Finding the most underrated bourbon (or anything for that matter) is a difficult task. What is even the litmus test for what is or isn’t underrated? Is it awards or lack thereof? Price? Distribution? Social media hype? Is it simply the quality versus the exposure? Can you even find it? Point being, calling anything “underrated” gets pretty subjective
What isn’t quite as hard to define are under-the-radar bourbons that I think deserve more hype. I get to sample a seemingly endless amount of whisk(e)ys throughout the year — seriously, I’m into the mid-1,000s for 2022 so far. That means I see a lot of bourbons that fly under the radar of the mainstream whiskey media machine.
So how am I defining “under-the-radar bourbons that deserve more hype”? Basically, I’m calling out bottles that are niche or very small that haven’t hit that nebulous area of super-charged hype in the whiskey world. These are bottles that you don’t see on shows like Yellowstone or Billions or plastered on every other Instagram influencer’s feed or reviewed on every other whiskey podcast. These are the bottles that haven’t quite broken through the noise created by the Wellers, Pappys, Old Fitzgeralds, Beams, Daniels, Bookers, Staggs, Heaven Hills, Willetts, Uncle Nearests, Makers, Turkeys, and so, so many others.
Below are the 20 bourbons that I think deserve more hype. These are the bottles that are straight delicious and under the radar when compared to the overly hyped bottles that get too much enough attention. And sure, you might have already heard of some of these, and if so, congratulations, but that’s not the point.
I’ve selected bourbons that aren’t from huge mega-brands. So sorry, overhyped bottles like Wild Turkey Rare Breed, everything from Heaven Hill and Sazerac, Jack Daniel’s limited releases, Beam’s whole line, all of Willett, and other big names are absent from the below list. That doesn’t mean that some of these bourbons aren’t sourced or contract distilled by big-name distilleries. This is about the little blending house or craft distillery that makes an amazing bourbon for us to enjoy that you may not have heard of or tried yet. Phew. Anyway, let’s dive in!
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The Prideful Goat 15 Years Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Cask Strength
ABV: 57.1%
Average Price: $195
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is a sourced masterpiece of Kentucky bourbon that’s bottled down in Texas. The mash bill is corn heavy with 78.5% corn next to 13% rye and 8.5% malted barley. That hot juice is left in barrels in Kentucky for 15 long years before they’re shipped to Texas, blended, and bottled as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
This is classic bourbon with a deep sense of buttery toffee next to dark cherries with a sour edge, slightly tannic oak, a hint of worn boot leather, and a spicy tobacco leaf. The palate hits on a soft ginger snap with sharp cinnamon and freshly ground nutmeg leading to a handful of allspice berries before wet brown sugar and maple candy kick in and mellows the mid-palate toward dark cherry tobacco wrapped up with old wicker canes and pine needles. The end subtly drops toward old oak staves, cellar floor, and caramel/cinnamon syrup with a dash more of that tobacco.
Why It Deserves More Hype:
This is one of those bottles that whiskey super geeks will know about but that’s about it, especially if you’re in Kentucky. Outside of there, this is pretty niche stuff. Overall, we’re talking about an excellent bourbon blend that really hits some high marks for such a high age statement.
Red Line Cask Strength Single Barrel Straight Bourbon
ABV: 58%
Average Price: $70
The Whiskey:
This whiskey from Red Line is sourced from hand-selected barrels from MGP of Indiana. The team at Red Line picked six-year-old barrels of MGP’s iconic high-rye bourbon mash of 75% corn, 21% rye, and only 4% malted barley. Those barrels were vatted and then bottled as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a lovely sweetness that arrives on the nose with a hint of burnt sugars and brown butter just starting to coalesce into caramel with a flake of salt and a sense of rum-raisin and an echo of charred oak. The palate leans into a light apple compote with a hint of plum and plenty of wintry spices next to vanilla and wicker before the warmth of the ABVs peak on the mid-palate. The end is soft and supple with a sense of spiced prune jam, old porch wicker, and allspice berries.
Why It Deserves More Hype:
This is a testament to both MGP’s beautiful bourbon and Red Line’s prowess as a truly great blender/bottler. This tiny shingle is starting to get a little exposure thanks to big awards but it’s still under the radar if you’re not deep in the bourbon world.
Old Carter Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Very Small Batch 2-KY
ABV: 59%
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 three-barrel small batch blend that yielded only 688 bottles.
Tasting Notes:
A thickness comes through on the nose with 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. 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. 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.
Why It Deserves More Hype:
Old Carter is one of the best blenders/bottlers working in Kentucky today. Their ability to source incredible barrels of whiskey and then create bespoke and straight fire blends is second to none right now.
Kentucky Senator Bourbon 15 Years Release #1
ABV: 53.5%
Average Price: $199
The Whiskey:
This sourced whiskey celebrates both Kentucky’s bourbon heritage and U.S. Senators from the Bluegrass state. The sourced juice is made with a mash of 78.5% corn, 13% rye, and 8.5% malted barley. The whiskey is left alone for 15 years before the team at Kentucky Senator Spirits blends and bottles this one without filtering or proofing.
Tasting Notes:
This whiskey opens with a medley of dry cedar, black cherries, burnt toffee, buttered sourdough pancake, old leather, cinnamon bark, and spiced chewy tobacco. The palate leans into the woody spices with cloves and anise taking center stage as soft maple syrup and pecan-cinnamon-butter create a spiced/sweet/creamy vibe on the palate. In the end, more woodsy spices mingle with rich cherry tobacco as old oak, salted caramel, and vanilla cream pie round everything out.
Why It Deserves More Hype:
This is another whiskey that’s just beautiful from top to bottom. This super-niche and rare brand is pretty off-the-radar if you’re not in Kentucky. Still, this is a highly coveted bottle of bourbon that you actually might bump into at a very high-end liquor store. So keep an eye out.
Middle West Straight Wheated Whiskey Michelone Reserve
ABV: 62.1%
Average Price: $47
The Whiskey:
This Ohio whiskey is all about grain-to-glass. The juice is made from a mash of sweet yellow corn, soft red winter wheat, dark pumpernickel rye, and Two-Row malted barley. The whiskey spends about four years in oak before it’s bottled as is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
A hint of sourdough doughnuts dusted with cinnamon and sugar leads to maple syrup, coconut cream pie, marzipan, and a hint of toffee. The palate dries out toward an almond nutshell before hitting a rum-raisin/Cherry Coke vibe next to woody winter spices on the mid-palate. That spicy warmth fades toward cedar bark, Almond Joy, and spiced cherry tobacco on the finish with a hint more of that warm doughnut from the nose.
Why It Deserves More Hype:
Middle West makes the best bourbon in Ohio. Outside of that state, you might not have ever heard of it — or even realize that you’re already drinking it (it’s the original source for brands like Horse Soldier, for instance). This bottle, at cask strength, is one of the better craft bourbons you can buy right now and worth the extra effort to source if you’re not in the Ohio Valley.
Dettling Single Barrel Cask Strength
ABV: 55.4% (Varies)
Average Price: $79
The Whiskey:
This Alabama whiskey is all about that grain-to-glass experience. What really stands out, though, is that this whiskey aged for only four years yet has a deep profile. The whiskey takes on a dark hew thanks to it being stored at the top of the rickhouse in hot and balmy Alabama. The results are bottled from a single one of those barrels without any cutting or fussing.
Tasting Notes:
The nose on this one starts with cornbread that’s been baked in lard in a cast-iron skillet with an almost burnt crust, plenty of salted butter, and a dollop of honey that’s been cut with orange oils. The palate takes that cornbread, crumbles it up, and mixes in fresh cracked Tellicherry black peppercorns, dried roses, a touch of cedar, and a mild echo of orange-laced tobacco leaves. Finally, the sip layers in a wintry spice combo that leans toward cinnamon sticks soaked in mulled wine and apple cider that leads towards a soft finish with a dried mint that’s… almost menthol tobacco.
Why It Deserves More Hype:
This was getting some serious hype in 2021 and then kind of fell off the radar in 2022. That’s a shame as this is excellent whiskey.
Stellum Bourbon Equinox Blend #1
ABV: 58.63%
Average Price: $99
The Whiskey:
This expression is made from last year’s instant-classic Stellum Bourbon barrels. The ripple here is that the blend of this bourbon was created from specific rare barrels used for Stelllum that were blended until the exact moment of the vernal equinox. That whiskey was then bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Fresh chili peppers greet you with a sense of soft malted grains, old leather gloves, dried sweetgrass, and a flourish of creamy toffee underneath it all. The palate leans into leathery stone fruit with fresh and floral honey, sharp woody cinnamon, burnt orange rinds, and bright clove berries. The end created an orange creamed pudding with a hint of green tea, black dirt, chocolate-covered espresso beans, and old oak staves from a cellar.
Why It Deserves More Hype:
Stellum — part of Barrell Craft Spirits in Kentucky — is one of the better bourbon blends on the market today. This stuff is pretty rare, which gives it a patina of “niche.” That said, it’s super accessible on the palate with a wonderful flavor profile that runs deep. Really any Stellum Bourbon or Rye will be a great find, but this expression truly rises above the rest.
Frank August Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $66
The Whiskey:
The whiskey is a sourced bourbon. The juice is made in Kentucky, where it’s also aged. The team at Frank August then takes roughly 10 to 15 barrels per batch and builds this bourbon painstakingly to fit their desired flavor profile. The whiskey is then lightly proofed down to 100 proof before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is pure classic bourbon with hints of salted caramel with a twinge of soft grains next to spicy cherry syrup, a whisper of sour apple, and a touch of aged oak staves soaked in mulled wine. The palate moves on from the soft grains towards rum-soaked raisins with a warm winter spice matrix — cinnamon, ginger, clove, allspice — before a brown sugar/rock candy sweetness takes over on the mid-palate. The finish is long and sweet with a nice dose of sharp cinnamon and soft nutmeg that leads to a supple vanilla cream with a thin line of dry cedar and tobacco spice just touched with dark cherry on the very end.
Why It Deserves More Hype:
This new bourbon from blender/bottler Frank August has had a pretty small initial release this year. Hopefully, that’ll expand going into 2023 as this is the really good stuff through and through.
Redwood Empire Whiskey Grizzly Beast Bottled-In-Bond Batch #002
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $79
The Whiskey:
The latest batch of Redwood Empire’s Grizzly Beast is a four-grain bourbon. The California whiskey was made with 69% corn, 22% rye, 5% malted barley, and a mere 4% wheat. After five years of maturation, 26 barrels were picked for this batch. Those barrels were vatted and the whiskey was just kissed with pure water from a local Russian River Valley aquifer.
Tasting Notes:
Cherry pie with plenty of winter spice leads off on the nose with buttery brown sugar, tart red berries, and walnut shells. The palate opens with burnt orange, salted caramel, and more of those tart berries swimming in rich vanilla cream before a hint of spicy warmth arrives. The end leans into brown sugar and winter spice-laced butter with walnut tobacco leaves wrapped in vanilla husks and cedar bark.
Why It Deserves More Hype:
Redwood Empire is one of those small distillers/blenders that has a fiercely loyal fan base that’s still pretty small — the distillery doesn’t even have a consumer side yet. That’s all going to change as the Sonoma, California distillery grows and becomes a true titan of West Coast whiskey over the next few years.
Leopold Bros. Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $60
The Whiskey:
This Colorado crafty whiskey gets a lot of attention from bourbon drinkers in the know. The mash is made from 64% corn, 21% malted barley, and 15% Abruzzi Heritage Rye, which Master Distiller Todd Leopold malted at his malting house at the distillery in Denver. That mash ran through a classic pot still before it was barreled and left to rest for five years.
Tasting Notes:
The floral and spicy nature of that Abruzzi rye really comes out on the nose with a touch of candied apples, Quik chocolate milk powder, and the faintest hint of sourdough rye with a light smear of salted butter. The taste leans into stewed pears with nutmeg and clove spices leading the way as Almond Roca and green peppercorns jostle for space on your palate. The end mellows out as that spice fades towards an eggnog vibe with a creamy vanilla underbelly and a final touch of that floral rye and hint of pear.
Why It Deserves More Hype:
Todd Leopold is one of the most important people working in whiskey today whom most whiskey drinkers have never heard of. Leopold is making some truly stellar craft whiskeys by going hard in the paint on the science and magic of distilling, aging, and blending (he had a one-of-a-kind still made just for rye whiskey). While Leopold Bros. is starting to get some serious recognition, they’re still a small craft brand from Denver that deserves some serious hype as they expand.
FEW Bottled in Bond Bourbon
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $55
The Whiskey:
This expression from Illinois’ FEW Spirits marks the 125th anniversary of the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897. The juice is made from 70% corn, 20% rye, and 10% malted barley. That whiskey spends four years resting before it’s proofed down to 100 proof and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with a sense of vanilla cream pie with an extra thick vanilla pudding next to dry cedar bark with a touch of white moss, a touch of black licorice, and a hint of barrel smoke. The palate leans into cherry bark with a light cherry tobacco spiciness that melds with the vanilla pudding, a pan of fresh sticky buns with plenty of cinnamon and walnuts, and a hint of black pepper and more of that dry cedar bark. The finish has a bit of an oatmeal cookie vibe that leads back to the spicy cherry tobacco and white moss.
Why It Deserves More Hype:
FEW has been around for a while now, so they don’t necessarily need more hype as an overall brand. But this bottle definitely does. As a smaller craft distillery just outside of Chicago, FEW has created a seriously excellent bottled in bond expression that puts the cherry on top of all the work they’ve been doing over the last decade.
New Riff Maltster T50 Crystal Malt Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond Aged 6 Years
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $59
The Whiskey:
New Riffs brand new malted bourbon just hit shelves. The juice is made from yeast and malts that usually make pale ales and bitters in the beer world. The mash bill is 65% corn, 20% malted rye, and 15% T50 Crystal Malt, which is the aforementioned pale ale malt. The whiskey is left to rest for six years before the barrels and batched and the bourbon is just kissed with local water for proofing.
Tasting Notes:
There was a beautiful sense of dried chili pepper next to old leather, red tart berries, a hint of sourdough rye bread, and creamy vanilla beans next to a touch of dried and waxy cacao nibs. The palate leans into that dryness with sharp woody spices, dry dark chocolate powder, ground clove, cumin, and dried cranberry next to a mild warmth that leads to chili pepper. The end has a dark chocolate-covered cherry vibe next to a light sense of dry firewood and old leather chairs from a smoky library.
Why It Deserves More Hype:
New Riff is one of those Kentucky brands that is rarely seen outside of the state. Unless you’re at a truly great whiskey bar or someone’s dope whiskey vault. Still, these one-off expressions from New Riff are worth seeking out and trying. For one, they’re f*cking delicious. Two, they’re rare examples of true craft excellence in bourbon-making right now.
Woodinville Moscatel Finish
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $70
The Whiskey:
This whiskey starts as Woodinville’s award-winning five-year-old bourbon. That whiskey is then re-barreled into Moscatel wine casks for a finish maturation period. After nearly a year, the whiskey goes into the bottle having just been touched by water but otherwise as-is.
Tasting Notes:
This opens with a mix of dark chocolate powder, smoked apricot, and burnt orange with a good dose of wet wicker and five spice. The palate leans into toffee and almonds (Almond Roca!) with peach pits, plums, and a touch of vanilla yellow cake. The end leans into the plums with a brown sugar vibe next to light Christmas spices, dry wicker, choco-spiced tobacco, and Almond Roca.
Why It Deserves More Hype:
Woodinville has been winning award after award for years now. But during that whole ascent, they’ve only really been available in Washington State (or at whiskey bars in the know). That all changed with this release, which is available nationwide. That’s a fantastic achievement for a small-time operator working just north of Seattle. It’s also a fantastic whiskey that’s a great introduction to the brand for all of you who’ve been waiting to finally try it.
Hirsch “The Bivouac”
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $40
The Whiskey:
Pronounced “be-voo-ak,” this whiskey celebrates the take-it-easy and travel-light ideal of many travelers in Northern California and the wider Pacific Northwest. The actual whiskey is sourced from Bardstown, Kentucky, and blended from two bourbons. 95% of the blend is a pretty standard 74% corn, 18% rye, and 8% malted barley whiskey. The other 5% of the blend is a high-malt bourbon that’s aged for eight years.
Tasting Notes:
This opens with a sense of sweet vanilla next to apricot jam cut with nutmeg and allspice, a hint of apple pie, and some dry straw baled up with thick twine. The palate opens with sweet creamed honey inside dark chocolate bonbons with a dash of salt and sweet cinnamon next to a scone covered in that apricoty jam with a dollop of brandy butter. The end warms slightly with the cinnamon and allspice toward peach tobacco rolled with old cedar bark and loaded into an old leather pouch for safekeeping.
Why It Deserves More Hype:
The Hirsch is one of those brands that you see all over San Francisco’s high-end cocktail bars and whiskey shops but rarely elsewhere. That’s a shame as this whiskey tends to be pretty goddamn good. This whiskey has a little wider footprint and is also very well-priced for some quality whiskey.
Filibuster Distillery Bottled-in-Bond Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 5 Years
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $90
The Whiskey:
This Virginia whiskey is a grain-to-glass experience. The juice is made from locally-grown grains — 70% corn, 20% rye, and 10% malted barley — and local spring water in the Shenandoah Valley. After five years of mellowing in Appalachia, a small bundle of barrels are batched and proofed to 100 proof before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with a waft of old porch wicker next to floral honey, burnt orange, black tea leaves, and a classic sense of woody cherry and vanilla. The palate creams the honey while adding in soft oak and cherry pie filling with a hint of vanilla malt next to mulled wine spices — heavy with star anise, clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon with a pinch of mace or cardamom. The end has a dark chocolate-covered espresso bean vibe that leads to a mild dried cranberry note next to a strawberry-rhubarb-walnut crumble with a scoop of vanilla malted ice cream that finished back at the old porch wicker braided with dark cherry tobacco and dry cedar bark.
Why It Deserves More Hype:
This is one of those bottles that seemingly came out of nowhere this year. It’s delicious, and it’s starting to rack up some serious awards because of that.
Peerless Double Oak Bourbon 2022 Edition
ABV: 53.55%
Average Price: $134
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 barrel that lets 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:
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. 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. 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.
Why It Deserves More Hype:
Kentucky Peerless is another one of those brands that live in the gray world between awards and whiskey nerds darling and still not quite having broken through to the wider world yet. It’s probably the best craft distillery in Kentucky, if not the county right now. The crew is young (the master distiller just turned 30) and the whiskey is phenomenal. That makes this one brand and bottle worth seeking out right now.
Nashtucky Special Release Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 8 Years
ABV: 59.8%
Average Price: $150
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is part of the new line from the famed Nashville Barrel Company. In this case, barrels were filled in Kentucky and then sent down to Nashville to age for eight years, colliding the worlds of Kentucky bourbon with the Tennessee climate. The results are bottled as-is one barrel at a time.
Tasting Notes:
Old lawn furniture with a hint of dry grass mixes on the nose with salted caramels, figs, dates, and prunes, a mix of wintry spices, a dash of white pepper, and some light stone fruit (think fresh apricot and plum). The palate leans into spiced fig jam with a sense of spiced Christmas cake, burnt sugar, and candied citrus countered by dry sweetgrass braided with cedar bark next to singed wild sage and a hint of strawberry tobacco. The end has a mild sense of warmth next to pear fruit leather and apricot jam with a hint of dark chocolate and dried strawberry tobacco in an old leather pouch.
Why It Deserves More Hype:
Nashville Barrel Company (NBC) is on the tip of a lot of whiskey lovers’ and influencers’ tongues right now. If you know, you know. If you don’t know, NBC is doing some of the best work in both single-barrel picks and small-batch blends in Tennessee right now. They can’t seem to miss, ever. While getting some isn’t the easiest if you’re not local, the brand is starting to sneak into other markets slowly. This is your chance to get on board before the hype explodes for this brand.
Chattanooga Whiskey Bottled In Bond Vintage Series Fall 2018 Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $53
The Whisky:
The latest seasonal drop from Tennessee’s Chattanooga Whiskey is another great. The juice is a blend of four of their mash bills. 30% comes from mash bill SB091, which is a mix of yellow corn, malted rye, caramel malted barley, and honey malted barley. Another 30% comes from mash bill B002, which has yellow corn, hardwood smoked malted barley (smoked with beech, mesquite, apple, or cherry), caramel malted barley, caramel malted, and honey malted barley. The next 20% is mash bill B005, which is yellow corn, malted wheat, oak smoked malted wheat, and caramel malted wheat. And the last 20% is from mash bill R18098, which is yellow corn, pale malted barley, naked malted oats, double roasted caramel malted barley, peated malted barley, cherrywood smoked malted barley, chocolate malt, and de-husked chocolate malt.
Tasting Notes:
Cinnamon, brown butter sugar, walnut, and raisins meld on the nose with some vanilla to create a moist oatmeal cookie next to buckwheat pancakes griddled in brown butter and topped with apple butter, and maybe some apricot jam with a dash of nutmeg, dark chocolate shavings, and creamy vanilla whipped cream. The palate leans into cherry hand pies and vanilla wafers with a counter of dried wild sage, orchard tree bark, and meaty dates. The end has a sharp turn into dried red chili pepper cut with pipe tobacco, dark chocolate bars, cedar bark, burnt orange, and lime leaves with this whisper of cinnamon cookies at the very end.
Why It Deserves More Hype:
Sticking with Tennessee, this brand and bottle are stellar and unique. Seriously, look at what goes into this bourbon compared to the rest of them on this list. While Jack Daniel’s, George Dickel, and Uncle Nearest drive the Tennessee whiskey conversation, Chattanooga has quietly been toiling in the background and making killer whiskey under the radar right next door to some of the world’s biggest brands.
Bomberger’s Declaration 2022 Edition
ABV: 54%
Average Price: $150
The Whiskey:
This whiskey heralds back to Michter’s historical roots in the 19th century before the brand was even called “Michter’s.” The whiskey in the bottle is rendered from a very small batch of bourbons that were aged in Chinquapin oak which was air-dried for three years before charring and filling. The Kentucky bourbon was then bottled in an extremely small batch that only yielded 2005 bottles this year.
Tasting Notes:
Sweet mashed grains — thinks a bowl of Cream of Wheat — mix with sticky toffee pudding, old leather, old cellar beams, and sweet cinnamon with a hint of burnt orange and dark chocolate next to eggnog with a flake of salt. 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 marzipan in the background. The end has a creamed honey vibe next to figs and prunes with fresh chewing tobacco and salted dark chocolate.
Why It Deserves More Hype:
This is called “secret Michter’s” in whiskey nerd circles. This is the rare and very under-the-radar release from Michter’s that deserves all the hype. This is a classic and excellent-tasting whiskey that truly transcends the average to reach great heights.
Starlight Distillery Carl T. Huber’s Bottled-In-Bond Indiana Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $59
The Whiskey:
This new release from Huber Farm’s Starlight Distillery (the distillery to know if you’re in the know) is made from their high-corn mash with a sweet mash method (each batch is fresh) in their old copper pot still. The whiskey is barreled in Canton barrels and left to age on the farm for four years before it’s batched (only 20 barrels) and proofed down to 100 proof for bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Stewed cherries, figgy pudding, apple butter, cinnamon waffles, woody maple syrup, and dark chocolate with a pinch of salt all dance on the nose. The palate leans into Cherry Coke with a spice vibe, burnt orange peels, cloves, creamy eggnog, sour mulled wine, and a hint of apple fritter dusted with cinnamon sugar. The end has a singed cherry bark sensation that leads to dry winter spices — star anise, allspice, clove, cinnamon, and pine — next to dates and prunes layered into pipe tobacco with a twinge of dark chocolate and cedar.
Why It Deserves More Hype:
Starlight Distillery — part of the Huber Farm family in Southern Indiana — is the craft distillery that’s poised to truly explode nationwide in the next year or two. Their product is exemplary and their vibe is chill while bringing some true excellence (and generations of experience) to the whiskey game. If this list was ranked, this would be number one by a country mile.