TTB Roundup: Four Roses Experiment No. 003 & Lost Lantern's First Virginia Cask

Three June 2026 COLA filings reveal a legacy distillery's Experimental Series adding its third chapter and the country's most meticulous independent bottler making its Virginia debut — all approved within 48 hours of each other.

Four Roses Experimental Series — Chestnut Cask Finish (Experiment No. 003)

The Experimental Series is moving fast. Four Roses filed Experiment No. 001 (Mizunara Cask Finish) and No. 002 (Honey Cask Finish) earlier in 2026, and TTB approval on June 2 reveals Experiment No. 003: Chestnut Cask Finish — a Kentucky Straight Bourbon finished in chestnut casks. The format is locked in as a series signature: 375 ml, 104 proof (52% ABV), bearing Master Distiller Brent Elliott's signature and filed as Whisky Specialties (consistent with the TTB's classification of any post-maturation cask treatment). Chestnut wood is a genuinely uncommon choice for American whiskey — it's a traditional finishing vessel in parts of France and Italy but rare stateside, and it tends to contribute earthier, more tannic structure alongside lighter fruit character compared to standard American oak. No official release announcement had surfaced at the time of filing, but with three labels approved in rapid succession and a consistent format already established, the full Experimental Series wave looks like it could arrive together. The series represents Four Roses' most explicit creative experiment since the brand's ownership transitions — from Kirin to the announced Gallo acquisition in February 2026 — and gives Brent Elliott a 375 ml canvas to push boundaries without disrupting the core lineup.

Lost Lantern — Reservoir Distillery Virginia Straight Bourbon (2026 Single Cask No. 3)

Lost Lantern's 2026 Single Cask No. 3 is a first for the Vermont bottler: their debut Virginia straight bourbon, sourced from Reservoir Distillery in Richmond's Scotts Addition neighborhood. Reservoir is a pioneer — one of the earliest craft bourbon producers outside Kentucky, operating for nearly two decades and built around a distinctive philosophy of 100% single-grain mash bills (separate 100% corn, 100% wheat, and 100% rye expressions that are then blended into finished products). This particular cask is pure grain and deliberately small-scale: 100% corn mash bill, aged 4 years in a 15-gallon barrel, and destined exclusively for Unwind Bottle Shop. Natural cask strength and non-chill-filtered are called out on the label — standard Lost Lantern practice — and the filing lists 60.0% ABV (120 proof), a round figure that should be treated as provisional. The 15-gallon barrel format is worth flagging: smaller cooperage dramatically accelerates wood-to-spirit contact, so a four-year-old from a 15-gallon oak vessel is meaningfully more wood-influenced than the age statement alone suggests. The back label's tasting notes (peanut shells, burnt caramel on the nose; candied apple, vanilla, and caramel on the palate) reflect exactly that profile. At single cask for a single retail account, this one won't be easy to find — but it's a meaningful milestone as Lost Lantern continues to systematically document American craft distilling, one cask at a time.

A chestnut experiment and a Virginia rarity: three filings, two very different stories about where American whiskey is heading in 2026.