NASHVILLE, Ind. (July 7, 2026) – Hard Truth Distilling Co. announces the return of the Bourbon & BBQ Festival, now in its second year, to the Hard Truth destination distillery campus in Brown County. The Saturday, July 18 event will feature 25 teams competing in barbecue and Charred Truth live fire competitions, vying for prizes that include a People’s Choice Award and a golden ticket to the World Food Championships taking place in Indianapolis later this year.
The grain-to-glass distillery’s forested backdrop will set the stage for guests with live music from Ariana & the Bourbon Britches with the Blue Bridge Boys, two new Hard
Truth Whiskey releases, and samples from the competitors.

HYE, TX (July 7, 2026) – On Saturday, August 8, 2026, Garrison Brothers, the first and oldest legal whiskey distillery in Texas, will release one of its most anticipated and allocated expressions: 2026 Garrison Brothers Laguna Madre Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey. This year’s release event also introduces a first for the Laguna Madre lineup—a limited-release Cask Strength Single Barrel Laguna Madre, bottled at 135.4 proof and created for collectors seeking the bourbon at its most powerful and uncut. The distillery gates will open at 8A in Hye, Texas, welcoming bourbon aficionados and Garrison Brothers fans eager to be among the first to secure a bottle. Now in its lucky seventh year, the 2026 Laguna Madre release yielded 3,000 total bottles, with the first 1,000 available during the August 8 event. The remaining 2,000 bottles will be available at key accounts and offered through Garrison Brothers’ e-commerce site beginning Friday, August 14, 2026.

BARDSTOWN, KY (July 7, 2026) – Barton 1792 Distillery today introduces two exciting new additions to its award-winning 1792 lineup: 1792 Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey, the brand’s first-ever straight rye expression, and 1792 XV, a 15-year-old bourbon that is both the oldest in the collection and the first bottled unfiltered at cask-strength. Together, the releases highlight Barton 1792 Distillery’s disciplined approach to maturation and blending, demonstrating how careful aging and thoughtful innovation continue to shape the evolution of the 1792 brand.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – July 7, 2026 – Pursuit Spirits, the independent whiskey blender founded by the creators of the world's leading bourbon podcast, has officially joined the historic Kentucky Bourbon Trail®. The announcement marks a significant milestone for co-founders Kenny Coleman and Ryan Cecil, whose brand home on Louisville's historic Whiskey Row will now serve as an official destination for global bourbon enthusiasts.

Founder’s Reserve 20-Year-Old is inspired by the pioneering spirit of America, the same spirit embodied by our namesake, Thomas Jefferson. In 1787, as U.S. Minister to France, he traveled through Bordeaux seeking out new techniques and new possibilities. That same curiosity fuels the brand today. Two decades of aging in Kentucky yields exceptional depth and complexity to the bourbon, with layers of dark fruit, dried oak, and a richness only time can deliver. The Bordeaux finish adds a final layer of influence to the palette, softening the long finish. The bourbon is then bottled at cask strength, 94 Proof (47% ABV). With only 250 bottles being produced and each individually numbered and signed, Founder’s Reserve 20-Year-Old is the ultimate release to celebrate this momentous occasion for America.

Adairville, Logan County, Kentucky – June 30, 2026 – Shawn McCormick, owner & founder of B. H. James Distillers, proudly announces the launch of Spirit 76™ a new line of flavored Kentucky Bourbons inspired by America's 250th birthday. The new Spirit 76™ line features Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, all natural ingredients, and are available in four great tasting flavors: All American Cherry, Blackberry Bramble, Cinnamon Brown Sugar, and Just Peachy. The products are available in 750ml bottles at 35% Alc./Vol. or 70 Proof with a special distillery exclusive introductory price of $17.76 through July 4, 2026; with a regular suggested retail price of $21.99.

FRANKFORT, KY (June 30, 2026) – Buffalo Trace Distillery proudly unveils the third edition of its Prohibition Collection, an annual limited-edition set of five bottles commemorating the whiskeys legally produced and sold at the Distillery while the 18th Amendment was in effect. This year’s collection honors five historic brands bottled under President Albert B. Blanton’s leadership at George T. Stagg Distillery, as Buffalo Trace was known during the Prohibition era, including: Henry Watterson, Kentucky River, John G. Carlisle, Walter B. Duffy and Cove Spring.
Spanning from 1920 to 1933, Prohibition marked one of the most contentious periods in American whiskey history following the ratification of the 18th Amendment, which banned the production, sale and transportation of alcohol across the United States. While most distilleries were forced to shut down, six were granted licenses by the U.S. Government to legally bottle medicinal whiskey for sale with a prescription. This includes the George T. Stagg Distillery, known today as Buffalo Trace Distillery.

(Saratoga, Wyo.) – June 29, 2026 – Brush Creek Distillery, the award-winning small-batch craft distillery set on a working cattle ranch in Wyoming, announced today a special 2026 release of its ‘Heroes Edition’ Straight Bourbon Whiskey in honor of America’s 250th anniversary. This batch reflects the Distillery’s love for the American West and honors those in the community that put others ahead of themselves.