Our Favorite Bourbon Bottles of 2022

This is the first in what is planned as an annual spring release featuring reserves of Heaven Hill's oldest aging whiskey. It is composed of 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley, and bottled at a barrel proof of 118.2. With a 17 year age statement, it is made up of 28% 20 year-old barrels, 44% 19 year-old barrels, and 28% 17 year-old barrels pulled from Deatsville, Glencoe, Schenley, and Heaven Hill main campus warehouse locations. It is available in very limited quantities starting in March, 2022. (SRP $274.99)

Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond 17 Year is the ninth nationwide release in the bottled in bond decanter series which first began with a spring 2018 release. Old Fitzgerald is a wheated bourbon produced by Heaven Hill and this bottled in bond version was distilled in one distillation season (fall 2004). Aged for 17 years before bottling in spring 2022, this release bears a green label as other spring releases have done. It is bottled at 100 proof. (SRP $175)

Old Forester Birthday Bourbon is an annual, vintage-dated, one-of-a-kind bourbon. It comes together from barrels selected from one specific day of production and released each year on September 2nd to celebrate the birthday of Old Forester founder George Garvin Brown. For the 2022 release, the brand is holding an online lottery on its website from August 24-31st for the opportunity to purchase a bottle. Notified via email on September 2nd, winners will have to pick up the bottle at the Louisville distillery. (SRP $149.99)

This 16th limited edition collection from Heaven Hill consists of two Kentucky straight bourbon whiskeys made with HH's traditional mash bill (78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley). One, which represents 67% of the blend, was aged for 13 years before then being re-barreled into new, charred American oak barrels with a level 3 char. It finished its maturation there for four weeks. That lot was then blended with a 15 year-old bourbon which makes up the remaining 33% of the bottling. It's bottled without chill-filtration at barrel proof (132.2). Heaven Hill will donate a portion of the proceeds to support ALS research and patient care In honor of the late Master Distiller Parker Beam. Available nationally and internationally in limited quantities as of early December 2022. (SRP $174.99)

This is the 11th edition in the cask strength port finish series from Angel's Envy, first introduced in 2012 by Wes Henderson, his son Kyle, and his father, the late Master Distiller Lincoln Henderson. A handful of barrels from the rickhouses deemed noteworthy enough are chosen to undergo an extended finish in port wine barrels from Portugal. This release is bottled at 119.8 proof, with 16,980 bottles available in the US as of October 2022. (SRP $229.99)

The first barrel proof bourbon batch for 2022 marks the 10th anniversary for this expression from Heaven Hill Distillery. It is an uncut, unfiltered straight bourbon which is aged for 12 years in new, charred American oak barrels. For Batch A122 which was released in January 2022, the bourbon is bottled at 120.8 proof.

This limited edition bottling is a release from Ross & Squibb (fka MGP) in Lawrenceburg, Indiana under its George Remus portfolio. The Gatsby Reserve bottling honors F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel "The Great Gatsby" which was published nearly a century ago in 1925. The 15 year-old bourbon was crafted by Master Distiller Ian Stirsman and his team at Ross & Squibb and it's bottled in an art deco designed bottle at a cask strength of 48.9% ABV. Available as of October 2022 nationwide. (SRP $199.99)

The 2022 Yellowstone Limited Edition Bourbon bottling features 7, 15, and 16 year-old bourbons selected by Limestone Branch Master Distiller Stephen Beam. He chose Marsala Superiore (Italian fortified wine) casks to finish the 7 year-old bourbon before blending with the extra-old bourbons. Just 10,000 cases (3-pack) will be available for purchase beginning September 2022. (SRP $99.99)

This is the fourth annual release for Widow Jane and its The Vaults series which features its oldest and rarest whiskey. The 2022 release is made with a blend of straight bourbons aged a minimum of 14 years and as old as 19 years. Each of The Vaults bottlings have been finished with wood from various regions and with different lengths of time for its air-seasoning. Here, Missouri Ozark oak casks which have been air-seasoned for three years are used to finish the maturation. It's proofed to 49.5% ABV with pure limestone water from the Rosendale Mines of New York 100 miles north of the Red Hook, Brooklyn distillery. Just 2,000 cases have been released with availability beginning October 2022. (SRP $250)

Kentucky Tea Batch is the third batch of Booker's Bourbon released in 2022. This batch is named for Booker's signature drink, bourbon and water, which he called "Kentucky Tea." He would serve it as one part bourbon to four parts water. Kentucky Tea Batch was selected by Booker's son, Master Distiller Fred Noe, and is aged for 7 years, 4 months, and 14 days. Like all Booker's Small Batch Bourbon bottlings, this is uncut and unfiltered with this batch coming in at 126.5 proof. Available as of November 2022 nationwide. (SRP $89.99)

This Moscatel Finished Bourbon begins with Woodinville's flagship straight bourbon which is made with 100% locally-sourced grains. To finish its maturation, it is placed into 10 year-old 200-gallon Moscatel de Setúbal barrels (a rare fortified wine from Portugal). Woodinville previously released a limited edition version of this bottling in fall 2021 as a distillery-only 2021 Harvest Release. This expression will be released as a limited edition bottling to 23 markets in the US as of September 2022. (SRP $99.99)

This is the fourth release in the limited edition Maker's Mark Wood Finishing Series. Like each of the previous in the series, the whiskey begins with fully matured cask strength Maker's Mark Bourbon. The whiskey is then finished in secondary barrels containing the proprietary wood staves. The spotlight for this year's edition is the brand's focus on hand-barrel rotation (BRT) and temperature in the rickhouse. This is one of two releases this year and Maker's Mark intends for them to be enjoyed as a pair. BRT-02 is finished with French oak staves and the profile is meant to reflect the cooler bottom of the rickhouse. Bottled at a cask strength of 109.4 proof, this was released in October 2022. (SRP $59.99)