Milam & Greene Whiskey announced the release of Wildlife Desert Marigold, a rare bourbon distilled and aged entirely at its Blanco, Texas distillery. 

The final release in the brand’s 2026 Wildlife Collection, this seven-year, eight-month-old whiskey is a departure from Milam & Greene’s signature approach of blending whiskeys distilled in Texas and Kentucky. Instead, Desert Marigold showcases the character of its own Texas pot-distilled bourbon, with just three selected barrels yielding 288 bottles.

Named for the golden wildflower native to western Texas, Desert Marigold celebrates the resilience of the state’s natural landscape. The flower thrives in rocky soil, extreme heat and drought, while providing nectar and pollen for pollinators. 

Like its namesake, this bourbon is shaped by the place it comes from. The release extends the Wildlife Collection’s celebration of Texas nature through an entirely Texas-born expression of “Texification”, Milam & Greene’s term for the way the state’s intense heat and dramatic shifts in temperature and humidity transform whiskey as it matures. Here, that influence is present from beginning to end. The whiskey was both distilled and aged in Texas, rather than blended with bourbon from another state.

Distilled from a mashbill of 70% corn, 22% malted rye and 8% malted barley, Desert Marigold draws from three barrels filled in December 2018 and January 2019. Each matured in Independent Stave barrels with medium toast and No. 3 char on the south side of Rickhouse No. 1. Nearly eight years of Texas Hill Country maturation, including an especially warm September before harvest, helped build its deep oak character and layered sweetness. The bourbon was harvested October 5, 2026, and bottled the following day at 124.2 proof (62.1% ABV).

“We created Desert Marigold to show what our Texas-distilled bourbon can become when we let the Hill Country climate shape it over time,” Rikk Munroe, Master Whiskey Maker at Milam & Greene, said in a news release. “We typically bring together whiskeys from different places to create our blends, but these three barrels gave us an opportunity to tell a distinctly Texas story. Like the flower, this bourbon has developed its character in demanding conditions.”

Only 288 bottles of Wildlife Desert Marigold were produced. The bourbon will be available online through the Milam & Greene website and Flaviar, as well as in person at the Milam & Greene Tasting Room in Blanco, Texas, for a suggested retail price of $149.99.

Read more: Milam & Greene Announces Live Oak Release

About Milam & Greene Whiskey

Milam & Greene crafts whiskeys transformed by the extremes of Texas Hill Country weather, where scorching summers and limestone-filtered water create spirits that could only come from this place. The portfolio includes whiskeys distilled and matured on site, as well as carefully sourced barrels finished under the Texas sun in a process known as “Texification.” For more information, please visit milamandgreenewhiskey.com.