It’s been a hell of a year for Bourbon releases. Like… awesome. And I’ve been lucky enough to taste so, so many of these new expressions that it’s dizzying. Making me uniquely qualified to call out the absolute best bourbons of 2023 so far.

Before I dive in, a warning — this list is very expansive. There are bourbons from all over the country. That means that some of them are going to be hard to find outside of their home regions. Moreover, the first half of any bourbon year is usually reserved for specialty releases. That in turn means that the huge-name releases like Buffalo Trace’s Antique Collection or the Pappy Van Winkle line and the like aren’t out this yet (they save those iconic expressions for the holiday rush). Still, there were so many new and great-tasting bourbons that I actually had to cut a few to keep it at 100.

In short, it’s a hell of a time to be alive if you love bourbon, folks. So dive into our ranking, featuring expressions from all your favorite distillers, some superb small batch bourbons, special barrel finishes, limited editions, bottled in bonds, single barrel bourbons, barrel picks, and plenty of local craft bottles.

Let’s dive right on in!

• The 100 Best Bourbon Whiskeys From Kentucky, Ranked
• The 100 Best Bourbon Whiskeys Of 2022, Ranked
• The Absolute Best Bottle Of Whiskey From Each Of The 50 States
• Our Head Drinks Critic Reveals The Expensive Bourbons He *Won’t* Pay Above Retail For
• The Absolute Best Bourbons Between $50-$60, Ranked

100. Square 6 High-Rye Bourbon Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 47.5%

Average Price: $89

The Whiskey:

This exclusive line from Evan Williams and Heaven Hill is a true craft bourbon experience from a huge distiller. The Whiskey in the bottle was distilled and aged at the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience on Whiskey Row in Louisville, Kentucky. The mash bill for this one is very high rye with 52% corn, 35% rye, and 13% malted barley. The whiskey then ages for just north of five years on Whiskey Row before it’s batched in extremely small batches and bottled with a touch of that local Kentucky limestone water.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Black-tea-soaked dates, old figs dipped in pine-y honey, and rich (almost wet) pipe tobacco drives the nose with hints of old winter spices that lean sharp and woody.

Palate: Those spices really amp up on the palate with cinnamon sticks, clove buds, and allspice berries leading to a soft eggnog nutmeg creaminess with a hint of vanilla pods and dry cacao nibs.

Finish: The dryness of the vanilla and winter spices take over the finish as the sip fades, leaving you with powdery cinnamon, dark chocolate, and vanilla with a whisper of apple chips/bark in there too.

Bottom Line:

This is a really solid entry in the Square 6 line with serious depth. While this is a distillery exclusive, it’s worth tracking down, especially if you’re looking to bring something cool back from your trip to Kentucky bourbon country this year.

99. Breckenridge Bourbon Whiskey, A Blend Reserve Blend by Flaviar Members “Dad’s Stash”

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $42

The Whiskey:

Colorado’s Breckenridge is hitting a sweet spot as a craft distiller (that’s code for their juice coming of age very nicely). This expression is a special release for Father’s Day/June that the members of Flaviar helped decide via blind-tasting samples sent out (already blended and proofed). The consensus sample was bottled with a little proofing from Breckenridge’s standard bourbon.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This is buttery in all the right ways with plenty of your grandma’s butterscotch candies and salted caramel driving the nose toward peach and apricot (both fresh) and a hint of lychee dipped in dark chocolate.

Palate: There’s almost a rumminess to the taste with dark molasses vibes before the winter spice barks and vanilla pods kick in with a dried orange note.

Finish: The end circles back to the butteriness with a vanilla buttercream aura next to eggnog spiciness and creaminess with a nice sense of orange-infused marzipan covered in salted dark chocolate with a hint of milkiness.

Bottom Line:

This is a sweet bourbon. It works but if you’re looking for something dry or wood-forward, this is not the droid you’re looking for. On the other hand, if you have a sweet tooth, this 100% is going to be your jam.

98. Union Horse Distilling Co. Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey Small Batch

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $24

The Whiskey:

This Kansas whiskey is a neo-classic sour mash recipe of just corn and rye (no barley). The whiskey is distilled on copper pot stills before aging for over five years in Kansas’ rolling green hills and harsh winters. The final batch is touched with local water before bottling.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Hint of butterscotch and old oak pop on the nose with a dash of maple syrup and vanilla-forward pancakes with margarine (it weirdly works).

Palate: There’s a light nuttiness on the palate that’s akin to peanut shells that turn into a buttery peanut brittle on the palate before vanilla and cinnamon hot chocolate pop up.

Finish: That butterscotch comes back in full force on the end with more peanut and maybe some walnut shell with a hint of milk chocolate powder and vanilla pudding cups.

Bottom Line:

This feels very small but distinct. It simply gets the job done while delivering a nut-forward bourbon experience that’s very unique. Basically, if you’re in Kansas, you need to give this a try.

97. Wyoming Whiskey Wilderness Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 42%

Average Price:

The Whiskey:

This limited-edition whiskey from Wyoming Whiskey is a continuation of that brand’s work with Yellowstone Forever (the official nonprofit partner of Yellowstone National Park). The whiskey in the bottles is Wyoming Whiskey’s classic wheated bourbon (68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley — all local and non-GMO) that’s cut down with local limestone water from the warm spring-rich area (the water they use is actually from an aquifer that hasn’t seen light in 6,000 years, which is admittedly cool).

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Rich salted caramel is accented by brioche with a sense of marmalade and salted butter on the nose.

Palate: That orange goes full creamsicle on the palate with rich and buttery vanilla next to mild notes of winter spice, candied orange peels, and red candied almonds.

Finish: The orange creamsicle really drives the finish as the almond turns into light marzipan with a dash of pear brandy and wild sagebrush rounding the end out.

Bottom Line:

This one is available in Yellowstone National Park and is used at the lodges as their house pour and cocktail base (again, that’s cool). Moreover, Wyoming Whiskey donates $5 from every bottle sold to Yellowstone Forever to help protect the park. That makes this the only whiskey you should be drinking if you’re visiting the park this year.

96. Mystic Farm & Distillery Broken Oak Small Batch Bourbon

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $149

The Whiskey:

This is a small and very local craft whiskey from North Carolina. The whiskey was “double oaked” due to broken barrels. That means that the original barrels had catastrophic leaks and the whiskey had to be transferred to new oak barrels for the rest of their maturation period.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a light sense of nutty spice cakes on the nose with a vanilla bean foundation with hints of dark cherry, burnt orange, and dried apple.

Palate: That sweet spice cake drives the palate with a hint of rum raisin and dark fruit leather rolled with butterscotch pudding and light orchard bark.

Finish: The end stays spicy and sweet as a hint of nuttiness and more dark fruit leather round things out.

Bottom Line:

This is just nice. It’s such an easy-going bourbon experience. It won’t challenge you but it will satisfy you.

95. Woody Creek Distillers Colorado Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $56

The Whiskey:

This Colorado craft distillery is all about that Rocky Mountain vibe. The whiskey is made from a 70% corn mash with a touch of local rye and malted barley mixed with Rocky Mountain spring water. The whiskey is aged for at least four years in deeply charred new oak before batching, proofing, and bottling.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a clear sense of crafty bourbon (light sweet grains) on the nose with a soft sense of winter spice, old caramel candies, and a hint of orange honey.

Palate: The taste leans into the peppery spice with an apple/pear vibe next to red fruit, vanilla beans, and caramelized grains.

Finish: The end is short and slightly spicy with an apple/pear pie filling vibe next to wet biscuit dough.

Bottom Line:

This is a nice crafty from Colorado and worth seeking out when you’re in the Rocky Mountain State.

94. Old Louisville Whiskey Co. Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 57%

Average Price: $180

The Whiskey:

This is from a brand new (opened in August 2022) blending and bottling house in Louisville, Kentucky. The whiskey in the bottle is a small-batch blend of seven to 10-year-old rye mash bourbon from MGP of Indiana. Those barrels are married and bottled with no proofing or filtering.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with a classic sense of bourbon vanilla and caramel with a hint of sour cherry and pancake batter next to a whisper of leather and old marshmallow.

Palate: The palate has a sense of apple wood followed by black peppercorns, vanilla sauce, marzipan, and black cherries.

Finish: It finishes a little warm with a hint of winter spice and more of that cherry wrapped up in tobacco.

Bottom Line:

This is just good. If you’re traveling Kentucky’s bourbon trail and looking for some truly great work in the blending/bottling sphere, track this down.

93. World Whiskey Society Class Collection Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished In Port Cask Aged 10 Years

ABV: 51%

Average Price: $164

The Whiskey:

This whiskey is distilled in Oklahoma but bottled in Georgia. The whiskey in the bottle is made from a mash bill (recipe) of 51% corn, 45% wheat, and 4% malted barley. That hot juice was then aged for almost a decade before going into a huge port cask for a final rest.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a sense of grape soda and orange zest on the nose with a hint of crafty bourbon grains, dry grass, and old oak.

Palate: The palate sort of leans into red fruit and dry grass with a light sense of orange and vanilla.

Finish: The end is short and has a touch of vanilla cake and holiday spice.

Bottom Line:

This mysterious Oklahoma whiskey (by way of Georgia) lit up the award scene over spring. Moreover, the juice in the bottle is pretty damn tasty. It’ll be interesting to see what happens next.

92. Jefferson’s Marian McLain Blend Of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys

ABV: 51%

Average Price: $299

The Whiskey:

This whiskey pays tribute to Jefferson’s founder Trey Zoeller’s grandmother — Marian McLain — who was an 8th-generation moonshiner and bootlegger back in the day (she’s one of the earliest documented women in American whiskey to boot). The whiskey Zoeller made to honor McLain is a blend of five whiskeys. 40% of the blend is an 11-year-old Kentucky bourbon, 21% is a 14-year-old Tennessee bourbon, 17% is a rum-cask finished bourbon, 14% is a wheated double-barreled bourbon, and 8% is an eight-year-old Kentucky bourbon.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with a mix of old whiskey barrels wrapped in worn saddle leather with a sweet and creamy sense of honeyed oatmeal, vanilla, and old cinnamon sticks dipped in hot apple cider.

Palate: The palate is fruity with a sense of mango chutney and rum raisin next to dark chocolate-covered espresso beans, salted toffee, and banana bread inside of a cedar box with a twinge of smoldering wild sage.

Finish: The end is lush and full of dark holiday cakes brimming with soft spices, roasted nuts, and dark dried fruits next to more of that creamy honey and silken vanilla.

Bottom Line:

This is an excellent Jefferson’s release. It’s deep and refreshing while delivering a great profile.

91. RD One Spirits Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished With Brazilian Amburana Wood

ABV: 55%

Average Price: $79

The Whiskey:

RD One is the new version of the Old Wm. Tarr whiskey lines out of Lexington, Kentucky. The whiskey in this bottle is four-year-old bourbon that was finished in Brazilian Amburana casks — which is a huge thing right now. That wood previously held cachaça down in Brazil before coming up to Kentucky and then filled with bourbon. Those barrels are batched and barely touched with water before bottling.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Huge notes of cinnamon-laced apple cider mixes with raw sugar syrup just kissed with stewed peaches, dry apricot, and a hint of oolong tea matcha balls on the nose.

Palate: The palate is lush and silky with a sense of spiced winter cakes stuffed with dried dates, prunes, and sultanas next to candied ginger and black tea-soaked blackberry hand pies with this whisper of white pepper and mocha lattes in the background.

Finish: The end stays super lush on the mouthfeel as that pepper mellows toward allspice and clove with a sweet cedar vibe attached to a creamy nuttiness that’s almost Nutella.

Bottom Line:

This is a solid example of the beautiful work Amburana wood can do with bourbon. It’s funky and fresh and worth checking out if you’re looking for something a little different.

90. Hotel Tango Reserve Bourbon American Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $75

The Whiskey:

This Indiana bourbon is from a veteran-owned brand. The whiskey in the bottle is a blend of 34% five-year-old Indiana bourbon with a very high-corn mash bill (99% corn and 1% malted barley) with 66% six-year-old Ohio wheated bourbon (75% corn, 15% wheat, and 10% malted barley). That blend is proofed and then bottled.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with salted caramel and buttercream with a hint of soft and wet brown sugar next to old boot leather and hints of stewed peach.

Palate: That stewed peach really pops on the palate with plenty of fall spices, more vanilla buttercream, and rich salted caramel next to a dash of old oak and more of that leatheriness.

Finish: The oak takes on a rich and sharp spiciness on the end with a dry sense of vanilla pods and peach pits with a hint of dried apricot.

Bottom Line:

This is another whiskey that’s just nicely balanced. It also supports veterans, which is a crucial part of this brand’s ethos and worth supporting too.

89. Watershed Distillery Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond Aged 4 Years

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $59

The Whiskey:

This whiskey is from a very local craft distiller in Ohio. The bourbon in the bottle is the distillery’s bespoke bourbon that’s been left alone for over four years before batching, proofing, and bottling.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Red apple skins and cinnamon sticks drive the nose toward salted butter creamed with brown sugar and allspice with a mild note of sweet and toasted oak that almost has a singed marshmallow vibe.

Palate: Chicory coffee grounds and black cherry ice cream pop on the palate as salted caramel, rich vanilla cake, and soft winter spice balance everything out.

Finish: That winter spice goes woody on the end with a dry vibe before soft vanilla creaminess smoothes everything out.

Bottom Line:

This is fruity and smooth with a nice sense of classic bourbon notes. This is definitely a distillery to keep an eye on going forward.

88. Blackwood Toasted Bourbon Batch #3

ABV: 59.3%

Average Price: $149

The Whiskey:

This new brand has Kentucky Derby history running deep. Guinness McFadden co-founded the brand with the partners behind Justins’ House Of Bourbon. McFadden also happens to be the co-owner of 2019 Kentucky Derby winner Country House and built this whiskey around his stables in eastern Kentucky. The juice in the bottle is local bourbon with a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. After a good spell of resting, the whiskey is re-barrelled in a fresh toasted oak barrel for a final maturation before bottling as-is straight from the barrel.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose draws you in with a deep sense of fresh vanilla pods and rich salted caramel with a sense of old wicker lawn furniture on a sunny day, soft pipe tobacco kissed with cherry, and a light sense of mincemeat pies and toffee dipped in dark chocolate.

Palate: Pecan and maple drive the taste towards a rush of Kentucky hug warmth, dry cedar, and old glove leather with a hint of dried mint and maybe some chocolate-covered espresso beans cut with vanilla and clove.

Finish: The spices take on a woodiness and blend with dry cedar bark, old vanilla pods, and chewy pipe tobacco with a dash of salted caramel butteriness and pecan waffle comfort.

Bottom Line:

This is a great example of toasted bourbon. It’s easy-drinking and serves as a great everyday sipper/cocktail base.

87. Freeland Spirits Cask Strength Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished In Pinot Noir Casks (S1B55)

ABV: 57.67%

Average Price: $56

The Whiskey:

This single barrel pick from ReserveBar is a great entry point for the Portland, Oregon-based Freeland. The whiskey in the bottle is made from a five-year-old bourbon made from a mash of 70% corn, 20% rye, and 10% malted barley. That whiskey was then loaded into an Elk Cove Pinot Noir barrel for a final one-year-long rest before bottling completely as-is.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Leathery red fruit and old vanilla cake with a hint of caramel and dry cranberry mingle with a nice mellow touch of eggnog spices and burnt orange that feels dry.

Palate: There’s a clear cherry pie vibe that leads to a hint of dank red berry and oak cellars with a dry leatheriness tied to the dark fruit and vanilla with a soft sense of dry sweetgrass in the far background.

Finish: The end starts off red and lush and then dives into a cherry apple pie vibe with a dry woody spiced edge.

Bottom Line:

This is an excellent barrel pick and really shines a light on the prowess of this new Portland distillery.

86. O.H. Ingram River Aged Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 52.5%

Average Price: $69

The Whiskey:

This whiskey is all about aging/finishing. The whiskey in the bottle is a sourced wheated bourbon that’s aged on a first-of-its-kind floating barrelhouse on the Mississippi River in Ballard County, Kentucky. Those barrels spend years with the river gently rocking them before batching and bottling.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose is like walking through an orchard full of fresh apples and cherries next to a flutter of wildflowers, old oak spices, and soft creamed honey.

Palate: That spicy oakiness drives the palate toward orange-infused marzipan with a hint of spiced apple cider, tart cherry, and soft vanilla oils.

Finish: That vanilla creates a lush finish full of salted toffee syrup, more marzipan, and a hint of cinnamon candy.

Bottom Line:

This is a great table whiskey. It’s easygoing and serves any purpose you need a bourbon for.

85. Square 6 Wheated Bourbon Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 52.5%

Average Price: $89

The Whiskey:

This new whiskey from Heaven Hill’s Artisanal Distiller Jodie Filiatreau and Evan Williams is all about that wheat. The whiskey in the bottle is a blend of two “artisanal” bourbons made at the Evan Williams Experience in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. The first mash is a 74% corn, 16% wheat, and 10% malted barley recipe while the rest is a 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley mash. Those whiskeys are blended and bottled as-is otherwise at nearly cask strength.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This bursts forth on the nose with a deep salted caramel sweetness next to rich and oily vanilla, bright yet almost tart cherry, and a sense of dried figs and dates with a hint of orchard woods.

Palate: The palate leans into the caramel with a touch of coffee cake loaded with raisins, walnuts, and raw sugar with plenty of winter spices and a load of buttery goodness.

Finish: The nuttiness veers into marzipan on the finish as those spices take on a grassiness (hello, wheat) with a nice layer of Cherry Coke on the very end.

Bottom Line:

This is just good whiskey. It’s nutty and sweet in all the right ways and balanced with the right amount of warming spice. I’d say track down a bottle and save it for mixing up Manhattans this winter.

84. Castle & Key Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 2023 Batch 1

ABV: 49%

Average Price: $50

The Whiskey:

Castle & Key Distillery is the renovated Old Taylor Distillery outside of Frankfort, Kentucky. This distillery has spent years contract distilling for other brands, until this year when they released their first batch of this expression in April. The juice is a mash of 73% white corn, 17% malted barley, and a scant 10% rye. After four years, 80 or so barrels are chosen for this small-batch expression and proofed down with local water.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This opens with a sense of unbaked sourdough cinnamon rolls next to Graham Crackers dipped in vanilla-creamed honey served with a warm can of peach soda.

Palate: The palate leans into the fruitiness with a pink taffy vibe that’s countered by slight pepperiness, a touch of “woody,” and more of that creamy honey laced with vanilla.

Finish: The fruity take on a savory essence — think cantaloupe — on the mid-palate before circling back to the pepperiness with a bit of woody spice on the short end.

Bottom Line:

Castle & Key are refining by leaps and bounds with each new batch and this year’s is a prime example of that. This is good bourbon, folks.

83. Traverse City Whiskey Co. Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Seasoned Sherry Casks

ABV: 47.5%

Average Price: $59

The Whiskey:

This is classic award-winning Traverse City high-rye bourbon that’s re-barrelled in sherry casks for a final rest. Those sherry casks were then blended, proofed with local Michigan water, and bottled.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose is lighter but leans into rum raisin and caramel with a hint of Cherry Dr. Pepper and cinnamon toast.

Palate: There’s a good amount of cinnamon and vanilla on the palate with a touch of walnut bread with plenty of butteriness, clove, and anise.

Finish: The end hints at apple cinnamon tobacco and vanilla beans but ends very lightly.

Bottom Line:

This is a great example of sherry finished bourbon. If you’re up in Michigan, definitely snag a bottle or two.

82. 291 Bad Guy Colorado Bourbon Whiskey Aspen Stave Finished

ABV: 57.8%

Average Price: $109

The Whiskey:

This Colorado whiskey is made from a mix of local corn, malted wheat, malted rye, and beech-smoked malted barley. As per 291’s classic aging methods, the whiskey is aged for about two years with aspen wood staves in the barrel to accelerate the aging process. Finally, this is batched and bottled as-is.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a whole fruit basket of fruitiness with stone fruit really shining through — think apricots and peaches — next to old tart apples, cinnamon sticks, toffees dusted with crushed almonds, and a murmur of chamomile tea.

Palate: The palate has a dry crafty graininess that’s akin to oatmeal cookie dough wrapped in corn husks with a hint of nuttiness, brown sugar, cinnamon, and something slightly floral but woody.

Finish: The end brings the apricot back as a spicy jam with a little vanilla creaminess and tannic florals.

Bottom Line:

This is a delicious but very bold bourbon. That boldness plays well with the profile and delivers a must-have bourbon the next time you’re in Colorado.

81. Rieger’s Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $59

The Whiskey:

This small craft whiskey is made with a mash of 56% corn, 30% rye, and 14% malted barley. The whiskey was left to age for six years before batching, proofing, and bottling.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose is old and leathery with a good layer of salted caramel over pecan waffles with buttercream and cinnamon syrup next to a hint of black peppercorn and woody orchards.

Palate: Maple syrup attaches to the pecan waffles with a sense of Christmas nut cake, dried cranberry, and vanilla cream with a touch of winter spice barks and burnt orange.

Finish: The end has a classic warmth derived from spiced wood notes next to a hint of winter cake tobacco with plenty of dark and spicy syrup and buttery caramel.

Bottom Line:

This is an extremely well-balanced pour of whiskey that serves as a solid cocktail base and easy-going everyday sipper (over some ice).

80. Penelope Straight Bourbon Whiskey Double Cask Finish Rio

ABV: 49%

Average Price: $99

The Whiskey:

This is damn near a classic now. This year’s Rio is still Penelope’s batch of four-grain bourbon (the blends of barrels work out to 74% corn, 14% wheat, 9% rye, and 3% malted barley). The ripple is that once batched the whiskey is re-barrelled into American honey and Brazilian Amburana oak casks. Those casks are then batched, proofed, and bottled.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The honey is super creamy on the nose with a hint of pine forest next to hot cinnamon sticky buns with melting buttercream frosting and plenty of winter spice next to a hint of pecan.

Palate: The spiced rolls drive the palate toward a darker gingerbread with fresh and orange-infused honey adding a sharp contrast before the barkier elements of the spices and nuts roll back in.

Finish: The end leans into almost savory figs and date leather with a sense of winter spice barks, burnt orange rinds, and singed vanilla pods next to a hint of marzipan tobacco and soft fresh honeycomb.

Bottom Line:

This is light and airy while delivering a great, unique profile that feels very “summer.”

79. Swilled Dog Spirits Straight Bourbon Whiskey Barrel Strength

ABV: 58.5%

Average Price: $54

The Whiskey:

First off, this has a great name and reimagined logo (these are the new bottles for 2023). Secondly, the whiskey is made from a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley so we know this is MGP distillate, and that usually means high-quality booze.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Leather and spiced cherry drive the nose toward meaty dates and wet brown sugar with a very classic bourbon vibe.

Palate: That brown sugar turns a little molasses-y on the palate as vanilla cream pie drizzled in toffee leans toward spiced milk chocolate powder and a hint of hazelnut cream.

Finish: That creaminess drives the finish toward leathery dried fruits and dates next to a cherry/vanilla/spiced tobacco buzzing warmth.

Bottom Line:

This is another very easy-going and classic bourbon that just delivers. You can’t go wrong grabbing one of these.

78. 1845 Distilling Company Preemption Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $72

The Whiskey:

This is a Texas grain-to-glass craft bourbon made with local corn, Elbon rye, and malted barley. The whiskey ages for over three years before batching and proofing.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Cherry Coke cut with vanilla dances with a sense of salted caramel over oatmeal cookies with light dashes of old oak and floral honey.

Palate: The palate leans into orange tea steeped with cinnamon next to dark chocolate over orange cake with a light sense of soft oak and light tobacco leather.

Finish: Nasturtiums and cinnamon drive the finish back toward old oak and orange tea as a light sense of winter spice keeps things warm.

Bottom Line:

This is another big award winner this year. It’s a very local Texas bourbon that’ll surely only gain more momentum as their bourbon ages.

77. Bradshaw Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey