Chasing the Unicorn: Bourbon & American Whiskey

Chasing the Unicorn: Bourbon & American Whiskey

By John Schuster IIArtsLeisureFoodHobbies
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Chasing the Unicorn: Bourbon & American Whiskey episodes

  • Heaven Hill Bet Against Itself
    Heaven Hill broke ground today on six new warehouses outside Bardstown, adding roughly 42,000 barrels of aging capacity — in the same quarter it cut its own new-make production 15%. That's not a contradiction, it's a bet: the correction is closer to its floor than its middle, and the company wants storage ready before construction costs climb again. Warehouse space built today becomes bourbon on shelves eight to twelve years out.
    6 min
  • Four Roses 2026 Pre-Allocation Closes July 18
    Franklin takes a quiet Sunday minute to lay out the week's real dates: Four Roses' 2026 Limited Edition Small Batch pre-allocation closes July 18 at $129.99 for Brent Elliott's 108.2 proof blend, with New Riff's Fall Bottled-in-Bond Single Barrel window closing July 20. Further out, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon lands September 2nd, Blood Oath Pact 12 awaits its federal filing announcement, and Parker's Heritage 2026 arrives this fall. He also flags Hard Truth Distilling Co.'s Bourbon & BBQ Festival on July 18 in Nashville, Indiana, and closes with how the allocation calendar inside The Perfect Pour keeps every one of these dates from sneaking past you.
    4 min
  • Wild Turkey 101 Beats Pricier Bottles, 3 of 4
    Franklin closes out the week by tracing one question through five days of news: what actually makes a bottle worth its price. From Elijah Craig Barrel Proof's federally audited Bottled-in-Bond status to Four Roses' Limited Edition pre-allocation to Friday's blind-tasting upset — Wild Turkey 101 beating pricier bottles three times out of four — the answer keeps landing on production, not price. He also flags the Richmond Beer, Bourbon and BBQ Festival on July 25th and the last chances to pour this weekend, including Ohio's George T. Stagg lottery closing tomorrow night.
    5 min
  • A $28 Bourbon Keeps Beating $80 Ones
    Wild Turkey 101 has won or tied three of four blind-tasting rounds on r/bourbon against bottles costing two to three times its $28 price. Master Distiller Eddie Russell credits the distillery's low barrel-entry proof — 107 to 110 — for pulling more flavor from the wood over time. Breaking Bourbon's own panel backs it up at 4.1 out of 5.
    6 min
  • Ohio’s Free Stagg Lottery Closes Sunday
    Ohio's state liquor agency is running a free lottery for George T. Stagg, and it closes this Sunday at midnight. No purchase required — just a name in a drawing. George T. Stagg's secondary floor has held between $1,100 and $1,250 for months while other allocated bottles softened toward retail. Win, and you pay store price: $129. Ninety seconds of effort against an $1,100 gap.
    6 min
  • Four Roses 2026 Pre-Allocation: Buy It Before It Exists
    Four Roses Master Distiller Brent Elliott confirmed the 2026 Limited Edition Small Batch at 108.2 proof after TTB review cleared July 4 and 5. The pre-allocation window opened July 7 at $129.99 MSRP and closes July 18 — before bottles arrive at any retail shelf. Last year's edition traded at $200 to $240 secondary within two weeks of distribution. The math is simple: lock in $129.99 now or pay $200 later.
    6 min
  • E.H. Taylor Jr. BiB 2026: The Man Who Passed the Law, $69.99
    Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr. lobbied Congress to pass the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897 — the first consumer protection law in American history. His label just cleared federal TTB review at the statutory 100 proof and is distributing nationally this week at $69.99 MSRP. No lottery. No pre-allocation at most accounts. Each bottle traces to one barrel, one distilling season, one federally bonded warehouse position, bottled without dilution. The colonel's name is the argument, and it's on your shelf right now.
    6 min
  • Elijah Craig Barrel Proof E926: $74.99 Before the Floor Closes

    Elijah Craig Barrel Proof E926 cleared federal review at 130.2 proof and is arriving at national retail this week at $74.99 MSRP. Comparable E-batch expressions have settled 40 to 60 percent above that price within 90 days of distribution. Today's episode also covers Heaven Hill's 15% Q3 new-make reduction at Bernheim — the first Big 4 production cut documented in the current correction cycle — and what that means for the American Whiskey Industry Brief's long-range outlook on the Elijah Craig and Larceny shelf from 2030 forward.


    Today's full written brief (free): https://chasingtheunicornpodcast.com/podcast/2026-07-06-the-cut-daily/

    The American Whiskey Industry Brief: https://chasingtheunicornpodcast.com/the-brief/


    5 min
  • Four Roses 2026 Pre-Allocation Closes Today

    The Four Roses 2026 Limited Edition Small Batch pre-allocation closes this afternoon, and Franklin lays out exactly what you're deciding and where to go. Once that window shuts, the week ahead is calmer — Wild Turkey Rare Breed Barrel Proof 2026 and Larceny Barrel Proof B926 both arrive at standard retail mid-July with no lottery or list required. Ohio residents still have time to enter the George T. Stagg 2026 lottery through July 14, and Horse Soldier Farms in Somerset, Kentucky wraps up its grand opening weekend today with a founding story unlike anything else in the industry.


    5 min
  • Mount Vernon's $1,000 Spirit of '76, 350 Bottles

    Franklin recaps a week shaped by one recurring question: what is something actually worth when the price is honest? The releases — Knob Creek 18-Year, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2026, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof D926, Wild Turkey Rare Breed Barrel Proof, and a Larceny Barrel Proof A926/B926 side-by-side — each answered differently. And on the Fourth of July, George Washington's distillery at Mount Vernon offers the week's most singular answer: fewer than 350 bottles of cask strength Spirit of '76, at $1,000 each, available in person only at The Shops at Mount Vernon. Franklin closes with the supply picture — Heaven Hill, MGP, Beam Suntory all pulling back production — and what it means for the shelf in the early 2030s.

    7 min

About Chasing the Unicorn: Bourbon & American Whiskey

From the publisher's feed

Chasing The Unicorn Podcast explores bourbon through conversation, craft, and curiosity. Hosted by John Schuster II, the show focuses on education, storytelling, and the sensory experience behind…