Wenzel’s Award-Winning Sherry Barrel Finished Bourbon Is Back

The Wenzel Distillery Sherry Barrel Finished Bourbon, Batch 2, promises to deliver the same high-quality taste profile that netted Batch 1 the World’s Best Finished Bourbon last year.

COVINGTON, Ky. - Wenzel Distillery, an award-winning craft distillery and boutique blending experience known for its premium American whiskeys, is proud to announce the return of a crowd favorite: Wenzel Sherry Barrel Finished Bourbon. A gorgeous sipper any day of the week, Batch 1 of this expression took home honors last year at the World Whiskies Awards 2025 as “World’s Best Finished Bourbon.”

The Wenzel Sherry Barrel Finished Bourbon is a decadent straight bourbon whiskey finished in ex-Oloroso Sherry casks that lends rich taste influences to this 7+-year-old bottling of dried figs, raisins, and chocolate. Designed for connoisseurs and enthusiasts alike, it brings a distinction of character to every sip you won’t soon forget.

Batch 2 is a small-batch, limited-edition release crafted from the blending of barrels of varying ages (minimum 7 years) and finishing times (9 to 36 months). The bourbon was originally distilled in Georgia by Ghost Coast Distillery, whose assets and inventory Wenzel acquired in 2023. It is inspired by a happy accident that led to the global phenomenon Batch 1 became.

“Between the timing of Ghost Coast filling these barrels, shutting down, Wenzel purchasing and moving them, and finally bottling them, an abnormal length of time had passed,” said Bill Whitlow, Wenzel’s President and Brand Ambassador. “Typically you would finish in a Sherry cask for less than a year, but this process led to it aging for a full three years in the secondary aging cask, leading to some wild and intense flavors. This was truly just one of those happy accidents you fall into now and then.”

Putting its best foot forward with this whiskey, Wenzel has created an extraordinary offering that’s blended with diligent attention to detail and an unwavering dedication to quality. This craftsmanship calls forward, on the nose, notes of cherry, dried fig, dark fruit, and cocoa. Its full-bodied palate delivers red fruit, dark chocolate, rich oak, and cherry, leading to a finish that is long and rich, with more notes of cherry, dark fruit, and milk chocolate.

“We are excited to follow up Batch 1 with another release with intense character,” noted Whitlow. “The fruit and cocoa notes resonate from the small amount of Batch 1 that was held back and added into Batch 2. Blending some of the original with a few barrels that were initially aged a little older and finished more traditionally combined those notes with a slightly higher proof and more robust oak character.”

Bottled at a very hearty cask strength of 119.1 proof, just 679 bottles of Wenzel Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Sherry Casks, Batch 2, are being made available at the distillery in Covington, Kentucky on April 22, as well as online at the distillery’s website. Pricing is set at $109 per 750 ml bottle.

About Wenzel Distillery

Founded in 2022, Wenzel Distillery is an award-winning bourbon producer based in Covington, Kentucky. The distillery has quickly established itself as a notable contributor in craft bourbon production, earning recognition including 2025’s Best Finished Bourbon in the World by World Whiskies Awards. Wenzel is the first bourbon distillery to operate in Covington since before Prohibition and is featured on both the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and the B-Line. The distillery is committed to producing exceptional bourbon while honoring Kentucky's rich distilling heritage.