“Kentucky” and “bourbon” are almost interchangeable words. You really can’t think of one without thinking of the other. Yes, even horses come in second to bourbon when it comes to the Bluegrass State. And while bourbon doesn’t need to be made in Kentucky, it is where the lion’s share is made and has been made for centuries.
That’s all a long way for me to say that it’s time to call out 100 great bourbons from Kentucky. Yes, there is enough bourbon from Kentucky that I can easily call out 100 delicious ones. Hell, this list could be 500 bottles long if you wanted to get into vintage bourbons and name entire brand lineups.
I’m sure you’ll agree that 100 entries is plenty so let me break down what’s below:
- Standard bourbons that you can get on any shelf that taste great.
- Widely available expensive bourbons that also taste great.
- Limited Editions, one-offs, and highly allocated bourbons that you might only taste once in your life…that taste great.
- A large swath of bourbon that was released in the last year and — you guessed it — tastes great.
There are no vintage bourbons below. And I did hold myself back from adding entire brand lineups (but there are still multiple entries from certain brands). E.H. Taylor, Jr.’s whole line could be on this list but that’d take up too much space and eliminate too many other great bourbons from Kentucky.
Lastly, there’s price-taggery. For the most part, I’ve called out the actual retail prices in the real world (and not the fantasy of MSRPs). Every one of these bourbons is something you can get — just click on those price links — but some of them come with a great cost. You’ve been warned.
Let’s dive in!
100. J.T.S. Brown Bottled In Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $16
The Whiskey:
This is a quality whiskey from Heaven Hill’s classic bourbon mash bill (78% corn, 12% malted barley, and 10% rye). That means this is the same base juice as Elijah Craig, Evan Williams, several Parker’s Heritages, and Henry McKenna. It’s a bottled-in-bond, meaning it’s from similar stocks to their iconic Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond and a few other whiskeys on this list.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Cream soda with a dash of cherry opens the nose next to dry leather patches, caramel sauce, and a light touch of floral honey.
Palate: The palate brings forward dry and woody spices with a hint of eggnog creaminess leading toward Graham Crackers and a sweet tobacco chew.
Finish: The end turns the woody spice into old oak with more vanilla, honey, and leather lingering the longest.
Bottom Line:
Is this bourbon going to taste better than the top 50 on this list? No. But this whiskey tastes better than a lot of whiskeys that cost $30-$60 out there. A lot better.
This bourbon is a testament to the old-school everyday bourbons of yesteryear that don’t cost much but pack a great punch of flavor.
99. Wild Turkey 101 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50.5%
Average Price: $19
The Whiskey:
Wild Turkey 101 starts with Turkey’s classic 75/13/12 (corn/rye/barley) mash bill. The hot juice then spends at least six years in the cask before it’s batched and just kissed with Kentucky limestone water before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is a cherry bomb on the nose with deep notes of burnt orange, buttery toffee, old oak staves, and cumin-heavy taco seasoning with a hint of old leather gloves and clove buds.
Palate: The palate has a vanilla pudding cup vibe next to butterscotch candies, nougat, and a twinge of menthol tobacco next to clove-studded oranges on the mid-palate.
Finish: The end of this is a classic cascade of bourbon notes: caramel, vanilla, cherry, winter spices, and light woodiness.
Bottom Line:
This is classic bourbon through and through — the spiced fruit and creamy base are tasty AF. Everyone should have a bottle of this for mixing and shooting.
98. Jefferson’s Reserve Very Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Very Small Batch
ABV: 45.1%
Average Price: $42
The Whiskey:
Jefferson’s hits it out of the park with their sourced whiskey. The “very old” element of this small-batched blend means that eight to 12 barrels of four unique bourbons were selected to be married, with the oldest clocking in at 20 years old. That whiskey is then proofed with soft Kentucky limestone water to bring it down to a very approachable 90.2 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Notes of vanilla meet spicy tobacco, leather, oak, and very buttery toffee with a hint of popped corn and apple pie mingle on the nose.
Palate: The palate holds to those notes while adding a mellow cherry with an almost cedar-infused cream soda.
Finish: The finish is short but full of all those woody, spicy, and apple pie notes again, with plenty of buttery mouthfeel and a cedar box full of rich tobacco leaves.
Bottom Line:
This is a great gateway bourbon. It’s well built but soft and approachable thanks to those low ABVs.
97. Maker’s Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $24
The Whisky:
This is Maker’s signature expression made with Red winter wheat and aged seasoned Ozark oak for six to seven years. This expression’s whiskey is then sourced from only 150 barrels (making this a “small batch”). Those barrels are then blended and proofed with Kentucky limestone water before bottling and dipping in their iconic red wax.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is full of those heavily charred oak barrel notes next to classic hints of caramel and vanilla with a grassy underbelly.
Palate: That grassiness becomes vaguely floral as slightly spiced caramel apples arrive, along with a chewy mouthfeel that leads towards a soft mineral vibe — kind of like wet granite.
Finish: The end holds onto the fruit and sweetness as the oak and dried grass stay in your senses.
Bottom Line:
This is another classic bourbon that adds a touch of floral grassiness that’s very much a vibe. It’s a great mixer to have on hand.
96. Jim Beam Double Oak Twice Barreled Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $19
The Whiskey:
Originally only released on the international market, the expression became so popular that customer demand led to it hitting U.S. shelves a couple of years ago. This is standard Jim Beam that’s aged for around four years that’s then re-barreled into new oak barrels for another shorter rest. Finally, those barrels are batched and proofed for bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a hint of dry firewood sitting in black soil on the nose that leads to more classic Beam notes of cherry vanilla cream soda, dry apple, buttery caramel sauce, and a hint of old oak staves.
Palate: There’s a sweet sense of creamed honey on cinnamon toast on the palate that leads to singed marshmallows and spiced-cherry tobacco leaves with a hint of cedar lurking behind it.
Finish: The end has a nice sense of woody vanilla pods and cherry bark next to dark chocolate laced with cinnamon and tobacco.
Bottom Line:
Jim Beam has the bandwidth to make a lot of cheap but very good bourbon. This expression adds a little touch of oaky spice to balance the cherry sweetness in all the right ways. Drink it however you like to drink your whiskey.
95. Fern Creek Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $55
The Whiskey:
This new bottler is sourcing some serious Kentucky bourbon barrels. This small batch is made from a mash of 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley. That whiskey is left to age for five years and 10 months before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Buttery berry crumble with a scoop of vanilla ice cream dominates the nose with a hint of cinnamon toast and freshly cracked black pepper.
Palate: That creamy vanilla dries the palate toward spiced oak with cinnamon bark, clove, and allspice next to woody berries and a hint of tobacco warmth.
Finish: That spiced oak drives the finish with a hint of blackberry and vanilla tobacco packed into an old cedar box.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those bottles that you’ll see in the Ohio Valley mostly. If you are in Kentucky, give it a shot as a mixer or easy on-the-rocks sipper. It’s a solid after-dinner pour with a slice of pie with a big ol’ scoop of ice cream.
94. Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $19
The Whiskey:
This is Evan William’s small-batch bourbon reissue. The expression is a marriage of 200 barrels of Heaven Hill’s classic bourbon (78% corn, 12% malted barley, and 10% rye). That whiskey is batched and then proofed down to 90 proof (instead of the old 86 proof) and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This has a very distinct nose that ventures from vanilla-soaked leather to a very clear sense of allspice berries and ground clove with a hint of cornbread batter and soft oak.
Palate: There’s a light sense of caramel apples on the palate leading toward Johnnycakes covered in butter and honey with a light nutmeg lurking in the background.
Finish: The finish arrives with a hint of dry reeds that end up on a vanilla cream with brown spices.
Bottom Line:
Heaven Hill is another distillery that can churn out great and inexpensive booze for the masses. This is the perfect place to start. This whiskey is easygoing and offers a nice classic balance of Kentucky bourbon vibes.
93. Bradshaw Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 51.9%
Average Price: $52
The Whiskey:
Bradshaw Bourbon is made by Green River Distilling Company in Owensboro, Kentucky. The bourbon is a collab between former Super Bowl champ Terry Bradshaw and Silver Screen Bottling Company, which acts as a sort of bottling fixer between a celebrity and a distiller or barrel house. The whiskey is a two-year-old bourbon made with 70% corn, 21% rye, and 9% malted barley, proofed to a hefty 103.8.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with Werther’s Originals and old library books, with a whiff of aftershave on the nose that’s oddly comforting.
Palate: A soft spice drives the palate as dry reeds lead towards cherry toffee and apple candies.
Finish: The spice warms slightly on the finish as the tobacco dries out and those reeds make a return.
Bottom Line:
This is a very nostalgic whiskey. People pay a ton for old-school vintage bourbons that have this flavor profile. So if you’re looking for a look back at how bourbon tasted in the 1970s and 1980s, grab this.
92. Old Grand-Dad 114 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 57%
Average Price: $24
The Whiskey:
Hailing from the James B. Beam stills and warehouses, this “Old” whiskey is a fan favorite. The whiskey is from Beam’s high rye mash bill. The hot juice is then matured until it’s just right. The barrels are blended, the whiskey is just touched with water to bring the proof down, and it’s bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Vanilla tobacco meets hints of rye spiciness with a dose of caramel and old oak on the nose.
Palate: The palate holds onto that rye spice as notes of cherry and oak dominate the vanilla and toffee sweetness.
Finish: The end returns to the spice with a chewy tobacco edge that lingers for a short time but leaves you wanting more.
Bottom Line:
Speaking of beloved bourbon from the 70s and 80s, this is a stone-cold classic. Cards on the table, this doesn’t live up to the versions from back in the day, but it’s still a quality bourbon with great depth and balance. Mix with it and enjoy the classic Kentucky warmth.
91. Elijah Craig Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 47%
Average Price: $25
The Whiskey:
This is Elijah Craig’s entry-point bottle. The mash is corn-focused, with more malted barley than rye. The whiskey is then rendered from “small batches” of barrels to create this proofed-down version of the iconic brand.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a light sense of rickhouse wood beams next to that mild taco seasoning on the nose with caramel apples, vanilla ice cream scoops, and a hint of fresh mint with a sweet/spicy edge.
Palate: The palate opens with a seriously smooth vanilla base with some winter spice (especially cinnamon and allspice) next to a hint of grain and apple pie filling.
Finish: The end leans towards the woodiness with a hint of broom bristle and minty tobacco lead undercut by that smooth vanilla.
Bottom Line:
Heaven Hill cannot miss with great and affordable bourbon. This expression is an entry point to a very good brand of bourbon. Overall, this is a utility bourbon for mixing, sipping, or shooting as the sipper sees fit.
90. Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $28
The Whiskey:
This is the whiskey that heralded a new era of bourbon in 1999. Famed Master Distiller Elmer T. Lee came out of retirement to create this bourbon to celebrate the renaming of the George T. Stagg distillery to Buffalo Trace when Sazerac bought the joint. The rest, as they say, is history, especially since this has become a touchstone bourbon for the brand.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Classic notes of vanilla come through next to a dark syrup sweetness, a flourish of fresh mint, and raw leather that veers towards raw steak.
Palate: The palate cuts through the sweeter notes with plenty of spices — like clove and star anise — next to a hint of tart berries underneath it all.
Finish: The end is long, velvety, and really delivers on the vanilla and spice.
Bottom Line:
This is your gateway to all things Buffalo Trace. This bourbon is super approachable and has a nice even flow. In the end, you’ll want to make cocktails with this one (once you get over the excitement of drinking something from Buffalo Trace that is).
89. Barton 1792 Distillery Thomas S. Moore Cabernet Sauvignon Finished Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 47.65%
Average Price: $81
The Whiskey:
This release from Sazerac’s other distillery, Barton 1792 Distillery, has become a yearly standard release. The whiskey in the bottle is generally kept under wraps. We do know that the bourbon is finished in Cabernet Sauvignon casks for a spell before blending, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Stone fruit and vanilla lead on the nose with hints of sugar cookies, bright peach, and old-yet-soft oak.
Palate: The palate leans into cherry bark with plum, mulled wine, vanilla, and sharp sassafras.
Finish: The spice on the mid-palate leads to some old leather, more of that soft oak, and a hint of sweet potting soil with a plummy finish.
Bottom Line:
This is a good bourbon for the wine lovers in your life. It works as a food pairing whiskey. It also adds great depth to cocktails.
88. Four Roses Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $28
The Whiskey:
Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon is a blend of four whiskeys. The blend is split evenly between the high and low-rye bourbons with a focus on “slight spice” and “rich fruit” yeasts — that means OBSK, OESK, OBSO, and OESO are in the mix (here’s what all of that means). After six to seven years of aging, the whiskey is blended, cut with soft Kentucky water, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Soft and sweet apple and cherry woods greet with a good dose of sour red berries dusted with brown winter spices, especially clove and nutmeg.
Palate: The palate leans into soft and salted caramel with a hint of those berries underneath while the spices get woodier and a thin line of green sweetgrass sneaks in.
Finish: The finish is silky and boils down to blackberry jam with a good dose of winter spice, old wood, and a hint of vanilla tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is the bottle you reach for when you want something more out of your bourbon. The floral and fruity vibes shine through, especially in cocktails, with this one.
87. Jim Beam Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 54%
Average Price: $20
The Whiskey:
Each of these Jim Beam bottlings is pulled from single barrels that hit just the right spot of taste, texture, and drinkability, according to the master distillers at Beam. That means this juice is pulled from less than one percent of all barrels in Beam’s warehouses, making this a very special bottle at a bafflingly affordable price.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with classic notes of vanilla sheet cake, salted caramel, wintry mulled wine spices, and a sense of cherry pie in a lard crust next to a hint of dried corn husk, old broom bristle, and dark chocolate pipe tobacco.
Palate: The palate layers in floral honey and orange zest next to sticky toffee pudding, old leather, and cherry tobacco layered with the dark chocolate with this lingering sense of coconut cream pie lurking somewhere in the background.
Finish: The finish leans into more woody winter spices (especially cinnamon bark and nutmeg) with rich toffee and cherry-chocolate tobacco braided with dry sweetgrass and cedar bark.
Bottom Line:
This is another whiskey that just has no business costing so little for the amazing quality of the juice in the bottle.
86. Shortbarrel Single Barrel Series Kentucky Straight Bourbon
ABV: 62.8%
Average Price: $74
The Whiskey:
These Shortbarrel Single Barrel releases are all over four years old and sourced either from Green River Distilling in Kentucky or MGP in Indiana. In this case, the whiskey was made in Kentucky and bottled in Georgia.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a clear sense of fresh orange zest and dark cherry on the nose with a hint of winter spice, old dried prunes, and a hint of black tea.
Palate: The winter spice leads to creamy vanilla and eggnog on the taste as a peach cobbler with fresh vanilla whipped cream leads to warming tobacco spices and hints of old oak.
Finish: Marmalade and leathery dried apricot counter the vanilla creaminess with a light sense of winter spice barks rolled up with soft pipe tobacco leaves and dipped in black cherry soda.
Bottom Line:
This single barrel of Green River whiskey is a great sipper or mixer, and a shining example of the great stuff coming out of that distillery right now.
85. Jim Beam Black Extra-Aged Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $18
The Whiskey:
This expression replaced the old Jim Beam Black Label 8 Year, which was a huge favorite amongst the old-school Beam heads. The whiskey in this bottle is aged longer than your average four-year-old Beam, but there is no age statement on exactly how long. I’ve heard things, but only rumors. The best way to think of it is that it’s aged for as long as it needs to be before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: A clear sense of expensive vanilla beans next to apple cotton candy, honey-buttered cornbread, soft oak staves, and Dr. Brown’s Cherry work through the nose.
Palate: The taste has a hint of sourdough apple-cinnamon old-fashioned doughnuts next to vanilla pound cake with a hint of poppy seed and orange zest, a whisper of clove and anise, and a smidge of pecan pie.
Finish: The end has a dried vanilla tobacco vibe by way of spiced apple cider and old cinnamon sticks next to a hint of raisins and bruised peach skins.
Bottom Line:
This is another Jim Beam whiskey that just slaps. It’s simple, sure. But it gets the job done with real depth, sippability, and mixability at a great price.
84. Bulleit Bourbon 10 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 45.6%
Average Price: $45
The Whiskey:
This is classic (sourced) Bulleit Bourbon that’s aged up to 10 years before it’s blended and bottled. The barrels are hand-selected to really amplify those classic “Bulleit” flavors that make this brand so damn accessible (and beloved) in the first place.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: A lot is going on with butter and spicy stewed apples, maple syrup, Christmas cakes full of nuts and dried fruit, and a hint of savory herbs all pinging through your nose.
Palate: The palate brings about smooth and creamy vanilla with plenty of butter toffee, sourdough crust, more X-mas spice, cedar bark, and a hint of dried roses.
Finish: The finish is long, warming, and really embraces the toffee and spice with a hint of those roasting herbs sneaking in late.
Bottom Line:
I know it’s early in the list, but I have to say it. If you get only one bottle of Bulleit Bourbon for your home bar, this is it. This whiskey can do whatever you want it to do.
83. Evan Williams Bottled-In-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $18
The Whiskey:
Heaven Hill makes great whiskey, especially inexpensive bottled in bonds (as we’ve shown on this list). This “b-i-b” is tailored for the Evan Williams flavor profile. Still, this is Heaven Hill, so we’re talking about the same mash bill, same warehouses, and same blending team as beloved bourbons like Elijah Craig and all other Heaven Hill bourbon releases. This is simply built to match a higher-end Evan Williams vibe.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a lovely nose at play with soft taco mix spice next to creamy vanilla, caramel-dipped cherries, a hint of pear skins, and plenty of nutmeg.
Palate: The palate has a minor note of cornbread muffins next to cherry-vanilla tobacco with a dash of leather and toffee.
Finish: The end leans into some fresh gingerbread with a vanilla frosting next to hints of pear candy cut with cinnamon and nutmeg.
Bottom Line:
Again, this feels criminally under-priced for how good the whiskey in the bottle is. It’s not mind-blowing but it’s still delicious.
82. Michter’s US*1 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 45.7%
Average Price: $43
The Whiskey:
Michter’s really means the phrase “small batch” here. The tank they use to marry their hand-selected eight-year-old bourbons can only hold 20 barrels, so that’s how many go into each small-batch bottling. The blended juice is then proofed with Kentucky’s famously soft limestone water and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this is very fruity with a mix of bruised peach, red berries (almost like in a cream soda), and apple wood next to a plate of waffles with brown butter and a good pour of maple syrup that leads to a hint of cotton candy.
Palate: The sweetness ebbs on the palate as vanilla frosting leads to grilled peaches with a crack of black pepper next to singed marshmallows.
Finish: The end is plummy and full of rich toffee next to a dash of cedar bark and vanilla tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is Michter’s gateway bourbon, but don’t let that hold you back. This is an excellent cocktail bourbon that’ll make any whiskey-forward cocktail shine. It also works perfectly well as a sipper over some rocks.
That’s versatility!
81. Peerless Double Oak Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 53.55%
Average Price: $114
The Whiskey:
This whiskey from Kentucky Peerless is around five to six years old and comes from one barrel that lets the grains shine through before it goes into another new oak barrel for a final maturation to let the oak shine through. That final barrel is bottled at cask strength, as-is, allowing all that beautiful bourbon and oak aging to shine brightly.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with a nose full of salted butter next to hints of very soft leather, light notes of vanilla bean, a touch of toffee sweetness, and freshly cracked walnuts with a dry edge.
Palate: The taste leans into that oak barrel with dashes of woody spices (think allspice berries, star anise, and cinnamon sticks), dry cherry tobacco leaves, salted caramel, and more of that super soft leather.
Finish: That leads towards a mid-palate of dark red fruits stewed in mulled wine spices and cut with a dollop of fresh honey before the (long) finish dries out towards an old wicker chair, a very distinct hint of a cellar funk, and a touch of dried mint.
Bottom Line:
This is a big and bold sipping whiskey. If you’re looking for a brash rush of woody spices balanced by deep sweetness, this is going to be your jam.
80. Larceny Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Batch No. B523
ABV: 62.2%
Average Price: $59
The Whiskey:
The spring 2023 edition of Larceny is a banger. The whiskey is a barrel-strength version of Larceny wheated bourbon (68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley) created for a small batch of six to eight-year-old barrels. Those barrels come together and go into the bottle 100% as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose runs deep with dark chili pepper spice next to salted caramel, cherry cake, and rich vanilla with a hint of nuttiness.
Palate: The taste is lush with a deep sense of creamy winter spices mixed into mincemeat pies and eggnog next to malted buckwheat pancakes drizzled in toffee syrup and sprinkled with roasted walnuts, pecans, and almonds with a whisper of wild sage.
Finish: Sharp cinnamon bark and cherry vanilla tobacco round out the finish with a nice balance of creaminess and sharp woody spice leading to a warm and long Kentucky hug (ABV warmth).
Bottom Line:
There are three Larceny Barrel Proof drops every year. If you’re looking for one that’s still on the shelf, this is the one to buy. It’s deeply hewn, balanced, and very tasty as a sipper or cocktail base.
79. Maker’s Mark Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky
ABV: 56.25%
Average Price: $42
The Whisky:
This special release from Maker’s Mark is their classic wheated bourbon turned up a few notches. The batch is made from no more than 19 barrels of whiskey. Once batched, that whiskey goes into the barrel at cask strength with no filtering, just pure whiskey-from-the-barrel vibes.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Burnt caramel candies and lush vanilla lead the way on the nose with hints of dry straw, sour cherry pie, and spiced apple cider with a touch of eggnog lushness.
Palate: The palate has a sense of spicy caramel with a vanilla base that leads to apricot jam, southern biscuits, and a flake of salt with a soft mocha creaminess.
Finish: The end is all about the buzzy tobacco spiciness with a soft vanilla underbelly and a hint of cherry syrup.
Bottom Line:
This is Maker’s for hardcore bourbon fans. It’s excellent in your favorite whiskey-forward cocktail or as a slow sipper over some nice ice.
78. Evan Williams Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 43.3%
Average Price: $38
The Whiskey:
This is Heaven Hill’s hand-selected single barrel Evan Williams expression. The whiskey is from a single barrel, labeled with its distillation year, proofed just above 86, and bottled as is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This has a nice nose full of woody cherry and salted caramel with a tart apple edge and a soft leatheriness.
Palate: The palate feels and tastes “classic” with notes of wintry spices (eggnog especially) with a lush creaminess supported by soft vanilla, a hint of orange zest, and plenty of spicy cherry tobacco.
Finish: The end is supple with a hint of tart apple tobacco with a light caramel candy finish.
Bottom Line:
After you’ve tried the other Evan Williams on this list, this is where you end up for life. This is the Evan Williams that you buy a case of for sipping throughout the whole year.
77. Old Forester Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky 1920 Prohibition Style
ABV: 57.5%
Average Price: $62
The Whisky:
Getting back to the years on the bottles, this expression “celebrates” the Volstead Act of 1920, which pretty much banned alcohol in the U.S. What this is really celebrating is that Old Forester was one of only six distilleries that were able to keep making and selling whisky (for medicinal purposes) during Prohibition. And that era’s production is what this blend mimics.
Tasting Note:
Nose: That classic choco-cherry note that a lot of Old Forester has come through on the top of this nose with maple syrup-soaked cedar next to a faint touch of caramel apple.
Palate: The palate is slightly nutty, bordering on Pecan Sandies, with a continuation of that maple syrup leading towards light pepperiness that’s almost like cumin as the cedar comes back into play.
Finish: The mid-palate sweetens pretty dramatically with a Caro Syrup feel to it as the spice hits on a wintery vibe and the taste ends with a finish of (almost smoked) dark chocolate powder on the very backend.
Bottom Line:
There are cheaper Old Foresters to start with, but this is so good (both as a sipper and mixer) that you really can jump ahead in the pack and start here.
76. Blackwood Toasted Bourbon Batch #3
ABV: 59.3%
Average Price: $149
The Whiskey:
This new brand has Kentucky Derby history that runs deep. Guinness McFadden co-founded the brand with the partners behind Justins’ House Of Bourbon. McFadden also happens to be the co-owner of 2019 Kentucky Derby winner Country House and built this whiskey around his stables in eastern Kentucky. The juice in the bottle is local bourbon with a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. After a good spell of resting, the whiskey is re-barrelled in a freshly toasted oak barrel for a final maturation before bottling as-is straight from the barrel.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose draws you in with a deep sense of fresh vanilla pods and rich salted caramel with a sense of old wicker lawn furniture on a sunny day, soft pipe tobacco kissed with cherry, and a light sense of mincemeat pies and toffee dipped in dark chocolate.
Palate: Pecan and maple drive the taste towards a rush of Kentucky hug warmth, dry cedar, and old glove leather with a hint of dried mint and maybe some chocolate-covered espresso beans cut with vanilla and clove.
Finish: The spices take on a woodiness and blend with dry cedar bark, old vanilla pods, and chewy pipe tobacco with a dash of salted caramel butteriness and pecan waffle comfort.
Bottom Line:
This small bottler is still very niche. So if you’re in Kentucky and looking to bring home an excellent bottle to wow your family or crew, grab a couple of these.
75. Johnny Drum Private Stock 101 Kentucky Bourbon
ABV: 50.5%
Average Price: $44
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is hewn from Kentucky Bourbon Distillery barrels (also known as Willett). The barrels are batched and proofed down with local Bardstown water for bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This starts out with apple pie filling overstuffed with a lot of cinnamon, butter, brown sugar, and vanilla that all leads toward salted caramel.
Palate: The taste has this mild orange feel with a note of dark chocolate, cinnamon cream soda, and apple fritters with a hint of sourdough funk to them.
Finish: The end has a lightness that feels like Dr. Pepper with a hint of cherry syrup next to woody winter spices and a touch of alcohol warmth (or a “Kentucky Hug” if you will).
Bottom Line:
This is a great place to start your Willett obsession (without breaking the bank). This is a very good sipper over ice or cocktail base for any cocktail you like.
74. Henry McKenna Single Barrel Aged 10 Years Bottled-In-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $79
The Whiskey:
This very affordable offering from Heaven Hill is hard to beat at its price. The juice utilizes a touch of rye in the mash bill and is then aged for ten long years in a bonded rickhouse. The best barrels are chosen by hand and the whiskey is bottled with just a touch of water to bring it down to bottled-in-bond proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens slightly tannic with rich orange zest and vanilla cream next to woody winter spice, fresh mint, and wet cedar with a hint of gingerbread and burnt cherry.
Palate: The palate hits on soft vanilla white cake with a salted caramel drizzle and burnt orange zest vibe next to apple/pear tobacco leaves dipped in toffee and almond.
Finish: The end has a sour cherry sensation that leads to wintery woody spices, cedar bark, and old cellar beams with a lush vanilla pod and cherry stem finish.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those whiskeys that gets a ton of hype. Luckily, that hype is wearing off and you can get this again at MSRP (I saw six sitting on the shelf this week at my local liquor store). Grab some and see what all the fuss is about (spoiler alert: It’s really tasty classic bourbon).
73. Heaven Hill Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled-In-Bond
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $56
The Whiskey:
This expression has been a touchstone “bottled-in-bond” since 1939 and remains a go-to for many bourbon lovers. The whiskey is the classic Heaven Hill bourbon mash bill that’s left to age for an extra three years compared to Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond (also from Heaven Hill and the same base spirit).
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose draws you in with this rich and creamy vanilla ice cream (you know the kind that’s likely labeled “Tahitian”) that’s drizzled with a buttery and salty caramel sauce next to soft leather and dried apple blossoms with a hint of old cedar bark braids.
Palate: A floral honey vibe melds with Graham Crackers on the palate as creamy toffee covered in crushed almonds mingles with vanilla-laced pipe tobacco and old leather-bound books.
Finish: There’s a bit of freshly ground nutmeg near the end that leads to a light cherry tobacco note with whispers of old cellar beams and winter spices on the finish.
Bottom Line:
This was created to fill in the gap when Henry McKenna 10 was unobtainable. It’s the same juice just a tad younger. But I’d argue that this is the prime bourbon now. It’s an excellent cocktail bourbon that you can also easily sip over a big rock.
72. Green River Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon Sour Mash Whiskey
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $37
The Whiskey:
This 2023 release from Bardstown Bourbon Company’s Green River distillery is a wheated classic. The whiskey in the bottle is made from a mash bill (recipe) of 70% Kentucky-grown corn, 21% wheat, and 9% malted 6-Row barley. That whiskey then spends four to six years mellowing before batching, proofing, and bottling as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This pops on the nose with rich caramel next to soft roasted peach and apricot next to a rush of cinnamon bark and nutmeg with a creamy vibe.
Palate: Toffee drives the palate toward Nutella and honey over buttermilk biscuits with an apple/pear tobacco aura that leads to a soft orange.
Finish: The end is rich and full of stewed fruits — peach, pear, orange, raisins — and a mild sense of oaky spice and a mild graininess.
Bottom Line:
This is a great entry into the Kentucky wheated bourbon scene. This whiskey makes a killer old fashioned.
71. Jim Beam Lineage Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey A Father And Son Collaboration
ABV: 55%
Average Price: $250
The Whiskey:
This whiskey was released for the struggling travel retail market last year and then got a distillery bottle shop release as well. The whiskey in the bespoke bottle is a 15-year-old classic Beam bourbon that was aged on specific ricks in Warehouse K (the most famed warehouse on the Clermont, Kentucky campus). Father and son Fred and Freddie Noe both selected the barrels to make this blend and released it almost completely as-is with just a drop of that soft Kentucky limestone water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is classic from the jump with a soft caramel candy with vanilla buttercream frosting over spiced choco-cherry cake, a touch of clove-studded burnt orange rind, and soft marzipan with a hint of old oak cellars.
Palate: The palate is lush with a sense of Black Forest cake — stewed cherries, vanilla cream, moist chocolate cake, dry dark chocolate shavings — next to a bunch of woody and barky winter spices with a hint of hazelnut and burnt orange.
Finish: The end leans ever-so-slightly into old cedar bark and rich spiced cherry tobacco layered with dark chocolate-covered espresso beans and a hint of sharp mint and maybe some more of that clove.
Bottom Line:
This is the mountaintop of Jim Beam. If you’re a fan of their whiskey even remotely, this will be a wonderful treat to graduate to.
70. 2XO Gem of Kentucky Barrel #01 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 54%
Average Price: $227
The Whiskey:
Dixon Dedman’s 2023 release is from his own double-barreled stocks of barrels. In this case, Dedman chose a high-rye bourbon mash bill that spent and extra year in new charred oak before bottling with a drop of water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dark chocolate cut with cinnamon and red chili pepper is countered by perfectly roasted marshmallows, prunes, dates, and figs with deeply creamy nutmeg-heavy eggnog.
Palate: That eggnog spice kicks up on the palate with extra allspice, clove, and cinnamon next to brandy-soaked dates and pears with a hint of freshly cracked black pepper lurking beneath it all.
Finish: That pepperiness kicks up a bit more on the finish with more woody spice barks and buds layered into creamy vanilla and pear brandy-soaked marzipan dipped in dark chocolate.
Bottom Line:
This is a unique and very deep whiskey. If you’re looking for something that truly stands out in your collection, get this.
69. Jeptha Creed RWB Heirloom Mash Bill Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $82
The Whiskey:
This whiskey was released for Veteran’s Day late last year. The mash is a mix of 25% Bloody Butcher corn, 25% heirloom white corn, 25% Bruce’s Blue corn, 20% malted rye, and 5% malted barley. That juice is aged for at least four years before blending, proofing, and bottling for this special once-per-year release.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with hints of wicker, old leather, apple and pear cider, and a good dose of burnt orange and old oak.
Palate: The palate has a salted caramel vibe that leads to pecan waffles with plenty of maple syrup and butter next to burnt orange tobacco leaves and a touch of holiday spices.
Finish: The end leans into those woody holiday spices with a sense of caramel candies and allspice-spiked apple cider with a hint of old apple orchard wood and bark.
Bottom Line:
This is a great Kentucky crafty to add to your bar cart. It’s 100% its own thing with a unique flavor profile that leans into classic bourbon notes alongside deep crafty notes (this feels like it was made by hand).
68. Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 45.2%
Average Price: $49
The Whiskey:
This expression takes standard Woodford Bourbon and gives it a finishing touch. The six to eight-year-old bourbon is blended and moved into new barrels that have been double-toasted but only lightly charred. The whiskey spends a final nine months resting in those barrels before proofing and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a welcoming aroma of butterscotch, blackberry, toffee, and fresh honey next to a real sense of pitchy, dry firewood.
Palate: The taste drills down on those notes as the sweet marzipan becomes more choco-hazelnut, the berries become increasingly dried and apple-y, the toffee becomes almost burnt, and the wood softens to a cedar bark.
Finish: A rich spicy and chewy tobacco arrives late as the vanilla gets super creamy and the fruit and honey combine on the slow fade.
Bottom Line:
This is the top of Woodford Reserve’s mainstream line, and it’s a great goddamn whiskey. Mix it, sip it, hell, shoot it and you’ll be in good hands.
67. Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series Botted-In-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $49
The Whiskey:
This brand-new release from Bardstown Bourbon Company is 100% their own whiskey. The juice is made from a wheated bourbon mash bill — 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley — down in Bardstown, Kentucky. The whiskey spends about six years mellowing before it’s just kissed with local water and bottled at 100 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose draws you in with a sense of orange Jolly Ranchers, powdered cacao, and stewed peaches with classic bourbon vanilla and an oaky vibe.
Palate: The palate is a mix of apricot jam, pear cores, and red berries with a mix of spiced orange candy tobacco wrapped around dry wicker and cedar bark.
Finish: The end leans into the sweet and spiced orange while the tobacco slowly fades through sweet caramel and vanilla buttercream toward a silky finish.
Bottom Line:
Part of Bardstown Bourbon Company’s first fully own-make series, this whiskey slaps as an easy everyday sipper or killer cocktail base.
66. Michter’s US*1 Limited Release Barrel Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 55.3%
Average Price: $109
The Whiskey:
Michter’s fills their barrels with 103-proof hot juice off the stills. After a handful of years spent aging, that proof inches upwards as the angels take their share. Usually, the whiskey is cut with that soft Kentucky limestone water before bottling but not in this case. This is pulled from single honey barrels that were just too good to cut and bottled at the Fort Nelson Distillery right on Louisville’s Whiskey Row.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose draws you deep into the classic bourbon ecosystem of rich buttery toffees next to salted dark chocolate-covered cherries, a touch of smoked stone fruits, and a minor note of spicy tobacco leaf.
Palate: The palate delivers on those notes as the tobacco spice amps up before being smoothed out by rich and creamy vanilla, salted caramel, and apricot stone dryness.
Finish: That dryness drives the mid-palate towards the finish with a pecan shell vibe next to slightly bitter singed cedar bark.
Bottom Line:
This is Michter’s bourbon turned up to max volume. The beauty here is that boldness doesn’t overpower the subtle balance of the classic bourbon. Drink this one however you like it and you’ll be in for a great pour of Kentucky bourbon.
65. New Riff High Note Series: Bohemian Wheat Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 8-Year-Old
ABV: 58.95%
Average Price: $69
The Whiskey:
This late 2023 release from New Riff is all about the wheat. The whiskey is made with 65% non-GMO corn, 18% Bohemian floor-malted wheat, 10% unmalted wheat, and 7% dark wheat. The whiskey was then small batched and bottled 100% as-is to highlight the work that the wood and wheated bourbon underwent over years of resting on the Ohio River.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose feels like walking into an old bread bakery in Central Europe early in the morning before hitting this note of freshly fried apple fritters and old-fashioned doughnuts, a touch of prune, plum, and date, and a good dose of soft winter spice.
Palate: The palate is dry but full of sourdough bread crusts, Graham Crackers, and Fig Newtons with a touch of huckleberry jam, dry sweetgrass braided with smudging sage, and a touch of straw bale before the woody spice kicks in with a cinnamon bark focus.
Finish: The end leans into the woody spices with a touch of clove, allspice, and nutmeg before sweetgrass and bread crusts take over with a hint of buttery cream.
Bottom Line:
New Riff is always going to have a fantastic and one-of-a-kind whiskey available at their bottle shop. This is one of the best ones — not just of the last year — but in general. If you can get some, get a case because we may never see this one again.
64. Kentucky Senator Bourbon Release #4: John Sherman Cooper Very Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 8 Years Old
ABV: 54%
Average Price: $134
The Whiskey:
That latest edition of Kentucky Senator honors one of Kentucky’s biggest names in the Senate in the 20th century. Senator Cooper was a dear friend of JFK and served as everything from a judge to foreign ambassador. The whiskey in the bottle is a Bardstown bourbon made with 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. That hot juice was aged for eight years before six barrels were chosen for this small batch. Once batched, the whiskey was just touched with water before bottling, yielding only 1,000 bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Soft spiced stewed cherry cut with orange oils and covered in salted caramel and vanilla crumble mingles with soft oak on the nose with this fleeting sense of Cherry Dr. Pepper and cedar kindling.
Palate: Walnut bread with a whisper of orange and banana drives the palate toward dried cherries dipped in salted dark chocolate and piled high on a pecan waffle with salted caramel drizzle and whipped buttercream before a hint of white pepper sneaks in.
Finish: Orange-cinnamon syrup drives the finish toward leathery tobacco rolled with cedar bark and smudging sage on the slow and warm finish.
Bottom Line:
Kentucky Senator has a penchant for picking amazing barrels for their small batch releases and this version is a prime example of that. This is just really good whiskey, folks. Need I say more?
63. Chicken Cock Red Stave Petite Sirah Barrel Finish Kentucky Straight Bourbon
ABV: 51.2%
Average Price: $199
The Whiskey:
Chicken Cock is great at dropping big limited releases every year. 2023’s big bourbon was a “Red Stave” Kentucky straight bourbon made from a mash bill of 70% corn, 21% rye, and 9% malted barley. That whiskey is left to age for an undisclosed amount of time before being re-barrelled into select J. Wilkes Petite Sirah barrels for a final mellowing run.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a sweet mulled wine cut with piney honey, plenty of spice barks, and hints of dried red berries before veering toward creamy toffee and vanilla beans.
Palate: Wild berry jam and bold winter spices mingle with rich dark chocolate, creamed honey, and vanilla lattes on the palate before the mulled wine spices start sneaking in and building.
Finish: The mulled wine-soaked red berries and raisins drive the finish toward a lush toffee and vanilla cream with a bold warming winter spice layered into a rich pipe tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is another great and unique pour that pushes beyond the classic or average into something truly special. Check it out, especially if you’re looking for a fruit-forward creamy bourbon experience.
62. Hirsch The Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon Finished In Cognac Casks
ABV: 63.5%
Average Price: $210
The Whiskey:
This cask-strength version of Hirsch is made from a classic bourbon mash of 72% corn, 13% rye, and 15% malted barley. That hot juice then rests for six years in new American oak. Those barrels are batched and then re-filled into 30-year-old Hine XO fine cognac casks for another year-and-a-half of resting. Finally, the whiskey is batched and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose feels lush and oaky with a sense of Christmas cookies, mincemeat pies, and sticky toffee pudding next to stewed plums over fresh scones with a hint of brandy butter.
Palate: Old leather boots filled with cinnamon bark and a medley of dates, figs, and prunes lead to chocolate cut with red chili and vanilla and kissed with salt and dry cedar.
Finish: That cinnamon bark intensifies with dark red fruit, light chili pepperiness, and a sense of old malted cookies dipped in vanilla toffee on the very end.
Bottom Line:
This is another whiskey that’s just great. It works wonders as a winter sipper or cocktail base for whiskey-forward cocktails. But don’t let that stop you from pouring this while sitting around a campfire in the summer either. Just roast some marshmallows and this will pair perfectly.
61. Baker’s Single Barrel 13 Years Minimum Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 53.5%
Average Price: $450
The Whiskey:
This 2023 re-release of Beam’s Limited Edition “Minimum 13 Year” Baker’s is a must-have bottle. The whiskey in the bottle is from single barrels that hit just the right mark for something special. Beyond that, there’s not much else to know besides this is Baker’s at a high age that shines bright.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a nice sense of dried sweetgrass, salted ballpark peanuts, and old vanilla pods that leads to softer notes of marzipan, vanilla sheet cake, and mild cherry.
Palate: Soft winter spices and minty tobacco drive the palate toward smudging sage and roasting herbs with a sense of marzipan slowly building on the mid-palate with a minor key of orange and cherry.
Finish: The vanilla sneaks in on the finish with more roasting herbs and dry grassiness with a hint of menthol, peanut shell, and distant oak.
Bottom Line:
This is so outside of the norm when it comes to Beam whiskey. That makes this a special whiskey that’s also very tasty as a slow sipper.
60. Woodford Reserve Historic Barrel Entry Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 45.2%
Average Price: $129
The Whiskey:
This 2022 Master’s Collection (that was released in February 2023) experiments with entry proof. Master Distillers Chris Morris and Elizabeth McCall loaded this whiskey into barrels at a low 100-proof and let it do its thing (125 proof is the industry standard though that varies wildly these days). Once the whiskey in those barrels hit the best flavor profile, it was bottled completely as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose draws you in with real vanilla pods layers into apple-cinnamon coffee cake, spice-rich eggnog, hazelnut cream, black cherry pie filling, and a flutter of fresh and sharp spearmint dipped in creamy dark chocolate and then hit with a flake of smoked salt.
Palate: The coffee cake leans toward banana bread with walnuts on the palate as huckleberry jam leans into an almost sour creamy espresso with a shot of mint chocolate syrup.
Finish: Burnt orange arrives late to cut through the sweetness and adds some more bitterness as old oak and dry tobacco round things out.
Bottom Line:
This is a huge whiskey on the front end that gets subtle and fruity as it fades through your senses. It’s a wonderful ride as a slow sipper, especially over a big piece of ice.
59. Colonel E.H. Taylor Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $149
The Whiskey:
Buffalo Trace’s Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch is an entry point to the other 12 expressions released under the E.H. Taylor, Jr. label. The whiskey is made from Buffalo Trace’s iconic Mash Bill No. 1 (which is a low rye recipe). The final whiskey in the bottle is a blend of barrels that meet the exact right flavor profiles Buffalo Trace’s blenders are looking for in a classic bottled-in-bond bourbon for Taylor.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a sense of soft corn mush with a hint of fresh green chili, Saigon cinnamon (a little sweet), orchard tree bark, and the black mildew that grows on all the whiskey warehouses in Kentucky.
Palate: The palate leans into buttery toffee with a twinge of black licorice next to cinnamon-spiced dark chocolate tobacco and a hint of huckleberry pie with vanilla ice cream.
Finish: The end has a salted caramel sweetness that leads back to a hint of sweet cinnamon and dark tobacco with a light sense of the fermentation room with a hint of sweet gruel.
Bottom Line:
This is the whiskey you graduate to once you’ve tired of Buffalo Trace Bourbon. While this is a perfectly great sipper, it makes killer whiskey-forward cocktails.
58. Wild Turkey Rare Breed Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 58.4%
Average Price: $53
The Whiskey:
This is the mountaintop of what the main line of Wild Turkey can achieve (this is easily found on liquor store shelves for the most part). This is a blend of the prime barrels that are married and bottled untouched. That means no filtering and no cutting with water. This is a classic Turkey bourbon with nowhere to hide.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens like a dessert table during the holidays with crème brûlée next to a big sticky toffee pudding with orange zest sprinkled over the top next to a bushel of fresh mint.
Palate: The palate hits an early note of pine resin as the orange kicks up towards a bold wintry spice, soft vanilla cream, and a hint of honeyed cherry tobacco.
Finish: The end keeps the winter spices front and center as a lush pound cake feeling leads to soft notes of cherry-spiced tobacco leaves folded into an old cedar box with a whisper of old vanilla pods lurking in the background.
Bottom Line:
Wild Turkey gets amazing on the higher end (even with the nationally available bottles like this). This is pretty much perfect bourbon from top to bottom. It works as a wonderfully classic sipper or in your favorite cocktail.
57. Legent Yamazaki Cask Finish Blend
ABV: 57%
Average Price: $214
The Whiskey:
This new version of Legent leans into the marriage of Kentucky and Japan in the bottle. The whiskey is a straight bourbon from Beam that spent eight years mellowing in Kentucky. That whiskey was then sent to the Yamazaki Distillery outside of Kyoto, Japan where blending legend Shinji Fukuyo transferred the whiskey into French and Spanish oak casks for another rest before batching again and re-filling the whiskey into the incredible Yamazaki Spanish Oak whisky casks for a final rest before blending, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a leathery sense of old dried chilis that have just been kissed with heat before a sense of dried cranberry and rich malted chocolate take the nose toward soft plummy cakes full of soft powdered spices.
Palate: A hint of maltiness comes through early on the palate with a fleeting sense of smoked red berries before deep vanilla buttercream creates a luscious foundation for rich pipe tobacco, cranberry sauce cut with anise, clove, and nutmeg, sticky toffee pudding, and mulled wine cut with toffee and dry reeds.
Finish: The spices warm on the finish before descending toward soft nutcakes and winter-spiced doughnuts with a light sense of stewed plum and pear over old saddle leather and rickhouse dank.
Bottom Line:
Legent has been on the market for a few years now, and it’s a great Manhattan base. This takes that nuanced and vibrant whiskey and amps it up to even higher levels of decadence. This is a unique and new feeling bourbon that’s a must-try for anyone looking for a luxury experience in their bourbon glass.
56. Rabbit Hole Heigold Singel Barrel Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 52.8%
Average Price: $173
The Whiskey:
This is a four-year-old single-barrel version of Rabbit Hole’s beloved Heigold expression. That’s the brand’s double malt (malted rye and malted barley) that has a high-rye bourbon mash bill (70/25/5 corn/malted rye/malted barley).
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is lush with deep layers of maple syrup over pecan waffles with a good hit of salted butter (really good butter) next to dark chocolate chips, old boot leather, smudging sage that’s just smoldering, and a fleeting sense of old rickhouses on a crisp fall day.
Palate: The palate follows the nose’s path with caramelized pecans finished with floral honey and dusted with candied orange peels, ground pear chips, and very dark chocolate with a pinch of salt and apple blossom before the sharp and woody winter spice kicks in.
Finish: The end leans into the dryness of the winter spice mix before silky marzipan and maple syrup creamed with butter create a luscious finish that slowly fades from warm to comforting.
Bottom Line:
Rabbit Hole is a solid art-forward distillery in Louisville. The best place to start your journey with this bespoke whiskey is to dive right into their single-barrel releases. They’re always great in their own way, so you’ll get something special and unique with each one. Plus, you’ll get a cool piece of art on each label.
55. Lost Lantern Single Cask Series New Riff Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 58.1%
Average Price: $90
The Whiskey:
This single cask bottling from Lost Lantern is a one-of-a-kind Kentucky barrel from New Riff Distilling (across the river from Cincinnati). The whiskey in the barrel was a low-corn bourbon (65% corn, 30% rye, and 5% malted barley) aged for four years. The barrel was bottled at cask strength and yielded around 120 bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with a deep burnt caramel sweetness that gives way to five-spice powder over fatty smoked pork next to dark cherry cola and rich and clear tobacco.
Palate: That tobacco is fresh and vibrant on the palate as the fatty smoked pork drives the taste toward rich dark chocolate sauce, winter spice medleys, and campfire toasted marshmallows.
Finish: Mulled wine and apple cider spices drive the finish to some wet brown sugar, more dark cherry cola, and a hint of buttermilk biscuit with marmalade just kissed with that five-spice powder.
Bottom Line:
Lost Lantern has been pulling some of the best single barrel picks from distilleries across America. This Bluegrass State bourbon from New Riff is an excellent example of the deep understanding of whiskey the team at Lost Lantern has — it’s straight-up delicious and truly one-of-a-kind.
54. Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 55%
Average Price: $83
The Whiskey:
This is a high water mark of what standard Wild Turkey can achieve. The Russells select the “honey barrels” (those special barrels that are as much magic as craft) from their rickhouses for single barrel bottling. The resulting whiskey is non-chill filtered but is cut down slightly to proof with that soft Kentucky water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Vanilla cream spiked with orange oils and sprinkled with toasted coconut mingle with spicy oak and buttery cake on the nose with an underpinning of winter spices by way of a sour mulled wine.
Palate: The palate opens with easy notes of marzipan, subtle dried roses, vanilla pods, more winter spices, and singed cherry bark.
Finish: The end arrives with a sense of Almond Joy next to cherry tobacco dipped in chili-infused dark chocolate with a flake of salt and a pinch of cedar dust and old leather saddles.
Bottom Line:
This is another Wild Turkey product that you cannot skip on your Kentucky bourbon journey. This is delicious sipping whiskey that highlights the quintessential beauty of the great whiskey Wild Turkey makes.
53. Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged Limited Edition 2023 Release
ABV: 57.85%
Average Price: $149
The Whiskey:
Maker’s Mark is a solid wheated bourbon. That means that when they do something special for a limited edition, it’s often excellent. In this case, Maker’s released a new batch of 11 and 12-year-old wheated bourbon barrels in this cask strength expression. Long story short, this is well-aged Maker’s turned all the way up.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dark cedar and old leathery dates and apricots come through on the nose with a sense of crème brûlée (especially the burnt sugar topping), dark berry fruit leather, and a smoldering sense of old oak staves roasting some cinnamon bark and cloves.
Palate: The vanilla takes on a burnt bean pod vibe as long notes of winter spice barks lead back to dark berry crumbles and cobblers with a sharp warmth tied to smoldering oak staves, pipe tobacco, and smudging sage.
Finish: The end gets super creamy thanks to the vanilla buttercream and eggnog spices as the dark berry fruit leather offers a counterpoint before the old cedar kindling and sage take back over.
Bottom Line:
What we’re looking at here is the first high-age-statement bourbon from Maker’s Mark. This is almost twice the age of their regular releases and it’s freaking delicious. If you can get your hands on a bottle, buy two.
52. Green River Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Full Proof
ABV: 59.5%
Average Price: $59
The Whiskey:
The latest addition to the core Green River lineup is a doozy. The Kentucky whiskey is a rye-forward single-barrel bourbon. The mash bill is 70% Kentucky-grown corn with 21% rye and 9% malted barley. That whiskey rests for at least five years before water is added to bring the proof back down to entry proof, hence “full proof”. The whiskey is then bottled directly from the barrel as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Cream soda and honeycomb greet you on the nose with a light sense of spiced holiday cakes, vanilla sheet cake, soft-dried chili, and old woody spice.
Palate: The honey and vanilla bond on the palate to create a luscious mouthfeel that leads to balanced notes of sharp dried chili spice, soft worn leather, pipe tobacco, and rich walnut bread with plenty of butter, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
Finish: The end leans toward the leather and tobacco with a chili-choco vibe that’s accented by soft walnut and even softer vanilla.
Bottom Line:
This is a dialed and tasty AF whiskey. Pour it neat, on the rocks, or into your favorite cocktail. You can’t miss.
51. Noah’s Mill Small Batch Genuine Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 57.15%
Average Price: $67
The Whiskey:
This is the bigger and bolder sibling of Willett’s Rowan’s Creek Bourbon. It’s the same whiskey — a no-age-statement bourbon that’s made from four to 15-year-old barrels — that’s barely proofed down with local Kentucky water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Maple syrup-covered walnuts greet you with a sense of dark dried cherries and a hint of rose water next to old leather books and holiday spices.
Palate: The taste holds onto those notes while adding in a stewed plum depth with a whisper of caramel apple and orange oils.
Finish: The vanilla and sweet oak kick in late with a rich depth and well-rounded lightness to the sip fade towards lush cherry tobacco, soft leather, and winter spice matrix tied to prunes and dates.
Bottom Line:
This is the second stop on your Willett journey. This is a high-end whiskey that is still on shelves and (relatively) affordable. It’s also versatile and will shine no matter how you choose to sip it.
50. Eagle Rare Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 10 Years
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $47
The Whiskey:
This might be one of the most beloved (and still accessible) bottles from Buffalo Trace. This whiskey is made from their very low rye mash bill. The hot juice is then matured for at least ten years in various parts of the warehouse. The final mix comes down to barrels that hit just the right notes to make them “Eagle Rare.” Finally, this one is proofed down to a fairly low 90 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Old leather boots, burnt orange rinds, oily sage, old oak staves, and buttery toffee draw you in on the nose before a sense of old fallow fruit orchards with falling leaves hints at old brick barrelhouses in the distance with a whisper of dried apple.
Palate: Marzipan covered in dark chocolate opens the palate as floral honey and ripe cherry lead to a winter cake vibe full of raisins, dark spices, and toffee sauce before deep and earthy barrel warehouse vibes arrive with a sense of the cobwebs, mold, and ancient wood takes over.
Finish: The end has a balance of all things winter treats as the marzipan returns and the winter spice amp up alongside a hint of spicy cherry tobacco and old cedar wrapped with smudging sage, old fall leaves, and bourbon-soaked oak stave from decades ago.
Bottom Line:
This is a must-have for any Buffalo Trace fan but also just any bourbon fan. Pour this over a big rock or into an old fashioned and let it wash over you. It’ll transport you to an old barrel house in Kentucky.
49. Blue Run Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Trifecta Blend
ABV: 58.55%
Average Price: $179
The Whiskey:
The latest release from craft bottler Blue Run is a blend of three ages of barrels that all lean into “wood heat”. In this case, the 189 barrels were six-, eight-, and nine-year-old barrels of wood-forward bourbon that were batched and bottled as-is at barrel strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Vanilla-dosed milky lattes with a touch of cinnamon stick drive the nose toward a hit of dried chili, old clove, and brown butter with a light sense of apple cider and figs.
Palate: The apple and cinnamon take on a mulled cider vibe on the palate with macadamia nut cookies, sourdough bread crusts, and soft caramel candies cut with mint syrup.
Finish: The soft and espresso-laden vanilla returns on the finish with a creaminess that helps the finish stay silky as a whisper of smoldering orchard barks and winter spice barks sneak in with a nice warmth.
Bottom Line:
Blue Run continues to wow with its special releases. This whiskey keeps things deep and nuanced while adding extra layers of flavor to the classic Kentucky bourbon mix.
48. Copper & Kings Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in American Apple Brandy Barrels
ABV: 55%
Average Price: $65
The Whiskey:
Copper & Kings have spent years perfecting their Kentucky brandy in Louisville. Now, they’re perfecting brandy-finished Kentucky bourbon. The whiskey in the bottle is a sourced blend of five-, 10-, and 15-year-old bourbons that once batched were re-barreled into Copper & Kings’ own apple brandy barrels. After a year of resting in those brandy barrels, the whiskey was barely touched with water and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Cranberry sauce and caramel candies drive the nose toward old tobacco rolled up with cedar and sage and packed into an old cedar box next to hints of fall leaves and fallow apple orchards.
Palate: The palate opens with a lush and leathery dried apricot next to a moment of grapefruit pith, more cranberry sauce, and plenty of winter spice before honey and chocolate arrive with a dark cherry fruit leatheriness.
Finish: Toffee-dipped tart apples lead to warm and spiced apple cider on the finish with a nice sense of dark chocolate-covered caramels and soft vanilla cream.
Bottom Line:
This whiskey is a great example of a brandy company showing off its skills in the bourbon world. If you’re looking for a deeply spicy yet sweetly fruity bourbon that’s perfectly balanced, this is the bottle to snag.
47. Knob Creek Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 12 Years
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $74
The Whiskey:
This is the classic Beam whiskey. The whiskey is left alone in the Beam warehouses in Clermont, Kentucky, for 12 long years. The barrels are chosen according to a specific taste and mingled to create this aged expression with a drop or two of that soft Kentucky limestone water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with clear notes of dark rum-soaked cherry, bitter yet creamy dark chocolate, winter spices, a twinge of a sourdough sugar doughnut, and a hint of menthol layered with smudging sage and orchard barks.
Palate: The palate leans into a red berry crumble — brown sugar, butter, and spice — with a hint of dried chili flake, salted caramels covered in dark chocolate, and a spicy/sweet note that leads toward a wet cattail stem and soft brandied cherries dipped in silky dark chocolate sauce.
Finish: The end holds onto that sweetness and layers in a final note of pecan shells and maple candy before leaning into a creamy vanilla cream spiked with tobacco and stewed prunes, dates, and figs.
Bottom Line:
I’m not saying “skip Knob Creek 9-Year and just buy this” per se. But you can easily skip Knob Creek 9-Year because it’s a cocktail bourbon. This is a delightfully deep and delicious sipping bourbon that will never disappoint.
46. Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse “Camp Nelson F” Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 58.8%
Average Price: $300
The Whiskey:
The second release from Wild Turkey’s Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse Collection moves to the Camp Nelson campus in Kentucky to highlight the terroir and aging happening in Rickhouse F. The whiskey barrels were pulled from the center cut of the warehouse — floors four and five (out of seven). Once batched, the whiskey was bottled 100% as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Wild Turkey’s iconic spiced cherry vibe is present in spades on the nose with a deep and dark cherry cut with anise, clove, allspice, and cinnamon next to rum-soaked raisins, black tea-soaked dates, and a rich and lush vanilla foundation.
Palate: The clove attaches to dried orange rinds as salted rich caramel drives the taste toward more dates, plum sauce, and leathery prunes with a deep winter spice bark vibe next to a dash of powdery white pepper.
Finish: Honeyed tobacco mingles with sticky toffee pudding, mincemeat pies, and sweet oak mixed with richly spiced tobacco rolled with cedar bark, sage, and old wicker porch furniture.
Bottom Line:
Wild Turkey is betting hard on single rickhouse versions of their whiskey to break through. It’s working as this whiskey is unique while still offering a classical baseline that shines in unison. Sip it neat and enjoy the ride through rural Kentucky on your senses.
45. Mary Dowling Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Tequila Barrels
ABV: 46.5%
Average Price: $74
The Whiskey:
This brand-new whiskey celebrates Mary Dowling, who helped create and then save the whiskey industry in Kentucky back in the early 20th century. The whiskey in the bottle is a three-year-old bourbon from Rabbit Hole. Those barrels are batched and the whiskey is rested again, this time in reposado tequila barrels, until just right.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Floral honey and soft black licorice lean toward fresh and real root beer on the nose with a light moment of white pepper and roasted agave that’s accented by bold winter spice barks and berries with a whisper of orange rind.
Palate: That orange drives the bright palate toward a moment of smoked winter spices (smoldering barks if you will) before creamy eggnog and vanilla buttercream drive the palate back toward warming winter spice and a fleeting note of pepper.
Finish: That pepper builds towards sharp black peppercorns on the finish with sharp winter spice, a hint of buttermilk, and softly spoken notes of roasted agave attached to candied orange and vanilla paste.
Bottom Line:
This new line from Rabbit Hole is a well-crafted whiskey that adds a little tequila wood to the mix. And it works. While this is a great sipper, try it in a citrus-forward cocktail for the full effect.
44. Four Roses Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $57
The Whiskey:
This Single Barrel from Four Roses is a slightly proofed version of their famed OBSV recipe (read about what that means here). That’s a bourbon recipe with delicate fruit yeast and a high-rye mash bill. A single barrel of that was picked from the north side of Warehouse P (a beloved position for Four Roses’ single barrel fans — yes, barrel position and warehouses make a big difference).
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Woody maple syrup and cinnamon sticks lead to a hint of pear candy with a vanilla underbelly on the nose.
Palate: The palate lets the pear shine as the spices lean into woody barks and tart berries next to leathery dates and plums with a butteriness tying everything together.
Finish: A spicy tobacco chewiness leads the mid-palate toward a soft fruitiness and a hint of plum pudding at the end with a slight nuttiness and green herbal vibe.
Bottom Line:
You can grab any Four Roses Single Barrel bourbon and be in for a treat. Hell, collect them all if you like. No matter if you’re grabbing one at random or trying to try all the recipes, this single barrel expression is going to be great as a sipper.
43. Four Gate Whiskey Company Single Barrel Bourbon Finished in Spanish Oloroso Sherry-Dark Rum Cask #602 Selected by Seelbach’s
ABV: 61%
Average Price: $224
The Whiskey:
Four Gate is another bottler that puts out a lot of single barrels that, frankly, aren’t always for everyone — that’s the point. This barrel pick curated by online retailer Seelbach’s is from a seven-year-old barrel of 75% corn, 20% rye, and 5% malted barley bourbon. The whiskey was transferred to an Oloroso sherry cask that also held dark rum. Finally, the bourbon was bottled at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Rum-soaked raisins and brandy-soaked cherries dipped in dark chocolate lead on the nose with a dark and lush hot chocolate with a dash of red chili pepper before a deep plumminess arrives with a hint of roasting herbs.
Palate: That taste opens sweet with dark molasses and honey notes before those brandied cherries kick back in with a sense of fat-soaked roasting herbs and dry sweetgrass braided with smudging sage and cherry tobacco.
Finish: That tobacco layers with cinnamon bark, clove buds, and allspice berries before the chocolate turns creamy and espresso-forward with a hint of lush vanilla underneath it all.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those deep and dark bourbons that warms you to your soul. It’s dessert in a glass so treat it accordingly.
42. Luca Mariano Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Single Barrel
ABV: 51.5%
Average Price: $68
The Whiskey:
This whiskey marries Italian-American heritage with bourbon in Kentucky’s horse country. The whiskey is a contract-distilled high-rye bourbon that spends six years resting in new American oak. That whiskey is then just barely touched with local water before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose feels like walking through a peach orchard on a sunny day with blossoming honey suckles wrapped around cinnamon sticks in your hand.
Palate: The taste builds on that spiced honey with a mild root beer vibe next to overripe peach, a touch of vanilla cream, and a whisper of fresh mint.
Finish: The finish stays fairly mellow with creamy honey and mild spices blending with a soft touch of vanilla/mint tobacco warmth.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those whiskeys where you stop and say (post sip), “Wow, that’s good.”
41. Brown Forman 150 Decanter
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $2,500
The Whiskey:
This minimalist decanter was created back in 2020 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Brown Forman (but was delayed for obvious reasons). The whiskey in the bottle is a very small batch (only six barrels) of 12-and-a-half-year-old barrels (150 months) that were batched, proofed, and bottled back in 2020. The decanters were finally released to the public in the late fall of 2023.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Maple syrup-soaked waffles drive the nose toward banana cream pie, dark whiskey-soaked cherries, and buttery honey before a hint of old tobacco leather and Nutella arrives.
Palate: That hazelnut and chocolate create a lush palate that leads to raspberry jam over creamed scones with a deep salted caramel vibe that’s dipped in very dark chocolate cut with dried florals and old winter spice barks.
Finish: The end leans into the dryness of the spice barks as dry tobacco cut with caramelized sugar from a cème brûlée leads to a finish that’s part toasted oak with a hint of smoldering char and part roasting herbs with a dash of spiced florals.
Bottom Line:
This whiskey was a long time coming and was worth the wait. It’s going to be a hard find but worth grabbing a pour to see what all the fuss is about when sitting at your favorite whiskey bar.
40. Knob Creek Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 18 Years
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $224
The Whiskey:
This is a super rare limited release for fall 2023. The whiskey in the bottle is Beam’s standard mash bill that’s distilled at a slightly different temperature and treated with a little more care during aging by placing barrels in very specific locations throughout their vast warehouses. After 18 long years, the best of the best barrels are small batched, and just proofed before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dark molasses and pecan clusters with salted dark chocolate lead to brown butter, old figs, and salted caramel with a woody sense of cherry and apple bark next to cinnamon-laced cedar sticks with burnt orange.
Palate: The palate is full of lush vanilla notes next to singed cherry bark and apple-cider-soaked cinnamon sticks, star anise, salted black licorice, and dark chocolate-covered espresso beans with a hint of dried red chili spice turning up the heat on the mid-palate.
Finish: The end has a floral honey sweetness that balances everything toward orange blossoms and bruised peaches, cherry tobacco, and clove tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is the mountaintop of Knob Creek. I know I’m starting to sound like a broken record, but this is just delicious. Pour it neat and then have fun with it.
39. Seelbach’s Private Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Toasted French Oak And Maple Syrup Barrels
ABV: 55.66%
Average Price: $79
The Whiskey:
This special release from online retailer Seelbach’s is a Kentucky bourbon that’s bottled down in Jacksonville, FLA. The four-and-a-half-year-old bourbon is sent down to Florida where it spends a humid and hot summer in toasted French oak and ex-bourbon maple syrup barrels before batching and bottling as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Pecan waffles dripping in salted butter and fresh maple syrup drive the nose toward cinnamon rolls, cedar kindling, and apple butter-infused tobacco.
Palate: The palate is full of peach and orange with a hint of clove leading to sharp winter spices and dark chocolate with a touch of smudging sage and rich pipe tobacco.
Finish: Banana’s Foster and cigar boxes drive the finish toward apple cider spiked with allspice and cinnamon and a soft sense of nutty cinnamon doughnuts wrapped in old leather.
Bottom Line:
This is breakfast in a glass. Or dessert in a glass if that’s more your vibe. Delicious, delicious breakfast-dessert.
38. Weller The Original Wheated Bourbon Antique 107 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 53.5%
Average Price: $50
The Whiskey:
This is a non-age-statement bourbon that’s called “Old Weller Antique” (OWA) by those who love the old-school vibes of the expression’s previous iteration. The ripple with this expression is the higher proof. The barrels are vatted and barely proofed down to 107-proof before bottling (the entry proof is 114).
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a lovely sense of vanilla pods and orange blossom with a hint of old saddle leather and cedar bark next to wild sage, cinnamon and caramel apple fritters, and salted black licorice with a bundle of holiday spices and barks tied up with burnt orange and pine.
Palate: The palate is lush with a cream soda float with malted vanilla ice cream cut with cherries, dark chocolate chips, and espresso flakes next to cinnamon cherry bark tobacco on the mid-palate.
Finish: The end dives toward a thick braid of cedar bark, sage, and blackberry tobacco with a thin line of sweetgrass and vanilla pods woven in there.
Bottom Line:
I’ve grown very fond of this Weller version over the last year. It’s just perfectly balanced and beautifully structured. And while it’s a great sipper, you can also make a phenomenal cocktail with this.
37. Blanton’s Straight From The Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: Varies
Average Price: $240
The Whiskey:
This expression is the purest form of Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon. The whiskey in these bottles is from the same Blanton’s barrels, but they’re perfect just the way they are. This whiskey goes into the bottle straight from the barrel with no proofing water whatsoever.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is full of very bespoke dark chocolate-covered salted hard caramel toffees encrusted with almonds and pecans — the kind you get from a chocolate shop that imports their goodies from somewhere like Belgium — next to full fall leaves falling on wet grass outside musty old warehouses with a hint of well-worn boot leather lurking beneath it all.
Palate: The nutty toffee carries through into the taste as oily vanilla pods mingle with cedar boxes of dried tobacco leaves and a touch of floral honey jars with old wooden spoons and more of that old boot leather before sharp winter spices and dried red chili pop on the mid-palate.
Finish: The end is very long and lingers in your senses with a hot buzzing thanks to the barky spices and dry chili that subtly fades through all that sweetness before ending up in an old cedar box full of choco-chili tobacco layered with old dark fruit leather sheets.
Bottom Line:
Yes, Blanton’s is good whiskey. But Blanton’s Cask Strength is great whiskey. This is the only version that you should be chasing.
36. Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 20 Years Old
ABV: 45.2%
Average Price: $3,389
The Whiskey:
This is the Pappy that made “Pappy” what it is today. The wheated bourbon rests for 20 long years in Buffalo Trace warehouses without any meddling. The barrels that actually make it to the 20-year mark are batched and that juice is then proofed down before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Moist and spicy Christmas cake brims with walnuts and pecans, dried fruit and candied fruits, and dark molasses sweetness next to woody cinnamon bark, clove berries, star anise, and a hint of salted black licorice as soft woody maple syrup hint at a sourdough pancake griddled with brown butter on the nose.
Palate: The palate adds a sweet sense of vanilla creaminess with soft apple pie filling before heavily roasted chocolate-covered espresso beans pop in with a touch of bitter orange.
Finish: The end combines all of that toward an old tobacco pipe that’s burnt a century’s worth of rich tobacco flavored with all of the above before a layer of warming oak and cellar floor sneaks in, creating a dynamic layer of age and wood.
Bottom Line:
Yes, this is amazingly overhyped. But that hype comes with good reason — this is excellent whiskey.
It’s classically aged so the oak is front and center. But if that’s your vibe, then this is going to be your jam.
35. Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50.5%
Average Price: $78
The Whiskey:
Bourbon legend Jimmy Russell hand selects eight to nine-year-old barrels from his Wild Turkey warehouses for their individual taste and quality. Those barrels are then cut down ever-so-slightly to 101 proof and bottled with their barrel number and warehouse location.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is as bold as it is classic with a spice matrix brimming with cinnamon, clove, star anise, cardamom, and nutmeg next to dry cedar kindling, black-tea-soaked dates, rum-raisin, and tart dried cranberry tobacco.
Palate: The vanilla creates a lush underbelly as old boot leather mingles with marzipan, orange blossoms, and creamy dark chocolate flaked with salt.
Finish: The end is softly warm with a sense of that marzipan covered in lightly spiced dark chocolate next to old tobacco braided with old wicker and dry cedar bark.
Bottom Line:
This is another example of Wild Turkey just nailing it. Plus, you can get this whiskey for its actual price. I’d buy a case of this before I’d spend thousands on a single bottle.
34. Bardstown Bourbon Company Collaborative Series Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished In Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout Barrels
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $159
The Whiskey:
This brand-new release from Bardstown Bourbon Company is a collaboration with Chicago’s Goose Island’s iconic Bourbon County Stout. The whiskey in the bottle is a blend of six- and seven-year-old Kentucky bourbons that are batched and then re-barreled into Bourbon County stout barrels. 12 months later, the whiskey is blended with another 9-year-old Kentucky bourbon, barely proofed, and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: A moment of honey draws you in on the nose before veering toward rich and very dark chocolate with a deeply stewed cherry cut with oily vanilla, mulled wine spices, and pear brandy-soaked marzipan with a hint of candied orange zest, dry espresso beans, and moist tobacco leaves.
Palate: There’s a moment of malted chocolate shakes on the taste that leads to a rich spiced Christmas cake brimming with walnuts, sultanas, candied cherry, candied lemon rinds, and leathery dates that lead to moments of creamy and very boozy eggnog poured over a Black Forest Cake.
Finish: The Christmas spices, fruit cake, dried fruit, and eggnog all combine on the finish to create a rich and sumptuous finish full of luscious textures and just the right amount of spiced whiskey warmth.
Bottom Line:
This is the best stout-finished bourbon, full stop. The beer fan in your life will appreciate sharing this one with you.
33. Frank August Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Cask Strength Barrel No. 0015
ABV: 60.9%
Average Price: $139
The Whiskey:
The latest single-barrel release from Frank August is from a small collection of only 15 barrels. One barrel was chosen for bottling and then bottled 100% as-is to highlight the beauty of the whiskey in that barrel. That means this whiskey ended up being 6.1 years old.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Rich winter spices draw you in on the nose as deep and sweet oak staves lead to red fruit leather, dark chocolate-dipped cherries, and a layer of vanilla sheet cake.
Palate: Cinnamon cake and peppery citrus drive the palate toward salted caramel over that vanilla sheet cake before more of those chocolate cherries arrive to tie everything into a rich and moist Black Forest cake spiked with allspice and clove.
Finish: The end circles around the chocolate cherry cake as the spices mount on the finish with a warming sense of cinnamon sharpness and red chili heat that’s just tempered by oak wrapped in cherry tobacco.
Bottom Line:
The team at Frank August knows how to pick great barrels of whiskey. This single-barrel expression is as close to perfect whiskey as you can get.
32. Hardin’s Creek ‘Boston’ Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 55%
Average Price: $169
The Whiskey:
This is part three of the Hardin’s Creek 2023 releases. This whiskey is a 17-year-old bourbon made with Beam’s classic mash bill. The whiskey spent all 17 of those years in rickhouses on the Boston, Kentucky campus (a little further south of the Bardstown area). Those warehouses are in a flatter area (instead of tucked away in hollers or perched atop hills). So the actual buildings had more access to bathing warm sunlight, wind, and rain — all of which slightly shifts the aging process of the barrels in those warehouses.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a classic medley of wet brown sugar cut with rich vanilla buttercream, cinnamon bark, and dark cherry cola just kissed with dark chocolate and salt.
Palate: The taste leans nutty (more almond shell than marzipan) with a deep sense of salted dark chocolate-covered espresso beans next to sticky toffee pudding, salted caramel sauce cut with orange zest, and a hint of coffee cake dipped in black tea with a fleeting sense of old rickhouses floors and dry tobacco.
Finish: That dry tobacco and earthiness amp up the finish as the spice barks sharpen toward a warming finish full of Kentucky hugs, vanilla beans, and soft spiced brandied cherries dipped in dark chocolate.
Bottom Line:
This new line from Beam focuses on terroir in aging their Kentucky bourbon. This whiskey is like Booker’s or Knob Creek amped up to MAX volume with a deep nuance of classic bourbon notes that just keep going. Pour it neat and then slowly add water to let this one bloom and take you on a journey.
31. Wild Turkey Generations Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 60.4%
Average Price: $449
The Whiskey:
This late 2023 release from Wild Turkey was the first time Bruce Russell’s name has appeared on a bottle. Bruce teamed up with with dad (Master Distiller Eddie Russell) and his granddad (Master Distiller and legend Jimmy Russell) to create a bourbon that spoke to all three of their whiskey palates. The whiskey in the bottles ended up being a blend of 9-, 12-, 14-, and 15-year-old bourbon that all three of the Russells selected together. Once batched, that bourbon was bottled 100% as-is without filtering or proofing to highlight the beauty of the whiskey being made at Wild Turkey.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Lush vanilla oils are cut with salted caramel and dark cherry root beer made with real sasparilla next to warming winter spices (clove, anise, and allspice) that lean toward mulled wine, cherry-laced tobacco, and hints of dry smudging sage braided with sweetgrass.
Palate: That woodiness leads on the palate before a rush of vanilla buttercream and toffee rolled in roasted almond and dusted with dark chocolate powder shifts the taste toward warm apple pie filling cut with more cloves and allspice and washed down with cherry cola.
Finish: That dark cherry is just kissed with floral honey on the backend as the spices take on a woody bark vibe and the toffee makes a buttery and lush return with a near marzipan feel before old oak staves from a musty rickhouse lead to another braid of sage, cedar, and tobacco on the chewy and silky end.
Bottom Line:
This is a glimpse into the future of Wild Turkey. You can feel the progression from the past to the future on the palate with a sense of journey, time, and delectability.
30. Very Olde St. Nick Antique Cask Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 9 Years “Straight Outta Bardstown”
ABV: 65%
Average Price: Coming Soon
The Whiskey:
This late 2023 release from Preservations Distillery is all about the old and forgotten barrels sitting in Bardstown warehouses. The whiskey is a nine-year-old blend of Kentucky bourbons that highlights the beauty of Bardstown whiskey from top to bottom.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a sense of dates and prunes dipped in floral yet creamy honey and then rolled in roasted and crushed almonds before old libraries full of leather-bound books and deeply rich tobacco arrive.
Palate: That musty leather gives way to old barrel houses full of 1800s wood pillars and used barrels before winter spices add a little warmth that’s countered by deep vanilla creamy eggnog, soft date cake cut with black tea, and a fleeting sense of dried cherries soaked in brandy and dipped in dark chocolate cut with espresso.
Finish: The end builds a warmth based around sharp winter spice barks and berries with a nice counterpoint of vanilla buttercream and lush eggnog over pound cake with a hint of poppy seed and soft pipe tobacco that’s just smoldering.
Bottom Line:
2023 seemed to be a year where terroir drove new expressions — Wild Turkey rickhouses, Beam campuses, and this Bardstown-only blend. All that aside, this whiskey goes beyond the ordinary to something so deep and fun. Start neat and add water to take a trip with this one. It’ll bloom so much in the glass if you take your time.
29. Booker’s “Charlie’s Batch” 2023-01 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 63.3%
Average Price: $97
The Whiskey:
This first Booker’s Small Batch of 2023 was the one to get. This release is an hommage to Charlie Hutchens — the woodworker who makes Booker’s boxes the whiskey comes in and a long-time family friend to the Noe family who makes Beam whiskeys. The whiskey is a blend of mid to high-floor barrels from five warehouses. Those whiskeys were batched and bottled 100% as-is at cask strength after just north of seven years of aging.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Toasted almonds and walnuts lead the way on the nose with a deep and rich vanilla cake lightly dusted with cacao, dry cherry, and cinnamon with a touch of old oak cellars and black-mold-encrusted old deck furniture.
Palate: The soft caramel and vanilla open the palate before a rush of woody and sharp spices — clove, anise, allspice, red chili pepper — arrive with a sense of old wood chips on a workshop floor leads to salted toffee dipped in roasted almonds and dark salted chocolate with a whisper of cherry cordial backing it all up.
Finish: That soft sweetness counters the hot spices for a while on the slow finish as the spices take on an orange/cherry/vanilla Christmas cake vibe with plenty of nuts and ABV heat.
Bottom Line:
Booker’s is the height of Beam whiskey. While there were four releases last year, this one hit something deep in the cockles of your whiskey heart that just worked. It’s just really f*cking good bourbon, folks.
28. Old Ezra Aged 7 Years Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 58.5%
Average Price: $97
The Whiskey:
This brand from Luxco is still sourced whiskey though they did start distilling their own in 2018. This bottle is a seven-year-old blend of barrels with a bourbon mash bill of 78% corn, 12% malted barley, and 10% rye, which just so happens to be Heaven Hill’s bourbon mash bill. These barrels are blended down and left as-is at cask strength for bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is a pretty classic bourbon from nose to finish with a strong sense of rich caramel, pancakes with plenty of vanilla, sweet oak, wet brown sugar, and a whiff of cherry tobacco.
Palate: The palate leans into the woody brown spices as a dark cherry vibe sweetens the mid-palate.
Finish: The end circles back to that sweet oak and spicy cherry tobacco on a short finish.
Bottom Line:
This is a dialed-in and very succinct bourbon. Sometimes, that’s what you want. There are no bells or whistles but you’re left with a satisfied sense of having sipped truly well-made bourbon from top to bottom. And sometimes, that’s really all you want from your bourbon pour.
27. Stagg Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Barrel Proof Batch #22A
ABV: 66.1%
Average Price: $399
The Whiskey:
Stagg is Buffalo Trace’s Mash Bill no. 1 (a low-rye mash) turned all the way up to MAX volume. The whiskey spends about a decade resting in the old Buffalo Trace warehouses before it’s batched and bottled (in this case in Spring 2023) 100% as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is rich on the nose with deep senses of dark chocolate brownies just kissed with stewed black cherry and old vanilla pods before a soft sense of red chili tobacco and wet brown sugar tobacco lead to a whisper of smoldering fall leaves.
Palate: That dark chocolate and chili-laced tobacco drives the taste toward a Christmas cake brimming with candied cherry, orange rind, rum raisin, clove, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and creamy vanilla icing with a dash of salt, marzipan, and brandy-soaked apple and pear orchards.
Finish: The rich and boozy holiday cake fades on the finish as deep earthiness — think firewood bark and smudging sage — drives the end toward a big Kentucky hug of warmth that’s just right.
Bottom Line:
Stagg made a roaring comeback last year. If you’re looking for a great high-proof bourbon that actually still has nuance, then this is the play. However, the average drinker might want to pour this one over a big rock before diving in.
26. Fortuna Rare Character Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 59.41%
Average Price: $94
The Whiskey:
Last year’s Fortuna release was an instant classic. In 2023, the Rare Character team has upped the ante with a cask-strength version and, ho boy, they hit it out of the park. The whiskey in the bottle is a small batch of minimum seven-year-old barrels that were expertly batched and bottled 100% as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a sense of deeply roasted walnuts, almonds, and chestnuts dipped in salted toffee with a sense of darkly charred old oak staves countered by a lush vanilla cream cut with winter spices.
Palate: The nuttiness drives the palate toward vanilla buttercream next to winter spice cakes filled with rum raisin, candied orange rind, and brandy-soaked cherries before a hint of sticky toffee pudding arrives with a whisper of roasting herbs and sweetgrass.
Finish: Nutshells and dried pipe tobacco round out the finish with a deep winter spice bark vibe before the luscious vanilla creates a creamy landing for the pour that’s part eggnog and part malted vanilla shake cut with peppermint, clove, and sasparilla.
Bottom Line:
Fortuna’s team upped the ante with this cask-strength release. This is excellent sipping bourbon for any occasion.
25. Blood Oath Pact No. 9 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Oloroso Sherry Casks
ABV: 49.3%
Average Price: $139
The Whiskey:
This is a classic and very high-end luxe blend of bourbons from Lux Row. The whiskey is made with one 16-year-old bourbon barrel married to two 12-year-old barrels. That batched whiskey was then blended with three seven-year-old bourbons that were finished in Spanish Oloroso sherry casks, all sourced from the Sherry Triangle region in Southwest Spain. Once batched, the whiskey is bottled as-is with no proofing.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose runs deep with a sense of red fruit leather, dark yet sharp woody spice barks, salted toffee rolled in toasted almond, and a fleeting whisper of dark chocolate sauce cut with salt, lavender, and red chili.
Palate: The palate opens with juicy pears and grilled peaches next to stewed plums and leathery prunes over rum raisin dipped in that dark and spicy chocolate with a hint of creamy cherry butteriness.
Finish: The woody chili spice and creamy dark fruit kick up on the end with a sense of sticky toffee pudding tobacco, old cedar humidors, and a bushel of dried vanilla pods layered with smudging sage.
Bottom Line:
This is well-aged and delightfully approachable bourbon. Pour it neat and take your time with this one and it’ll reward you with brilliant nuance and depth.
24. Michter’s US*1 Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 10 Years Old
ABV: 47.2%
Average Price: $367
The Whiskey:
The whiskey barrels sourced for these single-barrel expressions tend to be at least 10 years old with some rumored to be closer to 15 years old (depending on the barrel’s quality, naturally). Either way, the whiskey goes through Michter’s bespoke filtration process before a touch of Kentucky’s iconic soft limestone water is added, bringing the bourbon down to a very crushable 94.4 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a peppery sense of cedar bark and burnt orange next to salted caramel and tart red berries with a moist and spicy sticky toffee pudding with some brandy butter dancing on the nose.
Palate: The palate blends vanilla tobacco with salted dark chocolate-covered marzipan while espresso cream leads to new porch wicker and black peppercorns.
Finish: The end has a pecan waffle vibe with chocolate chips, maple syrup, blackberry jam, and minced meat pies next to old tobacco and cedar with a sweet yet singed marshmallow on the very end.
Bottom Line:
This is perfectly quintessential Kentucky bourbon. It’s elite but not so elite that you can’t get it (or afford it). It’s also a prime example of how good Kentucky bourbon can and should be. This is a whiskey to measure other whiskeys against.
23. Eagle Rare Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 17 Years Old (BTAC 2023)
ABV: 50.5%
Average Price: $1,849
The Whiskey:
Last year’s Eagle Rare ended up being 19 years and three months old (the “17 Years” on the label denotes the youngest barrels used for the brand overall). 2023’s release was distilled and barreled back in the spring of 2004 and then left to rest all those years around the Buffalo Trace campuses in warehouses C, I, K, M, and Q. Once the barrels were batched, the whiskey was proofed and bottled as-is otherwise.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is like eating a moist and perfectly balanced Black Forest cake while walking through an old barrel house and out into a fallow fruit orchard with fall leaves crunchy underfoot and rain barely misty the air with hints of cinnamon cake, smudging sage, and sweetgrass rounding things out.
Palate: Orange cake and salted caramel lead on the palate with a sense of dark chocolate tobacco moving the mid-palate toward dry roasting herbs and a touch of nuttiness.
Finish: Cinnamon sticks and nutmeg pop up on the finish with a hint of vanilla buttercream and eggnog before the spices dry out with a sense of mince meat pie and old leather tobacco pouches.
Bottom Line:
This is another bourbon that’s like the definition of the style in the glass. This is the pour that you give someone when you want to explain how great Kentucky bourbon is at its core.
22. Hardin’s Creek ‘Frankfort’ Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 55%
Average Price: $199
The Whiskey:
This is the same 17-year-old Beam bourbon aged at the Frankfort, Kentucky campus. This set of warehouses is more easterly in the state where the humidity gets bold in the summer and the foothills of Appalachia start to roll in. The actual buildings are also tighter with less ventilation, creating a more enclosed hot box vibe for the ricks.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Soft woody notes pop on the nose with a sense of old tobacco in a cedar humidor next to toasted marshmallows over a smoldering campfire with rum raisin, bespoke cherry soda pop, and salted caramel that’s cut with molasses leads to a medley of sugar cookies cut with almond and lemon oils next to spiced nut cakes.
Palate: The caramel gets dark and salted on the tip of the tongue as the palate leans into mincemeat pies and dark mulled wine with a sense of brandy-soaked fruit cake, rich marzipan, and soft pipe tobacco with a sense of floral honey backing everything up.
Finish: The end takes on a woody vanilla pod vibe over soft notes of winter spice barks, soft cedar, and old saddle leather shined with cherry wax and honeycomb before a malty chocolate shake arrives with a lush and silky finish full of holiday spices and dry smudging sage piled up in an old rickhouse on a warm but musty day.
Bottom Line:
This is a whiskey that just keeps delivering on the profile — if you take your time to let it. Start neat, add water, keep going, and you will be rewarded with a wonderful journey.
21. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Batch No. B523
ABV: 62.1%
Average Price: $69
The Whiskey:
The 2023 spring edition of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof was a banger. This edition is a batch of bourbons that are a minimum of 11.5 years old (down from the usual 12-year age statements). The batch is bottled completely as is without cutting with water or chill filtration.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a nice sense of funk and fruit on the nose — think standing by a barn in an apple orchard — that leads to salted caramel, cherry tobacco, and rich dark chocolate cut with red chili pepper flakes with a lush vanilla foundation of almond cakes and powdered sugar icing.
Palate: Rich winter spice cakes with a hint of rum raisin drive the taste toward dark cherry spiced tobacco with a rush of ABVs that cause a deep buzz before old cellar dirt floors and oak arrive with a dark sense of chocolate and espresso all kissed with salt.
Finish: Cherry Coke and gingerbread drive the finish with a lush and vibrant sense of red chili pepper spice, black pepper woodiness, and cinnamon bark softness before stewed apple and buttery pie crust lead back toward a vanilla almond cake vibe with a lingering warming sensation.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the better Elijah Craig Barrel Proof expressions in a while. It’s just delightful poured neat, which is a great feat given the proof is so high.
20. Old Forester 2023 Birthday Bourbon
ABV: 48%
Average Price: $169
The Whiskey:
2023’s Birthday Bourbon was a subtle masterpiece expression from Lousiville’s oldest distillery. The whiskey in the bottle is hewn from 103 barrels that were filled on May 5th, 2011. Those barrels were housed on the 5th floor of Warehouse I in Louisville for 12 years for batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Candied orange peels draw you in on the nose as molasses and rum raisin lead to salted dark chocolate-covered coffee beans, old cedar bark, and dry orchard barks layered with soft winter spice barks and dark cherry.
Palate: That candied orange drives the palate with a sense of Luxardo cherries, old rickhouse dirt floors, and oak staves before rummy molasses and dark fruits — think dates, figs, and prunes — lead to a cedar tobacco vibe.
Finish: The end sweetens at first with a honeyed orange caramel before swinging back toward the coffee beans and cedar tobacco with a soft sense of old orchards in late fall.
Bottom Line:
2023’s Birthday Bourbon was one of my personal favorites in years. This is everything you want from a rare high-end whiskey — clever, nuanced, surprising, and delicious.
19. 15 STARS Fine Aged Spirits Sherry Cask Finish A Select Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys Finished in Sherry Casks
ABV: 57.5%
Average Price: $179
The Whiskey:
This 2023 release from 15 STARS was made from a blend of 10 and 13-year-old Kentucky and Indiana bourbons. Those barrels were batched by the 15 STARS crew and then the whiskey was re-barreled in sherry casks for a final touch of maturation. That whiskey was then bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Plums, dates, and figs come through on the nose with deep marzipan cut with pear brandy and dipped in salted dark chocolate next to eggnog spices and creaminess with a good dose of Christmas nut cakes.
Palate: The eggnog lusciousness leads the palate toward soft vanilla cookies, salted caramel chews, and a hint of spiced plum jam next to buttermilk waffles studded with pecans before old cellar oak adds an earthen layer.
Finish: The sweetness of the leathery dried fruits drives the finish toward winter spice barks and berries with a sense of old pipe tobacco braided with smudging sage and a whisper of dried mint next to cedar and fall leaves.
Bottom Line:
This whiskey won all the awards in 2023. It 100% lives up to the hype and is worth tracking down. This is a delightful whiskey that goes so far beyond the average that it’s truly stellar.
18. Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond 8-Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Fall 2023
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $109
The Whiskey:
The second limited edition Old Fitz release of 2023 was a fairly young entry to the ongoing Decanter series. This edition was built from Heaven Hill wheated bourbon barrels filled in the fall of 205. Those barrels were carefully selected and batched before proofing and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Wet brown sugar cut with cinnamon and fresh butter layers over toasted buttermilk biscuits before nutmeg-heavy eggnog creates a lush feeling on the nose next to hints of overripe peaches, apricots, and pears with a hint of salted caramel.
Palate: The palate opens with a vibrant sense of fresh peaches swimming in vanilla-laced heavy cream before hitting on the salted caramel with a layer of winter spice that starts to lean peppery and grassy on the mid-palate.
Finish: Those sharp spices drive the luxurious finish toward brandy-soaked pears and stewed peaches with plenty of winter spice, butter, and molasses before a whisper of old oak and tobacco sneak in late.
Bottom Line:
Old Fitz Decanters rarely miss. This late 2023 drop was a big hit and full of delightful nuance and depth. Pour it neat and let it wash over you.
17. Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 15 Years Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 53.5%
Average Price: $2,999
The Whiskey:
This is where the “Pappy Van Winkle” line truly shines. The whiskey in this expression is pulled from wheated bourbon barrels that are at least 15 years old. Once batched, the whiskey is just touched with water to bring it down to a sturdy 107-proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with freshly fried sourdough fritters dusted with ground almonds, sharp cinnamon, cloves, orange zest, burnt sugars, and maple frosting with a hint of old vanilla pods next to soft figs.
Palate: The palate leans into rich toffee with a sense of minced meat pies covered in powdered sugar frosting right next to sticky toffee pudding with salted caramel, orange zest, and tons of brown wintry spice countered by a moment of sour mulled red wine cut with dark maple syrup.
Finish: The end has a soft cedar vibe that leads to vanilla and dark cherry tobacco leaves and a hint of pine next to old white moss.
Bottom Line:
I’m hitting the cliché again: If you buy one bottle of Pappy, this is the chosen one. This is — kind of by far — the best Pappy on the shelf these days.
16. George T. Stagg Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Barrel Proof (BTAC 2023)
ABV: 67.5%
Average Price: $1,599
The Whiskey:
2023’s batch of George T. Stagg was distilled in the spring of 2008 and left to rest in warehouses C, I, K, L, and M around the Frankfort Buffalo Trace campus. After 15 long years of rest, the barrels were batched and bottled 100% as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a classic sense of Cherry Coke, old leather tobacco pouches, and rich buttercream made with real vanilla next to fall leaves in an orchard and then this sense of Neoplotian ice cream creeps in that leans toward the strawberry and chocolate ice cream part.
Palate: The palate opens with a deep sense of an apple orchard on a cold fall day with leaves underfoot next to deeply-seeded dark cherry, cinnamon bark, clove buds, and allspice berries with a sense of the Neopolitan ice cream popping up again late.
Finish: The creamy vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry drive the finish back toward the old orchards, fall leaves, rickhouse floors, and soft cherry-spiced tobacco leaves rolled with cedar and smudging sage with a nice warming Kentucky hug on the very end.
Bottom Line:
This was another big win for Stagg in late 2023. This is bold and brash whiskey that dares you not to love it with those high ABVs. But then it’s so soft and almost subtle with deeply beautiful flavor notes. It’s lovely poured neat and unassailably delicious over a single big ice cube.
15. Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Bourbon Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Wine Barrels
ABV: 59.1%
Average Price: $229
The Whiskey:
This is the 12th Cask Strength Bourbon release from Angel’s Envy but the first under new Master Distiller Owen Martin. Martin brings a deep knowledge of craft Colorado whiskey making and Scotch whisky to the table and it shows in this new release. The whiskey is a masterful blend of Angel’s Envy’s port-finished bourbons at cask strength, allowing the barrels to shine through. As a limited edition, there were only 22,656 bottles produced. The good news is that they’re going out to all 50 states.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Spiced cherry cake mingles with rich and buttery caramel sauce, toasted marshmallows, rum raisin, black-tea-soaked dates cut with cinnamon and nutmeg, and a deep sense of mulled wine cut with dark chocolate.
Palate: The palate leans into the mulled wine and sticky toffee pudding with a flourish of sea salt and orange zest next to lush vanilla buttercream, dark cherry spiced tobacco leaves, and old motorcycle jacket leather.
Finish: The end leans into brandy-soaked cherries dipped in dark chocolate next to dry sweetgrass, smudging sage, and cedar bark braided and stacked in an old cigar humidor next to a dry red wine cork with winter spice cakes, pear brandy marzipan, and deep dried fruits rounding out the end.
Bottom Line:
This is the best Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Bourbon to date and a great sign of things to come.
14. Four Roses 2023 135th Anniversary Limited Edition Small Batch Select
ABV: 54%
Average Price: $199
The Whiskey:
2023’s Four Roses LE Small Batch was only 15,060 bottles. In those bottles, you’ll find a blend of 12, 14, 16, and 25-year-old barrels of whiskey. Those barrels are perfectly balanced to bring deep flavors to the batch before proofing and bottling as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Rich winter spice cakes with roasted nuts, rum raisin, and soft vanilla oils vibe with old cedar kindling, hints of dill, and a faint touch of marshmallow that’s spent too much time in the fire.
Palate: The palate is all sticky toffee pudding and honey cake with a rush of red huckleberry and tart raspberry next to pear cider cut with clove, cinnamon, and allspice and a faint touch of brandied marzipan.
Finish: The finish turns into a luscious masterpiece of soft pear brandy-soaked marzipan with creamy dark chocolate and spiced Christmas nut cakes next to a soft chili tobacco dipped in molasses.
Bottom Line:
This is the most coveted Four Roses out there right now. It’s rare but if you can get your hands on some (even pour), you’ll be in for a delicious and unique treat that takes Kentucky bourbon to new heights.
13. King of Kentucky Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Single Barrel Sixth Edition
ABV: 62.9%
Average Price: $299
The Whiskey:
2023’s King of Kentucky from Brown-Forman in Louisville, Kentucky is a 16-year-old masterpiece. The batch was pulled from 51 barrels all filled on July 19th, 2007. Those barrels were left alone all these years in Warehouse G in the Louisville Brown-Forman Distillery. Once batched, the whiskey went into the bottle 100% as-is at cask strength, yielding only 3,800 bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Toasted coconut and brandy-soaked dates lead the way on the nose with a rich sense of good salted dark chocolate, vanilla buttercream, and honeyed Graham Crackers sandwiching toasted marshmallow.
Palate: That dark chocolate takes on a creaminess (kind of like a small espresso mocha) with a sense of sticky toffee pudding cut with black tea, those brandy-soaked dates, a twist of orange, and plenty of nutmeg and cinnamon before leathery notes of old boots and dry tobacco arrive with an ever-warming heat from the ABVs.
Finish: The ABVs buzz to a warmth that peaks before it gets hot as the finish rides a wave toward orchard barks, mince meat pies, mulled wine, and whispers of pear marzipan.
Bottom Line:
Last year’s King Of Kentucky pulled off the magic trick of balancing massive ABVs with truly deep nuance that made it very sippable. If you’re looking for bold but approachable, this is the play.
12. Bomberger’s Declaration Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 2023 Release
ABV: 54%
Average Price: $179
The Whiskey:
This whiskey heralds back to Michter’s historical roots in the 19th century before the brand was even called “Michter’s.” The old Bomberger’s Distillery in Pennsylvania is where the brand started way back in the day (1753). The whiskey in the bottle is rendered from a very small batch of bourbons that were aged in Chinquapin oak. The staves for that barrel were air-dried for three years before coppering, charring, and filling. The Kentucky bourbon is then bottled in an extremely small batch that yields around 2,000 bottles per year.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Sweet mashed grains — think a bowl of Cream of Wheat cut with butter and molasses — mix with sticky toffee pudding, old saddle leather, old cellar beams, and sweet cinnamon with a hint of candied orange and dark chocolate next to luscious eggnog with a flake of salt.
Palate: The palate is super creamy with a crème brûlée feel that leads to soft winter spices, dry cedar, and orange chocolates with a hint of pear-brandy-soaked marzipan in the background.
Finish: The end has a creamed honey vibe next to brandy-soaked figs and rum-soaked prunes with fresh chewing tobacco and salted dark chocolate leading back to dark chocolate and old cellar floors with a touch of smoldering orchard bark.
Bottom Line:
This is the best Michter’s bourbon that you can actually (sort of) get for its MSRP. Price tags aside, this is a special whiskey that goes beyond the ordinary and translates to beautiful whiskey in a neat glass.
11. Bardstown Bourbon Company Discovery Series Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Series #11
ABV: 59.05%
Average Price: $139
The Whiskey:
The latest release from Bardstown Bourbon Company is a full-on Kentucky bourbon blend. The whiskey is made with 73% 13-year-old Kentucky bourbon, 21% 10-year-old Kentucky bourbon, and 6% of Bardstown’s own six-year-old Kentucky bourbon. Once batched, the whiskey mellows before bottling 100% as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Tart cherries and rich toffee rolled in roasted almond and dipped in salted dark chocolate drive the nose toward cinnamon spice cakes with a hint of dried cranberry, plummy sauce, and rich tobacco.
Palate: The taste leans into caramel-covered peanuts with a hint of red fruit leather, old spice barks, and a whisper of orange rinds next to a touch of Cherry Coke, old leather tobacco pouches, and the old beams from a whiskey barrel house.
Finish: The end leans into a lush vanilla buttercream with notes of old back porch wicker, almost sweet cedar kindling, smudging sage, and cinnamon bark soaked in cherry brandy with a touch of chili-cut dark chocolate.
Bottom Line:
Bardstown Bourbon Company’s first “Disco” with its own juice in the mix is also one of their best Discovery Series releases so far. This is an excellent whiskey for pairing with a big meal, sipping neat, or mixing into your favorite cocktail.
10. Russell’s Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 13 Years
ABV: 55%
Average Price: $150
The Whiskey:
This whiskey was made by Eddie Russell to celebrate his 40th year of distilling whiskey with his dad, Jimmy Russell. The juice is a collection of a minimum of 13-year-old barrels that Eddie Russell hand-picked. Those barrels were married and then bottled as-is with no proofing or filtration.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Sweet and dried fruits invite you on the nose as a touch of fresh, creamy, and dark Black Forest cake mingles with mild holiday spices, dried almonds, and a sense of rich pipe tobacco just kissed with sultanas.
Palate: That dark chocolate and cherry fruit drive the palate as a hint of charred cedar leads toward vanilla tobacco with more of that dark chocolate and a small touch of honey, orange blossom, and a whisper of dried chili flake.
Finish: That honey leads back to the warmth and spice with a thin line of cherry bark smoke lurking on the very backend with more bitter chocolate, buttery vanilla, and dark cherry all combining into chewy tobacco packed into an old pine box and wrapped up with worn leather thread.
Bottom Line:
There was something special about the latest batch of this expression that catapulted it into the stratosphere taste-wise. This is freaking delicious bourbon with incredible depth. This is another “just buy a case” if you can find it pull.
9. Old Forester President’s Choice Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 58.5%
Average Price: $599
The Whiskey:
2023’s President’s Choice Single Barrel bourbon from Old Foresters is yet another masterpiece from the Louisville brand. The whiskey in this case is a 10-year-old barrel that rested in a specific location in the West Louisville warehouses. Once it was just right, the whiskey was bottled as-is with a touch of water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The whiskey opens with a salted caramel apple nose that edges towards apple saltwater taffy with a creamy layer of spicy dark chocolate and a touch of orange blossoms and barrelhouse beams.
Palate: The palate takes the wintry spices and attaches them to the creaminess, creating an egg nog feel to the taste that leans into dark fruits and a hint of toasted coconut cream pie.
Finish: The end holds onto the spice but focuses more on anise (and maybe fennel) while the caramel and spice attach to sticky tobacco with a warming end.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the best whiskeys of the last year. It’s also one of the best Old Forester releases money can buy.
8. E. H. Taylor, Jr. Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $299
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is aged in the famed Warehouse C at Buffalo Trace from their Mash Bill No. 1. In this case, single barrels are picked for their perfect Taylor flavor profile and bottled one at a time with a slight touch of water to bring them down to bottled-in-bond proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dried dark fruits and a hint of vanilla wafers mingle with fig fruit leather, a touch of orchard wood, and a deep caramel on the nose.
Palate: The palate holds onto those notes while layering in dark berry tobacco with sharp winter spices, new leather, and a singed cotton candy next to a cedar box filled with that tobacco.
Finish: The finish lingers on your senses for a while and leaves the spice behind for that dark, almost savory fruit note with an echo of blackberry Hostess pies next to soft leather pouches that have held chewy tobacco for decades and a final hint of old porch wicker in the middle of summer.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those whiskeys that’s hard to get but not impossible (my liquor just had some on the shelf for MSRP). It’s also amazing. This is truly essential Kentucky bourbon that transports you to Kentucky from the nose to the finish.
7. Augusta Distillery Buckner’s Aged 13 Years Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 60% (varies)
Average Price: $199
The Whiskey:
This is a very niche brand out in rural Kentucky that’s sourcing old barrels. The whiskey in the bottle is a Kentucky straight bourbon that rested for 13 years before it was bottled completely as-is both unfiltered and at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a sense of old barrel houses full of sweet and spice bourbon next to a gentle moment of creamy vanilla honey with old corn husks stuffed in the honey which is poured over spiced winter nut breads with a hint of butteriness and earthy nutshells.
Palate: The clove, allspice, and anise of the nut bread amp up the buttery palate with a sense of Earl Grey tea leaves, salted caramel, and mocha-heavy espresso beans next to a light marzipan moistness and hints of burnt orange next to old dry black cherry bark.
Finish: The end lingers for a while as the marzipan and orchard barks fade toward sharp eggnog spices and soft creaminess before the vanilla creamed honey slathers old oak staves with a good dose of earthy fall vibes kind of like a forest floor on a frosty day.
Bottom Line:
This was another huge award winner in 2023. It’s going to be very hard to find now but it’s worth at least trying if you see it at a whiskey bar. It’s a wonderful pour of whiskey — bourbon or not.
6. William Larue Weller Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Barrel Proof (BTAC 2023)
ABV: 66.8%
Average Price: $1,799
The Whiskey:
This is Buffalo Trace’s classic wheated bourbon. 2023’s Weller BTAC was distilled back in the spring of 2011 and left to rest in warehouses C, L, M, and N for 12 long years. Those barrels were batched and this whiskey was bottled 100% as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Deep and dark candied black cherry mingles with dry cedar bark, molasses, real vanilla beans, nutty brown butter, and old leather rolled in pipe tobacco and just kissed with smoldering sage and dry chili pepper flakes.
Palate: The palate opens with a full blast of ABVs, making the front of your tongue tingle, as floral honey, cherry cobbler topped with vanilla ice cream, and brown butter streusel cut with nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove lead to a hint of dry orange tobacco.
Finish: Cinnamon sticks and clove buds floating in maple syrup arrive on the finish with a sense of old leather boots, the oak in an old rickhouse, orchard barks, and soft notes of vanilla and cherry cake.
Bottom Line:
This is arguably the best bottle of bourbon from Buffalo Trace that’s kind of still gettable for a price. This is a fantastic whiskey that goes beyond the ordinary and leaves you feeling like you’ve sipped something actually special.
5. Willett Barrel #1614 19-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 60%
Average Price: $899
The Whiskey:
Every year, Willett releases amazing barrels that are going to blow you away. In early 2023, they released this short barrel that yielded only 62 bottles. That made this a distillery-only release of last year — that also means that this was a very fleeting bottle that came and went very quickly.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Rich and oily coffee beans mingle with dark chocolate creaminess on the nose next to wet brown sugar, buttermilk biscuits fresh from the oven, salted caramel chews, and this fleeting sense of rye bread with a caraway seed crust covered with fresh and almost sour butter smeared over it.
Palate: That chocolate and coffee bean meld on the front of the palate for a rich and very dark mocha latte vibe before leaning into clove, anise, and sasparilla with a smoldering sense of smudging sage and marshmallow next to lush vanilla buttercream and pear compote cut with saffron.
Finish: Ginger coins dusted in raw sugar drive the finish toward spiced mulled wine and holiday nut cakes brimming with dried rum raisin, candied orange, and brandied cherry before eggnog-laced tobacco layered into an old cedar humidor leads to a rich yet sweet black dirt from a cellar that held hams and funky rind cheeses for centuries.
Bottom Line:
Look, any Willett purple top could be here. There are so many rare Willetts that are phenomenal. This one is too and there’s a tiny chance that you might be able to actually try this one (which isn’t true of most Willetts, at this point).
4. Michter’s Limited Release Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 25 Years Old
ABV: 58.1%
Average Price: $1,500
The Whiskey:
The whiskey in the bottle was distilled in or before 1998 at an undisclosed Kentucky distillery from a unique mash bill. That whiskey went into new American white oak barrels and was left alone until they were moved over to the Shively, Kentucky campus where they were monitored for excellence. When the barrels hit the right mark — that’s where the Michter’s team’s prowess comes in — they were batched for this very small limited release and bottled 100% as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a deep sense of old molasses vats that held prunes, dates, and raisins with a sense of winter spice barks, berries, and buds next to brown buttery Christmas sugar cookies dipped in dark chocolate and dusted with ground vanilla pods before this light sense of smoked walnut shells and fire-roasted chestnuts arrives.
Palate: That molasses leans toward thick hot chocolate just kissed with red chili before a deep sense of candied almonds takes the taste toward rich and moist sticky toffee pudding flaked with sea salt and fresh orange zest with a hint of vanilla buttercream.
Finish: The end leans into dried sweetgrass and old fall leaves in an apple orchard with a hint of pear-brandy-soaked marzipan dipped in dark-as-night chocolate and kissed with a mix of woody brown winter spices wrapped up in old tobacco leaves and stored in a very old whiskey barrel in a musty old brick rickhouse on a cold fall day.
Bottom Line:
This late 2023 release is a monumental bourbon. It’s just so goddamn good. The best part is that you can buy this right now — for a massive price but… still. This is a once-in-a-liftetime pour.
3. Eagle Rare 25 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50.5%
Average Price: $22,999
The Whiskey:
Eagle Rare Straight Bourbon is made from Mash Bill #1 at Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. That’s their low-rye mash bill, and that’s all that’s known about the juice. That whiskey was then left to rest for nearly two decades in a warehouse before being moved into Buffalo Trace’s new state-of-the-art Warehouse P facility. When the whiskey hit 25 years old, something magical happened to the barrel and it was ready for bottling.
The single barrel was proofed down to Eagle Rare’s 101-proof and otherwise bottled as-is, yielding only 200 bottles. The bottle is also a collectible with a hand-hammered sterling silver eagle wing wrapped around a hand-blown crystal decanter. That striking bottle comes in a custom display box that opens like an eagle’s wings.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose hints at old oak staves resting in a musty warehouse before veering toward stewed cherries with hints of clove and nutmeg next to salted dark chocolate shavings and rich powdered sugar icing cut with bourbon vanilla and light pipe tobacco essences with a whisper of fall leaves and orchard barks.
Palate: The rich vanilla gets buttery and creamy with an almost eggnog vibe thanks to the spice on the lush palate has dried cranberry, brandy-soaked cherry, and dried figs lead to rich toffee rolled in dark chocolate and anise before getting cut with a touch of earthy tobacco pulled from fresh black dirt.
Finish: The finish hugs you gently with warmth tied to winter spice barks soaked in apple cider cut with black cherry as the dirt takes on a warehouse must with gently sweet oak staves mingle with a whisper of whole black pepper and clove buds over creamy dark orange spice cake.
Bottom Line:
This is a truly once-in-a-lifetime bottle. You might only see this at a very high-end whiskey bar at this point. Try a small pour. It’ll blow you away.
2. Michter’s US*1 Limited Release Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 20 Years Old
ABV: 57.1%
Average Price: $7,026
The Whiskey:
Master Distiller Dan McKee personally selects these (at least) 20-year-old barrels from the Michter’s rickhouses based on… I guess just “pure excellence” would be the right phrase. The bourbon is bottled as-is — no cutting with water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: A sense of dark cherry with deep rummy molasses, dried rose petals, old almond shells, and cedar bark mingle with a fresh pipe tobacco leaf just kissed with apple and pear essence with a hint of vanilla oils and old wintry wine spices.
Palate: The taste leans into smoldering vanilla pods with a sense of old oak staves from a dusty old cellar next to sweet cinnamon and cherry over dried sage and sharp spearmint with a clove syrup base and a dash of toasted marshmallow sweetness.
Finish: The end is full of dark cherry and woody spice with moist marzipan, burnt orange oils, and chewy fresh tobacco wrapped up in old leather and cedar bark with a hint more of that old cellar sneaking in.
Bottom Line:
This is the sweet spot of Michter’s super rare whiskeys. This isn’t impossible to get, but you’ll pay a price. That aside, this is a perfect bourbon.
1. Pride of Anderson County Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 13.5 Years
ABV: 59.9%
Average Price: $500
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is a meeting of the great whiskey minds of 2023. The single barrel pick was curated by David Jennings (of Rare Bird 101) and Pablo Moix of Rare Character in conjunction with Bruce Russell of Wild Turkey. This is a sourced whiskey with the amazingly rare label that has the source on it — Wild Turkey. The whiskey in the bottle is a classic Turkey bourbon that was distilled back in April of 2010, stored in the famed Camp Nelson campus warehouse on the fourth floor, and then bottled 100% as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a deep sense of salted caramel that’s still warm before layers of cinnamon barks, clove buds, star anise, and whole nutmeg drive the senses toward rich and oily vanilla beans, old oak staves with a sweet edge that’s lightly toasted to bring out the sugars, and this flutter of old nutcakes with plenty of candied fruits and brandy wrapped in gold foil for Christmas.
Palate: The palate leans into the candied fruits and citrus peels of a good brandy-soaked nutcake before diving into rich vanilla buttercream over apple pies and wild berry crumbles with a rich and sharp winter spice mix that’s part powdery and part wooden, which leads toward a brandied pear tobacco with a cedar bark vibe.
Finish: The woodiness softens on the finish with almost wet cedar bark braided with cinnamon-rich tobacco dipped in dark orange chocolate and rolled in roasted chestnuts and almonds with a vibe of sitting in an old barrel house amongst the cobwebs, musty microflora, and ancient wooden beams while the wind blows in a moment of fall leaves from a nearby fruit orchard.
Bottom Line:
This is perfect, yes. But it goes so far beyond that to create this matrix of feelings, memories, experiences, and tastes that feels like a time machine, teleporter, and deep tissue massage all wrapped up into a single sip of whiskey. It’s not just a superb Bluegrass State bourbon, it’s… magic.
