The Maven Kentucky Straight Bourbon: 99 Points, $199

SHELBYVILLE, Ky. (September 2026) – The Maven Distillery has released its first flagship expression, The Maven Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, a 7+ year-old blend of six whiskeys that earned a Double Gold medal and 99 points at the 2026 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

The release is the result of a decade of work by Master Distiller Kevin Curtis, Master Blender Steve Hughes, and Associate Master Blender Ashley Moore. Through self-distillation, custom-specified sourcing, and selective barrel acquisition, the team built what it calls the most diverse privately owned bourbon library in America.

“With The Maven, we set out to move beyond the singular mindset that has defined the bourbon category for most of my career,” shares The Maven Master Blender Steve Hughes. “We built a library spanning different mashbills, whiskey styles, barrel types and oak profiles, giving us an entirely new palette to work from. That breadth lets us layer flavor to achieve a level of complexity that we previously had not explored. Blending became less an act of combination than an act of discovery.”

What Makes The Maven Different: Toasted Oak

The bourbon relies heavily on toasting, which develops deeper caramelized natural wood sugars than charring alone. The blend combines whiskeys aged their full term in toasted American oak with whiskeys matured in traditional charred barrels and finished in various toasted rare oak casks.

Hughes developed the proprietary toasting profile with the brand’s barrel supplier. The slower toast is paired with five oak types:

Traditional American oak
Kentucky Chinkapin oak
Pacific Northwest Garryana oak
French oak
Mizunara oak from Hokkaido, Japan

Tasting Notes

Color: Sunlit Mahogany
Aroma: Apricot jam, baked apple, and graham cracker, framed by toasted coconut and crème brûlée, with a hint of dark chocolate covered almond.
Palate: Rich and seamlessly layered, moving from dried stone fruit and caramelized vanilla into toasted almond, bittersweet chocolate, and warming gingerbread spice.
Finish: Dark chocolate and gingerbread linger, yielding gradually to toasted coconut, caramelized sugar, and toasted oak.

Price and Availability

Proof: 94 (47% ABV)
Age: 7+ years
SRP: $199
Where to buy: Select Kentucky retailers starting this month, followed by New York, California, and nationwide online retailers. The release is highly allocated.
Reserve a bottle: themavenwhiskey.com | Instagram: @themavenwhiskey

About The Maven Distillery:

IJW Whiskey Company has spent the past decade building The Maven Distillery through self-distillation, custom-specified sourcing, and selective barrel acquisition. The Maven Kentucky Straight Bourbon is the flagship result of that approach. Contact: info@themavenwhiskey.com. 21+. Please enjoy responsibly.