The Best Bourbon Brands Of 2023

Matthew Charles, restaurant partner at Rockefeller Center's Pebble Bar in NYC, is a big fan of Woodford Reserve. "Woodford Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is rich and silky smooth, with citrus, cinnamon, cacao, toffee, caramel, and spice notes, and has a warm satisfying finish for year-round libations," said Charles, who features it in Pebble Bar's Hurley's old fashioned along with demerara bitters, lemon, and orange oil.

Bobby Leonardo, head bartender at NYC's Thai hotspot Wayla, recommends Redwood Empire Pipe Dream. "On the nose it has nice orange, toffee, vanilla," he said. "When sipping, it starts off with a nice orange, caramel, spices, stone fruits and black pepper finish."

"Willett Pot Still Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey is an incredibly spicy, traditional style whiskey," according to Christian Taibi, the "Bar Czar” at Honolulu's Mahina & Suns restaurant, which serves elevated Hawaiian home cooking. "With every sip your pallet is whisked back to the days of old, where American whiskey was cultivated. A real treat for any fan of bourbon."

“Wild Turkey Rare Breed is a higher proof and blend of 6 to 12-year whiskeys," said Alec Gonzales, bar manager at Phoenix's Grey Hen Rx, a bar serving innovative cocktails and a wide variety of spirits. "It’s dry, full of spice, and has the perfect hint of vanilla. I like incorporating it within old fashioned cocktails.”

Noah's Mill Bourbon is a favorite of Connor Fitzpatrick, retail clerk at San Diego's Raised By Wolves, a hidden Prohibition-style cocktail bar hidden behind a glamorous liquor store. "[It's] a wonderful blend of toasted caramel that feels like velvet on the palate with a hazelnut finish," said Fitzpatrick.

W.L. Weller Special Reserve Bourbon is another go-to for Taibi. "At 90 proof, this wheat bourbon comes from the same barrels as Pappy Van Winkle, but at a fraction of the cost—absolute perfection!"

The Elijah Craig Barrel Proof makes for a great bourbon because its high proof, with undertones of stone fruit, vanilla and butterscotch along with a subtle spice," said Gonzales. "It’s a great price for a full proof bourbon, and drinkers can enjoy it within a cocktail or neat."

“People naturally gravitate towards Kentucky when looking at bourbons, but there are distillers across the across the country making spectacular whiskeys," said Max Alexander, bar director at San Francisco's Ernest, a bar and restaurant inspired by global flavors. He loves Oakland, C.A.-based outfit Wright & Brown, which mills, ferments, distills, ages, and bottles their spirits onsite. "It’s a level of hands-on craftsmanship that most distillers can’t claim," Alexander said. "This attention to detail is evident in their bourbon, which is both rich in vanilla and caramel notes, but perfectly balanced with a prominent rye presence.”

"When considering which bourbons to buy while in the whiskey aisle, I think the most important factor is knowing the production source," according to John Johnson, owner and sommelier at Louisville's The Wine Rack, a shop for wine and spirits. "I love Castle & Key's newly released Small Batch Bourbon," he said. "Everything with their name on it, from the gins to the ryes and now bourbon, is excellent and made onsite by their dedicated team." This bottling has tasting notes of toffee, bread dough, dates, and toasted almonds, with a warm finish of cinnamon and allspice.