Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

A collection of 383 posts

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Sweet and Spicy notes highlight Maker's Mark 2026 'The Stewards Release'

Since Maker's makes no bad whiskey, what's in the bottle is good sipping whiskey. Not a fault with it. But I prefer the two others in the Wood Finishing Series, The Keepers and The Heart, better.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Booker's Big Easy Batch: Honest, Approachable Full-Bodied Bourbon

This is neither a showy whiskey with cask-finished flavor vectors nor a particularly powerful pour. It's an honest, approachable, full-bodied bourbon that makes old school drinkers say, "Now that's bourbon!" It's the kind of whiskey Booker Noe liked and wanted to share with others.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Fruit for Days: Masterful cask selection, blending highlight Blue Note Special Reserve Bourbon

Whether this is a Blue Note blender's nightmare or dream task, I don't know. But those who get to sip it will thank you–and may even kiss you–for creating it. It is special and spectacular, which justifies that $150 price tag.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Sweet, simple and soft sums up Shortbarrel Four-Grain Bourbon

There is a significant number of consumers who would like this and buy it repeatedly. It's enough flavor and spice for them; approachable as an everyday drinker. This is the kind of whiskey that becomes a good seller that pays a lot of bills at the distillery.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Bulleit Bourbon with Mesquite Wood-Smoked Malt Nails Savory and Sweet Notes

This is a cool novelty that's worth the $50 price, and which I hope to see added to the main line someday. If you "drink curious," as we advise, you'll enjoy this.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Mystery mash bills and whiskey sources leave drinkers talking about Yellowstone Recollection Bourbon

The nose is simple: dark caramel, oak, ripe cherry, confectioner's sugar, cinnamon and a little ethanol punch that points to what awaits the palate. The caramel hints at richness and the oak whispers "age," and that's encouraging on both counts.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Michter's 2026 10 Year Bourbon Is Rock-Solid Terrific as Ever

Were Michter's 10 Year Bourbon human, it would introduce itself saying, "Nice to meet you, madam, sir, my name is Bourbon, Proper Bourbon." The '26 release is Proper Bourbon's offspring, and it's eaten a lot of stone fruit and candy bars over the last decade or so.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Age equals power, complexity in this 22-Year-Old Heaven Hill Heritage Collection Bourbon

Whiskies like this one happen mostly at distilleries with millions of barrels in rickhouses sprinkled across multiple sites. Yet even when you have that much inventory, sometimes the sweet spot is in one spot such as Rickhouse Y in Bardstown.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Widow Jane Decadence Bourbon Balances Sweet and Savory Perfectly

The nose includes aromas like marshmallow, chocolate and charred oak. You're halfway to a s'more just by smelling it. The nose is expressive with dried cherry and raisin, along with lemon curd and pie crust. The balance between sweet and spicy is precisely dialed in.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Triple Casks Drive Flavor in Whiskey Row Small Batch Bourbon

Significant fruit and spice come in on the palate. Golden raisin and grape fill the mouth alongside baking spice. Mouthfeel is rich, weighty and viscous. Every room-temp sip makes you want another and confirms that neat always is the way to go with this bourbon.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Strange Raven 6-Year: A Bourbon Worth Paying Attention To

Compared to many of the sourced NDP releases launched over the last six months, this is one of the better ones I've tasted.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

New King of Kentucky Small Batch: 3 proofs, 12-18 year bourbons

What’s so appealing about King of Kentucky is that while mostly traditional bourbon notes are expressed in it, all are turned up to 11. That makes it one my favorite bourbons ever. It’s liquid goodness amplified by time, heat-cycled warehouses and a caretaker’s patience.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Jackson Purchase Bourbon Review: A 4-Yr Full Proof Surprise

I don't recall tasting or reviewing an American whiskey this good at 4 years old. If I were to choose a bottle as the best new market entry in 2025, it would be in the running. This is not just surprisingly good, it's outstanding.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Uncharted Wheated Bourbon Review: River Aged for Your Drinking Pleasure

I'll bet money that the gradual rocking of a water-borne vessel will do far more to agitate liquids and gases forming inside those barrels than any exposure to bass-heavy metal music will ever do.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Hardin's Creek Warehouse Series Shows Microclimate Aging Produces Fantastic Effects

This is a truly unique trio of liquids designed to showcase how even the smallest changes to aging environment and maturation profoundly shape a whiskey’s final character.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Smokeye Hill Barrel Proof Bourbon Review — 134.2° Deep Dive

As you'd expect from a 134.2 proof, 5-year-old bourbon, the ethanol practically roars on the nose, and it takes some patience to get behind it to discover notes of light caramel, orange peel, honey, toffee and cappuccino.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Wilderness Trail Kentucky Straight 6-Year-Old Private Barrel Wheated Bourbon Review

It's not often you get to taste the flavor evolution of one of your favorite products, especially if your favorite hails from a heritage distillery. I've been an early adopter of Wilderness Trail, and the ability to taste - in real time - the arc of one of my favorite brands is incredible.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

RD1 Spirits: An Amburana for the Haters

The finish isn't overwhelming, as Amburana usually is, and provides just enough spice and sweetness to keep it interesting. I'm not sure if it's the combination of my delight for cinnamon and my love for caipirinhas...but I just really enjoy this whiskey.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Pinhook 10-Year Vertical Series Bourbon Review – 115.9° Proof

This bourbon is a study in patience. Knowing the founders of this brand, they didn't expect this whiskey–the first barrels they ever bought before moving to distill at Castle & Key distillery–would turn out as well as it has...

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Angel's Envy 2025 '10' Cask Strength Bourbon Review

Saying it's not a complex bourbon is not a sleight, rather it's a nod to whiskies that present as lean, lithe and elegant–which is no small feat for liquid resting 10 years in oak. In a world of double-oaked wood and tannin bombs, this measured approach is much appreciated.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

1792 Cognac Cask Finish Bourbon Review – $38 Value Pick

Truth is I prefer 1792 releases over anything from Buffalo Trace–outside of its incredible Antique Collection, of course. I'm like a lot of bourbon drinkers who love visiting Barton to duck cobwebs in dusty rickhouses to thieve whiskey eventually bottled as Full Proof single barrels.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C925 Bourbon Review – 9yr/129-Proof Bargain

As good as this 9-year C925 is, it makes me long for the labyrinthine nuances of those earlier, older versions. This one is simpler, but still expectedly delicious.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Booker’s The Reserves Review: 2025 Tequila-Barrel Bourbon

Not only is it delicious, it's unique. This release marks the first time any spirit in the Beam portfolio was aged in ex-tequila casks, and it is–to my palate–an historically powerful bourbon that's beneficially tamed because of that.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

2025 King of Kentucky Bourbon Review: 17-Year Majesty

This is one of those bottles that makes me want to say to Chris Morris, "Just do more of this, please. Lots more of it."

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2025 Review: Fudge, Spice & Depth

My shifting preferences also point out how delicious and keenly unique every batch of Cellar Aged actually is. And that has me thinking ... Maybe that $174.99 price tag isn't as high as I initially thought.