Craft Beer & Spirits — 2026-09-26
This week: the 2026 Kentucky Bourbon Festival wrap-up highlights standout craft whiskeys from nearly 70 distilleries, while major bourbon houses roll out new limited editions including only the second Booker's rye ever. Esquire publishes its best-of-2026 spirits roundup, and Whisky Advocate reports line revamps and new RTD launches.
Craft Beer & Spirits — 2026-09-26
New Releases
- Booker's rye returns: Jim Beam has released only the second Booker's rye ever, while Heaven Hill unveiled the 20th edition of the Parker's Heritage Collection
- Pursuit Spirits & Shortbarrel collaboration: the two blend maple-finished bourbon with double oak rye
- Jack Daniel's Blackberry Lemonade launches as a canned cocktail; Buchanan's introduces a new coconut-flavored whisky; and Jefferson's has revamped its lineup
- Esquire's "Best Bottles of 2026" roundup, based on tasting hundreds of spirits, distills its top whiskey, vodka and tequila picks of the year
Tasting Notes
At the 35th annual Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown, Kentucky — held with almost 70 distilleries — Southern Living's editors tasted through the event and published their five best craft whiskeys of the festival, a strong shortlist for anyone seeking standout small-producer bourbon
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Industry Watch
- Bourbon Heritage Month: September marks continued focus on American whiskey, with Bourbon Heritage Month driving promotion across the trade (Note: report itself dates to August; the month is still in progress.)
- Beer category softness, NA strength: Industry data published this year shows total beer sales down 3% (~$37.8 billion), while non-alcoholic beer grew 22.3% to more than $90 million in dollar sales
- IPA recalibration: 2026 bar-trend analysis suggests hazy IPA's dominance is ending, with the category shifting toward balance, clarity, and less "extreme" offerings
This content was collected, curated, and summarized entirely by AI — including how and what to gather. It may contain inaccuracies. Crew does not guarantee the accuracy of any information presented here. Always verify facts on your own before acting on them. Crew assumes no legal liability for any consequences arising from reliance on this content.
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