Honey | Toasted nuts | Red fruits | Mixed berries | Faint baking spices | Nutmeg | Vanilla cream donut | Caramel | White peppercorn | Oak | Dried mix fruit

Honey | Rye spice | Baking spices | Spiced cinnamon syrup | Faint red fruits | Sweet vanilla | Dried orange | Aged oak | Silky mouthfeel

Rye spice | White peppercorn spice | Flash of red fruits | Cinnamon stick | Oak | Faint leather | Slightly dry | Moderate length

B.R. Distilling Company is located in Memphis, Tennessee, and currently sources much of its whiskey from Green River Distilling, but also from Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana. Over the years, they have released a range of finished whiskeys, with their honey-finished bourbon and rye releases being standouts. In 2023, the company released its first Special Reserve Cask Finish Series, which blew the doors off what people expected from the company, as it ambitiously blended six finished whiskeys with a straight bourbon. In 2025, they upped the ante with their second Special Reserve Cask Finished Series Bourbon release, which blended 10 finished bourbons from Kentucky and Tennessee together.

For the 2026 release, the company blends nine finished bourbons from Kentucky and Tennessee together. The average age of the bourbons, while still lower than 2023, is higher than the 2025 release, and the whiskey also sports the highest proof yet in the series. Additionally, the blend contains new finishing barrels not used in past releases, including a Winter Bock barrel, which isn’t often used to finish American whiskey.

As could be expected from a blend of bourbons finished in nine unique finishing barrels, the sip greets you with a lot of personality. A pleasing aroma, ranging from the sweet scents of honey to the drier scents of oak and toasted nuts, sets the stage. Moving further into the sip reveals a midpoint that pulls out silky, syrupy flavors thanks to honey and spiced cinnamon syrup. Dried orange and faint red fruits highlight the wine finishing barrels, while rye spice and baking spices highlight the rye component of the mashbill. The finish is the least dynamic portion of the sip, concentrated on spice and dry notes with a slight flash of red fruits, and is unable to match the bar set by the nose and palate.

This year’s edition of Blue Note Special Reserve Cask Finished Series Bourbon is another great bourbon by B.R. Distilling Company. While it doesn’t quite match the previous releases, mainly due to its finish, it still delivers an impactful pour that is full of flavor. Interestingly enough, this year’s edition is $75 less than prior releases, which is a true rarity to see for limited edition products nowadays. For those who enjoy seeing the impact that finishing barrels have on a bourbon, the 2026 edition of Blue Note Special Reserve Cask Finished Series Bourbon will be a bottle you’ll want to seek out.

The bourbon in review is bottle number 1,189 out of approximately 2,100.