The bourbon world has a funny way of defying expectations. For years, the conversation around top-shelf American whiskey has centered on the usual suspects — Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee. But a relatively small operation tucked away in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, has been quietly building a reputation that now rivals some of the biggest names in the game. A. Smith Bowman, the sister distillery to the legendary Buffalo Trace, is back with the fifth batch of its limited-edition cask-strength bourbon, and getting a bottle is going to require a combination of luck, timing, and a willingness to make the drive.
A. Smith Bowman operates under the Sazerac umbrella, the same parent company that owns Buffalo Trace. The connection between the two distilleries runs deeper than just corporate ownership, though. While A. Smith Bowman does distill onsite at its Virginia facility, some of the whiskey produced there actually begins its life at Buffalo Trace or another Sazerac distillery before being shipped east to Virginia for additional distillation and aging. For this particular release, Batch #5, the whiskey was initially distilled at an unnamed distillery before undergoing two more rounds of distillation at A. Smith Bowman. That extra distillation plays a real role in how these barrels end up at such sky-high proofs.
And speaking of proof, that has become one of the defining characteristics of this annual release. Virginia's climate — those brutally hot, humid summers paired with relatively mild winters — creates aging conditions that differ significantly from what you find in Kentucky. Master distiller Brian Prewitt has explained in the past that this climate means more water evaporates as part of the angel's share than alcohol does, which concentrates the proof over time rather than mellowing it out. The result is barrels that come out absolutely loaded.
A look at the proof numbers across the five batches tells the story. Batch 2 hit 144.5 proof, which actually crossed into what the FAA considers hazmat territory — anything above 140 proof is deemed unsafe to bring aboard an aircraft. Batch 3 came in at 135.1 proof. Batch 4 landed at 139.7. This year's Batch #5 checks in at 137.6 proof, which puts it somewhere in the middle of the pack for this series but still well north of what most bourbon drinkers encounter on a daily basis. Like every previous batch, it was aged for a minimum of ten years and bottled uncut and without chill filtration. What comes out of the barrel is what goes into the bottle, no adjustments, no water added, nothing stripped away.
The accolades backing up the series are hard to ignore. Last year, A. Smith Bowman Cask Strength Bourbon Batch #4 took home the Top Bourbon award at the 2025 International Whisky Competition in Louisville, Kentucky. That is not some obscure regional contest — winning top honors at a major competition in bourbon's own backyard speaks volumes about what this Virginia distillery is putting out.
David Bock, the distiller at A. Smith Bowman, seems well aware of the expectations surrounding each new release. "Each edition of Cask Strength refined our understanding of what bourbon lovers expect from this release — high-proof intensity paired with remarkable drinkability," Bock said in a statement. "Achieving this requires patience and precision in selecting barrels that deliver the perfect balance. We are confident Cask Strength #5 carries forward this reputation with unmatched flavor."
That balance between intensity and drinkability is what separates a great high-proof bourbon from one that just burns. At nearly 138 proof, Batch #5 is not going to be a casual sipper for most people, but if past batches are any indication, there should be enough depth and complexity to reward those who take their time with it. The official tasting notes from the distillery describe aromas of candied apples with a touch of smoke on the nose, followed by flavors of ripe plums, cherries, and sweet florals across the palate. The finish is described as warm and lingering, which at this proof almost certainly carries a good deal of heat alongside those sweeter notes. Based on the track record of previous releases, drinkers might also expect layers of baking spice, some leather and tobacco tannins, and baked fruit character running throughout.
Now, the part that matters most to anyone actually hoping to get their hands on a bottle — the lottery. A. Smith Bowman has used an online lottery system for its limited releases, and Batch #5 follows the same playbook. The entry window opens on February 16 at 12 p.m. EST and closes on February 23 at 12 p.m. EST. Anyone can enter regardless of where they live, which is the easy part. The hard part comes after.
Winners will be randomly selected and notified by February 25. Those lucky enough to be chosen will have until March 15 to actually purchase their bottle at a suggested retail price of $99.99 plus applicable taxes and fees. Here is the catch that might be a dealbreaker for some folks: the bottle has to be picked up in person at the distillery's gift shop in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. There is no shipping option. There is no holding it indefinitely. If someone living in, say, Texas or California wins the lottery, they are looking at booking a trip to central Virginia to claim their prize. There is also a limit of one bottle per person.
For those who do not win the lottery or cannot make the trip to Virginia, there is a secondary avenue. A limited number of bottles from Batch #5 will be distributed through Sazerac's distribution network and will show up at select bars and retail locations around the country. The company has not said exactly how many bottles will make it to shelves outside of Virginia, but historically this has been a heavily allocated release. Finding one in the wild without the lottery is going to take some serious legwork, good relationships with local retailers, or plain dumb luck.
The rise of A. Smith Bowman from a relatively under-the-radar regional distillery to one of the most talked-about bourbon producers in the country is one of the more interesting stories in American whiskey right now. It does not have the sprawling campus or the decades of marketing mythology that places like Buffalo Trace enjoy. What it does have is a climate that produces barrels with enormous character, a team that knows how to pick the right ones, and an annual release that has bourbon hunters marking their calendars months in advance.
Whether Batch #5 lives up to the standard set by its predecessors remains to be seen — most reviewers have not had a chance to taste it yet. But given the trajectory of this series and the award-winning pedigree of Batch #4, expectations are running high. For anyone who takes their bourbon seriously, the lottery entry window represents one of the better opportunities of the year. The odds may not be great, but at a hundred bucks for a ten-year-old cask-strength bourbon with this kind of track record, the gamble is worth taking.
