Whiskey is not an American invention, but the best domestic iterations certainly have their own fanciful backstories and flavor profiles (that said, we can claim bourbon and Tennessee whiskey as our own). Without spending too much time on a history lesson — though we suggest quickly familiarizing yourself with the Whiskey Rebellion, Nearest Green and the Bottled-in-Bond Act — we simply wanted to profile 50 American whiskeys and bourbons we appreciate.
As with any list, there are omissions (1792, Rittenhouse, Kentucky Owl, Redemption, Eagle Rare, Heaven Hill and Willet immediately spring to mind). We didn’t have room for everything we like (Oak & Eden, Broken Barrel, Fort Hamilton), and we definitely forgot a few. Many of these expressions hail from a few select and large distilleries, but others are tiny and regional. And even though we went with 50 for thematic reasons, we did not include a whiskey from each state (sorry, South Dakota).
Still, we consider this a good overview of where American whiskey (and America!) started, where it is today and where we’re headed — with a drink in hand.
The 50 best American whiskeys and bourbons:
Jack Daniel’s
In the 1950s, Frank Sinatra held up a bottle of Jack Daniel’s on stage and called it the “nectar of the Gods.” An exaggeration, yes, but the charcoal-mellowed Tennessee whiskey was the first registered distillery in the U.S. and has maintained its iconic status through the years. That No. 7 bottle you see above is iconic and known around the world (that said, we prefer their higher-proof expressions and our favorite, below, is actually quite different.)
Drink: Jack Daniel’s Triple Mash Blended Straight Whiskey is an unlikely marriage of three straight Bottled-In-Bond whiskeys – 60% Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Rye, 20% Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey and 20% Jack Daniel’s American Malt. It might be the best and most versatile whiskey you can buy for $30-$35.
Uncle Nearest
The most important story in the history of American whiskey. The Black-owned Tennessee whiskey brand didn’t even exist a few years ago; today, it’s the fastest-growing whiskey brand in U.S. history. You can read our interview with founder Fawn Weaver here.
Drink: Uncle Nearest Straight Rye is a 100% rye mashbill, 100 proof and features a lot of bready dough on the nose and a delectable balance of sweet and spicy on the palate, with notes of vanilla, anise and mint.
Jim Beam
Launched as Old Jake Beam Sour Mash in 1795, the world’s best-selling whisk(e)y brand has been overseen by eight generations of the Beam family. The company claims it’s been using the same strain of yeast since the end of Prohibition in 1933, and beyond the flagship brand, you’ll find some other specialty and small-batch Beam lines throughout this piece (Knob Creek, Basil Hayden, Little Book, etc.).
Drink: The recently revamped Jim Beam Black offers a higher ABV and a few extra years of aging — it’s an ideal base for a highball.
Wild Turkey
The Russell family has presided over a remarkable run for the bourbon brand for six decades; in that time, Wild Turkey has become the best-selling American whiskey, and both of their Master Distillers, Jimmy and Eddie Russell, have been enshrined in the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame.
Drink: 101 is still a favorite, offering notes of vanilla, baking spices, oak and orange peel, with a bit of kick from the rye. Given that cheaper bourbons sometimes suffer from a lack of maturation, the aging on 101 (between 6-8 years) certainly levels out the flavors. We recently coined 101 our favorite everyday bourbon.
Booker’s Bourbon
Booker’s only releases barrel-strength bourbon and puts as much emphasis on the location of the barrels in their warehouses as anything else. The hooch here is overseen by seventh-generation Master Distiller Fred Noe; he named it after his late dad Booker — a Master Distiller for 40 years and son of Jim Beam’s daughter, Margaret Noe — who actually coined the term “small batch” bourbon.
Drink: Booker’s Batch 2020-03 “Pigskin Batch” is a loosely football-themed release with baking spices and vanilla on the nose and candied fruit on the palate. It coats the mouth nicely and the finish is long and warm.
Does “Small Batch” Whiskey Actually Mean Anything?
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Barrell Craft Spirits
Barrell started in 2012, and the company admittedly — and in a very transparent manner — sources and blends its whiskey, rye and rum. But the brand keeps winning all the whiskey awards, and justifiably: every Barrell release is limited edition, cask strength and “intentionally unique,” often with unusual finishes or spirits sourced from unlikely places.
Drink: Barrell Bourbon Batch 32 is a beguiling blend of straight bourbon whiskeys (5, 6, 7 and 10-year-old barrels) distilled and aged in TN, KY and IN, and bottled at cask strength (115.34 proof). Somehow, you’ll get everything from cherry to ginger to wasabi to brown butter, with a hint of grassiness.
George Dickel
Owned by drinks giant Diageo, what we now know as George Dickel was first bottled in 1964, although Dickel himself started in the whisky business in 1870. The Tennessee whisky giant — yes, with no “e” — has significantly raised its game since General Manager and Distiller Nicole Austin came on board.
Drink: Their 2019 Bottled-in-Bond release has won pretty much every major whiskey award — you’ll never find it at the original $40 price point, but the annual follow-ups have been just as good (and inexpensive). And Dickel’s collaboration with Leopold Bros is a standout.
Angel’s Envy
Started in 2011, Wes Henderson founded the brand with his father and now has several sons working alongside him. The family-run, Louisville-based craft distiller produces small-batch finished whiskeys where the finish (or the secondary wood maturation) is a focus of the final product.
Drink: Their Tawny Port-finished bourbon release is rich and tannic. Conversely, Angel’s Envy Triple Oak is actually all about the wood, with the bourbon aged in three types of barrels: Hungarian oak, Chinkapin oak from Kentucky and French oak. It won our bourbon of the year and for good reason.
Balcones Distilling
The Waco, TX-based distillery is inspired by Texan grains, Scotch and craft beer. Balcones was also the first distillery to legally sell Texas-made whiskey since Prohibition, and they serve as a leader in the American Single Malt movement.
Drink: Their Brimstone release is a smoked corn whiskey with Texas scrub oak (which is like peat, but barbecue-y).
Lost Lantern
Lost Lantern is a whiskey nerd’s dream. This Vermont-based independent bottler offers limited-edition expressions sourced from your favorite craft distilleries.
Drink: American Vatted Malt Edition #1, a collaboration with six different regional distilleries around the U.S. It features wonderful orange and chocolate notes with a bit of salinity.
Buffalo Trace
Basically, the history of bourbon starts here. The oldest continuously operating distillery in America — they got a medicinal waiver during Prohibition — was home to iconic distillers such as E.H. Taylor Jr, George T. Stagg, Albert B. Blanton, Orville Schupp and Elmer T. Lee. Buffalo Trace, the namesake brand, launched in 1999. There are a lot of sub-labels here from the distillery, including Stagg, Sazerac, Eagle Rare and something called … Pappy Van Winkle (more on this later).
Drink: The core bourbon is great, but if you have the money, checking out the annual Antique Collection is also worth your time (particularly the Stagg release).
Pappy Van Winkle
Julian P. “Pappy” Van Winkle Sr. was the first of four generations of Van Winkle in the world of bourbon; today, Julian Van Winkle III serves as the caretaker for the mythologized brand. Their wheated bourbon (and a rye) is now under the umbrella of Buffalo Trace, but it’s still almost impossible to find.
Drink: Whatever your friend is buying. That said, the Family Reserve 15 Year is exquisite, with a wonderful balance of caramel, spice and oak.
Overholt
The longest-standing American whiskey brand — it’s been maintained continuously since 1810 — was founded by Abraham Overholt and originally operated out of Pennsylvania. Overholt today is now produced at the James B. Beam Distilling Co. in Kentucky.
Drink: Launched in 2024, A. Overholt is a Pennsylvania-style “Monongahela mash” rye with a historical mash bill of 80% rye grain and 20% soft malted barley. You’ll find notes of eucalyptus, butterscotch, caraway, cherry and cloves. It’s ideal in a Manhattan.
Blanton’s
You can thank Blanton’s for the idea of single-barrel releases — expected today but a novelty in the early ’80s. Elevated bourbon here, and you’ll want a bottle just for the horse-and-jockey bottle stopper.
Drink: As long as you’re going with single barrels, you might as well get the most out of them with the cask-strength Blanton’s Straight From the Barrel, where the proof will usually top out above 130.
Evan Williams
You’ll recognize the green, white and black labels of this inexpensive but underrated Heaven Hill brand, named after the man behind (as the legend suggests) Kentucky’s first commercial distillery in 1783.
Drink: White Label is a bottled-in-bond release that makes for a perfectly decent Old Fashioned. And it might be the only whiskey bottle we recommend under $20.
Four Roses
Four in the title, but the magic number here is 10. This Lawrenceburg, KY-based distillery utilizes two mash bills and five proprietary yeast strains to create 10 total bourbon recipes, each one providing a unique flavor experience. The flagship release utilizes all 10 factors, while the limited releases offer a more curated approach and older barrels.
Drink: Four Roses makes some very elevated expressions, but their core Small Batch product is extremely inexpensive and a crowd pleaser; if it’s your local’s well bourbon (it happens occasionally in Brooklyn, where I live), cherish that bar forever.
Westward
This Portland standout utilizes local barley, ale yeast and the distilling team’s craft beer background to produce an excellent American Single Malt — it’s also the centerpiece of my favorite Old Fashioned.
Drink: Their Pinot Noir Cask showcases the influence of Oregon’s Willamette Valley wine country (or, to play up Oregon’s beer culture, go with the Stout Cask maturation).
Westland
A Seattle-based distillery (just over a decade old) that’s been crafting interesting single malts utilizing roasted malts, a Belgian Saison brewers’ yeast strain and virgin American oak casks. They are also heavily into experimentation and showcasing the land and local ingredients found in the Pacific Northwest.
Drink: Westland’s Outpost releases play around with indigenous wood, atypical barley and local peat.
Jefferson’s
A small-batch bourbon brand that crafts great whiskey but truly shines in the R&D department; these are bourbons aged during round-the-world voyages, or in unusual barrels with oddly inventive ingredients, and even as collaborations with great chefs and iconic magazine editors. How the barrels mature the whiskey is the key here.
Drink: Jefferson’s Ocean V: Aged at Sea is a bourbon that sails around the globe and arrives with the taste of salted caramel popcorn. (The Aged at Sea releases vary by edition, but they’re all worth picking up to note the differences.)
Maker’s Mark
Technically, this iconic distiller with the dipped red wax on the bottle — and some soft red winter wheat in its mash bill — has just one whiskey (if you don’t count current offshoot Star Hill). But they tweak it with oak and proof and different flavor levers. Ergo, Maker’s has more recently become a beacon for innovation and limited releases.
Drink: The 2020 Limited Release utilizes a multi-stave approach to get the whiskey close to a (spicy) butter pecan profile.
Old Grand-Dad
When James Bond drinks whiskey, Ian Fleming had 007 polish off several Old Fashioneds made with this high-rye bourbon. The brand (now owned by Suntory Global Spirits) dates from the early 19th century, and you’ll see it pop up in a lot of mid-20th-century pop culture, from Bukowski to M*A*S*H.
Drink: The Bottled-in-Bond (50% ABV) expression is a great mixing cocktail — and you should be able to find a 750ml bottle for under $30.
W.L. Weller
Now produced out of the Buffalo Trace Distillery, Weller remains a pioneer in wheated bourbons (high-proof, too). The personal connections between Weller and Pappy Van Winkle date back to the 19th century, and many whiskey pros think Weller 12 is pretty similar to Pappy’s 10, 12 and 15-year releases — naturally, secondary-market pricing for that has skyrocketed.
Drink: Antique 107 is a knockout, but if you want something with a fun backstory, W.L. Weller C.Y.P.B. was a crowd-sourced attempt to craft the perfect bourbon. Whiskey fans went with a wheated recipe aged on the highest warehouse floors for eight years and bottled at 95 proof.
Widow Jane
Great whiskey straight outta the cobblestone streets of Red Hook, Brooklyn. The whiskey here is proofed with limestone- and mineral-rich water from the Rosendale Mines of NY.
Drink: The Vaults, aged 15 to 20 years and finished in rare casks raised from five-year air-seasoned Appalachian oak.
Michter’s
Preceded by a convoluted history that (tenuously) dates back to 1753 and includes early distilling roots in Pennsylvania, Michter’s is now Kentucky-made and has a relatively new micro-distillery on Louisville’s Whiskey Row.
Drink: Michter’s US1 Sour Mash won The Whisky Exchange “Whisky of the Year” award in 2019; interestingly, the first American winner was not rye or bourbon and doesn’t carry an age statement. We named Michter’s our favorite whiskey producer of 2024; you can read about that here.
Hudson Whiskey
The first whiskey distillery in New York since Prohibition, Hudson has more recently gone nationwide and reinvented its portfolio — design-wise, the bottles are now done up in Helvetica, paying homage to the NYC subway system.
Drink: Hudson Whiskey The X Series Cider Cask Rye was a very limited release from the upstate New York distillery that put its signature rye through a secondary maturation in apple cider casks. It tasted like fall. If you can’t find a bottle, their Short Stack maple rye is pretty great in the colder seasons, too.
Woodford Reserve
Woodford is Brown-Forman’s founding brand, started in 1870 by George Garvin Brown. An incredibly balanced bourbon (72% corn, 18% rye, 10% malted barley), this is also the brand and bottle you’ll most associate with the Kentucky Derby — and as part of their sponsorship, they craft a $1,000 Mint Julep every year for various nonprofit organizations.
Drink: Woodford Reserve Double Double Oaked takes the twice-barreled Double Oak and matures it again in a second, heavily toasted, lightly charred new-oak barrel to bring out some spiciness.
Laws Whiskey House
Established in 2011, Laws Whiskey House utilizes open-air, on-grain fermentation and high-altitude grains all sourced from Colorado — with many of the grains hailing from small family farms that are pretty much exclusive to Laws.
Drink: Their award-winning bonded rye is great, but the real winner from Laws is its wheated release. It’s an easy sipper built for hot weather.
Stranahan’s
The Denver distillery utilizes the area’s dry climate, high altitude and some craft beer know-how to craft excellent American Single Malts, which straddle the very wide line between bourbons and single malt Scotches.
Drink: Stranahan’s Diamond Peak Batch #2: Extra Añejo Cask is an American single malt (aged five to eight years) that spends just over two years in extra añejo tequila casks that previously held Reserva de la Familia by Jose Cuervo (which we’re quite familiar with). It’s a nice mix of two worlds, with plenty of caramel, malt and wood spice enhanced by some earthy undertones.
Green River
The 10th oldest licensed distillery in Kentucky — reintroduced a few years ago and now overseen by Bardstown Distilling Co. — can pretty much be counted on for turning out modestly-priced bottles with exceptional liquid (of note: Wheel Horse, also crafted at Green River, is also a bargain choice).
Drink: Green River Full Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon is a full-proof variation of its core bourbon, a blend of five- to seven-year barrels selected from curated areas of Green River’s Owensboro tile warehouses (tile warehouses hold temperature better than traditional wooden rickhouses). A high-rye bourbon coming in at 117.3 proof, this expression is robust and full of barrel spice, honeycomb, vanilla, cherry, mint and cinnamon.
Old Elk
The Fort Collins, Colorado-based Old Elk is under the guidance of Greg Metze, a 40-plus-year vet of the whiskey world. The distillery utilizes a slower (and proprietary) “Slow Cut” method to craft its high-malt bourbon.
Drink: That said, it’s the wheated releases by Old Elk that’ll really turn your head; the Wheated Bourbon features the notes of vanilla, caramel and oak you’d expect in a bourbon, with hints of toffee, leather and amaretto.
High West
Yes, you can get a great whiskey in the not-so-teetotaling state of Utah. Besides blending great whiskey (some of their own stocks, some sourced), High West also operates a ski-in gastro-distillery and a luxury lodge.
Drink: We’re big fans of the limited-release Bourye, a blend of bourbon and rye whiskey that elevates the best of both worlds.
Rabbit Hole
Launched in 2012 by Kaveh Zamanian (interestingly enough, a former clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst), Rabbit Hole experiments with unusual mash bills but is probably best known for its downtown, state-of-the-art Louisville distillery. You can read about our recent visit to Rabbit Hole here.
Drink: The limited-edition line Rabbit Hole Raceking Founder’s Collection features chocolate-malted wheat from Germany and chocolate-malted barley from the UK (along with 70% corn, 13% rye and 10% malted rye). The cocoa notes here are strong, as are the hints of leather and tobacco. It’s a fascinating combination of chocolate and smoke.
Sagamore Spirit
Located along the Patapsco River in Baltimore, this state-of-the-art waterfront distillery offers beautiful harbor views and Maryland-style rye whiskey, which is a bit less spicy on the palate. Here, some unique finishes (port, Cognac, etc.) elevate the final product. The ryes hail from two distinct and proprietary mash bills (high rye and low rye/high corn) and are proofed with Sagamore Farm spring water.
Drink: The Calvados Finish is a blend of straight ryes finished in Calvados barrels (aka French apple brandy casks) for more than 11 months. That’s then aged for another nine months in low-rye American oak barrels. Apple, anise, cinnamon and nuttiness are prevalent.
New Riff
Sour mash only, all copper stills, no chill filtration, bottled in bond: it all comes together with these Kentucky-based bourbons and ryes … and other interesting, well, new riffs on a classic spirit (see below).
Drink: We love their flagship high-rye bourbon, but Backsetter offers something unique: the bourbon and rye releases utilize backset collected from the distillation of peat-smoked malted barley, imparting a smoky note.
Old Forester
Old Forester has been around for 150+ years and is revered as the first bourbon to be sealed in a glass bottle. These are high-rye bourbons, and that rye adds a bit of spice. As the brand’s former Master Taster Jackie Zykan once told us, Old Forester represents the “true essence of what Kentucky bourbon is supposed to taste like: sweet on the front, spicy on the back, a little bit dry, oak forward, but balanced and palatable.”
Drink: If you can find it, the annual Birthday Bourbon releases all hail from one day’s production in a particular year — and they’re so revered that people used to camp out for them.
Brother Justus
“We’re here to make single malts for the American palate.” That’s a fairly big goal for Phil Steger, the brains behind Brother Justus, a whiskey distillery in Minneapolis that utilizes all local ingredients, right down to the peat. But he made it work: Today, Brother Justus is an award-winning whiskey (including a Double Gold from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition) with multiple releases available nationwide. Their single malts do a superb job of balancing sweet and savory. Their latest Founder’s Reserve is close to an Old Fashioned in a bottle, while their Silver (new make) is almost tropical. And, of course, they have a proprietary peated release.
Drink: For that aforementioned peated release, Brother Justus utilizes a process called “Cold-Peated,” a twist on Tennessee’s famous Lincoln County Process that involves filtering whiskey through charcoal. Here, it’s known as the Aitkin County Process, where the whiskey is filtered through peat (the process is much more eco-friendly than peat smoking).
Russell’s Reserve
Eddie Russell helped launch this elevated brand in 2000 to honor his father, Wild Turkey Master Distiller Jimmy Russell. All Russell’s Reserve releases feature barrels hand-selected by the two Russells from the “center cut” of the warehouses, which offer an ideal balance of flavor.
Drink: Their 13-Year-Old Bourbon is an annual release and a standout. It’s non-chill filtered and barrel-proof, offering notes of dried dark fruit, honey, chocolate and nougat.
Virginia Distillery Co.
Love Scotch? This Virginia distillery might be your best stateside alternative. They’ve basically transported the methods (and pot stills) used to create a great single malt Scotch into the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Drink: Their core Courage & Conviction American Single Malt, where the 100% malted barley release is aged for a minimum of three years in bourbon (50%), Cuvee (25%) and Sherry (25%) casks, is great, but if you can find it, we’re partial to the limited-edition Scholar’s Craft, an American Single Malt aged in ex-bourbon casks and finished in barrels that previously held ethically sourced small-batch coffee.
Basil Hayden
A bit more rye in the mash bill but overall a comfortable 80 proof, Basil Hayden is the most approachable (won’t say smooth!) small-batch whiskey in Beam Suntory’s portfolio.
Drink: For the Dark Rye, a touch of port (along with a blend of Kentucky and Canadian rye) lends some dried fruit notes to the sweet/spicy mix.
Knob Creek
Another Jim Beam distillery small-batch release, Knob Creek ages their pre-Prohibition style bourbon for nine years (and longer) and at a higher proof (with one exception, it’s 100 or higher). You probably have one of their distinctive rectangular bottles on your home bar cart.
Drink: Now a full-time addition to their lineup, Knob Creek 12-Year Old delivers more on the oak and leather notes.
Pinhook
Pinhook showcases the best attributes of each year’s crop of barrels over a consistent flavor profile — making each year a unique release, much like wine.
Drink: The 7-Year Rye, part of their ongoing Vertical Series, features notes of cherry, root beer and chocolate, with a bit of mint lingering in the background along with some wood and herbal notes. It’s spicy, but not aggressively so.
Whiskey Del Bac
A mesquite-smoked Southwest single malt, this Tucson-based distillery only matures its juice for a year or two. The result is a perfect American answer to peated Scotch.
Drink: Their Dorado release is basically like a barbecue in your mouth.
Elijah Craig
In 1789, Baptist preacher Elijah Craig started the process of aging whiskey in new charred oak barrels — or at least that’s the legend. Now under the Heaven Hill umbrella, the whiskey bearing the reverend’s name is modest in price but big on flavor.
Drink: The Elijah Craig Barrel Proof releases are cask strength and rather powerful expressions of oak, nuttiness and caramel; they also tend to win all the major awards.
Bardstown Bourbon Company
Bardstown was founded in 2014, and it’s currently one of the largest whiskey distilleries in the country. Co-founder Peter Loftin’s goal was to create an in-person bourbon experience, a technically advanced distillery and a Kentucky alternative to Indiana’s MGP — meaning, an operation that could offer custom distilling for other brands while producing its own whiskey.
Drink: The Amrut Collaborative Series is two Indiana ryes that received extra maturation in ex-Amrut (Indian whisky) barrels and then combined with three differently aged bourbons. Lots of cereal, cherry and vanilla at work here, with a nice undertone of ginger and cinnamon (almost like Red Hots). Overall, it sits at a nice intersection of Scotland, India and American whisk(e)y.
Heaven’s Door
A co-creation of music legend Bob Dylan and Spirits Investment Partnership (“SIP”), Heaven’s Door has already won numerous accolades for its American whiskey releases, including a Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. And Dylan plays an interesting role in the whiskey-making process (both in the design and the taste).
Drink: The Master Blenders’ Edition is a 10-year low-rye bourbon from Heaven’s Door finished in Redbreast 12-Year Old Irish Whiskey casks, which impart dried fruit, marzipan and walnut notes to the bourbon.
Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr.
Col. Taylor was the distiller who led the movement for the Bottled In Bond Act — an 1897 consumer protection law that provided a government-backed guarantee to consumers that their whiskey was produced to a certain standard (not adulterated, made at one distillery in one distilling season, aged for a minimum of four years in a government bonded warehouse under government supervision, and bottled at 100 proof). The Col. Taylor brand is under the care of the Buffalo Trace distillery.
Drink: While difficult to find, we loved a Colonel E.H. Taylor Single Barrel from a few years back that was aged in a warehouse built by Taylor in 1881 and put in a barrel in early 2012. That limited release was sweet (almost like marzipan) while also offering notes of raisin and honey with hints of tobacco and rye on the finish.
Henry McKenna
Under the auspices of Heaven Hill, this inexpensive bottled-in-bond bourbon surprisingly won the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition for Best in Show, only the second bourbon to ever take home the honor.
Drink: Their Single Barrel Bourbon is one of the longest-aged Bottled-in-Bond spirits available today, a sweet and spicy sipper with notes of honey, vanilla and spice.
Larceny
One of the better-known wheated whiskeys, this Heaven Hill brand and worthy Pappy alternative won Whisky Advocate’s best whiskey of 2020.
Drink: Their flagship Small Batch release is a touch too smooth for us. But that award-winning Barrel Proof release (that’s 122+ proof) adds a nice kick to the sweetness.
Chicken Cock
Laugh all you want, but Chicken Cock is a whiskey brand that dates back to the 19th century (and revived in 2012). It originated in Paris, KY, and got its nickname (“the whiskey in a can”) because it was smuggled into speakeasies during Prohibition in tin cans.
Drink: Chicken Cock Chanticleer is a Kentucky straight bourbon finished in French Cognac barrels and bottled in a Prohibition-era Chicken Cock replica apothecary-style bottle at 112 proof (56% ABV), featuring a mash bill of 70% corn, 21% rye and 9% malted barley. A lot of butterscotch candy notes here, with a hint of raspberry and a fair amount of rye spice and tobacco.
Garrison Brothers
The crafters of Texas’s first legal bourbon, launched in 2010, have Texas’s intense heat on their side. As well, the corn and red winter wheat in the mashbill is sourced from within the state and the distillery utilizes a rare sweet mash method of fermentation to create some incredibly flavorful bourbons.
Drink: Balmorhea is a 115-proof Texas straight bourbon that’s double oaked: It spends four years in a new American white oak barrel, then another year to a different new American white oak barrel. A major award winner (the distillery estimates it’s taken home 40 award wins since 2019, ten of which were Gold or Double Gold medals), Balmorhea — named after a nearby swimming hole — is almost like fudge on the nose, with that cocoa sweetness carried through the palate (along with notes of cinnamon, honey, toasted oak and dark fruit).
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