Raspberry jam | Cherry cobbler | Floral | Chocolate | Aged leather

Cranberry | Red currant | Raspberry | Balsamic glaze | Soy sauce

Pomegranate molasses | Aged leather | Barrel char | Dry oak tannins | Touch of funky oak

Lost Lantern’s Spring 2026 Collection explores the difference between high proof and low proof whiskeys, showcasing both the intensity of cask strength whiskeys and the balance and approachability of lower proof ones. The collection includes the new Far-Flung Bourbon 100 Proof alongside a stronger cask strength version, plus eight single casks paired by proof from distilleries across the U.S - some of which have never been featured by Lost Lantern before.

Lost Lantern 2026 Single Cask #5 is part of the company’s High-Low Southern Bourbon Pairing. With a HAZMAT proof of 141.8, it acts as the higher proof bottle of the pairing, with the other, Lost Lantern 2026 Single Cask #6: Fiddler Soloist Georgia Bourbon, coming in at 129.9 proof. The company states that “These two Southern bourbons reflect intensity and heat in different ways.”

Dread River’s Dr. Jeff Dugas and John Cubelic began their company’s journey in the spring of 2017. Opening their distillery doors in 2019, the company’s bourbon production was initially delayed, having to solely focus on producing hand sanitizer thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the pandemic in the rearview, the company’s Batch 1 Bourbon was the first bourbon distilled in Birmingham, Alabama in over 100 years. Lost Lantern 2026 Single Cask #5 was aged 6 years and 4 months, making it some of the earliest bourbon the company produced and, as a result, one of the oldest they have ever released to the public.

Where previously released bourbons from Dread River Distilling were on the young side at 2 years old and were one-dimensional, this single barrel is anything but. Its aroma sports strong, forceful red fruit scents that burst from the glass. Floral notes follow, dominated by rose petals, then by chocolate and aged leather. The palate continues its focus on red fruit with semi-tart cranberry and lush red currant, ending on savory, unusual notes of balsamic glaze and soy sauce. The finish introduces pomegranate molasses to an impressive result and is nicely contrasted with aged leather, rich barrel char, dry oak tannins, and even a touch of funk.

It’s amazing what age and proof do to a whiskey. At over 6 years old, the bourbon is layered full of flavor, and combined with a HAZMAT proof, drives home those flavors with gusto. The deep red fruit notes work excellently together and play off of the woody notes of the bourbon well, though they may be too much for some. The barrel char is strong, and the dry oak tannins suck a lot of the sweetness out of the bourbon by the end, which then crescendos with a touch of funk. Lost Lantern 2026 Single Cask #5 isn’t necessarily a challenging pour, but one that will speak to a very specific group of bourbon drinkers.

Lost Lantern 2026 Single Cask #5 Dread River Distilling Co. Alabama Bourbon is a 158 bottle release.