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Woodford Reserve is adding its first permanent whiskey expression since 2019: Double Oaked Rye, a new release inspired by an idea from master distiller emeritus Chris Morris and developed under master distiller Elizabeth McCall.

The whiskey starts with Woodford Reserve Rye, made from a mash bill of 53% rye, 33% corn and 14% malted barley. After aging for five to seven years, it is transferred to a second charred white oak barrel for an average of eight additional months. The extra barrel aging is intended to bring richness and complexity to the rye.

Morris first imagined the expression years ago, hoping to create a full-bodied whiskey that would stand apart in the expanding rye category. McCall said the launch carried special pressure because she wanted to fulfill his vision while introducing a product expected to become an important part of the brand.

The new rye is part of Woodford’s Double Oaked family, which began with its bourbon expression in 2012. That whiskey is finished in a second barrel that is deeply toasted and lightly charred—a process that helped popularize toasted-oak whiskey.

At a media tasting, McCall described the new whiskey as a meeting of rye and Double Oaked richness. Its flavor profile emphasizes baking spices rather than the sharper spice commonly associated with rye, with notes likened to cinnamon rolls, caramel macchiato and glazed doughnuts. McCall also recommended it neat or in cocktails such as an Old Fashioned or Manhattan.

Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Rye will be available nationwide beginning November 5, 2026, with a suggested retail price of $54.99. More information is available on the Woodford Reserve website.

Small-batch and single-barrel whiskey differ mainly in how they’re made—and how much their flavors vary.

Small-batch whiskey

There’s no official legal definition of “small batch,” so the number of barrels can vary widely by producer. One brand might use fewer than a dozen barrels, while another may blend hundreds.

Producers select and blend barrels to create a balanced, recognizable flavor that stays relatively consistent from batch to batch. Small-batch whiskey is often bottled at a more approachable proof and tends to cost less than single-barrel options. It can be enjoyed neat or in cocktails.

Single-barrel whiskey

Single-barrel whiskey comes from one cask, which may yield only about 220 to 240 bottles after proofing. Because each release is limited, these bottles are often more expensive, and labels may list the barrel or bottle number.

The flavor can differ from one barrel to another. Factors such as temperature, aging time, the wood grain, and a barrel’s location in the rickhouse all influence the result. That variation can make single-barrel bottles appealing to whiskey enthusiasts and collectors, though it’s worth researching a brand before paying a premium.

In short, small-batch whiskey is blended for consistency, while single-barrel whiskey offers a more limited and distinctive expression.

Deep Eddy Vodka has partnered with comedian and podcaster Heather McMahan to promote its new Deep Eddy Espresso Vodka, a ready-to-pour option aimed at making espresso martinis easier to prepare.

The partnership includes an Instagram Reel featuring McMahan’s humor and the brand’s playful take on cocktail-making. McMahan said the vodka makes it simple to serve an espresso martini, while Deep Eddy’s brand director described her as a natural fit for the campaign.

The spirit is made in small batches with real espresso and the brand’s 10-times-distilled, 80-proof vodka. Deep Eddy says roasted espresso flavors are balanced with vanilla and toasted caramel, creating a smooth finish. It is naturally gluten-free and lower in calories than many traditional coffee cocktails, according to the company.

Deep Eddy Espresso Vodka is available in several bottle sizes, from 50 milliliters to 1.75 liters. The suggested retail price for a 750-milliliter bottle is $16.99. More information is available at Deep Eddy Vodka’s website.

Blade and Bow is preparing to release a 30-year-old cask-strength bourbon bottled at an extraordinary 82.1% ABV. Because it’s bottled straight from the barrel with little dilution, the whiskey is strong enough to be classified as hazardous material for air travel: federal rules prohibit carrying spirits above 70% ABV in commercial aircraft holds.

Despite its intensity, the bourbon is described as rich and layered rather than simply hot. Its aromas include bergamot, dark berries and singed cedar, while the palate brings ginger, cranberry, molasses and a pronounced mint note. A few drops of room-temperature water can draw out floral aromas and flavors of currant and cassia, making the tasting experience adjustable.

The whiskey comes from the same group of barrels used for last year’s Blade and Bow 30-Year-Old release. The 96 barrels have rested in the historic Stitzel-Weller warehouses since 1993, though the bourbon was distilled at another nearby Kentucky site. To prevent the whiskey from becoming overly oaked during its long aging, the barrels were moved to cooler areas and periodically consolidated as the liquid evaporated.

Only 1,200 bottles remain. Each will cost $2,500 and come in a custom leather box. The release is expected in select U.S. markets in mid-November, with additional bottles offered through limited drops at Stitzel-Weller Distillery during the holiday season.

Blade and Bow is also bringing back a limited number of its original 30-year-old bourbon, bottled at a much lower 109 proof, for its original suggested retail price of $1,200.

Veteran-owned Whiskey Bravo Southern Kitchen & Smokehouse opened in September at 116 Salem Road, just across the Cumberland River on Highway 48/13. The restaurant serves slow-smoked barbecue, burgers and seafood, with weekend breakfast.

Owner Jason Harvey, who also runs a catering company next door, said he saw a need for a Southern restaurant in the area. To learn what residents wanted, he held all-you-can-eat buffets throughout the summer of 2025 and gathered feedback from the community.

After deciding to open the restaurant, Harvey handled much of the remodeling and design himself, including building the bar and tables. Local artists also helped decorate the space.

Harvey said the first five to six weeks were challenging as the restaurant got established, but he hopes it will become a place where customers feel at home and can share feedback. The building has its own local history: it was the original Catfish House location.

Menu favorites and eating challenges

Harvey, who is from Charleston, South Carolina, said shrimp and grits is his favorite dish. Catfish is a popular choice among customers and was added to the menu as a nod to the building’s history.

The restaurant also offers two eating challenges. One asks participants to finish six pounds of food in 30 minutes: a pound each of brisket, pulled pork, pork ribs and smoked sausage, along with a large order of fries, mac and cheese, baked beans and cornbread.

Location and hours

Whiskey Bravo is located at 116 Salem Road in Clarksville. It is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The restaurant is closed Monday and Tuesday.

Visit the Whiskey Bravo Southern Kitchen & Smokehouse website for more information.

Siren’s Tale Vodka will showcase its products at the SoCal Cocktail and Spirits Fest on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at Gillette House in Irvine, California. Fast Moving Consumer Goods, Inc. (FMCG) and Keg n Bottle are sponsoring the event.

The festival brings together consumers and beverage-industry professionals for tastings, live entertainment, interactive activities, and networking. Visitors can meet Siren’s Tale representatives and learn about the brand’s premium vodka.

FMCG said its sponsorship reflects its work supporting emerging and established spirits brands through product development, manufacturing, sales, distribution, and brand-building services.

The festival will take place at 17475 Gillette Ave., Suite 100, Irvine. Ticket and event information.

Rum is flavorful and versatile, so a simple soda mixer can make a refreshing drink without the effort of a complicated cocktail. Beyond the familiar rum and cola, plenty of sodas pair well with the spirit. The best choice depends on whether you want a bright, tart highball or a sweeter, richer drink.

1. Pineapple soda

Pineapple soda brings sweet, slightly tart tropical flavor and plenty of fizz. Its fruitiness works with white, dark, spiced, and aged rums, whose vanilla, caramel, and warming spice notes complement the pineapple. For a creamier twist, add a splash of coconut cream or use coconut rum.

2. Guava soda

Guava’s sweet-tart taste and subtle floral notes make it a natural match for rum. The spirit balances the fruit’s acidity while bringing out its sweeter, aromatic qualities. Guava soda can be harder to find, but brands such as Jarritos offer an option worth seeking out.

3. Ginger beer or ginger ale

Ginger beer’s bold ginger, spice, and sweetness make a lively rum highball. Dark rum, ginger beer, and lime form the classic Dark ’n’ Stormy, but rum and ginger beer work well even without lime. If ginger beer is too intense, ginger ale offers a milder combination of ginger and sweetness that suits different rum styles.

4. Cream soda

Cream soda’s sweet vanilla flavor echoes the vanilla notes often found in rum. It works with most varieties, though spiced rum is especially appealing, adding cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. The result is quite sweet, making it a good choice for those who prefer a softer, less spirit-forward drink.

5. Citrus soda

Grapefruit, lemon-lime, and orange or mandarin sodas each bring something different. Grapefruit soda’s tartness offsets rum’s sweetness while allowing the spirit’s flavor to come through; a squeeze of lime adds extra brightness. Lemon-lime soda is a crisp option, particularly with white rum, while orange and mandarin sodas create a sweeter, fruitier mix.

6. Dr Pepper

With its mix of cherry, vanilla, sweetness, and warm spice, Dr Pepper shares many of rum’s flavor notes. It pairs with white, dark, aged, and spiced rum, though an unflavored rum is generally the best place to start. Spiced rum makes a particularly bold, warming combination.

7. Strawberry soda

Strawberry soda tends to taste more like candy than fresh fruit, but its sweetness pairs well with white rum and can soften the harsher edges of an inexpensive bottle. Spiced rum can add warmth, too. A squeeze of lime helps balance the sweetness and brighten the drink.

8. Mango soda

Mango’s juicy, tropical sweetness makes a natural partner for rum. Mango soda lifts the sweeter notes in white and spiced rum, creating a bright, fizzy drink that feels refreshing rather than overly candy-like. It can be less common than other soda flavors, but brands such as Jarritos and Jumex make versions to look for.

9. Passion fruit soda

Passion fruit soda is sweet, tangy, aromatic, and bubbly. It pairs especially well with white rum, highlighting its vanilla notes while leaving a tart finish. Dark rum can work, too, although the drink’s appearance may be less appealing. Passion fruit soda can be difficult to find, so check specialty brands and shops.

10. Watermelon soda

Watermelon soda’s juicy sweetness complements rum’s vanilla and caramel notes. White rum is a particularly good fit, though a lighter spiced rum can also work. The combination makes an easy, summery drink; Jarritos and Crush are among the brands that offer watermelon soda.

11. Tamarind soda

Tamarind has a sweet-and-sour flavor that gives a rum highball extra complexity. Its sweetness complements the spirit, while the tangy edge keeps the drink balanced. White, dark, aged, and spiced rums can all work, with the latter styles adding further warmth. Goya and Jarritos are two brands to look for.

12. Grape soda

Grape soda is intensely sweet and nostalgic, making it a good match for rum’s caramel and vanilla notes. It can also mask the harsher taste of less refined rum. Because its sweetness and flavor are prominent, it suits people who prefer their drinks less booze-forward. Spiced rum is best avoided, as its warming notes may clash with the soda.

13. Root beer

Root beer’s vanilla, caramel, and earthy spice notes overlap with flavors found in many rums. It pairs with white, dark, aged, and spiced varieties, producing a smooth, sweet drink. The mix can go down easily, so keep its alcohol content in mind.

These soda pairings make it easy to put together a straightforward rum drink. Choose a mixer that suits your preferred balance of sweetness, acidity, and spice—and enjoy responsibly.

Headframe Spirits is pausing contracted production of American single malt whiskey at its Kelly Mineyard facility in Butte for the foreseeable future. The decision affects one contract client and does not impact the company’s own brands, including Orphan Girl Bourbon Cream Liqueur, or its Butte tasting room.

The facility holds about 15,000 barrels of whiskey made from Montana grain. Headframe owner John McKee said the client asked to pause production because current manufacturing costs exceed what it believes the whiskey can sell for. The client still hopes to release the product if market conditions improve.

McKee cited a broader downturn in the spirits industry, recessionary pressures and rising local compliance costs as factors behind the decision. The contract supports about 40% of Headframe’s full-time workforce. Affected employees will continue working through the end of the year and will be offered severance packages.

Headframe is also looking ahead to an expansion into upstate New York, new whiskey flavors planned for 2027 and an employee-owned trust intended to keep the company locally rooted.

Empress 1908 has introduced a vodka in British Columbia and Alberta, marking the brand’s move beyond gin. The new spirit was developed by Victoria Distillers, a long-established artisan distillery based in Victoria, B.C.

Bottled at 42.5% alcohol by volume, Empress 1908 Vodka is distilled four times using Canadian-grown corn and Canadian water. The company describes it as smooth, crisp and clean, with a light sweetness. It is intended for cocktails such as Vodka Martinis, Espresso Martinis and Dirty Vodka Martinis.

Victoria Distillers’ master distiller said the launch reflects the distillery’s history of making a range of spirits, including vodka. The company’s president and CEO said the new release extends the Empress 1908 portfolio, which includes several gins and a non-alcoholic spirit.

The 750 ml bottles are now available in British Columbia and Alberta, with a suggested retail price of C$48.99.

More details are available on the Empress 1908 Vodka product page.

Analysts have raised Rumble Group’s fair value estimate from US$22 to US$23.50, citing the company’s growing focus on AI infrastructure and services. Their updated outlook also reflects a major AI services agreement that provides a potential foundation for future revenue.

Lake Street and Texas Capital have both initiated coverage with Buy ratings. Lake Street set a price target of US$25, while Texas Capital’s target is US$15.

Why analysts are optimistic

Both firms point to Rumble’s evolution beyond its video platform as an important factor in their assessments. Lake Street highlighted Rumble’s acquisition of 250 megawatts of power from Northern Data and a six-year, US$13.7 billion AI contract, reportedly with Anthropic. It views these developments as evidence of the company’s emergence as a contracted AI data-center operator and “neocloud.”

Texas Capital also cited the six-year agreement, saying it supports Quake AI’s services and could make future revenue more predictable.

Risks and valuation changes

The analyst outlook remains limited, with the available research based on early coverage from just the two firms. Investors therefore have relatively few independent assessments of the execution challenges involved in Rumble’s AI expansion and its ability to meet contract commitments.

Alongside the fair value increase, the updated assumptions include:

• Revenue growth rising from about 100% to about 150%
• Net profit margin increasing from roughly 1.3% to around 9.1%
• Future price-to-earnings multiple falling from 896.4x to about 89.0x
• Discount rate rising from 8.60% to approximately 9.13%

Investors will also be watching how Rumble’s partnerships, international payments and creator-monetization efforts develop, as well as the costs and risks associated with its AI and cloud investments.

Read more about Rumble Group’s analyst narrative.