Our Favorite ‘High Proof’ Bourbons, Tasted Double-Blind And Ranked

Best High Proof Bourbon — iStockphoto/UPROXX

High-proof bourbon is nothing new. It’s been around for decades. That’s not the whole story though. There has been an absolute explosion in the number of brands releasing higher-proof bourbon whiskeys over the past decade or so. It’s gotten to the point where if you don’t have a higher-proof expression or barrel-proof version of your main whiskey, you’re basically leaving money on the table (and leaving customers pretty disappointed).

That means that there’s just a ton of it out there on shelves. And in order to make sure we’re not favoring the most widely known brands, we decided to taste them “double-blind.”

Before we kick off, “high-proof” covers everything above “bottled in bond” when it comes to ABVs. So above 50% or 100-proof. That means that the term does cover expression styles like barrel proof/strength (whiskey bottled without proofing after it came out of the barrel), full proof/barrel entry proof (whiskey bottled at the same proof that the whiskey went into the barrel at), and any whiskey that’s 50% ABV and above.

Very generally, look at it like this:

Low-proof bourbon whiskey is 40.0% to 49.9%
Bottled in Bond bourbon whiskey is 50.0% to 50.9%
High-proof bourbon whiskey is 51.0% and up

It’s as simple as that. But of course, there are whiskeys that inch into categories without being part of them. Wild Turkey 101 is 50.5% and isn’t a bottled in bond whiskey. Knob Creek is exactly 50% ABV and it’s a bottled in bond either. There’s also an old way of thinking that says anything above a 40% or 80-proof bourbon is “high proof” but I find that completely outmoded in a world where that proof marker is no longer a norm.

Since this is a double-blind, I had my wife sift through my bourbon shelves and randomly grab anything with an ABV over 50%. I also asked her to avoid bottled in bond expressions just to keep this a little more clear-cut. She ended up picking a really interesting mix that I never would have put together myself [maybe that’s why your editor is always asking for double-blind articles! -ed].

It was actually a really fun panel of pours, so let’s dive right in!

Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months

Part 1 — The High-Proof Bourbon Tasting

Best High Proof Bourbons — Zach Johnston

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Deep marzipan and dark cherry pop on the nose with a sense of zucchini bread full of winter spice, brown butter, and walnuts next to bright orange zest and a dash of black peppercorns tied to old oak and light boot leather.

Palate: Those winter spices really amp up on the palate with a sense of clove, cardamom, and nutmeg next to old vanilla pods, dried glove leather, and a hint of dank pine resin tied to a hint of cherry bark.

Finish: That woodiness and dank drive the finish toward a layer of spice nut cake swimming in buttercream with a nice dose of smudging sage and cedar bark leading to old tobacco pouches.

Initial Thoughts:

Wow! This is delicious. It’s so deep and satisfying.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a nice sense of funk and fruit on the nose — think standing by a barn in an apple orchard — that leads to salted caramel, cherry tobacco, and rich dark chocolate cut with red chili pepper flakes with a lush vanilla foundation of almond cakes and powdered sugar icing.

Palate: Rich winter spice cakes with a hint of rum raisin drive the taste toward dark cherry spiced tobacco with a rush of ABVs that cause a deep buzz before old cellar dirt floors and oak arrive with a dark sense of chocolate and espresso all kissed with salt.

Finish: Cherry Coke and gingerbread drive the finish with a lush and vibrant sense of red chili pepper spice, black pepper woodiness, and cinnamon bark softness before stewed apple and buttery pie crust lead back toward a vanilla almond cake vibe with a lingering warming sensation.

Initial Thoughts:

And this is f*cking delicious too. This has a tad more depth maybe but I’m going to have to go back to this and the first one a couple of times to confirm that before I rank these.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Candied pecans cooked into crispy, vanilla-forward waffles dance on the nose with a touch of sour cherry tossed in sea salt, a deep winter spice bark medley, and old leather tobacco pouches.

Palate: The taste moseys through salted dark chocolate squares next to maple syrup-dipped graham crackers, dried wild sagebrush, and a rush of sharp spearmint with black cherry lush sweetness at the base.

Finish: That black cherry drives the finish toward salted caramel and dried red chili pepper spice next to a whisper of orchard bard, woody spice, and soft and chewy tobacco.

Initial Thoughts:

This is also really good. It’s not quite as lush as the last two but still hits really nicely.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Toasted almonds and walnuts lead the way on the nose with a deep and rich vanilla cake lightly dusted with cacao, dry cherry, and cinnamon with a touch of old oak cellars and black-mold-encrusted old deck furniture.

Palate: The soft caramel and vanilla open the palate before a rush of woody and sharp spices — clove, anise, allspice, red chili pepper — arrive with a sense of old wood chips on a workshop floor leads to salted toffee dipped in roasted almonds and dark salted chocolate with a whisper of cherry cordial backing it all up.

Finish: That soft sweetness counters the hot spices for a while on the slow finish as the spices take on an orange/cherry/vanilla Christmas cake vibe with plenty of nuts and ABV heat.

Initial Thoughts:

This is hot but so goddamn well-balanced and tasty. I really like this. It opened up my senses and really grabbed my attention.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Sweet woody notes next to oily vanilla open the nose with a rush of black peppercorns, red chili pepper, and a hint of dark caramel.

Palate: The taste delivers ripe peaches next to more peppery spice and a hint of Christmas spices, with the vanilla taking a backseat and the oak really stepping in to shine.

Finish: The end is spicy, hot, oaky, and peachy, with a hint of caramel corn that fades pretty quickly.

Initial Thoughts:

This was nice, standard bourbon with a lightness to it that didn’t help it stand out. It’s thin but still carries a solid profile.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose draws you in with a sense of old rickhouses and mincemeat pies with a hint of plum jam over buttermilk biscuits just kissed with clove and nutmeg.

Palate: Those biscuits turn into Christmas spice cakes with plenty of nuts and dried fruits with a candied orange hint next to caramel sauce and vanilla cake.

Finish: The end is lush at first with a nice earthiness that plays into rum raisin and brandy-soaked holiday cakes before fading abruptly.

Initial Thoughts:

This was so close but kind of stumbled on the finish. It just disappeared. Everything was great up to that point though.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Sweet and buttery toffee is countered by burnt orange, old oak, and a hint of cumin and red chili pepper flakes.

Palate: The palate leans into soft vanilla pudding cups with a touch of butterscotch swirled in next to orange oils, nougat, and a hint of menthol tobacco.

Finish: The midpalate tobacco warmth gives way to a finish that’s full of woody winter spices and a whisper of Cherry Coke next to orange/clove by way of a dark chocolate bar flaked with salt.

Initial Thoughts:

This was pretty nice but obviously very cheap on the palate. It wasn’t thin so much as everything was very punctuated. It was very “this then this then this … done.”

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This opens with a balance of old leather boots and freshly cracked black pepper next to a hint of walnut shell, vanilla pod, and orange zest.

Palate: The palate leans into what feels like star fruit as orange marmalade, salted butter, and fresh honey drip over rye bread crusts.

Finish: The end comes with a good dose of peppery spice and old leather as those walnuts and orange combine with a handful of dried fruit and a dusting of winter spices on the finish.

Initial Thoughts:

This was pretty nice overall but felt a tad standard. Good standard, don’t get me wrong. But there were no bells ringing and beckoning me back for more.

Taste 9

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Woody huckleberry jam over raisin scones mingle with eggnog spices and brown sugar cookies, spiced cherry fruit leather, and a twinge of sweet yet old oakiness.

Palate: That dark fruit leather leans into brandy-soaked dates and prunes with a sense of old oak cellars next to rich vanilla, soft apples, and sticky toffee pudding.

Finish: There’s a dark cherry spiced vibe to the finish that leans into fresh chewy tobacco packed into an old oak box and then wrapped in leather with a burnt orange rind and winter spice bouquet on top.

Initial Thoughts:

Goddamn, this is tasty. This is another one that I’m going to need to revisit before I rank it. It’s deeply delicious.

Taste 10

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with a lovely sense of vanilla pods and orange blossom with a hint of old saddle leather and cedar bark next to wild sage, cinnamon and caramel apple fritters, and salted black licorice with a bundle of holiday spices and barks tied up with burnt orange and pine.

Palate: The palate is lush with a cream soda float with malted vanilla ice cream cut with cherries, dark chocolate chips, and espresso flakes next to cinnamon cherry bark tobacco on the mid-palate.

Finish: The end dives toward a thick braid of cedar bark, sage, and blackberry tobacco with a thin line of sweetgrass and vanilla pods woven in there.

Initial Thoughts:

This runs deep too. There was maybe a hint of lightness but I’m really reaching for something to pick at with that note. It’s just good whiskey.

Part 2 — The High-Proof Bourbon Ranking

I’m shocked I picked this. I always harp on that it needs ice or I use it for cocktails. I evidently really like it because it kind of blew me away on this panel.

Part 3 — Final Thoughts on the High-Proof Bourbons

I guess I really like that Elijah Craig Barrel Proof. It just hits this great balance of running deep and unique with a purely classic Kentucky bourbon vibe. It’s hard not to love. The same goes for the Woodford Barrel Proof. It’s just freaking delicious.

Honestly, every whiskey on this panel was great in one way or another. If you’re looking for something you can easily find, then go with Stellum, Bulleit, or Turkey. Otherwise, take your time and track down any of the top five entries from this list. They’re all worth the time, effort, and cash.