This Widow Jane Whiskey Is Finished In Tequila Ocho Casks
A new twist on the distillery’s flagship 10-year whiskey.
There’s plenty to track in the journey from barrel to bar cart in the way of whiskey, and Red Hook, Brooklyn producer Widow Jane’s new cask finished bourbon journeys south of the border via finishing in Tequila Ocho barrels.
The innovative partnership marks the first time that the lauded and award-winning Tequila Ocho is allowing barrels to be used for whiskey production, particularly barrels used for its (exceptional) aged expressions. Through bright agave notes, a new level is unlocked for Widow Jane’s foundational 10-year bourbon, said Widow Jane Head Distiller Sienna Jemerov. “With our Ocho Cask Finish, we treated the agave character as a prism; not to mask our 10-year whiskey, but to refract it,” she said. “The result is a vivid freshness and brightness that still feels unmistakably Widow Jane.”
The distillery is no stranger to experimentation, be it the 20-year blend of Widow Jane Black Opal (released in 2024) or some of the best double-barrel whiskey of 2025, and the Heaven Hill-owned distillery has also innovated with aging in the likes of Mythological Greek oak.
The new releases (bottled at an agreeable 45.5 percent ABV) rekindles the flame of collaboration between the two producers, Widow Jane notes, harkening back to the 2022 debut of Tequila Ocho Reposado Barrel Select Widow Jane. That particular, remarkable tequila rested for eight weeks and eight days in used bourbon barrels from Widow Jane’s Conover Street rick house, a setting as idyllic and yet rugged as any in the whiskey world. In doing what it calls “returning the favor,” those “well-seasoned barrels” work to deliver “elegant agave notes to the bourbon while allowing Widow Jane’s signature intensity to be fully celebrated in a new, yet familiar way,” Widow Jane sagely notes.
With pleasing agave brightness and distinct notes ranging from ripe citrus sweetness to deep, lush tobacco and even a touch of mesquite, this complex whiskey takes twists and turns that should prove familiar to both bourbon drinkers and tequila enthusiasts, especially fans of Tequila Ocho.
“The Ocho casks express the terroir of Arandas, with notes of roasted agave and mineral-rich earth that elevate the 10-year caramel into a rich, sticky dulce de leche,” Jemerov, the Widow Jane distiller, said, adding that “almond notes deepen into buttery pecan, while hints of nutmeg rise into herbaceous florals of tea and marigold,” while the distiller also spoke to the idea that the new cask-finished release marks “a new realm of flavor, where some notes feel entirely unexpected and others feel instantly familiar.” To add this luxe twist on a Brooklyn whiskey staple to your bar cart, score the Widow Jane Tequila Ocho Cask Finish Bourbon for an MSRP of $74.99.