Stetson Bourbon Returns 14 Years After BourbonBlog’s Original Review—Now 100 Proof

After years away from the spotlight, Stetson Bourbon is riding again. The new $70 high-rye Kentucky bourbon averages seven years in age and marks the first collaboration between Bardstown Bourbon Company and Green River Distilling Co.

Stetson tells BourbonBlog.com they are returning to bourbon with a substantially different whiskey from the bottle BourbonBlog.com reviewed more than a decade ago.

The new Stetson Kentucky Straight Bourbon is a 100-proof proprietary high-rye blend aged an average of seven years. Kentucky master blender Dan Callaway developed the whiskey following what Stetson describes as a three-year process of sourcing, tasting and blending.

Stetson says the bourbon brings together the brand’s 160-year American heritage and Kentucky’s whiskey-making expertise

BourbonBlog Covered Stetson Bourbon in 2012

This is not the first Stetson-branded bourbon BourbonBlog.com has encountered and reviewed.

In March 2012, BourbonBlog founder Tom Fischer reviewed an earlier John B. Stetson Bourbon. That whiskey was a four-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon bottled at 84 proof and priced at $26.99.

Vision Wine & Spirits launched the earlier bottle but declined to identify its Kentucky distiller.

The 2026 release is a different whiskey with greater age, higher proof, identified production partners and a substantially higher price. The new bottle moves Stetson from an approachable 84-proof bourbon into the premium 100-proof category.

Official Stetson Bourbon Tasting Notes

According to Stetson, the bourbon opens with buttery oak, caramel and vanilla before developing notes of brandied fruit, cinnamon and warm baking spices. The finish is described as showing light rye spice.

These are Stetson’s official tasting notes. BourbonBlog.com has not yet independently tasted the 2026 release.

The bottle features The Last Drop from His Stetson, an early-1920s painting by Western artist Lon Megargee that has become closely associated with the Stetson brand.

Stetson Bourbon is available through the official Stetson Bourbon website.

About Stetson

Founded in 1865, Stetson is an American heritage brand associated with Western craftsmanship and independent style. The company’s name now appears across headwear, boots, apparel, fragrances, accessories and Stetson Bourbon.