Virginia’s oldest distillery is releasing the third and final bottling in an acclaimed trilogy of whiskeys. Getting your hands on a bottle will involve some luck in an online lottery (and very likely a road trip).
A. Smith Bowman has just announced the final installment in the Abraham Bowman Oak Series. Like its two predecessors, this Oak Series release features a blend of American whiskeys aged for 12 years in a specific variety of oak, in this case Hungarian oak. Abraham Bowman Oak Series: Hungarian Oak is bottled at 115 proof and carries a suggested retail price of $79.99 before state taxes and fees.
The Sazerac-owned distillery is relatively tiny compared to its sister facilities in Kentucky, including Buffalo Trace and Barton 1792. But Bowman’s popularity among whiskey fans is still pronounced, especially when it comes to rare releases like the Oak Series. While the company didn’t divulge a specific bottle count for Hungarian Oak, releases in this series are generally believed to number in the low-thousands.
Here’s the real kicker: In order to score a bottle, prospective buyers will need to enter via an online lottery on the distillery’s website, which runs from August 11th through August 18th. Winners are selected at random starting August 20th. Drinkers nationwide can enter, but lucky winners have to pick up their bottles in person at A. Smith Bowman’s Fredericksburg, Virginia gift shop within three weeks of winning. Lucky—and some astute travel planning—are key.
According to brand tasting notes, the Hungarian Oak bottling starts with an aroma of candied apricot. The palate opens into “unfolding layers of warm honey apples and a pronounced smokey dark chocolate.” The finish is lingering and big on dried fruit and barrel char.
“What surprises me about Hungarian Oak is the lack of pepper or spice, which we have come to expect from our barrels that are aging ten or more years,” says A. Smith Bowman Distillery Head Distiller David Bock, in a company press statement. “Hungarian Oak barrels seem to have replaced any spicy notes with a flavor profile that is rich and glossy.”
Bowman’s two prior Oak Series releases focused on French and American oak casks, respectively. French Oak launched in March 2024, and the distillery followed up with American Oak in November 2024. The Oak Series is a continuation of the distillery’s long-running Abraham Bowman Collection, which allows drinkers to taste the brand’s experiments across mash bills, maturation techniques, entry proofs, and cask finishes. Earlier versions include a wide variety of expressions, from whiskey aged in multi-use barrels to coffee finished bourbon. This Hungarian Oak bottling is the 25th overall expression in the Abraham Bowman Collection.
“The Abraham Bowman Oak Series was about challenging everything we thought we knew about aging whiskey,” says Bock. “This experiment started more than fourteen years ago with former Master Distiller Truman Cox. French Oak and American Oak dazzled us with impressive flavors and now, Hungarian Oak has delivered another delicious and unexpected whiskey. In many ways, all positive, Hungarian Oak is the opposite of what we expect from our extended aged whiskey.”