Koopers Whiskey Unveils The Prodigal Son Bourbon
Most blended bourbons start from one recipe. The Prodigal Son from Koopers Whiskey starts from four. The Texas brand has blended four Kentucky Straight Bourbons, each with its own mashbill, into a small-batch, four-grain, sour mash bourbon timed for Bourbon Heritage Month in September.
The name comes from the biblical story of a son who returns home to a celebration, and Koopers is leaning into the Texas idea of coming home.
Did You Know?
The blend uses four different mashbills, mixing corn with rye, wheat and malted barley, and it was distilled at three Kentucky distilleries: Green River, OZ Tyler and Lux Row.
The four component bourbons are aged 4, 4, 6 and 6 years, so the blend has two distinct age groups.
This is not the first Prodigal Son. An earlier 2020 Kooper Family release was 86 proof, aged 4 years and sold only at the distillery for $40.
The Release
The Prodigal Son is a blend of four Kentucky Straight Bourbons. "Straight" means the whiskey is aged in new charred oak and has no added color or flavoring. The blend is also a sour mash, meaning some leftover liquid from a previous distillation is used to start the next fermentation, a common way to keep results consistent.
Here are the four mashbills:
78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley
70% corn, 21% wheat, 9% malted barley
78% corn, 13% rye, 9% malted barley
70% corn, 21% rye, 9% malted barley
Putting a wheated mashbill (wheat instead of rye as the second grain) alongside three rye-based ones is what makes this blend a four-grain whiskey rather than a standard bourbon blend.
It is bottled at 94.4 proof (47.2% ABV). According to Koopers, the nose offers vanilla frosting, cinnamon bun, dark brown sugar and light citrus. The palate brings honey, coffee cake, baking spice, sweet oak, banana and orange. The finish moves through leather, burnt toffee, caramel, licorice and banana cream, with slight dryness. Koopers has also given the bourbon a redesigned label.
The Story of Koopers Whiskey
Koopers Whiskey is a family-owned Texas brand founded by Troy Kooper and Michelle Kooper. It makes what it calls boutique Texas Bourbons and Ryes, with a focus on maturation, blending and finishing. The brand says it works in old-world blending traditions, letting the whiskey itself take center stage.
The Prodigal Son shows that approach. The whiskey is distilled in Kentucky, and Koopers' craft is in choosing and combining the components. The brand's tasting room is in Ledbetter, Texas, at 100 West U.S. 290.
Why It Stands Out
Many bourbon blends use one or two mashbills. Four recipes from three distilleries, with a mix of rye and wheat, gives the blenders a wide palette to work with. At $61 and 94.4 proof, it is positioned as a gift or celebration bottle rather than a limited-production trophy.
The Details
Style: Four-grain, sour mash bourbon whiskey, a blend of four Kentucky Straight Bourbons
Age: 4, 4, 6 and 6 years
ABV/Proof: 94.4 proof (47.2% ABV)
Mash Bill: 78/10/12 corn, rye, malted barley; 70/21/9 corn, wheat, malted barley; 78/13/9 corn, rye, malted barley; 70/21/9 corn, rye, malted barley
Distilleries: Green River, OZ Tyler, Lux Row (Kentucky)
Price (SRP): $61 per 750ml bottle
Availability: Online, at the Koopers Whiskey tasting room in Ledbetter, TX, and at select retailers
Release Date: September 2026, for Bourbon Heritage Month
Tonights Poison Take
The Prodigal Son is an easy bourbon to talk about, with a clear story, a transparent spec sheet and a sensible proof. Collectors who like seeing exactly what went into a blend will appreciate the full list of mashbills and ages. It is a good pick for anyone who wants a Texas-branded bourbon with Kentucky distillate and some blending thought behind it.
Bar Talk: This Texas bourbon blends four Kentucky mashbills, including a wheated one, which is why they call it four-grain.
Send this to the friend who loves a good bourbon story and is always looking for a bottle to gift.
Please enjoy responsibly.
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