The Best New Bourbons of the Year

Bourbon, a unique style of American whiskey, has been around since the 1770s. Despite its long history, it’s never been more popular than it is today. According to the Distilled Spirits Council, American whiskey accounts for some $5.3 billion in annual revenue. With new releases constantly vying for attention on the shelf, it can be overwhelming to keep up with what’s new and next. But don’t worry, fellow bourbon buffs! I’ve got you covered.

Affordable Luxury: Wild Turkey Russell’s Reserve 10 Year Old

You don’t have to break the bank to secure a beautiful example of bourbon. This 90-proof, age-statement gem is rich in body and adds an exclamation point to each of the traditional tasting notes of the category: vanilla, caramel, and cinnamon. No surprises in the execution, this comes from one of the most legendary families in Kentucky bourbon making.

Rich in body and traditional tasting notes

A Tennessee Whiskey Worth Trying: George Dickel Bottled in Bond

I’m wading into contentious waters here, since this is actually a “Tennessee Whiskey” and not a “bourbon” according to its label. But proper whiskey geeks know that the former is actually just a more specific style of the latter; a charcoal-filtered bourbon that hails specifically from the Volunteer State. Whatever you want to call this one from Dickel, just know that it’s downright delicious. It noses with candied cherry, coats the tongue in a textured nuttiness, and brings a lasting butterscotch to the fold.

Candied cherry, textured nuttiness, and butterscotch

A Dessert Dram: Old Forester 1924 10 Year Old Straight Bourbon

I’ve got one word for you—well, two: graham crackers. This 100-proof dessert dram is caked in the confection in question. Those sweeter elements rise to the fore as a result of a higher percentage of corn used in its production, as opposed to traditional Old Forester. After a decade in the barrel, that mashbill affords aromas of honey and orange marmalade, tastes not unlike s’mores, and lends a little bit of campfire smoke in a slightly spicy finish.

Graham crackers, honey, and orange marmalade

A Collaborative Masterpiece: Bardstown Bourbon Company Amrut Collaborative Series

Bardstown Bourbon is a brand committed to innovation; mining new elements in an industry that’s proudly restrictive of pushing production boundaries. The latest entry in its Collaborative Series underscores the point. Although it holds plenty of bourbon in the bottle, it’s actually a blended American whiskey, incorporating some elements of rye which have been finished in barrels formerly filled with Indian Single Malt. The disparate elements collide here to expert effect, resulting in a savory start to the sip—herbal and incense-like—before brown sugar and threads of cacao come calling in the back palate.

Savory, herbal, and incense-like

A Rare Find: Michter’s 10 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Michter’s famously only unveils this decade-old debutante whenever its crafters feel it’s ready for the ball, which means we might sometimes go years in between releases. It’s usually well worth the wait, as is the case with this one from April. It’s a single barrel offering, so tasting notes might fluctuate ever-so-slightly depending on your particular bottling. And that’s kind of the point: something uniquely awesome.

Butterscotch, maple syrup, and cedar

The Holy Grail: W.L. Weller Millennium

For bourbon geeks, W.L. Weller is a lineup of whiskies in need of no introduction. For everyone else, this historic series is notable for being the first widely-produced example of wheated bourbon. Its namesake distiller first used the grain in place of a more traditional rye back in 1849. It resulted in a softer and sweeter take on the spirit, a style which was eventually adopted by brands no less notable than Pappy Van Winkle. Today both those labels are produced in virtually the exact same way by the same parent distillery, Buffalo Trace. Like its more famous sibling, Weller has become harder to find and way pricier to own. That reality will be compounded exponentially for this, its oldest and rarest offering to date.

Elongated threads of leather and chunks of charred pineapple