Top Shelf Whiskey Picks From The Distiller Community

Woodford Reserve is known for aging their bourbon in heavily charred oak barrels, which give the whiskey a distinctive, deep, rich flavor and feel. Double Oaked is the same bourbon, given a second maturation, or finish, in barrels that have been toasted twice as long, but charred much more lightly than the other casks, for an additional 9 months. A package redesign was introduced in late 2016, featuring a shorter and wider bottle. It is still bottled at 45.2% ABV.

When it comes to wheated bourbons, this is the one that started them all... Well, William Larue Weller (the bourbon's namesake) is the one that started it. When you talk Pappy, Maker's Mark or Rebel Yell you have to thank Mr. Weller for having the foresight to swap out the rye for wheat. Special Reserve is the 'entry' bottling to the Weller line and a must have for anyone wanting to learn more about bourbon and its different variations. Note: Can't find Pappy? Drink this, the Weller 12 year or the Weller Antique.

Four Roses Single Barrel is bottled at 50% ABV and is comprised of their OBSV recipe (Four Roses has 10 different recipes). It's a Kentucky straight bourbon made using a high-rye mash bill (60% corn, 35% rye, and 5% malted barley) and uses their delicate fruit yeast strain. Each batch will vary slightly as is to be expected from single-barrel bottlings.

Though not officially (read, legally) established until 1816, there are records that date distillation here going back to 1742. Malted barley produced just a hop, skip, and a jump away at neighboring Port Ellen is utilized. Everything is long at this distillery: fermentation, distillation, and maturation. Good things do indeed come to those that wait. Bottled at 43% ABV after 16 years in oak barrels.

The former George T. Stagg distillery was renamed Buffalo Trace when Sazerac took over ownership in 1999. Master Distiller, Elmer T. Lee, came out of retirement for the creation of the Buffalo Trace Bourbon which was released later that same year. The whiskey is comprised of a low-rye mashbill providing for a softer, sweeter expression and is bottled at 90 proof.

As the name indicates, this is a small batch whiskey comprised of selected whiskey barrels which were aged in Warehouse C. This warehouse was constructed by Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr in 1881. This bourbon is also a bonded whiskey which means that the bourbon was distilled in one season, aged for at least 4 years and bottled at 50% ABV.

Made by Heaven Hill Distillery, this Henry McKenna bottling is a Bottled-In-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon. Aged 10 years, this release is also a single barrel release with each bottle bearing both the bottling date and the barrel number. Single barrel whiskeys are unique bottlings so your mileage may vary, but you'll generally be sipping a rye-drinker's bourbon. Big, bold, spicy and a great choice for an Old Fashioned--go easy on the sugar, amp up the bitters a bit and garnish with a single orange peel.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof 12 Year Bourbon releases are bottled without any dilution or chill filtering. The batch numbers provide specific information about the release: The first letter indicates which of that year's releases the bottle was a part of starting with "A", while the second digit is a number that determines the month of the year the bottle was released. The third and fourth digits indicate the year. Batch B520 is bottled at 127.2 proof.

Eagle Rare 10 Year Bourbon is one of the flagship products of the Buffalo Trace collection of whiskeys. It is made from 10 year old bourbon aged at the Kentucky distillery. The barrels are hand selected for quality and consistency before bottling.

The first mass-produced single-barrel bourbon, bottled by Master Distiller Elmer T Lee in 1984, gets its name from Colonel Albert Blanton. Colonel Blanton spent more than 55 years producing, studying and upholding whiskey traditions; holding almost every job imaginable at what is now the Buffalo Trace Distillery. Insider's note: Save the stoppers. They spell out Blanton's and depict eight different moments from the beginning to end of a horse race.