There's a particular kind of satisfaction that comes from watching something take a hit, dust itself off, and come back better than before. That's exactly what's happening with Redemption Whiskey right now. The brand just relaunched its core bourbon at a higher proof, rolled out a completely new bottle design, and is making a strong case that everything it went through over the past several years was worth it.
A Proof Bump That Actually Matters
For years, Redemption's straight bourbon sat at 88 proof. That's not a bad number — it clears the legal minimum of 80 proof by a decent margin — but it always sat a few ticks below the brand's rye and high-rye bourbon offerings, both of which were already bottled at 92. That gap has now been closed.
Image credit: Redemption Whiskey
The bourbon is now bottled at 92 proof across the board, and according to master blender Alan Kennedy, the change isn't just cosmetic. "Bottling our bourbon at higher proof allows the whiskey to express itself more fully," Kennedy said. "It enhances the vanilla, fruity, and floral notes while bringing greater structure and balance to the spice and smokiness that define our style. Every decision we make, from grain selection to barrel aging, is made with intention. This evolution is about refining what we do best and showcasing our whiskeys at their fullest potential."
That's not marketing speak. When whiskey gets diluted down to lower proofs, it loses something — some of that texture, some of that presence on the palate. The range between 90 and 100 proof is where a lot of experienced drinkers land when they want a whiskey that's got real character without crossing into the niche territory of barrel-proof bottlings that can push 120, 130, or even higher. Bumping the core bourbon to 92 puts it right in that sweet spot and brings it in line with the rest of the lineup.
Who's Behind the Whiskey
Redemption isn't a distillery in the traditional sense. The brand sources its whiskey from MGP, the massive Indiana operation that produces juice for dozens of labels across the country. But sourcing doesn't mean hands-off. The work of master blender Alan Kennedy is what separates what ends up in a Redemption bottle from the raw material coming off the still.
Image credit: Redemption Whiskey
Kennedy's background is unusual for the whiskey world. He came up through pastry kitchens, earned certification as a sommelier, and spent years being mentored by established figures in the spirits industry. That combination — a palate trained on desserts, wine, and eventually whiskey — shows up in how Redemption's expressions are constructed. There's a layered quality to them, a kind of structural balance that reflects someone who understands flavor not just from a spirits perspective but from a culinary one.
The results have spoken for themselves. Last year, the Redemption 18-Year-Old Bourbon was named Best Overall Whiskey at the 2025 Rolling Stone Spirit Awards and picked up recognition at the 2025 Esquire Spirit Awards as well. It took Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and won 18 Year Bourbon of the Year at the New York International Spirits Competition. Meanwhile, the Cognac Cask Finish Bourbon took Best Non-Kentucky Finished Bourbon at the 2026 World Whiskies Awards. That's a serious run of hardware for a brand that some drinkers might still think of as a budget sourced play.
Redemption has been part of the Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits portfolio for more than a decade. Deutsch — the same company behind Josh Cellars, Bib & Tucker Bourbon, and a handful of other recognizable names — has been in the business of building brands since 1981, and Redemption has clearly become one of their more serious bets in the spirits space.
The Lawsuit Nobody Expected to Matter This Much
Here's where the story gets interesting. The new bottle design wasn't just a creative decision. It was, in a meaningful way, forced on the brand — and the way Redemption handled it says a lot.
Image credit: Redemption Whiskey
Back in 2017, Bulleit Bourbon — owned by spirits giant Diageo — sued Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits, arguing that Redemption's bottles were too similar to Bulleit's own packaging. Both brands had leaned into that frontier-era, saloon-style aesthetic that's become common in the American whiskey space. In 2022, a jury sided with Bulleit. A judge barred Deutsch from continuing to use the old bottle design. The company appealed, and in 2024 the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ruling in Diageo's favor.
That's a tough situation. Losing your bottle design — something that drinkers associate with your brand on a shelf — isn't a small setback. But Redemption's response was to treat it as an opportunity rather than a defeat.
"Setbacks aren't the end of the story," said Mike Dee, president of Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits. "They're often the beginning of something stronger. The team embraced the moment as an opportunity to elevate both the package and the bourbon, which we believe will propel distribution and volume to new heights. The overwhelmingly positive reaction from our distributor partners thus far validates Redemption's new stature and brand proposition in both on and off-premise environments."
Whether that's spin or genuine conviction, the results of that pivot are hard to argue with.
What the New Bottle Actually Looks Like
The new packaging centers on an eagle caught mid-flight, its wings spread wide, formed from rye and embossed directly into the bottle. It's a deliberate symbol — the brand's way of communicating ambition, resilience, and forward momentum without spelling it out in words. The bottle also features a wood stopper and a refined label that reads as more premium than what came before.
Image credit: Redemption Whiskey
The whole redesign is anchored in what Redemption is calling its new brand philosophy: Choose Redemption. Rise Above. It's a phrase that works on a couple of levels. On the surface it's motivational, the kind of tagline that sounds good in a TV spot. But in context, knowing the legal battle the brand just came through, it reads as a direct acknowledgment of what happened and a statement about how they're choosing to respond.
For drinkers who've been with the brand for a while, the new look will require an adjustment on the shelf. But for anyone coming to Redemption fresh, the bottle now presents a cleaner, more distinctive identity that stands apart from the sea of old-west-adjacent packaging that crowds the bourbon aisle.
The Core Lineup at a Glance
Redemption's refreshed portfolio keeps the same three pillars it's always had — straight rye, high-rye bourbon, and straight bourbon — now all presenting under the new design. The rye and high-rye expressions were already at 92 proof before the relaunch, so the main functional change for existing fans is the bourbon proof bump.
The whiskeys are available nationally in 750ml bottles with a suggested retail price starting at $29.99. For a 92-proof bourbon with genuine craft behind it and a recent track record of industry recognition, that's a number that puts Redemption squarely in the overachiever category for its price tier.
For drinkers who want to dig deeper into the portfolio, the older expressions — including the acclaimed 18-year-old bourbon that turned heads last year — are available through ReserveBar.
Why This Moment Feels Different
Redemption has always been a brand with real whiskey underneath it. MGP produces quality spirit, Kennedy knows what to do with it, and the pricing has generally kept the brand accessible even as the American whiskey market got more and more crowded with premium and ultra-premium options. But there's always been a ceiling on how seriously some corners of the whiskey world took it.
That ceiling looks a lot lower now. The award wins are real. The proof increase is meaningful. The new packaging gives the brand a visual presence that matches where the liquid quality actually sits. And the story behind the redesign — a lawsuit, a court loss, a strategic pivot — gives Redemption something that a lot of brands in this space are missing: a narrative with some friction in it.
The whiskey world is full of brands selling heritage and tradition. Fewer of them have a story about getting knocked down and rebuilding from it. That's not a small thing, and it's exactly the kind of detail that tends to stick with the kind of drinker who pays attention to what's in their glass and how it got there.
The Bottom Line
At $30, a bottle of Redemption's new 92-proof straight bourbon is one of the more honest purchases a drinker can make right now. It's sourced whiskey, yes, but it's sourced whiskey with real craft applied to it, blended by someone who's spent years learning how to coax the best out of what Indiana's MGP is putting out. The proof bump matters. The new look matters. And the awards backing it up aren't the kind of thing a brand can manufacture.
Redemption took a legal hit, rebuilt its identity, and came back stronger. The whiskey in the bottle reflects that. Sometimes the best thing a brand can do is get backed into a corner — because it turns out that's where they do their best work.
