The American whiskey market is crowded with non-distilling producers who buy whiskey and launch it underneath their very own labels. For some, sourced inventory is a short lived bridge whereas their very own distillate ages quietly within the background. Others haven’t any intention of ever firing up a nonetheless. Inside that latter group, the approaches fluctuate extensively. Just a few deal with mixing as a craft, shaping disparate barrels into one thing extra compelling than any single part. Others merely mix barrels, cross their fingers, and hope the consequence passes muster.
On the outer fringe of this ecosystem sits a smaller, extra idiosyncratic class: the unbiased bottler. Lengthy established in Scotch whisky and rum, unbiased bottling has solely gained actual momentum in American whiskey over the previous decade. Unbiased bottlers additionally work with sourced whiskey, but the expertise feels essentially totally different. There isn’t any formal rulebook defining what qualifies as an unbiased bottler, however the distinction is intuitive. You acknowledge it if you encounter it.
These bottlers are likely to associate with genuinely unbiased distillers, normally operations far faraway from the economic scale of Kentucky, Tennessee, or Indiana’s legacy giants. Though rules technically permit it, unbiased bottlers who embrace that id not often launch bourbon from producers like MGP, George Dickel, or Barton 1792. As an alternative, their focus typically lands on distilleries reminiscent of J. Henry & Sons, Watershed, or Kozuba & Sons. Conventional sourced whiskey is regularly wonderful, however it’s typically wrapped in deliberate ambiguity, with branding positioned nicely forward of provenance. Unbiased bottling flips that script. Transparency is central to the ethos, and the origin of the whiskey is supposed to be seen, not obscured.
There may be additionally a quiet competitors at play. Unbiased bottlers regularly cross paths on the identical small distilleries, but every is locked in an unstated race to find and launch the subsequent missed standout earlier than it enters wider public consciousness. When an unbiased bottler commits to whiskey from a little-known producer, it’s typically a powerful sign that the distillery deserves nearer consideration.
Two Souls Spirits entered this house in 2021, based by James Estrada and Chad Civetti as an American unbiased craft spirits bottler. In 2025, Estrada stepped away from the corporate, and Karen Gentry joined the operation. Two Souls focuses on single cask releases from standout unbiased distillers throughout america, all the time offered at cask energy. Past straight-from-the-barrel bottlings, the corporate sometimes employs secondary maturation, reusing distinctive barrels from earlier Two Souls releases so as to add one other stage of character.
Drinkhacker acquired bottles of two 2025 releases for overview: an 8-year-old Wisconsin Straight Bourbon referred to as “Highway’s Finish”, and a Double Barreled Straight Bourbon that includes Manifest Distilling, titled “Professional Bear Rasslin’.” Amongst those that have found it, Two Souls has earned a popularity for high quality. Even so, the model stays largely off the radar for a lot of whiskey fanatics.
The query now could be whether or not these new releases can push Two Souls past the realm of quiet admiration and into broader recognition. There is just one approach to discover out. Let’s pour a glass and see the place the highway leads.
Two Souls Wisconsin Straight Bourbon “Highway’s Finish” 8 Years Outdated Evaluation
Positioned in Dane, Wisconsin, J. Henry & Sons has made whiskey since 2009, although the Henry household farm itself dates again to 1946. Two Souls identifies this launch, Highway’s Finish, as Barrel No. JH2, whereas J. Henry & Sons information it as barrel #838. The bourbon is distilled from a mashbill of 60% heirloom purple corn, 14% winter wheat, 14 % rye, and 12% malted barley, with each grain grown on the Henry household farm.
Fermentation takes place in open-top tanks for 4-5 days at comparatively cool temperatures within the mid-20s Celsius. Distillation is dealt with on two pot stills made by Karl in Germany, a smaller nonetheless for the spirit run and a bigger nonetheless for the stripping run. The distillate leaves the nonetheless between 150 and 160 proof and enters the barrel at 118 to 120 proof.
Growing old occurred in a Coopers Choose barrel from Unbiased Stave Firm, that includes a medium toast and a #3 char. The barrel was constructed with staves seasoned outdoor for 18 months earlier than kiln-drying. It was crammed on April 13, 2017, and bottled on Might 5, 2025, leading to a complete maturation of 8 years, 5 months, and a pair of days.
The title Highway’s Finish carries private weight. It marks the ultimate barrel bought collectively by Chad Civetti and James Estrada earlier than Civetti’s departure from Two Souls Spirits.
The aroma leads with chocolate milk, sanded drywall mud, and brown paper grocery sacks. With time within the glass, notes of unsweetened chai tea, cola residue, and dry white cake combine grow to be obvious. Wisconsin’s local weather makes its presence recognized, as oak and spice present themselves with little emphasis on sweetness. Primarily based on aroma alone, the bourbon suggests an age nicely past its acknowledged years.
The palate begins with soy sauce residue and graham cracker crumbs. Halfway by way of, thawed frozen strawberries and Honey Smacks cereal enter the image. The feel leans dry, with tannins that stay pleasurable moderately than extreme. The closing moments introduce a short trace of contemporary mint, adopted by almond M&M’s. Because it fades, roasted candy potatoes and charred grill marks convey the expertise to a detailed.
This can be a bottle I love, although it carries extra oak affect than I usually hunt down. For drinkers who recognize a well-done oak-driven profile, this launch is prone to impress, particularly on condition that it clocks in at slightly below 8.5 years of age. The wooden affect is pronounced, but the tannins keep in steadiness with the encircling flavors. Contemplating each proof and worth, it stands out as an incredible worth. 121 proof. A- / $95
Two Souls Double Barreled Bourbon “Professional Bear Rasslin’” 5 Years Outdated Evaluation
This stands as probably the most uncommon and peculiar releases to floor from an American unbiased bottler in 2025, and arguably probably the most fascinating bottlings of the yr in any class. Professional Bear Rasslin’ is a joint effort between Two Souls Spirits and Manifest Distilling of Jacksonville, Florida. Two Souls notes that the barrel is tied to an “iconic” nationwide brewery, stopping wanting a direct disclosure, although the clues are something however refined. The designation Barrel No. PBR1, mixed with the initials spelled out by Professional Bear Rasslin’, makes the affiliation troublesome to overlook.
The label states that the bourbon was distilled by an unnamed distillery in Michigan. Whereas Pabst Blue Ribbon beer originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and is now brewed underneath contract at a number of services nationwide, Pabst Brewing partnered with New Holland Spirits in Holland, Michigan to launch Pabst Blue Ribbon Whiskey in 2019. Two Souls confirms that the mashbill right here consists of 52% corn, 27% malted barley, 17% wheat, and 4% rye, similar to the overtly disclosed mashbill used for Pabst Blue Ribbon Whiskey.
Pabst Blue Ribbon Whiskey is described as being “aged for 5 seconds” in used cooperage, leaving it clear and ineligible for the bourbon designation. Proof right here means that at the least a portion of that very same distillate discovered its means into new charred oak, particularly a barrel with a #4 char and a barrel entry proof of 120. The barrel was crammed at Manifest Distilling on January 15, 2020, then transferred to J. Henry & Sons in Dane, Wisconsin in February 2024 to proceed maturation. On Might 15, 2025, the bourbon was moved right into a secondary barrel that beforehand held Two Souls’ “Highway’s Finish” Wisconsin Straight Bourbon, with a barrel entry proof of 130. Barrel #20-0003 was bottled on September 26, 2025, after a complete maturation interval of 5 years, 8 months, and 11 days.
The aroma opens with brooding prune juice and a short be aware of tannic, burnt cardboard. That fleeting sharpness shortly offers approach to spiced banana bread and blackstrap molasses. On condition that the spirit spent roughly 5 years in new oak earlier than the secondary cask, the affect of the ending barrel is unquestioned, but totally helpful. The bouquet carries weight from begin to end.
The palate begins with espresso and a beneficiant pour of cherry cola. Because the sip progresses, calmly sweetened Kix cereal and gentle tobacco make an look. The mouthfeel is dense and hefty, aligning completely with the focus of taste on show. The closing sequence introduces cream soda and intense darkish chocolate, adopted by Luxardo cherry syrup and gingerbread as the ultimate phrase.
I approached this bottle with some hesitation, formed by prior impressions of Pabst Blue Ribbon Whiskey as a transparent, underdeveloped spirit. Any such reservations proved totally misplaced. That is excellent bourbon by any measure. The expertise leaves me hoping that extra of this distillate has discovered its means into new charred oak, as a result of the outcomes converse for themselves. I’ve tasted many wonderful bourbons on this age vary, but few ship this stage of focus and persona. Releases like this spotlight precisely why unbiased bottlers matter, and why their finest work will be actually distinctive. 130.4 proof. A / $80
Two Souls Double Barreled Bourbon “Professional Bear Rasslin'” 5 Years Outdated
USD80
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