Spirits producer Dancing Goat Distillery has announced the commercial launch of Stillman's Sonder, a new ultra-premium whiskey brand debuting with two 10-year-aged expressions: a Straight Bourbon Whiskey and an American Single Malt.
Distilled initially during exploratory production runs at MGP in Indiana between 2010 and 2016, the underlying stocks were acquired, curated, and refined over an 18-month blending phase led by second- and third-generation distillers Tom and Nick Maas.
The launch establishes a new high-tier product platform for the enterprise, targeting rising consumer demand for aged craft spirits, complex wood-finishing techniques, and authentic distilling heritage.
Heritage Stock Curation and Distillation
The development of the Stillman's Sonder line represents a multi-year barrel curation initiative stemming from test distillations conducted in Indiana over a decade ago.
Rather than liquidating unused experimental inventory, the Maas family consolidated selected lots—incorporating rare Andean oak-matured bourbon and American single malt stocks—to undergo secondary maturation, vatting, and multi-cask finishing in Wisconsin.
The lineage behind the brand traces back to Duane Maas, an industry stillman who contributed to production methods across major brands beginning in the 1950s, before consulting on the founding of Dancing Goat Distillery prior to his passing in 2016. His son, Tom Maas, and grandson, Nick Brady Maas, managed the selection and finishing process to bring the ten-year project to commercial readiness.
Nick Brady Maas, Contemporary Stillman and Blender for Stillman's Sonder, noted that the product platform honours the technical contributions of Midwest spirit makers while establishing a refined blending methodology across diverse wood finishes.
Product Lineup
The debut Stillman's Sonder collection enters distribution with two distinct 10-year-aged SKU variations:
🥃 Stillman's Sonder Straight Bourbon Whiskey: Aged in a combination of Andean and American oak barrels, featuring several double-oaked components and controlled oxidation prior to bottling at 94 proof (47 per cent ABV). The expression was awarded a Double Gold Medal with 98 points at the 2026 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
🌾 Stillman's Sonder American Single Malt Whiskey: Distilled in Indiana and aged in Wisconsin, the spirit underwent three distinct rounds of blending and re-barreling across virgin oak, ex-bourbon, Wisconsin brandy, Cognac, and Calvados casks before bottling at 96.4 proof (48.2 per cent ABV).
Packaging and Distribution
The brand identity incorporates mid-century modern label artwork depicting "Wiscy City" in Cambridge, Wisconsin, using contrasting colourways to distinguish the daytime aesthetic of the American Single Malt from the nighttime design of the Bourbon.
The Stillman's Sonder range has commenced commercial availability across direct-to-consumer e-commerce channels via the brand's website and select spirits retailers in the United States.
Both 10-year expressions are offered in 750ml bottles at a suggested retail price (SRP) of US$70 per unit, supported by a secondary allocation of limited single barrel selections for trade partners.
