The 100 Best Bourbon Whiskeys Of 2023, Ranked

Here we are, folks. It’s time for the best bourbons of 2023! And wow, it’s been a year. Amazing bourbon whiskeys have been dropping at a pretty much breakneck pace since… basically January. 2023 was a good time to be a bourbon drinker.

For this list, I’ve compiled 100 bourbon whiskeys that were released in 2023 that are truly exceptional. Yes, there were 100. In fact, there were more but we have to draw a line somewhere. But let me be clear — the distance between these ranked 2023 bourbons is damn near infinitesimal. Think of it more as the space between, say, numbers 69 and 68 is a mere 0.01%. Translation: You cannot go wrong with any of these bourbons.

To that end, there’s something for everyone on this list. There are single barrel picks, special oak finishes, truly small batch masterpieces, one-off limited editions we may never see again, and whiskeys so well-aged that they’re literally changing the game.

That said, this list is about the best of 2023 and not the “best of what’s readily available.” This is based on the whiskeys I’ve tasted this year throughout my day-to-day writing whiskey criticism, judging international competitions, and consulting. That means that some of these whiskeys are going to be almost impossible to get unless you’re deep in the industry or have crazy deep pockets.

Okay, this is a long list of truly great bourbon whiskey so let’s dive right in!

• The ‘Smoothest’ Bourbons On The Market, Blind Tasted And Ranked
• The ‘Smoothest’ Bourbons Under $100, Blind Tasted And Ranked
• The 100 Best Bourbons Of 2023 (So Far), Ranked
• The Best Bourbons Under $100 For Thanksgiving Dinner, Ranked
• The Best Mainstream Bourbons Under $40, Blind Tasted And Ranked

100. Copper Crow 1560 Bourbon Whiskey Single Barrel Aged 4 Years

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $34

The Whiskey:

Copper Crow is from Indigenous distillers up in Wisconsin. The whiskey is made from a 70% corn mash bill and aged in new American white oak for four years. Those barrels are small batched and then the whiskey is cut with water from the local Lake Superior aquifer.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: A classic medley of dark vanilla pods, old oak staves, and rich salted caramel mingle with cherry cola and dry sweetgrass braided with cedar bark and pipe tobacco.

Palate: The palate follows along the path with measured notes of crafty sweet grains — like Cream of Wheat meets white grits cut with butter and brown sugar — next to woody winter spices and a touch of orange zest.

Finish: Sweet oak and porridge lead the way on the finish with a dark cherry leatheriness tied to winter spice barks.

Bottom Line:

This is a classic bourbon made by Indigenous distillers. It’s a great place to start this year’s list in that this is good juice that’s helping open a new world of distillers in America. Overall, use this for your favorite whiskey-forward cocktails.

99. New Riff Blue Clarage Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $56

The Whiskey:

This brand-new distillery-only release from New Riff goes hard on the grain-to-glass ethos. The whiskey is made with heirloom corn — Blue Clarage, to be specific — that was developed by local Ohio farmer Edmund Clarridge back in the 1920s. New Riff had some more grown for this whiskey and created a mash bill (recipe) of 65% Blue Clarage corn, 30% rye, and 5% malted barley. That whiskey aged for five years before batching, proofing, and bottling.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose is super fruity in fascinating ways with fresh red and green chilis next to ripe peach and marmalade all cut with sharp cloves and allspice with a mild sense of old leather wrapped around chili-infused tobacco leaves.

Palate: The palate is super lush with a sense of dark cherry Black Forest cake next to dried chili pepper, soft vanilla buttercream cut with salted caramel, and a sense of orchard tree bark.

Finish: That bark doesn’t take away from the lushness of the finish as soft leather and apple pie tobacco mingle with soft dates and figs next to a light sense of that marmalade on the end.

Bottom Line:

New Riff cannot lose with their special releases. This is an excellent example of the greatness happening at the distillery this year and should get you very excited about what’s to come in 2024.

98. Bainbridge Whiskey Forty Saloon Bourbon Whiskey Small Batch Organic Bottled In Bond

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $89

The Whiskey:

Bainbridge Organic has been making seriously great whiskey for years now up in Washington. This whiskey is their first foray into bourbon. Overall, the mash bill is a classic 60% heirloom corn., 25% old variety Triticale (a rye-wheat hybrid), and 15% soft white wheat mix. The whiskey is left alone for five years and six months before batching and bottling.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a sense of old corn husks that gives way to salted caramel candies dipped in dark chocolate and sprinkled with dried lavender and burnt orange on the nose.

Palate: The caramel and chocolate sweetness drive the palate toward vanilla-cherry ice cream with a super creamy feel next to mild hints of grassy spices and new oak barrels fresh off the assembly line (think sweet and freshly toasted wood).

Finish: The grassy spice and toasted sweet oak dry the finish out as more cherry-vanilla creaminess balances out the finish with a hint of marmalade and scone on the very end.

Bottom Line:

This is a crafty and floral bourbon that’s 100% its own thing. There’s no chasing Kentucky vibes or Indiana spice here. This is a great bourbon that’s clearly chasing its own vibe and it works.

97. Joseph A. Magnus Cigar Blend Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 50.35%

Average Price: $194

The Whiskey:

This sourced bourbon is built from 11 and 18-year-old bourbon barrels. The real star of the show with this whiskey is that those bourbons were finished in Armagnac, Cognac, and sherry casks before vatting and bottling as-is.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This opens with sticky toffee pudding that 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 funk.

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:

This whiskey gets stronger (depth, not heat) with every passing year. This year’s edition is a smooth sipper that’s great for anyone looking for something deep but approachable.

96. Old Carter Straight Bourbon Whiskey Very Small Batch 3-KY

ABV: 58%

Average Price: $180

The Whiskey:

Old Carter is a hidden-away bottler right off Whiskey Row in Louisville. It’s still very insider. Their process is all about finding great barrels of whiskey, blending them, and bottling them for whiskey lovers in the know. In this case, that was a very small batch blend that yielded only 1,116 bottles.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: A thickness comes through on the nose with a creamy vanilla and maple syrup vibe with a buttery underbelly accented by old corn husks, woody cinnamon, allspice, and lush nutmeg with a hint of hazelnut.

Palate: Thick salted caramel sauce vibes with a black-tea-soaked date feel as cinnamon syrup and smoldering orchard wood leads to a big mid-palate Kentucky hug.

Finish: That warmth fades quickly as hints of dried cranberry tobacco and cedar braids filled with wicker and sweetgrass end the sip on a dry note with a touch of floral honey lurking underneath it all.

Bottom Line:

This is a super niche bottler from Louisville who seems to get some of the most prime barrels of whiskey in existence these days. This is just great sipping bourbon with a nice balance that’s equal parts classic and fun.

95. Peerless Double Oak Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 53.55%

Average Price: $114

The Whiskey:

This whiskey from Kentucky Peerless is around five to six years old and comes from one barrel that lets the grains shine through before it goes into another new oak barrel for a final maturation to let the oak shine through. That final barrel is bottled at cask strength, as-is, allowing all that beautiful bourbon and oak aging to shine brightly.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This opens with a nose full of salted butter next to hints of very soft leather, light notes of vanilla bean, a touch of toffee sweetness, and freshly cracked walnuts with a dry edge.

Palate: The taste leans into that oak barrel with dashes of woody spices (think allspice berries, star anise, and cinnamon sticks), dry cherry tobacco leaves, salted caramel, and more of that super soft leather.

Finish: That leads towards a mid-palate of dark red fruits stewed in mulled wine spices and cut with a dollop of fresh honey before the (long) finish dries out towards an old wicker chair, a very distinct hint of a cellar funk, and a touch of dried mint.

Bottom Line:

This remains a very good sipping bourbon and the best Peerless has to offer outside of their beautiful rye whiskeys. Pour this over a little ice and you’ll be all set. Or make a Sazerac with it, it rocks that way too.

94. 1845 Distilling Company Preemption Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $72

The Whiskey:

This is a Texas grain-to-glass craft bourbon made with local corn, Elbon rye, and malted barley. The whiskey ages for over three years before batching and proofing.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Cherry Coke cut with vanilla dances with a sense of salted caramel over oatmeal cookies with light dashes of old oak and floral honey.

Palate: The palate leans into orange tea steeped with cinnamon next to dark chocolate over orange cake with a light sense of soft oak and light tobacco leather.

Finish: Nasturtiums and cinnamon drive the finish back toward old oak and orange tea as a light sense of winter spice keeps things warm.

Bottom Line:

This Texas whiskey is starting to make waves on the awards circuit and it’s easy to see why when you get a taste. This is solid Texas bourbon that leans into a nice sweet/spice balance, making it perfect for whiskey-forward cocktails.

93. Shortbarrel Single Barrel Series Kentucky Straight Bourbon

ABV: 62.8%

Average Price: $74

The Whiskey:

These Shortbarrel Single Barrel releases are all over four years old and sourced either from Green River Distilling in Kentucky or MGP in Indiana. In this case, the whiskey was made in Kentucky and bottled in Georgia.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a clear sense of fresh orange zest and dark cherry on the nose with a hint of winter spice, old dried prunes, and a hint of black tea.

Palate: The winter spice leads to creamy vanilla and eggnog on the taste as a peach cobbler with fresh vanilla whipped cream leads to warming tobacco spices and hints of old oak.

Finish: Marmalade and leathery dried apricot counter the vanilla creaminess with a light sense of winter spice barks rolled up with soft pipe tobacco leaves and dipped in black cherry soda.

Bottom Line:

These single barrel releases are helping put the Georige bottler on the map. This is high-quality bourbon that’ll work wonderfully as a table bourbon for sipping and mixing.

92. Watershed Distillery Fall Finishing Series Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Apple Brandy Barrels Aged 6 Years Barrel Strength

ABV: 56%

Average Price: $89

The Whiskey:

This Ohio whiskey is all about batching and finishing. The bourbon was re-filled into American oak that held apple brandy for years. After six total years of aging, the whiskey was batched and then bottled 100% as-is at cask strength.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Honey Graham Crackers and almond cookies present on the nose with a sense of clove-studded oranges and old cinnamon sticks with a note of caramel and apple.

Palate: The apple merges with the cinnamon and caramel on the palate next to leathery prunes, piney honey, and more clove-orange before a dark potting soil arrives with a deep earthiness.

Finish: That earthiness turns into dry sweetgrass on the finish with a sense of cinnamon-heavy stewed apples and old oak.

Bottom Line:

This is a refined whiskey that works best over ice or in your favorite cocktail.

91. Redwood Empire Bottled In Bond Grizzly Beast Straight Bourbon Whiskey Batch No. 3

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $77

The Whiskey:

Batch three of Redwood Empire is made with a unique mash bill of 68% corn, 20% rye, 5% wheat, 5% malted barley, and 2% triticale. That whiskey was left to mellow for years in California before it’s small batched and proofed with pure water from the Russian River Valley.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Raspberry crumble with a big dollop of vanilla buttercream mingle with spiced nut cakes, salted caramels, and orange chocolates with a hint of buttermilk biscuit.

Palate: Rich dark molasses leads the palate toward more spiced nut cake with an almond oil edge and a hint of lemon, like a good sugar cookie, before soft buttery biscuits and Graham Crackers hipped in honey arrive.

Finish: The end leans into woody spices and a hint of sweetgrass before veering back toward fresh dark fruit and nuttiness.

Bottom Line:

This is a great place to start a journey on California bourbons and whiskeys. This is deeply hewn, well accented, and wonderfully sippable, especially over a big rock.

90. Barrell Bourbon Cask Strength Batch# 034 A Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys

ABV: 57.31%

Average Price: $84

The Whiskey:

The latest Batch from Barrell Bourbon is a blend of bourbons from Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana. The barrels in the mix are between six and 15 years old. Those barrels are masterfully blended and bottled 100% as-is.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This has a dry apple cider vibe that leans into orange marmalade, dried apricot, and moist almond cake dipped in luxurious eggnog on the nose.

Palate: There’s a woody huckleberry jam vibe on the front of the palate that leads to old-fashioned cinnamon apple fritter, pecan waffles, more orange marmalade, and nutty almond cookies dusted in powdered sugar and nutmeg.

Finish: There’s a hint of dry sweetgrass and dried pear chips with a hint of sasparilla root, sea salt flakes, and this fleeting sense of cold slate on a rainy day balanced by rich yet dry chili spice and dark and burnt orange and espresso beans.

Bottom Line:

This is the best example of what I said in the intro to this list. This is an excellent whiskey and it’s ranked 89th. Eighty-Ninth! We have a long and glorious way to go. In the meantime, get yourself a bottle of this and enjoy the deep and fun ride, especially over a big rock.

89. Larceny Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Batch No. B523

ABV: 62.2%

Average Price: $59

The Whiskey:

The spring edition of Larceny is here. The whiskey is a barrel-strength version of Larceny wheated bourbon (68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley) created for a small batch of six to eight-year-old barrels. Those barrels come together and go into the bottle 100% as-is.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose runs deep with dark chili pepper spice next to salted caramel, cherry cake, and rich vanilla with a hint of nuttiness.

Palate: The taste is lush with a deep sense of creamy winter spices mixed into mincemeat pies and eggnog next to malted buckwheat pancakes drizzled in toffee syrup and sprinkled with roasted walnuts, pecans, and almonds with a whisper of wild sage.

Finish: Sharp cinnamon bark and cherry vanilla tobacco round out the finish with a nice balance of creaminess and sharp woody spice leading to a warm and long Kentucky hug (ABV warmth).

Bottom Line:

Of the three Larceny Barrel Proof releases this year, this is the one to chase down. It’s the most balanced and easy-sipping version from 2023.

88. 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:

Old Elk continues to churn out great bourbon releases throughout the year. This was their most dialed and delicious, making it a great whiskey to have on hand for on the rocks pours and cocktails.

87. 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 year had a lot of great rum-cask-finished bourbon releases, including this one. This is a great sipper poured into a big glass with tons of rocks. Plus, if you’re a UFC fan, this is a no-brainer.

86. Milam & Greene Very Small Batch Straight Bourbon Whiskey Batch 1.2

ABV: 54%

Average Price: $69

The Whiskey:

This whiskey is from Master Blender Heather Greene who picked 75 barrels for the blend. The blend is a mix of contract-distilled Kentucky whiskey with Tennessee whiskey rounding out the mix. The batched barrels were vatted in a 1,000-gallon tank before being re-barrelled into French oak for a final rest.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose is light but runs deep with walnuts, vanilla flowers, soft custard cut with nutmeg and clove, and a light sense of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

Palate: The palate is like walking through a fruit orchard in full bloom with a hint of wet black tea next to buttermilk biscuits dripping with butter and honey.

Finish: The finish gets slightly dry with a sense of dry and barky winter spices, dried red berries, and apple chips next to a light sense of brandy-soaked oak staves.

Bottom Line:

This is a wonderfully light and playful bourbon that’s all about summer vibes. The florals and honeyed sweetness help this whiskey stand out and shine as a “light in the best way possible” pour of bourbon.

85. Blackwood Toasted Bourbon Batch #3

ABV: 59.3%

Average Price: $149

The Whiskey:

This new brand has Kentucky Derby history running deep. Guinness McFadden co-founded the brand with the partners behind Justins’ House Of Bourbon. McFadden also happens to be the co-owner of 2019 Kentucky Derby winner Country House and built this whiskey around his stables in eastern Kentucky. The juice in the bottle is local bourbon with a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. After a good spell of resting, the whiskey is re-barrelled in a fresh toasted oak barrel for a final maturation before bottling as-is straight from the barrel.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose draws you in with a deep sense of fresh vanilla pods and rich salted caramel with a sense of old wicker lawn furniture on a sunny day, soft pipe tobacco kissed with cherry, and a light sense of mincemeat pies and toffee dipped in dark chocolate.

Palate: Pecan and maple drive the taste towards a rush of Kentucky hug warmth, dry cedar, and old glove leather with a hint of dried mint and maybe some chocolate-covered espresso beans cut with vanilla and clove.

Finish: The spices take on a woodiness and blend with dry cedar bark, old vanilla pods, and chewy pipe tobacco with a dash of salted caramel butteriness and pecan waffle comfort.

Bottom Line:

This is a great batch of Blackwood Bourbon. The toasted vibes come through in just the right ways, creating a great balance between the wood and juice. All of that makes this a good sipper and an even better cocktail base.

84. Jefferson’s Marian McLain Blend Of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys

ABV: 51%

Average Price: $299

The Whiskey:

This whiskey pays tribute to Jefferson’s founder Trey Zoeller’s grandmother — Marian McLain — who was an 8th-generation moonshiner and bootlegger back in the day (she’s one of the earliest documented women in American whiskey to boot). The whiskey Zoeller made to honor McLain is a blend of five whiskeys. 40% of the blend is an 11-year-old Kentucky bourbon, 21% is a 14-year-old Tennessee bourbon, 17% is a rum-cask finished bourbon, 14% is a wheated double-barreled bourbon, and 8% is an eight-year-old Kentucky bourbon.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with a mix of old whiskey barrels wrapped in worn saddle leather with a sweet and creamy sense of honeyed oatmeal, vanilla, and old cinnamon sticks dipped in hot apple cider.

Palate: The palate is fruity with a sense of mango chutney and rum raisin next to dark chocolate-covered espresso beans, salted toffee, and banana bread inside of a cedar box with a twinge of smoldering wild sage.

Finish: The end is lush and full of dark holiday cakes brimming with soft spices, roasted nuts, and dark dried fruits next to more of that creamy honey and silken vanilla.

Bottom Line:

Jefferson’s upped their limited edition game this year and this was the most memorable. This whiskey just hits right and has a great classic vibe that goes deep enough to stick with you (and make you want more).

83. Rieger’s Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $59

The Whiskey:

This small craft whiskey from Kansas City, Missouri is made with a mash of 56% corn, 30% rye, and 14% malted barley. The whiskey was left to age for six years before batching, proofing, and bottling.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose is old and leathery with a good layer of salted caramel over pecan waffles with buttercream and cinnamon syrup next to a hint of black peppercorn and woody orchards.

Palate: Maple syrup attaches to the pecan waffles with a sense of Christmas nut cake, dried cranberry, and vanilla cream with a touch of winter spice barks and burnt orange.

Finish: The end has a classic warmth derived from spiced wood notes next to a hint of winter cake tobacco with plenty of dark and spicy syrup and buttery caramel.

Bottom Line:

This Kansas City whiskey is a great newbie with a unique vibe. Overall, pour this over some ice if you want a creamy holiday vibe in a glass, or use it in your favorite cocktails.

82. Green River Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon Sour Mash Whiskey

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $37

The Whiskey:

This new release from Bardstown Bourbon Company’s Green River distillery is a wheated classic. The whiskey in the bottle is made from a mash bill (recipe) of 70% Kentucky-grown corn, 21% wheat, and 9% malted 6-Row barley. That whiskey then spends four to six years mellowing before batching, proofing, and bottling as-is.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This pops on the nose with rich caramel next to soft roasted peach and apricot next to a rush of cinnamon bark and nutmeg with a creamy vibe.

Palate: Toffee drives the palate toward Nutella and honey over buttermilk biscuits with an apple/pear tobacco aura that leads to a soft orange.

Finish: The end is rich and full of stewed fruits — peach, pear, orange, raisins — and a mild sense of oaky spice and a mild graininess.

Bottom Line:

This is an excellent whiskey for making great old fashioneds.

81. Jim Beam Lineage Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey A Father And Son Collaboration

ABV: 55%

Average Price: $250

The Whiskey:

This whiskey was released for the struggling travel retail market late last year. The whiskey in the bespoke bottle is a 15-year-old classic Beam bourbon that was aged on specific ricks in Warehouse K (the most famed warehouse on the Clermont, Kentucky campus). Father and son Fred and Freddie Noe both selected the barrels to make this blend and released it almost completely as-is with just a drop of that soft Kentucky limestone water.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose is classic from the jump with a soft caramel candy with vanilla buttercream frosting over spiced choco-cherry cake, a touch of clove-studded burnt orange rind, and soft marzipan with a hint of old oak cellars.

Palate: The palate is lush with a sense of Black Forest cake — stewed cherries, vanilla cream, moist chocolate cake, dry dark chocolate shavings — next to a bunch of woody and barky winter spices with a hint of hazelnut and burnt orange.

Finish: The end leans ever-so-slightly into old cedar bark and rich spiced cherry tobacco layered with dark chocolate-covered espresso beans and a hint of sharp mint and maybe some more of that clove.

Bottom Line:

This is one of the best releases of Jim Beam and will change the way you think of the brand the moment it touches your lips.

80. Nashville Barrel Company UPROXX Single Barrel 6 Years Old 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:

Uproxx’s first single barrel pick was a banger. If you’re looking for a stone-cold classic bourbon with a nice (gentle) kick, this is the bottle for you.

79. 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 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 a bold and delicious crafty bourbon. If you’re looking for sweet grains and fruit with a nice balanced warmth, this is going to be your jam.

78. 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 the best whiskey coming out of North Carolina right now. The best part is that this is deep but accessible in that it works for sipping or mixing without any pretension.

77. Hirsch The Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon Finished In Cognac Casks

ABV: 63.5%

Average Price: $210

The Whiskey:

This cask-strength version of Hirsch is made from a classic bourbon mash of 72% corn, 13% rye, and 15% malted barley. That hot juice then rests for six years in new American oak. Those barrels are batched and then re-filled into 30-year-old Hine XO fine cognac casks for another year-and-a-half of resting. Finally, the whiskey is batched and bottled as-is.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose feels lush and oaky with a sense of Christmas cookies, mincemeat pies, and sticky toffee pudding next to stewed plums over fresh scones with a hint of brandy butter.

Palate: Old leather boots filled with cinnamon bark and a medley of dates, figs, and prunes lead to chocolate cut with red chili and vanilla and kissed with salt and dry cedar.

Finish: That cinnamon bark intensifies with dark red fruit, light chili pepperiness, and a sense of old malted cookies dipped in vanilla toffee on the very end.

Bottom Line:

This is a lovely sipper that leans into the cognac finish in all the right ways. Sip it neat, on the rocks, or in your favorite cocktail and you’ll be in for a treat.

76. Nelson Bros. Whiskey A Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys Finished in Trubee Honey Casks

ABV: 53.6%

Average Price: $199

The Whiskey:

This whiskey starts off by seasoning used whiskey barrels (from Nelson’s Green Brier’s warehouse) with honey. The distillery sends its barrels to TruBee Honey Farm in Arrington, Tennessee where the barrels are filled with wildflower honey. After the honey has finished its rest, the barrels are emptied and sent back to Nashville. Once they arrive at Nelson’s, they’re filled with Belle Meade’s award-winning bourbon for a six to eight-month rest where the honey makes its mark on the whiskey.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with a sense of a fruit orchard on a sunny day with subtle spice barks and floral honey next to a moment of leather, caramel tobacco, and almond.

Palate: Those almonds take on some toast on the palate as vanilla cake cut with buttercream and floral honey leads to a sense of honey sesame crackers and sharply spice oak staves.

Finish: A bright pepperiness drives the finish into spiced honey with a touch of toasted oats, marzipan, and burnt orange with a whisper of chamomile tea.

Bottom Line:

I know it’s cliched — but if you get one honey-cask-finished bourbon, get this one. This is the best example of the style and a great sipper for anyone with a honeyed sweet tooth.

75. 2XO Gem of Kentucky Barrel #01 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 54%

Average Price: $227

The Whiskey:

Dixon Dedman’s latest release is from his own double-barreled stocks of barrels. In this case, Dedman chose a high-rye bourbon mash bill that spent and extra year in new charred oak before bottling with a drop of water.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Dark chocolate cut with cinnamon and red chili pepper is countered by perfectly roasted marshmallows, prunes, dates, and figs with deeply creamy nutmeg-heavy eggnog.

Palate: That eggnog spice kicks up on the palate with extra allspice, clove, and cinnamon next to brandy-soaked dates and pears with a hint of freshly cracked black pepper lurking beneath it all.

Finish: That pepperiness kicks up a bit more on the finish with more woody spice barks and buds layered into creamy vanilla and pear brandy-soaked marzipan dipped in dark chocolate.

Bottom Line:

Dixon has done it again! This is a beautifully subtle and nuanced whiskey that makes for a great sipper, especially if you’re looking for a spice-forward classic bourbon experience.

74. Kentucky Senator Bourbon Release #4: John Sherman Cooper Very Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 8 Years Old

ABV: 54%

Average Price: $134

The Whiskey:

That latest edition of Kentucky Senator honors one of Kentucky’s biggest names in the Senate in the 20th century. Senator Cooper was a dear friend of JFK and served as everything from a judge to foreign ambassador. The whiskey in the bottle is a Bardstown bourbon made with 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. That hot juice was aged for eight years before six barrels were chosen for this small batch. Once batched, the whiskey was just touched with water before bottling, yielding only 1,000 bottles.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Soft spiced stewed cherry cut with orange oils and covered in salted caramel and vanilla crumble mingles with soft oak on the nose with this fleeting sense of Cherry Dr. Pepper and cedar kindling.

Palate: Walnut bread with a whisper of orange and banana drives the palate toward dried cherries dipped in salted dark chocolate and piled high on a pecan waffle with salted caramel drizzle and whipped buttercream before a hint of white pepper sneaks in.

Finish: Orange-cinnamon syrup drives the finish toward leathery tobacco rolled with cedar bark and smudging sage on the slow and warm finish.

Bottom Line:‘

The latest Kentucky Senator release is another home run thanks to a beautifully classic bourbon vibe that goes so much deeper when you give it a little time. Add a little water or a single ice cube and take your time enjoying the depth of this one.

73. Baker’s Single Barrel 13 Years Minimum Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 53.5%

Average Price: $450

The Whiskey:

This brand-new re-release of Beam’s Limited Edition “Minimum 13 Year” Baker’s just dropped. The whiskey in the barrel is from single barrels that hit just the right mark for something special. Beyond that, there’s not much else to know besides this is Baker’s at a high age that shines bright.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a nice sense of dried sweetgrass, salted ballpark peanuts, and old vanilla pods that leads to softer notes of marzipan, vanilla sheet cake, and mild cherry.

Palate: Soft winter spices and minty tobacco drive the palate toward smudging sage and roasting herbs with a sense of marzipan slowly building on the mid-palate with a minor key of orange and cherry.

Finish: The vanilla sneaks in on the finish with more roasting herbs and dry grassiness with a hint of menthol, peanut shell, and distant oak.

Bottom Line:

The new Baker’s release upped the age statement and dialed in a great profile for funky and fresh sipping. You’ll want to reach for this when you want classic Kentucky vibes with a green and fresh finish.

72. Woodford Reserve Historic Barrel Entry Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 45.2%

Average Price: $129

The Whiskey:

This 2022 Master’s Collection (that was released in February 2023) experiments with entry proof. Master Distillers Chris Morris and Elizabeth McCall loaded this whiskey into barrels at a low 100-proof and let it do its thing (125 proof is the industry standard though that varies wildly these days). Once the whiskey in those barrels hit the best flavor profile, it was bottled completely as-is.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose draws you in with real vanilla pods layers into apple-cinnamon coffee cake, spice-rich eggnog, hazelnut cream, black cherry pie filling, and a flutter of fresh and sharp spearmint dipped in creamy dark chocolate and then hit with a flake of smoked salt.

Palate: The coffee cake leans toward banana bread with walnuts on the palate as huckleberry jam leans into an almost sour creamy espresso with a shot of mint chocolate syrup.

Finish: Burnt orange arrives late to cut through the sweetness and adds some more bitterness as old oak and dry tobacco round things out.

Bottom Line:

There were a lot of great Woodford Reserve limited editions this year. This is the one that stuck with me the longest as an easygoing sipper and memorable all-around unique version of Woodford.

71. Legent Yamazaki Cask Finish Blend

ABV: 57%

Average Price: $214

The Whiskey:

This new version of Legent leans into the marriage of Kentucky and Japan in the bottle. The whiskey is a straight bourbon from Beam that spent eight years mellowing in Kentucky. That whiskey was then sent to the Yamazaki Distillery outside of Kyoto, Japan where blending legend Shinji Fukuyo transferred the whiskey into French and Spanish oak casks for another rest before batching again and re-filling the whiskey into the incredible Yamazaki Spanish Oak whisky casks for a final rest before blending, proofing, and bottling.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with a leathery sense of old dried chilis that have just been kissed with heat before a sense of dried cranberry and rich malted chocolate take the nose toward soft plummy cakes full of soft powdered spices.

Palate: A hint of maltiness comes through early on the palate with a fleeting sense of smoked red berries before deep vanilla buttercream creates a luscious foundation for rich pipe tobacco, cranberry sauce cut with anise, clove, and nutmeg, sticky toffee pudding, and mulled wine cut with toffee and dry reeds.

Finish: The spices warm on the finish before descending toward soft nutcakes and winter-spiced doughnuts with a light sense of stewed plum and pear over old saddle leather and rickhouse dank.

Bottom Line:

This is the perfect bourbon to have on hand to mix the perfect Manhattan cocktail all year long.

70. Pursuit United Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished with Toasted American and French Oak

ABV: 54%

Average Price: $75

The Whiskey:

The 2023 release from the Bourbon Pursuit team is a blend of four to six-year-old bourbons. The three bourbons involved are a Finger Lakes whiskey (70/20/10 corn/rye/malted barley), an MGP bourbon (60/36/4 corn/rye/malted barley), and an undisclosed Tennessee whiskey (80/10/10 corn/rye/malted barley). Those whiskeys were finished in both American and French toasted oak barrels before batching and bottling with a touch of Kentucky water.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Dark chocolate nut clusters (pecan and walnut heavy) mix with burnt orange, a hint of mulled wine, and rum-raising with an echo of fresh cedar on the nose.

Palate: The palate has a sense of Nutella over scones with a Cherry Coke on the side while singed cedar and cherry bark mingle with clove-studded oranges and a hint of freshly cracked black pepper.

Finish: The end has a nice spicy warmth and a touch more of that singed wood next to spicy cherry tobacco.

Bottom Line:

This is a great choice for anyone looking to support a burgeoning whiskey crew who truly loves all things whiskey. The whiskey in the bottle is straight-up excellent and works as a sipper or mixer for your favorite cocktails.

69. Rabbit Hole Heigold Singel Barrel Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 52.8%

Average Price: $173

The Whiskey:

This is a four-year-old single-barrel version of Rabbit Hole’s beloved Heigold expression. That’s the brand’s double malt (malted rye and malted barley) that has a high-rye bourbon mash bill (70/25/5 corn/malted rye/malted barley).

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose is lush with deep layers of maple syrup over pecan waffles with a good hit of salted butter (really good butter) next to dark chocolate chips, old boot leather, smudging sage that’s just smoldering, and a fleeting sense of old rickhouses on a crisp fall day.

Palate: The palate follows the nose’s path with caramelized pecans finished with floral honey and dusted with candied orange peels, ground pear chips, and very dark chocolate with a pinch of salt and apple blossom before the sharp and woody winter spice kicks in.

Finish: The end leans into the dryness of the winter spice mix before silky marzipan and maple syrup creamed with butter create a luscious finish that slowly fades from warm to comforting.

Bottom Line:

Rabbit Hole shines brightest in single barrel form. This is a killer sipper that’ll work in any cocktail just as well.

68. Barrell Bourbon Cask Finish Series: Tale of Two Islands

ABV: 59.11%

Average Price: $89

The Whiskey:

This new release from Barrell Craft Spirits is a unique one. The whiskey in the bottle is batched from Indiana bourbon (five, six, and nine-year-old barrels) with Maryland bourbon (five and six-year-old barrels). Once batched, the whiskey is re-barreled into rum casks and Islay whisky casks. Then those barrels are batched and the whiskey is bottled 100% as-is at cask strength.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with big notes of bananas foster, peach cobbler, and blackberry crumble next to roasting herbs, smoldering smudging sage, old cedar kindling, and rich vanilla-chocolate malted tobacco with a dash of Cherry Coke and Almond Joy.

Palate: Lushness dominates the palate with dark chocolate-covered espresso beans, candied orange peels, candied almonds, black cherry soda, cream soda, plum pudding, and mincemeat pies dusted with powdered sugar before dark and lightly smoked oak arrives.

Finish: That smoky oak leads to pepper brisket fat and salted butter cut with cedar tobacco before veering toward blackberry pie and red currants swimming in dark chocolate with a faint whisper of fresh vanilla pods.

Bottom Line:

This is a wonderfully nuanced bourbon that is just kissed with Islay peat in all the right ways. Pour it over a big rock and take your time digging into this one.

67. Remus Repeal Reserve VII Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $109

The Whiskey:

2023’s Remus Repeal Reserve is here! The Seventh edition is made from a lot of Indiana bourbons from Ross & Squibb — 6% is a 2007 21% rye bourbon, 26% is a 2013 21% rye bourbon, another 26% is a 2013 36% rye bourbon, 21% is a 2014 21% rye bourbon, and the final 21% is a 2014 36% rye bourbon. Once batched, the whiskey was just kissed with water before bottling.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Pecan waffles covered in salted butter and fresh maple syrup pop on the nose next to candied cherry, rum raisin, and cinnamon-heavy apple cider with a kick of fresh pipe tobacco and silky vanilla cream.

Palate: That silkiness creates a lush palate full of more rum raisin, brandy-soaked cherries, old cinnamon sticks soaked in mulled wine, walnut-laden Christmas cakes, and soft oakiness with a sweet tobacco edge.

Finish: The cinnamon amps up on the warm finish with more of that creamy vanilla veering toward eggnog with a dusting of nutmeg and drizzled with salted caramel before a whisper of peppermint candy cane arrives with an underlying sense of old oak cellars.

Bottom Line:

This is a great sipping bourbon that highlights how good MGP’s whiskey is on its own. It all makes for a solid cocktail base for whiskey-forward cocktails.

66. Lost Lantern Single Cask Series New Riff Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 58.1%

Average Price: $90

The Whiskey:

This single cask bottling from Lost Lantern is a one-of-a-kind Kentucky barrel from New Riff Distilling (across the river from Cincinnati). The whiskey in the barrel was a low-corn bourbon (65% corn, 30% rye, and 5% malted barley) aged for four years. The barrel was bottled at cask strength and yielded around 120 bottles.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This opens with a deep burnt caramel sweetness that gives way to five-spice powder over fatty smoked pork next to dark cherry cola and rich and clear tobacco.

Palate: That tobacco is fresh and vibrant on the palate as the fatty smoked pork drives the taste toward rich dark chocolate sauce, winter spice medleys, and campfire toasted marshmallows.

Finish: Mulled wine and apple cider spices drive the finish to some wet brown sugar, more dark cherry cola, and a hint of buttermilk biscuit with marmalade just kissed with that five-spice powder.

Bottom Line:

There were a ton of amazing Lost Lantern releases this year and this was one of the best — largely thanks to New Riff always killing whenever they put whiskey into a barrel.

65. Still Austin Bottled In Bond Blue Corn Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $79

The Whiskey:

Still Austin’s last limited release of their bottled-in-bond line this year is a killer. The mash bill on this one contains 26% blue corn, 25% white corn, 44% rye, and 5% malted barley. That hot juice is left to age for four years in Still Austin’s warehouses where water is added during the aging process to concentrate the distillate as it mellows.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Milk Duds and cream soda pop on the nose with a nice sense of cinnamon-laced apple cider with a hint of butteriness next to spiced plum pudding with a dollop of brandy butter.

Palate: The palate leans into the creaminess of the brandy butter with a counterpoint of salted dark chocolate cut with fresh orange zest before a light sense of dark earthiness comes in with a sweetness akin to carrots pulled from the sweet black dirt.

Finish: The end leans into fresh spring honey and nougat next to crème brûlée cut with oloroso spiced sherry, Earl Grey tea leaves, and a hint of sweet oak woodiness with a nice smooth layer of winter spice.

Bottom Line:

I know, “dirty carrots” sounds odd in a bourbon profile, but trust me, it works. This is a great example of the beauty that heritage corn can bring to bourbon while still holding onto classic notes that’ll make you feel at home but, like, a freshly remodeled home.

64. Widow Jane The Vaults Aged 15 Years A Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys

ABV: 49.5%

Average Price: $249

The Whiskey:

This year’s Widow Jane The Vaults takes the age statement up to 15 years. The whiskey in the bottle is a blend of Tennessee and Indiana bourbons that rested for 15 years before batching and re-filling into Chinquapin oak casks for another three months of mellowing in Widow Jane’s Red Hook warehouse.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Perfectly toasted marshmallow gives way to cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven with a sense of real-deal sasparilla cut with vanilla ice cream and a hint of mint before an almost savory fruitiness arrives that’s part sandy pear and part yellow melon.

Palate: The vanilla takes on a lemon chocolate vibe (a very underrated combination) before the mint shocks the palate toward rich and chewy tobacco dipped in honey.

Finish: Sharp cherry cola drives the finish toward fresh honeycombs with a hint of nutmeg sprinkled in next to vanilla pound cake cut with poppyseeds and almond oils.

Bottom Line:

This whiskey balances sweetness and spice very well with a classic vibe. That makes this a wonderful bottle to have around for everyday sipping.

63. Penelope Barrel Strength Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys Aged 9 Years

ABV:54.5%

Average Price: $69

The Whiskey:

This blended bourbon is a masterful lesson in the power of blending. The three bourbons in the blend create a four-grain bourbon via their mash bills. The final blend is comprised of 44% 10-year-old Indiana bourbon, 46% nine-year-old Indiana bourbon, and 10% nine-year-old Kentucky bourbon. Once batched, the whiskey is bottled 100% as-is at cask strength.

Nose: You get a sense of dry cornmeal on the nose next to apple crumble, plenty of wintry spice, a hint of mulled wine, wet brown sugar, and a thin layer of wet yet sweet cedar.

Palate: A hint of brandy-soaked cherries arrives on the palate with a dusting of dark chocolate powder next to more apple pie filling, spice, and buttery crust alongside a sweet, toffee-heavy mid-palate.

Finish: The end arrives with a dry wicker vibe, cherry tobacco chewiness, and a hint of that dark chocolate.

Bottom Line:

This is a good holiday sipper that’ll make killer whiskey-forward cocktails. It’s also the clearest version of Penelope’s blender prowess, which will give you great insight into the brand.

62. Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged Limited Edition 2023 Release

ABV: 57.85%

Average Price: $149

The Whiskey:

Maker’s Mark is a solid wheated bourbon. That means that when they do something special for a limited edition, it’s often excellent. In this case, Maker’s released a new batch of 11 and 12-year-old wheated bourbon barrels in this cask strength expression. Long story short, this is well-aged Maker’s turned all the way up.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Dark cedar and old leathery dates and apricots come through on the nose with a sense of crème brûlée (especially the burnt sugar topping), dark berry fruit leather, and a smoldering sense of old oak staves roasting some cinnamon bark and cloves.

Palate: The vanilla takes on a burnt bean pod vibe as long notes of winter spice barks lead back to dark berry crumbles and cobblers with a sharp warmth tied to smoldering oak staves, pipe tobacco, and smudging sage.

Finish: The end gets super creamy thanks to the vanilla buttercream and eggnog spices as the dark berry fruit leather offers a counterpoint before the old cedar kindling and sage take back over.

Bottom Line:

Maker’s Mark dropped some great special editions this year. This is a fantastic whiskey for anyone looking to go deeper with the brand with a fulfilling profile that’s still familiar.

61. Chicken Cock Red Stave Petite Sirah Barrel Finish Kentucky Straight Bourbon

ABV: 51.2%

Average Price: $199

The Whiskey:

Chicken Cock is great at dropping big limited releases every year. This year’s big bourbon is a “Red Stave” Kentucky straight bourbon made from a mash bill of 70% corn, 21% rye, and 9% malted barley. That whiskey is left to age for an undisclosed amount of time before being re-barrelled into select J. Wilkes Petite Sirah barrels for a final mellowing run.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with a sweet mulled wine cut with piney honey, plenty of spice barks, and hints of dried red berries before veering toward creamy toffee and vanilla beans.

Palate: Wild berry jam and bold winter spices mingle with rich dark chocolate, creamed honey, and vanilla lattes on the palate before the mulled wine spices start sneaking in and building.

Finish: The mulled wine-soaked red berries and raisins drive the finish toward a lush toffee and vanilla cream with a bold warming winter spice layered into a rich pipe tobacco.

Bottom Line:

This is a nice pairing whiskey for a big dark meat winter meal — think venison or bison with red berry competes and dark greens. Think of this like a bolshie red wine bourbon pairing whiskey.

60. Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 10-Year Commemorative Release

ABV: 55%

Average Price: $109

The Whiskey:

This special edition of Evan William’s Single Barrel was created to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Evan William’s Whiskey Row location in Louisville. The whiskey in the bottle is pulled from 10-year-old barrels aged on a very specific floor and location at Evan William’s Schenley campus. The barrels were individually proofed and then bottled for this distillery-only release.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Dark and rich salted caramel draws you in on the nose with a sense of almost sweet oak with a deeply toasted vanilla bean next to hints of burnt orange, apple chips dipped in dark chocolate, and whispers of floral honey.

Palate: Rich vanilla cream and almost piney honey drive the palate toward dark orange chocolate balls with a creamy center next to apple stewed in honey, cinnamon, and clove before getting cut with butter and maybe some tobacco.

Finish: The end leans into an almost creamy tobacco vanilla vibe before adding a soft layer of leather, cinnamon bark, and apple butter spread over a buttermilk biscuit.

Bottom Line:

This is a great classic Kentucky bourbon. There are no bells or whistles but every note is so dialed that you’ll instantly want to go back for more, especially when poured over a rock.

59. Old Man Winter Bourbon From The Black Hills

ABV: 54.9%

Average Price: $154

The Whiskey:

This new release is a masterful blend of whiskeys from the core of America’s distillery region. The blend in the bottle is a batch of Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee whiskeys that are balanced to highlight classic bourbon notes at cask strength.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Peach cobbler with a big scoop of malted vanilla ice cream pops on the nose with a light sense of rye bread crusts, caramel pie, and mild orange zest cut with oaky tobacco.

Palate: Apricot jam over buttermilk biscuits leads the taste toward white pepper spiciness, winter spice barks, and a bright burst of grapefruit pith before this mild sense of white grape juice and almost savory melon arrives.

Finish: That melon goes full honeydew on the finish with a bit more of that orange before black peppercorns and smoldering smudging sage drive the end toward woody tobacco boxes wrapped in old leather.

Bottom Line:

This is a very sippable whiskey that has a nice balance of stewed fruits and rich vanilla creaminess. This poured over a bit of ice is a great slow sipper for any day of the week.

58. Woodinville Ginja Cask Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Portuguese Ginjinha Casks

ABV: 47.5%

Average Price: $69

The Whiskey:

This new bourbon from Woodinville up in Seattle, Washington, is a crafty dream with a very unique finish. After about five years of aging, the bourbon is re-barreled into Ginjinha barrels (a Portuguese liqueur) with sour cherries for another maturation run. Finally, those barrels are batched, proofed, and bottled for this limited run.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a clear sense of sweet grits cut with molasses, honey, and salted butter that gives way to blackberries soaked in rum on the nose with a light sense of spiced cookies.

Palate: The sweet porridge continues on the palate as dark cherry jam mingles with spiced winter cakes, fallow orchards, fall leaves, and a light moment of soft woody cherry bark that’s just smoldering.

Finish: A touch of cinnamon bark drives the finish toward more of that smoldering cherry wood, mulled wine, and soft notes of blackberry pie covered in malted vanilla cream sauce.

Bottom Line:

This is a great and unique bottle from Washington’s Woodinville. Overall, you can sip or mix with this and you’ll be all set with a great bourbon in hand.

57. Green River Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Full Proof

ABV: 59.5%

Average Price: $59

The Whiskey:

The latest addition to the core Green River lineup is a doozy. The Kentucky whiskey is a rye-forward single-barrel bourbon. The mash bill is 70% Kentucky-grown corn with 21% rye and 9% malted barley. That whiskey rests for at least five years before water is added to bring the proof back down to entry proof, hence “full proof”. The whiskey is then bottled directly from the barrel as-is.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Cream soda and honeycomb greet you on the nose with a light sense of spiced holiday cakes, vanilla sheet cake, soft-dried chili, and old woody spice.

Palate: The honey and vanilla bond on the palate to create a luscious mouthfeel that leads to balanced notes of sharp dried chili spice, soft worn leather, pipe tobacco, and rich walnut bread with plenty of butter, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.

Finish: The end leans toward the leather and tobacco with a chili-choco vibe that’s accented by soft walnut and even softer vanilla.

Bottom Line:

Green River made a huge splash this year with high-quality bourbon at attainable prices. This was the high water mark of the year for the brand with an excellent cocktail bourbon that works just as well over some rocks.

56. Frey Ranch Cask Strength Straight Bourbon Whiskey Farm Strength Uncut

ABV: 62.15%

Average Price: $79

The Whiskey:

This new release from Nevada craft farm distillery, Frey Ranch, is a true grain-to-glass experience. The mash is Frey Ranch’s classic four-grain mash of 66% non-GMO corn, 12% Two-Row malted barley, 11.4% Winter rye, and 10% Soft White Winter wheat — all grown on the ranch. After almost five years of aging in the mountains of Nevada, the whiskey was batched and bottled 100% as-is.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose bursts forth on this one with deep cinnamon candy, nutmeg-heavy eggnog, creme bruleé, salted caramel, and buttery croissant next to old cedar kindling, dark boot leather, and a hint of dusty old wine cellar.

Palate: There’s a Black Forest cake vibe on the front of the palate that leads to clove-studded oranges, leathery apricot, black-tea-soaked dates, and rich and moist pound cake just kissed with poppy seeds and vanilla oils.

Finish: The end leans into black cherry with a flake of smoked salt, dark orange, and fresh cacao with a return of that cedar kindling and old boot leather next to this faint note of old rickhouses full of well-aged barrels of whiskey.

Bottom Line:

This is a great gateway to Frey Ranch and Nevada whiskey in general. It’s also super tasty with a balance between craftiness and classic bourbon vibes.

55. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Batch No. C923

ABV: 66.5%

Average Price: $74

The Whiskey:

The last drop from Elijah Craig Barrel Proof of 2023 is a big one. The whiskey in the bottle is a 13-year and 7-month-old bourbon that was bottled 100% as-is at cask strength.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Big notes of stewed apples lead to apple cider spiked with dried red chili, allspice, and anise on the nose before dark chocolate oranges and salted caramels give way to old oak staves with a hint of vanilla-mint tobacco.

Palate: That vanilla creates a silky palate with tons of butterscotch and caramel popcorn with a good flake of salt as cinnamon and chili-heavy cider leads to Christmas nut breads and old leather tobacco pouches with a hint of dark cherry.

Finish: The end amps up the ABVs dramatically as chili, black pepper, and anise drive the end toward an almost cool mint tobacco vibe with a vanilla buttercream underbelly.

Bottom Line:

This is essential Elijah Craig bourbon. It’s everything you want in a classic pour that’s turned up to 11. That makes a single ice cube a good idea for prime enjoyment.

54. O.K.I. Straight Bourbon Whiskey Single Barrel Bourbon ‘Trilogy Series’ Act 2 Barrel #90

ABV: 56.5%

Average Price: $89

The Whiskey:

This sourced bottling is from an undisclosed distillery. The key here is that the O.K.I. team really knows how to pick a barrel. This barrel was six years old when pulled and only yielded 120 bottles.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Deep salted caramel mingles with almond cookies cut with a hint of cinnamon, fresh sweet apple skins, and powdery dark chocolate that leans toward mocha espresso and old oak.

Palate: The palate leans into vanilla creaminess with a hint of spiced honey next to cinnamon bark, sugar cookies cut with almond and lemon oils, and apple butter with a ton of dark wintry spice.

Finish: The end delves into the dark winter spice and lush vanilla with a nice sense of those almond and lemon-forward sugar cookies, soft apple, and lush dark chocolate.

Bottom Line:

O.K.I. is one of those bottlers that aren’t going to be for everyone. Picks like this are unique and delicious and worth seeking out if you’re looking for really good bourbon from people who know what they’re doing.

53. Blue Run Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Trifecta Blend

ABV: 58.55%

Average Price: $179

The Whiskey:

The latest release from craft bottler Blue Run is a blend of three ages of barrels that all lean into “wood heat”. In this case, the 189 barrels were six-, eight-, and nine-year-old barrels of wood-forward bourbon that were batched and bottled as-is at barrel strength.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Vanilla-dosed milky lattes with a touch of cinnamon stick drive the nose toward a hit of dried chili, old clove, and brown butter with a light sense of apple cider and figs.

Palate: The apple and cinnamon take on a mulled cider vibe on the palate with macadamia nut cookies, sourdough bread crusts, and soft caramel candies cut with mint syrup.

Finish: The soft and espresso-laden vanilla returns on the finish with a creaminess that helps the finish stay silky as a whisper of smoldering orchard barks and winter spice barks sneak in with a nice warmth.

Bottom Line:

Blue Run continues to slap with these limited releases. This is just a well-made bourbon that’s perfect for slow sipping when you don’t want to feel like you’re doing homework with each additional sip.

52. Blackened X Rabbit Hole A Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys Distilled in Tennessee & Kentucky Finished in Calvados Casks Cask Strength

ABV: 53.3%

Average Price: $149

The Whiskey:

This brand-new collaboration between Metallica’s Blackened and Rabbit Hole is masterful whiskey. The blend is a 13-year-old Tennessee high-rye bourbon batched with Rabbit Hole Heigold High-Rye Double Malt Bourbon (with malted rye and malted barley). Once batched, the whiskey was re-barreled into Calvados casks (an apple brandy) for a final rest before 100% as-is bottling.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a nice sense of chili pepper warmth on the nose with a hint of macadamia cookie nuttiness, honey Graham Crackers, light summer florals, and a whisper of darkly stewed apple.

Palate: Cinnamon-infused pear brandy sparks on the palate with a sense of clover honey, walnut loaf, and this thin line of smoked applewood with a good sense of barrel warmth.

Finish: The honey and walnut drive the finish toward a soft warmth that leaves the gentlest of numbness on the senses.

Bottom Line:

This is a no-brainer if you’re a Metallica fan. It’s also a no-brainer if you like really freakin’ good bourbon.

51. Copper & Kings Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in American Apple Brandy Barrels

ABV: 55%

Average Price: $65

The Whiskey:

Copper & Kings have spent years perfecting their Kentucky brandy in Louisville. Now, they’re perfecting brandy-finished Kentucky bourbon. The whiskey in the bottle is a sourced blend of five-, 10-, and 15-year-old bourbons that once batched were re-barreled into Copper & Kings’ own apple brandy barrels. After a year of resting in those brandy barrels, the whiskey was barely touched with water and bottled as-is.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Cranberry sauce and caramel candies drive the nose toward old tobacco rolled up with cedar and sage and packed into an old cedar box next to hints of fall leaves and fallow apple orchards.

Palate: The palate opens with a lush and leathery dried apricot next to a moment of grapefruit pith, more cranberry sauce, and plenty of winter spice before honey and chocolate arrive with a dark cherry fruit leatheriness.

Finish: Toffee-dipped tart apples lead to warm and spiced apple cider on the finish with a nice sense of dark chocolate-covered caramels and soft vanilla cream.

Bottom Line:

This is a great intro to Copper & Kings as a bourbon bottler. This is just good whiskey that deserves a slow sipping experience or layered into your favorite cocktail.

50. Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Bourbon Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Wine Barrels

ABV: 59.1%

Average Price: $229

The Whiskey:

This is the 12th Cask Strength Bourbon release from Angel’s Envy but the first under new Master Distiller Owen Martin. Martin brings a deep knowledge of craft Colorado whiskey making and Scotch whisky to the table and it shows in this new release. The whiskey is a masterful blend of Angel’s Envy’s port-finished bourbons at cask strength, allowing the barrels to shine through. As a limited edition, there were only 22,656 bottles produced. The good news is that they’re going out to all 50 states.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Spiced cherry cake mingles with rich and buttery caramel sauce, toasted marshmallows, rum raisin, black-tea-soaked dates cut with cinnamon and nutmeg, and a deep sense of mulled wine cut with dark chocolate.

Palate: The palate leans into the mulled wine and sticky toffee pudding with a flourish of sea salt and orange zest next to lush vanilla buttercream, dark cherry spiced tobacco leaves, and old motorcycle jacket leather.

Finish: The end leans into brandy-soaked cherries dipped in dark chocolate next to dry sweetgrass, smudging sage, and cedar bark braided and stacked in an old cigar humidor next to a dry red wine cork with winter spice cakes, pear brandy marzipan, and deep dried fruits rounding out the end.

Bottom Line:

This is excellent bourbon and arguably the best cask-strength release from Angel’s Envy to date. If you’re looking for the perfect holiday gift bottle, this is it.

49. Starlight Distillery Carl T. Huber’s Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Spanish Brandy Barrels Bourbon & Beyond

ABV: 55.6%

Average Price: $69

The Whiskey:

This whiskey starts with a blend of Starlight’s three-grain and four-grain bourbon mash bills. Those whiskeys are batched and after four years of rest and then that whiskey is re-barreled into Spanish brandy barrels for a final rest before cask strength bottling.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with a deep dried apricot vibe next to salted mango strips, soft dates, and a moment of grilled peach next to vanilla cream and spiced oak staves.

Palate: The apricot gets jammy on the palate as a leathery sense of orange tobacco dipped in plum sauce drives the taste toward a creamy brandy pudding with deep winter spice barks.

Finish: Those spices mingle in a warm apple cider as lush vanilla and sticky toffee pudding bring the finish to a warm and lush end.

Bottom Line:

This is another great Starlight release from 2023. The key here is to keep an eye on Starlight in 2024 to find amazing releases like this and then buy a freaking case.

48. Wyoming Whiskey National Parks No. 3 Small Batch Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 52.5%

Average Price: $79

The Whiskey:

This year’s Wyoming Whiskey Fall 2023 release is the third edition of the National Park series. This year Grand Teton National Park is the star of the show with a minimum five-year-old batch of bourbon aged in the plains of Wyoming as they descend from the Rockies.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Wyoming Bourbon’s signature orange creamsicle opens the nose with a sense of wet brown sugar, fresh unsalted butter, and little cups of toffee pudding before a hint of dry black tea leaves arrives.

Palate: The orange attaches to floral honey on the palate with a sense of coffee cake, Nutella, and soft vanilla pudding swimming in caramel sauce.

Finish: Pecan waffles with pancake syrup sweeten the finish before that black tea sneaks back in with a mild sense of leathery tobacco and the stick from an orange creamsicle.

Bottom Line:

Buy this and you’ll have a win-win bottle of bourbon. One, you’ll have a very tasty bourbon on the shelf. Two, you’ll be supporting Grand Teton National Park!

47. Pinhook Vertical 8 Series Bourbon “Bourbon War” 8-Year Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 57.3%

Average Price: $92

The Whiskey:

This is an instant classic from Kentucky’s Pinhook. The whiskey is hewn from a mash bill of 75% corn, 20.5% rye, and 4.5% malted barley distilled at MGP of Indiana and aged at Castle & Key (in Kentucky). The whiskey was left alone for eight years before batching and bottling as-is.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with toasted raisin bread, cinnamon butter, dates, prunes, and figs with a nice layer of leathery dark berries cut with bright orange zest.

Palate: Soft caramel opens the palate before sharp winter spice barks stewing dark plums, sticky toffee pudding, and vanilla buttercream lead to fresh gingerbread.

Finish: The end leans into the rich buttercream and woody spices with a soft sense of pipe tobacco and Christmas cakes.

Bottom Line:

Pinhook has hit a stride with this 2023 release. This is great bourbon that works as well as a sipper as it does as a killer cocktail base.

46. Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse “Camp Nelson F” Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 58.8%

Average Price: $300

The Whiskey:

The second release from Wild Turkey’s Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse Collection moves to the Camp Nelson campus in Kentucky to highlight the terroir and aging happening in Rickhouse F. The whiskey barrels were pulled from the center cut of the warehouse — floors four and five (out of seven). Once batched, the whiskey was bottled 100% as-is.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Wild Turkey’s iconic spiced cherry vibe is present in spades on the nose with a deep and dark cherry cut with anise, clove, allspice, and cinnamon next to rum-soaked raisins, black tea-soaked dates, and a rich and lush vanilla foundation.

Palate: The clove attaches to dried orange rinds as salted rich caramel drives the taste toward more dates, plum sauce, and leathery prunes with a deep winter spice bark vibe next to a dash of powdery white pepper.

Finish: Honeyed tobacco mingles with sticky toffee pudding, mincemeat pies, and sweet oak mixed with richly spiced tobacco rolled with cedar bark, sage, and old wicker porch furniture.

Bottom Line:

This is quintessential Wild Turkey bourbon and — wildly — not the top of the heap when it comes to Turkey release this year.

45. George Dickel Tennessee Whiskey Single Barrel Aged At Least 15 Years

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). This actual whisky is made from an 84% corn mash and stored in Dickel’s famed single-story warehouse. In this rare case, the whisky that ended up in the bottle is from a barrel that was 17 years and 7 months old when bottled this year.

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 that leads to a deep cedar woody spice with a rich tobacco feel.

Palate: Red berries lead toward a cherry-choco soda pop, more vanilla cream, and a light touch of bourbon-soaked oakiness on the taste with a sense of woody winter spices and cedar bark braided with sweetgrass and smudging sage.

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:

This is a pretty great bourbon priced amazingly well. ReserveBar.com can keep these coming with this well-aged and quality whiskey at this price point.

44. Holladay Soft Red Wheat Bottled-In-Bond Missouri Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $59

The Whiskey:

This new kid on the block (relatively) from Missouri is making big waves thanks to incredible juice. The whiskey in this bottle is made from a 73/15/12 mash bill of corn/red wheat/malted barley that’s grown and processed in Missouri. The whiskey is made at the Holladay Distiller in Weston, Missouri where it’s filled in Missouri white oak barrels and left to age for six years.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Rich and buttery toffee leads to floral honey, moist vanilla sheet cake, and a hint of woody winter spices with a nice layer of brandy-soaked raisins and plums on the nose.

Palate: There’s a deep berry crumble on the palate with a big dollop of rich vanilla buttercream next to cinnamon sticks and spice barks over a hint of marshmallow, strawberry shortcake, and old oak staves.

Finish: Those oak staves get dipped in salted dark chocolate with a hint more of that rich vanilla buttercream next to spiced tobacco rolled with spicy winter cakes stuffed with plum jam and mulled wine.

Bottom Line:

This whiskey should get you very excited about Missouri bourbon. It’s just good in every way while offering something more. It’s deep and delicious and should be on your bar cart in 2024 and beyond.

43. Four Gate Whiskey Company Single Barrel Bourbon Finished in Spanish Oloroso Sherry-Dark Rum Cask #602 Selected by Seelbach’s

ABV: 61%

Average Price: $224

The Whiskey:

Four Gate is another bottler that puts out a lot of single barrels that, frankly, aren’t always for everyone — that’s the point. This barrel pick curated by online retailer Seelbach’s is from a seven-year-old barrel of 75% corn, 20% rye, and 5% malted barley bourbon. The whiskey was transferred to an Oloroso sherry cask that also held dark rum. Finally, the bourbon was bottled at cask strength.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Rum-soaked raisins and brandy-soaked cherries dipped in dark chocolate lead on the nose with a dark and lush dark hot chocolate with a dash of red chili pepper before a deep plumminess arrives with a hint of roasting herbs.

Palate: That taste opens sweet with dark molasses and honey notes before those brandied cherries kick back in with a sense of fat-soaked roasting herbs and dry sweetgrass braided with smudging sage and cherry tobacco.

Finish: That tobacco layers with cinnamon bark, clove buds, and allspice berries before the chocolate turns creamy and espresso-forward with a hint of lush vanilla underneath it all.

Bottom Line:

This is a great example of well-attenuated finishing. It’s there in ways that perfectly accent the quality bourbon beneath while truly adding depth that’s just delicious. I’d recommend pouring this one over a rock to calm that ABV down a tad.

42. Knob Creek Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 18 Years

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $224

The Whiskey:

This is a super rare limited release for fall 2023. The whiskey in the bottle is Beam’s standard mash bill that’s distilled at a slightly different temperature and treated with a little more care during aging by placing barrels in very specific locations throughout their vast warehouses. After 18 long years, the best of the best barrels are small batched, and just proofed before bottling.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Dark molasses and pecan clusters with salted dark chocolate lead to brown butter, old figs, and salted caramel with a woody sense of cherry and apple bark next to cinnamon-laced cedar sticks with burnt orange.

Palate: The palate is full of lush vanilla notes next to singed cherry bark and apple-cider-soaked cinnamon sticks, star anise, salted black licorice, and dark chocolate-covered espresso beans with a hint of dried red chili spice turning up the heat on the mid-palate.

Finish: The end has a floral honey sweetness that balances everything toward orange blossoms and bruised peaches, cherry tobacco, and clove tobacco.

Bottom Line:

It’s always worth celebrating anytime a new Knob Creek 18-year is dropped. This whiskey is deep and one of the purest classical bourbons on the list. Drink it slow over some ice and enjoy the ride.

41. Bardstown Bourbon Company Collaborative Series Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished In Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout Barrels

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $159

The Whiskey:

This brand-new release from Bardstown Bourbon Company is a collaboration with Chicago’s Goose Island’s iconic Bourbon County Stout. The whiskey in the bottle is a blend of six- and seven-year-old Kentucky bourbons that are batched and then re-barreled into Bourbon County stout barrels. 12 months later, the whiskey is blended with another 9-year-old Kentucky bourbon, barely proofed, and bottled as-is.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: A moment of honey draws you in on the nose before veering toward rich and very dark chocolate with a deeply stewed cherry cut with oily vanilla, mulled wine spices, and pear brandy-soaked marzipan with a hint of candied orange zest, dry espresso beans, and moist tobacco leaves.

Palate: There’s a moment of malted chocolate shakes on the taste that leads to a rich spiced Christmas cake brimming with walnuts, sultanas, candied cherry, candied lemon rinds, and leathery dates that lead to moments of creamy and very boozy eggnog poured over a Black Forest Cake.

Finish: The Christmas spices, fruit cake, dried fruit, and eggnog all combine on the finish to create a rich and sumptuous finish full of luscious textures and just the right amount of spiced whiskey warmth.

Bottom Line:

This is a wonderful example of the beauty that stout finishing can have on a great base bourbon. It’s nuanced and perfectly attuned to create a deeply hewn dark and fun bourbon.

40. McTavish Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $75

The Whiskey:

This brand-new whiskey brand from Graham McTavish (Outlander, House of the Dragon, etc.) is a lovely built batch of whiskey. The whiskey is made from a classic mash of 75/21/4 (corn/rye/barley) that’s left to rest for seven years. Those barrels were proofed down to bottled-in-bond standards and bottled as-is otherwise.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Caramel chocolate candies and vanilla cake with sprinkles drive the nose toward cinnamon and clove heavy nutcake, eggnog, and a soft layer of burnt orange zest.

Palate: The vanilla creates a lush buttercream on the palate as dark Black Forest Cake with spicy stewed cherry and very dark chocolate leads to more nutmeg and cinnamon with a fleeting sense of pipe tobacco and smoldering marshmallow.

Finish: The end leans into old oak and a light sense of fall orchard leaves, more stewed cherry, and creamy vanilla with a line of spiced winter bark warmth.

Bottom Line:

This is a quality whiskey and a great introduction to the brand-new brand. If this is the path this whiskey’s team is on, great things are coming.

39. Thirteenth Colony Distillery Cask Strength Double Oaked Bourbon

ABV: 68.4%

Average Price: $199

The Whiskey:

This new batch from indy-darling Thirteenth Colony is a batch of whiskey that’s finished with toasted maple wood. Once batched, the whiskey was bottled 100% as-is at cask strength.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The sense of an old rickhouse (cobwebs and all) draws you in on the nose with a hint of cherry cream soda, orange florals, and pecan waffles soaked in butter and real maple syrup with a hint of pepperiness.

Palate: That pepperiness pops on the palate with a warming ABV buzz on the tongue next to salted caramel rolled with more pecan waffle, orange creaminess, and a whisper of peppery yet sweet bacon.

Finish: The end has a sense of orange tobacco rolled with cherry leather and old oak stave, smudging sage, and caramel candied pecans touched with a flake of salt.

Bottom Line:

Thirteenth Colony really caught the whiskey world’s attention with this well-aged sourced bottling. This is a good sign of things to come from the brand in 2024.

38. Starlight Distillery Carl T. Huber’s Limited Release Double Oaked Bourbon Whiskey Finished in a Second Oak Barrel French Oak

ABV: 59.8%

Average Price: $99

The Whiskey:

This is a four-year-old Starlight bourbon that was aged in French oak casks from the jump. Then that same whiskey was refilled into new French oak casks for a final maturation before batching and bottling to help with prostrate cancer research via bottle sales this year.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Your grandma’s caramel candies draw you in on the nose with a light sense of vanilla malts topped with whipped cream and cherry before the oak arrives with a sense of sweetness and light mocha espresso vibes.

Palate: The dark cherry takes on a mild cola feel before it drives toward rich vanilla buttercream cut with poppyseeds and nutmeg next to a hint of that sweet oak dipped in salted caramel.

Finish: Rich tobacco leaves wrap themselves around that caramel oak before a whisper of apple blossom and maybe some brandy-soaked pear round out the finish.

Bottom Line:

This was one of the best Starlight releases of 2023.

37. Frank August Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Cask Strength Barrel No. 0015

ABV: 60.9%

Average Price: $139

The Whiskey:

The latest single-barrel release from Frank August is from a small collection of only 15 barrels. One barrel was chosen for bottling and then bottled 100% as-is to highlight the beauty of the whiskey in that barrel. That means this whiskey ended up being 6.1 years old.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Rich winter spices draw you in on the nose as deep and sweet oak staves lead to red fruit leather, dark chocolate-dipped cherries, and a layer of vanilla sheet cake.

Palate: Cinnamon cake and peppery citrus drive the palate toward salted caramel over that vanilla sheet cake before more of those chocolate cherries arrive to tie everything into a rich and moist Black Forest cake spiked with allspice and clove.

Finish: The end circles around the chocolate cherry cake as the spices mount on the finish with a warming sense of cinnamon sharpness and red chili heat that’s just tempered by oak wrapped in cherry tobacco.

Bottom Line:

Frank August continued to kill it this year. This single barrel release is subtle and beautiful with just the right levels of depth and warmth. Pour it over a single rock and enjoy the journey.

36. Old Fitzgerald Bottled-In-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 10 Years “Spring 2023” Decanter

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $139

The Whiskey:

Old Fitzgerald Botted-In-Bond Decanters always holds Heaven Hill’s wheated bourbon, which is made with a mash of 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley. That recipe harkens back to before the brand was part of the Pappy Van Winkle line at the old Stitzel-Weller Distillery in Louisville. In this case, the bourbon went into the barrel in the spring of 2013 and was left for 10 years. In the spring of 2023, those barrels were batched and just proofed with that soft Kentucky limestone water before bottling in Heaven Hill’s bespoke decanters for the official 11th Old Fitz release.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose draws you in with lemon cake with a whisper of meringue next to honey Graham Crackers, winter spiced Nutella cut with orange oils, soft vanilla sheet cake, and this fleeting sense of Double Mint gum by way of a vanilla malt milkshake.

Palate: The palate is luscious and sweet with a sense of rum-soaked raisins covered in dark salted chocolate next to toffee rolled in almond and dipped in eggnog with a light moment of stewed cherry compote with whole clove, allspice, and cinnamon bark.

Finish: Those woody winter spices amp up through the finish with a deep dark cherry jam over lemon-kissed shortbread with plenty of real vanilla before a light sense of tobacco rolled with molasses softens the very end.

Bottom Line:

This is another great entry in the Old Fitz pantheon. Overall, this is a collector’s item that’ll deliver a classic Kentucky bourbon vibe.

35. Old Forester 2023 Birthday Bourbon

ABV: 48%

Average Price: $169

The Whiskey:

This year’s Birthday Bourbon is a subtle masterpiece expression from Lousiville’s oldest distillery. The whiskey in the bottle is hewn from 103 barrels that were filled on May 5th, 2011. Those barrels were housed on the 5th floor of Warehouse I in Louisville for 12 years for batching, proofing, and bottling.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Candied orange peels draw you in on the nose as molasses and rum raisin lead to salted dark chocolate-covered coffee beans, old cedar bark, and dry orchard barks layered with soft winter spice barks and dark cherry.

Palate: That candied orange drives the palate with a sense of Luxardo cherries, old rickhouse dirt floors, and oak staves before rummy molasses and dark fruits — think dates, figs, and prunes — lead to a cedar tobacco vibe.

Finish: The end sweetens at first with a honeyed orange caramel before swinging back toward the coffee beans and cedar tobacco with a soft sense of old orchards in late fall.

Bottom Line:

This year’s Birthday Bourbon from Old Foresters is one of the best releases from the line in a while. This is great Old Forester bourbon, folks, but not their best release of the year. Keep scrolling to find out which one is!

34. Four Roses 2023 135th Anniversary Limited Edition Small Batch Select

ABV: 54%

Average Price: $199

The Whiskey:

This year’s Four Roses LE Small Batch is only 15,060 bottles. In those bottles, you’ll find a blend of 12, 14, 16, and 25-year-old barrels of whiskey. Those barrels are perfectly balanced to bring deep flavors to the batch before proofing and bottling as-is.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Rich winter spice cakes with roasted nuts, rum raisin, and soft vanilla oils vibe with old cedar kindling, hints of dill, and a faint touch of marshmallow that’s spent too much time in the fire.

Palate: The palate is all sticky toffee pudding and honey cake with a rush of red huckleberry and tart raspberry next to pear cider cut with clove, cinnamon, and allspice and a faint touch of brandied marzipan.

Finish: The finish turns into a luscious masterpiece of soft pear brandy-soaked marzipan with creamy dark chocolate and spiced Christmas nut cakes next to a soft chili tobacco dipped in molasses.

Bottom Line:

This year’s Four Roses LE Small Batch was another big winner. If you can find it, buy a pour and let it wash over you.

33. Booker’s “Charlie’s Batch” 2023-01 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 63.3%

Average Price: $97

The Whiskey:

This first Booker’s Small Batch of 2023 has arrived! This release is an hommage to Charlie Hutchens — the woodworker who makes Booker’s boxes the whiskey comes in and a long-time family friend to the Noe family who makes Beam whiskeys. The whiskey is a blend of mid to high-floor barrels from five warehouses. Those whiskeys were batched and bottled 100% as-is at cask strength after just north of seven years of aging.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Toasted almonds and walnuts lead the way on the nose with a deep and rich vanilla cake lightly dusted with cacao, dry cherry, and cinnamon with a touch of old oak cellars and black-mold-encrusted old deck furniture.

Palate: The soft caramel and vanilla open the palate before a rush of woody and sharp spices — clove, anise, allspice, red chili pepper — arrive with a sense of old wood chips on a workshop floor leads to salted toffee dipped in roasted almonds and dark salted chocolate with a whisper of cherry cordial backing it all up.

Finish: That soft sweetness counters the hot spices for a while on the slow finish as the spices take on an orange/cherry/vanilla Christmas cake vibe with plenty of nuts and ABV heat.

Bottom Line:

This was the best Booker’s release this year. It pushed the boundaries past classic Kentucky bourbon and found a gentle nuance in a very warm pour.

32. Chattanooga Whiskey Bottled in Bond: Fall 2019 Vintage Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $52

The Whiskey:

The latest Chattanooga BIB is made from whiskey barreled back in the fall of 2019. After four years, 10 to 12 barrels were batched and proofed to create this release.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Milk chocolate lattes mingle with sharp root beer, almond oils, and deep cinnamon pudding with a hint of pumpkin pie by way of a buttery pie crust and a dollop of vanilla-laced whipped cream.

Palate: That root beer gets sweet on the palate as cinnamon spice cakes cut with almond oils and orange zest drive the taste toward sweet potatoes soaked in brandy-laced molasse.

Finish: The chocolate circles back on the finish with a sense of Amaretto cut with orange oils and a whisper of buttermilk laced with nutmeg before a rich pipe tobacco in an old leather pouch finishes things off.

Bottom Line:

This is well-made whiskey, folks. It’s deep and unique while still offering a satisfying profile. If you’re looking for a choco-nutty pour, this is going to be your jam.

31. Stagg Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Barrel Proof Batch #22A

ABV: 66.1%

Average Price: $399

The Whiskey:

Stagg is Buffalo Trace’s Mash Bill no. 1 (a low-rye mash) turned all the way up to MAX volume. The whiskey spends about a decade resting in the old Buffalo Trace warehouses before it’s batched and bottled (in this case in Spring 2023) 100% as-is.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This is rich on the nose with deep senses of dark chocolate brownies just kissed with stewed black cherry and old vanilla pods before a soft sense of red chili tobacco and wet brown sugar tobacco lead to a whisper of smoldering fall leaves.

Palate: That dark chocolate and chili-laced tobacco drives the taste toward a Christmas cake brimming with candied cherry, orange rind, rum raisin, clove, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and creamy vanilla icing with a dash of salt, marzipan, and brandy-soaked apple and pear orchards.

Finish: The rich and boozy holiday cake fades on the finish as deep earthiness — think firewood bark and smudging sage — drives the end toward a big Kentucky hug of warmth that’s just right.

Bottom Line:

This is an excellent version of Stagg. The balance of warming bourbon notes and classic Buffalo Trace vibes dance wonderfully on the palate, especially when some water or an ice cube is added.

30. Michter’s US*1 Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 10 Years Old

ABV: 47.2%

Average Price: $367

The Whiskey:

The whiskey barrels sourced for these single-barrel expressions tend to be at least 10 years old with some rumored to be closer to 15 years old (depending on the barrel’s quality, naturally). Either way, the whiskey goes through Michter’s bespoke filtration process before a touch of Kentucky’s iconic soft limestone water is added, bringing the bourbon down to a very crushable 94.4 proof.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a peppery sense of cedar bark and burnt orange next to salted caramel and tart red berries with a moist and spicy sticky toffee pudding with some brandy butter dancing on the nose.

Palate: The palate blends vanilla tobacco with salted dark chocolate-covered marzipan while espresso cream leads to new porch wicker and black peppercorns.

Finish: The end has a pecan waffle vibe with chocolate chips, maple syrup, blackberry jam, and minced meat pies next to old tobacco and cedar with a sweet yet singed marshmallow on the very end.

Bottom Line:

Michter’s Bourbon returned in 2023 with a banger release. This is another purely classic Kentucky bourbon that hits every mark beautifully and deeply. If you’re looking to go beyond a regular pour, try this in your favorite whiskey-forward cocktail — it’ll be amazing.

29. Eagle Rare Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 17 Years Old (BTAC 2023)

ABV: 50.5%

Average Price: $1,849

The Whiskey:

This year’s Eagle Rare ended up being 19 years and three months old (the “17 Years” on the label denotes the youngest barrels used for the brand overall). This year’s release was distilled and barreled back in the spring of 2004 and then left to rest all those years around the Buffalo Trace campuses in warehouses C, I, K, M, and Q. Once the barrels were batched, the whiskey was proofed and bottled as-is otherwise.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose is like eating a moist and perfectly balanced Black Forest cake while walking through an old barrel house and out into a fallow fruit orchard with fall leaves crunchy underfoot and rain barely misty the air with hints of cinnamon cake, smudging sage, and sweetgrass rounding things out.

Palate: Orange cake and salted caramel lead on the palate with a sense of dark chocolate tobacco moving the mid-palate toward dry roasting herbs and a touch of nuttiness.

Finish: Cinnamon sticks and nutmeg pop up on the finish with a hint of vanilla buttercream and eggnog before the spices dry out with a sense of mince meat pie and old leather tobacco pouches.

Bottom Line:

This is the whiskey you pull off the shelf to pour as an example of a perfectly classic yet delicious Kentucky bourbon. And that’s it.

28. George Dickel Bourbon Whisky Aged 18 Years Limited Release

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $484

The Whisky:

The latest Dickel release is a monumental one. The whiskey is an 18-year-old Tennessee bourbon (made with a corn-heavy mash bill of 84% corn, 8% rye, and 8% malted barley). The batch was made from a very small selection of barrels that were left to do their thing in Cascade Hollow’s famed single-story rickhouses in very rural Tennessee. Once batched, the whiskey was proofed and bottled otherwise as-is.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose draws you in with a lush crème brulée served with a peach cobbler on the side before dark notes of winter spice barks and buds lead to a whisper of piney honey layered into tobacco that’s been braided with smudging sage and dry sweetgrass next to this hint of musty leather in an old cheese cellar.

Palate: That lush crème brulée drives the palate toward silken eggnog vibes with a sense of creamed honey, soft winter spice cakes brimming with dried fruit, nuts, and candied citrus before a dark sense of cellar floor dirt and old oak staves arrive with more of that tobacco braid.

Finish: The end leans into the lushness of it all and leaves you with a sense of walking through an old rickhouse that’s been standing for 100 years while holding a chocolate-dipped orange vanilla cigar in one hand and a smoldering marshmallow in the other.

Bottom Line:

It’s kind of wild that a whiskey this good is only 25th on this list. This is a masterpiece from Nicole Austin and deserves every accolade and hype that it gets. The best part is that this is perfect as a neat pour. It doesn’t need anything to be enjoyed. Pour one and let it take you away to a quiet hollow in Tennessee.

27. K.LUKE Small Batch Barrel Strength Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskey Batch 7

ABV: 58.2%

Average Price: $109

The Whiskey:

K.Luke is another bottler that’s doing great work right now. This batch is from a 10-barrel blend that was expertly vatted and then bottled 100% as-is.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Fresh and meaty dates soaked in floral honey open the nose toward rum-soaked raisins and brandy-soaked dried cranberry with a lovely toffee rolled in almond and chocolate before a hint of apple cider arrives with a big cinnamon stick.

Palate: Those dark fruity notes drive the taste toward orchards brimming and heavy with fruits before a creamed honey vibe leads to blackberry cobbler topped with malted vanilla ice cream and then this fleeting sense of yellow melon skins sneaks in with a hint of Granny Smith apple skins.

Finish: That tart apple is dipped in salted caramel on the finish as an old oak barrel filled with nasturtiums, pipe tobacco, cinnamon bark, and rips of chocolate bark leads to old orchard barks dipped in more honey rounds things out.

Bottom Line:

This is fresh and kind of funky in all the best ways. If you’re looking for something that is very fruit-forward and diverse, this is it. It also drinks like a dream even though the proof is on the higher side — so ice is optional here.

26. Doc Swinson’s Hand Selected Exploratory Cask Series Rare Release Aged 15 Years Kentucky Straight Bourbon Release No. 008

ABV: 57.1%

Average Price: $294

The Whiskey:

This rare whiskey was distilled in Kentucky from a unique mash of 78.5% corn, 13% rye, and 8.5% malted barley. 27 of those barrels rested in Kentucky for 15 long years before heading to Washington state for blending and bottling 100% as-is at cask strength.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Rich notes of sweet and spice oak mingle with old leather tobacco pouches on the nose before a deep sense of winter spice cakes brimming with roasted nuts, candied citrus and dark fruits, and dark chocolate notes combine with brandied pear and ribbon candy with a fleeting sense of dried spearmint layered into caramel candy.

Palate: That leathery tobacco pouch gets a little chewy on the front of the taste as dark Christmas puddings and mincemeat pies drive the taste toward brandied fruits, candied citrus, and toasted nuts before a deep dark salted chocolate arrives with a hint of espresso oils and vanilla syrup all countered by a dank and musty barrelhouse.

Finish: That dank and dusty barrel house leads to dried tobacco leaves just kissed with black cherry and pear brandy before echos of Christmas treats and nogs create a lush and vibrantly spiced sweet finish.

Bottom Line:

This is an astounding bottle of whiskey. It’s also very well suited to end-of-year holiday vibes.

25. Brown Forman 150 Decanter

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $2,500

The Whiskey:

This minimalist decanter was created back in 2020 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Brown Forman (but was delayed for obvious reasons). The whiskey in the bottle is a very small batch (only six barrels) of 12-and-a-half-year-old barrels (150 months) that were batched, proofed, and bottled back in 2020. The decanters were finally released to the public in the late fall of 2023.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Maple syrup-soaked waffles drive the nose toward banana cream pie, dark whiskey-soaked cherries, and buttery honey before a hint of old tobacco leather and Nutella arrives.

Palate: That hazelnut and chocolate create a lush palate that leads to raspberry jam over creamed scones with a deep salted caramel vibe that’s dipped in very dark chocolate cut with dried florals and old winter spice barks.

Finish: The end leans into the dryness of the spice barks as dry tobacco cut with caramelized sugar from a cème brûlée leads to a finish that’s part toasted oak with a hint of smoldering char and part roasting herbs with a dash of spiced florals.

Bottom Line:

This is 100% its own thing. There’s just a lot going on and it all comes together by the end for a fully lush sipping experience.

24. Wild Turkey Generations Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 60.4%

Average Price: $449

The Whiskey:

This brand-new release from Wild Turkey is the first time Bruce Russell’s name has appeared on a bottle. Bruce teamed up with with dad (Master Distiller Eddie Russell) and his granddad (Master Distiller and legend Jimmy Russell) to create a bourbon that spoke to all three of their whiskey palates. The whiskey in the bottles ended up being a blend of 9-, 12-, 14-, and 15-year-old bourbon that all three of the Russells selected together. Once batched, that bourbon was bottled 100% as-is without filtering or proofing to highlight the beauty of the whiskey being made at Wild Turkey.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Lush vanilla oils are cut with salted caramel and dark cherry root beer made with real sasparilla next to warming winter spices (clove, anise, and allspice) that lean toward mulled wine, cherry-laced tobacco, and hints of dry smudging sage braided with sweetgrass.

Palate: That woodiness leads on the palate before a rush of vanilla buttercream and toffee rolled in roasted almond and dusted with dark chocolate powder shifts the taste toward warm apple pie filling cut with more cloves and allspice and washed down with cherry cola.

Finish: That dark cherry is just kissed with floral honey on the backend as the spices take on a woody bark vibe and the toffee makes a buttery and lush return with a near marzipan feel before old oak staves from a musty rickhouse lead to another braid of sage, cedar, and tobacco on the chewy and silky end.

Bottom Line:

This is an excellent release from Wild Turkey that touches on everything that makes the juice from the distillery so beloved — spice, dark fruit, deep creaminess, and dark lurking surprises. Pour this over a single large cube and let it take you on a journey through the generations.

23. George T. Stagg Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Barrel Proof (BTAC 2023)

ABV: 67.5%

Average Price: $1,599

The Whiskey:

This year’s batch of George T. Stagg was distilled in the spring of 2008 and left to rest in warehouses C, I, K, L, and M around the Frankfort Buffalo Trace campus. After 15 long years of rest, the barrels were batched and bottled 100% as-is at cask strength.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with a classic sense of Cherry Coke, old leather tobacco pouches, and rich buttercream made with real vanilla next to fall leaves in an orchard and then this sense of Neoplotian ice cream creeps in that leans toward the strawberry and chocolate ice cream part.

Palate: The palate opens with a deep sense of an apple orchard on a cold fall day with leaves underfoot next to deeply-seeded dark cherry, cinnamon bark, clove buds, and allspice berries with a sense of the Neopolitan ice cream popping up again late.

Finish: The creamy vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry drive the finish back toward the old orchards, fall leaves, rickhouse floors, and soft cherry-spiced tobacco leaves rolled with cedar and smudging sage with a nice warming Kentucky hug on the very end.

Bottom Line:

This is an excellent version of George T. Stagg that balances the heat that’s a signature of the brand with a truly deep and rewarding Kentucky bourbon profile that just keeps giving, especially when poured over a big rock.

22. Fortuna Rare Character Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 59.41%

Average Price: $94

The Whiskey:

Last year’s Fortuna release was an instant classic. This year the Rare Character team has upped the ante with a cask-strength version and, ho boy, they hit it out of the park. The whiskey in the bottle is a small batch of minimum seven-year-old barrels that were expertly batched and bottled 100% as-is.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with a sense of deeply roasted walnuts, almonds, and chestnuts dipped in salted toffee with a sense of darkly charred old oak staves countered by a lush vanilla cream cut with winter spices.

Palate: The nuttiness drives the palate toward vanilla buttercream next to winter spice cakes filled with rum raisin, candied orange rind, and brandy-soaked cherries before a hint of sticky toffee pudding arrives with a whisper of roasting herbs and sweetgrass.

Finish: Nutshells and dried pipe tobacco round out the finish with a deep winter spice bark vibe before the luscious vanilla creates a creamy landing for the pour that’s part eggnog and part malted vanilla shake cut with peppermint, clove, and sasparilla.

Bottom Line:

This is delicious and I’m going to leave it at that…

Okay, I will add that if you want to make this a nutty creamy viscous delight, pour it over one big ice cube and sip it slowly. It’ll be glorious.

21. Hardin’s Creek ‘Frankfort’ Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 55%

Average Price: $199

The Whiskey:

This is the same 17-year-old Beam bourbon aged at the Frankfort, Kentucky campus. This set of warehouses is more easterly in the state where the humidity gets bold in the summer and the foothills of Appalachia start to roll in. The actual buildings are also tighter with less ventilation, creating a more enclosed hot box vibe for the ricks.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Soft woody notes pop on the nose with a sense of old tobacco in a cedar humidor next to toasted marshmallows over a smoldering campfire with rum raisin, bespoke cherry soda pop, and salted caramel that’s cut with molasses leads to a medley of sugar cookies cut with almond and lemon oils next to spiced nut cakes.

Palate: The caramel gets dark and salted on the tip of the tongue as the palate leans into mincemeat pies and dark mulled wine with a sense of brandy-soaked fruit cake, rich marzipan, and soft pipe tobacco with a sense of floral honey backing everything up.

Finish: The end takes on a woody vanilla pod vibe over soft notes of winter spice barks, soft cedar, and old saddle leather shined with cherry wax and honeycomb before a malty chocolate shake arrives with a lush and silky finish full of holiday spices and dry smudging sage piled up in an old rickhouse on a warm but musty day.

Bottom Line:

This experimental bourbon from the team at James. B Beam Distilling looks at terroir via aging and really knocks it out of the park. This classic bourbon goes beyond the ordinary, making it a wonderful slow-sipping whiskey.

20. Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 15 Years Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 53.5%

Average Price: $2,999

The Whiskey:

This is where the “Pappy Van Winkle” line truly shines. The whiskey in this expression is pulled from wheated bourbon barrels that are at least 15 years old. Once batched, the whiskey is just touched with water to bring it down to a sturdy 107-proof.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with freshly fried sourdough fritters dusted with ground almonds, sharp cinnamon, cloves, orange zest, burnt sugars, and maple frosting with a hint of old vanilla pods next to soft figs.

Palate: The palate leans into rich toffee with a sense of minced meat pies covered in powdered sugar frosting right next to sticky toffee pudding with salted caramel, orange zest, and tons of brown wintry spice countered by a moment of sour mulled red wine cut with dark maple syrup.

Finish: The end has a soft cedar vibe that leads to vanilla and dark cherry tobacco leaves and a hint of pine next to old white moss.

Bottom Line:

This is the Pappy to take your time with this year. It’ll fulfill everything you want from a Kentucky bourbon with this much hype. It’s just excellent is what I’m getting at.

19. Heaven’s Door Bootleg Series Vol. V 18-Year-Old Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged in Spanish Vermough Rogue Casks

ABV: 57%

Average Price: $599

The Whiskey:

The new Bootleg Series from Heaven’s Door is here! This year’s edition is an 18-year-old bourbon that’s finished in Spanish Vermouth Rouge casks. The whiskey was batched and bottled as-is with a one-of-a-kind piece of art from Bob Dylan serving as a label that’s reminiscent of going on the road with Steinbeck or Kesey.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Old honey pots with crystalized honey at the bottom open the nose toward rich and salted caramel next to a moist and lush vanilla cake dotted with dried brandied cherries and a note of old oak wrapped in tobacco leaves.

Palate: That tobacco marries to the salted caramel on the palate as the vanilla and cherry swim in brandy with rum raisin and a whisper of smudging sage smoldering in the background with some more tobacco.

Finish: The honey sweetness takes on a crisp and clear sharpness on the finish as the cherry gets tart and then sweet like a cherry cake with whispers of chili-chocolate tobacco and old barrelhouses on a cold fall day full of leaves brings it all to an end.

Bottom Line:

Bob Dylan’s Heaven’s Door knocks it out of the park with these bootleg releases regularly. This one takes it up a notch to stellar. This is a pretty perfect sipping bourbon that gives you an incredible depth.

18. Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond 8-Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Fall 2023

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $109

The Whiskey:

The second limited edition Old Fitz release this year is a fairly young entry to the ongoing Decanter series. This edition was built from Heaven Hill wheated bourbon barrels filled in the fall of 205. Those barrels were carefully selected and batched before proofing and bottling.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Wet brown sugar cut with cinnamon and fresh butter layers over toasted buttermilk biscuits before nutmeg-heavy eggnog creates a lush feeling on the nose next to hints of overripe peaches, apricots, and pears with a hint of salted caramel.

Palate: The palate opens with a vibrant sense of fresh peaches swimming in vanilla-laced heavy cream before hitting on the salted caramel with a layer of winter spice that starts to lean peppery and grassy on the mid-palate.

Finish: Those sharp spices drive the luxurious finish toward brandy-soaked pears and stewed peaches with plenty of winter spice, butter, and molasses before a whisper of old oak and tobacco sneak in late.

Bottom Line:

This is a delightfully fruity bourbon with a deep creaminess that makes it amazingly easy to drink.

17. Bardstown Bourbon Company Discovery Series Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Series #11

ABV: 59.05%

Average Price: $139

The Whiskey:

The latest release from Bardstown Bourbon Company is a full-on Kentucky bourbon blend. The whiskey is made with 73% 13-year-old Kentucky bourbon, 21% 10-year-old Kentucky bourbon, and 6% of Bardstown’s own six-year-old Kentucky bourbon. Once batched, the whiskey mellows before bottling 100% as-is at cask strength.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Tart cherries and rich toffee rolled in roasted almond and dipped in salted dark chocolate drive the nose toward cinnamon spice cakes with a hint of dried cranberry, plummy sauce, and rich tobacco.

Palate: The taste leans into caramel-covered peanuts with a hint of red fruit leather, old spice barks, and a whisper of orange rinds next to a touch of Cherry Coke, old leather tobacco pouches, and the old beams from a whiskey barrel house.

Finish: The end leans into a lush vanilla buttercream with notes of old back porch wicker, almost sweet cedar kindling, smudging sage, and cinnamon bark soaked in cherry brandy with a touch of chili-cut dark chocolate.

Bottom Line:

This is an exceptional example of the great work happening at Bardstown Bourbon Company. This blend of bourbons has created something so much greater than its individual parts.

Translation: it’s delicious.

16. Bomberger’s Declaration Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 2023 Release

ABV: 54%

Average Price: $179

The Whiskey:

This whiskey heralds back to Michter’s historical roots in the 19th century before the brand was even called “Michter’s.” The old Bomberger’s Distillery in Pennsylvania is where the brand started way back in the day (1753). The whiskey in the bottle is rendered from a very small batch of bourbons that were aged in Chinquapin oak. The staves for that barrel were air-dried for three years before coppering, charring, and filling. The Kentucky bourbon is then bottled in an extremely small batch that yields around 2,000 bottles per year.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Sweet mashed grains — think a bowl of Cream of Wheat cut with butter and molasses — mix with sticky toffee pudding, old saddle leather, old cellar beams, and sweet cinnamon with a hint of candied orange and dark chocolate next to luscious eggnog with a flake of salt.

Palate: The palate is super creamy with a crème brûlée feel that leads to soft winter spices, dry cedar, and orange chocolates with a hint of pear-brandy-soaked marzipan in the background.

Finish: The end has a creamed honey vibe next to brandy-soaked figs and rum-soaked prunes with fresh chewing tobacco and salted dark chocolate leading back to dark chocolate and old cellar floors with a touch of smoldering orchard bark.

Bottom Line:

Again, there was something in the ether in 2023 that made releases that little bit better, more dialed, and more iconic. Case in point, this year’s Bomberger’s was stellar. As a neat pour, it’s easy-going yet deeply rewarding with a classic Kentucky bourbon profile that goes be the ordinary and deep into the extraordinary. Over ice, this whiskey is a creamy delight for all the senses.

15. Russell’s Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 13 Years

ABV: 55%

Average Price: $150

The Whiskey:

This whiskey was made by Eddie Russell to celebrate his 40th year of distilling whiskey with his dad, Jimmy Russell. The juice is a collection of a minimum of 13-year-old barrels that Eddie Russell hand-picked. Those barrels were married and then bottled as-is with no proofing or filtration.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Sweet and dried fruits invite you on the nose as a touch of fresh, creamy, and dark Black Forest cake mingles with mild holiday spices, dried almonds, and a sense of rich pipe tobacco just kissed with sultanas.

Palate: That dark chocolate and cherry fruit drive the palate as a hint of charred cedar leads toward vanilla tobacco with more of that dark chocolate and a small touch of honey, orange blossom, and a whisper of dried chili flake.

Finish: That honey leads back to the warmth and spice with a thin line of cherry bark smoke lurking on the very backend with more bitter chocolate, buttery vanilla, and dark cherry all combining into chewy tobacco packed into an old pine box and wrapped up with worn leather thread.

Bottom Line:

This year’s Russell’s Reserve 13-year is a masterstroke of great Wild Turkey in the bottle. The balance of classic turkey spice and dark fruity sweetness is so on point that this whiskey just sings from top to bottom.

14. King of Kentucky Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Single Barrel Sixth Edition

ABV: 62.9%

Average Price: $299

The Whiskey:

2023’s King of Kentucky from Brown-Forman in Louisville, Kentucky is a 16-year-old masterpiece. The batch this year was pulled from 51 barrels all filled on July 19th, 2007. Those barrels were left alone all these years in Warehouse G in the Louisville Brown-Forman Distillery. Once batched, the whiskey went into the bottle 100% as-is at cask strength, yielding only 3,800 bottles.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Toasted coconut and brandy-soaked dates lead the way on the nose with a rich sense of good salted dark chocolate, vanilla buttercream, and honeyed Graham Crackers sandwiching toasted marshmallow.

Palate: That dark chocolate takes on a creaminess (kind of like a small espresso mocha) with a sense of sticky toffee pudding cut with black tea, those brandy-soaked dates, a twist of orange, and plenty of nutmeg and cinnamon before leathery notes of old boots and dry tobacco arrive with an ever-warming heat from the ABVs.

Finish: The ABVs buzz to a warmth that peaks before it gets hot as the finish rides a wave toward orchard barks, mince meat pies, mulled wine, and whispers of pear marzipan.

Bottom Line:

This is arguably one of the best King of Kentucky releases. It’s so deeply delicious while balancing ABV warmth, woody age, and Kentucky bourbon sweetness perfectly.

13. Binder’s Stash Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 14 Years

ABV: 72.45%

Average Price: $750

The Whiskey:

This bottle from bespoke bottlers Binder’s Stash in Louisville is a hell of a find. The whiskey is a classic 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley mash bill that was left to age for 14 long years. Then the Binder’s Stash team bottled that barrel at cask strength, 100% as-is.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Corn husks and toasted vanilla pods drive the nose toward rich nutmeg-heavy nog, singed black tea leaves, and a whisper of menthol tobacco loaded into an old pine humidor.

Palate: The palate is warm from the jump but countered by raw sugar rock candy, lush vanilla oils, salted caramel, and almost sweet and fresh roasting herbs with a hint of nasturtium leading to raw red chili pepper flakes and hot woody spice notes.

Finish: That woody spice amps up on the finish toward rich vanilla-laced pipe tobacco, singed marshmallow, and almost burnt salted caramel with a hint of dried red ancho chilis swimming in dark chocolate.

Bottom Line:

This is a flavor boom with a bold warmth. Pour this over a single rock to calm it down and let the creaminess bloom into a masterpiece whiskey pour.

12. Rare Character Presents “Obliteration” Selected by Pablo Moix Single Barrel Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 71.9%

Average Price: $599

The Whiskey:

This whiskey is a very rare release. The whiskey in the bottle is a 14-year-old bourbon made from a classic mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. The barrel was stored out at a winery in California that then burnt down during recent wildfires — but this barrel survived the firestorm. There was actually whiskey left in the barrel and it was still delicious. The barrel was then bottled 100% as-is, yielding only 36 and a half bottles.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose draws you in with a deep sense of dark chocolate powder next to hazelnut wafers with a dash of bright orange oils before a dark and sharp sense of Szechuan peppercorn arrives to spice things up.

Palate: The taste leans into the sharp red peppercorns with an earthy underbelly before deeply salted and lush caramel leads to roasted almonds and buttery walnut cake cut with vanilla, allspice, and dried red berries dashes with brandy and apple cider cut with more butter.

Finish: The end leans into sharp winter spice barks and more whole red peppercorns with a deep warmth that gives way to luxurious salted toffee, vanilla buttercream, and tobacco kissed with spearmint, smudging sage, and almost fatty roasting herbs.

Bottom Line:

The flavor profile on this whiskey is so dialed that it’s almost unbelievable. It’s like looking into the matrix when it hits your senses — it’s that good.

11. Old Forester President’s Choice Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 58.5%

Average Price: $599

The Whiskey:

This year’s President’s Choice Single Barrel bourbon from Old Foresters is yet another masterpiece from the Louisville brand. The whiskey in this case is a 10-year-old barrel that rested in a specific location in the West Louisville warehouses. Once it was just right, the whiskey was bottled as-is with a touch of water.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The whiskey opens with a salted caramel apple nose that edges towards apple saltwater taffy with a creamy layer of spicy dark chocolate and a touch of orange blossoms and barrelhouse beams.

Palate: The palate takes the wintry spices and attaches them to the creaminess, creating an egg nog feel to the taste that leans into dark fruits and a hint of toasted coconut cream pie.

Finish: The end holds onto the spice but focuses more on anise (and maybe fennel) while the caramel and spice attach to sticky tobacco with a warming end.

Bottom Line:

This is so good. It’s the sort of bourbon that you can “drink for the rest of your life” good.

10. Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 70.45%

Average Price: $249

The Whiskey:

This year’s Cowboy Bourbon from Garrison Brothers is a blend of only 118 barrels of six-year-old Texas bourbon. 1,000 bottles of the crafty Texas whiskey will be available in mid-September at the distillery with an additional 8,600 bottles going out nationwide the first week of October.

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 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 is the peak of Texas bourbon in 2023. Garrison Brothers is truly coming into its own and firing on all cylinders, which makes this whiskey both great and makes me very excited for what’s to come.

9. Augusta Distillery Buckner’s Aged 13 Years Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 60% (varies)

Average Price: $199

The Whiskey:

This is a very niche brand out in rural Kentucky that’s sourcing old barrels. The whiskey in the bottle is a Kentucky straight bourbon that rested for 13 years before it was bottled completely as-is both unfiltered and at cask strength.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with a sense of old barrel houses full of sweet and spice bourbon next to a gentle moment of creamy vanilla honey with old corn husks stuffed in the honey which is poured over spiced winter nut breads with a hint of butteriness and earthy nutshells.

Palate: The clove, allspice, and anise of the nut bread amp up the buttery palate with a sense of Earl Grey tea leaves, salted caramel, and mocha-heavy espresso beans next to a light marzipan moistness and hints of burnt orange next to old dry black cherry bark.

Finish: The end lingers for a while as the marzipan and orchard barks fade toward sharp eggnog spices and soft creaminess before the vanilla creamed honey slathers old oak staves with a good dose of earthy fall vibes kind of like a forest floor on a frosty day.

Bottom Line:

This was named bourbon of year at the famed San Francisco World Spirits Competition. And yes, it’s that good.

8. 15 STARS Fine Aged Spirits Sherry Cask Finish A Select Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys Finished in Sherry Casks

ABV: 57.5%

Average Price: $179

The Whiskey:

This brand-new release from 15 STARS is made from a blend of 10 and 13-year-old Kentucky and Indiana bourbons. Those barrels were batched by the 15 STARS crew and then the whiskey was re-barreled in sherry casks for a final touch of maturation. That whiskey was then bottled as-is.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Plums, dates, and figs come through on the nose with deep marzipan cut with pear brandy and dipped in salted dark chocolate next to eggnog spices and creaminess with a good dose of Christmas nut cakes.

Palate: The eggnog lusciousness leads the palate toward soft vanilla cookies, salted caramel chews, and a hint of spiced plum jam next to buttermilk waffles studded with pecans before old cellar oak adds an earthen layer.

Finish: The sweetness of the leathery dried fruits drives the finish toward winter spice barks and berries with a sense of old pipe tobacco braided with smudging sage and a whisper of dried mint next to cedar and fall leaves.

Bottom Line:

This is an award-circuit darling and lives up to 100% of that hype thanks to incredibly accessible yet rewarding whiskey in the bottle. It’s also worth noting that this whiskey makes a beautiful Manhattan.

7. Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Jamaican Rum Casks “Voyage”

ABV: 53%

Average Price: $499

The Whiskey:

The latest entry in Wild Turkey’s Master Keep line is a collaboration between Wild Turkey’s Eddie Russell and Appleton Estate’s Dr. Joy Spence — both icons in their fields. The whiskey in the bottle is a 10-year-old batch of Wild Turkey bourbon that’s refilled into Appleton Estate rum barrels from Jamaica. Those barrels held classic pot still rum for 14 years before they were shipped up to Kentucky. The bourbon rested for 10 to 12 months before batching and bottling with a touch of local limestone water for bottling.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with a sense of classic Kentucky bourbon with a sharply spiced cherry/apple vibe that gives way to a deep cellar funk next to rum raisin coffee cake, dark chocolate-covered espresso beans, and rich marzipan dipped in orange oils and maybe a whisper of palm flower (flor de izote).

Palate: The palate leans into rich vanilla creaminess as spice barks and black cherry combine for a moist Black Forest cake soaked in dark rum with a sense of green peppercorns and dried ancho chilis offering a sharp counterpoint next to a whisper of floral summer honey and old cellar oak.

Finish: The end softens dramatically toward orange-infused marzipan and vanilla malts with a cherry on top next to honey tobacco rolled with smudging sage, cacao nibs, and funky oak staves.

Bottom Line:

This is another wonderful example of a finish done right. The rum cask adds this beautiful layer of funk to the iconic Wild Turkey bourbon beneath that it just sings on the palate. This is going to be a very hard Master’s Keep to top in 2024.

6. William Larue Weller Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Barrel Proof (BTAC 2023)

ABV: 66.8%

Average Price: $1,799

The Whiskey:

This is Buffalo Trace’s classic wheated bourbon. This year’s Weller BTAC was distilled back in the spring of 2011 and left to rest in warehouses C, L, M, and N for 12 long years. Those barrels were batched and this whiskey was bottled 100% as-is at cask strength.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Deep and dark candied black cherry mingles with dry cedar bark, molasses, real vanilla beans, nutty brown butter, and old leather rolled in pipe tobacco and just kissed with smoldering sage and dry chili pepper flakes.

Palate: The palate opens with a full blast of ABVs, making the front of your tongue tingle, as floral honey, cherry cobbler topped with vanilla ice cream, and brown butter streusel cut with nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove lead to a hint of dry orange tobacco.

Finish: Cinnamon sticks and clove buds floating in maple syrup arrive on the finish with a sense of old leather boots, the oak in an old rickhouse, orchard barks, and soft notes of vanilla and cherry cake.

Bottom Line:

Of the new Weller releases this year, this one soars high above. This is such lovely wheated bourbon that brings warmth without overpowering the rest of the profile. It’s balanced, deep, and delicious through and through.

5. Willett Barrel #1614 19-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 60%

Average Price: $899

The Whiskey:

Every year, Willett releases amazing barrels that are going to blow you away. Earlier this year, they released this short barrel that yielded only 62 bottles. That made this a distillery-only release this year — that also means that this was a very fleeting bottle that came and went very quickly.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Rich and oily coffee beans mingle with dark chocolate creaminess on the nose next to wet brown sugar, buttermilk biscuits fresh from the oven, salted caramel chews, and this fleeting sense of rye bread with a caraway seed crust covered with fresh and almost sour butter smeared over it.

Palate: That chocolate and coffee bean meld on the front of the palate for a rich and very dark mocha latte vibe before leaning into clove, anise, and sasparilla with a smoldering sense of smudging sage and marshmallow next to lush vanilla buttercream and pear compote cut with saffron.

Finish: Ginger coins dusted in raw sugar drive the finish toward spiced mulled wine and holiday nut cakes brimming with dried rum raisin, candied orange, and brandied cherry before eggnog-laced tobacco layered into an old cedar humidor leads to a rich yet sweet black dirt from a cellar that held hams and funky rind cheeses for centuries.

Bottom Line:

This starts classic and then goes quintessential before ascending to a totally new level of brilliance by the end. I know this is a fleeting pour of whiskey but it’s a goddamn wonder in whiskey form (and makes it easy to see how Willett remains the insider’s fav year after year).

4. Pride of Anderson County Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 13.5 Years

ABV: 59.9%

Average Price: $500

The Whiskey:

This whiskey is a meeting of the great whiskey minds of 2023. The single barrel pick was curated by David Jennings (of Rare Bird 101) and Pablo Moix of Rare Character in conjunction with Bruce Russell of Wild Turkey. This is a sourced whiskey with the amazingly rare label that has the source on it — Wild Turkey. The whiskey in the bottle is a classic Turkey bourbon that was distilled back in April of 2010, stored in the famed Camp Nelson campus warehouse on the fourth floor, and then bottled 100% as-is.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with a deep sense of salted caramel that’s still warm before layers of cinnamon barks, clove buds, star anise, and whole nutmeg drive the senses toward rich and oily vanilla beans, old oak staves with a sweet edge that’s lightly toasted to bring out the sugars, and this flutter of old nutcakes with plenty of candied fruits and brandy wrapped in gold foil for Christmas.

Palate: The palate leans into the candied fruits and citrus peels of a good brandy-soaked nutcake before diving into rich vanilla buttercream over apple pies and wild berry crumbles with a rich and sharp winter spice mix that’s part powdery and part wooden, which leads toward a brandied pear tobacco with a cedar bark vibe.

Finish: The woodiness softens on the finish with almost wet cedar bark braided with cinnamon-rich tobacco dipped in dark orange chocolate and rolled in roasted chestnuts and almonds with a vibe of sitting in an old barrel house amongst the cobwebs, musty microflora, and ancient wooden beams while the wind blows in a moment of fall leaves from a nearby fruit orchard.

Bottom Line:

This is one of the whiskeys that you should be very excited about in 2024. It’s a masterpiece that’s built by people who love whiskey so much that they’ve built their lives around finding the absolute best barrels to bottle for you … to help you fall in love with whiskey as deeply as they have.

3. Jack Daniel’s 12-Year-Old Tennessee Whiskey, Batch 1

ABV: 53.5%

Average Price: $537

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 might well be the best Jack Daniel’s release to date. Like… ever.

Truly, this is such good whiskey that it is changing the wider culture around how f*cking good Tennessee whiskey can be. It helps that this is a nuanced and deeply delicious pour of bourbon that’s damn-near second to none.

2. Michter’s Limited Release Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 25 Years Old

ABV: 58.1%

Average Price: $1,500

The Whiskey:

The whiskey in the bottle was distilled in or before 1998 at an undisclosed Kentucky distillery from a unique mash bill. That whiskey went into new American white oak barrels and was basically left alone until they were moved over to the Shively, Kentucky campus where they were monitored for excellence. When the barrels hit the right mark — that’s where the Michter’s team’s prowess comes in — they were batched for this very small limited release and bottled 100% as-is.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with a deep sense of old molasses vats that held prunes, dates, and raisins with a sense of winter spice barks, berries, and buds next to brown buttery Christmas sugar cookies dipped in dark chocolate and dusted with ground vanilla pods before this light sense of smoked walnut shells and fire-roasted chestnuts arrives.

Palate: That molasses leans toward thick hot chocolate just kissed with red chili before a deep sense of candied almonds takes the taste toward rich and moist sticky toffee pudding flaked with sea salt and fresh orange zest with a hint of vanilla buttercream.

Finish: The end leans into dried sweetgrass and old fall leaves in an apple orchard with a hint of pear-brandy-soaked marzipan dipped in dark-as-night chocolate and kissed with a mix of woody brown winter spices wrapped up in old tobacco leaves and stored in a very old whiskey barrel in a musty old brick rickhouse on a cold fall day.

Bottom Line:

This is a perfect sipping bourbon with an incredibly deep profile.

But! Alas! It just narrowly is beaten out this year by a once-in-a-lifetime bourbon, which is…

1. Eagle Rare 25 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 50.5%

Average Price: $22,999

The Whiskey:

Eagle Rare Straight Bourbon is made from Mash Bill #1 at Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. That’s their low-rye mash bill, and that’s all that’s known about the juice. That whiskey was then left to rest for nearly two decades in a warehouse before being moved into Buffalo Trace’s new state-of-the-art Warehouse P facility. When the whiskey hit 25 years old, something magical happened to the barrel and it was ready for bottling.

The single barrel was proofed down to Eagle Rare’s 101-proof and otherwise bottled as-is, yielding only 200 bottles. The bottle is also a collectible with a hand-hammered sterling silver eagle wing wrapped around a hand-blown crystal decanter. That striking bottle comes in a custom display box that opens like an eagle’s wings.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose hints at old oak staves resting in a musty warehouse before veering toward stewed cherries with hints of clove and nutmeg next to salted dark chocolate shavings and rich powdered sugar icing cut with bourbon vanilla and light pipe tobacco essences with a whisper of fall leaves and orchard barks.

Palate: The rich vanilla gets buttery and creamy with an almost eggnog vibe thanks to the spice on the lush palate has dried cranberry, brandy-soaked cherry, and dried figs lead to rich toffee rolled in dark chocolate and anise before getting cut with a touch of earthy tobacco pulled from fresh black dirt.

Finish: The finish hugs you gently with warmth tied to winter spice barks soaked in apple cider cut with black cherry as the dirt takes on a warehouse must with gently sweet oak staves mingle with a whisper of whole black pepper and clove buds over creamy dark orange spice cake.

Bottom Line:

Eagle Rare 25 isn’t just a great bourbon, it’s an important one. The team at Buffalo Trace is leaning hard into the science of aging (going so far as to build a multi-million-dollar warehouse for storage that goes far beyond just controlling the temperature) and we’re getting to see the first fruits of that labor.

Science (and money) aside, this is 25-year-old bourbon that’s unlike any other — it feels … new and fresh. Something happened in that special warehouse over the years that took this whiskey in an entirely new and unique direction, creating a 25-year-old bourbon that’s unlike every other similarly aged bourbon out there. That makes this more than just a rare limited release it’s thrown open a new door to a whole new world of long aging in Kentucky that we simply didn’t have before.