Single-barrel bourbon is a booming market right now, so much so that an increasing number of bourbon brands are entirely devoted to single-barrel products. While the advent of single barrel bourbon began with Old Forester’s President’s Choice and the category was popularized by Blanton’s (and John Wick), today, the style is so in demand that it’s hard to keep track of them all!
First, we must understand the ground rules to nominate the best. So, let’s be clear: while certain brands are sold exclusively as single barrels, others are more standard products that are occasionally offered as single barrels. An example of the former would be Blanton’s Single Barrel, which is always the product of one cask, regardless of format. In contrast, an example of the latter would be Elijah Craig, which is typically a small batch product that also has its own single-barrel program. Today, we’ll be considering only the former and foregoing the latter — frankly, there are too many out there!
With that out of the way, let’s dive into our list. Here are the 24 best single-barrel bourbons available in 2024!
24. Elmer T. Lee Single-Barrel Bourbon
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $200
The Whiskey:
Elmer T. Lee is the second single-barrel bourbon from the Buffalo Trace. After Elmer T. Lee, the man, helped to create the brand’s first single barrel bourbon in Blanton’s, the distillery honored him by naming this expression after him.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel is light and approachable, with bruised peach, honeysuckle, and soft oak tannins leading the way with a touch of apricot and white pepper.
Palate: Once this pour hits the palate, you’ll be grateful that the faint nosing aromas find their way into the mouth and forewarned you of this whiskey’s general lightness. For those expecting a dense complexity, there isn’t any to be found here, but with a slightly thin texture, this whiskey still delivers a substantive stone fruit-forward flavor profile.
Finish: The finish is brief, with only white pepper and the gentle oak tannins from the nose surviving the journey from start to finish.
Bottom Line:
Elmer T. Lee is highly sought after for reasons beyond the bottle’s taste. It was formerly a slightly higher-quality product before demand skyrocketed and it became less affordable and available. This present-day version isn’t going to knock your socks off and isn’t worth any extra effort in hunting down, but it still manages to offer a pleasant, crowd-pleasing experience.
23. Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon
ABV: 43.3%
Average Price: $35
The Whiskey:
Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon was transitioned into a Kentucky-exclusive offering in 2022. However, in 2024, the brand announced that it would be distributed in other states for the first time in two years due to a surplus. The word isn’t yet out on whether that trend will continue through 2025 and beyond, but it came as welcome news to fans of the Evan Williams lineup’s only single-barrel bourbon.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with the aroma of honey and peanut shell, which soon morphs into gently tannic oak tones and fresh orange rinds. Caramel and graham cracker notes also inform the nosing notes before a few shakes of black pepper curb the overall sweetness.
Palate: On the palate, it’s the honey that leads the way as peanut shells and caramel take a backseat. The texture is surprisingly thin, but the flavors themselves are not without considerable depth, defying their limitations to take root throughout the palate.
Finish: The finish welcomes an uptick in the influence of the oak and black pepper, only alluded to at other points in the flavor journey. While it’s only a short-to-medium finish, that brevity complements the flavor profile, making this an approachable and easy-to-enjoy pour again and again.
Bottom Line:
Despite its relatively low ABV, Evan Williams Single Barrel’s mellow profile delivers some rich flavors that cause it to punch above its weight. While longtime fans of the brand continue to grumble that “it ain’t what it used to be,” remarking on a perceived shift in quality and a substantive uptick in price, truth be told, this is still a rock-solid single-barrel bourbon.
22. Old Forester Cask Strength Bourbon
ABV: 65%
Average Price: $99
The Whiskey:
Old Forester’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof Bourbon offers the famous distillery’s bourbon as unmodified as possible. While Old Forester’s Whiskey Row Series is always a popular choice for enthusiasts, this single-barrel version is the most sought-after bourbon expression in their regular lineup.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose immediately comes off hot, with an alcohol punch that initially makes it difficult to get at the underlying aromas. Once acclimated to the alcohol burn, a strong banana flambé note fuses with pralines, rich oak, and burnt pie crust. Those fiery notes prepare the palate for a dense, darkly sweet experience in the mouth.
Palate: The intense note of banana flambé finds its way to the palate, and it’s bolstered by dense oak, dark chocolate, and some faint mesquite notes reminiscent of vinegar-based barbecue sauce. The overall flavor profile is brooding, and those flavors are encased in a force field of high-alcohol burn, which admittedly prevents those well-developed layers of flavor from being readily accessible. The mouthfeel is heavy and punctuated by the prickliness of the alcohol burn.
Finish: The finish actually sees some of those flavors escaping their alcohol-heavy enclosure as a bit of dark cherry and juicy orange notes pair up with leather and freshly cracked black pepper throughout the lengthy finish.
Bottom Line:
When Old Forester’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof Bourbon first hit the market, it was a bit polarizing as the highly anticipated expression dazzled fans of the distillery but came off a bit hot to those unaccustomed to its particular brand of bold flavors. In the intervening years, Old Forester has continued dialing in the flavor profile, establishing this bottle as a robust barrel-proof option to separate itself from its tamer offerings. The hair on your chest will hate to see this one coming, but your palate will welcome it heartily.
21. New Riff Single Barrel Bourbon
ABV: 56%
Average Price: $53
The Whiskey:
New Riff produces a stellar 100-proof offering, but for its single-barrel expression, it elevates things by delivering its whiskey at cask strength without chill filtration.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Caramel corn, peanut shells, and cedar come wafting out of the glass when you first pour New Riff Single Barrel, and those notes are quickly joined by cream soda and burnt sugar for a delightful blend.
Palate: Once on the palate, this bourbon leads with cream soda, clove, vanilla wafers, and rich, decadent caramel notes. A touch of white pepper pricks the tip of the tongue, and at midpalate, some more fruit-forward notes of ripe cherries start to develop. The mouthfeel is a bit lean, but who cares when you have well-developed flavors?
Finish: The brief finish welcomes white pepper and youthful oak before the caramel envelopes your palate and gives you a sweet kiss to conclude each sip.
Bottom Line:
By showcasing its barrel inventory’s variety of flavors with this single-barrel lineup, New Riff delivers a delicious bourbon-sipping experience at a higher proof that offers a unique profile every single time.
20. John J. Bowman Single Barrel Bourbon
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $99
The Whiskey:
For their John J. Bowman single-barrel expression, the brand selects some of the oldest barrels in their inventory, though the age is omitted. Of note: the Fredericksburg, VA distillery was purchased by the Sazerac Company in 2003, which also owns Buffalo Trace.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: On the nose, John J. Bowman Single Barrel Bourbon opens with Rainier cherries, butterscotch, and one shake of black pepper spice while some barrel char and red raisins gently play their notes in the background.
Palate: John J. Bowman greets the palate with more red raisins and barrel char with the taste of red cherries clinging to the tip of the tongue, allowing some mellow baking spices like nutmeg and cumin to hit the mid-palate before dark chocolate ushers in the finish. The mouthfeel is medium-bodied, but it has impressive staying power, remaining consistent from the beginning of the palate to the end.
Finish: The finish is medium-length but underlines the sweeter notes in this bourbon with bright red cherries, a touch of honey, and some sweet oak sticking around the longest.
Bottom Line:
While savvy bourbon enthusiasts have been gravitating towards this release due to the Bowman Distillery’s ties to Buffalo Trace, the truly discerning bourbon fan can just as quickly throw that connection out of the window. This is simply great bourbon. The fact that it comes with high quality in a single-barrel format is all the more enticing for those who enjoy seeking out unique flavors and a surprising sipping experience.
19. Henry McKenna Single Barrel Bourbon
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $60
The Whiskey:
Henry McKenna is Heaven Hill Distillery’s critically acclaimed 10-year-old single-barrel bourbon. Due to that critical acclaim, this expression has become far less readily available (and more high-priced), but it remains a stellar value in the Heaven Hill portfolio.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose begins with nail polish that soon cedes the way for cherry syrup, leather, rich oak, and honey-roasted almond aromas. It’s unbalanced, but it is still enjoyable.
Palate: On the palate, those first three notes from the nose make a solid initial impression as the nail polish/cherry syrup vibe strikes your palate before turning into more of a leather-inflected cherrywood note. It begins texturally robust but gradually thins out as the liquid unfurls over your palate and finds the edges of your tongue with a last gasp of caramel and faint smokiness before transitioning into the finish.
Finish: The finish is medium-length, but it’s here where the black cherry flavor finally plants its flag and welcomes even more dense oak and barrel char notes on the back end, allowing this bourbon to stick the landing.
Bottom Line:
As you know, dear reader, Henry McKenna Bottled in Bond, as a single-barrel expression, can offer a wide array of different flavors depending on which barrel your bottle is from, and this one falls in the middle of the range. Finding barrels that are this good from a brand notoriously known to be inconsistent is a treat, but the prospect of finding even better ones will keep you on the hunt.
18. Rock Hill Farms
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $380
The Whiskey:
Rock Hill Farms follows the trend from Buffalo Trace’s mash bill #2, which has almost exclusively been used to produce single-barrel bourbons. Named after the rich farmland along the Kentucky River, this hard-to-find bottle clocks in at 100-proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose begins with baked apples, cinnamon, walnuts, and nutmeg, instantly reminiscent of Benchmark Full Proof.
Palate: On the palate, however, Rock Hill Farms comes across as the true “Stagg Jr., Jr.” with a flavor profile that veers into that classic Stagg territory with rougher edges. Think of hazelnut spread, brown sugar, and Memphis barbeque spread with oak, black pepper, and leather notes, keeping the sweetness in check.
Finish: The finish is medium-length but marked by a punch of ethanol and the lingering influence of mouth-drying oak.
Bottom Line:
Rock Hill Farms is full of flavor, to be sure, but it’s a bit muddled and comes across as a bit rushed, with more ideas than it has time to express itself. While it’s still a solid, enjoyable bourbon, it would probably benefit from measured expectations and a bit more time in the barrel.
17. Weller Single Barrel Bourbon
ABV: 48.5%
Average Price: $700
The Whiskey:
Weller Single Barrel is the most recently launched member of the extremely allocated core Weller lineup. This expression is the only single-barrel wheated bourbon in Buffalo Trace’s entire portfolio.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Crisp red apples sit atop the aroma notes, then give way to a slightly savory barbeque sauce note with a bit of honey, vanilla, and mature oak.
Palate: On the palate, there’s the familiar balance of red apples and red berries that Weller is known for, but the fruit notes are more nondescript. There’s a moderate bit of nuance, but overall, this is a pleasant and straightforward bourbon marked by juicy orange notes playing off of the red berries and modest oak tones melding well with vanilla ice cream flavors with a fairly viscous mouthfeel.
Finish: The finish finds caramel sweetness covering the crisp red apples from the palate and a rising oak prominence joining black pepper spice to balance those sweeter notes.
Bottom Line:
Typical of single barrel bourbons, each one will be different, but Weller Single Barrel delivers a fairly full-bodied and nuanced sipping experience despite clocking in at a fairly low proof. While Weller Single Barrel doesn’t do much to differentiate itself significantly from the rest of the lineup (particularly when one considers the fact Old Weller Antique is offered in single barrel format), that doesn’t detract from the fact that it’s a damn delicious wheated bourbon.
16. E.H. Taylor Single Barrel Bourbon
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $80
The Whiskey:
E.H. Taylor Jr. Single Barrel bourbon is fairly unique in the Buffalo Trace lineup because it is an ongoing single barrel, bottled in bond expression. While it’s more coveted by consumers than its small-batch counterpart, it should be noted that they’re both bottled in bond expressions and thus bottled at the same 50% ABV.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Twin spires of caramel and oak appear on the nose of E.H Taylor Single Barrel, with the caramel coming across as gooey and freshly made and the oak indicating maturity. From there, further aromas of honeyed toast, toasted almonds, and a faint black cherry note can be found hanging in the air.
Palate: On the palate, the faint black cherry note from the nose presents itself with more gusto, and it’s joined by welcome guardrails of oak and fresh hazelnuts. After a few waves of the hand and a second sip, it becomes easier to detect accenting flavors like raisins, walnuts, rye spice, and toffee.
Finish: The finish has some mature oak notes and black pepper to go with even more toffee and candied walnuts. It’s not impressively long, but it lasts enough time to savor the evolution of each of those flavors.
Bottom Line:
E.H. Taylor Jr. Single Barrel Bourbon is chimeric as all single barrel bourbons are, but the vast majority of them are very, very good. This bourbon has become more elusive even than Blanton’s, making it one of the harder-to-find single-barrel bourbons in Buffalo Trace’s portfolio, but that’s not merely a coincidence. People keep buying them up because they tend to be worth every penny.
15. Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit
ABV: 50.5%
Average Price: $90
The Whiskey:
Originally launched in 1994, Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit was Jimmy Russell’s not-so-subtle response to the popularity of another ornately designed single-barrel bourbon bottle: Blanton’s. While the contemporary bottle of Kentucky Spirit is streamlined and comes in the same package as Rare Breed, the liquid inside is a single-barrel version of Wild Turkey Bourbon at 101 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on Kentucky Spirit begins gently with honey and graham cracker before holiday spices, apricots, and nutmeg begin to emerge.
Palate: On the palate, the apricot, nutmeg, and graham cracker notes make the first impression, while black pepper and dried cranberries join the party soon after. The mouthfeel is lean but exceedingly enjoyable, and pops of baking spices accent the overall experience.
Finish: The finish welcomes the inclusion of cooked red apple notes along with some vanilla pods before succinctly tapering off in a crescendo of gentle oak tones.
Bottom Line:
Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit is perhaps the most highly underrated expression from this highly underrated brand. Showcasing single barrels of Wild Turkey’s iconic 101 proof bourbon really allows you to experience its signature flavor profile while also highlighting the subtle variations that can elevate Wild Turkey whiskey to being among the best in America.
14. 2XO Gem of Kentucky
ABV: 54%
Average Price: $230
The Whiskey:
2XO is the brand founded by rockstar blender Dixon Dedman just two short years ago, but he waited until 2023 to release the brand’s best work to date: The Gem Of Kentucky. Billed as “the only double-barreled single barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey on the market,” the brand released roughly 70 of those unique single barrels to market.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This bottle begins expressly fruity with red berries and orange zest leading the way to polished leather, an abundance of vanilla, and some surprising sandalwood.
Palate: Once on the palate, this pour opens with more fruit as the flavor of cherries and clementines burrow deep into your tongue while mature oak and leather notes find the edges of the tongue and the cheek. There’s a gently pulsing influence of baking spice throughout, with black pepper, allspice, and sage becoming most expressive as this pour transitions to the finish.
Finish: The finish welcomes more allspice and sage, and it’s surprisingly lengthy, allowing the fruit-forward notes to reemerge as well as the satisfying taste of vanilla ice cream.
Bottom Line:
Dixon Dedman is no stranger to mingling delicious barrels of sourced whiskey, and the experience he’s accrued from blending previous projects has him in peak form here. 2XO’s more affordable options are well worth your attention as an entry point into the nascent brand. Still, once you try their premium offering, you’ll fully appreciate just how stellar this new category of double-barreled single barrels can be.
13. Blanton’s Gold Single Barrel Bourbon
ABV: 51.5%
Average Price: $230
The Whiskey:
Blanton’s Gold was formerly an expression only available in foreign markets, but in 2020, the popular offering was sold for the first time stateside. Bottled at ten proof points higher than Blanton’s standard edition, this version is easily identifiable by its golden bottle topper and see-through bottle design.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on Blanton’s gold is full of bright cherries, candied apples, caramel, and honey. It’s only after further investigation that you’ll find baking spices like cinnamon, clove, and a faint bit of ginger as well.
Palate: In the mouth, Blanton’s Gold contains a multitude of the aforementioned sweet notes with bright cherries, vanilla ice cream, caramel, and crème brulée. There’s a bit of black pepper and barrel char, but not much, and the guilty pleasure derived from all that sweetness is enhanced by the liquid’s impressively viscous, almost syrupy, mouth-coating texture.
Finish: The finish finds candied ginger and fresh red apples fused with black pepper spice and caramelized sugar. The finish is only medium length, but the richness of the flavor notes makes every moment of that finish quite delightful.
Bottom Line:
One can’t shake the feeling that the flavor of Blanton’s Gold is what Blanton’s standard should be. While it is decidedly sweeter than its lower-proofed brethren, it contains a level of refinement that, relative to its ABV, borders on decadent. Approachable and perfectly polished, Blanton’s Gold is easily the most crowd-pleasing bourbon in the Blanton’s lineup.
12. Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof Tennessee Whiskey
ABV: 64.60%
Average Price: $70
The Whiskey:
Some bourbon lovers might be surprised to see Jack Daniel’s on this list, but it’s time to let you in on two open secrets in the enthusiast community. One: Jack Daniel’s meets all the requirements to be called a bourbon. Sorry, not sorry. Even their Master Distiller says so himself. Two: Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof is one of the best values in the bourbon world, capable of going toe-to-toe with classics like Elijah Craig Barrel Proof in blind tastings.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this one blasts you with overripe bananas, orange zest, maple candy, and rich oak for a delightful medley that feels dessert-like with a boozy punch.
Palate: On the palate, the flavor of banana bread mingles with caramelized orange wheels and maple candy for a melange that you can’t help but roll over your tongue and chew. The caramel and vanilla rise to the top when you hold it on your palate, as does a touch of barrel char and a faintly smoky note that eludes detection when you focus your senses on it but tickles the periphery when you let it be.
Finish: The finish is medium-length and reintroduces the vanilla pod, oak, and cooked orange notes as it fades off of your tongue with one final flourish of black pepper spice.
Bottom Line:
Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof Whiskey is yet another bottle with “limited edition” quality sitting right under folks’ noses. Part of the reason for that is Jack Daniel’s ubiquity, which makes people think this bottle is like the rest of the JD range, and part of it is inexperience as they chase flashy new expressions from distilleries with a fraction of the know-how. If this single-barrel whiskey isn’t one you regularly seek out, change that today.
11. Premier Drams Bourbon
ABV: 49.9%
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:
By delivering cask-strength bourbon at such a moderate proof point, Premier Drams is quietly revolutionizing the modern bourbon landscape. 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. Not only is it flat-out delicious, but it also feels like you’re peeking around the corner and getting a taste of the future of bourbon.
10. Baker’s 13-Year Single Barrel Bourbon
ABV: 53.5%
Average Price: $200
The Whiskey:
This brand-new re-release of Baker’s 13-Year Bourbon is new for 2024 and follows in the footsteps of the brand’s previous release. That is to say, this is standard Baker’s bourbon but with anywhere between 5-6 extra years of age, bottled at the brand’s classic 107-proof point.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Honey roasted peanuts, cayenne pepper, and orange rind with some nougat underneath make up the nosing notes, which are fairly rich but harmoniously blended together 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:
For their second edition of Baker’s 13-Year Bourbon, Jim Beam has succeeded in delivering a totally well-rounded expression that represents both their distillery’s stellar output and elevates the Baker’s brand to new heights. If you can find it, this one is a must-try for Bourbon Heritage Month.
9. Binder’s Stash Bourbon
ABV: 65%
Average Price: $100
The Whiskey:
Binder’s Stash is a premium non-distilling producer bottling top-shelf whiskey from Indiana and Kentucky. The brand’s fervent digital presence has been documented here before, with this particular single-barrel, “Make It Make Sense,” being one of the budding brand’s newer releases.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Black cherry, grapefruit, and allspice aromas are the opening act. Next up, palo santo, chocolate wafer cookies, and maple candy that hangs in the air in the background.
Palate: This bourbon begins chocolatey as hell and heavy on the palate, making it taste like whiskey more than twice its age with cherries and rich oak with leather and vanilla pods. It’s drying at the edge of the tongue with a sort of grainy texture that’s intriguing and, again, gives it the impression of much older whiskey.
Finish: The finish has bubblegum and cinnamon, and it’s medium to long with some more vanilla coming in, giving it a sweet send-off that makes you want more immediately.
Bottom Line:
This is a remarkable and remarkably well-named whiskey. Credit to Binder’s Stash for pulling it at five years old and resisting the urge to entice consumers with a higher age statement. This offering proves there’s no telling when a bourbon is ready, but it will tell you itself, and it can knock you sideways when it hits that sweet spot.
8. Nashville Barrel Company Bourbon
ABV: 62.22%
Average Price: $190
The Whiskey:
Nashville Barrel Company has established itself as one of the boldest, most badass NDP brands on the market, and they have their superlative whiskey to thank. NBC is short on marketing gimmicks but long on robust, flavorful single-barrel offerings.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This bourbon from Nashville Barrel Company leads with an intense nose of raspberries, allspice, and Mexican hot chocolate. The cinnamon and chocolate notes fuse well with the mature oak aromas this one gives off, making it an intoxicating pour to explore on the nose.
Palate: The robust flavor of raspberries and honey pops with freshly cracked black pepper and a touch of butterscotch and clove. Wow, this is a pour that genuinely has some zip. Each sip burrows that bounty of flavors deeper into your palate as its deft combination of well-integrated proof and slick viscousness work to showcase just how high each note can soar.
Finish: The finish on this Nashville Nights single barrel is lengthy and delicious. It’s both a display of decadent sweetness and restrained baking spice that makes it a marvel.
Bottom Line:
Nashville Barrel Company is housing some truly remarkable liquid in the Volunteer State. If they can continue to release single-barrels that reach the heights of this superlative one-off, I’d like to volunteer to taste several more of them personally. This is a brand you should have firmly planted on your radar.
7. Michter’s 10-Year Single Barrel Bourbon
ABV: 47.2%
Average Price: $300
The Whiskey:
Michter’s 10-Year Single Barrel Bourbon, one of the American whiskey world’s most critically lauded expressions, is on an annual release schedule that sends bourbon fans into a fervor each time it’s announced. Utilizing Michter’s well-aged sourced whiskey stock, their blending team then subjects hand-picked barrels to their proprietary filtration process for the end result.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Mango, brown sugar, and black cherry all burst out of the glass once this bourbon is poured like they’ve got places to go. I highly encourage sitting with it for a while, as rich oak and a touch of leather add new dimensions to the aroma profile of this intriguing whiskey.
Palate: Milk chocolate, coconut cream, and almonds splash across the palate on the first pass, making this taste like an Almond Joy in a glass. The barrel tones round things out, and it comes complete with a slick texture that brilliantly carries all of those well-developed flavors without going overboard.
Finish: The finish on this year’s Michter’s 10-year bourbon is medium in length but long on notes like hazelnut and coconut with oak tones and black pepper included.
Bottom Line:
Michter’s 10-year bourbon is typically excellent, but one might expect its low proof — exceptional in solo settings — to get drowned out among some of the high-ABV bruisers in the single-barrel category. Nevertheless, the exceptional quality of this particular expression always wins out.
6. Four Roses Single Barrel Barrel Proof Bourbon
ABV: 58.4%
Average Price: $120
The Whiskey:
Four Roses Single Barrel, offered at Barrel Proof, is one of the single-barrel bourbon world’s best offerings. Not only does Four Roses make all ten of its recipes available in the single-barrel program, but by offering them at an undiluted strength, it showcases their distillate in its purest form every time. This particular single barrel is a nine-year and ten-month version from the OESV recipe.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Juicy orange rinds, bright red cherries, and sweet brown sugar aromas come flying out of the glass with this delicious bourbon freshly poured. There’s also a touch of sage, vanilla frosting, and tobacco leaf to be found.
Palate: Brown sugar and red currants are the most immediately available flavors to download once you take a first sip of this single-barrel bourbon. The dense oak introduces some clove and mellow black pepper baking spice notes, as well as grips the palate and pushes towards the finish.
Finish: The finish is mellow and lingering, with figs and cherries fusing with juicy orange notes and barrel char before pulsing off of your palate.
Bottom Line:
No matter the recipe, Four Roses Single Barrel Barrel Proof Bourbon is an exemplar of the single-barrel format, though we do have our favorites. As one of the most historic brands in all of bourbon, it’s simply a must that you try Four Roses Bourbon as undisturbed as possible at full cask strength.
5. Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon
ABV: 55%
Average Price: $70
The Whiskey:
Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel was first launched in 2013 on the heels of Wild Turkey’s success with Russell’s Reserve Small Batch. Non-chill filtered and always proofed to 55% ABV, this release features both general and private barrel selections.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel is full of rich oak tones as a touch of leather and cooked apples come wafting out of the glass. There’s a touch of almond extract and an underlying tone of caramel that also adds to the nuance.
Palate: Dancing across the palate at first are the cooked apple and oak notes with vanilla extract and white pepper accents, making their presence known at the tip of the tongue. The mouthfeel isn’t overly viscous, allowing the light flavor profile to swiftly find all corners of the palate.
Finish: The finish is medium length and closes with touches of brioche bun, honey, and baking spices like black pepper and nutmeg.
Bottom Line:
Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon is such an incredible value that it feels like a crime to sing its praises to those who haven’t already been initiated into the Wild Turkey cult. That said, it’s just as difficult to keep its superlative quality a secret thanks to its relative ubiquity, rich, oak-led flavor profile, and signature Turkey kick. Private barrels of Russell’s Reserve deserve a much higher place on this list, as that’s where deviations from the norm can truly hang with the best bourbon in the world, but these off-the-shelf offerings, which tend to take a tamer, more consistent tack, deserve your attention as well.
4. Rare Character Old Cassidy
ABV: 60.7%
Average Price: $1,000
The Whiskey:
This extremely limited expression from Rare Character marks the first time they’ve released the brand Old Cassidy into the wild. The brainchild of founder Pablo Moix and selected in collaboration with Bourb Your Enthusiasm (Frank Dobbins III), this exclusive single-barrel offering sold out in less than a minute when it was released online earlier this June. More single barrels of Old Cassidy are expected to arrive in the first quarter of 2025.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Rich black cherries, flaky pastry notes, and well-integrated oak dominate the nose. Not to be confined by those, there are further aromas of peanut brittle and dark chocolate chunks, along with a touch of allspice that really help to round out the whiskey.
Palate: Oak, flaky pastry, and cherry rhubarb flavors come barreling down the palate on the first sip. After sip number one, you’ll find a slight herbal tea note hanging around at midpalate, which turns almost sour before transforming into apple cider at the back of your palate. The oak tones rise and fall in prominence, which allows bits of brown sugar and dark chocolate to get in a word otherwise.
Finish: The finish comes complete with bright red cherry notes and Manuka honey for a medium-length sendoff that’s sure to please.
Bottom Line:
The folks behind Rare Character are purveyors of some of the best bourbon on the planet today, and Old Cassidy is a prime example of them swinging for the fences with their stellar single-barrel releases. While Old Cassidy is only one barrel into its existence, with more coming very soon, this is a brand you’ll want to seek out when the opportunity arises.
3. President’s Choice Bourbon
ABV: 60%
Average Price: $2,300
The Whiskey:
Unbeknownst to many, Old Forester President’s Choice was America’s first single-barrel bourbon. The expression, which can be traced back to 1962, originally got its name because Old Forester’s President hand-selected the barrels that went into it. Today, Old Forester President’s Choice single barrels are always bottled at full cask strength, although when it was introduced, there was also a 90.3-proof small batch version.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this whiskey is chock-full of layers with maple candy, deep caramel, and milk chocolate brownies representing the sweeter contingent as a fruity black cherry aroma pairs with sandalwood, clove, and vanilla on the other end of the spectrum.
Palate: Brownie and black cherry are most evident initially, enveloping your palate in a dark, rich sweetness. Initially, it has some heat on it, but it’s just enough to prod you and let you know it’s there. The liquid is full-bodied and silky, hanging out on the back palate with a touch of leather and mesquite barbeque sauce flavor.
Finish: The finish contains a bit of smoked black cherry to go along with the familiar taste of corner brownies and lovely oak tones.
Bottom Line:
Old Forester President’s Choice recently claimed the top spot in our “best of Old Forester” ranking, and given how iconic the brand is, it should come as no surprise to see its best offering listed here. This single-barrel expression is reliably delicious, and difficult though it may be to find, those who seek them out will be met with quite the bounty.
2. Rare Character Brook Hill
ABV: 59.82%
Average Price: $1,500
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.
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:
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. Rare Character’s ascent in the bourbon world has been a white-knuckle ride. For the greatest thrill yet, you’ll want to seek out a bottle of Brook Hill immediately.
1. Willett Family Estate Bourbon
ABV: 71.2%
Average Price: $950
The Whiskey:
Willett Family Estate, more than any other contemporary American whiskey brand, has cemented itself as the premium house for sourced, single-barrel bourbon. Thanks to the absolutely prodigious stock of well-aged barrels that the brand built its name on back in the late aughts, the Willett Family Estate amassed a cult following of fans dedicated to decyphering its cryptic barrel codes and ascertaining which distilleries produced its exceptional stock of whiskeys. Today, the brand has self-distilled bourbons up to 11 years old, but the word is that they’ve still got some of those hyper-aged sourced barrels being held back for future releases.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nosing notes are full of dunder and molasses, evocative of the nickname this one received, Trinidad Sour, with cinnamon sugar, mocha, and stewed date aromas following closely behind.
Palate: Once in the mouth, the liquid is viscous and expansive across the palate with many of the same notes from the nose, but they’re joined by crème brulée, torched orange wheel, and rich oak.
Finish: The finish is extensive and features more of that delicious interplay of vanilla custard, caramel, savory dates, and barrel char.
Bottom Line:
Because Willett, like many other brands, doesn’t disclose where each of its barrels is sourced from, there’s certainly some fun in trying the single barrel selections in their Family Estate series and guessing the distillery of origin. That, however, misses the point, as Willett’s unique maturation location contributes an outsize amount of flavor to the end products. With an established track record of excellence, you’d be better off simply sitting back and savoring what’s in your glass because these pricey pours are a must-try for every hardcore bourbon enthusiast.
