The Best Full-Flavored Bourbons Under 100-Proof, Power Ranked

Full flavor at a “lower” proof? Anything is possible.

Bourbon drinkers of a bygone era (think the 70s and 80s) had a much deeper appreciation for lower-ABV whiskey than modern-day enthusiasts. There are many reasons for this, and the rise of high-proof bourbon has been well-documented, but should contemporary whiskey drinkers pay more attention to low-ABV expressions?

This list will make that case.

Stick with me here. We’ve all had scorching hot bourbons that absolutely burn your palate and have minimal flavor. Similarly, you’ve probably experienced bourbons that “drink above their proof.” This is typically used as a compliment, indicating a whiskey that is way more flavorful than its ABV might suggest. I have a working theory that modern drinkers, in their pursuit of ever-higher proofs, are actually in search of more flavor than ever. Dusty whiskeys from yesteryear offered a ton of rich flavor at a lower ABV, and while there are more theories about what changed than there are bottles on the shelf, at the end of the day, that rich flavor profile is part of the reason why vintage bourbon remains so coveted. So why shouldn’t modern drinkers start pursuing their contemporary equivalents?

Today, we have more options in the whiskey aisle than ever before. It would be a mistake to overlook some of the incredible bottles sitting on the shelf because you’re following some specious notion that “more proof = more flavor.” While common, that isn’t altruism, and I’ve rounded up the bottles that will prove it.

Buckle up for the best bourbons under 100-proof, power ranked for flavor!

• • We Tasted And Power Ranked Every Single Jim Beam Bourbon
  • We Put Buffalo Trace’s Best Bourbons To A Six Flight Blind Taste Test Against Its Biggest Competitors
  • The Best Bourbons Over 120-Proof, Power Ranked For Hot Sipping
  • The 100 Best Bourbon Whiskeys Of 2024, Ranked
  • The 20 Best New Whiskeys You Need To Chase Down This April, Ranked

18. Sable Bourbon

ABV: 47%
Average Price: $75

The Whiskey:

Sable Bourbon is the brand-new expression from four newcomers to the whiskey world: Harold Perrineau, Malcolm D. Lee, Taye Diggs, and Morris Chestnut, otherwise known as the gentleman responsible for the cult classic “Best Man” movie franchise. Evading the pitfalls of typical celebrity whiskeys, this one features big name backing and sleek branding but also a ton of great flavor to match. The mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley is most likely produced at the Barton Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: On the nose, I’m instantly greeted by smoked Manuka honey, Brazil nuts, freshly cracked black pepper, and sticky toffee notes that send my eyebrows to the sky. This instantly familiar yet unexpected aroma profile strays from others of the same mash bill. Further notes of toasted coconut, dark chocolate, and fresh almonds add intrigue.

Palate: On the palate, many of this whiskey’s aroma notes make it to the tongue as toasted coconut, smoked honey, black pepper, and sticky toffee lead the charge. The proof point allows all of them the space to lay claim to swaths of your palate without overwhelming the senses. It’s a medium-bodied, flavorful ride that eagerly encourages a second sip.

Finish: The finish succinctly ties a bow on all of those decadent flavors by leaving you with a kick of black pepper spice to go with caramel-drizzled kettle corn.

Bottom Line:

While whiskey aficionados tend to grow bored of celebrity creations just as swiftly as they initially entice them, Sable Bourbon is primed to buck that trend. With a unique flavor profile that captures the elevated essence set forth by the bottle’s chic branding, this is a serious bourbon worth savoring by newcomers and savants all the same.

17. Maker’s Mark Bourbon

ABV: 45%
Average Price: $30

The Whiskey:

Maker’s Mark features an iconic bottle design, the same one they’ve been utilizing since their founding in 1953, and a mash bill that’s been used for just as long. This wheated bourbon is one of the best-selling whiskeys in the entire world, making it a ubiquitous sight on liquor store shelves.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: On the nose, you’ll find a bit of corn pudding, vanilla extract, and indistinct red berry aromas wafting out of the glass. There’s also a bit of graham cracker sweetness and white pepper.

Palate: On the palate, Maker’s Mark greets the tongue with a bunch of honeyed graham cracker notes that soon make way for vanilla pod and cornbread. A second sip morphs the vanilla pod into a custard note, complete with caramelized sugar and some red berry compote.

Finish: The finish of Maker’s Mark features some mellow spice and more red berry compote, as those natural sugars fuse with vanilla notes to quickly dissipate from the palate.

Bottom Line:

Despite its modest proof point, Maker’s Mark has a ton of flavor, meaning you won’t blow out your palate or scare off bourbon novices if you decide to sip this one straight up or share it with friends. It’s ubiquitous on liquor store shelves and should be a staple on your bar cart, especially if you aim to offer guests a smooth bourbon they can enjoy at their leisure.

16. Smokeye Hill Small Batch Bourbon

ABV: 46.5%
Average Price: $70

The Whiskey:

Smokeye Hill Bourbon is aged for at least five years in 30 and 53-gallon barrels with a variety of barrel chars before being bottled without chill filtration.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Blue corn, peanut butter, tobacco leaf, and cigar ash make up the initial nosing notes. On the second pass are Rainier cherries and a little white chocolate, delivering the sweetness.

Palate: Tobacco leaf, oak, and almond extract hit the palate at first, while the blue corn and peanut brittle notes splash across the tongue soon after. There’s a touch of fresh almonds and white chocolate before the transition to the finish.

Finish: The finish has a mellow sizzle that caps things off nicely and concludes with vanilla frosting, shaved almonds, and barrel char.

Bottom Line:

Smokeye Hill’s 93-proof offering is more tightly wound and slightly better than the barrel-proof version that’s been garnering critical acclaim. Due to a harmonious assemblage of flavors and the commendable development of those flavors, it’s safe to say that this brand-new bourbon is a winner.

15. Ezra Brooks 99 Proof Port Cask Bourbon

ABV: 49.5%
Average Price: $30

The Whiskey:

Ezra Brooks is one of the more established names in bourbon, with a history that traces back to its founding in 1957. In 2024, however, this port-finished bourbon represents the newest lineup extension for the respected brand.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Aroma notes of candy cane, rich cherries, warm vanilla, and wood chips greet the nose at first before accents of tobacco leaf and clove enter the fray.

Palate: The ripe cherry note rushes in at first with nectarines and bananas, chocolate chips, and vanilla, painting the palate with a lush layer of sweetness. This whiskey has a lot of grip on the palate, punching well above its weight proof-wise and delivering a sipping experience more in line with whiskey in the 110 range.

Finish: The finish is lingering, marked by vanilla, oak, and milk chocolate. At the very end, this whiskey reintroduces the cherry note found early in each sip. This is surprisingly tasty stuff.

Bottom Line:

Ezra Brooks’ entire brand portfolio is full of incredible value bourbons, capable of delivering outstanding quality for a wallet-friendly price. This brand-new expression is perhaps the brand’s prime example.

14. Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon

ABV: 43.3%
Average Price: $35

The Whiskey:

Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon was transitioned into a Kentucky-exclusive offering in 2022. However, in 2024, the brand announced that it would be distributed in other states for the first time in two years due to a surplus. The word isn’t yet out on whether that trend will continue through 2025 and beyond, but it came as welcome news to fans of the Evan Williams lineup’s only single-barrel bourbon.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with the aroma of honey and peanut shell, which soon morphs into gently tannic oak tones and fresh orange rinds. Caramel and graham cracker notes also inform the nosing notes before a few shakes of black pepper curb the overall sweetness.

Palate: The honey flavor leads the palate as peanut shells and caramel take a backseat. The texture is surprisingly thin, but the flavors are not without considerable depth, defying their limitations to take root throughout the palate.

Finish: The finish welcomes an uptick in the influence of the oak and black pepper, only alluded to at other points in the flavor journey. While it’s only a short-to-medium finish, that brevity complements the flavor profile, making this an approachable and easy-to-enjoy pour again and again.

Bottom Line:

Despite its relatively low ABV, Evan Williams Single Barrel’s mellow profile delivers rich flavors that cause it to punch above its weight. While longtime fans of the brand continue to grumble that “it ain’t what it used to be,” remarking on a perceived shift in quality and a substantive uptick in price, this continues to be a great, flavorful, smooth bourbon.

13. Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon

ABV: 46.5%
Average Price: $135

The Whiskey:

One of the most polarizing and hyped bourbons in all of the land, Blanton’s is the original single-barrel bourbon. Launched in 1984, each bottle of Blanton’s is the product of a single barrel, an idea hatched by Buffalo Trace’s then Master Distiller Elmer T. Lee.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose is full of maple candy, gentle oak, vanilla extract, and hazelnuts. There’s a bit of honey that kicks the sweetness of the nose up a few degrees, along with a bit of orange zest.

Palate: On the palate, the hazelnut note steers the car as orange marmalade, vanilla extract, and warm oak tones become backseat drivers.

Finish: The finish finds a flourish of black pepper and barrel char, balancing out bits of vanilla, brown sugar, and hazelnut. It drops off fairly quickly, but the relative richness of the flavors makes it a savory finish despite its brevity.

Bottom Line:

Due to it being a single-barrel bourbon, your mileage may vary when it comes to Blanton’s. I’ve personally found them to range between average and awesome, with far more bottles on the favorable side than not. Is Blanton’s overhyped? Definitely, there’s no other bottle of bourbon that people will buy simply for the horse on top. Still, it’s also a high-quality bourbon that offers a delightfully balanced flavor profile.

12. Eagle Rare Bourbon

ABV: 45%
Average Price: $60

The Whiskey:

Eagle Rare is one of Buffalo Trace’s many sought-after mid-shelf offerings. Aged for at least ten years, this bourbon is essentially a single-barrel version of Buffalo Trace Bourbon, with the primary difference being that the two brands are hand-selected to cater to slightly different tastes despite the fact that they have the same mash bill.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The distinct aroma of a caramelized orange wheel joins mature oak, faint cherry notes, and vanilla frosting as the marquee players here. Because Eagle Rare is essentially a single-barrel product, your mileage may vary, but you can almost invariably expect that prototypical cherry aroma to be present with this expression.

Palate: Flavors like cherry syrup, mellow oak, and some vanilla extract are burrowed in this bourbon and reticent to greet your taste buds. The modest proof point might be the culprit here (and, again, with single-barrel bourbon, some variance in quality is to be expected), but the flavors on the palate are surprisingly restrained and a tad bit muddled, making this one a chore to tease apart. While it’s inoffensive, it could certainly benefit from being on offense a bit more. This one is just…dull.

Finish: The finish here is brief, with dilute cherry syrup notes and vanilla pudding bringing a close to the show.

Bottom Line:

Eagle Rare Bourbon is one that I generally love, despite the wide range of variety one can find from bottle to bottle. While it used to be a favorite at $30, you should be aware that you’re increasingly likely to see it on shelves for right around $60. Even with that uptick in price, this one remains a reliably delicious sub-100-proof bourbon.

11. Bardstown Bourbon Company Origins Series Straight Bourbon

ABV: 48%
Average Price: $42

The Whiskey:

Bardstown Bourbon Company launched its Origins Series in 2023, and since then, it’s been a total hit for whiskey enthusiasts looking for full-flavored, polished expressions at a reasonable price. This expression in particular uses a 36% high-rye mashbill and is bottled at 96 proof.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Stone fruits, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and butterscotch chews are the most readily apparent aroma notes on the nose of this whiskey. It has an almost dusty quality, like the aroma of a library or well-aged leather, which adds depth.

Palate: On the palate, I’m getting the flavors of dried raspberries and butterscotch chews right off the bat. At midpalate, I’m picking up some mineral water as it opens up to reveal its rich texture. There’s a clean delineation between flavors, with the sweetness sitting at the tip of the tongue while hints of oregano and some gentle baking spice are evident on the back of the palate.

Finish: The moderate finish has a bit of earthiness with hints of peppermint and rye spice to remind you that this is a high-rye bourbon, after all.

Bottom Line:

The Bardstown Origin Series lineup has so many bangers, it’s easy to hone in on your favorite and forget the rest. While my personal favorite is the High Wheat Bourbon, going back to this low-proof bombshell, I find myself blown away at the incredible balance of flavors. It has a significant spice kick allowing it to “drink above its proof,” delivering that familiar bourbon bite that so many enthusiasts love.

10. Jim Beam 7-Year Black Label Bourbon

ABV: 45%
Average Price: $40

The Whiskey:

The new and improved Jim Beam Black Label is the result of tireless tinkering from Master Distillers Fred and Freddie Noe. New for 2024, the long-standing Jim Beam expression now has an age statement and a slightly altered flavor profile designed to optimize the distillery’s 7-year-old bourbon profile.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Peanut brittle, bubble gum, and caramel are all featured prominently on the nose of Jim Beam’s 7-Year Black Label on the first pass. A second sniff introduces accenting notes of orange rind and leather.

Palate: The dense, substantial texture hits at first before a clash of peanut brittle, butter, and hazelnuts dances across the palate. There are notes of lemon zest and honey that take root on the roof of the mouth before the flavor of barrel char and black pepper usher in the transition to the finish.

Finish: Nutmeg and honey roasted peanuts show force on the finish along with some chocolate truffle dust as it warms the entire mouth and hangs around for an impressively long time.

Bottom Line:

Jim Beam Black Label has the sweetness, spice, flavor, and wallet-friendly price to be a game-changer for your whiskey shelf. The recent reemergence of an age statement on this bottle is enough of a reason to welcome it into your collection, but that number on the front required a lot of fine-tuning on the back end by Fred and Freddie Noe, a task they’ve capably tackled.

9. Russell’s Reserve 10-Year Small Batch Bourbon

ABV: 45%
Average Price: $45

The Whiskey:

Russell’s Reserve’s 10-Year Bourbon was initially released in 2001 as an age-stated, 101-proof expression. In 2005, much to the chagrin of Wild Turkey fans, the ABV was brought down to its current level, making this a 90-proof expression.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose on Russell’s Reserve 10-Year-Old Bourbon contains varying vanillas, from ice cream to vanilla extract. There are also pastry notes and the aroma of brioche buns, along with a touch of salted caramel, warm oak, and fresh nutmeg.

Palate: The palate on Russell’s Reserve 10-Year Bourbon is distinctly earthy at first, with toasted walnuts, apple leather, and mature oak leading the charge. As you chew the bourbon, you’ll notice that those notes grow in prominence with the oak and walnut flavors outpacing the restrained fruitiness and baking spices like clove and cinnamon become more pronounced. The mouthfeel is middle of the road, which serves well to carry all of those earthy flavors without being overly slick and distracting from them.

Finish: The finish is marked by more vanilla tones, think vanilla pod more so than vanilla extract, and there’s more hazelnut flavor to be discovered alongside oak and red apple skin. It’s a medium-length finish that works well because it fades before that mature oak begins to dry out the back of your palate.

Bottom Line:

Russell’s Reserve 10-Year-Old Bourbon is one of the best values in American whiskey, offering a well-aged expression at an affordable price. This expression is perhaps the best example of Wild Turkey’s ability to deliver budget-friendly bourbon that consistently competes with bourbons at twice the price, even at a relatively lower proof.

8. Woodinville Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished In Port Casks

ABV: 45%
Average Price: $50

The Whiskey:

Using highly acclaimed casks from Portugal’s Douro Valley to finish Woodinville’s Straight Bourbon Whiskey for six months results in a product that’s every bit as delicious as it sounds. Originally released in 2017, this expression was so beloved that the brand sought to make it a part of its permanent portfolio in late 2024.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose on this whiskey is immediately evocative of baked plums and chocolate-covered cherries with a strong presence of caramel, toasted coconuts, and cinnamon, reminding you that Woodinville’s stellar bourbon is at the base of this finished delight.

Palate: Once on the palate, an initial wave of black cherries, toasted coconut, and cinnamon beguiles the senses and soothes denser notes of oak and mocha into the edges of your tongue as sweetness claims the midpalate. The liquid itself has a lean but viscous mouthfeel, enabling you to swirl it over your palate and chew the whiskey, unlocking subtler hints of clove and hazelnut.

Finish: The finish features coconut, cedar, black pepper spice, and dark chocolate with faint touches of red berries that hold it all together. It lingers for a surprisingly long time after each sip, as well, making this a decadent treat from start to finish.

Bottom Line:

We’re already raving fans of Woodinville’s whiskey output, and this new ongoing release has only fanned those flames. If you aren’t already riding the Woodinville Whiskey hype train, then it makes sense to get aboard with this next stop on their journey because it is damn good stuff at a super approachable proof-point.

7. Penelope Estate Collection 10-Year Single Barrel Bourbon

ABV: 49%
Average Price: $200

The Whiskey:

Penelope’s Estate Collection showcases some of the brand’s finest whiskey. A 9-year batched bourbon and a 13-year wheat whiskey join this 10-year single-barrel offering in the series. This hand-selected single-barrel expression is bottled without chill filtration and made from a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: I’m picking up a lot of brown sugar and raisins on the nose with some dilute honey on this whiskey, which is an absolutely alluring start. Rich oak, wet tobacco, and the distinct aroma of cloves can also be found after a few waves of the hand. I’d encourage you to allow this whiskey time to settle in the glass as those aromas continue to blossom.

Palate: After the first sip, the slick mouthfeel is the most impressive beyond the cohesive flavor profile of honey, walnuts, and raisins. There’s also more of the clove found on the nose, and the texture is almost chalky, indicating the liquid’s maturity and making for an intriguing sipping experience.

Finish: The finish on this whiskey is medium-length and marked by more baking spices like cloves, nutmeg, peppercorn, and figs. You’ll want your second sip to begin as soon as the first one ends.

Bottom Line:

I’m definitely a big fan of the flavor profile on this one and give it credit, especially for having a lovely and unique mouthfeel. Penelope has done everything right with its Estate Collection, positioning these premium offerings at the peak of its portfolio with whiskey that fits the top billing.

For an affordable, low-ABV offering from Penelope, you’ll want to seek out its brand-new Wheated Bourbon.

6. Widow Jane 10-Year Bourbon

ABV: 45.5%
Average Price: $73

The Whiskey:

For their flagship 10-Year Bourbon, Widow Jane blends whiskey distillate from three different states in bespoke 5-barrel batches before proofing it down with mineral water from their Rosendale Mines in New York. The barrels from each blend hail from distilleries in Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Widow Jane has a captivating nose of fresh cherries, orange oil, mature oak, and milk chocolate paired with more unique notes like waxy plums, coconuts, and pears.

Palate: Immediately, you’ll notice that this is a really rich whiskey that punches way above its modest proof point. That exceptional mouthfeel brings a complex web of all the notes above, with the red cherries, chocolate milk, and coconut aspects featuring most prominently across the palate while maple candy and cinnamon creep in more subtly.

Finish: Again defying its modest proof point is the finish, which lingers for quite a while, leaving mature oak and milk chocolate with a touch of plum on the palate, priming you for your next sip.

Bottom Line:

Widow Jane’s flagship expression might be under the radar for certain consumers who turn their noses up at bourbon produced outside of Kentucky. Still, having featured it in our “best non-Kentucky bourbons” round-up, you should know they’re making some excellent stuff. Not only is this bottle undeniably flavorful for its proof, but it’s also dangerously delicious.

If you’re feeling a bit spendier, then Widow Jane’s 20-Year Black Opal expression kicks things up several notches in the flavor department at a considerably higher cost that’s totally worth it.

5. Elijah Craig 18-Year Single Barrel Bourbon

ABV: 45%
Average Price: $250

The Whiskey:

Elijah Craig’s 18-year single-barrel expression is a dinosaur in more ways than one. First, it’s a long-standing hyper-aged bourbon expression in a whiskey world that’s only now reintegrating an influx of similarly aged bourbons. Second, it’s the last surviving member of the Elijah Craig lineup’s hyper-aged expressions, which used to include 20 -, 21 -, and 23-year-old offerings.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose is rich with dense, well-aged oak and caramel candies at first, but those notes merely open the curtain to reveal layers of plum, dark chocolate, and leather resting below the surface.

Palate: On the palate, Elijah Craig 18 swiftly finds every corner of your taste buds and floods them with vanilla buttercream, leather, and caramel candy flavors. The understated fruit tones from the nosing experience are buried beneath lush waves of caramel and vanilla. Still, they ultimately emerge and take shape at midpalate as bananas and shaved coconuts.

Finish: The finish is curt but marked by the richness of the coconut and caramel flavors, which satisfyingly coat the palate before ceding your taste buds to white pepper and vanilla before undulating gently out of existence.

Bottom Line:

The common criticisms following Elijah Craig 18 come from a two-pronged attack that says it is either under-proofed or overoaked. Both lines of fault-finding miss the mark.

Appreciated on its face, as well as for its rarity, Elijah Craig 18 is a mellow, multifaceted whiskey that plumbs a depth of flavor that can’t be found in more moderately aged expressions. For an easier-to-find alternative that outperforms its proof point as well as its price tag, give Elijah Craig Small Batch a try.

4. Jack Daniel’s 10-Year Tennessee Whiskey (Batch 4)

ABV: 48.5%
Average Price: $190

The Whiskey:

The OG of Jack Daniel’s age-stated lineup, this 10-year Tennessee whiskey is now in its fourth batch, and it’s just as good as it’s always been. Per usual, this whiskey is made in the same way as bourbon, save for the fact that it undergoes the Lincoln County Process, which allows Jack Daniel’s to call it Tennessee Whiskey.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: On the nose, this whiskey delivers a dense punch of clover honey, maple candy, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon-dusted apricots. There’s also a healthy influence of oak that gives it a woodsy nose with a touch of white pepper and toffee at the tail end.

Palate: Once this whiskey hits your palate, the vibrancy of the clover honey notes is apparent. The maple candy notes are relegated to the background while hazelnuts, cloves, and soft stone fruit notes take center stage, while mature oak and tobacco leaf tones form the base of this whiskey’s flavors.

Finish: The medium length finish on this whiskey is buttery with brioche buns, clove, cinnamon, and black pepper closing out each sip.

Bottom Line:

While Jack Daniel’s new 14-year expression has been stealing much of the thunder this year, quietly, the 10- and 12-year expressions deserve equal praise. I’m still partial to the inaugural batch of Jack Daniel’s 10-Year, but that’s mostly for sentimental reasons. This year’s offering is every bit as delicious.

3. Orphan Barrel Fanged Pursuit 17-Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky

ABV: 46%
Average Price: $200

The Whiskey:

The latest Orphan Barrel offering, dubbed Fanged Pursuit, features 17-year non-chill filtered Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. KSBW at that age is hard to come by. Notably, it’s brought to Orphan Barrel’s preferred proof — a relatively low 46% ABV.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose bursts forth with the aroma of Luden’s cherry cough drops, clove cigarettes, Red Vines candy, leather, and torched orange wheel covered in dark chocolate. With patience, the sweet red notes continue to vacillate between red licorice and black cherry while peanut shells and caramel come into focus.

Palate: This whiskey begins with tobacco leaf, Rainier cherries, and red apple skin on the tip of the tongue before it introduces sage smudge, black pepper, barrel char, and touches of lime rind.

Finish: Allspice, dark chocolate, thyme, and orange zest hang on the palate with a medium-length finish to close things out.

Bottom Line:

I’ve been pretty consistently impressed with Orphan Barrel’s offerings, enjoying the flavorful, low-ABV expressions in a vacuum. Their price, however, has more often been the sticking point. At 17 years old, this is one of the few expressions in the lineup that warrants the cost, offering a surprisingly robust and enjoyable tasting experience.

2. Woodford Reserve Double Double Oaked

ABV: 45.2%
Average Price: $200

The Whiskey:

Woodford Reserve’s Double Double Oaked isn’t named by mistake. Launched initially as a member of the Distillery Series in 2015, the longtime distillery-exclusive fan-favorite features Woodford bourbon that rested for 5-7 years before being finished in a second, heavily toasted, lightly charred, new oak barrel.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose on this bourbon opens with cedar, rich brown sugar, cinnamon, and nougat. It’s an alluring medley that draws you deeper into the glass and reveals subtler hints of dark chocolate chunks, black pepper, and sticky toffee.

Palate: Once on the palate, this bourbon detonates with a richness the nose only hinted at. The flavors of milk chocolate, cedar, sage, cinnamon, vanilla pods, and brown sugar cascade over the tongue and cling to the palate convincingly. This is a bourbon that spites its proof by being relentless from start to finish, and that’s worthy of extended appreciation.

Finish: The finish ties a tight bow on those many layers of flavor with a sage smudge ribbon accented by cinnamon flecks, sunflower butter, and semi-sweet dark chocolate.

Bottom Line:

While the price point is a head scratcher, make no mistake — this is delicious whiskey. Woodford Reserve is famed for its 90.4 proof point, and this is the best bourbon they’ve ever released that fits those specs.

If, however, you want a tasty, affordably priced alternative, I’d recommend Woodford Reserve Double Oaked. That one has 90% of the flavor at a fraction of the cost.

1. Michter’s 10-Year Single Barrel Bourbon

ABV: 47.2%
Average Price:$400

The Whiskey:

Michter’s 10-Year Single Barrel Bourbon is one of the more rigorously refined bourbons on the market. That’s not just lip service. Master Distiller Dan McKee and Master of Maturation, Andrea Wilson, painstakingly comb through Michter’s voluminous well-aged barrel inventory for this release annually and subject it to their own proprietary custom filtration process to dial in the flavor. Sure, there’s a big fat 10-year age statement on it, but as the two of them are fond of saying, “We don’t just age it for 10 years and a day.”

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Incredibly refined and dense oak notes combine with mature leather on the nose. It’s rewarding that this immediately comes across as a hyper-aged bourbon. My notes say, “satisfyingly sexy oak” and while I’m not entirely sure what that means, I hope you know what I meant.

Palate: Buttery viscosity leads the charge as this pour sets out to conquer four of your five senses (it looks dark and inviting in the glass, as well). There’s a decadent vanilla cream note that sits atop the mature leather and dense oak tones that are impossible to turn away from. The taste of black cherry enters before the transition to the finish and pools at the middle of the tongue before branching out along the roof of the mouth.

Finish: Tasted blind, I was impressed at how lengthy the finish on this whiskey was, but upon learning it’s only 94.4 proof, I became doubly so. There are gentle baking spices on the back end to go along with those oak tones, but the earthy, mature bourbon notes really carry it through.

Bottom Line:

Yes, Michter’s 10-year bourbon is typically excellent, but it deserves extra credit for being such a lush, flavorful bourbon, all at a modest 94.4 proof, which is atypically low for contemporary bourbon releases of this caliber. Simply put, quality always wins out. This expression proved it repeatedly in UPROXX blind tastings.

For a more affordable option from the Michter’s brand, you’d also be wise to seek out its Michter’s US*1 Bourbon.

Sable
Makers mark
Smokeye Hill Small Batch Bourbon
Ezra brooks 99 port
Evan Williams sib
Blanton’s
Eagle Rare
Bardstown Origin Series High Rye Bourbon
Jim beam 7
Russell’s Reserve 10-Year Small Batch Bourbon
Woodinville
Widow Jane (Black Opal)
Elijah 18 (Elijah SMb)
Penelope Estate 10 (Wheated)
JD10
Orphan fanged
Woodford Reserve Double Double Oaked (Woodford Reserve)
Michter’s 10-Year Single Barrel Bourbon (Michter’s us1)