Craft Bourbons I Always Keep On My Shelf
Craft Bourbons I Always Keep On My Shelf
Embarking on a journey through the world of craft bourbons is a delightful endeavor, and our latest gallery is here to guide you through some top-notch selections that deserve a spot on your shelf. From the robust flavors of Frey Ranch Farm Strength Uncut Bourbon Whiskey to the nuanced notes of Rabbit Hole Dareringer, this collection showcases the artistry and diversity found in small-batch distilleries. Whether you're a seasoned bourbon enthusiast or a curious newcomer, you'll discover unique expressions like Blue Run High Rye Bourbon and the innovative offerings from Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co. Each slide reveals the story behind these craft treasures, offering a taste of the passion and expertise that goes into every bottle. So, pour yourself a glass and join us as we explore these essential craft bourbons that make every sip a memorable experience.
Still Austin Bottled in Bond Red Corn Bourbon
This one’s a four-year-aged gem with a funky red corn twist. It’s smooth as heck, hittin’ you with grassy vibes, a kick of peppermint, and some dark chocolate goodness—kinda like a campfire dessert in a glass. Buy it now!
Woodinville Port Finished Bourbon
From Washington state, this straight bourbon gets extra time in ruby port barrels from Portugal's Douro Valley, adding a rich, fruity layer to their already solid five-year-old spirit. You pick up jammy berries, candied cherries, dried plums, chocolate-covered fruit, and a touch of spice that makes it thick and cozy, perfect for slow sippin' when the wind's howlin' outside. Buy it now!
Wilderness Trail Wheated Bourbon
This craft gem from Kentucky's Wilderness Trail uses a wheated recipe and slow aging to bring out creamy, decadent caramel notes that feel almost dessert-like. Expect lush butter caramel blended with corn sweetness and subtle nutty undertones, all smoothed out without any harsh bite. Bottled at higher proof but drinks easy, it's the kinda pour that shines when you're kicking back, highlighting how smaller distilleries can nail that indulgent caramel profile with real finesse. Buy it now!
Frey Ranch Farm Strength Uncut Bourbon Whiskey
Nestled in Fallon, Nevada, the Frey Ranch stands as a Whiskey haven, boasting a remarkable 165-year history and led by Co-Founder Colby Frey and Master Distiller Russell Wedlake. Operating like the Disneyland of distilleries, Frey Ranch embraces an authentic 'Ground-to-Glass' process, where all grains are cultivated on-site for the ultimate farm-to-table experience in your Whiskey glass. With five generations of farming expertise, they seamlessly blend tradition with modern innovation, creating a sustainable and delectable Whiskey. The signature Frey Ranch Farm Strength Uncut Bourbon Whiskey epitomizes this ethos – unfiltered, uncut, and akin to sipping straight from the barrel. Each batch undergoes a cask-strength tasting to ensure it delivers the desired punch. Defined by its raw, bold, and straight-up character, the "Farm Strength" embodies the Frey family's preference. For an authentic flavor face-off, consider trying it alongside their flagship 90 proof. From grain to glass, this farm-fresh flavor journey at Frey Ranch is a must-experience. Buy it now!
Pinhook Flagship 2023 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
In 2010, barman Sean Josephs, along with a team of top designers and marketing directors, founded Pinhook, adopting a wine-making approach to whiskey. The brand annually unveils a unique bourbon batch, treating each release like a fine vintage, capturing the barrel's essence at that specific moment. The pursuit of complexity and balance is relentless, emphasizing careful barrel selection, small-batch blending, and bottling at the opportune time. Pinhook has found its home at the Castle & Key Distillery in Frankfort, KY, where its products are given the proper time and space to shine. The 2023 release, Pinhook's flagship bourbon Resolve, spent three years and four months in oak barrels. With a mash bill of 75% corn, 15% rye, and 10% malted barley, this traditional bourbon is named after the esteemed Bourbon Resolve thoroughbred. Boasting welcoming butterscotch, dried apricot, and graham cracker notes on the nose, and roasted peanuts with candied cinnamon flavors on the palate, Resolve is bottled at 101.48 proof, delivering on its promises and captivating even the toughest crowds. Buy it now!
New Riff Bottled in Bond
New Riff is doing things the old-fashioned way in Northern Kentucky, and it shows in the final product. They use a high-rye mashbill, age their bourbon for at least four years without chill filtering, and bottle in bond at 100 proof. Their single barrel program is where things get really good though - you can find picks from various retailers that highlight different flavor profiles from their rickhouses. The distillery is transparent about their processes and aging, which is refreshing in an industry that sometimes plays things close to the vest. You're getting a bourbon that tastes like bourbon should - bold, spicy, with plenty of oak character and none of the artificial sweetness some brands add. Buy it now!
Castle & Key Whiskey
The rebuilt castle that presently houses Castle & Key's distillery was first constructed in 1887 and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. With its 113 acres of beautifully designed grounds, it seems like a palace in Europe. Their Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey and their award-winning Restoration Rye are both highly recommended. Castle & Key Whiskey can be found in stores as well online at retailers such as Total Wine.
Blue Note Juke Joint Bourbon
Crafted in Memphis with a nod to the blues, this unfiltered straight bourbon delivers a thick, viscous body full of sweet corn, vanilla, allspice, apricot, pear, and oaky warmth. Aged just right near the river, it builds gentle heat with fruity and spicy layers that linger, turnin' a frosty night into somethin' cozy and satisfying. Buy it now!
Blue Run High Rye Bourbon
Kentucky finally let some new kids play, and Blue Run is running circles around the old guard. The high rye gives it this cinnamon-red-hot pop that wakes your mouth up, then waves of butterscotch and oak come calm everything down. At 13-ish years old on some batches it drinks way above its age. Bartenders pour it for the guy who swears he only drinks Pappy but can’t tell the difference when his eyes are closed.
Jeptha Creed Four Grain Bourbon
This Kentucky distillery built their entire operation around Bloody Butcher heirloom corn, and their Four Grain Bourbon is the flagship expression that shows what they can do with heritage grains. It's aged at least four years and bottled at 98 proof, giving it enough backbone to stand up to the complexity that comes from using four different grains in the mashbill. The Bloody Butcher corn drives deeper cereal sweetness and adds cocoa and earthy notes that you don't find in bourbons made with commodity corn. What's interesting is how the grain character shows through before the barrel influence takes over—you get a fuller mouthfeel and more complexity from the actual ingredients instead of just relying on oak aging to create flavor. At around $53, it's priced right in that sweet spot where you're getting craft quality without the markup some smaller distilleries charge. The distillery is transparent about their grain sourcing and their process, which is refreshing when a lot of craft operations are vague about where their stuff actually comes from. The bourbon holds up well whether you're drinking it neat or mixing it, and the smooth, rich flavor profile makes it accessible even if you're new to the whole heirloom grain thing.
Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co. Whiskey
Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co. specializes in barrel-finished whiskey and bourbon, as well as small-batch and single-barrel products. They grind, boil, ferment, double-distill, and barrel all of their spirits in one place in Louisville, Kentucky. Kentucky Peerless Whiskey can be found in stores as well online at retailers such as Total Wine.
Ironroot Republic Whiskey
For a genuine grain-to-glass experience, Ironroot Republic matures, ferments, distills, mashes, and bottles all of their spirits in Denison, Texas. They provide whiskey, bourbon, brandy, cognac, gin, vodka, and moonshine, but their premium whiskey is their most well-known product. Try their Apotheosis VI bourbon, which has a lovely depth of taste with notes of molasses, tea, dried apple, sticky tobacco, sour cherry, hazelnuts, and coffee. It is aged in three different types of sherry casks. Ironroot Republic Whiskey can be found in stores as well online at retailers such as Total Wine.
Pursuit United Straight Bourbon
Pursuit United Straight Bourbon embodies the harmonious amalgamation of barrels from three distinct states. The marriage of rye and wheated bourbons gives birth to a remarkably unique whiskey. This blend unveils an engaging dance between fruity and spicy notes. Savor this captivating pursuit, a delight designed for the refined palate of a true connoisseur. Buy it now!
Nulu Double Oaked Straight Bourbon Single Barrel S2B26
Nulu Straight Bourbon, initially distilled at MGP, takes a remarkable journey with a re-barreling process into new virgin toasted and charred American oak barrels—a technique known as "Double Oaked." Barrel B896, part of the Topflight Series 2 selection, underwent this process for an impressive 10 months in a Heavy Toast Char 3 American oak barrel. The result is a bourbon of unparalleled depth, offering rich tannins, a darker color, intense mouthfeel, and a pronounced oak presence. Co-founder Chase Hazelbaker attests to its excellence, describing it as full-bodied, rich, viscous, sweet, oaky, and fruity. At a cask strength of 114.8-proof, this Nulu Double-Oaked Bourbon Single Barrel promises a delightful sensory experience with nuanced flavors and a lasting Kentucky hug. Buy it now!
Laws Four Grain Straight Bourbon
Made from corn, wheat, barley, and rye—the four mother cereals of America. Due to their extreme difficulty in production, there aren't many four grains available on the market. The recently burned American white oak barrels provide a complex whiskey with aromas of caramel and vanilla. traditional flavor. Buy it now!
Rabbit Hole Dareringer
Different from their Cavehill, the Dareringer is a straight bourbon finished in PX sherry casks, and holy hell is it sweet. PX sherry is already like drinking raisins and figs in liquid form, so when you finish bourbon in those barrels, you get this concentrated sweetness that's almost Port-like. There's honey, dried apricots, dark chocolate, and this lingering sweetness that sticks around long after you swallow. Rabbit Hole isn't messing around with their finishes – they're actually transforming the bourbon into something new. It's pricey, sure, but if you want something that screams dessert without actually being dessert, this is your bottle. Buy it now!
Koval Single Barrel Bourbon
The Koval Single Barrel Bourbon adheres to the mandatory mashbill requirement, with a minimum of 51% corn. However, it deviates from the conventional addition of rye or wheat by incorporating millet, a primary cereal from Asia and Africa. Millet, known for being a gluten-free ancient grain, shares a historical association with the spirits industry, particularly in Nepal, where it has been revered as a preferred libation for an extended period. Buy it now for $49.99.
Kings County Bourbon
If you want to recommend a small operation that really cares about what they’re doing, Kings County is a smart call. This bourbon has a straightforward, honest taste with a little bite, in a good way. It feels old school but not dusty. It’s a bottle that says you know your stuff without having to explain anything. Buy it now!
Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series Wheated Bottled-in-Bond
This 100-proof wheater is the cozy sweater of bourbon right now. Soft baked apple, vanilla cream, and that classic wheat sweetness come through loud and clear, but there’s enough rye spice in the mashbill to keep it from getting too fluffy. The finish hangs around forever with cinnamon and caramel – perfect for slow sipping while you’re pretending to watch the game but really just staring at the fire. New favorite for sure.
Starlight Distillery Bourbon
Coming from a family-run Indiana operation, their aged expressions deliver deep oak, fruit, and caramel with real elegance. It’s craft at its finest – nuanced and rewarding, perfect for those reflective bunker nights when you want depth without the big-brand feel.
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