Kentucky Senator Bourbon and Louisiana Senator Bourbon Earn Top Honors at 2026 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and 2026 ASCOT Awards

LEXINGTON, KY – June 2026 – Kentucky Senator Spirits, LLC announced Kentucky Senator Bourbon and Louisiana Senator Bourbon expressions have received multiple prestigious awards from two of the industry’s most respected competitions, further cementing the brands’ reputations for excellence in the American whiskey category. These honors reflect the unwavering commitment to quality and craftsmanship that co-founders Damon Thayer and Andre Regard have built into every bottle.

Jim Bunning Release – 2026 San Francisco World Spirits Competition Double Gold, 96 Points

The Jim Bunning Release, Kentucky Senator Bourbon’s seventh small-batch expression, earned a Double Gold Medal and a score of 96 points at the 2026 San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC), one of the most prestigious spirits competitions in the world. The Double Gold distinction is awarded only to spirits that receive a Gold Medal from every judge on the panel, representing the highest recognition the competition confers. For an eight-and-a-half-year, 107-proof small-batch bourbon to earn unanimous Gold from an elite judging panel is a testament to the depth, complexity, and character that defines Kentucky Senator Bourbon.

John Edwards Release – 2026 San Francisco World Spirits Competition Silver Medal and 2026 ASCOT Double Platinum Award

The John Edwards Release earned recognition at the 2026 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, receiving a Silver Medal. This is a strong commendation from a panel of judges that evaluated hundreds of spirits across all categories, and a further confirmation that Kentucky Senator Bourbon consistently performs at the highest level of American whiskey craft.

Additionally, the John Edwards Release was named a 2026 ASCOT Double Platinum Award Winner. The ASCOT Awards (American Spirits Council of Tasters), founded by spirits expert Fred Minnick, represent one of the most rigorous evaluation processes in the domestic spirits industry. Spirits are judged blind on a 100-point scale, and a Double Platinum designation is reserved for spirits scoring between 95 and 100 points.

Huey P. Long Release – 2026 ASCOT Platinum Award Winner

Louisiana Senator Bourbon Huey P. Long Release earned a 2026 ASCOT Platinum Award. This distinction is achieved through blind evaluation on a 100-point scale by a panel of industry experts, and a Platinum designation is reserved for spirits scoring between 90 and 94 points. This recognition places the Huey P. Long Release among the most celebrated small-batch bourbons.

About Kentucky Senator Bourbon

Kentucky Senator Bourbon is an award-winning small-batch Bourbon brand committed to crafting exceptional spirits with a side of American history. Each limited-edition release is named after a U.S. Senator and represents a blend of tradition, character and U.S. heritage; it is distilled and aged in Kentucky for at least six years (the same length as a U.S. senate term), but often longer.

Founded by Andre Regard and Damon Thayer, Kentucky Senator Bourbon revives a historic brand once produced by Crigler and Crigler in Covington and later Double Springs Distillers in Bardstown. The brand launched its first revival release in 2021 and has since become known for producing richly aged, 107-proof Bourbon expressions that connect past and present.

Awards & Recognition

• • Kentucky Senator Bourbon’s inaugural release, the Alben W. Barkley Release, was highlighted in Forbes’ Online Magazine 
  • Fred Minnick, a noted Bourbon author, ranked Kentucky Senator Bourbon in his Top 100 Whiskeys of 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2025
  • Kentucky Senator Bourbon has won multiple Gold ASCOT Awards for taste and a Double Platinum ASCOT Award for marketing and brand design
  • Kentucky Senator Bourbon recently won its first Double Gold medal from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition for its 2024 John Brown release

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Triple Double Golds, 99/100 Scoring Highlights Wenzel Distillery’s Strong Whiskey Line Up At 2026 San Francisco World Spirits Competition

COVINGTON, Ky. – Wenzel Distillery is proud to announce an exceptional showing at the 2026 San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC), earning five medals across its portfolio — including three Double Gold awards. The distillery’s Double Oaked Bourbon and Sherry Cask Finished Bourbon each received a Double Gold with a near-perfect score of 99, while its Toasted Oak Bourbon earned a Double Gold with a score of 97. The Wheated Bourbon earned a Gold Medal, making 2026 one of the most decorated years in Wenzel’s history.

The SFWSC is recognized as one of the most influential spirits competitions in the world, honoring excellence through a rigorous blind tasting process conducted by a panel of industry experts. Judges are tasked with reviewing and grading over 5,000 entries every year. A Double Gold Medal signifies that every judge unanimously awarded a gold rating, the highest standard of recognition the competition bestows.

Wenzel’s 2026 SFWSC medal results are as follows:

• Double Oaked Bourbon — Double Gold | Score: 99
• Sherry Cask Finished Bourbon — Double Gold | Score: 99
• Toasted Oak Bourbon — Double Gold | Score: 97
• Wheated Bourbon — Gold Medal

“Winning three Double Golds with near perfect 99 scores at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition is a tremendous honor for our team. We’re proud to bring these awards back to our distillery in Covington and to represent the bourbon heritage of Northern Kentucky on one of the world’s biggest stages. As Covington’s only distillery, we’re honored to carry our city’s bourbon story forward and look forward to sharing our award-winning spirits with bourbon lovers across Kentucky and beyond.” — Austin Dunbar, Partner, Wenzel Distillery

These awards continue a remarkable streak for the young distillery. In 2025, Wenzel received recognition at the World Whiskies Awards, where its Sherry Cask Finished Bourbon was named “World’s Best Finished Bourbon,” and at SFWSC, where its Barrel Proof Rye was named “Best American Rye Whiskey.” The 2026 SFWSC results affirm that Wenzel’s quality is not a one-time achievement; it is a standard.

Wenzel’s award-winning spirits are available at select retailers throughout Kentucky, on its website through the online store, and at the Wenzel Distillery’s tasting room and production facility at 412 Madison Avenue, Covington, Kentucky — the first producing distillery in Covington since Prohibition. Wenzel is featured on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and the B-Line, Northern Kentucky’s bourbon tour experience.

About Wenzel, LLC:

Founded in 2022 and located at 412 Madison Avenue in the heart of Covington, Kentucky, Wenzel Distillery is dedicated to producing exceptional whiskies that honor the region’s rich bourbon heritage. Through meticulous craftsmanship and a relentless pursuit of quality, Wenzel creates storied spirits that embrace tradition and define distinction. For more information, visit www.wenzeldistillery.com.

TMF DISTILLERY VISITS

We’ve teamed up with John Kennedy Transport to provide a bus service to and from our distillery all weekend.

Rather than a formal tour, the doors to the Distillery will be open, with our staff and Distillery Founders available to answer any questions you may have.

Our Distillery Shop and Bar will be open for drinks and merchandise sales with fantastic views across Balephuil Bay towards Skerryvore Lighthouse.

The perfect opportunity to visit another part of Tiree while attending the festival!

Book a Distillery Visit

Since our inception we have made every effort to keep our rates as low as we can, however given the increasing cost of doing business we will soon be making an increase to our Buyer’s Commission rate. From next month in our 181st auction starting Friday the 3rd of July we will be raising our Buyer’s Commission rate from 12.5% to 15% . All others fees will remain unchanged, including 0% commission for sellers.

Thank you for continuing to choose Scotch Whisky Auctions.

The Good Dram Show – Episode 639 ‘Murray McDavid’

Welocme to this week’s episode of the show in which I’ll be taking a look at a selection of botlings, released last year, from Independent bottler Murray McDavid. The Good Dram Show with Chris Goodrum Episode 639 – Just As Nature Intended…! Filmed in The Study Nottingham.

Featuring

Murray McDavid Benchmark Blair Athol 16 year old 54.2%
Murray McDavid Benchmark Inchgower 14 year old 53.4%
Murray McDavid Benchmark Glen Garioch 14 year old 51.6%
Murray McDavid Benchmark Linkwood 12 year old 54.4%
Murray McDavid Mission Gold Loch Lomond 28 year old 51.2%
Murray McDavid Mystery Single Malt ‘Lennox Peat’ 6 year old 56.3%

murray-mcdavid.com

New Wolfe & Wilson Straight Rye Is A True 250th Anniversary Representation of American Whiskey History

Drawn directly from a colonial-era booklet, this unique expression by two craft distillers with a love for the past showcases a genuine attempt to recreate early American distilling practices using documented historical recipes, heritage grains, and period-appropriate techniques. It is a true representation of a 250th anniversary whiskey.

LITITZ, Pa. – Stoll & Wolfe, a storied craft distillery at the forefront of high-quality Pennsylvania rye whiskeys, is proud to announce Wolfe & Wilson Straight Rye Whiskey, a unique collaboration between two masters of the distilling arts, Stoll & Wolfe head distiller Erik Wolfe and southern Indiana farmer distiller Alan Bishop (formerly of Spirits of French Lick). This whiskey is based upon an old colonial-era recipe and serves as a true testament to the journey of this noble spirit through America’s 250 years.

Wolfe & Wilson Straight Rye Whiskey draws its inspiration from a pamphlet written by Frederick Heinrich Gelwicks, an important piece of early American distilling lore from the late 1700s to early 1800s, documenting actual working recipes used by Pennsylvania distillers during that era. A recipe from that publication resulted in a whiskey with a unique grain combination of rye malt, wheat, rye, and oats, fermented with wild yeast and cheese culture, and aged in new American oak barrels at 105 proof.

“Collaborating on translating a nearly 300 century old recipe is a unique opportunity to explore the roots of our local distilling traditions by bringing this whiskey to life and allowing modern consumers to experience a spirit nearly lost to history,” said Erik Wolfe.

Wolfe and Bishop, sharing a fundamental distilling philosophy and ethos that values flavor over efficiency and also honors traditional production methods balanced against modern concerns, began collaboration on this whiskey back in 2023. The challenge for them was how to adapt for today’s distilling world a recipe of 1 bushel rye malt, 1 bushel wheat, 1 bushel rye, and 3 pecks of oats.

Sourcing heritage grains from Pennsylvania family farms, including the Kline farm that’s tied to Stoll & Wolfe, the two set out on an epic undertaking to recreate something few in the modern era would even consider. A testament to their combined creativity and fine attention to historical details, the expression is designed to give today’s whiskey drinker a glance at what was being enjoyed at the birth of a nation.

“Bringing the knowledge brought to Indiana by early PA Germans back East to PA is one of the highlights of my career,” said Alan Bishop. “That we stuck to the ideals of the colonial distillers while implementing modern technological advantages speaks to just how well versed in the art of distillation our forefathers were. To do such great work alongside Erik and Aviana is a rare opportunity!”

Besides these nods to the past, other elements of historical consideration were factored in as well, such as the addition of dried fruits during the distillation process and aging in a colonial-era tobacco farm. The Wolfe & Wilson straight rye, given all of this, presents itself as an authentic representation of a bygone era with legitimate colonial ties, explicitly differentiating it from more generic 250th anniversary products.

Wolfe & Wilson Straight Rye Whiskey, Batch 1, was aged a minimum of two years in new charred American oak before being bottled at 100 proof. The product name Wolfe & Wilson carries layered personal and historical significance, as “Wolfe” represents Erik’s surname (Wolfe), while “Wilson” is Alan’s mother’s maiden name.

Available at a price point of $80, only 1000 750 ml bottles of Batch 1 will be available starting July 4th through Stoll & Wolfe’s tasting room in Lititz, Pennsylvania, and online in the contiguous United States.

About Stoll & Wolfe

Founded in 2016 in Lititz, Pennsylvania, Stoll & Wolfe revives the core flavors of Pennsylvania rye with a modern toolkit and a historian’s respect. The team employs open cypress tank fermentation, runs a column still with a thumper/doubler (with pot-still spirit runs when the profile calls for it), and matures whiskey in varied warehouse conditions to shape structure and depth. The Kline family farm supplies—and increasingly anchors—the grain: Rosen Rye, Lancaster County corn, and rye are all grown there. The result: grain-forward whiskeys that honor Dick Stoll’s legacy while pushing the category ahead.

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Caskd Founder Publishes The Whisky Collector’s Handbook

Whisky collector and entrepreneur Jonathan Yates has announced the publication of The Whisky Collector’s Handbook: A Field Guide to Bottles, Stories and Discovery, a practical guide designed to help enthusiasts better understand the art, culture and craft of whisky collecting.

Harrogate, North Yorkshire, United Kingdom – June 2026

As interest in collectible whisky continues to grow, new enthusiasts are increasingly entering a market often shaped by specialist knowledge, auction experience and collector networks. The Whisky Collector’s Handbook was written to bridge that gap, bringing together the principles, insights and lessons that experienced collectors have accumulated over many years.

Rather than focusing solely on tasting notes or investment returns, the book explores the broader journey of collecting. It examines why people collect whisky, how collections evolve over time and how bottles can become repositories of history, craftsmanship and personal memory.

The handbook covers topics including distillery heritage, cask influence, provenance, authenticity, rarity, bottle condition, collection strategy and navigating the secondary market. It also explores the psychology of collecting and encourages readers to develop a collecting philosophy based on personal passion, curiosity and appreciation for the stories behind the bottle.

“Whisky collecting is about far more than acquiring bottles,” said Jonathan Yates, author of The Whisky Collector’s Handbook and founder of Caskd.

“Every bottle represents a moment in time. It carries the influence of the distillery, the cask, the people who created it and the years that shaped it. The goal of this book is to help collectors better understand those stories and build collections that hold genuine meaning, not simply financial value.”

The publication reflects many of the same principles that underpin Caskd, the dedicated marketplace for whisky collectors. Built specifically for enthusiasts, collectors and investors, Caskd was created to provide a trusted platform for discovering, buying and selling collectible whisky while helping strengthen the wider collector community.

The Whisky Collector’s Handbook is intended for both newcomers and experienced collectors. Whether readers are purchasing their first bottle, exploring rare distilleries or managing a collection built over decades, the book provides practical guidance designed to help them collect with greater confidence and deeper understanding.

Available Now

The Whisky Collector’s Handbook: A Field Guide to Bottles, Stories and Discovery is available now on Amazon.

Buy the Book on Amazon

About the Author

Jonathan Yates is a whisky collector, entrepreneur and founder of Caskd. Through his writing, events and marketplace platform, he aims to make whisky collecting more accessible while celebrating the history, craftsmanship and stories that make the whisky world unique.

About Caskd

Caskd is the UK’s dedicated peer-to-peer marketplace for whisky collectors, providing a trusted environment to discover, buy and sell collectible whisky. The platform connects enthusiasts through a shared passion for whisky, provenance and collecting culture.

Tickets and more information

If you are as excited as us and what to get relaxed in May this year, you can find all you want to know and tickets on this site: https://events.humanitix.com/maltstock

We are looking forward to meet you there!

Tickets for Maltstock 2026 

Get relaxed now and get your Maltstock tickets here:

https://www.maltstock.com/shop

Saturday 1st August 2026

Ad Gefrin Distillery

WOOLER
NORTHUMBERLAND
NE71 6NJ

Ad Gefrin have hosted two special events per year, for the last 2 years. The Gaderung is their summer ‘gathering’ and is a celebration of the distillery, but also local food, art and culture. We are delighted that we have talked them into allowing us to bring our own brand of whisky celebration into their broader event.
So, for the Saturday 1st August, we will be hosting a special outdoor area, devoted to whisky and music, of all types, and we would love it if you can join us!

The event is free to enter, but if you want to taste whisky, you’ll need to purchase one of two advance ticket types, or turn up on the day for ‘on the day’ tickets.

We really hope you can make the journey – it is a beautiful part of the country, and getting there from Edinburgh, the Borders and Newcastle is not too difficult. And it will be worth it!

DETAILS & BOOK NOW

ralfy review 1134 – The Shackletons Reproduction Bottling @47.3%vol: