watching the Angel’s Envy cask strength allocation drop, and Texas Whiskey Festival excitement should carry momentum into the Austin summer tasting season.
“It is not that I’m so smart; it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” — The whiskey barrel asks the same of us: time is the ingredient that cannot be rushed. The best pour is the one you waited for. — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations