By Richard Thomas
(Credit: Diageo)
Diageo’s Blade & Bow bourbon brand has had its ultra-aged, 22 year old expression since 2015, and has been kept in circulation with fresh (if limited) annual batches. The eleventh batch of 22 year old Blade & Bow is out in time for the 2026 Kentucky Derby; which is the only tie-in for the brand with that celebrated horse race this year. Blade & Bow is based at the Stitzel-Weller Distillery, which hosts the Garden & Gun Club associated with Garden & Gun magazine. That magazine often sponsors/organizes Kentucky horse racing events, including dinners hosted at Stitzel-Weller for the Derby’s preview race, the Kentucky Oaks. No such event is planned for this year, hence why I say this is Blade & Bow’s only tie-in.
The 2026 re-release became available beginning April 2026, in highly limited quantities at the Stitzel-Weller Distillery in Louisville, KY, with additional availability in select U.S. markets while supplies last. At the distillery, the bottle is available for $1,100 on a one bottle per day, first-come, first-served basis.
Another way to sample the ultra-aged bourbon is through the distillery tasting experience, at $150 a dram.
