As we head towards autumn and the weather grows colder (especially at night), you’re going to want to crack open a bottle of whiskey to sip and warm you from the inside out. And while a classic 80-proof bottle or 100-proof bottled-in-bond expression likely has enough heat to make you feel warmer, if you want that cozy feeling while you sit outside at the end of the summer backyard fire, you’re going to want something with a little more oomph. By that, we mean a cask strength bourbon.
For those unaware, cask strength bourbon is bottled straight from the cask without any water to dilute it and proof it down. Also referred to as barrel strength or barrel proof, cask strength bourbon is known for its high alcohol strength (usually between 110-130 proof) and bold, potent flavor profile. Like all bourbon, it should have a variety of flavors like caramel, vanilla, oak, dried fruits, and various spices. Many drinkers enjoy this high-proof whiskey with a splash or two of water to truly open up all the aromas and flavors.
Now that you’ve learned a little bit about cask strength bourbon, it’s time to find some to drink. Fear not, we won’t make you traipse through the aisles at your local liquor store to attempt to find worthy bottles. We did the work for you. Keep scrolling to see our favorite cask strength bourbons to warm you up this autumn. As a bonus, we ranked them for you as well.
10. Bulleit Barrel Strength
ABV: 59.7%
Average Price: $65
The Bourbon:
This award-winning cask strength bourbon is made with the same high-rye mash bill as its classic straight bourbon. Taken directly from the barrel after maturation, this mellow, sippable whiskey is uncut and non-chill filtered. It’s bottled at a potent 59.7% ABV. You might enjoy it more if you add a splash or two of water to open it up.
Tasting Notes:
This amber-hued whiskey begins with a nose of caramel, vanilla beans, charred oak, and gentle peppery rye spice. The palate continues this trend with a ton of baking spices mixed with maple candy, sweet toffee, vanilla beans, and oak. The finish is long, dry, and has lingering warmth for minutes afterward.
Bottom Line:
This complex, sippable whiskey is surprisingly complex for its price point (and high alcohol content). It’s a bold, warming whiskey for the chilly nights ahead and a decent gateway into the cask strength world.
9. New Riff Barrel Proof
ABV: 55-60%
Average Price: $55
The Bourbon:
Now is your chance if you haven’t tried any of New Riff’s whiskeys. Its limited-release Barrel Proof bourbon is made with a mash bill of 65% corn, 30% rye, and 5% malted barley. Matured for at least four full years, it’s non-chill filtered and uncut. The result is a complex, flavorful whiskey you’ll come back to again and again.
Tasting Notes:
A lot is going on with this bourbon’s nose. There are noticeable hints of brown sugar, toasted vanilla beans, toffee, oaky wood, and peppery rye spice. Sipping it reveals notes of vanilla beans, cinnamon candy, mint leaves, dried cherries, spicy rye, and charred oak. The finish is spicy, long, and very warming.
Bottom Line:
New Riff’s Barrel Proof expression is another great choice if you enjoy a high-rye bourbon’s warming and spicy feel. That is if you can find it as it’s only a limited-release expression.
8. Maker’s Mark Cask Strength
ABV: 54-57%
Average Price: $40
The Bourbon:
There aren’t many cask strength bourbons more well-known than Maker’s Mark Cask Strength. While not as over-the-top as some cask strength bourbons on the market, Maker’s Mark ranges between 108 and 114 proof. It’s uncut and non-chill filtered. This means that even with its high alcohol content, it remains the same easy-drinking, mellow, caramel, oak, and vanilla-filled whiskey you expect from Maker’s Mark.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a ton of oak on this whiskey’s nose. It’s followed close behind by aromatic toasted vanilla beans, treacle, butterscotch, and gentle spices. There’s more of the same in the best way possible on the palate. You’ll notice hints of rich, indulgent caramel candy, sweet corn, vanilla beans, raisins, cinnamon, and more rich, charred oak. The finish is long, toffee sweet, and very warming.
Bottom Line:
While you’ll still want to add a splash or two of water to open it up, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength is a high-proof whiskey that remains soft and sippable thanks to the recipe featuring red winter wheat.
7. Angel’s Envy Cask Strength
ABV: 59.1%
Average Price: $280
The Bourbon:
You’re going to pay a little more for this expression, but it’s totally worth it. Angel’s Envy Cask Strength is a popular whiskey for a reason. The most recent release (the distillery’s 11th release) was matured for up to fourteen additional months in port wine casks. Arguably the brand’s most popular release, it’s bottled at a potent, memorable 119.8-proof. Yet it still retains the brown sugar, toffee, and dried fruit flavors Angel’s Envy drinkers have come to expect.
Tasting Notes:
Nosing it reveals scents of toffee candy, fresh leather, orchard fruits, candied orange peels, and gentle wintry spices. It’s a very inviting nose that urges you to take a sip. Slowly drinking it reveals flavors like caramel apples, orange peels, toasted vanilla beans, sticky toffee, peppery rye, and rich oaky wood. The finish is a mix of caramel, fruit, and warming spices.
Bottom Line:
This complex, sippable whiskey is sure to warm your bones on the chilliest of fall evenings. It’s a perfect symphony of caramel sweetness, fruit, and baking spices.
6. Still Austin Cask Strength
ABV: 59%
Average Price: $50
The Bourbon:
There’s a chance you’ve never tried a whiskey from Still Austin. This ends now. The Texas-based distillery has been crafting award-winning whiskeys since it opened in 2017. One of its best is Still Austin Cask Strength Bourbon. Bottled at a “grow-hair-on-your-chest”118-proof, this award-winning whiskey has a mash bill of 70% corn, 25% rye, and 5% barley. It’s well-known for its complex flavor profile featuring fruity, sweet, spicy flavors you’ll want to savor from the first sip.
Tasting Notes:
This is a very complex cask strength whiskey, and it begins with the nose. There are aromas of toasted vanilla beans, candied cherries, brown sugar, cinnamon candy, and oaky wood. The palate is loaded with memorable flavors like candied nuts, butterscotch, stone fruits, raisins, cracked black pepper, and charred oak. The finish is spicy, and warming, and leaves you wanting more.
Bottom Line:
If you’ve never branched beyond one of the big boys, now is the time. Still Austin’s cask strength bourbon is complex, layered, and not to be missed.
5. Frey Ranch Farm Strength Uncut
ABV: 60-66%
Average Price: $75
The Bourbon:
Nevada’s Frey Ranch has made a name for itself in the last few years because of its high-quality, award-winning whiskeys. One of its best is its Frey Ranch Farm Strength Uncut Bourbon. This whiskey is made with the brand’s same flagship four-grain mash bill. But instead of proofing it down to 90-proof, it’s uncut and bottled at a robust 120-132-proof. It’s called “Farm Strength” in reference to the fact that all the ingredients were grown onsite at the distillery’s farm.
Tasting Notes:
A winner of multiple awards, this cask strength bourbon begins with a nose of toasted vanilla beans, cinnamon candy, caramelized sugar, and rich oak. The palate is a mixture of candied orange peels, pecans, ripe peaches, vanilla beans, toffee, dried cherries, and oaky wood. The finish is a warming, mellow balance of sweetness and spice that you won’t soon forget.
Bottom Line:
If you already enjoy Frey Ranch’s classic bourbon, you’ll really love the high-proof, cask strength version. All the flavors are there, you just might need a splash or two of water to open them up fully.
4. Larceny Barrel Proof
ABV: 60-62%
Average Price: $70
The Bourbon:
This award-winning, sought-after bourbon is only released three times per year (in January, May, and September). And while all the releases are subtly different, it’s well-known for its wheat bourbon mash bill. Non-chill filtered and uncut, it’s matured between six and eight full years in charred oak barrels before being bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Complex aromas of maple candy, cinnamon sugar, vanilla beans, toffee, raisins, and oak greet you before your first sip. The palate is a mix of sweet treacle, dried fruits, candied pecans, toasted vanilla beans, caramelized sugar, and oak. The finish is soft, and warming, and lingers for a while.
Bottom Line:
Like all wheated bourbons, Larceny Barrel Proof remains soft and mellow even with its high-proof. This is a whiskey to be savored on an unseasonably cool fall evening.
3. Knob Creek Cask Strength 12-Year
ABV: 60.25%
Average Price: $70
The Bourbon:
Knob Creek is one of those brands that seems to produce nothing but notable, reasonably-priced whiskeys. When it comes to high-proof expressions, we love its limited-release Knob Creek Cask Strength 12-Year. Matured for at least twelve full years in charred oak barrels, it’s uncut and bottled at a potent 120.5-proof.
Tasting Notes:
A lot is going on with this whiskey’s nose. There are aromas of cinnamon candy, caramelized sugar, toasted vanilla beans, prunes, and gentle spices. Sipping it brings forth notes of spicy cinnamon candy, toasted vanilla beans, sticky toffee pudding, crème brulee, and charred oak. It finishes with a spicy, warming heat that will make you want to go back to it again and again.
Bottom Line:
If you already enjoy Knob Creek (or you simply like cask strength whiskeys) add this one to your list. If you can find it, snatch it up and savor it for its spicy, warming complexity.
2. Wild Turkey Rare Breed
ABV: 58.4%
Average Price: $60
The Bourbon:
If you were to ask a random group of bourbon drinkers and bartenders to tell you the best, affordable cask strength bourbon, you’d get more than your fair share touting the appeal of Wild Turkey Rare Breed. This barrel proof whiskey is made with a blend of Wild Turkey 6, 8, and 12-year-old stocks. Known for its mellow, easy-drinking nature, it has no water added to proof it down before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find aromas of cracked black pepper, candied pecans, raisins, toasted vanilla beans, honey, and a herbal, almost mint-like scent. One sip and you’ll be immersed in a world of caramelized sugar, pipe tobacco, maple candy, vanilla beans, and peppery rye. The last sip is a warming blend of sweet toffee and peppery rye.
Bottom Line:
For the price, it’s difficult to beat the appeal of Wild Turkey Rare Breed. If you’re already a fan of Wild Turkey 101, it would behoove you to grab a bottle of this surprisingly complex, sippable whiskey.
1. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof
ABV: 65-70%
Average Price: $80
The Bourbon:
If you only buy one bottle on this list, make it Elijah Craig Barrel Proof. Release three times per year (in January, May, and September like Larceny), the overall recipe and flavor profile varies per batch. But consistency is key, and when you crack open a bottle, you’ll be met with a barrel proof version of the brand’s popular Kentucky Straight Bourbon featuring a balanced, complex, highly memorable flavor profile.
Tasting Notes:
Caramelized sugar, treacle, butterscotch, candy apples, orange peels, and oaky wood are all prevalent on this whiskey’s nose. It’s an appealing start and a window into what’s in store. The effortlessly balanced palate features toffee candy, brown sugar, toasted vanilla beans, cracked black pepper, cinnamon red hots, dried fruits, and oak. The finish is a symphony of warming, lingering flavors.
Bottom Line:
This is a very nuanced, complex whiskey. One that not only requires you to add a splash or two of water to open up. But one that you’ll need to sample multiple times while still finding new and exciting aromas and flavors.