Do you have a few extra dollars to spend?
It’s not the world’s most common problem, but when you’ve got money burning a hole in your pocket and an itch for premium bourbon to scratch, it is one of the world’s greatest problems to have. We all know that bourbon, as a category, is a world-beater for affordable booze, but when you head north of the $100 price range, you can truly experience some magic.
Most brands tend to reserve their rarest casks, wildest experiments, and most undeniably delicious bourbon for limited edition releases, and those offerings tend to cost the most money. Luckily, here at UPROXX, we’ve been able to try the vast majority of those hard-to-find and prohibitively priced bourbons for review. That means that we’ve got the bottles on hand and an experienced palate (this is your Head Whiskey Writer speaking) to taste through the past year’s best bourbons for this ranking.
To establish some parameters, we limited the list to bourbons that were released last year. That means you won’t see 2023’s Whiskey of the Year Eagle Rare 25 soaring to the top spot, but you will see highly sought-after annual expressions like Pappy Van Winkle, George T. Stagg, and King of Kentucky.
No cost above $100 is too great for this list, but keep in mind that the bourbon market is a fickle beast, and sometimes the most prized bottles can fluctuate in price. Or, to put it as Fat Joe once put it, “yesterday’s price is not today’s price.”
Now that we’re set let’s dive into our ranking of the best bourbons over $100 for 2025!
20. A. Smith Bowman Cask Strength Bourbon Batch 3
ABV: 67.55%
Average Price: $850
The Whiskey:
A. Smith Bowman Cask Strength Bourbon is the premier annual release from the A. Smith Bowman Distillery out of Fredericksburg, Virginia. Bottled at an eye-watering 135.1 proof, this expression is always highly sought-after, and previous editions have been known to top “best bourbon of the year” lists.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this bourbon is a bit disjointed, but it plays all the hits from gooey caramel to cigar ash, milk chocolate, apple pie, and bruised bananas. It’s a rich bouquet that is indicative of its proof but draws you deeper into the glass for deep inhalations anyway.
Palate: Once on the palate, the liquid’s lean texture underscores the sense of disjointedness indicated on the nose. It’s not thin, per se, but it almost feels like the high heat keeps the flavors from coalescing on the tongue as well-developed caramel, tobacco leaf, and deep oak tones struggle to coexist despite their relative richness.
Finish: The lingering finish does tie things together a bit more as black pepper spice and barrel char join vanilla extract and bananas foster before the ethanol overtakes those tasty sweet notes, leaving you with the spices.
Bottom Line:
A. Smith Bowman’s Cask Strength series has been marred by inconsistency. The first release was a stellar expression that kicked in the door and marked the arrival of a new heralded annual release on the scene before the 2nd expression showed signs of slipping. Now, in its third iteration, the series has yet to return to the heights of Batch One, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t impressive liquid. However, it does mean that you should seek it out at its SRP of $99 and not its secondary market average of $800+.
19. Old Forester 1924 Bourbon
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $230
The Whiskey:
Old Forester 1924 is the first expansion of the brand’s “Whiskey Row” series in several years, and it’s the first iteration to feature an age statement. Using the same mash bill as Brown-Forman’s budget bourbon, Early Times, this more mature whiskey was first released earlier this year.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The rich nose, resplendent with ripe plums, honey, and buttery pie crust aroma, makes you immediately take notice. After a few swirls in the glass, you’ll find black cherry, leather, and polished oak emerging from this whiskey as well. It’s definitely a delightful melange.
Palate: On the palate, it’s those notes of black cherry that really take the reins, along with a touch of oiled leather. It’s hard to deny how perfectly proofed this whiskey is, as the viscousness coats your palate, and the flavors you get from 10+ years in a barrel are on full display without ever becoming overaked.
Finish: On the finish, there are slight signs of hyper-aging as it becomes a bit drg, and the length is disappointingly short, considering how rich the flavors are.
Bottom Line:
The primary knock against Old Forester 1924 (aside from the price) is the fact that it gets progressively weaker as you go from the aroma to the flavor and, finally, the finish. That said, it starts off strong and still finishes well above average, as repeat sips will allow you to unlock deeper layers of flavor. Despite the short finish, this is a delicious, balanced whiskey. You just have to have several sips to fully appreciate it, and we aren’t complaining about that.
18. Woodford Reserve Double Double Oaked Bourbon
ABV: 45.2%
Average Price: $200
The Whiskey:
Woodford Reserve’s Double Double Oaked isn’t named by mistake. Launched initially as a member of the Distillery Series in 2015, the longtime distillery-exclusive fan-favorite features Woodford bourbon that rested for 5-7 years before being finished in a second, heavily toasted, lightly charred, new oak barrel.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this bourbon opens with cedar, rich brown sugar, cinnamon, and nougat. It’s an alluring medley that draws you deeper into the glass and reveals subtler hints of dark chocolate chunks, black pepper, and sticky toffee.
Palate: Once on the palate, this bourbon detonates with a richness the nose only hinted at. The flavors of milk chocolate, cedar, sage, cinnamon, vanilla pods, and brown sugar cascade over the tongue and cling to the palate convincingly. This is a bourbon that spites its proof by being relentless from start to finish, and that’s worthy of extended appreciation.
Finish: The finish ties a tight bow on those many layers of flavor with a sage smudge ribbon accented by cinnamon flecks, sunflower butter, and semi-sweet dark chocolate.
Bottom Line:
While the price point and relatively low proof might give you pause, make no mistake — this is delicious whiskey. Woodford Reserve is famed for its 90.4 proof point, and this is the best bourbon they’ve ever released that fits those specs.
17. Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged Bourbon 2024
ABV: 59.65%
Average Price: $350
The Whiskey:
Maker’s Mark’s sole age-stated product, Cellar Aged, is now in its second year of production. This year’s release features 15% 12-year-old bourbon and 85% 13-year-old bourbon, making it their oldest release to date.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dark chocolate truffle dusting, orange blossom, and floral aromas kick off this aromatically impressive bourbon. Further notes of brown sugar, lavender honey, faint umami, wet soil, and coconut soon follow.
Palate: Citrus and red berries with vanilla and black pepper hit the palate at first, with heavy dark chocolate notes following thereafter. The texture is very creamy up front, with a tasty pop of cinnamon on the back end. Luscious caramel and toasted coconut notes develop at midpalate.
Finish: The finish is silky and lengthy, with dried strawberries, black pepper, gentle oak, and vanilla making the final impression.
Bottom Line:
The question you may have is whether or not this year’s Cellar Aged is better than 2023’s edition. The answer: it depends. While last year’s version is full of caramel tones that are very true to Maker’s Mark’s standard product, this year has much more chocolate and an atypical coconut note that will bring newcomers into the fold. This year’s Cellar Aged is definitely the best yet in our opinion, and not only that, it’s the most unique Maker’s Mark bourbon ever.
16. Baker’s 13-Year Bourbon
ABV: 53.5%
Average Price: $300
The Whiskey:
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Honey roasted peanuts, cayenne pepper, and orange rind with some nougat underneath make up the nosing notes, which are impressively rich and harmoniously blended for a sum greater than its parts.
Palate: It starts off a bit hot, but it quickly cools, allowing the flavors of nougat, golden raisins, allspice, and almonds to shine. Brown sugar and orange rind come rushing in soon after to pick up the slack. The balance of flavors is a delight, and the sweet notes’ restraint allows them all to blend together well.
Finish: The finish has a lot of cayenne, black pepper, and clove. It’s where both the spice and the ethanol are most evident, which is a departure from the mellow sweetness found earlier in each sip.
Bottom Line:
This is yet another bourbon that shocked me, not just because it was damned good, but because I couldn’t believe there were nearly thirty releases that managed to outpace it this year alone. For their second edition of Baker’s 13-Year Bourbon, Jim Beam succeeded in delivering a totally well-rounded expression that represents their distillery’s stellar baseline output while elevating the Baker’s brand to new heights. If you can find it, this one is an immediate must-buy.
15. Booker’s The Reserves
ABV: 62.95%
Average Price: $130
The Whiskey:
Booker’s The Reserves is a new, annual limited-release series from Jim Beam by Freddie Noe to commemorate his grandfather and Beam’s 6th Generation Master Distiller, Booker Noe. This elevated take on classic Booker’s bourbon features a more limited blend of 8 to 14-year-old barrels drawn from the same center cut of the warehouse that Booker himself always favored.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this whiskey really socks it to you at first with a surprising initial richness. It leaps out of the glass with enchanting floral notes, French vanilla, stewed plums, and ripe grapes. After a few waves of the hand, it turns a tad more savory with clove and dates.
Palate: Dense oak tones crash against the sumptuous flavors of dark chocolate, French vanilla, and dates when you first sip this bourbon. Some black cherries appear at midpalate, along with polished leather and a slightly dusty quality that adds depth. As for the mouthfeel, it’s full-bodied and anxiously coats your palate for the duration of each sip, remaining slow to recede through the finish.
Finish: The finish on this bourbon is medium to long, and that affords it plenty of runway space to allow the French vanilla and date flavors to stick around while a slight uptick in black pepper can be found before it fully dissipates.
Bottom Line:
Booker’s The Reserves is just one of a plethora of new releases from Jim Beam this year, many of which have made this list, and I’m pleased to report that it’s the best of the bunch. With plenty of heat to please the proof hounds and a full-bodied mouthfeel to satiate those looking for the incredible depth of flavor cask strength bourbon is known for, this release checks all the boxes and succeeds in elevating standard Booker’s while remaining true to its creator’s vision.
14. Bardstown Bourbon Company Collaborative Series: Silver Oak
ABV: 54%
Average Price: $160
The Whiskey:
Silver Oak has been creating elegant wines in California’s Napa Valley for over fifty years, making them the perfect collaborative partner for Bardstown Bourbon Company, founded in 2014, which envisions itself as the bourbon world’s answer to the posh wine region. For this creative marriage, the brands worked together to blend bourbon between the ages of nine and fourteen from various sources before maturing them in Silver Oak wine barrels for 17 months.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The warm aroma of freshly baked fruitcake, vanilla frosting, burnt sugar, nutmeg, and salted caramel fills the air above the glass once you pour this multi-layered bourbon. The aroma notes are rich, bordering on decadent, and they’re each distinct enough to appreciate on their own without becoming muddled and obfuscating any of the others.
Palate: The flavor of Brazil nuts, vanilla frosting, rich stewed plum, and brandied cherries greet the palate for an almost syrupy first impression. This whiskey is so meaty and has a richness that extends beneath the surface without listlessly sitting there. Cola nut and chocolate truffle flavors take root at midpalate, and the cherries come back in force as the bourbon transitions to the finish.
Finish: Clove, oak, and jammy red berries sit on the back end of each sip, where the Silver Oak cabernet wine continues its influence but deftly blends with the base bourbon for a medium-length conclusion.
Bottom Line:
This is a full-throated pour with remarkable balance and mind-bending richness that achieves its ends subtly yet effectively, which is indicative of Bardstown Bourbon Co.’s ascending adroitness in the field of finishing. In short, this is an artful execution of secondary maturation in American whiskey — something BBCo. has a burgeoning reputation for achieving in atypical ways with its Collaborative Series.
13. Premier Drams Bourbon
ABV: 56.8%
Average Price: $220
The Whiskey:
Premier Drams is a new brand that was launched early this summer by the same man behind Washington D.C.’s legendary whiskey bar, Jack Rose, Bill Thomas. 8 years ago, Thomas began procuring contract-distilled whiskey from an elusive producer in Bardstown, Kentucky, and aging it at the site of the historic Old Taylor Distillery, which today is the home of Castle & Key. Due to Castle & Key’s uniquely cool maturation facilities, many of the barrels that went into these Premier Drams single barrels saw a significant drop in ABV, with the majority hovering right around the 100-proof mark at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Strawberry saltwater taffy escapes the grasp of the glass to greet the nose at first before evolving into a cherry Luden’s note and partnering up with truffle honey, white pepper, and peanut brittle for a mellow and intriguing medley.
Palate: On the palate, it’s a delight to discover that the Luden’s cherry note has evolved into a full-blown Rainier cherry, carrying white pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and honey in tow. The flavors here are markedly rich, defying its moderate proof and delivering a depth and richness that will have you sucking your molars, frantically trying to prevent even a single drop from slipping through the cracks.
Finish: Vanilla pods, salted butter, fatty Brazil nuts, and white pepper prevail on the finish with a dollop of honey and Rainier cherries, adding a sweet closing kiss as it succinctly slides off your palate.
Bottom Line:
Premier Drams is quietly revolutionizing the modern bourbon landscape by delivering cask-strength bourbon at a moderate proof point. Take note of that. In the fashion of any groundbreaking innovator, I’m not entirely sure the public is ready for it yet, but that’s what makes discovering excellent single-barrel offerings like this so awesome. I suspect that, in due time, these stellar new releases will be even more coveted than they already are.
12. Old Commonwealth Cask Strength Bourbon
ABV: 65.915%
Average Price: $200
The Whiskey:
The very first expression from Old Commonwealth Distillery is this Old Commonwealth 10-Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon Cask Strength Bourbon, which launched to much fanfare only a few weeks ago. History lesson: Old Commonwealth is an iconic brand created in the 1970s by Julian Van Winkle II, the son of “Pappy” Van Winkle, and in those days, it utilized liquid from the legendary Stitzel-Weller Distillery. Fast-forward to 1997-2002, Julian Van Winkle III was selling a version of Old Commonwealth that was proofed to 107 and utilized a wheated mash bill just like his father did decades before. This contemporary recreation has been five years in the making, and though it uses a mash bill sans any wheat, its founders felt that this whiskey was exceptional enough to carry the banner and continue the legacy.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: When you first pour Old Commonwealth into your glass, it opens with the aroma of blueberries and rosewater before deferring to some sweet tobacco, earthy oak, and a fat scoop of vanilla ice cream. It picks up some cherry cordial and leather as it sits in the glass. This is well-layered, lovely stuff.
Palate: Cherry and caramel notes come barreling down the middle of the palate with some faint coconut flakes and well-defined oak undergirding the entire affair. A second sip welcomes clove, hazelnut, and honeyed green tea as the dense liquid begins coating your palate, making you salivate for more.
Finish: The finish is lengthy with white pepper, sweet tobacco, dark chocolate chunks, and sticky toffee all making an impression.
Bottom Line:
This is delicious stuff that belies the 5-year journey Old Commonwealth underwent from ideation to creation. In speaking with the founders, they indicated just how thorough the process was to land on the ideal liquid for this project. The results are as follows: their efforts have been rewarded with this robust, rich whiskey that deserves high praise on its own merits, as well as for the beautiful green-tinted bottle that houses it — a nod to its legacy from decades ago.
11. Pappy Van Winkle 15-Year Bourbon
ABV: 53.5%
Average Price: $4,400
The Whiskey:
Julian Van Winkle III himself has cited Pappy Van Winkle 15 as his favorite among his family’s range of vaunted bourbons. Aged for 15 years, this wheated bourbon is cherry-picked from among the best barrels in Buffalo Trace’s inventory and given the final okay by the Van Winkle family.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on Pappy Van Winkle 15 is marked by honeysuckle, vanilla ice cream, and Rainier cherries — not an uncommon bouquet of aromas for a Buffalo Trace wheated bourbon. However, the richness and definition of those notes are simply remarkable, with each of them penetrating the senses and seemingly sitting on your palate before you’ve even taken your first sip.
Palate: A gentle backbone of oak tannins offers structure to the sweet honeysuckle, stewed apples, Rainier cherries, and mellow allspice that hits your palate after the first sip of Pappy Van Winkle 15-Year. What you may immediately perceive as complexity is instead depth, as you’ll discover nuance in each of those entrancing flavor notes. With regards to the texture, it’s impressively viscous, rolling over the tongue with the ease of rainwater over an oil slick.
Finish: The finish finds a touch of allspice and oily vanilla pod as the oak tones get ratcheted up a bit, and the honey provides a gentle landing spot for those baking spices. It’s medium to long in the finish, and that’s the perfect amount of time for the depth of those flavors to fully unfurl.
Bottom Line:
Yup, this is damn fine whiskey. While I’m partial to the Old Rip Van Winkle 10-year bourbon (with the rest of the lineup vacillating between being high-quality and quotidian), this version of Pappy achieves a greater depth of flavor and delivers a truly luxurious experience at every level compared to the rest. Grizzled whiskey veterans will grumble that this expression isn’t what it used to be, but there’s no denying that Pappy Van Winkle 15 continues to be an excellent wheated bourbon whose unicorn status is well-earned.
10. Widow Jane Black Opal 20-Year Bourbon
ABV: 49.5%
Average Price: $500
The Whiskey:
Widow Jane’s brand-new Black Opal expression is the new pinnacle of the Red Hook, New York distillery’s range. By painstakingly marrying bourbons that were aged for at least 20 years (it’s likely that some of those barrels came from parent company Heaven Hill), Head Blender Sienna Jevremov came up with the final blend, which was then subjected to further maturation in expensive Mizunara oak casks.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The aroma of Tahitian Vanilla, Frankincense smoke, dried apricot, and rose hip stand out from the brand’s nosing notes, but I’d add toasted coconut, the burnt sugar of crème brulée, and dense oak tones to that medley.
Palate: Again, the brand notes are spot on with walnut, black strap molasses, crème brulée, and poached plum flavors combined with fainter flavors like sage and brown butter. There’s a creamy nuttiness along with sweet oak providing a base layer for those more far-flung flavors to blossom, and the texture is smooth and viscous, coating the palate and clinging to the back of the teeth.
Finish: The honey introduces some honey and chocolate ganache as well as some cooked apple notes for a medium-length send-off that will leave you marveling at the proof point as the flavors maintain great structure down to the last drop along with ample richness that you’ll want to savor long after every sip.
Bottom Line:
With only 5,000 bottles available globally, this rare expression will disappear quickly. What makes it worth finding before it’s all gone is the fact that it features exceptionally aged bourbon blended by one of the industry’s most underrated teams utilizing well-vetted stock. Unlike some hyper-aged expressions, which are slapped together with whatever barrels a brand can scrounge up, Widow Jane has been fielding some of the best-sourced bourbons since its inception. With their highest age-stated release ever, they’ve also made their biggest splash, producing their best whiskey to date.
9. Michter’s 10-Year Bourbon
ABV: 47.2%
Average Price:$400
The Whiskey:
Michter’s 10-Year Single Barrel Bourbon is one of the more rigorously refined bourbons on the market. That’s not just lip service. Master Distiller Dan McKee and Master of Maturation Andrea Wilson painstakingly comb through Michter’s voluminous, well-aged barrel inventory for this release annually and subject it to their own proprietary custom filtration process to dial in the flavor. Sure, there’s a big fat 10-year age statement on it, but as the two of them are fond of saying, “We don’t just age it for 10 years and a day.”
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Incredibly refined and dense oak notes combine with mature leather on the nose. It’s rewarding that this immediately comes across as a hyper-aged bourbon. My notes say, “satisfyingly sexy oak,” and while I’m not entirely sure what that means, I hope you know what I meant.
Palate: Buttery viscosity leads the charge as this pour sets out to conquer four of your five senses (it looks dark and inviting in the glass, as well). There’s a decadent vanilla cream note that sits atop the mature leather and dense oak tones that are impossible to turn away from. The taste of black cherry enters before the transition to the finish and pools at the middle of the tongue before branching out along the roof of the mouth.
Finish: Tasted blind, I was impressed at how lengthy the finish on this whiskey was, but upon learning it’s only 94.4 proof, I became doubly so. There are gentle baking spices on the back end to go along with those oak tones, but the earthy, mature bourbon notes really carry it through.
Bottom Line:
Yes, Michter’s 10-year bourbon is typically excellent, but it deserves extra credit for being such a lush, flavorful bourbon, all at a modest 94.4 proof, which is atypically low for bourbon releases of this caliber. Nevertheless, quality always wins out, and this expression proved it repeatedly throughout 2024 in blind tastings. Michter’s 10-year Single Barrel Bourbon was easily one of the best bourbons to come out in 2024.
8. Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Special Release Coy Hill Barrelhouse 8
ABV: 67.35%
Average Price: $80
The Whiskey:
Jack Daniel’s new Coy Hill Barrelhouse 8 expression is intended to showcase their famed Coy Hill location again but with a refined look, specifically at Barrelhouse 8. Utilizing Jack Daniel’s traditional mash bill of 80% corn, 12% malted barley, and 8% rye, the barrels for this release were aged at some of Jack Daniel’s highest elevations. Still, in contrast to previous releases, which featured barrels plucked from the very peak of those warehouses, this release was drawn from barrels that sat on the middle floors (primarily the 6th).
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is one complex nose, so stick with me here. Cherry leather, clove, cola nut, and wet leaves make the initial impression on the nose, which draws you in to explore under the hood. From there, you pick up notes like rickhouse funk in the best way possible, dark chocolate, and gooey caramel. We aren’t done yet. White pepper, Mesquite spiciness, and molasses kick in once some of the top notes blow away, and despite its proof, this whiskey isn’t very hot on the nose. Lastly, there’s a big, dense oak backbone to cap off all that complexity with brown sugar, vanilla, and blueberries. Unpack that.
Palate: Yup, the palate lives up to all that promise. Unlike some previous Coy Hill single-barrel releases, which can go big on the boldness at the expense of nuance and depth of flavor, this year’s expression delivers a robust tasting experience commensurate with its proof point. The most prominent flavors to prevail on the palate are, well…how much time do you have? Because they’re all there and sticky toffee, cayenne powder, cinnamon bark, and blueberry parfait are some of the standouts.
Finish: There’s a blast of chocolate ganache and leather on the finish, along with some nutmeg and molasses. It’s predictably lengthy as all hell, and it ends with smoked caramel.
Bottom Line:
Jack Daniel’s latest Coy Hill release is a mellower take on a series that has featured, to date, some of the boldest and brashest whiskeys on the market. That’s a great thing because this release is still jam-packed with flavor but is far more accessible to a wider swath of consumers thanks to its measured restraint. By remaining true to the DNA of previous releases, maintaining their remarkable depth of richness, with greater approachability and considerable nuance among its well-developed flavors, this is arguably the best Coy Hill release to date.
7. George T. Stagg Bourbon
ABV: 68.05%
Average Price: $830
The Whiskey:
George T. Stagg Bourbon, first launched in 2002, has since taken the whiskey world by storm, introducing consumers to a brand of full-throated, high-intensity bourbon that has slowly become the most coveted expression of the category by enthusiasts. The 2024 George T. Stagg was matured for 15 years and 2 months.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The aroma of cinnamon rolls, with their beautifully sweet blend of baking spice, vanilla frosting, and baked pastry dough, comes tumbling out of the glass at first. Soon to follow are some impressive Rainier cherry notes, which is an unexpected zag given the proof and Stagg’s prototypical dark cherry vibes. Finally, there are some blood orange and nutmeg notes, which add nuance, along with some dark chocolate, tobacco leaf, and mature oak tones.
Palate: This bourbon entrances your palate with a sensuous, multi-layered experience right off the bat. We’re talking about cooked apples and Rainier cherries, joined by cinnamon rolls and allspice, honey, and peanut brittle, with freshly cracked black pepper and barrel spice showing up late to the party. The mouthfeel is dense, bordering on decadent, and the liquid subsumes your senses, forcing you to contend with each layer of full-bodied flavor.
Finish: The lingering finish continues the complexity found at midpalate as red apples, oak, cinnamon bark, and black pepper all have equal footing as this bourbon takes its time leaving your palate.
Bottom Line:
Simply put, George T. Stagg was the king of 2024’s BTAC releases. Not only does it have the most lengthy finish and a formidable nose, but it delivers an incredible amount of densely-packed flavor on the palate, checking every box for sublime bourbon you could ask for. In a generally loaded lineup, this year’s George T. Stagg is the power hitter that makes the vaunted Buffalo Trace Antique Collection lineup an overwhelming success.
6. Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon 2024
ABV: 54.1%
Average Price: $220
The Whiskey:
Four Roses’ highly anticipated Limited Edition Small Batch for 2024 has finally been announced, and we were able to get a first taste of it. For this year’s release, Master Distiller Brent Elliott opted to blend three of Four Roses’ ten bourbon recipes with a 12-year-old OBSV, 15-year-old OESK, 16-year-old OESF, and more OBSV, this time at 20 years old, to create the final product.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is initially floral with ripe apples, butterscotch, and butter pecan ice cream. Faint bits of dark chocolate, star anise, and tobacco leaf help to round out the beautiful bouquet of aromas.
Palate: The butterscotch and apple note really pops on the palate off the bat. The whiskey is well-rounded with a mellow black pepper baking spice tone to go with a more pronounced helping of cinnamon bark, pecans, and brown sugar. The range of flavors reminds me a lot of fried apple pie with a splash of citrus zest. The mouthfeel is medium-bodied and enhances the depth of the flavors without becoming an attraction unto itself.
Finish: The finish has a mature oak backbone with the additional flavor of caramel chews and Fuji apple skin. It’s medium-length, but that brevity really works, urging your focus on the next sip rather than your last.
Bottom Line:
If you want evidence that 2024 was the best year for bourbon releases in recent memory, look no further than this bottle here. Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch is annually considered one of the stars of the fall-release schedule and its consistently high quality is indicative of why. In another year, this could’ve easily been the best or, at worst, second-best bourbon of the year, which goes to show how thin the margin was between each of the expressions on 2024’s “Best Bourbons Of The Year” list.
5. Rare Character Brook Hill Bourbon
ABV: 59.82%
Average Price: $975
The Whiskey:
Brook Hill is the top-of-the-line series from the wildly successful Rare Character brand. By cherry-picking some of the best liquid in its inventory, Rare Character offers these premium bourbons (and ryes) in a single-barrel format, undiluted at cask strength in limited quantities. This particular single barrel was selected by Emerson K. Shotwell and named “Pablo Honey” as a tongue-in-cheek reference to Rare Character co-founder Pablo Moix and doubling as an homage to Radiohead’s debut album.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose entices with marshmallow creme, dark chocolate, and burnt honey, which goes a way toward explaining the name, as well. What’s most impressive about the aromas of this bourbon is how rich and well-defined they are without being obnoxiously bold. In fact, this bourbon takes the opposite track and burrows deep into your olfactory system with subtle ease, making it feel like the aromas are enveloping your senses with even the most modest inhalation.
Palate: The palate of this whiskey is immediately remarkable for being velvety, dense, and rich. What I constantly come back to is the flavor of Luxardo cherries on the front palate, which then graduates into a sticky toffee with a whisper of clove on the back of the palate. It’s slick, to be sure, but it also has some grip — hugging the edges of your tongue and imbuing your palate with a light dusting of dark chocolate truffle flavor and vanilla between the beautiful cherry notes which bob up and down like a buoy at sea.
Finish: There’s an intimate kiss of sweet, rich oak that coats the palate with an oily texture before you’re allowed to say goodbye to this sip. It closes out like a much older bourbon, minus any hints of dry oak, hugging your palate for a satisfyingly long time.
Bottom Line:
If indecorous lip-smacking isn’t your thing, you’ll want to stay far away from Rare Character’s stunning Brook Hill Bourbons. This single-barrel series showcases some of the best bourbon available today and highlights how vital barrel curation is for any brand built on sourced whiskey. What Pablo Moix and Pete Nevenglosky are doing across their Rare Character portfolio is impressive enough, but they’ve raised the bar to dizzying heights for their premium Brook Hill lineup.
Rare Character’s ascent in the bourbon world has been a white-knuckle ride. For one of the greatest thrills yet, you’ll want to seek out a bottle of Brook Hill immediately.
4. Willett Family Estate Bourbon
ABV: 71.2%
Average Price: $950
The Whiskey:
Willett Family Estate Bourbon is well-known as some of the most exclusive, exorbitantly priced, and, yes, excellent bourbon on the market. Drawing barrels from a number of sources (including their own self-distilled whiskey, which is now in the ten-year age range) and maturing them at the distillery’s property in Bardstown, Kentucky, is part of the magic, making every single barrel akin to a snowflake: unique, and never to be seen again. This particular barrel produced just 124 bottles and was selected by Bill Thomas for the Jack Rose Dining Saloon in D.C. who was famously among the first three people to select a single barrel from Willett.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The aroma is immediately evocative of this single barrel’s nickname, as the scents of dunder, maple candy, cinnamon sugar, lime rind, and mocha waft upward to greet the nose.
Palate: The palate welcomes more of the same, with some mocha, brown sugar, toasted coconut, torched orange wheels, and crème brûlée flavors washing over the tongue and pooling at midpalate with some serious staying power. Cinnamon, clove, and pops of barrel char give this whiskey an earthy grounding that allows those earlier sweet notes a base from which to tease the edges of the tongue.
Finish: The finish on this whiskey is prominently lengthy with the torched orange wheel flavor extending a trunk that allows brown sugar, toasted coconut, vanilla extract, and cinnamon to branch off.
Bottom Line:
Willett Family Estate Bourbon enjoys a venerated space near the top of bourbon’s ever-changing Mount Olympus — and for good reason. This has been both one of the hardest to find, and most high-quality bourbon lineups on the market for the past ten years.
3. King Of Kentucky 2024 16-Year Single Barrel Bourbon
ABV: 65.2%
Average Price: $2,500
The Whiskey:
King of Kentucky is the Brown-Forman brand’s most regal annual release. For 2024, it features a fleet of single-barrel bourbons, all aged for at least 16 years. With 5,100 bottles produced from just 63 barrels distilled between July 19, 2007, and November 15, 2007, this expression’s popularity and relative rarity make it difficult to find.
Bottom Line:
King of Kentucky’s superlative quality makes it a perennial contender for bourbon of the year, and after a ho-hum 2023 release, the brand is back with a vengeance. Hell, King of Kentucky hasn’t been this good in two or three years, and so that makes 2024’s expression that much more impressive, showcasing the quality of Brown Forman’s formidable whiskey stock.
2. Russell’s Reserve 15-Year Bourbon
ABV: 58.6%
Average Price: $250
Russell’s Reserve 15 is Wild Turkey’s latest age-stated release, and boy, has it been met with enthusiasm. The brand’s digital launch caused its website to crash both days it made the expression available online and the legend of the liquid in the bottle has only grown legs since then. This bourbon is non-chill filtered, and given their track record, one can safely assume there’s whiskey aged for even longer than 15 years in this blend.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Syrupy fig, mature oak tones, and rich leather fill the room once you pour this whimedicinal cherry notes and milk chocolate join them chocolate. There’s no mistaking the fact that this is a bourbon of a certain age. With further investigation, your nose will bump up against clove and cinnamon as the aroma of vanilla pod takes root. Finally, a faintly floral note reminiscent of rosewater can be found.
Palate: Black cherries covered in chocolate truffle dust hit the palate at first; this is distinctly different than, say, cherry cordials as there’s a ripeness to the fruit and an almost chalky textural component to the chocolate. On the second sip, observe nougat, caramel, vanilla, and rich oak. While the nose gave the impression that this would be over-oaked, the palate greatly alleviates those concerns as each of the hallmarks of hyper-aging has its say without muddling any of the others.
Finish: Lengthy, balanced, and delicious, the finish is marked by black cherries, clove, and cacao nibs as it grips your palate for dear life, refusing to dissipate until minutes after the last sip.
Bottom Line:
Russell’s 15-Year Bourbon is truly a world beater. When it was initially released, expectations for this bottle were sky-high, and our impression of it has remained there throughout the year. Sure, Russell’s Reserve 15-Year is one of the best bourbons available today, but taking the superlatives a step higher, this might go down in the pantheon as one of the best bourbons in the Wild Turkey brand’s history.
1. Michter’s 20-Year Bourbon
ABV: 57.1%
Average Price: $1,200
The Whiskey:
Heralded as one of the most exceptional bourbons of the modern era, Michter’s 20-year bourbon is a rare treat that hasn’t been released since 2022. For the production of this expression, Michter’s — which was recently named the World’s Most Admired Distillery — utilizes bourbon of the highest quality, which has rested for a minimum of 20 long years in new American white oak barrels before it’s approved for bottling by the distillery’s tasting panel which includes Master Distiller Dan McKee and Master of Maturation Andrea Wilson.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this bourbon immediately announces itself as a mature expression with hot cocoa and seasoned oak emanating from the glass, riding a cinnamon bark raft with a leather sail over waves of brown sugar, coffee beans, vanilla ice cream, and savory dates — the sort you would cook in a Moroccan tajine alongside a succulent chicken dish. I’m already salivating.
Palate: The tasting experience with Michter’s 20-year bourbon seals the deal in a single sip. This is decadent whiskey. The velvety texture brushes your palate with thick layers of flavor, coating your tongue with a primary base of chocolate truffle dust, brown sugar, and roasted coffee beans. From there, an intermediate layer is laid, resplendent with cooked dates, ripe plums, and juicy black cherries. At last, the topcoat of vanilla bean ice cream, wildflower honey, and a caramelized orange wheel begins to set, seeping into your tongue and sneaking between your teeth, allowing you to enjoy each distinct flavor at length.
Finish: The lengthy, lingering finish is the perfect reward for such an enveloping blanket of flavor, as the palate’s greatest hits float to the surface as you savor the end of each sip. Expect vanilla bean, dark chocolate chunks, mature oak, Maduro cigar leaf, blood orange juice, and ripe black cherries to be among those indulgent closing notes with polished leather bounding them all together.
Bottom Line:
Rather than engaging in the rat race of trying to have the best annual limited edition for Michter’s 20-Year Bourbon, the distillery opts instead to chart its own course, holding back the liquid that goes into this bottle until Master Distiller Dan McKee and Master of Maturation Andrea Wilson deem it to be ready. It’s not the first time that patience has paid off for Michter’s, which has been known to forego even their more moderately priced expressions with an eye on sending their very best bourbon into the market every time.
With that level of thoughtful consideration fueling Michter’s 20’s release schedule, it’s no wonder each release is eagerly anticipated ahead of being lavishly praised. When this whiskey was last released in 2022, it landed at the number one spot on UPROXX’s best bourbon of the year list and 2024 brought more of the same. Few will be able to claim they own one of the limited number of bottles that make up this release, but should you have the opportunity to try it, you’ll learn as I did that no superlative is wasted on Michter’s 20-Year Bourbon. Every sip is sublime.