Star Trek Spirits Is Back With Mission Two of Its Ultra-Premium Captain's Table Whiskey Series — and This Time Nashville's Best Are at the Helm
When the first Captain's Table whiskey series sold out every last bottle, it sent a clear message: serious bourbon collectors and die-hard Star Trek fans were occupying the same bar stool, and they were thirsty for more. Now, Star Trek Spirits has answered that call with the launch of its second Captain's Table program — dubbed Mission Two — and the team behind it has gotten significantly more ambitious in both the whiskey itself and the people chosen to select it.
Where It All Started: The Origins of Star Trek Spirits
Star Trek Spirits is a collaboration between CBS Studios and Spirits & Wines That Rock, a business that helps create and market specialty alcohol products. The company's path to high-end whiskey wasn't a straight line — it was more of a slow burn through the wine aisle. For several years, the folks at Star Trek Wines were producing original and replica bottles for their final-frontier-inspired offerings before the company moved into hard alcohol with its first Star Trek Spirits product: the long-awaited Romulan Ale.
Since 2022, the popular science-fiction franchise has been releasing spirits inspired by some of the drinks and props featured throughout the films and shows. The lineup has grown considerably since then. The Starfleet Collection is a premium trio of spirits inspired by the United Federation of Planets, featuring Alpha Quadrant Reserve Bourbon, Earl Grey Gin, and Warp Core White Rum, each crafted to honor the values of unity, exploration, and excellence. The brand has also pushed further into the whiskey category with notable collaborations — most recently, a groundbreaking partnership with Stellum Spirits, a contemporary whiskey brand from Barrell Craft Spirits, the award-winning, preeminent independent whiskey blender in the U.S., born in Kentucky and crafted with a vision inspired by the stars.
But of everything in the Star Trek Spirits portfolio, nothing has generated quite the collector fever that the Captain's Table has. The concept is rooted directly in franchise lore. In the Star Trek universe, the Captain's Table is a fabled interdimensional tavern, accessible only to captains — existing beyond known space and time, defined not by permanence, but by moments: gatherings that matter precisely because they are finite. That mythology translated directly into the philosophy of the whiskey program: each release is a carefully crafted, small-batch expression designed to explore a distinct profile of grain, aging, and balance, with no two batches ever repeated.
Mission One: What Crispin Cain Built and Why It Sold Out
The original Captain's Table program set the bar high — perhaps intimidatingly so. The group headed into the realm of high-end whiskey products for this new highly-limited series with only 200 bottles produced in each of four planned releases. The Star Trek Spirits team unveiled their first Captain's Table bottle at August's Las Vegas convention during an invite-only tasting event, where signups for the expensive $347 first-batch bottles began — with a lottery system used to determine who received access to purchase the 200 bottles, a common practice for highly-sought whiskey and bourbon releases.
For the Captain's Table, Star Trek Spirits partnered with renowned Master Distiller Crispin Cain. Last year's Captain was Crispin Cain of Mendocino Spirits, and by all accounts, his "Mission 1" limited-release series of 8- to 13-year-old rye malt whiskey distilled in cognac stills and blended with high-proof bourbon was spectacular. The selection of cognac stills for rye production was a genuinely unconventional move — that kind of equipment imparts a particular softness and fruit-forward complexity that pot stills or column stills simply don't deliver in the same way. Cain threaded that needle across an entire 10-barrel program, each release slightly different in age and character, and the whiskey community paid attention.
The packaging reinforced the premium positioning at every turn. The Octagon — an elegant, jet-black collector's box designed specifically to house the Captain's Table bottle — features twin hinged doors that swing open to reveal the bottle. It is the epitome of elegant design and masterful craftsmanship, springing to life with a built-in light base that casts a glow on the bottle and makes it the centerpiece of any room or bar. The fine print on exclusivity was genuinely staggering: only 440 bottles of the final Batch #10 were released.
There was also a functional collectible element built directly into the bottle itself. In the same way the saucer of the USS Enterprise-D was detachable, the top of the Captain's Table topper contains a removable metal medallion — a collectible coin for all members of the Captain's Table that grants its owner exclusive benefits such as private tastings and virtual distillery events. For anyone who has followed the allocated bourbon market over the past decade, the parallels to programs like Buffalo Trace's Antique Collection lottery are obvious. The Captain's Table applied that same psychology of scarcity and access to an entirely new audience.
Mission Two Arrives: Nashville Barrel Company Takes the Helm
After successfully selling out all of their special Captain's Table whiskey offerings from the initial 2023 program, the team at Star Trek Spirits announced a second round of specialty whiskeys for interested spirit connoisseurs. But this isn't merely a continuation — it's an expansion in both ambition and geography.
The Captain's Table: Mission Two kicks off in September with a new limited-run collection of bottled bourbon whiskey in a collaboration with the Nashville Barrel Company, and will come in premium specialty bottles and lighted octagonal Star Trek-themed display cases for those who purchase.
The choice of Nashville Barrel Company as the Mission Two partner is a meaningful upgrade in credibility for whiskey purists who might have raised an eyebrow at a pop-culture spirits brand. NBC has built a genuine reputation in the independent barrel selection space. Guided by Mike Hinds and James Davenport of Nashville Barrel Company, Mission Two is built on access to exceptional casks and the disciplined selection standards behind one of the country's most respected independent whiskey programs.
The Star Trek Spirits Captain's Table now enters its next phase under the leadership of Co-Captains Mike Hinds and James Davenport, whose reputation for exceptional single-barrel selections will guide the series through an evolving portfolio of rare and expressive American whiskeys. The "Co-Captains" title isn't just clever franchise branding — it signals something real about how the selection process works. Both men are putting their names and professional reputations on every barrel that comes out of this program.
Mike Hinds and James Davenport: Who They Are and Why It Matters
When the company named NBC's Mike Hinds and James Davenport as "Co-Captains," serious whiskey followers took notice. Hinds, as CEO of Nashville Barrel Company, brought a direct statement to the collaboration. From the Captain's Chair, Mike Hinds said: "James and I are honored to be collaborating with the Star Trek franchise on this extraordinary project." As longtime fans, they noted it is a privilege to help guide the Captain's Table into its next phase — because for generations, Star Trek has stood as a symbol of exploration, unity, and shared purpose, building a global community where everyone has a seat at the table.
Beyond the franchise sentiment, Hinds and Davenport made clear that the whiskey substance comes first. Curating exceptional single barrels is at the core of what they do, and bringing that expertise to a project of this scale and significance makes this mission especially meaningful — they look forward to sharing these releases with collectors and serious whiskey enthusiasts alike.
The elevated retail prices mean Hinds and Davenport are going to pick out some really outstanding single barrels for the release. That's the unspoken contract of the premium allocated whiskey world: when you charge top dollar and attach serious names to a selection, those names are on the line with every cork pulled. Davenport and Hinds understand this as well as anyone in the Tennessee whiskey scene.
The Whiskey Itself: What's Actually in the Bottle
The bourbon at the center of Mission Two's opening salvo is straightforward in the best possible way — no gimmicks, no exotic finishing casks, just a well-aged single barrel selected for what's already in the wood. The first bottle release is described as a 10-year-old straight bourbon whiskey. In an era when some producers are rushing bourbons to market at four or five years and calling them aged, a decade in the barrel represents a genuine commitment to maturation.
The ten-year straight bourbon was matured in a Kelvin Cooperage American oak barrel and built on a classic mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% barley malt. That grain recipe is worth examining. A 21% rye content puts this squarely in the "high-rye" bourbon territory — not quite the 35% rye of something like Four Roses' OBSQ recipe, but well above the bare-minimum rye percentages that characterize lighter, sweeter wheated expressions. The higher rye content should provide backbone and spice without overwhelming the vanilla and caramel that a full decade in American oak typically develops.
Kelvin Cooperage is a name that experienced bourbon drinkers will recognize — the company has a long track record of producing quality cooperage for serious distillers, and their American oak barrels are known for consistent char and stave quality. Selecting a Kelvin barrel for a 10-year maturation is a deliberate signal about the expected flavor profile.
On the nose, rich vanilla, caramel, sweet cream, and dried orchard fruit lead into a subtle hint of rye spice. That aromatic profile — fruit and cream up front, spice on the back end — describes a bourbon that's spent enough time in the barrel to integrate its component flavors while retaining the definition that high-rye mash bills provide. It's not a bruiser, but it's not a simple pour either.
Guided by Mike Hinds and James Davenport of Nashville Barrel Company, Mission Two is built on access to exceptional casks and the disciplined selection standards behind one of the country's most respected independent whiskey programs. Every barrel is chosen for maturity, structure, balance, and distinctive character, delivering a limited release crafted for collectors, whiskey enthusiasts, and Star Trek fans ready to take their seat at the Captain's Table.
The Bigger Picture: What Else Is Coming
Following a celebrated inaugural 10-barrel release, the Star Trek Spirits Captain's Table now embarks on Mission Two — an expanded pursuit of rare, meticulously selected single barrels in partnership with Nashville Barrel Company. This next chapter broadens the series' reach while reinforcing its commitment to uncompromising quality, refined curation, and distinctive American whiskey.
The word "expanded" is doing real work in that description. Mission One topped out at 10 barrels across the full run. If Mission Two genuinely broadens the scope while maintaining the hand-selected, single-barrel approach that defined the original program, the collector math gets interesting quickly — more bottles available means more people can participate, but the scarcity premium that drove Mission One's sellout is partly a function of extreme rarity. Nashville Barrel Company's track record suggests they won't sacrifice cask quality for volume.
The selection criteria remain consistent with what made Mission One compelling: hand selected from premium casks, limited single barrel, chosen for exceptional flavor, balance, and character, with rare and highly allocated releases. Each of those characteristics maps directly onto what serious bourbon hunters look for in a secondary-market-worthy bottle.
How to Get Your Hands on a Bottle
Purchasing Mission Two bottles follows the same general framework that Mission One established, with one important geographic addition. Like the first Captain's Table whiskeys, this is not a simply place-an-order purchase; because of the limited number of bottles, a limited number of bottles will be available on-site at Nashville Barrel Company tasting rooms in Nashville, Tennessee and in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Louisville location is notable — placing physical inventory in Kentucky's bourbon capital puts the bottles directly in front of the most knowledgeable whiskey consumers in the country. Anyone making a bourbon trail pilgrimage now has a legitimate reason to stop at the NBC tasting room.
For everyone else, the chance to purchase bottles will be a lottery system — interested collectors should sign up for the Captain's Table mailing list at the Star Trek Spirits website, and they'll be notified if selected for a purchase opportunity. The lottery model is now deeply embedded in the premium American whiskey market, used by everyone from Heaven Hill for its Parker's Heritage releases to Buffalo Trace for Van Winkle allocations. Star Trek Spirits adopted it for Mission One and the results spoke for themselves — a complete sellout across all 10 batches.
The suggested retail price is $349.99 per bottle, and each bottle comes in a custom white octagonal collector's case, accompanied by an illuminated display base and a detachable magnetic medallion that grants access to exclusive tastings and private events. At that price point, this program is unambiguously positioned as an experience purchase rather than a casual pour. The illuminated case and medallion system aren't afterthoughts — they're central to the value proposition for collectors who may display the bottle as prominently as they drink it.
Sleek, sculptural, and unmistakably Star Trek, the vessel combines premium glasswork with the iconic delta in a striking display piece. The detachable magnetic token serves as a collectible mission artifact and unlocks access to select Captain's Table experiences. For the right buyer — someone who sits comfortably in the overlap between whiskey collector and Star Trek devotee — the total package is genuinely hard to fault.
The Broader Market Context: IP-Branded Whiskey That Actually Takes the Liquid Seriously
The celebrity and entertainment-branded spirits space is littered with disappointments. A famous name on a bottle has historically been a reliable signal to look the other direction when it comes to what's actually inside. The conventional wisdom is to view special whiskey releases that have a celebrity name tie-in with a grain of salt — whether it really makes the spirit better if a country music singer came up with the name, or if an actor picked the blend out of a box of five samples FedExed to his vacation home, the answer is probably not.
What separates the Captain's Table program from that category is the conscious decision to put credentialed whiskey professionals — not franchise talent — in charge of actual barrel selection. Crispin Cain's cognac still approach in Mission One wasn't a marketing stunt; it was a genuine production decision that produced a distinctive and memorable product. Bringing in Nashville Barrel Company for Mission Two follows the same logic: these are people who taste barrels for a living, whose professional reputations depend entirely on the quality of their selections.
Star Trek Spirits is a creative alliance between CBS and Wines That Rock, with the mission of bringing a unique and immersive experience for Star Trek fans and spirit enthusiasts through custom designed, limited edition releases. The dual-audience strategy — fans on one side, whiskey enthusiasts on the other — is only sustainable if the liquid can hold up to scrutiny from both camps. A 10-year high-rye bourbon selected by Nashville Barrel Company's leadership team can absolutely do that.
There's a historical parallel worth considering here. When Diageo launched its Game of Thrones whisky series in 2019 with Johnnie Walker and a collection of single malt Scotches, the initial reaction from Scotch enthusiasts was predictable skepticism. But several of those expressions — particularly the single malts paired with specific Houses — were genuinely excellent whiskeys that happened to carry franchise branding. The packaging drew collectors; the liquid kept them coming back. Star Trek Spirits appears to understand that same dynamic.
The Captain's Table Mythology and Why It Works as a Whiskey Concept
The Captain's Table is a limited, invitation-style whiskey series inspired by the legendary gathering place from Star Trek lore — an exclusive space reserved only for captains. That source material is genuinely well-suited to a premium whiskey program in ways that most franchise tie-ins simply are not. The Captain's Table in Star Trek canon is a place defined by rank, experience, and the weight of command — the people who gather there have earned their seat through demonstrated competence and leadership.
Translating that into a whiskey program built around expert selection, extreme scarcity, and membership access is conceptually coherent in a way that, say, putting a superhero on a vodka label simply isn't. Finite by design and guided by craftsmanship and patience, the Captain's Table represents a journey through rare and collectible spirits, where every bottle is a moment in time, meant to be experienced, not replicated. That's not just marketing copy — it's a description of how serious single-barrel whiskey programs actually work. No two barrels are identical. No two releases can be reproduced.
It is a new chapter for the Captain's Table — new barrels, new captains, a new vessel, and a new mission for those ready to take their seat. Mission Two launches in September, with the lottery sign-up available now at the Star Trek Spirits website. For collectors who missed Mission One's complete sellout, this is the second and perhaps final chance to get in early. For bourbon enthusiasts skeptical of franchise spirits, the Nashville Barrel Company pedigree provides a genuine reason to reconsider. And for the Star Trek faithful who already know what a seat at the Captain's Table means — well, they've probably already signed up.
