Although some of the pontificating on whisk(e)y forums and subreddits will have you believe that bourbon isn’t worth drinking unless it costs five figures and is sipped neat out of Waterford crystal drinkware, that’s not quite the case. It may seem like a flex to rock up to a bar and order the most expensive bourbon on the menu (though the favoured #techbro flex is to perform sacrilege by asking for it to be mixed with coke), the best bourbon whiskeys of 2024 aren’t all E.H. Taylor and Pappy Van Winkle. Many delicious drams sit happily within the two figure range and offer the same (if not more) imbibing pleasure.
Beloved for its sweet, dessert-like, oak-forward flavours and rich mouthfeel, bourbon represents a more easy drinking whiskey than its Scotch or Japanese counterparts, making it an ideal dram for spirit novices. Plus, it’s often less fussy and more versatile, able to be sipped straight or mixed into an Old Fashioned, bourbon sour, or Kentucky Mule (basically a Moscow mule with bourbon instead of vodka).
Related: The 18 Best American Whiskey Brands
Regardless of how you like your bourbon, there are some inexorable conditions. For a whiskey to be classified a bourbon, it must be made from a mash bill comprising a minimum of 51% corn, distilled in the United States, and aged in new charred oak barrels (‘straight’ bourbon must be aged a minimum of two years). While bourbon is deeply linked to the state of Kentucky, it doesn’t necessarily need to be produced there; bourbon can be produced anywhere in the United States, with the word not able to be used for any whiskey produced outside the region. That said, Kentucky bourbon accounts for 95% of the global supply of the spirit (and tbh, a 100% of this list).
Enough talking. Let’s get into the best bourbon whiskies you can buy in 2024.
The best bourbon whiskeys to buy in 2024
From top-shelf drams at bottom-shelf prices to seminal bourbons worth splurging on, these are the best bourbon whiskeys in 2024.
1. Evan Williams Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Proof you needn’t shell out top dollar for a top bourbon, Evan Williams Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is not only an ideal cocktail bourbon but can also be enjoyed on the rocks. A Heaven Hill whiskey—the distillery responsible for the likes of Bernheim, Larceny, and Elijah Craig—Evan Williams Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey punches well above its price tag; and, makes for better drinking than the oft-touted affordable option of Jim Beam White Label. Aged longer than required by law, it’s a smooth expression characterised by a palate of vanilla, brown sugar, caramel, and oak that’s just as good sipped neat as it is with coke. It’s also worth remembering that the brand produces several older and small batch whiskies that hold their own against top-tier brands; try the Single Barrel or Bottled In Bond.
Price: $55AUD
Established in: 1783
Founder: Evan Williams
Parent company: Heaven Hill Distillery
Location: Louisville, Kentucky
2. Four Roses Small Batch
A criminally underrated dram, the Four Roses Small Batch is a premium bourbon offering. The distillery uses two different mash bills and five yeast strains to create ten distinct recipes to riff off; four of which are used to make Small Batch. Aged six to seven years, it sees the intense spicy notes from the distillery’s high-rye mash bill softened by the rich fruity notes of the yeast. Orchard fruits, caramel, and oak dominate the palette, with lingering spicy notes and a hint of vanilla on the finish.
Price: $94.99AUD
Established in: 1888
Founder: Paul Jones, Jr.
Parent company: Kirin Brewing Company
Location: Lawrenceburg, Kentucky
3. Michter’s US-1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon
The oldest bourbon brand in America, Michter’s is responsible for some of the most coveted limited-edition aged statements (seriously, if you see a 20- or 25-Year-Old in the wild, snap it up). However, its core US-1 range is always a solid bet, with the Michter’s US-1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon made in small batches and finished in fire-charred new white American oak barrels. Caramel and vanilla notes intermingle with stone fruit on the palate, with a smoky, oaky finish. And although neither technically a bourbon nor a rye whiskey, the Michter’s US-1 Sour Mash Whiskey makes for one of our favourite drams; using some fermented ‘starter’ mash—akin to making a sourdough or perhaps a kombucha—it utilises a unique grain selection with features a palate that starts out like a bourbon and finishes like a rye whiskey.
Price: $114.99AUD
Established in: 1753
Founder: John Shenk
Parent company: Chatham Imports
Location: Louisville, Kentucky; Springfield, Kentucky
4. Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style
Throwing it back to the Prohibition Era wherein Old Forester was one of just six distilleries granted a licence to bottle bourbon (for medicinal purposes, of course!), the Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style is a delectable expression that sees rich dark brown sugar, caramel, and honeyed notes tempered with tart green apple and bright notes of green peppercorn and coriander.
Price: $129.99AUD
Established in: 1870
Founder: George Garvin Brown,
Location: Louisville, Kentucky
5. Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon
John Wick’s inebriant of choice, Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon sees an aroma of soft, creamy vanilla and a hint of baking spices open up into a balanced palate of candied citrus, vanilla, caramel, and oak. Using whiskeys selected from the centre-cut or middle sections of the Buffalo Trace distillery’s Warehouse H, Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon represents a tradition that has continued for almost four decades; a refined, elegant expression made to be consumed neat.
Price: $137.99AUD
Established in: 1984
Founder: Elmer T. Lee
Parent company: Buffalo Trace
Location: Frankfort, Kentucky
6. Maker’s Mark 46 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky
Eschewing the traditional presence of rye in its mash bill, Maker’s Mark opts for wheat, with the grain lending the resultant spirit a softer finish that allows the sweetness of the corn and flavours from the oak barrel to shine through. The Maker’s Mark 46 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky (yes, it’s one of the rare bourbons that’s spelt without an ‘e’), sees the brand’s signature soft palate of vanilla, fruit, and oak emboldened by a longer ageing process in seared French oak staves. The result is deeper and richer than its core expression, with intense flavours of caramel and vanilla with a creamy, buttery mouthfeel.
Price: $69AUD
Established in: 1953
Founder: T. William Samuels Sr.
Location: Loretto, Kentucky
7. Eagle Rare 10-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon
The Eagle Rare 10-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon is an award winner many times over — and for good reason. Made with Buffalo Trace’s low-rye mash bill, it’s known for its idiosyncratically complex nose, with dominant notes of toffee, orange peel, herbs, honey, leather, and oak. A dry yet delicate palate of almonds, cacao, and charred oak make for easy drinking, whether neat or mixed into an Old Fashioned.
Price: $98.99AUD
Established in: 1975
Founder: Charles L. Beam
Parent company: Buffalo Trace
Location: Frankfort, Kentucky
8. Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 15-Year-Old
Ready to go on an adventure? Part of the appeal of Pappy Van Winkle lies in the art of finding it, with getting your hands on a bottle no easy feat. In an ideal world, we’d be enjoying the bold yet elegant notes of Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 15-Year-Old, which sees caramel, vanilla, oak, leather, and dried fruits in an amber liquid that slides down the throat like silk.
Price: $3999AUD
Established in: 1935
Founder: Pappy Van Winkle
Parent company: Buffalo Trace
Location: Frankfort, Kentucky
9. Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon
Call him daddy. Named after the ‘Father of bourbon’, the legendary Baptist minister who aged his corn whiskey in charred oak barrels in 1789, Elijah Craig crafts some of the best bourbon in the country. The brand’s flagship expression, Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon, has a nuanced palate of honey, marzipan, and wildflower, accented with a distinct smoky note. Its complex vanilla and mint aromas coupled with its smooth drinking make it ideally suited to sipping neat or mixing into a Mint Julep.
Price: $92AUD
Established in: 1986
Founder: Heaven Hill Distillery
Location: Louisville, Kentucky
10. Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon
Hailing from the eminent Wild Turkey distillery, Russell’s Reserve was founded by legendary master distiller Jimmy Russell and his son Eddie (also a talented distiller in his own right). Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon is the dram that keeps on giving; complex notes of vanilla, toasted oak, baking spices, brown sugar, and dark chocolate evolve with each sip, with a touch of malt on the finish.
Price: $94.99AUD
Established in: 2001
Founders: Jimmy and Eddie Russell
Parent Company: Campari Group
Location: Lawrenceburg, Kentucky
11. Woodford Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey
An elegant expression that belies its modest price tag, Woodford Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey boasts a nose of dried fruits, orange, and mint that hints at a full-bodied palate of citrus, cinnamon, toffee, and dark chocolate. Its unique triple distillation process results in a silky smooth expression, while its high corn mash bill allows its sweet notes to come out.
Price: $600
Established in: 1996
Founders: Chris Morris and Elizabeth McCall
Location: Versailles, Kentucky
12. Larceny Small Batch 92 Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Wheated bourbons often draw comparison to Pappy Van Winkle, and while Larceny sits in the same wheelhouse of brands, its Small Batch 92 Kentucky Straight Bourbon stands on its own merit. The use of wheat results in a smoother, rounder character with a palate of caramel and honeyed notes with a distinct bready quality and a long oaky finish.
Price: $119.99AUD
Established in: 2012
Parent company: Buffalo Trace
Location: Nelson County, Kentucky
13. Booker’s Bourbon
Each bottle of Booker’s is bottled uncut (i.e. barrel-proof) and unfiltered. It’s released in limited batches so there’s no knowing what you’ll get when you buy a bottle of Booker’s Bourbon. That said, expressions tend to be on the warm, sweet side. One to try once you’ve tried everything else — add a dropper of water to allow the whiskey to open up a little.
Price: $124.99AUD
Established in: 1988
Founder: Frederick Booker Noe II
Parent company: Jim Beam
Location: Clermont, Kentucky
What is bourbon whiskey?
Much like Scotch whisky, there are stringent conditions that dictate what can be classed as bourbon whiskey. Whisk(e)y refers to a spirit distilled from fermented grain mash, with bourbon being a type of whiskey. However, while all bourbon is whiskey, not all whisk(e)y is bourbon.
To be classed as ‘bourbon’, a whiskey must contain a mash bill (the grain combination used when making multigrain spirits) with a minimum of 51% corn. Distillers will then add other grains; typically rye, barley, and/or wheat.
The spirit must be aged in new charred oak barrels and be bottled at a minimum of 80 proof (ABV 40%). To be deemed ‘straight bourbon whiskey’, the spirit must be aged for a minimum of two years. Furthermore, the distillation and ageing process must take place in the United States. As per a concurrent resolution adopted by the United States Congress in 1964, the federal government recognises bourbon as a “distinctive product of the United States”; thus, imported whiskeys are not allowed to bear the label ‘bourbon’.
Does bourbon need to be made in Kentucky?
According to the Kentucky Distillers’ Association (KDA), 95% of the world’s bourbon supply is produced in Kentucky. However, this is not a legal requirement.
Bourbon can be produced throughout the entirety of the United States, however the spirit is inextricably linked to the bluegrass state with many of the best bourbon distilleries located in Kentucky.
The United States Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) recognises bourbon as a “distinctive product of the United States”. Further to this, it is prohibited to label any whiskey or whiskey-based spirit produced outside the region as ‘bourbon’.
Words by John Deckard
Image courtesy of Ambitions Studio/Rick Barrett
