Widow Jane 10 Year Old Bourbon Tequila Ocho Cask Finish 750ml

This bourbon exists because two distilleries under the same corporate roof spent four years building trust before either one would actually swap barrels. Widow Jane, the award-winning artisanal distillery in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and Tequila Ocho, the celebrated single-estate highland tequila from La Alteña distillery in Jalisco, are both owned by Heaven Hill — but shared ownership didn't make this collaboration automatic. It began in 2022, when Tequila Ocho aged a limited reposado in used bourbon barrels sourced from Widow Jane's own Conover Street rickhouse; a Barrel Select añejo followed the same route in 2023. Now, for the first time ever, Tequila Ocho has returned the favor and released casks from its own aged expressions specifically for whiskey maturation — a genuine first in the brand's history, and the foundation of this release.

Widow Jane's flagship 10-year bourbon, blended five barrels at a time, was proofed down from its usual 120-proof barrel entry strength to 115-117 and transferred into rehydrated Ocho casks for what became eight months of careful, deliberate finishing. Head Distiller Sienna Jevremov tracked the transformation closely: "at month two, it was two completely separate products. The tequila character was heady, high-alcohol, very distinct. Around month four, a trend had shifted but nothing had moved far enough to say anything meaningful. At six and seven, the flavors were finally coming together. The whiskey was being transformed." The decision to wait one more month, she says, was partly practical and partly superstitious. "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." Tequila Ocho's own Global Brand Ambassador, Jesse Estes, called it "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."

Breaking Bourbon's independent review found the result "surprisingly easy to drink and quite fun overall," noting that "the hefty amount of seasoned oak and brown sugar, along with tobacco, fudge, and coffee bean" from the 10-year bourbon base "absorbs the tequila's earthy, herbal, and mineral notes well" — concluding that "tasting blind, some will take note that there's something different going on, but tequila likely won't be their first or second guess." Joe's Daily was even more enthusiastic: "the first sip is classic Widow Jane: oak, caramel, a little dark fruit, that soft Rosendale Mines water rounding off the edges. Then the finish shows up on the back end. There's a brightness that wasn't in the standard 10, somewhere between citrus peel and dried stone fruit, with a roasted agave note that lingers without announcing itself... what I like is that you can taste the cask influence without losing the bourbon. The agave behaves more like a seasoning." Released nationally in May 2026 at a limited allocation of roughly 2,000 cases, non-chill filtered and proofed with the distillery's signature limestone-rich Rosendale Mines water, this is a genuinely rare cross-category collaboration built on real relationship, real patience, and — by most accounts — real success.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Widow Jane Distillery is an award-winning artisanal distillery in Red Hook, Brooklyn, known for sourcing aged bourbon from Kentucky and finishing it in-house, proofed with limestone-rich water drawn from the legendary Rosendale Mines of upstate New York. Tequila Ocho is a terroir-focused, single-estate highland tequila produced at La Alteña distillery in Arandas, Jalisco, by the Camarena family — both brands share corporate parentage under Heaven Hill.

This release builds on a multi-year collaboration between the two producers: in 2022, Tequila Ocho aged a limited reposado in used bourbon barrels sourced from Widow Jane's own Conover Street rickhouse, followed by an Ocho Barrel Select añejo in 2023. This bottling marks the reverse and represents the first time in Tequila Ocho's history that the brand has released casks from its own aged expressions specifically for whiskey maturation. Widow Jane's flagship 10-year bourbon — blended five barrels at a time — was proofed down from its standard 120-proof barrel entry strength to 115-117, then transferred into rehydrated Tequila Ocho casks under the direction of Head Distiller Sienna Jevremov. The whiskey rested in those casks for eight months of systematic sampling, with the team specifically noting the flavor profile's evolution over time before finalizing the eight-month finishing period. The finished bourbon is non-chill filtered and proofed with Rosendale Mines limestone water, bottled at 45.5% ABV / 91 proof. Released nationally beginning May 2026, with a limited allocation of approximately 2,000 physical cases.

Critics Reviews

No numerical critic score is confirmed for this product at this time — a very recent 2026 release.

Breaking Bourbon (extended independent review):
"Widow Jane Aged 10 Years Tequila Ocho Cask Finish showcases a successful integration of subtle agave, herbal, and mineral notes into its rich 10 year old bourbon base, resulting in an approachable and surprisingly cohesive tequila-finished bourbon. Thanks to its 10 year old base bourbon, there is a hefty amount of seasoned oak and brown sugar, along with tobacco, fudge, and coffee bean. This rich flavor profile absorbs the tequila's earthy, herbal, and mineral notes well. The result is a whiskey that is surprisingly easy to drink and quite fun overall. This isn't at all a complex whiskey, but it seems more interested in being approachable given its finishing barrel component. Tasting blind, some will take note that there's something different going on, but tequila likely won't be their first or second guess."

Joe's Daily (extended independent review):
"I went into this one ready to be unimpressed. Finished bourbon is a crowded category right now, and most tequila-cask experiments I've tried either taste like a bourbon wearing a costume or lean so hard on the agave you forget what you poured. After a few pours of Widow Jane's 10 Year Tequila Ocho Cask Finish, neat, at the end of the day, I keep going back to it. The agave is there. It just isn't trying to take over... The first sip is classic Widow Jane: oak, caramel, a little dark fruit, that soft Rosendale Mines water rounding off the edges. Then the finish shows up on the back end. There's a brightness that wasn't in the standard 10, somewhere between citrus peel and dried stone fruit, with a roasted agave note that lingers without announcing itself. The mouthfeel is silkier than I expect at 91 proof."

Sienna Jevremov, Head Distiller, Widow Jane:
"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."

Jesse Estes, Global Brand Ambassador, Tequila Ocho:
"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."

Bourbon Lens (official tasting notes):
"Nose: Overripe agave, marigold, black tea, tobacco, papaya, and lime zest. Palate: Chocolate pecan pie, canela, dried mango, agave nectar, and stone fruit notes. Finish: Green peppercorn, mesquite, roasted agave, coffee, and flan."

Tasting Profile

Nose
Overripe agave and marigold open, joined by black tea and tobacco. Papaya and lime zest add brightness, alongside butterscotch, toasted oak, and gentle herbaceous roasted agave. Caramel, vanilla, and toasted oak layer beneath, with a hint of light pepper.

Palate
Chocolate pecan pie and canela (cinnamon) carry the entry, joined by dried mango, agave nectar, and stone fruit. Rich seasoned oak, brown sugar, tobacco, fudge, and coffee bean reflect the mature 10-year bourbon base, absorbing the tequila's earthy, herbal, and mineral character throughout.

Finish
Green peppercorn, mesquite, and roasted agave close things out, joined by coffee and flan. A brightness between citrus peel and dried stone fruit lingers without ever announcing itself — the agave functioning, as one reviewer put it, "more like a seasoning" than a dominant flavor.

Quick Overview

Cocktail Suggestions

Neat — the recommended serve to fully appreciate the interplay between bourbon and agave character.

Old Fashioned
The layered complexity of this finished bourbon adds real dimension, with the agave character complementing Angostura bitters.

Boulevardier
The earthy, herbaceous undertones from the tequila cask finish pair naturally with Campari's bitterness and sweet vermouth.

Gold Rush
Honey syrup and fresh lemon accentuate the citrus zest and caramel notes already present in the whiskey.