BARDSTOWN, Ky. — Two limited-production, wine barrel-finished bourbons previously reserved for members of a Napa Valley wine club are getting a much wider audience this month — and Kentucky bourbon fans will be among the first to get access.
Phifer Pavitt Spirits is opening sales of its LATE NIGHT and RESERVE bourbons to the public for the first time during the 2026 Kentucky Bourbon Festival, set for Sept. 10-13 in Bardstown.
The two expressions combine well-aged American whiskey with Phifer Pavitt’s Napa Valley winemaking background, using Cabernet Sauvignon barrels for unusually long secondary finishes.
LATE NIGHT spends 13 months in Phifer Pavitt DATE NIGHT Cabernet Sauvignon barrels, while RESERVE receives a whopping 24-month finish in the winery’s RESERVE Cabernet barrels.
Both whiskeys are finished, blended and bottled in Kentucky through a collaboration with Whiskey House of Kentucky.
Until now, the releases have largely been the domain of Phifer Pavitt wine club members. Their appearance in Bardstown represents the first opportunity for general Kentucky Bourbon Festival attendees to purchase the bottles.
“Everything we do is rooted in our connection to the land — to our vineyards, to the barrels that hold our wine, and to the moments where people slow down to truly savor something,” Phifer Pavitt Spirits founder Suzanne Phifer Pavitt said. “Our DATE NIGHT dream has become a reality, and now we’re inviting a wider circle of bourbon lovers to be part of that story — whether this is their first pour or their fiftieth.”
LATE NIGHT: 11 years old, 107 proof
LATE NIGHT starts with 11-year-old straight bourbon whiskey before spending another 13 months finishing in Phifer Pavitt DATE NIGHT Cabernet Sauvignon barrels.
It is bottled at 107 proof and being released in limited quantities.
Phifer Pavitt describes the nose as bringing together Cabernet-influenced French oak with vanilla, dark caramel, spiced almonds, leather and cinnamon.
The palate moves toward richer fruit notes of raisin and fig before developing smoked caramel and almond brittle, followed by a long, warm finish.
The extended Cabernet finish is particularly notable. Wine barrel finishing has become increasingly common in American whiskey, but a 13-month secondary maturation gives the wine cask considerable time to influence the underlying bourbon.
LATE NIGHT has already received some attention from whiskey critics. Drinkhacker named the expression among its standout pours from the 2025 Kentucky Bourbon Festival.
RESERVE: 12-year bourbon gets a two-year Cabernet finish
RESERVE pushes the concept even further.
The whiskey begins as 12-year-old Tennessee straight bourbon before being transferred to Phifer Pavitt RESERVE Cabernet Sauvignon barrels for an additional 24 months.
It is bottled at cask strength at 115 proof.
The two-year finishing period makes RESERVE particularly interesting from a whiskey enthusiast’s perspective. Rather than using the wine barrel as a brief final touch, Phifer Pavitt gives the Cabernet casks enough time to become a significant component of the finished whiskey’s character.
The company describes aromas of dark fruit, dark chocolate and toasted oak. Vanilla bean, caramelized sugar, toasted almonds, charred maple, leather and cinnamon follow on the palate, developing into toffee and espresso before a long, warming finish.
At 115 proof, RESERVE also offers considerably more intensity than many wine-finished bourbons, which are frequently proofed down before bottling.
From Napa Cabernet to American bourbon
Phifer Pavitt’s whiskey program grew from the California producer’s experience making Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa Valley. Rather than treating its used wine barrels simply as an afterthought, the company has turned them into the foundation of its whiskey program.
An earlier Phifer Pavitt Cabernet-finished bourbon helped establish the concept, earning 93 points from Wine Enthusiast and 92 points from Whisky Advocate. It also received a Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Robb Report subsequently included the whiskey among its 50 Best Bourbons of the 21st Century, while Forbes featured it in a roundup of notable cask-finished whiskeys.
LATE NIGHT and RESERVE build on that idea while exploring what happens when older bourbon is given an extended maturation period in barrels that previously held premium Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
It also creates an interesting meeting of two distinctly American drinks: Kentucky and Tennessee bourbon traditions paired with Napa Valley Cabernet.
Kentucky Bourbon Festival debut
For bourbon drinkers attending this year’s Kentucky Bourbon Festival, both expressions will be available at the Whiskey House chalet throughout the Sept. 10-13 festival, while supplies last.
Tastings are scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, and Saturday, Sept. 12.
Bottles will also be available for purchase at the Whiskey House chalet throughout the festival weekend.
The Kentucky connection goes beyond the festival itself. Whiskey House of Kentucky, the Elizabethtown-based distilling operation built specifically for custom whiskey production, handles the finishing, blending and bottling of the Phifer Pavitt expressions.
Outside the festival, consumers can purchase the bourbons online through a Phifer Pavitt Spirits membership. A two-bottle package containing both LATE NIGHT and RESERVE is also being offered.
For Phifer Pavitt, opening the bottles to a larger group of bourbon drinkers represents an expansion of a spirits program born from the company’s wine business without abandoning the small-production approach behind it.
For bourbon fans, the more intriguing part may simply be the liquid: 11- and 12-year-old whiskeys subjected to 13- and 24-month Cabernet finishes aren’t everyday releases.
And beginning this month in Bardstown, bourbon drinkers will finally get a chance to judge the results for themselves.
For additional information about LATE NIGHT, RESERVE and Phifer Pavitt Spirits, visit phiferpavittspirits.com.
