Higher-proof bourbon can be very off-putting. The burning and numbness on the palate are real, especially for new whiskey drinkers. One false move and you could be put off high-proof whiskey entirely — I’ve seen it happen all too often.
While convention wisdom is to avoid drinking the high-proof stuff early in your whiskey journey, that’s not always necessary. There are some high-proof bourbons on the shelf that hide their heat amazingly well. To that end, I’m calling out 15 bourbons that have very high proof points but don’t drink like it. These bourbons have superb flavor profiles and offer warmth instead of all-out numbness. Even if you’re new to bourbon, these whiskeys will feel approachable on the palate without torching your senses.
Now, there are a few parameters here. First and foremost, when I’m talking about high-proof bourbons, I’m talking about anything above bottled-in-bond proof, which is 100 proof/50% ABV. And for this particular list of high-proof bourbons, I’m choosing ABVs above 55%/110 proof. Anything below that should be pretty manageable already for most folks, even newbies. Also worth noting — the best flavor profiles do not come cheap. I’m often asked if “expensive” bourbons are that much better. As always, the answer is “depends…” I can tell you that high-proof bourbons that perfectly balance their warmth with a deep flavor profile tend to cost a fortune.
Okay, that’s enough preamble. Let’s get into the bourbons that offer some serious kick but hide the heat.
15. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Batch A124
ABV: 59.5%
Average Price: $71
The Whiskey:
2024’s first Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is a unique one. The batch is made from barrels that averaged out to 10 years and nine months old, which is on the young side for these releases. Moreover, the ABVs are much lower than usual as well, coming in under 60%.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Rich salted caramel, apple fritters, cherry pie, winter spice, old leather tobacco pouches, and deep oakiness drive the nose with a touch of rye bread crust and nutty … I want to say granola covered in dark chocolate.
Palate: The sweetness gets buttery on the palate with rich toffee and salted caramel ice cream next to creamy cinnamon chews, vanilla malt, dark and smooth chocolate sauce, and a counterpoint of sharp oak spices with a touch of old spicy tobacco.
Finish: That tobacco and oaky spice sharpen on the finish before the creamy caramel, vanilla, and chocolate base returns for a soft and lush end.
Bottom Line:
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof drops tend to hide their heat well under classic Kentucky bourbon profiles. That’s not always true though as some are firebombs — so pay attention to batch numbers. Overall, this batch is going to feel warm from the nose to the finish but it’ll never feel hot.
That said, for the best experience of this barrel proof, I’d use it in a classic old fashioned. It gets super creamy and adds a wonderful depth to the drink with a nice kick of booziness.
14. 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:
I’d never in a million years call this out as a 126+ proof whiskey. The warmth is there but it registers more as warm holiday cakes and sharp spices than burning heat. It’s delicious and deep without leaving you feeling like you’ve numbed your senses.
13. Russell’s Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 13 Years
ABV: 55%
Average Price: $289
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 is another one that just doesn’t feel hot at all. The profile is so lush and nostalgic for the holidays that you feel maximum comfort.
12. 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:
Stagg batches are very hit-and-miss if you’re looking for hidden ABVs. Some of them are like chewing mega hot chilis or swallowing fire while others a creamy sweet flavor bombs with a lovely Kentucky hug on the end. Last year’s Batch 22A is the latter. This is just a wonderfully nuanced and luscious whiskey with a deeply earthy Kentucky profile. It’s nutty, creamy, and full of orchard vibes in all the best ways.
It also makes an amazing cocktail.
11. 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 a divine sipper. There’s no heat whatsoever. There is a subtle warmth that builds toward the end, but it’s more in line with nuttiness and winter spice cakes than any chili or firey heat. You can easily sip this neat and not worry about numbing heat. Again, this makes a great cocktail, especially a Manhattan.
10. 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 Christmas in a glass next to a roaring fire. While the fire warms you from a distance, you never feel like you’re in the flames. You’re really greeted and delighted by deep nostalgic holiday profile notes that drive this delicious whiskey from top to bottom. This is another amazing Manhattan base as well.
9. Blanton’s Straight From The Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 66.85%
Average Price: $240
The Whiskey:
This expression is the purest form of Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon. The whiskey in these bottles is from the same Blanton’s barrels, but they’re perfect just the way they are. This whiskey goes into the bottle straight from the barrel with no proofing water whatsoever.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is full of very bespoke dark chocolate-covered salted hard caramel toffees encrusted with almonds and pecans — the kind you get from a chocolate shop that imports their goodies from somewhere like Belgium — next to full fall leaves falling on wet grass outside musty old warehouses with a hint of well-worn boot leather lurking beneath it all.
Palate: The nutty toffee carries through into the taste as oily vanilla pods mingle with cedar boxes of dried tobacco leaves and a touch of floral honey jars with old wooden spoons and more of that old boot leather before sharp winter spices and dried red chili pop on the mid-palate.
Finish: The end is very long and lingers in your senses with a hot buzzing thanks to the barky spices and dry chili that subtly fades through all that sweetness before ending up in an old cedar box full of choco-chili tobacco layered with old dark fruit leather sheets.
Bottom Line:
Blanton’s is already an amazingly light bourbon sipping experience — some would argue too light for all the hype it gets. This cask-strength version fixes that. There’s serious depth to this sipper that provides serious warmth without over-bearing heat. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if you buy one Blanton’s, make it this one.
8. 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:
There’s a nice layer of warmth that runs through the whole profile on this one. It’s an embrace that accents the insanely deep and nuanced flavor profile. While I pour this one over a big rock, that’s more to add creaminess and nuttiness to the profile than to cool any proof heat down.
7. 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 amazingly well-hidden proof. I had to triple-check the ABVs when I first tried this expression. It’s wild how well those ABVs are layered into soft and supple profile notes that they almost magically disappear. This is a great option for neat tasting with touches of water that’ll reveal incredible depth.
6. Old Forester President’s Choice Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 58.5%
Average Price: $1,495
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 a slow burn in the best way. The profile is iconic Kentucky bourbon that takes you on a journey with proof adding depth, not heat. Yes, it’ll leave you warmed by the end but that’ll be a hug more than a punch to the face.
5. 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 is a warm bourbon that never feels it. It’s hard to explain in that you are presented with this deeply beautiful flavor profile that does heat up but never burns. So this is probably one of the only entries that I’d warn that newbies might feel a little more heat. That said, the profile is so damn good that it’s worth a little heat on the senses. Think of it this way — you’re getting a silken bourbon profile with a warmth that leaves your senses buzzing at the very end of a few minutes, reminding you of the journey you just embarked on.
4. 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. In early 2023, they released this short barrel that yielded only 62 bottles. That made this a distillery-only release of last 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:
Willett is one of the best brands out there that magically hide massive ABVs/proofs under amazing flavor profiles. That said, you do have to mind the barrel numbers here. I’ve had some hazmat (above 70% ABV) bourbons and ryes from Willett that are like dragon’s breath. I can tell you that this range — almost 20 years and closer to 60% ABV — is the sweet spot.
You’ll be left buzzing but the road to the finish will be a wildly delicious one.
3. 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 left alone until they were moved 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 shockingly lush bourbon. The heat is non-existent and presents as warming orange and winter spice more than chili pepper spice or fire. This is also a magnificent bourbon in general, so that helps.
2. 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:
I just drank the better part of one of these bottles a week or so ago. The reason we got through so much of it was that the heat never really overpowers any part of the profile. There’s a warmth there, sure. But it’s this embracing sharpness that’s a soft tobacco buzz more than a firey burn. It’s delightfully bold.
1. 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 another one that you have to do a double-take on the proof when sipping. It feels so lush and supple with a soft warmth that never overpowers the amazing profile. This is the true sweet spot and the best example of a high-proof bourbon hiding its heat perfectly with a balanced flavor profile, even neat.
