The best bourbons between $125 and $150 must taste great. Honestly, what are we even talking about if the flavor of these bourbons isn’t exemplary? Story, recipe, vibe — all of that falls away when talking about spending this much on bourbon. It has to be freaking good, above all things.
That said, let’s be honest, not all bourbon is created equal, even at this price point. There are going to be whiskeys that don’t shine quite as brightly as others.
Below, I’m going to help you sift through the bullshit and name 10 bourbon that are actually worth their hefty price tags. The key is that these bourbons offer something special in the bottle (and in your glass). They also all have that “x-factor” that makes them stand out.
Naturally, I did rank these bourbons. Some of them just hit more deeply than others — something extra extra that’s almost indescribable but you feel it when you taste it. Sound enticing? Let’s dive in!
10. Murray Hill Club Bourbon Whiskey A Blend
ABV: 51.5%
Average Price: $129
The Whiskey:
This is a masterfully sourced whiskey. The blend is a mix of 18 and 11-year-old bourbon with a nine-year-old light whiskey (a high-proof whiskey aged in lightly toasted uncharred barrels). That whiskey is then just touched with water before bottling without any fuss.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a rich sense of buttery toffee on the nose with plenty of cinnamon/nutmeg/allspice next to a hint of savory fig and some vanilla cream.
Palate: The palate merges the spices into a lush eggnog vibe as hints of old cedar planks mix with a black peppercorn sharpness.
Finish: The end mixes the spices into a buttery cookie with hints of singed cinnamon bark, old pine, and soft vanilla tobacco leaves.
Bottom Line:
This is the most succinct whiskey on the list. Overall, this delivers beautiful flavor notes that go beyond “classic” and hit that depth of greatness. There’s also a deep nostalgic winter vibe going on that hits well year-round, especially in a Manhattan or old fashioned.
9. 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 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 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 a whiskey that goes well beyond the ordinary and hits notes that surprise and wow — that floral note up top is gorgeous. The rest of the palate delivers a sense of deep quintessential Kentucky bourbon with a dark fruitiness, sharp spiciness, and sweet sense of luxury.
8. Woodford Reserve Masters Collection Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 2024 Batch Proof
ABV: 60.6%
Average Price: $149
The Whiskey:
The 2024 Woodford Reserve Barrel Proof just dropped. The whiskey was made by batching just over 100 Woodford barrels from various dates of production, warehouses, and floors to create a barrel-proof masterpiece.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a pecan waffle vibe with tons of real vanilla bean, soft cinnamon brown butter, and maple syrup cut with clove next to a creamy sense of eggnog spices and richness that’s cut with an acidic tropical fruit note (in a good way).
Palate: The tropical fruit note narrows to caramelized pineapple on the palate with a touch of huckleberry jam and strawberries dipped in dark salted chocolate next to toasted oakiness and soft honeyed tobacco.
Finish: Those strawberries drive the finish toward more fresh oakiness with caramelized sugars and carbon mingling with fresh honeycomb, wild berry tobacco, and more lush eggnog spiciness.
Bottom Line:
This is a bit of a wild card. It starts off as a stone-cold classic and then veers into tropical fruits and soft acidity in all the right ways. The layers of honey are reminiscent of a bold Scottish malt (thanks to those pot stills at Woodford’s distillery) while the berries and oak add beautiful depth to every moment of this slow sipper.
7. 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:
This has a lovely balance of oakiness and spice with classic dark citrus notes and dark cherry that screams, “Put me in an old fashioned right now!” That said, this is perfectly suited to a big rock as a sipper too. Dealer’s choice!
6. 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:
This is just really good quintessential Kentucky bourbon. If you’re looking for a heightened and deep experience of something you know and love, this is the pour.
5. Garrison Brothers Guadalupe Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in a Port Cask 2024 Limited Edition
ABV: 53.5%
Average Price: $149
The Whiskey:
This Texas whiskey is hewn from 90 30-gallon barrels of four-year-old bourbon that were transferred into 26 59-gallon Tawny Port casks for a final maturation of over one year. That whiskey is then bottled as-is after a touch of water is added.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this bursts with raspberry, blackberry, redcurrant, and blueberry all stewed with plenty of holiday spices and folded into a cobbler topped with dense buttery buttermilk biscuits.
Palate: The palate leans into the spice with a focus on clove, nutmeg, and a tiny whisper of anise as the berry turns more towards a fresh strawberry with dark chocolate-covered espresso beans chiming in on the mid-palate.
Finish: That chocolate-bitter vibe drives towards a finish full of cinnamon-spiked dark chocolate tobacco leaves, stewed plums, and a dollop of floral honey.
Bottom Line:
This is the most “acquired taste” whiskey on the list. I adore this stuff. It’s bold and funky while delivering deep nostalgic notes that take me to my grandmother’s kitchen while she baked holiday treats. It’s like a time machine that still somehow feels fresh and new. My advice is to pour this over a single big ice cube and take it slowly — it’ll reward you over and over again.
4. 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:
This release came out of nowhere last year and upped the ante on Maker’s Mark. This is elite whiskey that tastes special. It’s so creamy and lush with a beautifully soft herbal nature of delicate woods and spices. This is a great slow sipper that also makes a killer Manhattan.
3. Blackwood Toasted Bourbon Batch #3
ABV: 59.3%
Average Price: $149
The Whiskey:
This new brand has a Kentucky Derby history that runs deep. Guinness McFadden (co-founder of the brand) is the co-owner of 2019 Kentucky Derby winner Country House and built this whiskey around his stables in eastern Kentucky. The whiskey in the bottle is Bardstown-area 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 is an essential Kentucky bourbon, especially as Derby season approaches. The subtly of the whiskey is amplified by a deep sense of beautifully nuanced and balanced Kentucky bourbon notes that are accented by subtle fresh wood sugars and vibes. Pour this neat and take your time with it, then add water, and enjoy the ride this one will take you on.
2. 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:
This is the best Bardstown Bourbon Company Discovery Series release to date. It’s a perfect bourbon (not “damn near perfect”, actually “perfect”). Sip this one slowly with some great food, friends, and plenty of time to enjoy it all. You’ll be rewarded with a gorgeous pour of the truly good stuff.
1. 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:
This whiskey gets better and better every year. The latest batch is astoundingly delightful. Sip this one slowly for the full brunt of the flavor profile and then play with it in your favorite whiskey-forward cocktails — it’ll shine there too.
