The 50 Best American Whiskeys and Bourbons You Can Buy Right Now

A detailed rundown of our favorite bourbons, ryes, wheaters and Tennessee whiskeys ideal for celebrating the USA

Updated July 2, 2024 1:34 pm
bottles of whiskey on a plaid background
If you're going to toast America this weekend, use one of these bottles.
Brands featured / Danica Killelea

(Updated list on 7/2/2024)

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, Old Overholt, 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, Sweetens Cove, Fort Hamilton) and we definitely forgot a few. And, five years later, we’re still not quite sure how to discuss one very popular brand.

Our criteria for inclusion is admittedly pretty loose — 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:

bottle of jack daniels
Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey
Jack Daniels

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. 

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 1856
Uncle Nearest 1856
Uncle Nearest

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.

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 Bourbon
Jim Beam Bourbon
Jim Beam

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, Baker’s, Booker’s). 

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 whiskey
Wild Turkey 101
Wild Turkey

Wild Turkey

The Russell family has presided over a remarkable run for the bourbon brand for six decades; in that time, WT has become the best-selling American whiskey, and both of WT’s 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 Bourbon
James B. Beam Distilling Co.

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. 

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Barrell Craft Bourbon
Barrell Craft Spirits

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 instead of distilling its own juice. 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 Tennessee Whisky
George Dickel

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 has come 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 recent collaboration with Leopold Bros is a standout.

Angel’s Envy Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Wine Barrels
Angels Envy

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 that are starting to get a lot of notice 

Drink: Their Tawny Port-finished bourbon release is rich and tannic.

Balcones Texas Single Malt Whisky
Balcones Distilling

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 American Vatted Malt Whiskey
Lost Lantern

Lost Lantern

Lost Lantern is a whiskey nerd’s dream. These are unique, extremely limited releases from your favorite craft distilleries, all under one label.

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 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Buffalo Trace

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: If you have the money, checking out the annual Antique Collection is also worth your time.

Pappy Van Winkle Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Pappy Van Winkle

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. 

George T. Stagg Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
George T. Stagg

George T. Stagg

Another Buffalo Trace release (historically, BT used to be called the George T. Stagg Distillery), this is part of that distillery’s “Antique Collection” (see above) — aged over 15 years, this uncut, unfiltered and barrel-proof annual release is right up there with Pappy as far as limited supply and inflated secondary market prices. 

Drink: You’ll probably never find it affordably, but the 2007 release — a multiple Whiskey of the Year winner — comes in at a whopping 144.8 proof. 

Blanton’s Straight From the Barrel Whiskey
Blanton’s

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 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Evan Williams

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 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Four Roses

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 whiskey
Westward Single Malt Whiskey
Westward

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 American Single Malt Whiskey
Westland

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 also are 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 Ocean Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Jefferson’s

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 maturate 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 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky
Maker’s Mark

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, but they “tweak it with oak and proof and different flavor levers,” as Maker’s Mark former Director of Innovation Jane Bowie told us a few years ago. 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 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Old Grand-Dad

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 Beam Suntory) 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 Original Wheated Bourbon
W.L. Weller

W.L. Weller

Now produced out of the Buffalo Trace Distillery, Weller was and 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 Bourbon
Widow Jane

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 17 years and finished in rare casks raised from five-year air-seasoned Appalachian oak.

Michter’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Michter’s

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.

Hudson Whiskey New York Straight Rye Whiskey
Hudson Whiskey

Hudson Whiskey

The first whiskey distillery in New York since Prohibition, Hudson more recently went nationwide and completely 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 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Woodford Reserve

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: You’ll probably only find it in Kentucky or at the distillery on the day of its release, but the 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 bonded wheat whiskey
Laws Whiskey House Centennial Straight Wheat Whiskey
Laws

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 Single Malt Whiskey
Stranahan’s

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 Mountain Angel 10-Year Old features a creamy mouthfeel, some oak on the finish and a very prevalent note of tobacco. It’s your “whiskey and cigar in the study,” end-of-night treat, without the need for a cigar.

Blackened Whiskey
Blackened

Blackened

A whiskey blend shaped by Metallica’s music. Literally. A blended whiskey co-created by the late Dave Pickerell (an award-winning Master Distiller known for his work at WhistlePig) and the band Metallica, the whiskey here is overseen by former Stranahan’s Master Distiller Rob Dietrich and utilizes a sonic enhancement process they call Black Noise.

Drink: Finished in black brandy casks, the core release of Blackened features enough wood spices and fruit notes that it can really elevate your whiskey-based cocktails. Especially if you go for the Cask Strength edition.

Old Elk Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Old Elk

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 Whiskey
High West

High West

Yes, you can get a great whiskey in the not-so-teetotaling state of Utah. Besides blending great whiskey (some 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 seems to elevate the best of both worlds.

Rabbit Hole
Rabbit Hole
Rabbit Hole

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. 

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 Rye
Sagamore Spirit

Sagamore Spirit

Based 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 here.

New Riff Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
New Riff

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 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky
Old Forester

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. Otherwise, as the brand’s former Master Taster Jackie Zykan once told us about their famed Birthday Bourbon release, 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.

Whistle Pig 10-Year Rye Whiskey
Whistle Pig

WhistlePig

This adventurous, award-winning Vermont distiller offers farm-to-bottle ryes and blended whiskeys, formerly under the tutelage of whiskey legend Dave Pickerell. 

Drink: The Boss Hog IX: Siren’s Song is a single barrel release from 2022, bottled at proof and crafted by the Vermont distillery’s female whiskey makers, who were inspired by Greek muses. It’s a rye double finished in barrels that formerly held Greek fig nectar and Tentura, which the distillery describes as “a Greek style liqueur inspired by Ancient Patras.” Floral, fruity and full of baking spices, it offers a different perspective on rye.

Russell's Reserve 13 Year Old Bourbon
Russell’s Reserve 13-Years-Old Bourbon
Russell’s Reserve

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. Scholar's Craft
Virginia Distillery Co. Scholar’s Craft
Virginia Distillery Co.

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 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Basil Hayden Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
James B. Beam Distilling Co.

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 12
Knob Creek 12
Knob Creek

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 Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
Pinhook

Pinhook

Pinhook’s claim is that they showcase 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.

Del Bac American Single Malt
Whiskey Del Bac

Whiskey Del Bac

A mesquite-smoked Southwest single malt, this Tucson-based distillery only matures their 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 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Elijah Craig

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 Amrut Collaborative Series
Bardstown Bourbon Company Amrut Collaborative Series
Bardstown Bourbon Company

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 Tennessee Bourbon
Heaven’s Door

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 whiskey
Colonel E.H. Taylor Small Batch
Buffalo Trace

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 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Henry McKenna

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 whiskey
Larceny Bourbon
Heaven Hill

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 Chanticleer
Chicken Cock Chanticleer
Chicken Cock

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 Balmorhea
Garrison Brothers Balmorhea
Garrison Brothers

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 swimming hole south of Pecos, TX —  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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