To say that there’s a lot of bourbon on the shelves these days would be a massive understatement. In 2023, it’s actually appropriate to use the word “plethora” when describing the number of bourbon labels on the shelf (which means an “overabundance” or “excess” and not just “a lot”). There’s so much, in fact, that I can call out 100 great Kentucky bourbons one day and another 100 bourbons not from Kentucky the next.
That’s 200 bottles of bourbon that are all very good to great. And it barely scratches the surface!
Take a breath, I know it’s a lot. It’s mindboggling and, at times, frustrating when trying to actually figure out what the hell to buy and drink. So let us help with your whiskey collection curation.
Today, I’m calling out 100 great bourbons from all over the U.S.A. except Kentucky. You see, bourbon just needs to be made in the U.S.A. There’s no parameter or law requiring it to be made in Kentucky. That said, most of it is made there (well over 90%). And still, with less than 10% of bourbon coming from all 49 states, it wasn’t all that hard to find 100 killer bottles to list here. As we said, there’s a lot of this stuff being made right now — it’s a full-on boom!
To be clear, I do get that there’s also plenty of bad shit out there. But this list is about the good stuff that you can find, depending on how close or far you are from the source. And that’s the one caveat here. Some of these bourbons are hyper-local. You’re not going to find a few of these outside of distillery shops or local liquor stores. That said, there are some bourbons on this list that you can find worldwide — so it all balances out. Let’s just dive in!
100. High West Bourbon
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $32
The Whiskey:
High West Bourbon is quickly becoming one of the most sought-after sourced whiskeys. The whiskey in the bottle is a blend of two to 13-year-old barrels rendered from high-rye and low-rye mashes alongside undisclosed whiskeys, some of which are sourced from MGP of Indiana.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a hint of funk on the nose that leads to raw leather, vanilla pudding, and buttered sweetcorn.
Palate: The taste is soft and velvety with a touch of nougat next to quickbread biscuits with plenty of butter and vanilla-laced honey.
Finish: The finish dries out toward vanilla pods and cedar bark with a hint of apple chips with a flake of Kosher salt.
Bottom Line:
This is just a solid bourbon. There’s a nice balance of creamy and classic bourbon notes that feel nostalgic to the senses. You can sip this over a glass full of ice, but it really shines in simple cocktails like an old fashioned.
99. Breckenridge Bourbon Whiskey A Blend
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $41
The Whiskey:
Colorado’s mountain-high Breckenridge made a modern classic with this one. The whiskey is a blend of three-year-old Colorado bourbons made up in the Rocky Mountains and proofed with water from the glaciers.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is sweet on the nose with apple orchards, corn mush, vanilla cake, and honeyed biscuits.
Palate: The palate builds on the sweet nose with dark winter spices, soft oak, and a nice balance of vanilla and caramel.
Finish: The end is short and sweet but sticks with you with a classic orchard fruit/vanilla/caramel vibe.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice and easy whiskey that’s built for mixing.
98. Woody Creek Distillers Colorado Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $56
The Whiskey:
This Colorado craft distillery is all about that Rocky Mountain vibe. The whiskey is made from a 70% corn mash with a touch of local rye and malted barley mixed with Rocky Mountain spring water. The whiskey is aged for at least four years in deeply charred new oak before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a clear sense of crafty bourbon (light sweet grains) on the nose with a soft sense of winter spice, old caramel candies, and a hint of orange honey.
Palate: The taste leans into the peppery spice with an apple/pear vibe next to red fruit, vanilla beans, and caramelized grains.
Finish: The end is short and slightly spicy with an apple/pear pie filling vibe next to wet biscuit dough.
Bottom Line:
If you are in Colorado, give it a try in a cocktail.
97. Smooth Ambler Old Scout Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 49.5%
Average Price: $32
The Whiskey:
Old Scout is MGP of Indiana’s classic high rye bourbon — 60% corn, 36% rye, and 4% malt barley — that’s aged for five years. The whiskey is batched in small quantities and proofed down with West Virginia’s Appalachian water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose draws you in with a soft masa vibe with a mix of Tex-Mex spices (think chili powder and a hint of cumin and garlic powder) that’s countered by cedar park and chocolate-laced tobacco leaves (the nose takes me straight back to my favorite childhood Tex-Mex joint).
Palate: The taste veers more towards a classic bourbon with cherry tobacco and bales of damp straw next to a smooth vanilla foundation cinnamon-infused dark chocolate and a touch of dry oak.
Finish: The finish lingers for a bit as vanilla toffees, a smidge of marshmallow, and spicy cherry tobacco round everything out.
Bottom Line:
This is another winner that highlights the superb bourbon barrels coming out of Indiana’s MGP right now.
96. Woodinville Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $36
The Whiskey:
This much-lauded bourbon is Woodinville’s touchstone expression. The Washington whiskey is made with those same family farm grains. The hot juice spends years in the toasted and heavily charred barrels maturing until it’s just right (around five years in total). The results are batched and proofed down with local water to a very welcoming 90 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: You’re greeted with a thick vanilla pudding with caramel candy and a cedar box full of dark spices.
Palate: The caramel thickens to a buttery and rich toffee with notes of dark chocolate peeking in next to more of those woody spices and a vanilla oil velvetiness.
Finish: The end is long and really embraces the sweeter edges of the vanilla pudding while allowing the spice to warm the senses.
Bottom Line:
Woodinville is finally getting wider, nationwide releases and we’re all better for it. The whiskey from Washington is a true gem, even at this entry-point level. This makes a hell of a cocktail and is the quintessential backyard everyday sipper on some ice.
95. Cutwater Spirits Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $50
The Whiskey:
Cutwater is all about that blend. The whiskey in this bottle is a mix of hand-selected barrels from undisclosed sources, ages, and places. That makes this a “Blended Bourbon Whiskey” if you want to get all technical about it.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: White summer flowers, soft vanilla, and a hint of orange zest lead the way on the nose with touches of caramel and oak.
Palate: The palate is largely the same, offering a “classic” mixing bourbon vibe. The caramel and vanilla really dominate the palate with hints of citrus, dark spices, and wet wood.
Finish: The finish is short and sweet with a touch more spice and vanilla.
Bottom Line:
This really feels like it was made to be mixed in an old fashioned.
94. Smoke Wagon Uncut Unfiltered Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 57.1%
Average Price: $75
The Whiskey:
Smoke Wagon is everywhere these days. That’s thanks, in part, to co-founder Aaron Chepenik killing it on IG. The other part of the brand’s meteoric rise is that Smoke Wagon’s crew is masterfully blending some of the best barrels from MGP of Indiana that were made available. Case in point, the latest batch from the company was a high-rye bourbon (60% corn, 36% rye, and 4% malted barley) that was an instant hit.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Expect a nose full of classic bourbon notes of orange oils, cinnamon-stewed apples, caramel with a touch of salt, and peachy wood chips.
Palate: The palate really embraces the fruit and moves from that peach vibe towards a blackberry crumble that’s just kissed with nutmeg and clove that leads towards a hint of old leather, singed cedar planks, and a late hint of cherry-touched tobacco.
Finish: That leather, berry tobacco, and cedar drive the finish towards a dry end.
Bottom Line:
These are flashy but deliver on the palate. The feeling you’re left with here is “Ah, okay, I get it.” Pour this over some rocks and you’ll get it too.
93. Deadwood Tumblin Dice Barrel Proof Single Barrel Bourbon
ABV: 55%
Average Price: $57
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is made from a five-year-old MGP of Indiana barrel. The mash is MGP’s very high-rye bourbon with 60% corn, 36% rye, and 4% malted barley. Each barrel is picked for its distinct flavor profile and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Fancy cream soda greets you with a mix of nutmeg, soft leather, spicy oak, and a touch of toffee.
Palate: The palate largely follows that path and builds in creamy vanilla pie, caramel sauce, black cherry, and a good mix of winter spices.
Finish: The end is slightly woody with cherry tobacco touched with vanilla and toffee on the very end.
Bottom Line:
This is a pretty damn good all-around. It’s definitely in the “classic” realm but delivers and easy-sipping whiskey for everyday pours.
92. Jack Daniel’s Bonded Tennessee Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $31
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is made from Jack’s classic mash of 80% corn, 12% barley, and 8% rye before it’s twice distilled and run through Jack’s long Lincoln County sugar maple charcoal filtration process. The spirit then goes into the barrel for at least four years — per bonded law — before it’s batched, cut down with a little water, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose draws you in with Cherry Jolly Ranchers next to sweet cedar bark braided with old strands of leather and orange-laced tobacco leaves while a hint of vanilla wafer and general “health food store” vibes underneath it all.
Palate: The palate feels like warm apple pie on a sunny day with the best vanilla ice cream on top as layers of eggnog nutmeg and creaminess move toward a Cream of Wheat vibe.
Finish: Some apple wood chips for a smoker and a hint of almond shells pop on the finish.
Bottom Line:
The lesson here is that higher proof Jack is better Jack, especially if you’re looking for a killer cocktail base or easy sipper.
91. Great Jones Straight Bourbon Whiskey Crafted in Small Batches
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $51
The Whiskey:
This is a grain-to-glass New York craft bourbon. The grains in the mash bill — corn, rye, and malted barley — are all grown locally in New York state. The juice is then left for at least four years to age before it’s blended in small batches, proofed down, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a hint of dry cornmeal that leads to soft but worn leather and a throughline of rubber fishing lure (in a good way… I think) with a soft and sweet citrus fruit underneath it all.
Palate: The palate is light but hits on vanilla cream, toffee, and cinnamon with a dash of white pepper and more citrus.
Finish: The end leans into vanilla and spiced tobacco leaves and a twinge of soft lemon pepper.
Bottom Line:
This is young and citrusy and feels like a solid mixing whiskey.
90. Leopold Bros. Bottled-In-Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $60
The Whiskey:
This Colorado crafty whiskey gets a lot of attention from bourbon drinkers in the know. The mash is made from 64% corn, 21% malted barley, and 15% Abruzzi Heritage Rye, which Master Distiller Todd Leopold malted at his malting house at the distillery in Denver. That mash ran through a classic pot still before it was barreled and left to rest for five years.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The floral and spicy nature of that Abruzzi rye really comes out on the nose with a touch of candied apples, sweet porridge, Quik chocolate milk powder, and the faintest hint of sourdough rye with a light smear of salted butter.
Palate: The taste leans into stewed pears with nutmeg and clove spices leading the way as Almond Roca and green peppercorns jostle for space on your palate.
Finish: The end mellows out as that spice fades towards an eggnog vibe with a creamy vanilla underbelly and a final touch of that floral rye and a hint of pear.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice and funky craft bourbon (can’t mistake those sourdough and sweet porridge notes). That makes this a good whiskey for mixing with citrus, marrying that malty base with good and smooth citrus. I also dig this as an everyday sipper on the rocks, especially when I’m looking for something different from a pour of bourbon.
89. George Dickel Handcrafted Small Batch Bourbon Whisky Aged 8 Years
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $34
The Whisky:
The whisky in the bottle is the same Dickel Tennessee whiskey but pulled from barrels that leaned more into classic bourbon flavor notes instead of Dickel’s iconic Tennessee whisky notes. The barrels are a minimum of eight years old before they’re vatted. The whiskey is then cut down to a manageable 90-proof and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with creamy vanilla next to spiced tobacco with plenty of apple pie vibe and winter spices with a butter underbelly.
Palate: The palate has a light bran muffin with a molasses vibe next to vanilla/nougat wafers that then leads to peach skins and gingerbread.
Finish: The end leans into the nutty chocolate and vanilla wafer with a touch of orange zest, marzipan, and mint tobacco with a hint of garden store earthiness.
Bottom Line:
This is a bit of an outlier taste-wise. If you’re looking for a classic bourbon, this isn’t it. If you’re looking for something fresh and new with a Tennessee whiskey vibe, then you’ll dig this.
88. Samuel Maverick Private Reserve Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $75
The Whiskey:
This grain-to-glass Texas whiskey is made from select Texas-grown corn, rye, and barley that’s distilled and aged on-site in the historic Lockwood National Bank building. After four years, seven 30-gallon barrels were picked and blended for this small-batch expression.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a clear sense of a very crafty bourbon on the nose with big grain notes leading to molasses-filled bran muffins and raw oatmeal cookie dough with plenty of vanilla extract.
Palate: The palate has a similar vibe but layers in pecan waffles with high-fructose pancake syrup, more vanilla, and sweet cornbread.
Finish: The end has a hint of mineral water next to caramel candy and more of that bran muffin.
Bottom Line:
This was very crafty with those huge sweet grainy notes. That said, that’s the vibe of a lot of new craft bourbon right now.
87. Litchfield Distillery 5-Year Double-Barreled Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $60
The Whiskey:
Litchfield is one of those local Connecticut craft distilleries that do a little bit of everything. Their Double-Barreled 5-year-old is a highwater mark of the operation. The juice is made from locally grown Connecticut grains. That whiskey is then aged for a few years. Finally, it’s proofed with local water and re-barreled to add an extra layer of woody depth to the bourbon.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The sip starts with an almost vinous note that goes into sweet caramel and spice.
Palate: There’s a clear vanilla essence through the woody oak.
Finish: The aged-grape flavors come in again with a slight sweetness before a warm, woody, and spicy finale.
Bottom Line:
This is a classic and easy-drinking whiskey. It’s definitely worth ordering a pour if you’re in, say, New Haven and looking for something local.
86. J. Henry Small Batch Wisconsin Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 5 Years
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $54
The Whiskey:
This whiskey benefits greatly from Wisconsin’s mild yet varied weather — think warm summers and bitterly cold winters with proper fall and spring rains. The whiskey is a blend of only 16 barrels of five-year-old bourbon.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Butterscotch and vanilla-lemon pudding lead the nose with a touch of orange peel and honey.
Palate: The palate leans into the spicy warmth with Red Hots and cloves next to cherry tobacco and more of that butterscotch.
Finish: That vanilla-lemon pudding comes back into play late, as the finish sweetens into a creamy yet spicy end.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice, standard whiskey with a lovely flavor profile.
85. Cathead Distillery Old Soul Straight Bourbon Whiskey TinType Series #1 Aged 7 Years
ABV: 59.6%
Average Price: $109
The Whiskey:
This whiskey was distilled in Indiana with a high-rye mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. Those barrels were then sent to Jackson, Mississippi, where they spent a few years aging. Finally, the team at Cathead batched the barrels and bottled them as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a subtle boot leather on the nose with a hint of caraway on rye crust next to salted caramel sauce, and old oak staves with a hint of musty earthiness.
Palate: The palate leans into the salted caramel with a buttery underbelly next to warm winter spices — cinnamon, cardamom, star anise — next to burnt orange and a whisper of marzipan.
Finish: The end is fruity, vanilla-filled, and just kissed with woody tobacco spice.
Bottom Line:
This is a masterclass in blending MGP whiskey. The depth is real and takes you on a journey. This makes a killer old fashioned but also works well on the rocks. Overall, get this if you’re looking for something that steps outside classic bourbon sweetness and really leans into dry rye vibes.
84. Redemption Aged 9 Years Barrel Proof Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: Varies
Average Price: $99
The Whiskey:
This sourced whiskey from Indiana (MGP) is one of the best examples of how a unique shingle can make whiskey shine. Redemption’s team painstakingly searches the warehouses for just the right barrels to meet their taste requirements. In this case, that was a nine-year-old single barrel of bourbon with a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose really gives you a sense of oily vanilla pods with touches of wildflower honey, rich and buttery toffee, and a hint of dark roasted espresso beans.
Palate: The palate holds onto those notes as the vanilla and honey both become creamy while adding a slight black pepper spiciness with a hint of salty smoked bacon fat lurking far in the background.
Finish: The end is medium-length and touches back on that vanilla, toffee, pepper, and bitterness on the fade.
Bottom Line:
This is a testament to how iconic MGP’s 75/21/4 mash bill bourbon is. This whiskey rules at this age. This a great food pairing whiskey as well, especially if you’re roasting some protein and root veg or smoking some meats/fish in the backyard.
83. Nelson Brothers Reserve Bourbon
ABV: 46.65%
Average Price: $69
The Whiskey:
This new release from Nashville’s Nelson’s Green Brier is a big evolution for the brand. This high-rye bourbon is aged for four years before it’s masterfully blended into his expression. It’s then bottled without any fussing or meddling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: A vanilla wafer with soft nougat greets you on the nose with a hint of burnt orange zest, Christmas cake, candied cherry, and a little bit of apple pie filling.
Palate: The taste has a moment of grilled pineapple that leads to brandy-soaked dark chocolate-covered cherries with a supporting act of zucchini bread, pecan pie, and a whisper of lemon meringue pie — it’s kind of like being in an old-school diner.
Finish: A mild dusting of white pepper ushers in the finish with a smooth green tea cut with menthol tobacco.
Bottom Line:
The Nelson Brothers hit it out of the park with their new line this year and this is the bottle to start with.
82. Traverse City Whiskey Co. Barrel Proof Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 59%
Average Price: $87
The Whiskey:
This Michigan whiskey is made to highlight a true grain-to-glass experience. The juice is made from a mash of 71% corn, 25% rye, and 4% barley. It’s aged for four years in the extreme weather of the Great Lakes. Barrels are then hand-picked and bottled with no fussing.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The milled corn comes through with a touch of orange zest, vanilla, toffee, and lemon jam.
Palate: The taste amps up the toffee with a caramel kettle corn vibe next to hints of cedar and orchard fruit.
Finish: The end is long and very clearly all about the velvety vanilla and toffee sweetness with a slight alcohol warmth, thanks to a touch of spice and citrus.
Bottom Line:
This is an always fun crafty bourbon with great depth.
81. Breckenridge Bourbon Whiskey A Blend High Proof
ABV: 52.5%
Average Price: $56
The Whiskey:
This is Breckenridge’s classic blended bourbon amped up a tad. The whiskey is aged for over three years before batching a kiss of proofing with local Colorado Rocky Mountain water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose runs deep with burnt orange, marzipan, and woody winter spices next to a hint of toffee dipped in dark chocolate.
Palate: The palate largely follows the nose with buttery toffee leading to marzipan and eventually a mix of cedar and cinnamon bark with a whisper of tobacco.
Finish: The end leans into the woodiness of the spices and tobacco with a nice counterbalance of rich and sweet toffee with a nutty edge.
Bottom Line:
This is just nice, easy, and smooth. It makes a hell of a cocktail too.
80. Clyde May’s Special Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 55%
Average Price: $80
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is sourced from an “undisclosed” distillery in Indiana (cough, cough, MGP, cough, cough). It’s aged for about three years and proofed a tad before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Spice and wet brown sugar mix on the nose with a sense of apple crumble with plenty of butter and maybe a little too much clove and allspice.
Palate: The palate has a sense of savory fruit (think cantaloupe) with black peppercorns, pancake syrup, and woodiness.
Finish: The whole sip is very “general” and ends with cornbread meets brown butter cut with dark sugar, vanilla, and tobacco vibe.
Bottom Line:
This is pretty damn good overall, especially if you’re looking for something that leans classic and easy to sip. It’s a little sweet for me but that’s not a knock. That’s just my palate.
79. Freeland Spirits Cask Strength Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished In Pinot Noir Casks (S1B55)
ABV: 57.67%
Average Price: $56
The Whiskey:
This single barrel pick from ReserveBar is a great entry point for the Portland, Oregon-based Freeland. The whiskey in the bottle is made from a five-year-old bourbon made from a mash of 70% corn, 20% rye, and 10% malted barley. That whiskey was then loaded into an Elk Cove Pinot Noir barrel for a final one-year-long rest before bottling completely as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Leathery red fruit and old vanilla cake with a hint of caramel and dry cranberry mingle with a nice mellow touch of eggnog spices and burnt orange that feels dry.
Palate: There’s a clear cherry pie vibe that leads to a hint of dank red berry and oak cellars with a dry leatheriness tied to the dark fruit and vanilla with a soft sense of dry sweetgrass in the far background.
Finish: The end starts off red and lush and then dives into a cherry apple pie vibe with a dry woody spiced edge.
Bottom Line:
This is where we get into the good stuff (I know, we’ve barely started). This is a really nice red wine-finished bourbon with a good depth. I could see pairing this with an easy meal with a lot of fresh herbs and game or cold-water seafood. It feels like it’d make a nice cocktail too.
78. Doc Holliday Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 10 Years
ABV: 56%
Average Price: $184
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is distilled in Georgia from a mash of 80% corn, 10% malted corn, 5% rye, and 5% malted barley. The whiskey then rests for 10 long years in Georgia before batching, a touch of proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Sour cherry and peach pie mix with classic oily vanilla pods, deep caramel, and soft cedar planks just touched with apricot and dates.
Palate: The sip is warm yet balanced with burnt orange, apricot jam, and soft marzipan next to black-tea-soaked dates, old figs, and brandy-stewed prunes all cut with Christmas spices and dipped in dark chocolate.
Finish: That chocolate takes on a Nutella vibe at the end with a nice mix of mincemeat pies and sticky toffee pudding.
Bottom Line:
A 90% corn bourbon is a lot of sugar. That said, this really works. It’s deep and lush and goes down like a luxurious slow sipper.
77. Fox & Oden Double Oaked Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 49.5%
Average Price: $90
The Whiskey:
This sourced whiskey (from MGP of Indiana) is all about finding the best barrels and batching them to create something more. The whiskey in this small batch bourbon is rendered from MGP’s 21% and 36% rye bourbon mash bills. The barrels are between eight and 15 years old. Once vatted, the whiskey is just touched with water before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: A rich buttery note comes through on the nose with a hint of salted corn next to savory figs with a hint of honey and freshly ground nutmeg mixed with some vanilla cream.
Palate: The palate turns that butteriness into salted caramel with a hint of sticky toffee pudding with plenty of cinnamon and nutmeg next to a thin line of charred oak underneath it all.
Finish: The end dries out with a sense of old leather wrapped around an old and dry tobacco leaf with a twinge of raisin.
Bottom Line:
This is just a well-made whiskey. It’s easy to sip and, well, that’s it.
76. Hudson Whiskey NY Four Part Harmony New York Four Grain Bourbon Whiskey Aged a Minimum of Seven Years
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $79
The Whiskey:
This New York whiskey is a four-grain bourbon. The mix starts with 60% corn and adds 15% rye, 15% wheat, and 10% malted barley. The juice is barreled and left alone for at least seven years before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a grainy sense of cornmeal next to sourdough rye bread crusts, cherry cough syrup, and lush vanilla cake frosted with rich cream and dusted with dark chocolate shavings.
Palate: A hint of blackberry pie leads to toffee and oak with a sense of sweet grits dusted with white pepper and dried red chili pepper.
Finish: The cornmeal graininess rides the finish toward spiced tobacco and sweet red fruit with a clear cinnamon base.
Bottom Line:
This whiskey is dialed in for easy mixing into fruity sweet-forward cocktails. It’s soft and rich, which makes it a nice old fashioned candidate.
75. Garrison Brothers Small Batch Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 47%
Average Price: $79
The Whiskey:
Garrison Brothers is a true grain-to-glass experience from Hye, Texas. The juice is a wheated bourbon made with local, Texas grains. That spirit is then aged under the beating heat of a hot Texas sun before the barrels are small-batched (with only 55 barrels per batch), proofed with local water, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a caramel apple note on the nose next to a bit of dry straw, worn leather, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch cut with whole milk and unsalted butter mixed in white grits.
Palate: That cereal nature continues through the palate with a sugary and buttery shortbread note mingling with hints of vanilla cake frosted with lemon cream leading to a touch of orange oils.
Finish: The end is very long and warm with a bit of cinnamon that ultimately leads back to the caramel apples plus just a touch of dry campfire smoke at the very end.
Bottom Line:
This is another bourbon that has huge crafty notes (those sweet cereal grains). The whiskey has a balance and depth that goes far beyond that though, making this a very sippable yet bold bourbon that also mixes really well into citrus-forward cocktails.
74. St. Augustine Distillery Port Finished Bourbon
ABV: 51%
Average Price: $80
The Whiskey:
This Floridian bourbon rests for three years in new American oak, giving it a classic base. Then the booze goes into port casks from San Sebastian Winery next door to the distillery for up to six months (depending on the Florida heat). The end result is a unique bourbon that’s both enticing and refined.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a touch of woodiness but the star of the show is the red berries that are both tart and sweet next to a dusting of winter spices.
Palate: Vanilla and hints of mint show up on the palate with white pepper, mild florals, and a little bit of ripe cherry.
Finish: The end leans into oak, dark chocolate bitterness, and a whisper of ripe red berries with a touch of clove.
Bottom Line:
This is another great cocktail bourbon that I’d argue works really well as a food-pairing whiskey. The subtle yet sharp woody spice and berries with that mild floral edge add a nice depth to a meal or as a digestif in a cocktail afterward.
73. WhistlePig PiggyBack 100 Proof Bourbon Whiskey Aged 6 Years
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $49
The Whiskey:
This newer whiskey from WhistlePig mixes locally made Vermont whiskey with Indiana whiskey to create a bespoke bourbon. The mash bill leans into the corn with a good measure of rye in the mix. The whiskey barrels are left alone for six years before batching, proofing, and bottling on the farm in Vermont.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a soft leathery nose that leads to caramel corn and a nutty spiciness with a hint of old oak.
Palate: The nuttiness drives the palate toward fresh maple syrup that turns creamy with an almond vibe, plenty of winter spice, and a hint of black tea.
Finish: That tea calms down toward a wet chamomile with a dollop of honey, a twist of orange, and a pinch of sweet cinnamon with a lingering sense of oak in the background.
Bottom Line:
This is a pretty good whiskey. If you’re a fan of WhistlePig, you’re going to dig this. If you like classic bourbon vibes, you’ll be a fan too. I’d sip this over some ice or in a simple cocktail.
72. Backbone Bourbon Anniversary Edition “Decade Down” Uncut Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 55%
Average Price: $104
The Whiskey:
Backbone is made with classic MGP whiskey. That juice is hewn from a mash of 74% corn, 21% rye, and 5% malted barley that’s five to seven years old. The barrels are shipped down to Bardstown, Kentucky, where they are batched and bottled as-is with proofing or filtering.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is classic bourbon with a balance of caramel, vanilla, cherry, and sweet wood that’s cut with plenty of dark winter spice.
Palate: The palate is largely the same with a sense of stewed plums and marmalade next to an almost malty note tied to the vanilla and spice.
Finish: The end has a nice sweet oakiness that leads back to dark caramel and cherry tied to tobacco leaves and humidors.
Bottom Line:
This is another prime example of why and how dominant MGP’s classic 74/21/5 high-rye bourbon is right now. Think of it like a fine wine that’s peaking. This blend is the perfect balance of some of the best barrels available today with a deeply classic bourbon vibe. This is the bottle you get when you want a comfort pour of something straightforward.
71. Olde Raleigh Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in a Honey Barrel
ABV: 50.09%
Average Price: $100
The Whiskey:
The whiskey in this bottle is a four-grain of corn, malted barley, rye, and wheat from barrels of whiskey sourced from Colorado, Indiana, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Wyoming. Those barrels were five, nine, and 17 years old when they went into this blend and were finished in an old honey barrel.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a tannic nature to the nose with dark and woody spices (cloves, allspice, anise) next to a mild sense of Honey Nut Cheerios.
Palate: The palate has a honey candy feel next to Hot Tamale candies, singed toffee, and dark red berries with a dry edge.
Finish: The end has a sense of honey vanilla wafers next to more of that bold cinnamon and woody allspice, a hint of cherry/vanilla, and a twinge of charred oak with honey tobacco backing.
Bottom Line:
This feels like a big bourbon and delivers deep and bold flavor notes that are succinct. If you’re looking for a honey barrel finished bourbon that still tastes like brazen bourbon, this is the bottle for you. The honey is a wonderful accent, not an overpowering sweetness.
70. Frey Ranch Small Batch Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $55
The Whiskey:
Frey Ranch is all about the farm behind the whiskey. In this case, that’s a 165+-year-old farm in the Sierra Nevada basin near Lake Tahoe in Nevada. The grains (corn, wheat, rye, and barley), fermentation, distilling, aging, and bottling all happen on-site at Frey Ranch.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Fruity cherry gummies mingle with raw sourdough bread dough, vanilla beans, dry grass, and burnt brown sugars on the nose.
Palate: The taste has a very crafty corn chip vibe that leads to tart cranberry, more of that vanilla, and a cinnamon-spiced oatmeal raisin cookie.
Finish: This all coalesces on the finish with the spice, oats, tart red fruit, and vanilla playing second fiddle to the dry firewood and slightly spiced tobacco end.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice one too but leans pretty heavily into the “crafty” sweet-grain vibes. That said, I like that in that it tastes like something besides your standard Kentucky bourbon. It’s fresh and fun, but clearly something you’re going to use to make cocktails with.
69. Cedar Ridge Iowa Bourbon Whiskey Double Barrel
ABV: 52.5%
Average Price: $50
The Whiskey:
This whiskey from craft distillery favorite Cedar Ridge combines their beloved whiskey with new oak one more time. The juice has a classic base of 74% corn, 14% rye, and 12% malted barely. After about four or five years, that whiskey is reloaded into brand-new charred American oak barrels for a final finish.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with a faint hint of toasted oak with a burnt sugar vibe next to Christmas spices, dusty dark chocolate powder, vanilla cake, and pecan shells.
Palate: The palate leans into the woody spices with star anise, allspice berries, cardamon pods, and full sticks of cinnamon over butterscotch candies, more of that dark chocolate, and a hint of rum-raisin.
Finish: The end has a light black tea vibe with dates and prunes dusted by all that woody spice and packed into a fresh pine box.
Bottom Line:
This was light and very woody, though that’s the point. Otherwise, this is a good grab if you’re in the Midwest.
68. Dragon’s Milk Origin Small Batch Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 5 Years
ABV: 47.5%
Average Price: $50
The Whiskey:
This whiskey from New Holland Brewing up in Michigan marries craft bourbon with the brewery’s beloved Dragon’s Milk beer. The whiskey in the bottle is made with a high-barley bourbon mash bill. After five years in the barrel, the whiskey is then blended, proofed down, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: A big chocolate malt note draws you in on the palate first before layers of winter spices, dark caramel malts, a twinge of orange oils, and a mild Vanilla Coke kick in.
Palate: The taste has an almost Hershey’s Kiss feel to it alongside spiced chocolate powder next to a hint of lemon-lime that turns into a tangerine-laced maltiness (kind of like a tangerine White Claw) with a chocolate wafer in the background.
Finish: The end holds onto the chocolate maltiness and mild winter spices the longest.
Bottom Line:
If you’re looking for big chocolate notes and a great stout pairing, this is the whiskey for you. This is a distinct pour that feels familiar. Make sure to pour it over a rock or two or with a few drops of water to really let it bloom in the glass. You’ll get a much creamier mouthfeel with all that chocolate.
67. Laws Whiskey Bonded Four Grain Bourbon
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $87
The Whiskey:
A.D. Laws out in Colorado is renowned for its award-winning four-grain bourbons. The whiskey is made from 60% corn, 20% heirloom wheat, 10% heirloom rye, and 10% heirloom malted barley. That hot juice is then aged for over six years before it’s batched and cut down to 100 proof per bonded whiskey laws.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This feels more crafty on the nose with a balance between bitter black tea that’s been cut with a summery and floral honey as touches of cinnamon and orange pop in the background.
Palate: The orange and spice thickens and leans into an orange pound cake with a buttery and spicy streusel crumble as that black tea bitterness circles back to cut through all that butter, spice, and orange.
Finish: The end leans into the spice with more of a cinnamon candy vibe that leads towards a final dusting of dark cocoa.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice outlier on the list. It’s a great entry point for Laws’ wider selection while also being a nice, summery sipper over some rocks or in a bright cocktail.
66. Bib & Tucker Small Batch Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 12 Years
ABV: 49.5%
Average Price: $99
The Whiskey:
Bib & Tucker’s barrel picks are always worth chasing down. The whiskey is a Tennessee bourbon (some say it must be Dickel) aged for 12 long years in very lightly charred oak. The whiskey then goes into the bottle after being proofed down (ever so slightly) to 99 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Expect a fairly classic bourbon nose of creamy vanilla, salted caramel apples, and a hint of soft cedar.
Palate: The palate should touch on dark orange oils next to bright red cherry, with a vanilla pudding base and a subtle dose of dark spice leading towards salted dark chocolate.
Finish: The end is quite quick and leaves you with salted dark chocolate, orange, and a hint more of salted caramel.
Bottom Line:
This is where Bib & Tucker truly shines brightest. This is an excellently formed whiskey with a classic depth. It’s satisfying and engaging with the smoothest of edges. If you’re looking for a modern classic bourbon from Tennessee, this is the bottle for you.
65. Kings County Distillery Bottled-In-Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $96
The Whiskey:
This crafty whiskey from New York is a grain-to-glass bourbon experience. The mash bill on this one eschews rye and wheat for 80% locally grown corn supported by 20% malted barley from England. The juice is then aged for four years in small 15-gallon barrels and treated according to the law and bottled in Kings County’s signature hip flask bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This draws you in with a strawberry shortcake with a cornmeal base, topped with fresh berries, buttery vanilla whipped cream, and then dipped in a caramel sauce.
Palate: The palate veers away from all of that and touches on bitter black coffee syrup with brown sugar and butter notes next to oatcakes and vanilla sauce with a hint of spice lingering in the background.
Finish: The end is long and full of chocolate malts, leather, and more of that creamy and buttery vanilla whipped cream.
Bottom Line:
This is a quintessential craft bourbon. There’s a deep layer of sweet graininess that leans into fresh fruit and classic bourbon vanilla and spice notes. Overall, that makes this the perfect whiskey for someone looking for something local, tasty, and more on the crafty side of things.
64. Boulder Spirits Bottled-In-Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $90
The Whiskey:
This Colorado bourbon is a bit of an outlier. The juice is made from a mash bill of 51% corn, 44% malted barley, and only 5% rye. That makes this one almost closer to a grain whiskey from Ireland or Scotland than a standard bourbon. The whiskey ages for four years before blending, proofing, and bottling in the Rocky Mountains.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is very fruity and young on the nose with an almost hazy IPA vibe — think papaya, mango, and pineapple juiciness next to vanilla beans, oak, and caramel.
Palate: The palate is a cross between sticky toffee pudding and a tropical rum cocktail with orange, lime, more pineapple, and a mix of Christmas spices next to dates and dried apricot.
Finish: The finish has a sweet edge with marshmallows and cotton candy next to all that fruit and a little bit of dark chocolate tobacco on the very end.
Bottom Line:
This is definitely worth seeking out, especially if you’re heading to Denver for a vacation. It’s also worth mixing into your next cocktail if you bring a bottle home.
63. Bespoken Spirits Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 47%
Average Price: $60
The Whiskey:
This Northern California distillery is all about making “craft spirits.” The whiskey in the bottle is a standard straight bourbon that’s distilled at MGP and aged for two years before being finished/blended in California.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This has a very light nose with hints of winter spices, mocha lattes, and maybe some sourdough bread crusts with hints of orchard fruit and nuts.
Palate: Those nuts lean toward peanut brittle on the palate with a whisper of gingerbread, Almond Joy, and maybe some more of that sourdough with a hint of salted butter.
Finish: The end is ultimately pretty light but creamy and full of vanilla with hints of apple tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This was nice, had classic bourbon vibes, and leans heavily into mixing whiskey.
62. World Whiskey Society Class Collection Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished In Port Cask Aged 10 Years
ABV: 51%
Average Price: $164
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is distilled in Oklahoma but bottled in Georgia. The whiskey in the bottle is made from a mash bill (recipe) of 51% corn, 45% wheat, and 4% malted barley. That hot juice was then aged for almost a decade before going into a huge port cask for a final rest.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a sense of grape soda and orange zest on the nose with a hint of crafty bourbon grains, dry grass, and old oak.
Palate: The palate sort of leans into red fruit and dry grass with a light sense of orange and vanilla.
Finish: The end is short and has a touch of vanilla cake and holiday spice.
Bottom Line:
The crafty graininess works with the port finish in a balanced and enticing way. Plus, this just won a double gold medal at the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
61. Uncle Nearest 1820 Premium Single Barrel
ABV: Varies
Average Price: $130
The Whiskey:
This yearly single barrel expression from Uncle Nearest Master Blender Victoria Eady Butler is one of the most beloved Tennessee whiskeys around. Eady Butler handpicks high-proof barrels that are aged a minimum of 11 years for this bottling. Each one is chosen to exemplify the beauty of Tennessee whiskey that’s drawn straight from the barrel.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: On the nose, there’s a matrix of dried fruits, Christmas spices, malty oatcakes, oily vanilla pods, subtle maple sweetness, and a hint of dark chocolate cut with subtle orange oils.
Palate: The palate delivers with the fruits leaning more towards candied cherries with worn leather, more dark cacao (especially with a little water to help it bloom), and plenty of sweet oak.
Finish: There’s a long and fulfilling linger to this sip that ushers in a final note of buttery popcorn and a very distant billow of sweet tobacco pipe smoke.
Bottom Line:
If you can get your hands on this one, it’s a gem. A rock or a little water really helps it come to life in the glass (and calm down those higher ABVs).
60. FEW Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $55
The Whiskey:
This expression from Illinois’ FEW Spirits marks the 125th anniversary of the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897. The juice is made from 70% corn, 20% rye, and 10% malted barley. That whiskey spends four years resting before it’s proofed down to 100 proof and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a sense of vanilla cream pie with an extra thick vanilla pudding next to dry cedar bark with a touch of white moss, a touch of black licorice, and a hint of barrel smoke.
Palate: The palate leans into cherry bark with a light cherry tobacco spiciness that melds with the vanilla pudding, a pan of fresh sticky buns with plenty of cinnamon and walnuts, and a hint of black pepper and more of that dry cedar bark.
Finish: The finish has a bit of an oatmeal cookie vibe that leads back to the spicy cherry tobacco and white moss.
Bottom Line:
FEW Spirits perfected their bourbon craft with this expression.
59. Still Austin Whiskey Co. Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 59%
Average Price: $60
The Whiskey:
The folks at Still Austin have spent the last six years perfecting their grain-to-glass whiskey experience. The juice is rendered with grains from Texas and water from the ground beneath their feet, all imbued with a crafty Texas vibe in every sip. The actual whiskey is a two-year-old bourbon that’s batched to highlight the bright fruits of the new and crafty whiskey.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is really fruity. Think a tropical, hazy IPA with clear notes of pineapple, lemon-lime, and maybe a slight hint of savory papaya next to more a-typical bourbon notes of vanilla, holiday spices, and caramel.
Palate: There’s a clear sense of those spices on the palate with a hint of dark chocolate leading back to all that fruit, a touch of marzipan, and a dash of vanilla cream pie.
Finish: The end warms a bit with the fruitiness waning towards a spicy, choco-tobacco end.
Bottom Line:
This is very very fruity. Still, it works since the fruits mostly stay on the nose to entice you into the sip. All of that being said, this really shines best as a cocktail or highball base.
58. George Dickel Tennessee Whisky Singel Barrel Aged At Least 15 Years (S1B43)
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $60
The Whisky:
This is a very old whiskey for a great price. The whiskey is from single barrels, aged 15 years or more, and the proof varies accordingly (sometimes it’s cut with water, too). Like the 9-year single barrel, this is made from an 84% corn mash and stored in Dickel’s famed single-story warehouse.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is all about the cherry pie with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream next to a slight apple-tobacco vibe with a clear multi-vitamin chalkiness.
Palate: Red berries lead toward a cherry-choco soda pop, more vanilla cream, and a light touch of bourbon-soaked oakiness on the taste.
Finish: That woodiness leans into a musty corner of a cellar as a spicy cherry tobacco finish leaves you with a dry, almost chalky, yet sweet mouthfeel.
Bottom Line:
Okay, here’s the rub. This is actually a 17-and-a-half-year-old whisky from Dickel. Dickel releases a 17-year expression late last year. George Dickel 17 is over $300 per bottle. While that release is not a single barrel, it does have a little higher ABV. Still, $60 for a very, very similar whisky compared to $300+ is a great deal.
57. The Clover Tennessee Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $46
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is a celebration of golf legend Bobby Jones. The whiskey in this bottle is a sourced (from an undisclosed Tennessee distillery) single barrel of whiskey that’s bottled with a touch of proofing water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is very basic on the nose with leather next to banana Necco Wafer, a hint of cherry, and maybe some caramel.
Palate: The palate is grainy like a bran muffin with a sense of cherry protein powder, some almond, and a vanilla wafer.
Finish: The end has a sense of toasted cedar next to vanilla and cherry.
Bottom Line:
This is fine. May I suggest that if you have a bottle, you mix it into a hard Arnold Palmer? That feels like the right use.
56. Sweetens Cove 22 Tennessee Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 57%
Average Price: $200
The Whiskey:
This brand-new whiskey from Tennessee is a serious blend. The blend is made with a mix of five-, six-, eight, and 10-year-old bourbons. That whiskey then goes into Speyside Scotch whisky casks for a final rest before blending and bottling with a tiny drop of proofing water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Leathery raisins and cranberries mingle with marmalade and sweet cedar next to a hint of clove tobacco and some old boot leather and vanilla buttercream.
Palate: Cinnamon toast and tart apple pies with plenty of cinnamon and walnuts mix with a touch of smoldering cedar bark and allspice on the palate.
Finish: That singed vibe applies to vanilla pods as dark berries and old dry tobacco dominate the finish with a hint of sweet cedar and soft vanilla cream drizzled with salted toffee.
Bottom Line:
This is a fantastic Tennessee whiskey blend. It runs deep and offers exacting flavor notes that feel right on your senses.
55. Orphan Barrel Copper Tongue Aged 16 Years Cask Strength Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 44.9%
Average Price: $327
The Whiskey:
This release from Diageo’s Orphan Barrel program is from Cascade Hollow Distilling Co. in Tennessee, better known as George Dickel. The whiskey is a marrying of two 16-year-old bourbon barrels that were hand-selected by Dickel Master Distiller Nicole Austin. The unique catch here is that the ABVs are very low for a “barrel-proof” bourbon.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with a hint of buttery cornbread that immediately veers into cinnamon apple clusters, soft nutty chocolate spread, and a hint of stonefruit tobacco in an old leather tobacco pouch.
Palate: There’s a mild sense of eggnog spices next to vanilla buttercream with a clear note of old, musty cellar beams leading back to that warm tobacco chew that’s laced with winter spices and sharp marmalade.
Finish: The end leans into the woodier aspects of the winter spices while peach pits and vanilla cream mingle with dry chocolate powder cut with espresso bean tobacco rolled with old cedar bark and left to dry on earthy wicker.
Bottom Line:
This is earthy and creamy, which is an odd combination on paper but somehow works in this bottle. It’s a testament to expert blending by a true master. This is a rare one that proves your whiskey nerd status while giving your palate a nice expansion.
54. Old Elk Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Barrels
ABV: 54.05%
Average Price: $94
The Whiskey:
This Colorado whiskey is made with a base of 51% corn, 34% malted barley, and 15% rye. That whiskey rests for five years before it’s batched and re-barrelled into 59-gallon port casks from Portugal. After 10 months to a year, those barrels are batched and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is crafty bourbon turned up to 11 with a sweet porridge nose, raw leather, cold apple cider, and a hint of fresh oak.
Palate: There’s a honey-apple crisp sweetness on the opening of the palate that leads right back into that slurry of sweet porridge — now with a white grits edge — before a nice ABV buzz (not burn) leads to orchard barks, winter spice mixes, and a soft sense of cherry bark.
Finish: The finish holds onto the buzziness as the fruit wood and spice settle into a soft and sweet grit ending.
Bottom Line:
This is a pure crafty bourbon that balances the sweet grains with an old-school finishing really well. It almost feels like the marrying of the new and old shouldn’t work but it just does here. This is a great crafty that goes the extra mile to create something fresh and unique.
53. Chattanooga Whiskey Straight Bourbon Whiskey Tennessee High Malt 111 Proof
ABV: 55.5%
Average Price: $49
The Whiskey:
This Tennessee whiskey is hewn from a mash bill (recipe) of classic yellow corn, malted rye, caramel malted barley, and honey malted barley. The ripple here is that the fermentation of those grains with water and yeast lasted for seven whole days (basically three times as long as most fermentation runs). The distilled juice was filled into toasted and charred oak and left alone for over two years. The final batch was pulled from no more than 12 barrels for this release.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Chocolate malts cut with spiced cherry syrup drive the nose with a hint of cinnamon bark and eggnog nutmeg next to soft orchard vibes.
Palate: That chocolate maltiness leans into honey-dipped graham crackers with a hint of allspice and clove over gingerbread and dark-chocolate-covered dried cherries.
Finish: A hint of cinnamon bark dark cherry tobacco mingles with malty spiced vanilla cookies and a hint more of that honeyed sweetness with deep chocolate lurking beneath it all.
Bottom Line:
These new and exciting malt experiments from Chattanooga are some of the best whiskeys hitting shelves right now. This isn’t necessarily collectible or anything like that, it’s just really f*cking tasty. That’s what makes this a must-buy right now. This whiskey outclasses bottles twice or three times its price.
52. Doc Swinson’s Alter Ego Triple Cask Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 47.9%
Average Price: $56
The Whiskey:
This whiskey from out in Washington is a blend of two bourbons with an array of finishings. The blend is a mix of a 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley bourbon with a 60% corn, 36% rye, and 4% malted barley bourbon. After several years, those whiskeys were refilled into European oak casks, namely cognac, Olorosso sherry, and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks from anywhere from three to 16 months of finishing before batching and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dark oak and leather dance with caramel peanuts and peanut brittle with a good dose of spiced cherries dipped in dark chocolate.
Palate: Rich marzipan leads on the palate with more of that choco-cherry feel next to vanilla-laced whipped cream, nutmeg, clove, red berry fruit leather, and a whisper of fresh and sharp spearmint.
Finish: Brandied cherries with orange peel and clove settle on the finish with a nice sense of buttery salted caramel and creamy nuttiness.
Bottom Line:
This is where we get into the easy-sipping bourbons that deliver big flavor notes.
51. Brother’s Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey Original Cask Strength
ABV: 57.9%
Average Price: $80
The Whiskey:
The newest release from Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley is an evolution of their brand. The whiskey in the bottle is a blend of three bourbons (all MGP of Indiana) which create a four-grain bourbon. That blend was then bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with a balance of old leather boots and freshly cracked black pepper next to a hint of walnut shell, vanilla pod, and orange zest.
Palate: The palate leans into what feels like star fruit as orange marmalade, salted butter, and fresh honey drip over rye bread crusts.
Finish: The end comes with a good dose of peppery spice and old leather as those walnuts and orange combine with a handful of dried fruit and a dusting of winter spices on the finish.
Bottom Line:
This latest version of Brother’s Bond proved the brand was about more than celebs white labeling booze. It proved that Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley truly care about this industry and the whiskey in their bottle.
50. Red Line Cask Strength Single Barrel Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 58%
Average Price: $70
The Whiskey:
This whiskey from Red Line is sourced from hand-selected barrels from MGP of Indiana. The team at Red Line picked six-year-old barrels of MGP’s iconic high-rye bourbon mash of 75% corn, 21% rye, and only 4% malted barley. Those barrels were vatted and then bottled as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a lovely sweetness that arrives on the nose with a hint of burnt sugars and brown butter just starting to coalesce into caramel with a flake of salt and a sense of rum-raisin and an echo of charred oak.
Palate: The palate leans into a light apple compote with a hint of plum and plenty of wintry spices next to vanilla and wicker before the warmth of the ABVs peak on the mid-palate.
Finish: The end is soft and supple with a sense of spiced prune jam, old porch wicker, and allspice berries.
Bottom Line:
This is just a good bourbon. It’s easy, fun, and tastes really nice. Sometimes that’s enough.
49. Jefferson’s Ocean Aged At Sea Straight Bourbon Whiskey Very Small Batch Special Wheated Mash Bill
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $74
The Whiskey:
Jefferson’s Ocean is deeply skilled at crafting unique and very tasty drams. This expression uses a wheated mash bill (instead of high rye) from Indiana that’s aged for six to eight years on land. Barrels are then loaded onto a ship and sailed around the world where the spirit and wood interact the whole time thanks to the choppy seas, creating an incredibly unique whiskey in the process.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This has a very subtle nose, with hints of vanilla, dark salted caramel, and mild eggnog spice drawing you in.
Palate: The palate holds onto those flavors fairly well, while adding a touch of popped corn to the salted caramel as the vanilla becomes more of an eggnog-spiced pudding that remains very airy and light.
Finish: The end is slightly nutty with a touch of cedar as the spice and svelte vanilla slowly fade away.
Bottom Line:
The ABVs on this one are what will make or break it for some folks out there. I like it in that you can sip this neat without hesitation. That said, it is on the lighter side, which goes against the massive trend of all the ABVs all the time. All of that aside, this is a balanced and very tasty bourbon.
48. Penelope Architect Straight Bourbon Whiskey French Oak Staves
ABV: 52%
Average Price: $71
The Whiskey:
This bourbon is all about precision blending. The MGP barrels create a four-grain whiskey that’s finished in oak staves from Tonnellerie Radoux in France. Those staves are added to the barrels to create a unique finish that’s part Kentucky and part France.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This starts fairly familiar with notes of sugar pie and vanilla cream with orange spice and a hint of dried florals that then veers into dried mushrooms and firewood bark with a bit of black dirt.
Palate: The palate circles back to the sweetness with a big pile of pecan waffles covered in vanilla/maple syrup before soft orange-infused tobacco leads back to that wet firewood and black dirt on the backend of the sip.
Finish: The very end has a touch of charred oak that’s more like singed red-wine-soaked-oak staves.
Bottom Line:
This is subtle and enticing and kind of funky. I really dig it. This is also the kind of whiskey that benefits from a proper tasting experience with nosing, resting, and watering to really let it bloom in the glass to find the nebulous and creamy depths hidden within.
47. Filmland Spirits Moonlight Mayhem! Small Batch Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 47%
Average Price: $63
The Whiskey:
This new brand blends the worlds of Hollywood B-movies and Ohio Valley whiskey-making in one brand. The Indiana whiskey is made from a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. Those whiskeys aged four to five years before they’re sent to Kentucky for batching and bottling with a touch of that limestone water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Orange oils and cherry pie dominate the nose with mild hints of Saigon cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove next to a rush of caramel and maple syrup sweetness next to a hint of oak.
Palate: The taste opens sweet with more of that caramel leading to a lush vanilla base accented by cherry tobacco and cinnamon bark — in short, a classic bourbon palate.
Finish: The end gets creamy and soft with a sense of salted toffee and chocolate-covered espresso beans next to toasted tobacco and old oak.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice start and makes me pretty excited to see where Filmland takes us next with these releases.
46. New Liberty Bloody Butcher 100% PA Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 47.5%
Average Price: $62
The Whiskey:
This Pennsylvania bourbon starts off with Bloody Butcher corn sourced from Castle Valley Mill in Doylestown, PA, only 25 miles from the distillery. The malted rye and malted barley are also local and sourced from the Deer Creek Malthouse. Those grains combine to make this unique red corn bourbon that then rests for nine years before it’s batched, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a subtle milk chocolate on the nose that leads to buttery toffee and old leather gloves next to orchards full of fruit and bark.
Palate: The palate leans into apricot jam and marmalade with a touch of buttermilk biscuit and dry wild sage next to cinnamon bark and clove buds.
Finish: There’s a creamy nutmeg vibe near the end that leads to a milk chocolate tobacco finish with a whisper of dry cedar bark and earthy dry moss.
Bottom Line:
There’s a nice earthiness to this one thanks to that ruddy corn base. The overall vibe is mildly sweet and unique, making this a good bourbon for someone looking to try something a little different.
45. Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof Tennessee Whiskey
ABV: Varies
Average Price: $72
The Whiskey:
Where the Single Barrel Select is cut with soft limestone water to bring it down to proof, this is the straight whiskey from the barrel. These barrels are all hand-selected from the vast Jack Daniel’s rickhouses. What’s left from the angel’s share then goes straight into the bottle. That means the ABVs and tasting notes for this bottle will vary depending on which bottle you snag.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Expect an experience that’s full of rich vanilla, caramel, and toasted oak, next to a rush of cherry-spiked spice.
Palate: The sip should have a mix of that vanilla, oak, and rich wintry spices with a nice dose of bright red fruits and a texture that’s more velvet than liquid.
Finish: The end really holds onto that vibe as the mild spice, toasted oak, rich vanilla, and almost maple syrup sweetness slowly fade across your senses, leaving you with chewy cherry tobacco stuffed into an old cedar box.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the best versions of Jack Daniel’s that you can actually find/buy. This release is refined and deeply built to give you a striking version of the well-known brand. It’s easy-going over some ice and makes a nice sipper on a slow day.
44. Milam & Greene Castle Hill Series Bourbon Whiskey Batch Two 13-Year-Old
ABV: 55.5%
Average Price: $198
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is all about the batching process. The mix contains just 26 13 to 14-year-old barrels. Those barrels are masterfully blended down in Texas and then bottled at cask strength without any fussing.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with a root beer vibe next to stewed cherry next to old cinnamon sticks and suede on the nose.
Palate: The palate marries the cherry with the cinnamon with extra layers of dry pine and old sweetgrass that give way to soft vanilla cream.
Finish: That creaminess carries into the finish with poppy seeds and toffee next to spicy cherry tobacco inside an old wicker box with a hint of mold.
Bottom Line:
This is another whiskey that’s damn good from Texas. It might be worth waiting until you visit Austin or Houston to try it.
43. Horse Soldier Reserve Barrel Strength Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 60.25%
Average Price: $98
The Whiskey:
The bourbon in this bottle was contract distilled in Ohio at Middlewest (but it’s now being made in Kentucky). The whiskey is a wheated bourbon that spent eight years mellowing before bottling. Each barrel was hand-picked before being married into a barrel strength expression that’s bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a mild crafty, sweet grain nose that opens toward a pile of freshly chopped firewood, lemon pepper, creamy vanilla-laced honey, winter spices, and Kiwi boot soap.
Palate: The palate has a hint of caramel malts next to Vanilla Coke, a buttery and spiced apple pie with plenty of brown sugar, and a hint of ginger next to some orange blossoms in the background.
Finish: The end is solid with a spicy warmth next to more of that dry firewood and a smidge of sweet oatmeal cookies.
Bottom Line:
This is a great, familiar craft bourbon with a kick. There’s a slight craft edge that gives way to classic bourbon notes, creating a wonderful balance of the old and new vibes. This whiskey also supports veterans in getting the medical care and assistance they need once they return home.
42. Remus Repeal Reserve VI Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $77
The Whiskey:
This year’s Remus Reserve is a mix of six to 14-year-old Indiana bourbons. Buckle in. The blend is made from 2% of a 2008 bourbon with a 21% rye mash, 27% from a 2012 bourbon with a 21% rye mash, 29%from a 2014 bourbon with a 21% rye mash, 17% from a 2012 bourbon with a 36% rye mash bill, and 25% from a 2014 bourbon with that same very high rye mash bill. Once vatted, the whiskey is just touched with water for proofing and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this one is complex and meaders through mint fields and caramel apple stands as hints of old boot leather, plum jam, winter spice, and a hint of sweet oak round things out.
Palate: The palate opens with a rich toffee before a warmth takes over with a soft spice (nutmeg and allspice) before woody vanilla and creamed honey take over.
Finish: The end feels like a handful of candied fruits wrapped up in leathery tobacco leaves with a hint of cedar bark and dried mint in the background.
Bottom Line:
Remus Reserve is MGP of Indiana’s signature expression via their Ross & Squib Distillery brand. This whiskey is truly a special expression that’s always delicious.
41. Filibuster Distillery Bottled-in-Bond Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 5 Years
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $89
The Whiskey:
This Virginia whiskey is a grain-to-glass experience. The juice is made from locally-grown grains — 70% corn, 20% rye, and 10% malted barley — and local spring water in the Shenandoah Valley. After five years of mellowing in Appalachia, a small bundle of barrels are batched and proofed to 100 proof before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a waft of old porch wicker next to floral honey, burnt orange, black tea leaves, and a classic sense of woody cherry and vanilla.
Palate: The palate creams the honey while adding in soft oak and cherry pie filling with a hint of vanilla malt next to mulled wine spices — heavy with star anise, clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon with a pinch of mace or cardamom.
Finish: The end has a dark chocolate-covered espresso bean vibe that leads to a mild dried cranberry note next to a strawberry-rhubarb-walnut crumble with a scoop of vanilla malted ice cream that finished back at the old porch wicker braided with dark cherry tobacco and dry cedar bark.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those whiskeys that’s a nice surprise. Of course, Virginia has good bourbon but this is really good. It’s deep and deeply interesting. If you’re looking for a great and classic bourbon from outside of Kentucky, then this is the play.
40. Joseph A. Magnus Cigar Blend Bourbon Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50.35%
Average Price: $386
The Whiskey:
This Indiana-sourced bourbon is built from 11 and 18-year-old bourbons. The real star of the show with this whiskey is that those bourbons were finished in armagnac, cognac, and sherry casks before batching and bottling as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with sticky toffee pudding that really amps up the cinnamon and nutmeg next to black-tea-soaked dates next to some stewed prunes wrapped in chili-chocolate-laced tobacco leaves and dripped in honey and then walnuts.
Palate: A savory fruitiness opens the palate with figs and pumpkin that leads towards an apricot jam with a hint of clove and cinnamon next to light touches of old library leather and cobwebs.
Finish: A faint hint of dark berries arrives on the mid-palate before the finish luxuriates in burnt toffee, almond shells, more of that leather, and dried-out apricots.
Bottom Line:
These releases are consistently delicious. They will challenge your palate and expand it all while tasting damn near perfect. Make sure to add a little water to really let this one bloom in the glass — it’ll get nice and creamy.
39. Wyoming Whiskey The Ten Anniversary Edition
ABV: 51.7%
Average Price: $249
The Whiskey:
This is a low-corn bourbon made with a mash of 68% corn, 20% rye, and 12% malted barley that’s left to rest for 10 long years. The barrels were hand-selected by Master Distiller and legend Steve Nally and Master Blender and Master Distiller Nancy Fraley, giving the final product some serious pedigree for the whiskey nerds.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This leans into classic bourbon notes of black cherry, sticky toffee pudding, pecan pie, and marmalade before veering toward dried ancho chili powder and a touch of pistachio and honey.
Palate: That dark cherry turns syrupy before maple sap kicks in with a sense of toasted marshmallow, creamed honey, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and blueberry pie with a big dollop of bourbon vanilla ice cream.
Finish: The end has a sense of sweet potato pie covered in candied pecans next to toasted oak that’s been dipped in cherry tobacco.
Bottom Line:
Former Maker’s Mark Master Distiller Steve Nally did help create this limited edition blend, so there are some Kentucky blood, sweat, and tears involved. Still, this is all Wyoming and a damn fine pour of slow-sipping whiskey. The only thing holding back on this ranking is that it was simply “classic” and that’s it.
38. Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey Batch 028 Single Barrel Whiskey
ABV: 60.8%
Average Price: $150
The Whiskey:
While Uncle Nearest is distilling their own juice these days, this is still the work of Master Blender Victoria Eady Butler with carefully sourced Tennessee whiskey barrels. In this case, Eady Bulter hand-selected the best-of-the-best from their inventory to create the perfect whiskey to exemplify the brand and Tennessee whiskey traditions.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose leans into sticky toffee pudding with a sense of black licorice that’s almost absinth adjacent as soft caramel and winter spice round things out.
Palate: Gingerbread cookies and stewed pears mingle with sharp chili spice, red peppercorns, and a hint more of that dark licorice on the palate with this mild sense of creamy vanilla oils and maybe some maple syrup fresh from the tap.
Finish: The pepperiness really drives the finish toward a creamy vanilla cake end with a nice balance of woody winter spices and a hint of soft leather.
Bottom Line:
Uncle Nearest’s team really hits it out of the park with these single-barrel releases. While this one is stellar, anyone that you find out there is going to be a treat. So don’t sweat if you can’t find this exact one.
37. Lil’ Guero Aged 7 Years Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $100
The Whiskey:
This small batch from Savage & Cooke out in California is made from an MGP of Indiana 7-year-old high-rye bourbon. Master Distiller Jordan Via hand picks only 38 barrels for this blend and then cuts that whiskey with Alexander Valley spring water before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is another classic nose full of maple syrup over pecan waffles, dried cherries, salted caramel, meaty dates, old leather, and singed cedar with a hint of old musk lurking in the background of the nose.
Palate: The palate has a hint of caramel next to vanilla malt with dates, prunes, and raisins leading to dark chocolate-covered dried cranberries with a hint of spiced tobacco.
Finish: That spiced tobacco mingles with old leather and cedar on the back end.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those whiskeys that’s just good. There are better whiskeys out there — deeper, more nuanced, etc. — but this has zero obvious faults. It also adds to the mystique of MGP in that this feels wholly its own. This doesn’t taste like any of the MGP-made whiskeys on the list, proving that the people behind these blends are what matter the most when making a good and individual whiskey.
36. Laws Whiskey House Cognac Foeder Finished Four Grain Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 47.5%
Average Price: $74
The Whiskey:
This Colorado four-grain bourbon starts with standard aging for two years in new American oak. The barrels that hit just the right mark are then batched and re-filled into cognac casks for additional mellowing. Once those barrels hit the right flavor profile, the whiskey is vatted into a 50-year-old French oak foeder (huge barrel, basically) where it rests for a spell before bottling. That foeder is never fully emptied, creating heritage to all the bourbon that passes through it year after year.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This season’s nose has a sense of Earl Grey tea leaves just touched with champagne next to stewed plums and apples with a sense of Saigon cinnamon, freshly ground nutmeg, and ground allspice.
Palate: The palate is rich and lush with an apple butter thickness and spice next to singed cedar bark and apple bark over rum-raisin, creamy eggnog, and a whisper of pear.
Finish: The end has a creamy and lush vibe that leans into vanilla and nog with a whisper of holiday cake imbued tobacco rolled with cellar oak and rich caramel sauce.
Bottom Line:
This is an excellent example of what a cognac finish can bring to a bourbon. The nuance is that cognac foeders were used instead of smaller format barrels. That’s an incredible amount of surface space for the bourbon to interact with the unique wood sugars.
35. William Alan Small Batch Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 45%
Average Price: Distillery Only
The Whiskey:
This South Carolina bourbon is all about small batching and farm-to-glass experiences. The corn-fueled spirit with a very high malted barley component is aged for four years before it’s re-barreled in new toasted oak barrels for a final three-month rest. Those barrels and then vatted and the whiskey is proofed with local water for bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this is very crafty in the best way with a bowl full of white grits cut with butter and brown sugar with a hint of burnt orange, dried rose, and fresh mint rounding things out.
Palate: The palate leans into woody wintery spices before circling back around to those sweet grits, Cherry Coke, ginger juice, and a hint of savory fruit — think pumpkin flesh just touched with cinnamon.
Finish: The end leans into that fresh savory fruit before hitting on a moment of black peppercorns and cinnamon bark with a lush burnt orange finish.
Bottom Line:
This is very crafty but very deep and kind of fun. If you’re getting into that new, grain-forward bourbon style, this is a great bottle to find. You’re just going to need to go to South Carolina to do so.
34. Dettling Single Barrel Cask Strength Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 55.4% (Varies)
Average Price: $79
The Whiskey:
This Alabama whiskey is all about that grain-to-glass experience. What really stands out, though, is that this whiskey aged for only four years yet has a deep profile. The whiskey takes on a dark hew thanks to it being stored at the top of the rickhouse in hot and balmy Alabama. The results are bottled from a single one of those barrels without any cutting or fussing.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this one starts with cornbread that’s been baked in lard in a cast-iron skillet with an almost burnt crust, plenty of salted butter, and a dollop of honey that’s been cut with orange oils.
Palate: The palate takes that cornbread, crumbles it up, and mixes in fresh cracked Tellicherry black peppercorns, dried roses, a touch of cedar, and a mild echo of orange-laced tobacco leaves.
Finish: Finally, the sip layers in a wintry spice combo that leans toward cinnamon sticks soaked in mulled wine and apple cider that leads towards a soft finish with a dried mint that’s… almost menthol tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This was getting some serious hype in 2021 and then kind of fell off the radar in 2022. That’s a shame as this is excellent whiskey and one that’s definitely worth seeking out in 2023.
33. 291 HR Colorado Bourbon Whiskey Aspen Stave Finished
ABV: 63%
Average Price: $108
The Whiskey:
291 HR Bourbon is the Colorado distillery’s “High Rye” bourbon. The whiskey was made when a double dose of malted rye was added to the mash. Once distilled, the hot juice was barreled in new oak with aspen wood staves right in the whiskey. In this case, the whiskey was bottled as-is once it hit just the right spot.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with a rush of fruitiness that leans into candied citrus rinds, apricots, peaches, and maybe some raisins next to butterscotch candies, a touch of nuttiness, and maybe a little cedar wood.
Palate: The palate leans into that cedar with a cinnamon stick vibe underneath, a touch of toffee, and more stone fruit with a slightly dried edge.
Finish: The end is lightly fruity with a dried oak vibe and more of those woody spices.
Bottom Line:
This is very crafty on the fruity end (it’s not grainy really at all). If you’re looking for a young, fruity bourbon, then this is going to be your jam. I can also see this pairing really well with a fruity hazy IPA.
32. Redwood Empire Whiskey Grizzly Beast Bottled-In-Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey Batch #002
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $79
The Whiskey:
The latest batch of Redwood Empire’s Grizzly Beast is a four-grain bourbon. The California whiskey was made with 69% corn, 22% rye, 5% malted barley, and a mere 4% wheat. After five years of maturation, 26 barrels were picked for this batch. Those barrels were vatted and the whiskey was just kissed with pure water from a local Russian River Valley aquifer.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Cherry pie with plenty of winter spice leads off on the nose with buttery brown sugar, tart red berries, and walnut shells.
Palate: The palate opens with burnt orange, salted caramel, and more of those tart berries swimming in rich vanilla cream before a hint of spicy warmth arrives.
Finish: The end leans into brown sugar and winter spice-laced butter with walnut tobacco leaves wrapped in vanilla husks and cedar bark.
Bottom Line:
Redwood Empire is one of those small distillers/blenders that has a fiercely loyal fan base that’s still pretty small — the distillery doesn’t even have a consumer side yet. That’s all going to change as the Sonoma, California distillery grows and becomes a true titan of West Coast whiskey over the next few years.
31. Middle West Straight Wheated Straight Bourbon Whiskey Michelone Reserve
ABV: 62.1%
Average Price: $47
The Whiskey:
This Ohio whiskey is all about grain-to-glass. The juice is made from a mash of sweet yellow corn, soft red winter wheat, dark pumpernickel rye, and Two-Row malted barley. The whiskey spends about four years in oak before it’s bottled as is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: A hint of sourdough doughnuts dusted with cinnamon and sugar leads to maple syrup, coconut cream pie, marzipan, and a hint of toffee.
Palate: The palate dries out toward an almond nutshell before hitting a rum-raisin/Cherry Coke vibe next to woody winter spices on the mid-palate.
Finish: That spicy warmth fades toward cedar bark, Almond Joy, and spiced cherry tobacco on the finish with a hint more of that warm doughnut from the nose.
Bottom Line:
Middle West makes the best bourbon in Ohio. Outside of that state, you might not have ever heard of it — or even realize that you’re already drinking it (it’s the original source for brands like Horse Soldier, for instance). This bottle, at cask strength, is one of the better craft bourbons you can buy right now and worth the extra effort to source if you’re not in the Ohio Valley.
30. Redemption Straight Bourbon Whiskey Cognac Cask Finish
ABV: 49.5%
Average Price: $70
The Whiskey:
Master Blender Dave Carpenter built this small-batch bourbon off the back of barrels of very high-rye bourbon (60% corn, 36% rye, and 4% malted barley) from MGP of Indiana. Carpenter then moved that whiskey into Cognac barrels from Ferrand Cognac which held Cognac for 30 years. The bourbon spent 12 months finishing in those old-school barrels before vatting, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a clear pecan pie vibe on the nose with a buttery crust, plenty of holiday spices, a touch of apricot, and a whisper of dried hibiscus petals.
Palate: The palate takes the apricot and stews it with the spices to create a jammy compote next to an earthy and wet cellar beam dripping with cobwebs as the hibiscus brightens and leads towards a hint of raisin, prune, and white pepper.
Finish: The mid-palate leans into that sweet dried fruit/peppery edge as the pecans return in a bowl of Caro syrup and dusted with nutmeg-heavy eggnog spices and a final flourish of that wet yet fruity wood.
Bottom Line:
This is really good juice. It’s also a great example of how unique those barrels from MGP are these days, especially when you add in that extra layer of barrel finishing.
29. Stellum Bourbon Single Barrel Perseus Selected by Topflight Series by ReserveBar
ABV: 57.59%
Average Price: $52
The Whiskey:
Perseus is the latest in the astronomical lineup from Stellum Bourbon. This whiskey starts off with a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. That hot juice then rests for at least four to six years before single barrels are picked for bottling. In this case, ReserveBar snagged this barrel for their Top Flight program as a special barrel pick.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Candied pecans cooked into crispy, vanilla-forward waffles dance on the nose with a touch of sour cherry tossed in sea salt, a deep winter spice bark medley, and old leather tobacco pouches.
Palate: The taste moseys through salted dark chocolate squares next to maple syrup-dipped graham crackers, dried wild sagebrush, and a rush of sharp spearmint with black cherry lush sweetness at the base.
Finish: That black cherry drives the finish toward salted caramel and dried red chili pepper spice next to a whisper of orchard bard, woody spice, and soft and chewy tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is great whiskey. Great. Stellum whiskey bottles like this also end up around $100 and this is half that price. That’s a great deal, folks!
28. Smooth Ambler 6 Years Old Founders’ Cask Strength Series 2022 Batch #1
ABV: 59%
Average Price: $55
The Whiskey:
This West Virginia whiskey is made from a high-rye mash of 71% corn, 21% rye, and 8% malted barley. That whiskey is then left alone for six years before it’s batched and bottled without filtering or proofing.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a nice sense of Graham Crackers dipped in dark chocolate with a hint of singed marshmallow next to orchard wood, dried cherry, and mild winter spice.
Palate: The palate opens with soft brown sugar next to cherries dipped in dark chocolate, allspice berries, and eggnog creaminess.
Finish: The end has a Cherry Coke vibe next to cinnamon bark, buttery gingerbread, and a hint of apple-cinnamon tobacco wrapped up in leather and cedar.
Bottom Line:
If you’re just looking for an easy-going and classic bourbon with a little kick to it, this will 100% deliver.
27. Remus Gatsby Reserve 15 Year Old Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 48.9%
Average Price: $229
The Whiskey:
From the newly minted Ross & Squibb Distillery (formerly just MGP of Indiana), this whiskey combines barrels that were filled in 2005 and 2006. Those carefully selected barrels were small batched into this fine whiskey. The final blend was bottled as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this is classic old-school bourbon with dark dried cherry and cranberry next to caramelized pecans inside a waffle, soft leatheriness, and rich maple syrup cut with lush vanilla and subtle woody tobacco spiciness.
Palate: The palate leans into brandied cherries with a hint of blueberry syrup next to leathery notes of tobacco and dark berries with a hint of woodiness that leads to huckleberries and mulled wine spices.
Finish: The end has a lovely softness that leans into apple-cider-soaked cinnamon sticks, singed cherry bark, and pipe tobacco loaded into an old oak barrel.
Bottom Line:
This is MGP of Indiana absolutely flexing with their own barrels (which are usually used for tons of sourced labels). The berry fruitiness is front and center and makes total sense with the subtler bourbon vibes. This is the bottle you get when you’re hankering for a dark berry-forward bourbon that creates a soft and beautiful harmonization with classic bourbon tones.
26. Widow Jane The Vaults Aged 14 Years A Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys 2022 Release
ABV: 49.5%
Average Price: $229
The Whiskey:
This sourced New York whiskey is made from 14 to 19-year-old barrels from Tennessee and Indiana. Those barrels were sent out to Brooklyn and blended and then re-barreled into Missouri Ozark casks that were air-seasoned for three years before they were coopered and charred. Finally, the whiskey was blended in a small batch and bottled as-is without filtering but was cut with limestone mineral water from the Rosendale Mines in New York.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a mild sense of graininess on the nose with a hint of vanilla wafer honey sandwiches with mild winter spices — woody cinnamon, allspice, star anise — next to a hint of sweet tobacco layers of cherry and apple pie filling.
Palate: The palate has a very Tennessee vibe with soft bran muffins next to vanilla wafers layered with nougat and cinnamon with a hint of root beer cut with cherry syrup.
Finish: The end has a mild chocolate milk powder feel next to old oak, worn leather, and root beer-laced tobacco leaves.
Bottom Line:
There’s a gentle beauty to this whiskey that really shines through. It’s subtle yet succinct. Then is a masterclass in blending and proofing.
25. Jack Daniel’s 10 Years Old Tennessee Whiskey, Batch 2
ABV: 48.5%
Average Price: $199
The Whiskey:
This age statement released from Jack Daniel’s is a throwback to a bygone era in Tennessee Whiskey. The whiskey is aged for at least 10 years before batching. During that time, the barrels spend time in the “Buzzard’s Roost” at the top of the rickhouse. Once they hit the right flavor profile, those barrels are moved to the bottom floors of other warehouses to slow the aging down. Finally, the whiskey is batched, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with a rich matrix of cherry syrup, apple cores, sticky toffee, vanilla ice cream, and a bold line of wet and sweet oak with a mild earthiness.
Palate: The palate opens up towards the dark fruit but dries it out and marries it to a woody and spicy tobacco leaf alongside toasted cedar soaked in salted caramel paired with dry corn husks that are just singed.
Finish: The finish really takes its time as the cherry attaches to an old cinnamon stick and the tobacco takes on a sticky chewiness with an almost smoked oak woodiness.
Bottom Line:
This was an oaky whiskey with a nice fruitiness to balance things out. I’d say if you’re looking for something oaky but more fruity than spiced, then get this.
24. Stellum Single Barrel Bourbon Leo Topflight Series By ReserveBar
ABV: 50.25%
Average Price: $52
The Whiskey:
This single-barrel pick from Stellum utilizes a classic sourced bourbon with 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley from Indiana. Those barrels are transported over the Ohio River to Louisville, Kentucky where they finish their four to six-year-long rest. This release was chosen by the team at ReserveBar and released as a single barrel pick in their Topflight Series.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a classic sense of spiced cherry with cinnamon cookies cut with raw brown sugar and vanilla next to a hint of taco seasoning spice packets.
Palate: The palate is lush with a sense of dark creamy chocolate, smoldering marshmallows, honey-dipped Graham crackers, and a light sense of peach tobacco.
Finish: The honey sweetens the finish with a sense of old oak and a dirt cellar floor next to a walnut cake and a mild warming buzz.
Bottom Line:
This is a really good sipping bourbon at a great price point. This could easily be $100 and no one would blink an eye. So in that case, get two.
23. Swilled Dog Spirits Straight Bourbon Whiskey Barrel Strength
ABV: 58.5%
Average Price: $54
The Whiskey:
First off, this has a great name and reimagined logo (these are the new bottles for 2023). Secondly, the whiskey is made from a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley so we know this is MGP distillate, and that usually means high-quality booze.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Leather and spiced cherry drive the nose toward meaty dates and wet brown sugar with a very classic bourbon vibe.
Palate: That brown sugar turns a little molasses-y on the palate as vanilla cream pie drizzled in toffee leans toward spiced milk chocolate powder and a hint of hazelnut cream.
Finish: That creaminess drives the finish toward leathery dried fruits and dates next to a cherry/vanilla/spiced tobacco buzzing warmth.
Bottom Line:
This was a really nice, high-proof bourbon. It had a stone-cold classic flavor profile. If you’re in West Virginia, pick yourself up a bottle.
22. Frey Ranch Malted Grain Series 100% Malted Corn Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 55%
Average Price: $59
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is a unique concept from out in Nevada. The bourbon is made with 100% malted corn that’s grown and malted at Frey Ranch. That corn has to be grown in the summer to save it from frost. Once fermented and distilled, the hot juice rested for exactly five years and 10 months before it was batched and bottled as-is with a touch of local water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this one is wild — it meanders through floral and citrus forward notes that are kind of like an old-school West Coast IPA with dank hoppiness next to savory melon, dry smudging sage, and a hint of lard-filled tamales.
Palate: The palate leans into fresh honeycombs next to orange and grapefruit peels soaked in apple cider with a fleeting sense of anise.
Finish: The end really leans into the floral and citrus dank with an underlying sense of a corn field right after the harvest when everything is still green.
Bottom Line:
This is out there and delicious. It’s very unique though, so don’t expect a classic Kentucky cherry bomb. That said, if you love a good dank West Coast IPA, this is the perfect pairing partner.
21. Doc Swinson’s Exploratory Cask CS ‘French Toasted’ Bourbon
ABV: 54.3%
Average Price: $99
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is a blend of two MGP bourbons — their classic 75/21/4 corn/rye/malted barley mash bill with their very high rye 60/36/4 corn/rye/malted barley mash. Those whiskeys rested for 5.5 years before blending and re-barrelling into new French oak from Taransaud Cooperages that’s made with trees from the famous Troncaise forest. After about three months, those barrels were batched and this whiskey was bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a creamy almost maltiness to the nose with a deep vanilla coffee cake, clove-studded orange, and pecan waffles with more creaminess with a buttery edge.
Palate: Apricot leather and apple fritters drive the palate with a spiced cinnamon toastiness next to a light drizzle of salted dark chocolate.
Finish: Cinnamon bark and sweet orange marmalade mingle on the finish with a light sense of spiced apple cider, wet orchards in the late fall, and creamy pear pudding.
Bottom Line:
This is a wild bourbon. It presents much more like an old Scotch whisky for cognac lovers with hints of American bourbon peaking in from time to time. It’s fascinating, delicious (like, really delicious), and a true outlier. Get some before it’s gone forever.
20. Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Select Tennessee Whiskey
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $175 (1-liter bottle)
The Whiskey:
Frank Sinatra was one of Jack’s biggest fans. So much so that the crooner was buried with a bottle. The actual whiskey in this expression is a throwback to how Jack was made in Sinatra’s day. They use special “Sinatra Barrels” that have concentric grooves carved into the newly charred oak, giving the whiskey more surface area to do its thing. Once that’s aged, it’s blended with traditional Old No. 7 and proofed at 45%, as it also would have been back in Sinatra’s heydays.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Peach cobbler, apple pie with a buttery crust and caramel drizzle, vanilla pods, old leather, and a hint of cherry tobacco inside an old wooden box build on the nose.
Palate: The sip leans into the fruit next to woody spice and soft leather that mellows dramatically towards a soft vanilla cream along with a very distant echo of cherry tobacco chewiness.
Finish: The mild spice (think nutmeg) arrives late and is tied to a cherry syrup vibe that just touches on dry wicker, faint almonds, and a touch more of that tobacco. Ultimately, the leather returns and builds towards a silken finish with just the right balance of woody apple, cherry tobacco, and oaky spice — all touched by the softest note of vanilla bean.
Bottom Line:
A super fine sipper that only needs a rock or drop of water to let it bloom. This is a glass of whiskey that’s worth savoring.
19. Woodinville Moscatel Finish Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $70
The Whiskey:
This whiskey starts as Woodinville’s award-winning five-year-old Washington bourbon. That whiskey is then re-barreled into Moscatel wine casks for a finish maturation period. After nearly a year, the whiskey goes into the bottle having just been touched by water but otherwise as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with a mix of dark chocolate powder, smoked apricot, and burnt orange with a good dose of wet wicker and five spice.
Palate: The palate leans into toffee and almonds (Almond Roca!) with peach pits, plums, and a touch of vanilla yellow cake.
Finish: The end leans into the plums with a brown sugar vibe next to light Christmas spices, dry wicker, choco-spiced tobacco, and Almond Roca.
Bottom Line:
Woodinville has been winning award after award for years now. But during that whole ascent, they’ve only really been available in Washington State (or at whiskey bars in the know). That all changed with this release, which is available nationwide. That’s a fantastic achievement for a small-time operator working just north of Seattle. It’s also a fantastic whiskey that’s a great introduction to the brand for all of you who’ve been waiting to finally try it.
18. 291 Bad Guy Colorado Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 57.8%
Average Price: $109
The Whiskey:
This Colorado whiskey is made from a mix of local corn, malted wheat, malted rye, and beech-smoked malted barley. As per 291’s classic aging methods, the whiskey is aged for about two years with aspen wood staves in the barrel to accelerate the aging process. Finally, this is batched and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a whole fruit basket of fruitiness with stone fruit really shining through — think apricots and peaches — next to old tart apples, cinnamon sticks, toffees dusted with crushed almonds, and a murmur of chamomile tea.
Palate: The palate has a crafty graininess that’s akin to oatmeal cookie dough with a hint of nuttiness, brown sugar, cinnamon, and something slightly floral but woody.
Finish: The end brings the apricot back as a spicy jam with a little vanilla creaminess and tannic florals.
Bottom Line:
This is another crafty bourbon that really balances the new graininess with the iconic bourbon notes well. There’s also a great stone fruit vibe that takes this bourbon beyond the ordinary to something truly special. Moreover, if you’re a fan of Billie Eilish, this is a must-have.
17. Starlight Distillery Carl T. Huber’s Bottled-In-Bond Indiana Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $62
The Whiskey:
This new release from Huber Farm’s Starlight Distillery (the distillery to know if you’re in the know) is made from their high-corn mash with a sweet mash method (each batch is fresh) in their old copper pot still. The whiskey is barreled in Canton barrels and left to age on the farm for four years before it’s batched (only 20 barrels) and proofed down to 100 proof for bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with dark stewed cherries and spiced prune compote next to cinnamon waffles with a hint of maple syrup and dark chocolate chips.
Palate: The palate is pure silk with notes of Cherry Coke next to clove-studded oranges dipped in dark chocolate with a flake of salt with whispers of apple fritters, eggnog spices, and singed cherry bark with maybe a hint of apple wood in the background.
Finish: The end has a subtle warmth thanks to wintry mulled wine spices that lead to fresh pipe tobacco kissed with dates and chocolate and packed into an old cedar box for safekeeping.
Bottom Line:
This is both fresh/fun and so classic that it felt seminal. If you can get your hands on a bottle of this (click that price link!), then you’ll be in for a true bourbon treat.
16. Southern Star Paragon Single Barrel Cask Strength Wheated Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 58%
Average Price: $103
The Whiskey:
This North Carolina bourbon is starting to make some serious waves. This very limited batch of single-barrel bourbon is made from wheated bourbon mash bill with 70% corn, 16% wheat, and 14% malted barley. The hot juice was left for around four years before the barrel was hand-pocked and bottled as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a sense of orange blossoms and an apple orchard with a hint of pear and plum next to walnut shells, old honey bottles, and rich vanilla sauce with a hint of poppy seed.
Palate: The palate has a touch of dark chocolate powder sweetness that melds with walnuts and honey to make a cluster before the brown spice kicks in with sharp cinnamon and a touch of root beer.
Finish: The end leaves the spice and warmth behind for smooth vanilla walnut cake with a hint of apple-honey tobacco wrapped up with old cedar bark.
Bottom Line:
This is just plain ‘ol solid. It also tends to rack up awards because of that. It will be hard to find outside of the main bourbon markets (and North Carolina), but I’d argue it’s worth the effort to find. This is quality bourbon with a deep richness.
15. Nashtucky Single Barrel Aged 6 Years Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 57.7%
Average Price: $80
The Whiskey:
This is a new label the famed Nashville Barrel Company. This whiskey is an MGP of Indiana classic high-rye bourbon (75/21/4 corn/rye/malted barley) mash bill that spent six years aging in Tennessee before single-barrel bottling completely as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The fruity nose leans into Red Delicious apples and fresh pineapple cores with a hint of rum raisin, eggnog nutmeg, and a hint of dank cedar kindling.
Palate: The taste darkens with burnt orange peels and cinnamon toast with a buttery vibe next to real maple syrup and a touch of smoked chili pepper heat backing everything up.
Finish: The chili pepper buzzes on the palate as the finish leans into buttery cinnamon cream with a whisper of orange blossom and stewed peaches on the backend with plenty of winter spice.
Bottom Line:
This is an essential bottle to add to any collection of MGP greats. The unique barrel aging in Tennessee adds that little something extra to the whiskey that helps it pop as a slow sipper with true depth.
14. John J. Bowman Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey Single Barrel
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $299
The Whiskey:
A. Smith Bowman Distillery — a sibling distillery to Buffalo Trace in Virginia — is renowned for bottling some of the boldest bourbons in the game. This release is a no-age-statement and undisclosed mash bill of Virginia whiskey that’s around 10 years old. The whiskey is just proofed to 100 proof with local spring water before bottling as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Pain au chocolate leads the way on the nose with chewy toffee candies, Granny Smith apple skins, rich vanilla pods, and a hint of sweet cedar planks rubbed with apple-cinnamon tobacco leaves.
Palate: The palate is sweet and classic as dark Karo syrup leads toward heavy doses of vanilla in a crispy pecan waffle with a side of chocolate milkshake, dark fruit leather, figs, dates, and a hint of marzipan.
Finish: The mid-palate amps up the leathery dark fruit sweetness then tumbles toward an almond-chocolate-toffee vibe on the end with a hint of oak, old leather, and figgy tobacco on the finish.
Bottom Line:
This is some good damn whiskey. It’s also far more approachable than the barrel-proof releases from the distillery, making this a must-have if you’re looking to get into the Virginia whiskey.
13. The Left Cross Puncher’s Chance Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Jamaican Dark Rum Casks Aged 14 Years
ABV: 48%
Average Price: $149
The Whiskey:
This sourced bourbon from Bruce Buffer (of UFC fame) is an old whiskey. The bourbon in the bottle is a 14-year-old Tennessee whiskey made with 84% corn, 8% rye, and 8% malted barley. After around 14 years, that whiskey is re-filled into freshly dumped Jamaican rum casks that held rum for 12 years. After two to six months of additional maturation, those barrels are batched before proofing and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose has a classic sense of old oak, dark vanilla, black cherry, and woody spices with a hint of spearmint-spiked molasses.
Palate: The palate has a mild hogo funk with bananas foster cut with brandy, old raisin boxes, winter spices, and a soft vanilla cake frosted with rum-raisin and dark cacao.
Finish: Soft brown sugar gives way to a warming mulled wine vibe with plenty of star anise, clove, and cinnamon next to plummy rum sweetness and Cherry Coke spiced tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those whiskeys that’s just good. It has a great balance of rumminess that works with the older bourbon in the mix. It’s also a great dessert or digestif pour thanks to all the botanical spices and sweet fruits.
12. Garrison Brothers Guadalupe Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in a Port Cask
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 was 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 very small 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 one of the best American craft whiskey on the market right now. The balance of soft craft bourbon notes beside the deep port is perfection. Plainly speaking, this is delicious whiskey. It being “port cask finished” or “craft bourbon” or “Texan bourbon” is just a sidenote to how well made this is at its core.
11. Penelope Four Grain Straight Bourbon Whiskey Barrel Strength
ABV: 57.6%
Average Price: $57
The Whiskey:
Penelope Bourbon is a great example of what a master blender can do with MGP whiskey. In this case, three barrels were blended — aged three to five years — to create a barrel strength expression that highlights the quality of those casks. The final product ended up being a four-grain bourbon with a mash bill of 74% corn, 16% wheat, 7% rye, and 3% malted barley.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this bursts forth with peaches, red berries, blueberry, and an almost savory gooseberry next to cotton candy, a touch of toffee, and very light-yet-sweet oak.
Palate: The palate shines as the peaches and berries combine to make a sort of summer fruit crumble with plenty of butter, dark sugar, and spice alongside a thin line of soft leather, rich vanilla, and more of that sweet oak.
Finish: The mid-palate sweetens with more cotton candy before diving into a warming and spicy finish that keeps the spice sweet and subtle.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice all-around bourbon. In the end, I’d lean toward simple cocktails with it. A nice old fashioned, Manhattan, and maybe even a jaunty Sazerac work best.
10. George Dickel Bottled in Bond Tennessee Whisky Fall 2008 Aged 13 Years
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $44
The Whisky:
Master Distiller Nicole Austin has been killing it with these bottled-in-bond releases from George Dickel. This release is a whiskey that was warehoused in the fall of 2008. 13 years later, the whiskey was bottled at 100 proof (as per the bottled-in-bond law) and left to rest. Last fall, new releases of that Tennessee whiskey were sent out to much acclaim.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Sour cherries, maple syrup, and pecan waffles mingle with dried apple chips, old leather boots, and winter spice with a hint of vanilla wafers on the nose.
Palate: The taste leans toward spicy apple pie filling with walnuts, plenty of cinnamon, and some raisins before malted vanilla milkshakes, blueberry cotton candy, and dark chocolate milk arrive on the mid-palate and lead toward a moist oatmeal cookie dipped in salted caramel.
Finish: The end has a dry woody spiciness with star anise, cinnamon, and allspice mingling with marzipan and cherry/cinnamon tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the best whiskeys at this price point on the shelf today. This could easily cost twice as much and people wouldn’t bat an eye. All of that aside, this is a great cocktail base or sipper over some rocks. It’s just good, period.
9. A. Smith Bowman Cask Strength Bourbon Batch #2
ABV: 72.25%
Average Price: $2,999
The Whiskey:
This new batch from Sazerac’s Virginia distillery is all about upping the ante on last year’s bold ABV release. This year, Batch #2 takes the ABVs even higher in this cask-strength bourbon bomb thanks to the careful selection of old barrels that are batched and left completely uncut and non-chill-filtered.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a leathery nature on the nose with classic bourbon deep flourishes of very black cherry, salted caramel, cinnamon toast with cream butter and old vanilla pods, a touch of orange oil, and woody spice berries and barks.
Palate: Apple orchards and cherry pies open the sweet palate toward a massive heat from the ABVs that eventually fades towards creamed soft nut butter, vanilla cake, and apple cider spiked with spiced cherry tobacco.
Finish: The heat comes roaring back on the finish with brash woody winter spice and burnt orange with a touch of vanilla trying to find a counterbalance to all the heat.
Bottom Line:
This whiskey is bold with a capital “B”. It’s also nuanced and delivers a great bourbon flavor profile. For something with a shockingly high Hazmat ABV, this is perfectly balanced. Just add a rock before you dive in head first.
8. Nashville Barrel Company Straight Bourbon Whiskey Single Barrel 6 Years Old UPROXX January 2023 Barrel
ABV: 59.08%
Buy Here: $119
The Whiskey:
The barrel was chosen and bottled at the tail end of 2022 on a visit to Nashville Barrel Company. The whiskey in the bottle is a 6-year-and-two-month-old bourbon from MGP of Indiana. The high rye mash bourbon (75/21/4 corn/rye/malted barley) aged for five years in Indiana before moving to Nashville for an additional 14 months of resting. The bourbon went in the bottle at cask strength straight from the barrel.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with toffee, mild leather, orchard barks, blood orange, soft sweet grains, cinnamon sticks, cherry tobacco, plum, and a whisper of old pine accented by a touch of thyme.
Palate: The taste meanders through salted caramel, dates, cinnamon bark, cardamon pods, clove buds, and soft vanilla cake before leaning slowly into a spiced warmth.
Finish: The end arrives with sweet and chewy pipe tobacco, orange bitters, rock candy, and very light yet creamy cacao lushness next to hazelnut Manner Neapolitan Wafers and dry oak.
Bottom Line:
I picked this barrel so I can assure you that you’re getting a great bourbon in this bottle. That aside, if you’re looking for a deeply classic and comforting bourbon experience with a little pep, then this is the bottle for you.
7. Lost Lantern 2023 Single Cask #3 Watershed Distillery Ohio Straight Bourbon Whiskey 7 Years Old
ABV: 66.1%
Average Price: $119
The Whiskey:
The latest Lost Lantern single barrel release is a five-grain bourbon from our in Ohio. Watershed Distillery used corn, rye, wheat, malted barley, and locally-grown spelt for the mash of this bourbon. The whiskey then spent five years mellowing in Ohio before the barrel was shipped to Vermont for two more years of mellowing. Finally, the team at Lost Lantern thought this one was ready and bottled it as-is only yielding 65 bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This smells rich and lush with deep creamy eggnog next to sweet dark fruit leather, old oak cellars, and a sniff of vanilla cake bespeckled with crumbled-up hard-toffees covered in dark salted chocolate.
Palate: Those toffee chocolate candies drive the palate toward spiced oatmeal cookies with walnuts and raisins dipped in vanilla buttercream and dashed with brown sugar and salt with a fleeting sense of orange and vanilla.
Finish: Spiced cookies with plenty of fatty nuts appear on the finish as a matrix of orchard fruits — cherry, plum, orange — slowly fade toward burnt ends of rock candy dipped in winter spice liqueur with a brazen heat to it.
Bottom Line:
This is a great whiskey. Great. It was a tad hot on the finish, which is why it’s third instead of first. Otherwise, add some water and let this beauty bloom in the glass and take your time with it. Just hurry, this will be sold out very soon. And then that’s it — forever.
6. Heaven’s Door Aged 10 Years Decade Series Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $95
The Whiskey:
This is the first release in the new series from Bob Dylan’s Heaven’s Door Tennessee whiskeys. The whiskey is a 10-year-old straight bourbon that was made in Tennessee but wasn’t charcoal filtered before or after aging. The sourced barrels were blended and just proofed down before bottling without any other fussing.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a tannic old oakiness on the nose (this is older) with hints of pecan waffles covered in maple syrup with vanilla butter.
Palate: The taste is pure silk with salted caramel, vanilla cream, black licorice, marzipan, and a hint of cinnamon-pecan ice cream with a dusting of powdery chocolate in malt.
Finish: The end has a moment of warmth thanks to that cinnamon before lunging toward old porch wicker, cinnamon bark, star anise, pear tobacco, and old leather with a hint of potting soil.
Bottom Line:
This was simply delicious. It was so vibrant and classic while taking you on a journey. And hey, at least I knew it was a Tennessee bourbon.
5. Chattanooga Whiskey Bottled In Bond Vintage Series Fall 2018 Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $53
The Whiskey:
The latest seasonal drop from Tennessee’s Chattanooga Whiskey is another great. The whiskey is a blend of four of their mash bills. 30% comes from mash bill SB091, which is a mix of yellow corn, malted rye, caramel malted barley, and honey malted barley. Another 30% comes from mash bill B002, which has yellow corn, hardwood smoked malted barley (smoked with beech, mesquite, apple, or cherry), caramel malted barley, caramel malted, and honey malted barley. The next 20% is mash bill B005: yellow corn, malted wheat, oak smoked malted wheat, and caramel malted wheat. And the last 20% is from mash bill R18098, which is yellow corn, pale malted barley, naked malted oats, double roasted caramel malted barley, peated malted barley, cherrywood smoked malted barley, chocolate malt, and de-husked chocolate malt.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Cinnamon, brown butter sugar, walnut, and raisins meld on the nose with some vanilla to create a moist oatmeal cookie next to buckwheat pancakes griddled in brown butter and topped with apple butter, and maybe some apricot jam with a dash of nutmeg, dark chocolate shavings, and creamy vanilla whipped cream.
Palate: The palate leans into cherry hand pies and vanilla wafers with a counter of dried wild sage, orchard tree bark, and meaty dates.
Finish: The end has a sharp turn into dried red chili pepper cut with pipe tobacco, dark chocolate bars, cedar bark, burnt orange, and lime leaves with this whisper of cinnamon cookies at the very end.
Bottom Line:
This whiskey rocks. It’s a great bottle to impress whiskey heads but also a subtle sipper that delivers on several levels if you’re looking for a solid slow sipper. Naturally, it also slays in Manhattan, Sazerac, or old fashioned.
4. Garrison Bros. Cowboy Bourbon Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 67.4%
Average Price: $239
The Whiskey:
Cowboy Bourbon is Garrison Brother’s signature bottle of whiskey. This year’s release was made from 118 hand-selected 25-gallon barrels, aged between eight and nine years. Master Distiller Donnis Todd went through all of their small-format barrels over the course of the year to find a dozen or so that he thought met the high standards of Cowboy Bourbon without filtering or cutting with water. That makes this a very as-is representation of what makes Garrison Bros. special.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a rush of sharp cinnamon bark wrapped up with old saddle leather, freshly fried apple fritters, walnuts, old cedar bark braids twisted up with dried wild sage, and a hint of dried yellow mustard flowers with an underlying sense of maple syrup over pecan waffles.
Palate: The palate leans into the spice with a hint of allspice and ginger next to apple pie filling with walnuts, brandy-soaked raisins, and plenty of brown sugar next, next to spiced Christmas cake dipped in dark chocolate sauce.
Finish: The end takes its time and meanders through salted caramel, stewed plums with star anise and sharp cinnamon, a hint of vanilla Dr. Pepper, and a mild sense of chocolate-cinnamon-spiced chewing tobacco buzziness with a warming Texas hug that’s part Hot Tamales and part chili-spiced green tea.
Bottom Line:
This might well be the best whiskey from Texas right now. I’ll leave it at that.
3. Nelson Bros. Whiskey Black Brier A Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys Finished in Imperial Stout Casks
ABV: 54.9%
Average Price: $125
The Whiskey:
This whiskey takes Nelson Brother’s bourbon (sourced from Indiana and Tennessee) and re-loads it into beer casks for a special finish. The bourbon is re-filled into freshly emptied imperial stout casks from Blackstone Brewing Company for a final maturation before batching and bottling as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a fascinating balance of mocha lattes made with cream counterpointed by orange creamsicles on the nose with a deep and most vanilla white cake frosted with a whisper of Almond Joy icing.
Palate: Almost waxy cacao comes through on the palate before the almond and toasted coconut drive the taste toward Nutella-smeared croissants and a flutter of cinnamon-heavy mulled wine with a nice sweetness to it a whisper of dried red berries.
Finish: Cinnamon bark and dark chocolate-covered espresso beans come through late with a creamy sense of that Nutella and mocha latte layering into a faint burnt orange tobacco vibe.
Bottom Line:
This is a once-a-year whiskey that you’ll wish was on the shelf everywhere every day after just one sip. It’s the perfect example of stout barrel aging with bourbon.
2. Starlight Distillery Carl T. Huber’s Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Pineau des Charentes Barrels
ABV: 52.05%
Average Price: $80
The Whiskey:
This whiskey from craft-distilling darling Starlight up in Indiana is a masterpiece of distilling and aging. The juice is made from a high-corn mash with a touch of rye and malted barley in the mix alongside local water. The hot spirit goes into new white oak Canton barrels for about four years before it is refilled into hand-picked Pineau des Charentes casks from France (that’s a light grape-forward fortified wine) for a final maturation.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a soft sense of sultanas soaked in brandy with an echo of an old cheese cellar oak beams, vanilla wafers with floral honey pressed between them, almond crescent cookies, cinnamon powder, nutmeg, and orange and clove marmalade with a hint of savory scone.
Palate: The palate builds on the nose with layers of dark berry fruit leather, spiced holiday cakes with dates, allspice, and plenty of almond (and maybe some walnut) next to chestnut chutney cut with orange, pear, sultana, and a good dollop of winter spices with a hint of caramelized dark ale lurking underneath it all.
Finish: The end is a supple landing in softly spiced and dark fruity bourbon notes by way of a luxurious holiday cake soaked in brandy.
Bottom Line:
This is a great whiskey that you’d never in a million years think was from a tiny craft distillery in Southern Indiana. This feels like a big and bold swing from the biggest brands and can stand up next to them (and beat a lot of the biggest ones).
1. Jack Daniel’s 12-Year-Old Tennessee Whiskey, Batch 1
ABV: 53.5%
Average Price: $80 (MSRP)
The Whiskey:
Jack Daniel’s doesn’t hide any of its processes. The mash at the base of this whiskey is a mix of 80% corn, 12% barley, and 8% rye. Those grains are milled in-house and mixed with cave water pulled from an on-site spring and Jack Daniel’s own yeast and lactobacillus that they also make/cultivate on-site. Once fermented, the mash is distilled twice in huge column stills. The hot spirit is then filtered through 10 feet of sugar maple charcoal that’s also made at the distillery. Finally, the filtered whiskey is loaded into charred new American oak barrels and left alone in the warehouse. After 12 years, a handful of barrels were ready; so they were batched, barely proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is creamy with deep notes of old boot leather, dark and woody winter spices, black-tea-soaked dates, plum jam with clove, and an underbelly of chewy toffee-laced tobacco.
Palate: That creaminess presents on the palate with a soft sticky toffee pudding drizzled in salted caramel and vanilla sauce next to flakes of salt and a pinch of orange zest over dry Earl Grey tea leaves with a whisper of singed wild sage.
Finish: The end leans into the creamy toffee chewy tobacco with a hint of pear, cherry, and bananas foster over winter spice barks and a deep embracing warmth.
Bottom Line:
This is so well-balanced, nuanced, and just freaking tasty. It leaned more into the sweet fruit yeasty flavor notes while still holding onto classic and deep bourbon flavor notes. This is the good stuff, folks, and I’d argue pretty much the best non-Kentucky bourbon out there right now.
