A 20-year-old bourbon gets an extra 13 months in some very special Mizunara oak

There are old bourbons, and then there are bourbons that make you stop and take a second look at the age statement.

Widow Jane’s new Black Opal 2026 falls into that second category.

The Brooklyn distillery is bringing back Black Opal for its second release, blending bourbons aged for a minimum of 20 years and then giving them another 13 months in casks made from old-growth Japanese Mizunara oak. Only 3,300 bottles are being released, so this is definitely one for the whiskey crowd that enjoys chasing something a little harder to find.

The bourbon began its life in Tennessee and Kentucky before eventually making its way to Widow Jane’s century-old rickhouse in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Head Distiller and Blender Sienna Jevremov tasted through more than 50 individual barrels before selecting the whiskey that would become Black Opal.

Once the barrels were chosen, the whiskey was blended by hand and then sent into the Mizunara casks for its extended finish.

And Mizunara is not your everyday barrel wood.

The oak, which grows naturally in Japan’s mountainous Hokkaido region, is known for being particularly porous and low in tannins. The trees are air-seasoned for a year before being turned into casks that receive a medium toast and light char. According to Widow Jane, the result brings some pretty distinctive flavors to the whiskey.

For the 2026 release, Jevremov says the extra time in Mizunara lets the wood settle more deeply into the whiskey, adding notes of sandalwood, incense and soft savory spice while still letting the mature fruit character of the bourbon shine through.

The tasting notes are certainly not shy.

On the nose, Widow Jane lists vanilla beans, orange-butter crepes, espresso, sea salt and lily. The palate moves into canelé, rock sugar candy, Manuka honey, white miso, azuki bean paste, frankincense and chocolate-covered orange.

The finish brings sugar-roasted root vegetables, cinnamon gelato, cocoa powder, coffee bean, blackstrap molasses and chocolate mint.

That’s a lot going on in one glass.

Black Opal also carries one of Widow Jane’s signatures, being proofed with limestone water from the legendary Rosendale Mines in upstate New York. The mineral-rich water is part of the brand’s identity and is said to give the whiskey a full, round mouthfeel and long finish.

The numbers are pretty serious, too. Black Opal 2026 is 20 years old, 99 proof (49.5% ABV), and carries a suggested retail price of $500 for a 750ml bottle. It is expected to arrive in select markets beginning in October.

Widow Jane recommends drinking it neat and giving it a little time in the glass. Considering the age, the Mizunara finish and the limited number of bottles, that sounds like a pretty good place to start.

Sometimes whiskey doesn’t need much help. Especially when it’s been waiting 20 years to get here