If you have $200 to burn on a single bottle of bourbon, you probably aren’t too worried about that price tag. Let’s be honest, a lot of the people buying whiskey at this price point are either collectors, have enough cash to indulge their whims, or are looking for a very special gift bottle for someone who truly knows their stuff. The point is, when you start spending a car payment on a bottle, you’re pretty deep into the bourbon world and have every right to expect quality, if not greatness.
If you are spending $200 for a bottle of bourbon, it’s fair to have some expectations. The bottle either needs to have a sort of “limited edition” value (you’ll only find it on shelves once a year) or it has to be flat-out delicious. And the ten bottles I’m profiling below certainly fit those parameters. I ranked them by which ones I’d be the quickest to pay close to $200 for — simple as that.
Let’s dive in!
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10. Buffalo Trace Kosher
ABV: 47%
Average Price: $150
The Whiskey:
Buffalo Trace Kosher provides a truly kosher spirit that also fully delivers on the palate. The juice is made from the same wheated bourbon recipe as Buffalo Trace’s Weller and Pappy lines. The difference is that the mash is loaded from fully cleaned stills and pipes into kosher barrels (that means the barrels were specially made and purchased under the watchful eye of a rabbi from the Chicago Rabbinical Council). The whiskey then ages for seven years at Buffalo Trace before blending, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a familiar note of Red Hots and vanilla cream on the nose, with a hint of semi-dried florals. The palate mellows out the cinnamon towards a woody and dry bark as the florals deepen towards summer wildflowers. Soon, a touch of plums and berries arrive, adding sweetness and brightness. The end holds onto that dry bark and a hint of anise pops late, with a slight vanilla cream tobacco touching off the medium-length fade.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the better wheated bourbons out there that does not get as much hype as it deserves. It’s classic wheated bourbon that stands up to overhyped mid-level Weller and Pappy any day of the week. Just make sure to pour it over a rock or add a little water to let it bloom in your glass.
9. Four Gate Whiskey Company Batch 4 Split Stave by Kelvin
ABV: 57.8%
Average Price: $175
The Whiskey:
Four Gate is one of those brands that whiskey nerds will throw you under the bus to get their hands on. The juices’ source is kept under wraps and the bottles are usually only released in Kentucky and maybe Tennessee, adding to the mythos. This batch really ups the ante by having famed cooperage Kelvin Cooperage step in to finish the whiskey with a special mix of their staves. The short story there is that Kelvin’s team dismantled toasted barrels with #2 and #4 char levels and used those staves to build new barrels alternating the char on the staves.
Tasting Notes:
The barrel 100 percent comes through on the nose with a light bitter char next to sweet oaky notes, a buttery burnt caramel sauce, and a load of rich vanilla that feels like pods soaked in vanilla brandy before being wrapped up in vanilla-laced tobacco leaves and stored in an old cedar box. Red Hots and clove buds arrive late and drive the finish towards a woody, spicy, and slightly sweet toffee end with plenty of nuanced warmth to keep you feeling this sip for a while.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those “bridge” bottles in that there’s great drinkability and collectibility here. These are pretty rare and are going to be very hard to find. If you do find one, buy two — one for the vault and one for the bar cart.
8. Joseph A. Magnus Cigar Blend Bourbon
ABV: 50.35%
Average Price: $199
The Whiskey:
This sourced bourbon is built from eleven and 18-year-old bourbons. The real star of the show with this whiskey is that those bourbons were finished in Armagnac, Cognac, and sherry casks before vatting and bottling as-is.
Tasting Notes:
This opens with sticky toffee pudding that really amps up the cinnamon and nutmeg next to black-tea-soaked dates next to some stewed prunes wrapped in chili-chocolate-laced tobacco leaves and dripped in honey and then walnuts. 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. 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 is another rarity that bourbon lovers line up over. It’s a little spicy/hot for me, but it is well-balanced with a nice nutty sweetness. That said, I’d probably keep this one on the shelf for a rainy day. It’s not an everyday dram.
7. Little Book Chapter 5: “The Invitation”
ABV: 58.4%
Average Price: $175
The Whiskey:
The juice is a blend of four whiskeys — three straight bourbons and one straight rye. The rye is a 100 percent malted rye that’s three years old. The bourbons are two, five, and 15 years old. Those whiskeys are masterfully blended and bottled as-is by Freddie Noe in his new craft distillery in the middle of Beam’s massive Clermont, Kentucky campus.
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with a Pecan Sandie vibe with a flake of salt, spiciness derived from fresh ginger juice, and dark chocolate laced with raw sugar and apple-soaked cinnamon sticks that have been ground to a fine powder. The palate builds on that cinnamon spice with a touch of nutmeg and clove that ties to a vanilla pudding-esque svelte body next to little pops of dried pecan shells, faux maple syrup, cinnamon toast with plenty of butter, more of that ginger, and a touch of subtle red fruit. The mid-palate leans creamy, with light milk chocolate that leads back to the warmth with a dried red peppercorn pepperiness next to a rush of cedar boxes full of vanilla tobacco leaves with the slightest echo of menthol and dried reeds on the very deep back end.
Bottom Line:
This is where we get into the bottles that are hard not to open. This whiskey slaps, especially as a neat pour. Once you add a few drops of water, it ascends to fantastic. I generally buy a few of these when they drop — some to save and some to drink.
6. 2021 Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch
ABV: 57.2%
Average Price: $150 (Lottery Only)
The Whiskey:
This year’s LE Small Batch is a blend of four bourbons. Four Roses is renowned for its ten distinct recipes with two mash bills and five yeast strains. This whiskey marries four of those recipes with two from Mash B (very high rye) and two from Mash Bill E (high rye). The yeasts at play are “delicate fruit,” “spice essence,” and “floral essence.” The barrels ranged from 12 to 16 years old, making this a fairly old bourbon, all things considered.
Tasting Notes:
The nose has a mix of honey next to buttery biscuits, rich vanilla, a touch of tart red berries, dry cedar, and a very faint hint of dry mint. The palate dives into a dark plum jam with a spicy edge of allspice and nutmeg. That fruit gives way to a spritz of orange oils next to a light touch of dark chocolate on the mid-palate that leads to a rich finish. That finish leaves you with warming spice, more of that orange/choco vibe, and another mild hint of green, dry mint.
Bottom Line:
This is a bottle I wish I had more of. It’s so damn delightful. It’s also very rare (and almost impossible to get at MSRP). You’ll have to keep your eye out for the 2022 lottery in late summer to snag one.
5. Bardstown Bourbon Company Founders KBS Stout Finish Bourbon
ABV: 55%
Average Price: $160
The Whiskey:
This new whiskey from Bardstown Bourbon Company leans into beer barrel finishing. The juice is a ten-year-old Tennessee whiskey (which is, technically, bourbon) comprised of 84 percent corn, eight percent rye, and eight perfect malted barley (which, coincidentally, is the same mash bill as Dickel). That whiskey is then transferred to KBS Stout barrels from Founders Brewing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The whiskey spends an additional 15 months mellowing with the stout-infused oak before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
The nose draws you in with a balance of almost waxy cacao nibs next to oily vanilla beans, dry roasted espresso beans, milk chocolate malts, a hint of Nutella, and a bright burst of orange oils. The palate builds on that foundation and layers in hazelnuts, mulled wine spices, and a dark, thick, and spicy cherry syrup with a woody backbone. The sweetness of the cherry on the mid-palate ebbs as the woody spices and bitter dark cacao kick in late and bring about a dry finish with plenty of Nutella, espresso cream, and spicy cherry tobacco chewiness with a hint of those citrus oils cutting through everything.
Bottom Line:
Back to whiskeys that you can actually buy, this has become one of my favorite beer cask-finished whiskeys in the game. It’s subtle yet complex and really delivers on what it promises. You cannot go wrong with this bottle, especially if you’re looking for a great gift bottle for someone who likes to sip tasty and unique bourbon.
4. Garrison Brothers Balmorhea
ABV: 57.5%
Average Price: $190
The Whiskey:
This much-lauded Texas bourbon is the highwater mark of what great whiskey from Texas can be. The juice is aged in Ozark oak for four years and then finished in oak from Minnesota for another year, all under that blazing West Texas sunshine. The bourbon is then small-batched, proofed with Texas spring water, and bottled at a healthy 115 proof.
Tasting Notes:
You’re greeted with a real sense of a corn-syrup-laced pecan pie next to hazelnut bespeckled cinnamon rolls and creamy milk chocolate with a hint of vanilla tobacco lurking in the background. That chocolate drives the taste towards a mint-chocolate ice cream vibe (heavy on the chocolate part) with small dashes of holiday spices, hard toffee candies, worn leather, and a flourish of cedar boxes full of more dried tobacco leaves. The end circles back around to all that sweet and chocolatey creaminess with a final slice of perfect pecan pie on a slow fade.
Bottom Line:
This is just f*cking delicious. That’s all you need to know. Go buy some and drink it.
3. Jack Daniel’s 10
ABV: 48.5%
Average Price: $200
The Whiskey:
This new age statement released from Jack Daniel’s feels like a throwback to a bygone era in Tennessee Whiskey. The whiskey is aged for at least ten years. During that time, the barrels spend time in the “Buzzard’s Roost” at the top of the rickhouse. Once they hit the right flavor profile, those barrels are moved to the bottom floors of other warehouses to slow the aging down. Finally, the whiskey is vatted, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
This opens with a rich matrix of cherry syrup, apple cores, sticky toffee, vanilla ice cream, and a thin line of wet and sweet wood. The palate opens up towards the dark fruit but dries it out and marries it to a sticky and spicy tobacco leaf alongside toasted cedar soaked in salted caramel paired with dry corn husks that are just singed. The finish really takes its time as the cherry attaches to an old cinnamon stick and the tobacco takes on a sticky chewiness with a mild savory fruit edge.
Bottom Line:
This bottle will change any preconceived notion you might have about Jack Daniel’s. This is an era-defining whiskey from the global giant and it’s helping reshape the brand as a contender amongst the highest reaches of bourbon (yes, all Tennessee whiskey is a type of bourbon) and American whiskey in general.
2. Michter’s Single Barrel 10-Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon
ABV: 47.2%
Average Price: $150
The Whiskey:
The juice in this bottle is a little under wraps. Michter’s is currently distilling and aging their own whiskey, but this is still sourced. The actual barrels sourced for these single barrel expressions tend to be at least ten years old with some rumored to be closer to 15 years old (depending on the barrel’s quality, naturally). Either way, the juice 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:
The nose opens with subtle notes of soft wood and worn leather next to light touches of dark berries, orange oils, egg nog spice, and slight toffee sweetness. The palate starts off equally soft with a maple syrup vibe which then leads into a rush of berry brambles. The mid-palate hits on a bit of dark spice, vanilla tobacco, dark cacao, and light espresso bitterness. The finish is pure silk and leans into a dry-yet-almost-sweet oak with a touch of an almond shell and dry grass coming in at the very end.
Bottom Line:
This bourbon is probably not going to be $150 where you find it. But that’s beside the point. This is stellar bourbon that a lot of other high-end bourbons are chasing (in both flavor and recognition). All of that aside, this is a bottle I always have open on my shelf (and a few squirreled away too).
1. Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond 17-Year Spring 2022 Edition
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $185 (MSRP)
The Whiskey:
This whiskey was distilled and laid down in barrels back in 2004. The barrels were vatted after 17 years and proofed down to the bottled-in-bond standard of 100 proof and then bottled in the iconic Old Fitz decanter for a Spring 2022 release.
Tasting Notes:
A hint of woodiness comes through on the nose via cherry tree bark with the faintest echo of dried rose next to soft vanilla oil, a hint of cedar, a distant thought of old leather, and a touch of burnt orange peels. The palate starts off softly with a lush vanilla cream that builds towards a winter spice matrix of nutmeg, allspice, and clove with a touch of cherrywood that sweetens toward dried cherries. That mid-palate builds on the cherry with spices (nutmeg and allspice) and sticky tobacco vibes as the finish arrives next to a super creamy dark cherry in vanilla cream feel with a dusting of dark chocolate and more of that dry cherry tree bark.
Bottom Line:
If you’re lucky, this is the pour you’d get if you’re invited over to my house. It’s perfect bourbon and I’m willing to die on that hill. It’s also worth the price tag as you can sense the depth and uniqueness of this bourbon in every nose and sip from beginning to end.