Town Branch Distillery’s Archive Series Volume 3 pushes Kentucky American Single Malt into historic territory with a 17-year-old, 100-proof, single-barrel Bottled-in-Bond release. Only 85 bottles are available.
Kentucky whiskey has a long history, but there’s still plenty of room for new chapters. Town Branch Distillery is making a pretty compelling case for one of them.
The Lexington distillery has announced the third installment of its Archive Series: a 17-year-old Bottled-in-Bond Kentucky Single Malt Whiskey. At 100 proof, non-chill filtered, and drawn from a single barrel, the release is being billed as the oldest age-stated American Single Malt Whiskey ever released, as well as the oldest Bottled-in-Bond American Single Malt.
That’s impressive enough on its own. What makes this release particularly interesting, though, is where the whiskey came from.
Town Branch began distilling in 2008, and the barrels selected for its Archive Series represent some of the earliest whiskey produced on the distillery’s Forsyth’s dual copper pot stills. This particular release comes from Barrel No. 227, filled July 15, 2009, and aged for 17 years in a former Kentucky bourbon barrel.
In other words, this isn’t simply an old whiskey. It’s a piece of Town Branch’s early distilling history that has been allowed to mature for nearly two decades.
Town Branch Archive Series Volume 3: The Details
Distillery: Town Branch Distillery
Location: Lexington, Kentucky
Release: Archive Series Volume 3
Age: 17 Years
Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley
Distillation: Double copper pot still
Barrel: Single barrel, former Kentucky bourbon barrel
Barrel Number: 227
Fill Date: July 15, 2009
Proof: 100 (50% ABV)
Filtration: Non-chill filtered
Bottles Released: 85
Suggested Retail Price: $399.99 (750ml)
Each bottle comes with a collector’s coin and display box. The whiskey was distilled and bottled by Town Branch Distillery in Lexington.
“,,,this isn’t simply an old whiskey. It’s a piece of Town Branch’s early distilling history that has been allowed to mature for nearly two decades.”
Three Volumes, Nearly Two Decades in the Making
Introduced in 2024, Town Branch’s Archive Series was created to showcase its oldest Kentucky single malt stocks through a collection of age-stated, single-barrel Bottled-in-Bond releases.
The series has followed a remarkable progression, with each volume offering a glimpse into the distillery’s earliest years.
Volume 1 — 15-Year Bottled-in-Bond (2024)
Barrel No. 222, filled July 2, 2009, produced just 108 bottles. The inaugural release established the series with a whiskey described as balancing American whiskey character with the refinement of single malt. Its tasting profile included dried fruit, green apple, honey, caramel, herbal tea, and spice.
Volume 2 — 16-Year Bottled-in-Bond (2025)
Barrel No. 223, filled July 15, 2009, yielded only 57 bottles. The second release moved the series forward with notes of marzipan, cinnamon, oatmeal, dried fruit, honey, buttercream, coconut, and black cherry.
Volume 3 — 17-Year Bottled-in-Bond (2026)
Barrel No. 227, also filled July 15, 2009, brings the series to its oldest release yet, with 85 bottles available. The profile moves toward green apple, ripe peach, grapefruit, butterscotch, roasted nuts, pear, honey, and subtle tobacco.
The progression is interesting beyond the age statements. Each barrel represents a different expression of the same early distilling program, with extended maturation in former bourbon barrels giving these Kentucky single malts time to develop their own identity.
What to Expect in the Glass
Town Branch describes Volume 3 as a light golden whiskey with a profile built around orchard fruit, citrus, honey, and mature oak.
Nose: Green apple, ripe peach, grapefruit citrus, and butterscotch.
Palate: Roasted nuts, crisp green apple, pear, honey, and subtle tobacco.
Finish: Sweet mature oak, citrus, spice, and subtle vanilla.
At 100 proof, this isn’t an attempt to overwhelm the drinker with high-octane intensity. The stated profile suggests a more measured, fruit-forward expression, with the oak and tobacco providing some depth behind the brighter notes.
I haven’t had the opportunity to taste this particular release, so I’ll reserve judgment on how those elements come together. But it’s certainly the sort of whiskey that has my attention.
Why This Matters
American Single Malt has spent years carving out its own identity in a whiskey landscape where bourbon and rye have traditionally commanded most of the attention. Kentucky, in particular, has a well-earned reputation as the home of bourbon, but that reputation can sometimes overshadow the state’s broader distilling capabilities.
Town Branch is helping make the case that Kentucky has something to contribute to American Single Malt, too.
A 17-year-old single malt is notable in any American whiskey market. A 17-year-old Kentucky single malt, distilled at the same distillery that’s releasing it, aged in former bourbon barrels, and bottled under the Bottled-in-Bond designation, is a much more specific piece of history.
The Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897 established standards that remain meaningful today: whiskey must be the product of one distilling season, from one distillery, aged in a federally bonded warehouse for at least four years, and bottled at 100 proof. Those requirements make this more than an age-stated luxury release. They connect a modern American Single Malt to one of the defining pieces of American whiskey history.
There’s also something worth appreciating about the patience behind these barrels. Town Branch began distilling in 2008, and these early stocks have been held, monitored, and selected over an extended period rather than rushed to market. That’s a meaningful investment in a category whose long-term potential is still being explored.
I’ve long felt Town Branch’s older American Single Malt deserves considerably more conversation than it gets. It’s a part of the distillery’s portfolio that I think more whiskey drinkers should be paying attention to, and releases like this give the rest of the industry a reason to take notice.
A Look Inside the Archive: Cask X Experience
Town Branch is also preparing to introduce a limited Archive Series Cask X Tour & Tasting Experience at the distillery before the end of 2026.
The experience will include a guided facility tour followed by a tasting featuring three single malt expressions:
- 7-Year Kentucky Single Malt
- Distillery-exclusive Single Barrel Reserve Single Malt
- A sample drawn directly from Cask X, which is more than 17 years old and still aging
Cask X is particularly intriguing. It brings together the earmarked Bottled-in-Bond Archive Series barrels from past, present, and future releases into a singular, evolving blend. The idea is to offer visitors a look at the depth of Town Branch’s single malt program and how these stocks continue to develop.
For anyone interested in American Single Malt, that sounds like an experience worth keeping an eye on.
Bourbon Bishop Bottom Line:
Seventeen years. One barrel. Eighty-five bottles. And a distillery with nearly two decades of its own single malt history sitting in the warehouse.
Town Branch’s Archive Series Volume 3 is an important release for Kentucky American Single Malt, but I think the bigger story is the program behind it. These barrels represent the early work of a distillery that has been quietly developing something special outside the usual bourbon conversation.
At $399.99, this is firmly in collectible territory, and 85 bottles means most whiskey drinkers won’t have an opportunity to own one. But its significance isn’t limited to the people who manage to secure a bottle. It’s another reminder that American Single Malt can reward the same patience, craftsmanship, and long-term thinking that whiskey enthusiasts have come to appreciate in bourbon.
I’m especially interested in seeing how this one drinks. I’ve thought Town Branch’s older single malts have been criminally overlooked, and a 17-year-old Bottled-in-Bond release from its earliest stocks is exactly the kind of whiskey that deserves a bigger audience.
Kentucky doesn’t have to stop at bourbon. Town Branch has been making that case for years, and Archive Series Volume 3 might be its most compelling argument yet.
About Town Branch Distillery
Town Branch Distillery is based in Lexington, Kentucky, and is part of Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co., the only brewery and distillery on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.
Notably the first new distillery to open in Lexington since Prohibition, Town Branch produces a range of spirits including bourbon, rye, malt whiskey, and specialty releases. The distillery operates with a unique grain-to-glass and barrel lifecycle approach, repurposing used barrels into both whiskey and barrel-aged beers, including the well-known Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale.
With global logistics support tied to its sister operations, including Pearse Lyons Distillery in Dublin, the brand is positioned to operate as both a craft producer and an international player.
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