Whiskey Roundup — Week of March 29–April 4, 2026
March 29, 2026
Your weekly dispatch from the Backyard Whiskey Club.
It’s been a banner week across the whiskey world: a landmark acquisition reshaping the bourbon landscape, a beloved Texas release with an upcoming distillery event, and an awards ceremony crowning the globe’s best drams. Whether your tastes run Kentucky classic, Lone Star bold, or peaty Islay, there’s something worth raising a glass over this week.
This Week’s Headlines
- Gallo acquires Four Roses from Japan’s Kirin for up to $775 million, bringing the iconic Kentucky brand back under American ownership for the first time since 2002.
- Garrison Brothers unveils the 2026 Lady Bird, bottled at 114 proof, with the first 2,000 bottles available at the distillery in Hye, Texas on April 4 starting at 8 AM.
- Buffalo Trace’s Daniel Weller Spelt Wheat arrives on shelves — a 10-year-old limited release swapping rye for spelt wheat and priced at $550 MSRP.
- World Whiskies Awards 2026 global winners announced on March 25 in London, with New Riff Bottled in Bond taking home Best Kentucky Bourbon.
- Christie’s sells two rare Japanese single malt casks from a closed distillery for $2.28 million each at auction in London.
New & Notable Releases
Bourbon
Daniel Weller Spelt Wheat (Buffalo Trace, 10 Years Old, ~$550) is the latest experimental expression in the Weller line, following 2023’s Emmer Wheat release. This one swaps the traditional wheat grain for spelt, resulting in a notably different flavor profile. Shipping began this week to select retailers, bars, and restaurants nationwide — expect it to be scarce and allocated. If you see it, it’s worth the detour to investigate.
Blood Oath Pact 12 from Lux Row Distillers is a Kentucky Straight Bourbon finished in Montepulciano and Sangiovese wine casks — an Italian-wine-meets-Kentucky-corn combination bottled at 98.6 proof. Limited to 17,000 three-pack cases and priced around $130 per bottle, this one balances the bold sweetness of wheated bourbon with an earthy red-wine finish. Look for it on shelves now.
Rye
New Riff Silver Grove 6-Year Straight Rye is the Newport, Kentucky distillery’s oldest Silver Grove rye to date — a 95% rye mashbill aged six years and bottled at a robust 115 proof. The nose opens with candied orange and warm baking spice, finishing long on oatmeal raisin and cookie dough. At six years, this is New Riff flexing its patience, and it shows. Keep an eye on their website for availability.
Old Forester’s High Angels’ Share Rye (110 proof, 375mL) also hits the market this week as part of the 117 Series. The half-bottle format is a clever entry point — great for those wanting to explore rye without committing to a full bottle.
Scotch
Ardbeg Committee Cask Strength Release landed for Ardbeg Committee members from late February, bottled at 61.7% ABV. If you’re a Committee member and haven’t secured a bottle yet, act quickly. This expression captures the classic Ardbeg medicinal peat and coastal brine at full cask-strength intensity — no dilution, no apologies.
The World Whiskies Awards Scotland 2026 category taste winners were revealed this week, highlighting a strong year for Islay and Highland expressions across the major categories.
Irish & Japanese
Redbreast 20 Year Old — a single pot still matured exclusively in Oloroso sherry casks — arrived as a Whisky Exchange exclusive, and it’s the kind of Irish whiskey that changes minds. Rich dried fruit, dark chocolate, and marzipan at an age statement that commands attention.
Alongside it, The Whisky Exchange Sumo Series delivered a single-cask Mars Komagatake Japanese single malt. Japanese whisky rarities remain some of the most sought-after bottles in the world, and this one from the Shinshu distillery is no exception.
Craft & Limited Editions
Horse Soldier Liberty Edition commemorates the 250th anniversary of the United States — a 13-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon limited to exactly 1,776 bottles, bottled at 50% ABV, and priced at $800. The patriotic packaging is bold, but the liquid underneath earns its independence. Availability is extremely limited.
Texas Distillery Spotlight
Garrison Brothers Distillery — Hye, Texas
If you only follow one Texas whiskey story this month, make it this one. Garrison Brothers officially unveiled the 2026 Lady Bird Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey Infused with Honey & Finished in Cognac Casks, and the details are stunning. The bourbon begins as Small Batch, ages four years in new white American oak, then rests for 8–9 months infused with Burleson’s Texas Wildflower Honey before moving into French Cognac XO casks for a final three years of finishing. The result is bottled at 114 proof and sealed with Prairie Purple wax.
Nationwide, 7,000 bottles will be released, with a separate, smaller run of Lady Bird Cask Strength Single Barrel. Pricing is set at $179.99 for Lady Bird and $189.99 for the Cask Strength. The first 2,000 bottles go on sale Saturday, April 4 at the distillery in Hye (8 AM, first come first served), with remaining bottles hitting select retail and restaurant accounts nationwide starting in May and the online store releasing a limited quantity on April 13.
This is the kind of release that reminds you why Texas whiskey earns its own conversation — locally sourced honey, native wildflower conservation, and a flavor profile that couldn’t come from anywhere else.
What We’re Pouring This Week
If you want to be smart with your hunting this week, Blood Oath Pact 12 offers the best value-to-excitement ratio — it’s allocated but not impossible to find, and that Italian wine finish makes for a genuinely interesting sipping experience. For those with deeper pockets, the Daniel Weller Spelt Wheat is a true collector’s release, and the Horse Soldier Liberty Edition is a conversation piece as much as a bourbon. And if you’re anywhere near Hye, Texas next Saturday morning — well, you already know what to do.
On the Horizon
The Four Roses / Gallo deal is expected to close by Q2 2026, pending antitrust review — no changes to production or distribution are planned, but it’s a seismic shift worth watching. On the Texas front, mark your calendar for April 4 if you’re chasing Lady Bird at the distillery, and look for broader retail distribution in May. Japanese whisky’s ongoing auction frenzy shows no signs of cooling, so if you’ve been sitting on allocated bottles, the collector market remains historically strong.
“Wealth is the slave of a wise man. The master of a fool.” — Seneca. In whiskey, as in life, the bottles that reward patience are rarely the ones that demand urgency. Buy what you’ll drink. Drink what you buy.