There’s a ton of Bourbon out there, folks. So many bottles line shelves that a trip to a liquor store can feel pretty overwhelming. Even pros like me struggle to navigate it and I taste a lot (and I mean a lot) of bourbons every week.

Today, to help you sort the corn from the husk, I’m blind tasting 45 bourbons released over the past 12 months to find the best bourbon EVER…among this bunch. (Sorry, that’s all any test or contest or tasting can try to pin down — the “best taste among the bottles sampled.”) But with so many bottles, this blind test needs structure. Here’s how things will go:

• There are 15 pours per round over three rounds with three categories: straight bourbons (anything average up to and including bottled in bond and wheat or four-grain bourbons), cask strength/barrel proof bourbons, and special cask finished bourbons.
• The top five from each round will move onto the “Finalist” round, creating a new 15-pour set to be tasted blind.
• From the finalists’ round, the top five will move onto the “Championship” round for a final blind tasting.
• Then, I will crown a winner. Shouts to my mother, who poured all of these and kept track of everything.

For clarity’s sake, I did choose the 45 bottles but I did not know which bottles moved forward besides their number in the blind tasting (though I had inklings of what was what after tasting some two or three times). A quick note before we dive in: I’m nosing and tasting through each dram in the first three rounds and going with what jumps out. If more than five pours do that, I’ll go back and eliminate pours until five are left by re-nosing and re-tasting (I will not be ranking these pours). In the “finalist” round, I’ll proceed in the same fashion until I’ve whittled it down to a final five (I will not be ranking these pours, either). Finally, in the last round, I’ll be working by a process of elimination by nosing and tasting over and over until a winner is picked. In that elimination run, I’ll rank the bottles.

This is the closest you can get to following a whiskey tasting event in real-time. Sound cool? Then let’s dive right in, we have a lot of whiskeys to get through!

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

• The 50 Best Bourbon Whiskeys Of 2021, Ranked
• Every Winning Bourbon From Our 2021 Taste Tests, Blind Tasted And Re-Ranked
• The 100 Best Whiskeys Our Head Drinks Writer Tasted In 2021
• We Blind Tasted A Whole Bunch Of $30-60 Bourbons To See If Any Could Beat Weller
• The Best Ten-Year-Old Bourbon Whiskeys, Tasted Blind And Ranked

ROUND ONE — STRAIGHT BOURBON

Old Tub Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond — Taste 1

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $18

The Whiskey:

The juice is a tribute to what Jim Beam was — both on the label and in the bottle — before Prohibition. Yes, Jim Beam used to be known as Old Tub Bourbon worldwide. The bourbon is standard Beam that hits an old-school flavor profile. The whiskey is bottled-in-bond at 100 proof and goes through no filtration before bottling.

Blind Tasting Notes:

This feels very classic with a nose full of cherry, honey, cornmeal, and vanilla. The palate is part caramel popcorn and part woody vanilla with a hint of spiced cherry tobacco. The end is very lush with a hint of orange and wet slate.

Bottom Line:

This is very good but not extraordinary. It felt like the perfect cocktail whiskey.

RESULT: Eliminated

Four Roses Bourbon — Taste 2

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $25

The Whiskey:

This introductory juice from Four Roses is a blend of all ten of their whiskeys. The barrels are a minimum of five years old when they’re plucked from the warehouses, blended, brought down to proof, and bottled.

Blind Tasting Notes:

This is soft and full of dried apples and flowers with a hint of fresh honey and mild winter spices. The palate stays on that path as the apple and honey marry in a pie with a hint of vanilla pod and old wood. The finish is short and sweet with notes of green applewood, mild cinnamon, light stonefruit, and more honey.

Bottom Line:

Again, this felt more like a mixer than anything else. It’s good, but not “grab-you-by-the-lapels” good.

RESULT: Eliminated

Chicken Cock Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 3

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $63

The Whiskey:

Chicken Cock has some serious bourbon history going back to 1856. It was also the bourbon of the infamous Cotton Club in Harlem during Prohibition. Fun fact, the hooch was smuggled into the club in tin cans that they cracked open tableside. The juice in this bottle is sourced from Kentucky (and not made at Bardstown Bourbon Company), but not much else is known as of now.

Blind Tasting Notes:

Tart apples and a box of Red Hots draw you in on the thin nose with a dash of vanilla. The body of this one is much bolder with buttery toffee, brown sugar, loads of dried fruit, almonds, and mulled wine spice. The vanilla turns into a moist cake as a hint of dried spicy tobacco and oak linger on the end.

Bottom Line:

Had the nose been a little brighter on this one, I think it would have landed in the next round. The flavor was great but it took a minute to get there.

RESULT: Eliminated

Heaven Hill Old Style Bourbon Aged 6 Years — Taste 4

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $18 (KY Only)

The Whiskey:

Heaven Hill’s Green Label Old Style Bourbon is always affordable and very palatable. This expression adds an extra two years (or so) of aging to the entry-level juice. Beyond that, we’re talking about a standard bourbon meant to be mixed, shot, and enjoyed without breaking the bank.

Blind Tasting Notes:

This is fairly soft on the nose with a hint of mint buried in brown sugar with a vanilla smoothness and a note of raw leather (it’s cheap but good). The palate gets a little oaky with a touch of char next to woody vanilla, apricots, and pancakes with plenty of butter and syrup. The end is bold with warming buzz and more of that vanilla.

Bottom Line:

This really felt like it was reaching for some big heights but not quite getting there. That said, I could see taking this as a shot with an ice-cold Coors Banquet or mixing it into a very simple old fashioned.

RESULT: Eliminated

New Riff Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond — Taste 5

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $34

The Whiskey:

This four-year-old whiskey is rendered from a mash bill of 65 percent corn, 30 percent rye, and five percent malted barley. That whiskey is then blended under the bottled-in-bond laws and proofed down to 100 proof before bottling in New Riff’s flashy bottles.

Blind Tasting Notes:

Freshly baked sourdough cinnamon rolls with a butter and vanilla frosting draw you in on the nose with a hint of baked apple pies drizzled in caramel sauce. The palate has a hint of mulled wine spice layered into those stewed apples with vanilla pudding, salted caramel, and old cedar rounding things out. The finish has a touch of cotton candy next to more wintry spice (especially sharp cinnamon and ginger) next to lush vanilla tobacco stuffed into a cedar box.

Bottom Line:

This was above and beyond the last four pours. It was “instant love,” if you will. I wanted to actually go back and drink this one and not just taste and spit.

RESULT: Next Round

Kentucky Owl The Wiseman Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 6

ABV: 45.4%

Average Price: $50

The Whiskey:

This new release from Kentucky Owl is meant to be an affordable and accessible Kentucky Owl from the otherwise elite brand. The juice is a blend of contract distilled whiskey from Bardstown Bourbon Company and sourced barrels from around Kentucky that are four to eight years old.

Blind Tasting Notes:

Circus peanuts and cumin with a dash of allspice greet you on the nose with toffee and pine tar. The palate has a soft raspberry vibe next to rich vanilla, cornmeal, and wet cedar. The end is all leathery and woody but a tad thin.

Bottom Line:

This starts off great but sort of peters out. That says to me that this would be a great piece to a cocktail puzzle since you can build off that nose and palate.

RESULT: Eliminated

High West American Prairie Bourbon — Taste 7

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $32

The Whiskey:

American Prairie Bourbon is quickly becoming one of the most sought-after sourced whiskeys. The whiskey in the bottle is a blend of two to 13-year-old barrels rendered from high-rye and low-rye mashes alongside undisclosed whiskeys, some of which are sourced from MGP. The release supports the American Prairie Reserve by highlighting the project and supporting it financially.

Blind Tasting Notes:

There’s a hint of funk on the nose that leads to raw leather, vanilla pudding, and buttered sweetcorn. The taste is soft and velvety with a touch of nougat next to quickbread biscuits with plenty of butter and vanilla-laced honey. The finish dries out toward vanilla pods and cedar bark with a hint of apple chips with a flake of Kosher salt.

Bottom Line:

This felt like a contender but didn’t quite stand out enough to get called up to the big leagues.

RESULT: Eliminated

Jeptha Creed Bottled-in-Bond Rye Heavy Bourbon — Taste 8

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $47

The Whiskey:

This whiskey from indy-darling Jeptha Creed is all about local corn. The mash is built with 75 percent Bloody Butcher Corn next to 20 percent malted rye and a mere five percent malted barley. That distillate spends a few years chilling in new oak before it’s batched, cut to proof, and bottled as-is.

Blind Tasting Notes:

The nose on this is both soft and bold with sharp winter spices next to an orange cream pie with singed meringue and a hint of sour berries (cranberry maybe?) that’s all accented by a big dry sweetgrass note. The palate then veers into lemongrass and ginger with green reeds next to a light touch of salted caramel drizzled over lemon pudding. The ginger and woody vanilla lead back into the dry grass as the sour berries attach to a soft and chewy tobacco leaf.

Bottom Line:

This is pretty goddamn delicious. I’m excited to see how it stacks up to some cask strength and special finishes.

RESULT: Next Round

Stellum Bourbon — Taste 9

ABV: 57.49%

Average Price: $50

The Whiskey:

This whiskey is all about the blending process that Stellum employs to make this special and award-winning juice. The juice in the bottle is a blend of whiskeys from Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Basically, the process is a sort of hybrid reverse solera technique where the blend gets more juice to keep the proof high and the blend consistent in flavor as the batch is drained off. It’s a delicate balance of mixing great whiskeys to make something better than the individual parts.

Blind Tasting Notes:

This is a bold whiskey with a nose full of Christmas cake spices — anise, clove, cinnamon, and more — next to tons of dried fruit, candy citrus, and a touch of sour apple. The palate eases up on the spice as dry vanilla pods and powdered sugar lead to a hint of dried chili flakes attached to tobacco. The end softens more toward nutmeg and honey as the vanilla attaches to the tobacco for a final slow fade.

Bottom Line:

This was fantastic. I can see this going far.

RESULT: Next Round

Note: This is a cask strength bourbon that was accidentally put in this round. I didn’t know that while tasting, eliminating, and choosing what went to the next round, and it was automatically moved into the next round before I knew what it was.

George Dickel Bourbon Whisky Aged 8 Years — Taste 10

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $35

The Whisky:

This whisky was a special release from Nicole Austin and a new direction for the brand. The whisky is the same Dickel simply pulled from barrels that leaned more into classic bourbon flavor notes instead of Dickel’s iconic Tennessee whisky notes. The barrels are a minimum of eight years old before they’re vatted. The juice is then cut down to a manageable 90-proof and bottled.

Blind Tasting Notes:

There’s a soft yet dry candy sweetness on the nose that feels very Tennessee next to dried pine, apple fritters, and cinnamon toast. The palate has more of that dry candy (almost powdery) next to nutmeg-stewed pears, orange zest, and buttery toffee. The end is grassy with a nice cherry tobacco vibe.

Bottom Line:

This would make a great cocktail bourbon with that sweetness and dryness.

RESULT: Eliminated

Weller Special Reserve — Taste 11

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $79

The Whiskey:

This is the same bourbon as Pappy. That means it’s a wheated bourbon made at Buffalo Trace in Kentucky. The difference is that this meets the Weller profile in the barrel before it’s batched and cut down with that soft Kentucky limestone water. The juice is bottled at a very approachable 90 proof.

Blind Tasting Notes:

The nose on this one is almost malty with a hint of sour apple candy next to salted caramel kettle corn. The palate leans into floral honey as a hint of butterscotch leads to vanilla tobacco and cedar. The finish is soft and full of that floral honey before hitting a spiced cherry cake with a hint of chocolate with a little bit of warmth.

Bottom Line:

This was really nice but didn’t jump out. It’s good but more of a mixer in my estimation (according to the tastes before and after it today).

RESULT: Eliminated

Russell’s Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 10 Years Old — Taste 12

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $29

The Whiskey:

Jimmy and Eddie Russell go barrel hunting in their Wild Turkey rickhouses to find this expression. The juice is a marrying of bourbons Jimmy and Eddie Russell handpick with a minimum age of ten years old. They then cut it down to a very accessible 90 proof for bottling.

Blind Tasting Notes:

This is just a straight-up classic with depth on the nose leading to rich vanilla, salted caramel, sour cherry, wintry spices, and a touch of old oak. The palate opens with orange-oil-infused marzipan covered in dark chocolate next to bolder holiday spices, moist spiced cake, and a very distant whisper of barrel smoke. The end is a lush mix of orange, vanilla, chocolate, and spice leading to an old leather pouch full of sticky maple syrup tobacco.

Bottom Line:

When I say “stand out” up in the lede, this is what I mean. This was clearly a winner from the first nose. And then the flavor profile confirmed that building to a great journey through classic bourbon notes.

RESULT: Next Round

Yellowstone Family Recipe Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 6 Years — Taste 13

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $69

The Whiskey:

This is a rare whiskey released by Steven Beam, who’s a bit of a magician working behind the curtain at Limestone Branch Distillery. The juice — which is the first non-sourced release from the brand — is an old-school recipe that has a unique flavor profile (specifically making it a throwback). The juice is aged for six years before it’s tinkered with by Beam by batching it before proofing and bottling.

Blind Tasting Notes:

The nose on this is very different with a hint of juniper next to pecans floating in maple syrup. The palate is soft and full of orange and marzipan next to high-desert scrub brush and woody huckleberries. The end sweetens considerably with a vanilla cake covered in a spiced cherry compote with a hint of chocolate and that dry juniper/desert scrub lurking in the background.

Bottom Line:

I can’t decide if I love this or hate it. I need to come back to it at a later date. Until then, it’s too funky to go on (because that “juniper” note is so high-desert that it’s nearly dry cat piss — if you spend time in the high deserts of the Pacific Northwest, you’ll know what I mean).

RESULT: Eliminated

Brough Brothers Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 14

ABV: 41%

Average Price: $24

The Whiskey:

This tiny and new distillery was founded in West Louisville by brothers Victor, Chris, and Bryson Yarbrough. The distillery is the first African-American-owned brand working in the state. For now, this bottle is contract-distilled (distilled at a big distillery based on their own recipe/concept) in Indiana from a mash bill of 75 percent corn, 21 percent rye, and four percent malted barley.

Blind Tasting Notes:

The nose on this is thin but does give you hints of dried roses, light eggnog, corn husk, and sour apple. The palate is also a tad thin with a nice orchard fruit vibe next to soft nutmeg, marzipan, and rosewater with a dash of black pepper. The end has a nice floral honey feel that leads to mild vanilla tobacco.

Bottom Line:

This was squarely in the “fine” bracket. It feels like a great whiskey to build a cocktail on.

RESULT: Eliminated

Michter’s US*1 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 15

ABV: 45.7%

Average Price: $40

The Whiskey:

Michter’s really means the phrase “small batch” here. The tank they use to marry their hand-selected eight-year-old bourbons can only hold 20 barrels, so that’s how many go into each small-batch bottling. The blended juice is then proofed with Kentucky’s famously soft limestone water and bottled.

Blind Tasting Notes:

The nose opens with a hint of ripe peach next to maple syrup, vanilla pancakes, and a hint of cotton candy. The palate leans into the vanilla cakes as the stonefruit takes on a grilled vibe next to peppery spice, fatty cream, and a touch of singed marshmallow. The finish leans into wintry spices as the stonefruit almost becomes smoked while toffee and vanilla cake counterpoint everything. The end has a nice layer of old cedar next to maple/vanilla tobacco leaves.

Bottom Line:

This was a pretty freaking good pour. It’s classic but fresh with deep flavor notes. It’s definitely a contender!

RESULT: Next Round

ROUND TWO — CASK STRENGTH/BARREL PROOF

Barrell Bourbon Batch 031 — Taste 1

ABV: 55.6%

Average Price: $89

The Whiskey:

This award-winning bourbon from Barrell Craft Spirits is emblematic of the brand’s building prowess. The juice in this bottle is fr