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You must be 21 or over to enter this website. If you're not old enough to drink, then you're not old enough to read Breaking Bourbon.
Please read and drink responsibly.
Each year we taste and review hundreds of American whiskeys, which are predominantly bourbons but also include ryes, malts, finished whiskeys, and other classifications of American-made whiskeys. Our annual “Best Whiskeys of the Year” series features five categories: “Best American Single Malt, “Best American Whiskey,” “Best Rye,” “Best Finished,” and “Best Bourbon,” finally culminating with our overall #1 Whiskey of the Year.
Our Best Bourbons of 2024 start with those ongoing releases or new ones released in 2024 and rated 3.5 barrels or higher, but are not based purely on our initial tasting and individual rating. Instead, we retaste and discuss this wide range of whiskeys extensively. We ask questions, such as is the whiskey exciting, memorable, unique, and most importantly, how does it compare to the rest of the field for the year.
We look for whiskeys that move us, and dig into whiskeys that may be off the beaten path. While availability and price are factors, they are not absolute. The intent is to highlight the whiskeys of the year that stand out the most to us, even if they might be difficult to obtain - and the reason we maintain evergreen “Best of” lists to highlight more readily accessible whiskeys. Ultimately, we must agree on which whiskeys make the list, and which do not - combining the diversity of our different palates.
In 2024 Still Austin released their most noteworthy whiskey yet. Still Austin Bottled in Bond Red Corn Bourbon is 5 years old and made with 36% red corn, 34% white corn, 25% rye, and 5% barley. Part of the company’s “Seasonal Bottled in Bond Series” that is intended to capture the ingredients, flavors, and themes of its respective season, Still Austin Bottled in Bond Red Corn Bourbon screams summer.
As the bottle’s label accurately conveys with its red snake entwined with a cactus, Still Austin Bottled in Bond Red Corn Bourbon is a prickly sip - in a good way. It's complex and expressive with an aroma featuring scents of ancho pepper, truffle and cream soda. It’s an unusual pairing of scents, yet it works exceedingly well thanks to its intensity. Its palate and finish pair well together with a notable roasted flavor note found throughout, featuring ample amounts of spice with marzipan, leather, and a lingering nuttiness adding contrast.
This release manages to capture a taste of Texas without an overreliance on oak and proof. Still Austin Bottled in Bond Red Corn Bourbon features layers of spice, each distinct, yet working exceedingly well together, resulting in a bourbon that makes an immediate impact as you sip it. It may have taken time, but hard work and determination has resulted in Still Austin’s best release yet.
When Green River announced a high proof version of their standard product, many thought they knew what to expect. Every distillery eventually puts out a higher proof version of their standard product, but how transformative would a higher proof point actually be? Combined with a 5-7 year blend of bourbons, Green River Full Proof Bourbon is shocking how it doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, but takes what you already know of it, nips and tucks, then is careful how much it adds to it.
With recent Green River releases leaning more heavily into spice territory, Green River Full Proof Bourbon is dominated by the flavor profile it starts with. Notes of dark fruits, caramel cream candy, and brown sugar add further layers of sweetness along with a beautifully thick and creamy mouthfeel. The finish enhances the palate’s dark fruits and adds a rich layer of oak to it. Green River Full Proof Bourbon is an everyperson’s barrel proof bourbon with an everyperson’s price. Coming in at $50, value is once again an integral part of the Green River experience. And that experience is a nicely balanced and well-rounded bourbon that expertly uses its proof to enhance everything that is great about the brand.
Booker’s Bourbon has a special place in the hearts of many bourbon drinkers. Being the original barrel proof bourbon, many found their love for high proof bourbon with this brand. When Beam moved to named batches in 2015, it was a creative way to call out specific releases and draw attention to their differences. Yet still, Booker’s Bourbon is a big, bold bourbon and it's hard to separate that when thinking about the brand. Challenge accepted.
Beam decided to take on that notion head-on in 2024. While the brand has found past success trudging this course with their 25th and 30th Anniversary releases, they were limited and intentionally designed to be one-off special releases, they prove it's possible. Booker’s The Reserves goes a long way to add nuance to a Booker’s Bourbon pour. Still clocking in at a high 125.9 proof, The Reserves is far from a meek pour, but there is more room for it to breath. With that space, Booker’s trademark cinnamon and nuttiness is pulled back, and new notes of Golden Grahams, chocolate, toasted almond, and toasted oak are added that reinvigorate Booker’s flavor profile.
With Freddie Noe personally picking all of the barrels for The Reserve blend, this first edition includes 8, 9, 10, and 14 year old bourbons. In a lot of ways, it mirrors what Four Roses does with their annual Limited Edition Small Batch release, and that’s great. With a price of $130, it's a far cry from the $200 price point from Beam's other limited edition bourbon this year. Offering great flavor, better balance, and all around more nuance than the standard Booker’s Bourbon, The Reserves is a worthy addition to the brand and one that immediately makes a mark.
If any bourbon caught us by surprise in 2024, it was this 8 year old straight bourbon from Woodinville Whiskey Company. Located in Woodinville, Washington, a northeast suburb of Seattle, the distillery has been making whiskey since 2010. We’ve enjoyed their flagship bourbon in the past, but nothing the distillery had previously put out prepared us for what they had in store for 2024.
This release is an exploration in whiskey making science, specifically focusing on barrel properties such as varying char levels, barrel drying techniques such as kiln versus open-air seasoning, and gas chromatography analysis to pinpoint the core compounds company founders Brett Carlisle and Orlin Sorensen were looking for. Interestingly, they used a different mashbill than what’s found in their standard flagship bourbon, with a lower percentage of corn and higher percentages of rye and malted barley. This ultimately led them on the path that their ISC brand 24 month open-air seasoned, heavy toast, light char barrels took them down, aging for a total of 8 years.
Woodinville Straight Bourbon Aged 8 Years is an explosion of flavors that find impeccable balance, perfectly dialed in proof, and just the right amount of barrel driven attributes. It’s not often bourbons find such a perfect marriage of flavors across such a dynamic range, but Woodinville managed to do just that with this immediately memorable release.
Some say that bottled in bond whiskey is the ultimate comparison equalizer since distilleries all have the same rules and regulations they need to follow in order to satisfy the bottled in bond requirements. Chattanooga Whiskey Co. is no stranger to this set of regulations, as their ongoing semi-annual bottled in bond releases have consistently been interesting bourbons. What makes their bottled in bond series so fascinating is that they vary the mashbill used from release to release. The Spring 2020 blend contains three versions of their acclaimed wheated recipe (B005, B005v2, B005v3) – which contains multiple varieties of malted wheat and malted barley never before used in this mashbill.
A distillery that seems to leave no detail unchecked, Chattanooga Whiskey Co. has proven their ability to experiment, analyze, and make adjustments in an effort to fine-tune every aspect of their whiskeys. This level of determination has paid off, as the Spring 2020 is the most interesting and best bottled in bond release the company has produced to date. Full of classic bourbon notes, the sip is a flavor train from start to finish, making it a wonderful whiskey to experience. Chattanooga Whiskey Bottled in Bond Bourbon Vintage Series: Spring 2020 is a reminder that Chattanooga Whiskey Co. is a force to be reckoned with in the American whiskey space.
