Burnt brown butter | Brown sugar | Oak | Cigar box | Cinnamon syrup | Faint shoefly pie

Charred oak | Rye spice | Glazed dinner rolls | Peppercorn spice mix | Tobacco leaf | Burnt caramel

Rye spice | Cinnamon spice | Dash of caramel | Black peppercorn spice | Charred oak | Lingering prickly spice

The Lost Lantern Far-Flung series has always been a bold, ambitious experiment for Lost Lantern. Blending bourbons from different distilleries isn’t new, but making a point to name names and shine a spotlight on the curation process continues to be unique, and Lost Lantern is leading this movement. The difference between what Barrell Bourbon does and what Lost Lantern (and a few others) are doing is purposely vetting distilleries that are known for their own distillate, who usually don’t sell their distillate to others for blending, with full disclosure of their inclusion in the final blend, and making a big deal about blending these unlikely bourbons together.

Each year, the company has increased the number of distilleries in the blend, with the original Far-Flung Bourbon blending four distilleries, and Far-Flung II Bourbon blending five. For the 2025 edition, Far-Flung Bourbon III ups the ante by bringing six distilleries together. These range in age from 4 years old (Rock Town and Still Austin) up to 8 years old (Smooth Ambler). While five of the distilleries are still producing bourbon, like Far-Flung II, Far-Flung III utilizes Rich Grain Distilling, which shut its doors in 2020 and is now considered a ghost distillery.

The sip provides a plethora of flavors, but spice is the most obvious throughout. The nose offers a slightly gentler aroma than the rest of the sip, with sweet and dry scents mingling together. The midpoint is where the spice begins to ramp up, combining rye spice and a peppercorn spice mix that clashes with dry and a dash of sweet notes. The gloves come off completely in the finish, where spice roars to life and sits on the shoulders of dry oak, making its presence even more well-known.

Far Flung-Bourbon III can be summed up in one word: bold. From the beginning of the sip to the end, this bourbon isn’t afraid to lean into the flavors it presents. The combination of various craft distilleries that inject their various grain combinations and unique aging climates into the sip leaves an unmistakable mark, sometimes to a fault. Much like past Far Flung releases, this is big and loud, and not afraid to own it. For those looking for a sip that isn’t afraid to be in your face, this is it.

Lost Lantern Blend Series: Far-Flung Bourbon III is a 699 bottle release.