“Small Batch” bourbon still has a lot of shine to it in 2022. Small batch bourbons tend to be the first step away from the regular gateway bottles into a wider, more cultivated world of bourbon connoisseurship. Think Jim Beam White Label shooters graduating to Knob Creek Small Batch Aged 9 Years in a rocks glass. Those are the same bourbons from the same distillery, but from different barrels with different flavor profiles, and one is twice the price.
It’s important to point out that while “small batch” is on a lot of bottles, it is simply a marketing term. There are no laws stipulating what can be legally called a “small batch,” and the definition varies a lot from brand to brand. I can tell you for a fact that some “small batch” bourbons have more barrels in them than a standard Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 release (which is made in 375 barrel batches). True, some small batches are only three, five, or 10 barrels per release, but that’s pretty rare. Sometimes “small batch” is literally true, and sometimes it’s more of an aspiration.
Anyway, since “small batch” is still such an important designation, I decided to “double-blind” taste 12 classics, new, and crafty small batch bourbons from my shelf. I enlisted my wife to grab any bourbon bottle with “small batch” or “batch no.” on the label and number them in Glencairn glasses for me.
Our lineup today is:
- Knob Creek Small Batch Aged 9 Years
- Broken Barrel Small Batch Bourbon 95 Proof
- Kentucky Peerless Small Batch Bourbon
- Smooth Ambler Old Scout Bourbon Batch no. 129
- Paul Sutton Small Batch Bourbon
- Garrison Brothers Small Batch Texas Bourbon
- Michter’s US*1 Small Batch Bourbon
- Booker’s “Bardstown Batch”
- Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch Whiskey
- Four Roses Small Batch Select
- Jefferson’s Reserve Very Old Very Small Batch
- Bib & Tucker Small Batch Tennessee Bourbon Aged 6 Years
Let’s dive in!
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Part 1: The Tasting
Taste 1
Tasting Notes:
Okay, here’s the problem with being a pro judge/taster and doing this shit double-blind. I know this is Knob Creek from the second I take a whiff. There’s cherry Coke, cinnamon sticks, kettle corn, pecan waffles, lush vanilla, nutmeg, orange zest, and a hint of leather. It’s a pure classic. That orange zest and winter spice combine for a warm mid-palate with a cherry bark vibe. The finish is warm doughnuts with a cinnamon glaze next to bright Bing cherries dropping in an orchard.
Since I know this is Beam, I’m now curious to see what’ll beat it today. I know I have some bangers on my shelf. Let’s see how they do.
Taste 2
Tasting Notes:
Wow, this is another classic on the nose with big notes of dark cherry, rich cacao, raw biscuits, and wintery spice next to vanilla beans and a hint of caramel. The palate largely delivers on that nose, which is a little bit of a letdown, but also layers in some dark cacao and espresso beans with clove/cinnamon/allspice spicy warmth. The end is cherry tobacco dipped in lush eggnog and packed into a cedar box.
Taste 3
Tasting Notes:
This is wildly different with a soft yet sweet nose full of blackberry pie filling, old boot leather, Almond Roca candies, and a moist yet rich pipe tobacco just kissed with apple/vanilla. That vanilla turns into a silky cream on the palate as espresso beans covered in creamy dark chocolate give way to dry cedar bark braids, a touch of pine pitch, and freshly ground nutmeg. That woody mid-point builds a light Kentucky Hug of warmth as the finish dives into sugar pies with a berry compote drizzle, eggnog ice cream, and winter spices leading to old wicker porch furniture on the very back end.
No “pancake batter” or “waffles” or “raw biscuits” on the nose means this isn’t a sour mash. That makes this Peerless — one of the only sweet mash small batches on my shelf right now. Plus, it’s not funky enough to be a Wilderness Trail. This is now the pour to beat.
Taste 4
Tasting Notes:
This is fascinating on the nose with a mix of spicy chocolate-laced tobacco stuffed in a cedar box next to packets of taco seasoning with a hint of wet yellow masa lurking in the background. The taste goes on a separate journey toward cherry Coke, damp straw bales, vanilla pudding powder, and dried chili-infused dark chocolates with a flake of salt and dry oak. The end is part vanilla and toffee and part singed marshmallow with that cherry attaching itself to the spicy tobacco.
Taste 5
Tasting Notes:
This is like opening a barn door to a cow stall on the nose, I’m not kidding. It’s pure barnyard funk nest to sour cherry and a touch of a pine box. The taste veers into sweet cornbread with notes of chocolate-covered cherries and caramel balancing things out. The end is pecan pie with more of that cherry/chocolate vibe with a hint of spicy warmth.
This was jarring.
Taste 6
Tasting Notes:
Wet cornmeal and oats (hello, Garrison Brothers) lead to worn leather, caramel apples from the state fair, and a hint of cinnamon toast on the nose. Those wet grains drive the palate toward buttery shortbread with plenty of vanilla and lemon oils with a hint of orange oils, cinnamon, and old oak. The mid-palate goes full vanilla sheet cake with lemon frosting as woody spices add a nice heat alongside salted caramel drizzled over apple pie with a whisper of sweet campfire smoke lurking on the back end.
Taste 7
Tasting Notes:
Okay, here we go. The nose opens with this mix of salted caramel doughnuts next to bruised peaches with a sense of bespoke cream soda laced with dark cherry and a thin echo of singed marshmallows. The palate has a creamy texture — kind of like those peaches swimming in vanilla-laced heavy cream — that gives way to a matrix of winter spices with a slight peppery edge. The mid-palate amps up the cinnamon and clove as the peach stews down with those spices and a hint of maple syrup before toffee tobacco kicks in with a hint of charred cedar planks on the finish.
I mean, this is very clearly Michter’s and delicious. I’m not sure it beats Peerless right now though.
Taste 8
Tasting Notes:
Another “classic” bourbon on the nose with big notes of old cherry leather, vanilla tobacco pipe tobacco, chewy caramel candies, and Sioux City Sasparilla straight out of the glass bottle. That sweetness is short-lived as the palate bursts with ABVs — read: heat — with Red Hot cinnamon, clove berries, anise, and allspice all mixing before soft and lush marzipan calms things down. Chili-infused dark chocolate keeps things hot on the back end as wet cedar and dark cherry tobacco round out the taste.
This was good but pretty goddamn hot on the mid-palate.
Taste 9
Tasting Notes:
Wow, this is thin compared to the last dram — feels unfair to taste this right away after that high-proof monster.
Anyway, there are notes of pecans and raw pancake batter on the nose with a hint of leather and cinnamon. The palate is all apple pie and vanilla ice cream with a touch more cinnamon and cherry Necco Wafers but ultimately kind of washed out. The finish amps things up with cherry multi-vitamins and chocolate milk powder and a hint more of that leather for the nose.
Taste 10
Tasting Notes:
This nose is enticing with a mix of dark berries and cloves with a yeasty doughnut filled with dark fruit and covered in powdered sugar next to a thin line of berry brambles — stems, thorns, dirt, leaves, and all. The palate is lush with a balance of berry pie filling next to winter spices, mincemeat pies, nutshells, and brandy butter vanilla sauce. The finish arrives with a rush of fresh mint next to wet oak, blackberry Hostess Pies, and nutmeg-heavy eggnog next to a final note of that berry bramble dirt.
This is a contender! It’s also very clearly Four Roses with all of that dark berry, spice, and earthiness.
Taste 11
Tasting Notes:
Thin on the nose, this opens with classic notes of caramel, vanilla, and leather with a hint of oak and cherry. That thinness continues on the palate (thanks, low ABVs) while stewed apples, buttery toffee, nutmeg, and a hint of walnut mingle. The finish stays in the “classic” lane with mild notes of caramel and vanilla countered by apple pie and oakiness.
Taste 12
Tasting Notes:
Raw leather and wet cedar mix with vanilla cream and a sense of black licorice protein powder. The palate leans into ginger spiciness with yellow masa and cinnamon-heavy apple cider rounding things out. The finish is light and has a black Necco Wafer vibe next to winter spices and apple tobacco warmth on the end.
Part 2: The Ranking
12. Paul Sutton Small Batch Bourbon — Taste 5
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $65
The Whiskey:
Paul Sutton is a new bourbon from an old family recipe. I know, we’ve all heard it before. The new whiskey is not a blend of sourced bourbons. The brand took the time to release its contract distilled whiskey. The bourbon mash bill has a touch of rye in it and it aged for up to five years in medium char barrels.
Bottom Line:
That barnyard funk was just too much to get past today. Had it layered into something on the palate, it would have worked. But here we are.
11. Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch Whiskey — Taste 9
ABV: 46.5%
Average Price: $49
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is built from a batch of barrels that are a minimum of seven years old. Nearest’s master blender, Victoria Eady-Butler, builds the blend according to classic flavor notes first put into Tennessee whiskey by her ancestor, Nearest Green, back in the 1800s.
Bottom Line:
I want this at barrel proof. Uncle Nearest 1854 is at least at 100 proof, which is a big step up.
10. Jefferson’s Reserve Very Old Very Small Batch Bourbon — Taste 11
ABV: 41.5%
Average Price: $27
The Whiskey:
This is a sourced bourbon from around Kentucky. The age, mash, and vital details are undisclosed. What we do know is that the team at Jefferson’s spends a lot of time tinkering with their barrels to create accessible and affordable bourbons.
Bottom Line:
This is another one that falls down thanks to all that proofing water. It’s just washed out. At least here, though, there’s still a decent depth on the palate.
9. Bib & Tucker Small Batch Tennessee Bourbon Aged 6 Years — Taste 12
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $54
The Whiskey:
Bib & Tucker pulls barrels of Tennessee whiskey from an old and quiet valley in the state. They then blend those barrels to meet their brand’s flavor notes. While they are distilling their own whiskey now, this is still all about the blending of those barrels in small batches.
Bottom Line:
That Tennessee whiskey vitamin note is there but not the star of the show. Still, this is fine. Their 10-year expression is the one to go for though.
8. Broken Barrel Small Batch Bourbon — Taste 2
ABV: 47.5%
Average Price: $35
The Whiskey:
This Kentucky whiskey is made under contract at Owensboro Distilling Co. The mash is 70% corn, 21% rye, and nine percent malted barley. Those barrels then have oak staves put in them for a final maturation. The “Oak Bill” by Broken Barrel is 40% French oak, 40% ex-bourbon, and 20% sherry cask staves. That whiskey is then blended and bottled after proofing.
Bottom Line:
This was amongst the “that’s fine” run on this tasting. It didn’t jump out at me until I saw the reveal and the price. This is pretty good stuff for around $30.
7. Garrison Brothers Small Batch Texas Bourbon — Taste 6
ABV: 47%
Average Price: $85
The Whiskey:
Garrison Brothers is a true grain-to-glass experience from Hye, Texas. The juice is a wheated bourbon made with local, Texas grains. That spirit is then aged under the beating heat of a hot Texas sun before the barrels are small-batched (with only 55 barrels per batch), proofed with local water, and bottled.
Bottom Line:
This always surprises me with that bold and wet/grainy nose. It’s so distinct. Still, this feels very entry-level every time. And that’s fine because that’s what it is. That’s also why it’s in the middle of this ranking.
6. Knob Creek Small Batch Bourbon Aged 9 Years — Taste 1
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $36
The Whiskey:
This entry-point to Jim Beam’s small batch Knob Creek is a nine-year-old classic. The juice is a low-rye mash that’s aged in new oak in Beam’s vast warehouses for a minimum of nine years. The whiskey is then vatted and cut down to 100 proof before being bottled in new, wavy bottles.
Bottom Line:
I knew this was Knob Creek. It was also the perfect middle-of-the-road pour today. It was classic and refined but nothing more. Still, I’d order this at a bar and be pretty satisfied and not have to rob a bank to pay my bar tab. Those are big wins these days.
5. Smooth Ambler Old Scout Batch no. 129 — Taste 4
ABV: 49.5%
Average Price: $41
The Whiskey:
Old Scout is MGP’s classic high rye bourbon — 60% corn, 36% rye, and four percent malt barley — that’s aged for five years. The juice is batched in small quantities and proofed down with West Virginia’s Appalachian water.
Bottom Line:
I dig this unique bourbon. The only reason it ranks a little lower is that the Tex-Mex vibe feels more like a one-off I’d break out on taco night instead of an everyday sipper.
4. Booker’s “Bardstown Batch” — Taste 8
ABV: 62.75%
Average Price: $90
The Whiskey:
The whiskey in the bottle is the classic Jim Beam low-rye mash bill. The barrels were aged for exactly six years and five months before the juice went into the bottle untouched at cask strength.
Bottom Line:
Had this been poured over a single rock, it might have won. That mid-palate tastes like burning. Once you get past that, there’s so much going on and it’s all good.
3. Four Roses Small Batch Select — Taste 10
ABV: 52%
Average Price: $60
The Whiskey:
This expression uses six of Four Rose’s 10 whiskeys in their small-batching process. The idea is to blend both high and low-rye bourbons with yeast strains that highlight “delicate fruit,” “slight spice,” and “herbal notes.” The whiskeys tend to spend at least six years in the barrel before blending and proofing with just a touch of Kentucky’s soft limestone water.
Bottom Line:
There were only three bourbons that stood out today and this was one of them. I went back and forth on these three with the ranking for a few minutes. I ended up putting this in third simply because it was just interesting and lush. The next one is interesting and lush but also classic and takes you on more of a journey.
2. Michter’s US*1 Small Batch Bourbon — Taste 7
ABV: 45.7%
Average Price: $50
The Whiskey:
Michter’s really means the phrase “small batch” here. The tank they use to marry their hand-selected eight-year-old bourbons can only hold 20 barrels, so that’s how many go into each small-batch bottling. The blended juice is then proofed with Kentucky’s famously soft limestone water and bottled.
Bottom Line:
This is a quintessential bourbon at this point. This was in the “one” slot a few times before it ended up at two. Mostly, that’s due to the way Peerless really stood out as something special against a lot of sour mash. That said, this might as well be tied for first.
1. Peerless Small Batch Bourbon — Taste 3
ABV: 54.65%
Average Price: $86
The Whiskey:
Kentucky Peerless Distilling takes its time for a true grain-to-glass experience. Their Single Barrel Bourbon is crafted with a fairly low-rye mash bill and fermented with a sweet mash as opposed to a sour mash (that means they use 100% new grains, water, and yeast with each new batch instead of holding some of the mash over to start the next one like a sourdough starter, hence the name). The barrels are then hand-selected for their taste and bottled completely un-messed with.
Bottom Line:
Sweet mash wins the day! This felt new and fresh while still having a deeply nostalgic and comforting flavor profile. It was just good in all ways.
Part 3: Final Thoughts
I feel like Peerless and Michter’s at one and two, respectively, are like two sides of the same coin. One side is classic and well-worn while the other side is fresh and shining yet both are still very alluring. That Four Roses really stood out though. I’m still on the fence about ranking it higher.
There was a pretty big gap between three and four and then nine and 10. For me, I’d buy anything between nine and four as a mixing bourbon or just something to have on the table at a party for the guests. I have no ill-will towards any of them. They make sense, taste good, and are perfectly fine. They’re just not outstanding like three, two, and one. Each of the top three is a world-class sipper that also works wonders as the foundation of a great cocktail.
