Sazerac-owned Buckhorn Whiskey has unveiled Buckhorn Smoked Maple, a new 32.5% ABV whiskey blending the brand’s signature liquid with a smoked maple flavor. The American whiskey brand will mark the release with The Buckhorn Buck Hunt, a pair of hidden pop-up events in Chicago’s Bucktown and Atlanta’s Buckhead this November.
According to the official notes from the brand, the expression offers a “bold and sweet smoked maple flavor” with a “rich, warming flavor profile.” Sazerac timed the launch for fall drinking occasions and fireside gatherings.
Smoked Maple joins a flavored range that includes Black Cherry, Peach, Honey, Blackberry, and Pineapple whiskeys.
The flavored whiskeys and eight-can lemonade variety packs each have a suggested retail price of $18.99 (£14.25 / ₹1,750).
In June 2026, Sazerac moved the brand into ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails for the first time with Buckhorn Whiskey Lemonade. That canned line comes in Classic, Peach, Blackberry, and Honey, with each expression clocking in at 7% ABV.
“Good whiskey. Good company. A little adventure. That’s Buckhorn,” said Erica Bovard, senior brand director of American whiskeys at Sazerac.
The Buck Hunt mixes a scavenger hunt with a whiskey tasting. Guests who sign up receive clues that lead them to a secret venue in each city. Inside, the brand promises “rugged, backwoods-inspired scenery straight out of the great outdoors.”
Attendees can sample the full Buckhorn range, including Smoked Maple. The events also introduce the Buck Shot, which the brand calls its “signature group celebration moment.”
Bovard added: “With The Buck Hunt, we’re saying ‘Buck It’ to the usual night out and creating something worth tracking down. A little wilderness, our new Smoked Maple and a moment you have to hunt to find, there’s your next good story.”
The schedule put the first night in Bucktown on Friday, November 6, from 4pm to 8pm CT. Buckhead hosts the second night on Friday, November 13, from 4pm to 8pm ET.
Entry is free. However, guests must register in advance through the Buck Hunt registration page.
Sazerac pitches Buckhorn at drinkers who care “more about what’s in the bottle than the hype around it.”
