13th Colony's Highest Proof Annual Rye Yet

The 2026 Cask Strength Southern Rye is here, marking the return of one of 13th Colony’s most sought-after annual releases, and this year they turned things up another notch. We were just down in Georgia tasting this last week, and you all are in for a treat! While most of our releases with 13th Colony have gone out as lottery, we are excited to announce the new 2026 Cask Strength Rye today as first come, first serve.

At 122.9 proof, this is the highest-proof annual Southern Rye release to date.Aged 5-6 years in the South Georgia climate and built from a 95% rye/5% malted barley mash bill, it delivers the full cask strength experience with plenty of intensity, but without losing the balance that makes this rye so easy to come back to.

The nose and palate open bold with clove and peppercorn before moving into toasted rye, caramel, vanilla, and honey. As it develops, the profile shifts noticeably from that first spicy hit into something richer and sweeter, giving you two very different sides of the whiskey in the same pour.

Mint-kissed vanilla, sweet oak, and warming clove open the nose. Buttery, with a touch of torched orange peel.

The palate continues with toasted rye grain and blackberry cobbler, lingering with freshly cracked black pepper and custard-filled Long Johns. It maintains this honey-dipped, vanilla-coated rye presence as the lead, long and softly syrupy.

The finish remains long, semi-dry, and rye-focused, while still keeping a candied fruit touch, moving from dried pineapple to strawberry preserves and dark chocolate-covered blueberries, all lingering with cinnamon.