As the spirits market continues to innovate in early 2025, several notable whiskey brands have unveiled distinctive new expressions that showcase creative aging techniques, unique flavor profiles, and collaborative storytelling. From WhistlePig’s non-alcoholic cocktail with rock icon Alice Cooper to Buffalo Trace’s Prohibition Collection, these new products demonstrate the industry’s commitment to pushing boundaries in craftsmanship and consumer experience. Below is Park Street University’s recap of the high-profile spirits releases in January 2025.
WhistlePig Teamed Up With Alice Cooper
American rock icon Alice Cooper joined forces with WhistlePig to introduce the Sex, Drugs, Rock & Dry Old Fashioned, an alcohol-free cocktail blended with adaptogens. The ready-to-pour cocktail features non-alcoholic 100% Rye ‘Non-Whiskey’, barrel-aged maple syrup, and adaptogenic ingredients like cordyceps mushrooms, Schisandra berry, and damiana. It delivers notes of summer berries, wild herbs, and a kick of black pepper, and can be purchased at $49.99 per 750ml bottle.
WhistlePig also offers the Go Pig Go Bundle for $199.99, which includes a cocktail and rye-infused vinyl featuring Alice Cooper’s Breadcrumbs album and is limited to just 250 units. (Source)
Buffalo Trace Unveiled its 2025 Prohibition Collection
Sazerac-owned Buffalo Trace Distillery released its second annual limited-edition collection, the Prohibition Collection Series #2, a tribute to the forgotten whiskey brands. This year’s whiskey line features five new expressions, including Mirror Brook, a 50% ABV Kentucky blend that offers notes of ripe cherry and mellow oak, and VOP, a barrel-proof straight Bourbon that features a rye spice, toasted oak, and rich cherry. The collection also includes Anderson’s Belle, a bottled-in-bond classic that delivers oak and dried fruit undertones, while Old Fashioned Mountain Corn, at 55% ABV, has sweet corn and caramel flavors. Concluding the collection is the Silver Wedding Rye Whiskey, which delivers 62.5% ABV with layers of vanilla, toffee, and earthy rye spice.
Each of the five whiskey expressions is bottled in 375ml bottles and comes with a suggested retail price of $999.99 for a set. (Source)
Penelope Released American Light Whiskey
Penelope Bourbon announced the release of American Light Whiskey, its newest whiskey expression, and the latest addition to its Annual Limited Releases collection. Distilled at 189 proof in 2006 at the historic Seagram’s Distillery and matured for 17 years in second-fill oak barrels, the offering reaches a cask strength of 138.8 proof (69.4% ABV). This limited-edition whiskey features a mash bill of 99% corn and 1% malted barley and delivers aromas of butterscotch, cake batter, and cotton candy. American Light Whiskey will be available in select markets starting in February with a suggested retail price of $99.99 per 750ml bottle.
“This release is the result of an innovative chapter in the history of American whiskey,” said Danny Polise, Penelope’s Founder and Master Blender. “The high corn mash bill and long aging really brings out unique character in the batch. It’s truly been a pleasure to watch this whiskey evolve with aging and be able to release this 17-year batch after our prior 13 and 15-year releases.” (Source)
Bob Dylan’s Heaven’s Door Added to its Bootleg series
Heaven’s Door unveiled its sixth release in its Bootleg Series collection, crafted with 12-, 13-, and 14-year-old wheated bourbons, and finished in Limousin cigar barrels. The Bootleg Series Volume VI is bottled at 60.58% ABV with an SRP of $500 and features Dylan’s Favela Villa Candido painting from his 2015 ‘Brazil Series.’ This year’s release delivers spiced oak, dried fruit, and caramelized sweetness with fewer than 5,000 bottles available.
“The shape of this barrel provides more whiskey to wood-to-surface contact, which yields more pronounced flavor notes,” Master Blender Alex Moore said. “Additionally, the Limousin oak is air dried over time versus kiln dried, which makes a big difference in terms of the tannins and sugars that are naturally resident in the oak.” (Source)
Glenlivet Released its Oldest Permanent Whisky Expression
Glenlivet unveiled its oldest permanent expression in its core lineup with the introduction of The Glenlivet 40-Year-Old. This expression is matured over four decades, bottled at a cask strength of 46.9% ABV, and finished in sherry-seasoned Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez casks. The Glenlivet 40-year-old is said to deliver notes of poached plums, dark cherries, and warming spices and is presented in an elongated bottle inspired by its 1824 design for an SRP of $5,704.
“The Glenlivet 40-year-old represents more than four decades of dedication and craftsmanship from our team,” said The Glenlivet Cask Master, Kevin Balmforth. “This release embodies the trailblazing spirit of The Glenlivet while honoring the foresight of those who began this journey 40 years ago.” (Source)
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