Widow Jane Distillery has a new chapter in the brand’s relationship with venerable tequila producer Tequila Ocho with the release of Widow Jane Tequila Ocho Cask Finish Bourbon. It will be available on back bars and in bottle shops beginning in May 2026.
The new product represents the first time Tequila Ocho has allowed barrels used to rest its aged expressions to be repurposed for whiskey production, and also a rekindling of the spirit of collaboration between these two craft brands.
The two producers, one tucked among the cobblestone streets of Red Hook, Brooklyn and the other amid the sprawling ranchos of rural Arandas, Jalisco, first linked up in 2022 with the introduction of Tequila Ocho Reposado Barrel Select Widow Jane, a limited edition tequila aged for eight weeks and eight days in used bourbon barrels from Widow Jane’s Conover Street rick house. The two brands linked up again in 2023 to release a Barrel Select Añejo.
This year, returning the favor, Ocho lends its well-seasoned barrels to Widow Jane, bringing elegant agave notes to the bourbon while allowing Widow Jane’s signature intensity to be fully celebrated in a new, yet familiar way.
The sipping experience begins on the nose with the sweetness of Ocho’s overripe agave, followed by aromas of marigold, black tea, dark tobacco, papaya, and lime zest. The front palate delivers decadent chocolate pecan pie, canela, dried mango, agave nectar and sun-kissed stone, with the tequila influence emerging and engulfing the back palate. The bourbon finishes with fresh green peppercorns, mesquite, roasted agave, coffee, and flan. Fruit and floral characteristics of overripe agave grown in the highlands of Jalisco are evident in each studied sip of this new bourbon.
Said Widow Jane Head Distiller Sienna Jevremov, “With our Ocho Cask Finish, we treated the agave character as a prism; not to mask our 10-year whiskey, but to refract it. The result is a vivid freshness and brightness that still feels unmistakably Widow Jane.”
She continued, “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. Almond notes deepen into buttery pecan, while hints of nutmeg rise into herbaceous florals of tea and marigold. I’m excited for whiskey drinkers to explore it: a new realm of flavor, where some notes feel entirely unexpected and others feel instantly familiar.”
“We are incredibly excited to take our collaboration with Widow Jane to the next level with the release of Widow Jane Tequila Ocho Cask Finish Bourbon,” said Tequila Ocho Global Brand Ambassador Jesse Estes. “This marks the first time a bourbon has been finished in Tequila Ocho barrels, and I believe the cooked agave, minerality, and citrus notes from Ocho will provide a distinctive brightness to beautifully complement the depth and character of Widow Jane. The result is a bourbon that invites whiskey drinkers to experience agave influence in a way they likely haven’t before. I see this release as an expression of what’s possible when categories intersect meaningfully, and when producers are willing to take creative risks in pursuit of something truly distinctive.”
Widow Jane Tequila Ocho Cask Finish Bourbon By The Numbers:
- Widow Jane’s flagship 10-Year Bourbon finished for 8 months in Tequila Ocho Casks
- 45.5% ABV/91 Proof
- MSRP: $74.99
- Total allocated volume: 1,000 9LC (2,000 phys cs)
As is the case with all Widow Jane whiskeys, Widow Jane Tequila Ocho Cask Finish Bourbon is non-chill filtered and is proofed with limestone-rich water sourced from the legendary Rosendale Mines of upstate New York.