The NBA playoffs are nearly at their climax, and the Eastern Conference Finals are home to an epic matchup between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers. Let’s drink.
The rivalry between the two teams is a bitter one, as they have faced off eight times in the playoffs, resulting in five wins for the Pacers vs. only three for the Knicks. That said, the Big Apple squad has won two of their three matchups against Indiana in the Eastern Conference Finals, and this year’s clash promises to be yet another instant classic with both teams upsetting higher seeds to make it to the penultimate stage of the playoffs.
The two die-hard fan bases both deserve to advance, and I know both sides come from regions with a distilling background that rivals Kentucky’s dominance. So, in true underdog spirit, now is the perfect time to match up the best bourbons from both states. Think of this as a guide for great-sipping during the series as much as a competition to rival the excitement of the NBA’s premier tournament.
Buckle up, sports and spirits fans, these are the best New York and Indiana bourbons, ranked for enjoyment during the NBA Eastern Conference Finals!
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15. Hudson 5-Year New York Straight Bourbon
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $60
The Whiskey:
Hudson Whiskey is one of New York’s most prominent whiskey brands, thanks to its brightly colored marketing campaign, which can be seen throughout the city on billboards and the broadside of buildings. This expression, its oldest age-stated bourbon, is made from a mash bill of 95% corn and 5% malted barley.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The aroma profile for this bourbon begins with cornbread, dilute honey, hazelnuts, and peppercorns. There’s also a salted butter note, which adds a bit of depth, though the primary aroma is that of the grain-forward corn notes.
Palate: On the palate, those grain-forward notes become much more assertive. The flavor of cornbread and black pepper lay claim to the center of the palate, while black pepper spice, youthful oak, and dilute honey notes float on the edges of the tongue. The mouthfeel is austere and lean.
Finish: The finish on this one is brief and leans into the youthful oak notes while some dilute honey and black pepper spice provide a bit of flourish before it gently recedes from the palate.
Bottom Line:
Hudson Whiskey is most successful with its range of rye, but this more recent addition to its lineup truly bolsters its bourbon bona fides. While the youth is quite evident, as the grain-forward nosing and flavor notes dominate, leaving little room for more nuanced accents, this whiskey does show some promise. Despite that, it belongs comfortably in the “underdog” seed of this particular ranking.
14. Hard Truth Sweet Mash Bottled In Bond Wheated Bourbon
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $55
The Whiskey:
Hard Truth’s Sweet Mash Wheated Bottled in Bond Bourbon, made from 69% Corn, 19% Wheat, and 12% Malted barley, is the fledgling distillery’s first wheated bourbon expression. Though Hard Truth only laid down its first barrels of bourbon in 2018, the Indiana distillery has been gaining ground in the past two years among internet-savvy whiskey aficionados, primarily thanks to its rye.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nosing notes kick off with vanilla frosting, sugar cookies, pink peppercorn, and dilute butterscotch. It’s a well-balanced, albeit not particularly expressive set of aromas that works increasingly well after several swirls of the glass.
Palate: On the palate, Hard Truth’s inaugural bottled in bond bourbon displays some restrained caramel apple notes to complement a backbone of youthful oak, honeyed wheat toast, black pepper, and fresh hazelnuts. The flavors are fairly mild, but harmonious, and it rewards repeat sips as each taste helps you appreciate the depth of each layer of flavor.
Finish: The finish is brief, and closes with a final kick of black pepper spice and honeyed wheat toast before receding from the palate with slightly sweeter flavors like caramel and sugar cookies.
Bottom Line:
While Hard Truth’s flagship bourbon is a bit burlier and more robust, something typical bourbon drinkers can sink their teeth into, this Bottled in Bond version offers a bit more finesse. What comes with that lighter touch is a bit more nuance, with a wider array of flavors adding to your overall enjoyment. This is a softer, more approachable Indiana bourbon, but one that definitely lives up to the state’s high standards.
13. William Dalton Bottled In Bond Wheated Bourbon
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $60
The Whiskey:
Spirits of French Lick, so-named because it’s roughly 3 minutes from its more famous sister town, is doing a ton of interesting things. Case in point: this straight bourbon whiskey, which uses a mash bill of 70% corn, 20% wheat, and 10% 2-row Caramel malt. One of this expression’s defining characteristics is that it uses both the brand’s “house” yeast and a second brandy yeast. Furthermore, this bourbon relies partially on malolactic fermentation and is 100% double pot distilled. With a barrel entry proof of 105, after maturation, this bourbon is bottled without chill filtration. It’s all that attention to detail that makes this one so unique.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: On the nose, William Dalton opens with orange blossom, eucalyptus, white flowers, and caramel. It’s a pretty light aroma profile that rewards repeat nosings with deeper accents like sage, peppercorn, and gentle oak tones.
Palate: Once on the palate, this whiskey becomes a bit more expressive as the caramel from the aroma bouquet takes center stage, bringing along accents of black tea, potting soil, clover honey, and sage. At midpalate, some of those earthy tones are tempered as honeysuckle and candied orange peel notes emerge more assertively.
Finish: On the succinct finish, this whiskey closes with a flourish of mint, black pepper, semi-bitter plum skin, and nutmeg.
Bottom Line:
Atypical production practices yield an atypical whiskey, as William Dalton Bottled In Bond eschews some of the funkier notes associated with pot still distillation and wheated bourbon, taking things in an altogether different direction. Despite the unexpected flavors present in this one, it’s a fun and most importantly, balanced ride that’s worth the price.
12. Taconic Dutchess Reserve Bourbon
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $42
The Whiskey:
Taconic Distillery, established in 2014 and located in Stanfordville, New York, is one of the state’s lesser-known bourbon producers, but they’re not short on high-quality output. This Dutchess Reserve Bourbon is aged for a minimum of five years and distilled from a mash bill of 70% corn, 25% rye, and 5% barley.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: On the nose, this whiskey begins with some coconut milk, light cocoa, corn pudding, and honey. It’s a decidedly sweet aroma profile with subtle accents of black pepper spice, nutmeg, and vanilla.
Palate: On the palate, this whiskey packs more punch than its nosing notes. Brown sugar, buttered croissants, and faint cherry notes form the base while vanilla frosting, cinnamon, and a splash of cocoa round things out.
Finish: The finish is pretty brief here, but it’s full of the coconut notes from the nose, as well as some cacao nibs and coffee bean notes.
Bottom Line:
Taconic Distillery may not be as well-known as its peers in the big city, but it’s still got several eye-catching expressions. This Dutchess Reserve Bourbon is a prime example of what the distillery can do. Believe me, it’s a winner — especially for the price.
11. Fort Hamilton Single Barrel Bourbon
ABV: 47.5%
Average Price: $60
The Whiskey:
Fort Hamilton, the young distillery nestled in Brooklyn, New York, has been putting out some really cool whiskeys for a while now, but naturally, it’s the single-barrel bourbon that’s piqued American whiskey enthusiasts’ interest. Age stated at 4 years old; this particular bottling comes from barrel #5.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nosing notes open with corn pudding, cinnamon, honey, and youthful oak, which is indicative of this whiskey’s age while also defying it by coalescing in a rich, aromatic harmony.
Palate: On the palate, this whiskey brings a ton of almonds, clove, cinnamon, and cedar. It’s a light and sprightly sip that easily rolls over the tongue and delivers a mix of classic, youthful bourbon notes with rich, well-developed flavors more commonly associated with older juice.
Finish: The finish is fairly brief but full of allspice, fresh pears, and apple notes, making you smack your lips and dive in for a second sip as quickly as you can.
Bottom Line:
Fort Hamilton has some incredibly cool ryes that put them on the radar for us in the first place, but after trying this single-barrel bourbon, we knew that its take on America’s Native Spirit belonged on this list. This small outfit in Industry City, Brooklyn, is making waves in the Big Apple and it definitely deserves an even bigger stage.
10. Hillrock Double Cask Solera Aged Bottled in Bond Bourbon
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $78
The Whiskey:
Hill Rock’s Double Cask Bottled In Bond Bourbon, the brand’s latest expression, follows the track of all their flagship products on the production side and goes the extra step of sticking to the bottled-in-bond regulations. After aging in both #3 char and #4 char new American oak casks for over five years, the liquid is bottled and sent to market.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this whiskey is surprisingly lively and full of aromas like roses, cherries, clove, vanilla, and ginger snaps, with cucumber and watermelon rind notes emerging over time.
Palate: On the palate, it begins grain forward before some lush caramel, cucumber/watermelon rind, and the flavor of rosewater gently washes away the grain notes. The texture is unremarkable, which is perfectly fine because that places all of your attention on the lovely, light bouquet of flavors.
Finish: The finish is full of black pepper, potting soil, and watermelon rind, with a touch of caramel and white pepper entering the fray before tapering off.
Bottom Line:
This is a surprisingly vibrant and summery bourbon with the fresh melon and cucumber notes serving to brighten the overall experience in a way that will leave you smiling between sips, nodding your head in agreement with a question you never knew you asked. Hillrock has another winner, in the form of its fantastic Solera Aged Bourbon, but I wanted to give particular shine to this precocious bottled-in-bond bourbon because it’s the brand’s most surprising delicious release.
9. Smokeye Hill Barrel Proof Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 65.5%
Average Price: $75
The Whiskey:
This expression is a critically acclaimed blue corn whiskey from Smokeye Hill, which is based in Arizona, but employs whiskey that was contract distilled by MGP in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Uncut and unfiltered, this bourbon was matured for a minimum of 5 years before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Notes of peanut butter, dried mango, and wheat bread are immediately evident on the nose. After a quick swirl of the glass, I’m also picking up cinnamon red hots and a touch of fresh bananas and vanilla wafers as well. It’s not a particularly expressive nose, but it’s well-integrated and inviting while hiding the brunt of the burn.
Palate: It opens with a fairly slick mouthfeel, and it has some nice chocolate and bananas on the palate with robust oak, tobacco leaves, and lush Madagascan vanilla tones backing them up. The flavors here are impressively creamy, though it should be said that the density is surprisingly austere despite its fairly rich flavor profile.
Finish: The lingering finish is full of flavorful sweet leather, semi-bitter dark chocolate, and vanilla pods.
Bottom Line:
Smokeye Hill isn’t the first brand to introduce a blue corn bourbon, but it’s undoubtedly been the most successful. Balancing the atypical flavors found in blue corn bourbon at such a high proof has resulted in some prominent award wins for this exciting expression that seemingly came out of nowhere. Smokeye Hill’s Barrel Proof Bourbon is definitely a bottle that you should add to your shopping list ASAP.
8. Hazelbaker Indiana Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled in Bond Aged 7 Years
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $67
The Whiskey:
For this new, age-stated bottled-in-bond product, PCS Distilling kept things simple. They opted to take some of their best barrels, sourced from Indiana and matured in a bonded warehouse, and blend them together after seven years of aging.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Is there a Milky Way in my glass? The aroma of chocolate, caramel, and nougat greets the nose at first, with some accenting notes of brown sugar and robust oak rounding things out.
Palate: Brown sugar and milk chocolate splash across the tip of the tongue for a highly sweet introduction to this bourbon. The milk chocolate persists at midpalate as the rich texture of this bourbon brings touches of mocha, sweet oak, and cherry leather.
Finish: The lengthy finish reiterates all of the aforementioned flavor notes, which continue to blossom, showcasing their impressive richness minutes after your final sip.
Bottom Line:
This bourbon remains consistent from the nose to the palate, delivering a milk chocolate candy bar in a glass. While PCS Distilling has developed a strong reputation for its finished iterations, this by-the-books bottled-in-bond offering shows exactly why they’ve been so successful: they’ve figured out how to select some delicious, high-quality straight whiskey to be the backbone of everything they do.
7. McKenzie Bottled in Bond Wheated Bourbon
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $60
The Whiskey:
New York has no shortage of promising distilleries right now, and Finger Lakes Distilling, located upstate, is certainly among them. Featuring a mashbill of 70% corn, 20% hard red winter wheat, and 10% malted barley and aged for a full four years under the Bottled in Bond standards, McKenzie Bourbon is proof positive that the north New York region may soon be known for its whiskey as much as its wine.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Caramel-coated melon kicks things off, an unexpected duo that prepares your senses for the journey you’re about to take. From that auspicious start, you’ll also find milk chocolate, marshmallow fluff, lemon zest, and dried cranberries hanging in the air above the glass.
Palate: Again, milk chocolate holds significant space on the palate, and it’s joined by more red berries – this time more akin to semi-sweet raspberries – while lemon tartness and savory pecan flavors soon follow.
Finish: The medium-bodied texture allows plenty of runway for a surprisingly lengthy finish that crescendos with mellow baking spices and gently undulates away, leaving custard and almond extract in its wake.
Bottom Line:
This wheated bourbon is flat-out amazing, capable of besting better-known whiskeys in its subset in blind tastings, and even more impressive than Finger Lake Distilling’s award-winning rye. McKenzie Bottled in Bond Bourbon is a surprisingly well-rounded whiskey that utilizes an atypical grain recipe and subjects it to the Bottled in Bond standards to satisfying results.
6. Old 55 100% Sweet Corn Bourbon
ABV: 62.7%
Average Price: $300
The Whiskey:
Newtown, Indiana, is home to Old 55 Distillery, which is deploying proprietary enzymes and producing both a wheated bourbon as well as some truly magnificent, albeit extremely limited, 100% sweet corn bourbon. Cask strength is where their sweet corn bourbon shines brightest, as it showcases all of that unsprayed, organic sweet corn in all its glory.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s an earthy aroma reminiscent of tree bark that is quickly supplanted by gobs of sumptuously sweet corn pudding, melon, white peach, and overripe apricot.
Palate: On the palate, the viscousness of the liquid is immediately remarkable, which lays the foundation for corn pudding, blackberries, vanilla ice cream, and cinnamon bark to coat your tongue in nearly equal measure.
Finish: On the finish, you’ll find the kick of cinnamon bark, cola nut, and jammy blackberry sweetness kissing you goodbye after every sip.
Bottom Line:
Producing 100% sweet corn bourbon is not only more labor-intensive but it’s also costly — which goes to explain the high sticker price for Old 55 100% Sweet Corn Bourbon, but the results are so damn worth it. Not only is this one of the more unique bourbons on the market from a production standpoint, but it also demonstrates the potential of bourbon as a category when the cost is thrown to the wind and talented distillers focus on one straightforward goal: flavor.
5. Penelope Private Select 9-Year Estate Collection Straight Bourbon
ABV: 50.6%
Average Price: $80
The Whiskey:
Penelope’s recently launched Estate Collection took a ton of people by surprise in 2024. The lineup currently features an 11-year-old wheat whiskey, a ten-year age-stated single-barrel series, and this 9-year-old straight bourbon blend, all of which come directly from the premium stock of Penelope’s parent company, Ross & Squibb/MGP in Indiana.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This gives me serious Cracker Jack vibes, as the aroma of caramel corn and peanuts joins an intriguing Luden’s cherry cough drop note and a bit of cotton candy for an enticing blend that’s taking me to the ball game. Allspice emerges, and the oak becomes more prominent the longer you allow this to sit in the glass.
Palate: The tame nosing notes prove to be the perfect primer for the demure but decadent flavors found on the palate. This is incredibly rich bourbon with Manuka honey, Tahitian vanilla, bits of bright red cherries, and nougat flavors gently detonating at midpalate. The proof is as restrained as the nose suggested, making this one a pleasure to mine for more flavor as it meets you halfway.
Finish: The finish is on the shorter end of being medium-length, but it so gently recedes from your palate that you’ll go searching for more flavors to unlock long after your final sip. What a treat.
Bottom Line:
The keyword when it comes to Penelope’s Private Select Estate Collection Bourbon is finesse. Never is this whiskey heavy-handed or anxious to show how elegant it is, but rather, it slowly unfurls to reveal a depth of incredibly impressive flavor that you’ll want to appreciate at length. Taking your time with each sip of this outstanding whiskey is well worth it, and you’ll surely love how well it performs for less than $100.
4. Starlight Mizunara Cask Bourbon
ABV: 58%
Average Price: $150
The Whiskey:
Starlight’s Mizunara Finished Bourbon begins with straight bourbon barrels that were initially set to go into their premium “Family Reserve” lineup that was subsequently finished in rare Mizunara oak casks.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: After nosing this one blind, there were notes of nutmeg, hazelnut, faint mocha, and oak spice that came wafting out of the glass. Candied ginger and orange pith also come through with a gentle cinnamon dusting.
Palate: On the palate, there are plenty of bright cherry notes that go with some cedar, cinnamon, and buttercream that sadly fades a bit quickly.
Finish: The finish is marked by the oak spice and bright cherry notes, but the quick dissipation of vanilla and buttercream makes it seem shorter than it should be.
Bottom Line:
Starlight’s excellence in the realm of finishing bourbon is again on full display here as they employ rare Mizunara oak to elevate their already outstanding base liquid. While several more experimental finished whiskies are coming out of the Borden, Indiana, distillery, this is certainly chief among them.
While many people are rightfully watching Ross & Squibb/MGP as Indiana’s volume leader in whiskey sales, this scrappy craft distillery is upending plenty of bigger names in the industry with stellar, award-winning releases like this one.
3. Widow Jane Black Opal 20-Year Bourbon
ABV: 49.5%
Average Price: $500
The Whiskey:
Widow Jane’s brand-new Black Opal expression is the new pinnacle of the Red Hook, New York distillery’s range. By painstakingly marrying bourbons that were aged for at least 20 years (some of those barrels likely coming from parent company Heaven Hill), Head Blender Sienna Jevremov came up with the final blend, which was then subjected to further maturation in expensive Mizunara oak casks.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The aroma of Tahitian Vanilla, Frankincense smoke, dried apricot, and rose hip stand out from the brand’s nosing notes, but I’d add toasted coconut, the burnt sugar of crème brulée, and dense oak tones to that medley.
Palate: Again, the brand notes are spot on with walnut, black strap molasses, crème brulée, and poached plum flavors combined with fainter flavors like sage and brown butter. There’s a creamy nuttiness along with sweet oak providing a base layer for those more far-flung flavors to blossom, and the texture is smooth and viscous, coating the palate and clinging to the back of the teeth.
Finish: The honey introduces some honey and chocolate ganache as well as some cooked apple notes for a medium-length send-off that will leave you marveling at the proof point as the flavors maintain great structure down to the last drop along with ample richness that you’ll want to savor long after every sip.
Bottom Line:
With only 5,000 bottles available worldwide, this rare expression will sell out quickly. It’s worth finding before it’s all gone, as it features exceptionally aged bourbon blended by one of the industry’s most underrated teams, utilizing well-vetted stock. Unlike some hyper-aged expressions, which are slapped together with whatever barrels a brand can scrounge up, Widow Jane has been fielding some of the best-sourced bourbons since its inception. With their highest age-stated release ever, they’ve also made their biggest splash, producing their best whiskey yet.
2. Remus Gatsby Reserve 2024
ABV: 52.45%
Average Price: $300
The Whiskey:
Launched late last year, the latest edition of Remus Gatsby Reserve Bourbon is a 15-year-old expression from the Ross & Squibb Distillery, previously known exclusively as MGP in Indiana. This premium expression blends two mash bills: 75% corn, 21% rye, 4% malted barley; and 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malted barley. The final result is one delicious bourbon.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is really lively on this whiskey, despite its age, and full of orange peels, cocktail cherries, cheesecake, and leather. The oak presence is really sweet, and after a few swirls in the glass, this one also picks up other notes like date syrup, vanilla frosting, and toasted coconuts.
Palate: On the palate, the whiskey is leaner than the decadent aroma profile seemed to indicate, but the flavors are definitely there in full force. The cherries and leather hit the palate at first, with mature oak and vanilla extract softening those sweet notes as a bit of cola nut, burnt pie crust, and tobacco leaves add additional balance and nuance.
Finish: The medium-length finish on this whiskey defies expectations yet again, ending a bit stronger than it started with a final layer of cherry-topped cheesecake, orange pith, and dense oak tones closing things out.
Bottom Line:
If this whiskey gets a bad rap, it’s only because overzealous bourbon enthusiasts have a tendency to pine for more proof, even when it isn’t actually the best idea on the table. Let’s put the ‘more proof = more flavor’ debate to bed, especially on the heels of this rich bourbon’s recent well-deserved Double Gold Medal win. It’s just more proof that Indiana’s biggest bourbon-producing outfit deserves praise on the biggest stage.
You can’t argue with gold.
1. Kings County Barrel Strength Bourbon
ABV: 66.3%
Average Price: $99
The Whiskey:
Kings County is New York City’s oldest distillery, and all that experience is brought to full bear with their Barrel Strength Bourbon. For their premier, undiluted offering, the brand uses some of their oldest barrels, which are aged between 4 and 7 years.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Green grape skin and brown sugar are striking at first, but wait…there’s more. Enter the custard with lemon zest, black pepper, nutmeg, Brazil nuts, and honey to add to the depth.
Palate: The flavor of corn pudding, honey, and golden raisins splash across the palate, adding surprising levity to the dense and dark liquid in the glass. It coats your palate at once and beckons the back of your tastebuds to explore more as each sip slowly dissipates.
Finish: The finish is incredibly long-lasting, and it’s there that you’ll find more baking spices and barrel char to corral those sweeter top notes.
Bottom Line:
It’s well-known by now that Kings County produces bourbon that can punch above its weight on the national scene. If more people were to try the best of their bourbon — and these barrel-strength releases are definitely the best of their bourbon — next to some of Indiana and Kentucky’s heavyweights, it would be more well-known that Kings County can hold its own on any stage, and at any price point.
Hopefully, its placement on this list and a shiny new medal from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition make it clear that this New York bourbon is on a championship level.
