Best Craft Bourbons

Criteria:

#5 Pinhook Bohemian High Proof Bourbon

This is Pinhook’s high proof offering and the first distillate from Castle & Key Distillery. It comes in at 114.5 proof and right at 3 years old. And let’s just say, Pinhook does an outstanding job with their branding. Each bottle features an actual Thoroughbred horse competing in racing action that has some sort of Bourbon themed name. 

Stats: 3 yrs; 114.5 proof; 75% Corn, 15% Rye, 10% Malted Barley, $49⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Verdict: This was presumed to be a top contender for the No. 1 spot but didn’t quite make it there in our blind tasting. I get a nice aroma of candied fruit on the nose with a little oak and floral scents. The palate is balanced with primarily young oak and spice. There is the slightest hints of sweet flavors hiding underneath with caramel, fruits, & vanilla.  Overall, a good pour (especially considering the age!) but the general thoughts were that you can tell the sweetness on the palate is not quite pushing through yet. A little more age and this is going to explode and be something magnificent! Can’t wait for that. If the profile remains the same, this may be one of the best overall bourbons in the next couple years. 

#4 High West American Prairie Bourbon

High West gets a lot of accolades, primarily for their incredible ryes. But I was surprised that this one finished as high up on the list as it did. It often gets overlooked in their stellar lineup but it is a great bourbon and the cheapest in our tasting. This is a blend of straight bourbons partially sourced from MGP and the rest undisclosed. It also has a pretty cool social marketing cause attached to it - it is named after the American Prairie Reserve Group who is working to create the largest wildlife reserve in the lower 48 states. Go to www.highwest.com for more info.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Stats: NAS (blend of barrels aged 2-13 yrs; 92 proof; blend of multiple MGP mashbill  sand others; $30⠀⠀

Verdict: The nose has a creamy sweetness to it, think caramel & butterscotch. The sweet notes translate to the palate and a few more sweets join in to carry the profile but a little earthy flavor pops up along with some oak. The finish adds a great balancer of spice with a touch of a fruity note coming through. This is a great pour and will be in the daily sipper rotation for sure. 

#3 Woodinville Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Who says you can’t make great bourbon outside of Kentucky?! Most Kentuckians are very proud of our bourbon heritage and many are tentative to venture into the non-Kentucky distilled bourbon world, minus the occasional exception for Indiana made. I, myself even, am sometimes tempted to stay in my KY bourbon bubble but boy am I glad I didn’t when it comes to this one. The next one on the lists comes out of Woodinville Washington of all places - who knew?!

 Stats: NAS (confirmed 5 yr old); 90 proof, 72% Corn, 22% Rye, 6% Malted Barley; $39   

Verdict: Woodinville has received some attention for their product lineup and it’s well deserved. This pour is outstanding, especially the nose. I get deep dark sweet aromas and a bit of fruit. The nose is the star for sure. The same similar flavors carry throughout with deep rich flavors balanced by a little sweet fruit. The finish brings the spice and lingers with a little oak. Very balanced and very good! 

#2 Smoke Wagon Small Batch

It’s #TestingThursday! Have a big hitting brand in @smokewagonbourbon and testing their Small Batch against the Craft Bourbon (Non-Heritage Distiller) #Top5. Smoke Wagon has developed such a cool brand from their owner running their social page to the uniquely beautiful and on brand packaging to the deservedly hyped up bourbon they blend from MGP. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Stats:  NAS; 100 proof; 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malted barely; $45 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀                      ⠀  

Verdict: This one made its way up the ranks of the Top 5 pretty quickly! The high rye mashbill definitely shines through but the older barrels blended in balance this out enough by providing some oak, vanilla, and caramel sweetness. Sometimes these balanced profiles result in a burst of competing flavors all at once. The best ones, like this, take you on more of a roller coaster through the flavors. At the end of the day, this settles in the number 2 spot on our list behind Starlight’s Single Barrel offering. It’s close but the Starlight has a touch more complexity and deeper flavors that just noses out Smoke Wagon.  

#1 Starlight Single Barrel Bourbon

And then there was 1. Our #1 craft bourbon in our tasting is @starlight_distillery Huber’s Rickhouse Select Single Barrel store pick by @liquor_barn_ky. Starlight has a very interesting and cool operation going on just across the river from KY in Southern IN. They pride themselves on their family owned business that provides a farm to bottle experience. They have an extremely robust product line stretching across Brandies, Wines, Bourbon, Rye, Rum, Gin, & even Vodka. They also have an orchard with u-pick experiences available. Even more, they have a Cafe, Family Park, and Ice Cream shop onsite. A truly remarkable business.

Stats: 4 yrs old, 124 proof cask strength, 51% Corn, 20% Rye, 20% Malted Barley, 9% Wheat, $45 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Verdict: I absolutely love this bourbon. All the ones in our ranking were good/really good but this one definitely stood out. It’s got depth and complexity to the balanced profile. There’s the deep dark creamy sweet flavors, oak, a touch of leather, tobacco, and I even pick up some fruits. There’s a long finish with many of the flavors lingering around. This is a big and bold profile that is very good! Amazing flavor for only 4 years old. Can’t imagine how good their products will be in the years to come. If you’re hesitant about venturing outside of non-craft, non-KY bourbon, don’t be. You will not be disappointed with this one!