Some distilleries take their time. Jackson Purchase Distillery is not one of them. Barely a year removed from putting its very first bottle on store shelves, the Hickman, Kentucky outfit is already back with two more bourbons, and each one tells a different story about what this young company is trying to build.
The distillery made its debut in September 2025 with Select Batch Bourbon, a hard-hitting 117.8 proof pour labeled "Batch No. 1." It didn't take long for word to spread. The bourbon picked up strong reviews at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival and caught the eye of writers across the whiskey world. By the time the 2026 ASCOT Awards rolled around, Jackson Purchase had two Double Platinum honors to show for it. That's a fast start for any distillery, let alone one still finding its footing.
A Bottle Made Just For The Locals
At first, Jackson Purchase bourbon could only be found on shelves inside Kentucky. That changed in early 2026, when demand pushed the company to start selling online to customers in other states. Good news for bourbon drinkers everywhere else, but it left a question hanging over the home crowd: what happens to the folks who supported the brand before anyone else even knew it existed?
That's where Jackson Purchase Kentucky Select Bourbon comes in. Master Distiller Craig Beam, a member of the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame, and Head Distiller Terry Ballard built this release specifically with Kentucky drinkers in mind, and it isn't going anywhere else.
"Our friends here in Kentucky cheered us on from the very start, so we wanted to make something special just for them," Beam said. "Terry and I carefully selected some barrels that really show off what's unique about our bourbon, and then we bottled it at just the right proof to highlight those flavors."
The bottle itself makes the Kentucky connection hard to miss. It's wrapped in blue and stamped with the Seal of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, along with a few touches that nod to the state's history. It's less a bourbon bottle and more a small piece of Kentucky pride sitting on the shelf.
Bottled at 108 proof, Kentucky Select clearly struck something personal in Beam when he sat down to taste it.
"It reminds me of when I was working with my grandfather and dad," Beam said. "The smell of the yeast always reminded me of banana pudding and that's exactly the memory that Kentucky Select brought back. I loved that smell!"
Beam also picked up notes of cinnamon, butterscotch, and a touch of maple syrup, finished off with what he described as "just the right amount of spice." Jackson Purchase Kentucky Select Bourbon carries a suggested retail price of $64.95.
Bottled In Bond, The Old Fashioned Way
The second release goes in a completely different direction. Instead of a limited, state-only bottle, Jackson Purchase Bottled in Bond Bourbon leans into a set of rules dating back to 1897, when the federal government first laid out standards to protect bourbon drinkers from watered-down or mislabeled whiskey.
Bottled in bond isn't a label a distillery can just slap on a bottle. It comes with strict requirements on top of the usual bourbon regulations. Every drop has to be distilled at a single distillery during one distilling season. It has to age at least four years in a federally bonded warehouse. And the only thing allowed to touch it before bottling is pure water, used to bring the proof down to exactly 100.
That standard lines up perfectly with how Jackson Purchase already operates. Every bourbon the company makes, no exceptions, is distilled entirely at its own facility in Hickman. Nothing gets sourced from another distillery and rebranded. For a bottled-in-bond release, that kind of full control isn't just a nice detail, it's a requirement.
"Bottled-in-bond is the ultimate test of a distiller's art as it demands the most consistency to produce a quality product, season after season," said Head Distiller Terry Ballard. "We accepted this challenge to demonstrate the traditional way we make bourbon at Jackson Purchase Distillery, day after day, year after year."
On the tasting side, Beam kept it simple. He described the Bottled in Bond release as having "a hint of spices, but simple, with just enough touch of oak." He added that it's "smooth and easy to drink," with a creamy texture on the back of the palate and a buttery finish. Jackson Purchase Bottled in Bond Bourbon is priced at $49.95.
Hitting Shelves Now, Expanding Later
Both new bourbons are just starting to land on retail shelves across Kentucky. The Bottled in Bond release is expected to eventually spread to a wider market and go up for sale online, following the same route the original Select Batch Bourbon took. Kentucky Select, though, is staying exclusive to the state it was made for.
Small Town, Big Operation
Jackson Purchase Distillery isn't some massive, long-established name, but don't let its age fool you. Founded in 2021 in Hickman, Kentucky, it has grown into one of the fastest-expanding distilleries in the state. Beyond its own bourbon, the company also runs a contract distilling business, selling new-fill barrels to craft brands, other distillers who need extra capacity, and buyers looking to purchase barrels for future third-party sales.
The public didn't get its first taste of Jackson Purchase's own bourbon until 2025, but the equipment behind the scenes has been built for serious volume. The distillery runs 36-inch and 24-inch copper column stills capable of producing up to 60,000 barrels a year, backed by an investment of more than $50 million in Fulton County. Master Distiller Craig Beam and Head Distiller Terry Ballard build every batch using locally sourced grains and calcium-rich well water, a combination they credit for the bourbon's character.
With two new expressions now on shelves and a growing list of awards behind them, Jackson Purchase Distillery looks like a name that's just getting started.
