Koopers Whiskey will release its Koopers 10-Year-Old Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in a Buffalo Trace Barrel on May 9, 2026, exclusively at its tasting room in Ledbetter, Texas. The extremely limited expression, comprising just 231 bottles priced at $50 per 375ml bottle, showcases a rare nine-year secondary maturation in a used seven-year-old Buffalo Trace bourbon barrel.
The whiskey was distilled in Illinois at Koval Distillery using a 100% rye mash bill before being brought to Texas for a full decade of aging. After an initial maturation period, it was transferred into the Buffalo Trace barrel, where it spent nine years developing under the influence of the intense Texas climate.
Extended secondary finishing of this duration remains uncommon in American whiskey, where most finishing periods last from a few months to just over one year.
“This whiskey tells our story better than anything we’ve released,” said Troy Kooper, master blender at Koopers Whiskey. “It starts with our roots at Koval Distillery in Chicago, where Michelle and I trained as distillers under Dr. Robert Birnecker. Koval gave us our start by allowing us access to unaged distillate while we were building our plans.”
“But along the way, we fell in love with the art of aging, blending, and maturation — and that ultimately came to define who we are,” Kooper added.
The expression is bottled at 100 proof (50% ABV). Significant evaporation during a decade of Texas aging prompted the decision to release the whiskey in 375ml bottles to maximize availability while preserving the integrity of the limited stock.
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Official tasting notes from the brand describe bold rye spice on the nose layered with baked rye bread, vanilla bean, orange peel, and oak. The palate delivers dark caramel, toffee, black pepper, cherry, and tobacco leaf. The finish is long and warming, with lingering notes of toasted coconut, dark chocolate, and pipe tobacco.
Koopers Whiskey is a family-owned Texas whiskey brand founded by Troy Kooper and Michelle Kooper. The couple trained at Koval Distillery in Chicago before establishing their own operation focused on maturation, blending, and finishing.
Sales begin at 11:00 a.m. on May 9 at the Koopers Whiskey tasting room in Ledbetter, Texas.
