Bourbon Heritage Month is coming to a close. There’s been festivals, parties, and about a gazillion bottle releases across Bourbon country. That means that over the next month(s) you’re going to see a lot of new bottles of bourbon hitting the shelves at your local haunts. I’m going to help you sift through it all with yet another blind taste test of new bourbon whiskeys.

The whiskeys below are all new — either brand-new releases released within days or weeks of today or new batches released recently. I purposefully chose a wide array of options from cask strength ABV bombs to special sherry cask-finished masterpieces to single barrel selections to classic bottled-in-bond sippers to funky one-offs. Theoretically, there’s something for everyone.

Our lineup today features the following new bourbon whiskeys:

• Uncle Chicken’s Bourbon Sippin’ Whiskey
• 291 “E” Colorado Wheated Bourbon Whiskey Finished with Aspen Wood Staves Batch #12
• Lux Row Four Grain Mash Bill Double Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Bardstown Bourbon Company Collaborative Series Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout Barrels
• Hardin’s Creek “Boston” Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• McTavish Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon Whiskey
• Lost Lantern Single Cask Series New Riff Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• 15 STARS Fine Aged Spirits Sherry Cask Finished A Select Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys Finished in Sherry Casks Aged 10 Years
• Still Austin Bottled In Bond High Rye Bourbon Whiskey
• Kentucky Owl Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Limited Edition “Maighstir Edition”
• Saint Cloud Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Single Barrel “Candy Corn”
• Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select Tennessee Whiskey Topflight Series by ReserveBar
• Lost Lantern Single Cask Series Smooth Ambler West Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Clyde May’s Special Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Jefferson’s Finished in Singapore Tropics “Aged in Humidity” Fully Matured Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Woodinville Ginja Cask Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Portuguese Ginjinha Casks
• Copper & Kings Bourbon A Blend of Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskeys Finished in American Apple Brandy Barrels
• Hudson Whiskey NY Official Bourbon of the Mets New York Straight Bourbon Whiskey

After tasting through all of these blindly, I went ahead and ranked them based on overall taste, depth, and balance. And let me tell you, it wasn’t easy. There are some seriously stellar bourbons on this panel. Still, a few did transcend being just “good” and reached toward greatness. Let’s dive in!

• The 100 Best Bourbon Whiskeys From Kentucky, Ranked
• The Absolute Best Bottle Of Whiskey From Each Of The 50 States
• The ‘Smoothest’ Bourbons On The Market, Blind Tasted And Ranked
• The ‘Smoothest’ Bourbons Under $100, Blind Tasted And Ranked
• The 100 Best Bourbons Under $100 Right Now, Ranked

Part 1 — The Bourbon Blind Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Rich butterscotch and soft vanilla sheet cake (with a hint of sugary sparkles) drive the nose toward a hint of baking spice and maybe some soft black pepper.

Palate: That black pepper pops on the palate with a sense of old oak wrapped in mild tobacco and accented with almonds and more butterscotch.

Finish: The butterscotch goes full caramel on the soft finish with a roasted almond vibe and some more of that oaky tobacco.

Initial Thoughts:

This was … nice. There’s nothing wrong here and it feels like an average bourbon through and through.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This opens with a very craft nose of Graham Cracker dipped in honey and rolled in cinnamon before hitting a hint of bubble gum and Hot Tamales.

Palate: The palate is hot with a clear sense of sharp cinnamon and sweet grits next to dark wood, old leather, and blood orange rinds.

Finish: The end really leans into the cinnamon heat with a hint of sweet honey underneath before diving deep into dark chocolate, cherry, and winter spice with dried fruits and rock candy.

Initial Thoughts:

This is very hot whiskey. There’s a lot going on but it’s very hard to find without water or ice.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Dark winter spices, old boot leather, and cigar humidors greet you on the nose with a sense of old vanilla pods, dark stone fruit, and a fleeting sense of freshly ground black peppercorns.

Palate: That spiciness translates to rich and creamy cinnamon frosting on the palate as vanilla sheet cake with caramel drives the sweet taste toward warming apple cider spices and nutty candy.

Finish: The cinnamon is joined by clove and allspice on the warming finish as a hint of cedar and tobacco round things out.

Initial Thoughts:

This is pretty nice too. It’s not a “wow” pour but it 100% is a “well, that’s good”.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

Nose: A moment of honey draws you in on the nose before veering toward rich and very dark chocolate with a deeply stewed cherry cut with oily vanilla, mulled wine spices, and pear brandy-soaked marzipan with a hint of candied orange zest, dry espresso beans, and moist tobacco leaves.

Palate: There’s a moment of malted chocolate shakes on the taste that leads to a rich spiced Christmas cake brimming with walnuts, sultanas, candied cherry, candied lemon rinds, and leathery dates that lead to moments of creamy and very boozy eggnog poured over a Black Forest Cake.

Finish: The Christmas spices, fruit cake, dried fruit, and eggnog all combine on the finish to create a rich and sumptuous finish full of luscious textures and just the right amount of spiced whiskey warmth.

Initial Thoughts:

This is very stout-y throughout and it really works wonders with the rich bourbon. There was a lot of chocolate by the end though. That’s not a knock, per se.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with a classic medley of wet brown sugar cut with rich vanilla buttercream, cinnamon bark, and dark cherry cola just kissed with dark chocolate and salt.

Palate: The taste leans nutty (more almond shell than marzipan) with a deep sense of salted dark chocolate-covered espresso beans next to sticky toffee pudding, salted caramel sauce cut with orange zest, and a hint of coffee cake dipped in black tea with a fleeting sense of old rickhouses floors and dry tobacco.

Finish: That dry tobacco and earthiness amp up the finish as the spice barks sharpen toward a warming finish full of Kentucky hugs, vanilla beans, and soft spiced brandied cherries dipped in dark chocolate.

Initial Thoughts:

This is another that’s good, folks. Again, it’s not like an “Oh, my god!” pour but it gets the job done. I don’t know what else to say.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Caramel chocolate candies and vanilla cake with sprinkles drive the nose toward cinnamon and clove heavy nutcake, eggnog, and a soft layer of burnt orange zest.

Palate: The vanilla creates a lush buttercream on the palate as dark Black Forest Cake with spicy stewed cherry and very dark chocolate leads to more nutmeg and cinnamon with a fleeting sense of pipe tobacco and smoldering marshmallow.

Finish: The end leans into old oak and a light sense of fall orchard leaves, more stewed cherry, and creamy vanilla with a line of spiced winter bark warmth.

Initial Thoughts:

This has a very balanced all-around bourbon vibe. It was a tad lighter than some of the other pours, so it feels like this might make a good cocktail base to build on.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This opens with a deep burnt caramel sweetness that gives way to five-spice powder over fatty smoked pork next to dark cherry cola and rich and clear tobacco.

Palate: That tobacco is fresh and vibrant on the palate as the fatty smoked pork drives the taste toward rich dark chocolate sauce, winter spice medleys, and campfire toasted marshmallows.

Finish: Mulled wine and apple cider spices drive the finish to some wet brown sugar, more dark cherry cola, and a hint of buttermilk biscuit with marmalade just kissed with that five-spice powder.

Initial Thoughts:

This is wildly unique and goddamn delicious.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Plums, dates, and figs come through on the nose with deep marzipan cut with pear brandy and dipped in salted dark chocolate next to eggnog spices and creaminess with a good dose of Christmas nut cakes.

Palate: The eggnog lusciousness leads the palate toward soft vanilla cookies, salted caramel chews, and a hint of spiced plum jam next to buttermilk waffles studded with pecans before old cellar oak adds an earthen layer.

Finish: The sweetness of the leathery dried fruits drives the finish toward winter spice barks and berries with a sense of old pipe tobacco braided with smudging sage and a whisper of dried mint next to cedar and fall leaves.

Initial Thoughts:

This is a “WOW” whiskey. Holy shit, I want more of this ASAP.

Taste 9

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Cloved-studded oranges mingle with figs, dark chocolate, and dried cranberry on the nose while a hint of rye bread and salted butter provide a foundation.

Palate: Marmalade and scones drive the palate toward marzipan, coffee cake, and pistachio ice cream with a hint of fresh blueberry bushels.

Finish: The dark chocolate and cherry meld on the finish with a dusting of winter spices next to more marmalade and figgy tobacco leaves.

Initial Thoughts:

This is good but… almost too arresting.

Taste 10

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Rich vanilla buttercream and salted caramel lead on the nose with layers of spiced apple cider, rich plum jam, and a touch of old cellar beams with fall orchard barks.

Palate: Mincemeat pies and holiday spice cookies lead on the palate with a sense of creamy vanilla eggnog, old leather tobacco pouches, and a nutty chocolate vibe.

Finish: The spice attaches to the tobacco and nutty chocolate on the finish with a sense of vanilla cream cut with orange oils and honey … and this fleeting whisper of fresh white flowers (and maybe some Earl Grey?).

Initial Thoughts:

This kind of keeps going and going on the finish. That’s a good thing, but I don’t think I got the full breadth of this one in one glass on this blind-tasting panel. There’s more here.

Taste 11

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Rich and creamy vanilla leads on the nose with a soft caramel candied vibe next to sharp winter spices, dried fruits, and fresh apple fritters with a cinnamon glaze next to some notes of leathery apricot and a touch of marzipan dipped in dark chocolate.

Palate: The nose leaps from that dark and nutty chocolate towards braids of cedar bark intertwined with fresh tobacco and smudging sage before molasses and more of that dried apricot make another appearance.

Finish: Grilled buttermilk biscuits arrive on the finish with a sense of salted chocolate sauce binds with apricot jam, loads of winter spice barks, and a sense of smoldering tobacco, cedar, and sage.

Initial Thoughts:

This is great whiskey.

Taste 12

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Bright fruit notes — cherry, apple/pear, peach, banana, mango — pop on the nose with a clear sense of toasted oak, dark cherry jam, apple tobacco, and a hint of molasses.

Palate: That oak is the underpinning for notes of caramel corn, mild winter spice barks, and plenty of oily vanilla beans that are all countered by a soft cherry soda with a whisper of clove.

Finish: The sweet banana fruit is there on the end and marries well to a peppery spice, cherry gum, and mulled wine that amps up as the end draws near with plenty of that toasted wood lingering the longest.

Initial Thoughts:

This was a ray of sunshine on a dark and murky bourbon panel. I really enjoyed this one.

Taste 13

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with backyards on a summer day next to dark chocolate oranges, vanilla sheet cake, and plenty of wintery spice cakes with hints of peach crumble covered in melting malted vanilla ice cream.

Palate: Rich toffee rolled in almond and covered in dark chocolate drives the taste toward pound cake cut with orange oils and poppy seeds, butterscotch candies, and grassy tobacco rolled with fresh roasting herbs.

Finish: The end leans into that summer backyard hard with a nice layer of spiced woody heat, soft vanilla eggnog creaminess, and mellow leathery tobacco cut with bright fruits.

Initial Thoughts:

This was dynamic and tasty … and felt very classic.

Taste 14

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose feels like a standard bourbon with caramelized orange, vanilla cream, old oak, and a nice sense of winter spice barks.

Palate: Clove and allspice lead the way on the taste with a sense of mulled wine and apple cider next to vanilla pound cake and touches of cherry.

Finish: The end is light but delivers a classic bourbon medley of caramel, oak, vanilla, and dark fruit with a spiced edge.

Initial Thoughts:

This is good standard bourbon from top to bottom.

Taste 15

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose on this one is brimming with winter spice cakes, eggnog spices, cinnamon toast, clove-studded oranges, and nutcakes full of dried and candied fruit…and plenty of winter spice.

Palate: That spice remains on the palate but is supported by fresh and ripe cherries, rich and butter toffee, and just the right balance of sea salt with a fleeting whisper of almost umami-baked wood (driftwood maybe?).

Finish: The end leans into the spice barks as the orange and cherry dry out and take on a touch of caramelization with hints of rock candy tobacco rolled into a fresh cedar humidor.

Initial Thoughts:

This is a very spice-forward pour and it kind of slaps.

Taste 16

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a clear sense of sweet grits cut with molasses, honey, and salted butter that gives way to blackberries soaked in rum on the nose with a light sense of spiced cookies.

Palate: The sweet porridge continues on the palate as dark cherry jam mingles with spiced winter cakes, fallow orchards, fall leaves, and a light moment of soft woody cherry bark that’s just smoldering.

Finish: A touch of cinnamon bark drives the finish toward more of that smoldering cherry wood, mulled wine, and soft notes of blackberry pie covered in malted vanilla cream sauce.

Initial Thoughts:

This is fruity and grainy and I like it, but I think I need more time to really get into the deeper layers here.

Taste 17

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Cranberry sauce and caramel candies drive the nose toward old tobacco rolled up with cedar and sage and packed into an old cedar box next to hints of fall leaves and fallow apple orchards.

Palate: The palate opens with a lush and leathery dried apricot next to a moment of grapefruit pith, more cranberry sauce, and plenty of winter spice before honey and chocolate arrive with a dark cherry fruit leatheriness.

Finish: Toffee-dipped tart apples lead to warm and spiced apple cider on the finish with a nice sense of dark chocolate-covered caramels and soft vanilla cream.

Initial Thoughts:

Oh shit! This is delicious whiskey. The depth and beauty of the profile are wonderful.

Taste 18

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Standard notes of vanilla cream, old oak, winter spice, and cherry fruit drive the nose with a nice balance overall.

Palate: Hints of sweet grits, peach pie, and vanilla ice cream present on the palate with a hint of spice barks and old leather.

Finish: The end is warm and long with a nice creamy vanilla, soft spice, and dark cherry tobacco.

Initial Thoughts:

This is good regular ol’ bourbon. Nothing wrong with that. But… there’s nothing exciting about that either.

Part 2 — The Bourbon Ranking

18. Hudson Whiskey NY Official Bourbon of the Mets New York Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 18

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $47

The Whiskey:

This whiskey from the Hudson Valley is about New York grain-to-glass with a deep love for the Mets. The whiskey in the bottles is made with a 95% corn mash bill (supported by 5% malted barley). It’s aged for three years before it was bottled for this special release.

Bottom Line:

This was 100% a fine whiskey. There’s nothing wrong with it, no faults, and it tastes good. It simply didn’t pop on the senses on this panel.

That all said, I can see this working over some ice or in a cocktail nicely.

17. Clyde May’s Special Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 14

ABV: 55%

Average Price: $64

The Whiskey:

This whiskey is made from an Indiana bourbon that’s aged six years before batching, proofing, and bottling. Beyond that, there’s not much more to know besides the talent behind the brand aims to create some consistent whiskey that you can find on the shelf.

Bottom Line:

Again, this is perfectly fine bourbon. I’d use it for cocktails.

16. Uncle Chicken’s Bourbon Sippin’ Whiskey — Taste 1

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $54

The Whiskey:

This is the new whiskey from Texas country rock band Whiskey Myers. The bourbon in the bottle is produced and bottled by Bespoke Spirits out in California. The band came together to taste through tons of permutations before landing on this easy-sipping bourbon.

Bottom Line:

This is a nice bourbon. I don’t know if I’d call it a sipper (maybe on the rocks), but I would 100% use it to make a dope whiskey-forward bourbon cocktail.

15. 291 “E” Colorado Wheated Bourbon Whiskey Finished with Aspen Wood Staves Batch #12 — Taste 2

ABV: 60.8%

Average Price: $149

The Whiskey:

This bespoke Colorado craft whiskey starts with a malted wheat bourbon at its core. That bourbon is married to another wheated bourbon with rye malts in the mix, creating a four-grain bourbon in the final batch. That whiskey is then bottled 100% as-is at cask strength.

Bottom Line:

This is a very hot whiskey (hence it’s lower on this list). That said, there’s so much going on that I can’t ding it that hard. Simply pour this over some ice and you’ll be rewarded with a big whiskey with real depth.

14. Woodinville Ginja Cask Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Portuguese Ginjinha Casks — Taste 16

ABV: 47.5%

Average Price: $69

The Whiskey:

This new bourbon from Woodinville up in Seattle, Washington, is a crafty dream with a very unique finish. After about five years of aging, the bourbon is re-barreled into Ginjinha barrels (a Portuguese liqueur) with sour cherries for another maturation run. Finally, those barrels are batched, proofed, and bottled for this limited run.

Bottom Line:

This was funky and fresh. I really need more time with it to go deeper than a single tasting in a blind setting. That aside, this feels like a great bottle to grab if you’re looking for something completely different in the craft bourbon world.

13. Still Austin Bottled In Bond High Rye Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 9

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $79

The Whiskey:

This Texas whiskey is another grain-to-glass bourbon with a deep sense of place. The whiskey in the bottle is made with Still Austin’s unique 70% white corn mash (supported by 25% rye and 5% malted barley) that’s aged for at least four years. After batching, the whiskey is proofed down to 50% ABV for bottling.

Bottom Line:

This is tasty bourbon. This is also where we get into the “this is good, try it!” section of the ranking.

12. Lux Row Four Grain Mash Bill Double Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 3

ABV: 57.5%

Average Price: $79

The Whiskey:

This new Lux Row release is a very unique “double” single barrel. What does that mean exactly? The four-grain (corn, wheat, rye, and malted barley) whiskey was aged twice for five years at a time in two different barrels. The second barrel was then bottled with a whisper of water.

Bottom Line:

This is just a good classic whiskey. Use it for cocktails, highballs, or slow sipping.

11. McTavish Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 6

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $75

The Whiskey:

This brand-new whiskey brand from Graham McTavish (Outlander, House of the Dragon, etc.) is a lovely built batch of whiskey. The whiskey is made from a classic mash of 75/21/4 (corn/rye/barley) that’s left to rest for seven years. Those barrels were proofed down to bottled-in-bond standards and bottled as-is otherwise.

Bottom Line:

This is another good whiskey that’s versatile. I’m starting to lean toward cocktails on this one, but you can sip this one easily (it’s light but has real depth).

10. Kentucky Owl Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Limited Edition “Maighstir Edition” — Taste 10

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $129

The Whiskey:

This new expression from Kentucky Owl is a celebration of one master blender saying goodbye to the brand while another says hello. The blend was made by Kentucky Owl Master Blender John Rhea and new Master Blender Maureen Robinson (who recently retired from Diageo’s Master Blender of single malts). The duo created a whiskey from four-, five-, eight-, and nine-year-old wheated bourbons with a hint of Scotch whisky as the driving force of the blend.

Bottom Line:

This had a nice honeyed vibe with a hint of florals that definitely define this a softer bourbon. I dig it. Try this over a big rock and slow sip. It’ll reward you with great flavor notes.

9. Hardin’s Creek “Boston” Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 5

ABV: 55%

Average Price: $169

The Whiskey:

Part three of the Hardin’s Creek 2023 releases is finally here. This whiskey is a 17-year-old bourbon made with Beam’s classic mash bill. The whiskey spent all 17 of those years in rickhouses on the Boston, Kentucky campus (a little further south of the Bardstown area). Those warehouses are in a flatter area (instead of tucked away in hollers or perched atop hills). So the actual buildings had more access to bathing warm sunlight, wind, and rain — all of which slightly shifts the aging process of the barrels in those warehouses.

Bottom Line:

This is damn fine bourbon. There’s some wa