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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 2025 start with those ongoing releases or new ones released in 2025 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 review hundreds of whiskeys each year spanning a wide price range and availability in order to inform readers of all budgets and experience levels. Ultimately, we must agree on which whiskeys make the list, and which do not - combining the diversity of our different palates.
Bulleit Bottled in Bond Bourbon just might be the most important release from the company since their initial release in its now iconic bottle design. Bulleit Bottled in Bond Bourbon marks the first bourbon distilled by Bulleit themselves since they broke ground on the $115 million distillery back in 2014. It is a permanent, always-on-shelf release with an asking price just north of $50, aged for 7 years (though that is not stated on the bottle), and notable considering that up until this point, the company has been sourcing bourbon since its inception.
The flavor profile brings brown sugar, caramel, cinnamon roll, rye spice, various forms of oak, some fruit, and has a satisfying oily mouthfeel. It manages to target a good amount of sweetness, which will likely make this a very enjoyable pour for a wide range of bourbon drinkers - many of whom are likely fans of Bulleit’s standard release. For enthusiasts, the bourbon is surprisingly full-flavored for its 100 proof, features the aforementioned oily mouthfeel, and has a balanced flavor profile. Its layers of baking-related notes offset by rye spice showcase its unexpected complexity. Bulleit Bottled in Bond Bourbon stands out for how well all of its parts come together and the broad net it casts, appealing to a wide range of bourbon drinkers at its accessible price point.
SRP: $55 / 750mL
WHERE TO BUY: FROOTBAT
Along with Thomas H. Handy in Buffalo Trace’s annual Antique Collection, Eagle Rare releases are often the least sought after. This momentarily changed when the brand saw a bump to 101 proof in 2018, and continually low release numbers make it favorably to collectors, but the brand has never truly caught fire as much as other BTAC releases. Part of this also has to do with how traditional Eagle Rare 17 Year releases typically are. They’re good-to-great tasting releases, but their lower proof point and lack of any unique traits other than age means they are often missing an obvious wow factor to create a fervor. Though we all sometimes forget, some of the best bourbons ever made have been traditional, lacking attention-worthy traits, because when a great bourbon is really great, nothing else is needed.
Coming in at over 18 years for this year’s release, the bourbon features the most infatuating aroma of any whiskey this year. Not to be outdone, the rest of the sip exquisitely strings aged oak, rich fruit, and delicate tannins throughout its sip to maximum effect. With stunning depth that manages to balance power with elegance, this year’s Eagle Rare 17 Year sets the benchmark for what high-aged bourbon can achieve, making it a truly beautiful bourbon.
SRP: $150 / 750mL
WHERE TO BUY: FROOTBAT
The Lineage line is in reference to the lineage of the Noe family and their involvement with Jim Beam Distillery. Specifically, this whiskey is a collaboration between seventh-generation Beam Family Master Distiller, Fred Noe, and his son, the eighth-generation Beam Family Master Distiller Freddie Noe. For the second go around with the Lineage line, Fred and Freddie Noe stuck with the basics that have made bourbon so great over the centuries: time and patience.
Beam has released a number of high aged bourbons in the past, and while all were generally really good, none could ever quite reach the high points that Lineage Batch #2 achieves. This is a well-balanced bourbon from start to finish, and thanks to its incredible flavor profile, it’s also delicious. The latest Noe collaboration, Jim Beam Lineage Batch #2 is one of the best classic-style Kentucky bourbons Beam has ever released.
SRP: $250 / 750mL
WHERE TO BUY: FROOTBAT
Every once in a while a new bourbon comes along that really surprises you. In 2025, McLaughlin Distillery Cask Strength Baby Barrel Bourbon was that bourbon for us. Distilled from a 100% corn mashbill on a homemade still, then aged for a little over 5 years in insanely small 2.5-gallon barrels in the small town of Sewickley, Pennsylvania, Baby Barrel Bourbon breaks free of today’s established norms.
Each barrel yields only a handful of bottles when harvested, and while it is bottled as a single barrel, we have tasted through a range of barrels and found the core flavor profile holds from barrel to barrel. Raisin and peppery oak, along with dense caramel and brown sugar, are at the center. From there, dark cherry, graham cracker, tobacco, and other flavors ooze out, delivered with a rich, velvety intensity and chewy mouthfeel. It takes only one sip to notice something immediately unusual, but also deeply satisfying about McLaughlin Distillery Cask Strength Baby Barrel Bourbon, making for an unforgettable tasting experience that stays with you.
SRP: $200 / 750mL
Woodford Reserve seems as if it is always the bridesmaid and never the bride, putting out good to great bourbons but never seemingly able to take it to the next level. That all changed with this year's Woodford Reserve Distillery Series: Chocolate Whisper Redux. Chocolate Whisper Redux builds off of two previous Woodford Reserve releases and finds the company releasing their highest proof offering to date. The end result is like no Woodford product you’ve had in the past.
The sip produced by Chocolate Whisper Redux is rich and full of delicious flavors, living up to its name as a dark chocolate note weaves its way throughout. Not only is it flavorful, but it’s also surprisingly balanced considering the proof that the bourbon is bottled at. Take all of your expectations for a Woodford Reserve product and throw them out the door, as this bourbon undisputedly stands out in Woodford Reserve’s lineup of past limited edition releases, thanks to the resulting sip. Woodford Reserve Distillery Series: Chocolate Whisper Redux elevates the distillery to a whole new level, producing such a flavorful sip that it will make you do a double take at what you're tasting.
SRP: $100 / 375mL
WHERE TO BUY: FROOTBAT
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