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15 STARS Launches First West Bourbon Collection with Three New Expressions

Award-winning bourbon maker 15 STARS has launched First West, a new collection featuring three Kentucky bourbons that blend traditional craftsmanship with modern innovation using proprietary heritage grains.
  • Beth Squires is the Deputy Editor of The Whiskey Wash and a graduate of the OurWhisky Foundation’s Atonia Programme. With over half a decade of industry experience, she is passionate about writing stories that highlight innovation, diversity, and sustainability across the global whisky landscape.
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15 STARS Launches First West Bourbon Collection with Three New Expressions
Credit: 15 STARS
Award-winning bourbon maker 15 STARS has unveiled First West, a new collection featuring three Kentucky bourbons. The lineup includes Small Batch, Toasted Oak, and Extra Aged 8-Year-Old expressions, marking the brand’s first use of its own distillate in a blend.

15 STARS First West Brings Heritage Grains to New Bourbon Line

The Small Batch and Toasted Oak releases combine 5, 6, and 7-year-old Kentucky bourbons with proprietary red, white, and blue heritage corn. These heritage grains add distinctive flavor profiles to each expression. The Small Batch carries a suggested retail price of $59.99, while the Toasted Oak is priced at $69.99.

Each expression undergoes the brand’s “Flavor Proofing” process, which optimizes taste at specific proof points. The Small Batch, bottled at 102 proof, offers notes of banana bread and caramelized apple on the nose. The Toasted Oak at 98 proof presents seasoned oak and nutmeg aromas that open to reveal caramel and peach notes.

“Our goal with 15 STARS First West was to create the same high-quality, award-winning whiskey at an approachable cost to our consumers,” said Ricky Johnson, co-founder of 15 STARS. “In place of double digit age statements seen with 15 STARS, we are able to bring extra flavors into the First West lineup with our heritage grains and continue to use our process of Flavor Proofing™ to create never before crafted blends.”

First West Collection Features Premium Extra Aged Expression

The Extra Aged expression blends 8 and 9-year-old Kentucky bourbons, retailing at $79.99 (£63.99) and bottled at 100 proof. This premium offering delivers orange peel citrus and cherry aromas, with a palate featuring cherry and seasoned oak followed by orange marmalade.

The bottle designs draw inspiration from the first bottles crafted in Kentucky for whiskey storage. This historical reference connects modern bourbon drinkers with the early pioneers of Kentucky distilling.

All three expressions suit both neat sipping and cocktail mixing. The collection launched today at select retailers across the United States and through the company’s website at 15STARS.com.

Beth Squires

Beth Squires is the Deputy Editor of The Whiskey Wash with over half a decade of industry experience. She possesses comprehensive knowledge of the global whisky landscape, spanning everything from heritage and production to complex market analysis. A graduate of the OurWhisky Foundation’s Atonia Programme, which champions women in whisky, Beth is a dedicated advocate for diversity and sustainability, focused on highlighting the innovation and storytelling that define the modern whisky industry.

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