It’s no secret that as we mature in our bourbon drinking many tend to gravitate towards higher proof bourbons. The kind of bourbons that tend to let you know that you’re drinking them with a hearty amount of burn – sorting those who can handle the heat from those who can’t. I’m recalling a certain friend who told me to just pour him whatever I was having one evening in the garage bar speakeasy, and in his words he “nearly died.” The appeal of high proof for me isn’t about the heat, it’s about the added complexity that tends to accompany the pour. Experiencing your bourbon without being diluted down provides an experience akin to being at the distillery sampling from the barrel itself. Today’s post focuses on five bourbons that truly deliver an exceptional pour…the kind that you’ll want to have a backup or two for when after day two…or one, you’ve disappeared the bottle you JUST opened.
These five bourbons deliver in every way you could hope for, whether that be on the nose (when you notice that everyone is watching you spend an uncomfortably long time nosing your glen), on the palate (when you find that your bourbon has triggered a terrets outburst…”holy F@%$ that’s good”), or on the finish (when you hear your buddy make a long “mmmmmmm” sound from across the bar).
What a great pour – I liked this one enough that when I had the chance, I scooped up three more bottles (because I clearly don’t have enough bourbon as it stands). I had heard of this bottle being referred to as a “Stagg killer” and I am a huge fan of George T. Stagg which, to me, is hands down one of the best bourbons year-to-year. Even in all its Stagg-licious glory it found itself second fiddle to Smokeye Hill Barrel Proof in the 2024 ASCOT awards. Smokeye Hill is a product of Hazelwood Spirits Company in Colorado Springs, Colorado which sourced this bourbon from Ross and Squibb Distillery (aka MGP) out of Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Although one could quickly dismiss this as “another MGP product,” they use their own proprietary recipe that includes heirloom varieties of blue and yellow corn and then it seems they truck the white dog to Colorado to get barreled and aged in the high desert climate there. They also barrel using 30- and 53-gallon barrels with varying char levels between #2 and up to #5. They have a number of small batches that have been released to date with 131 proof being what was judged at the ASCOT awards, 131.2, 131.4, 132, and 134.2 proofs are also out in the wild these days. The current Bourbon Blue Book® average value for this bottle is $120…of course, I saw it this morning for sale on the interwebs for $80, so keep an eye out!
Surely, you’re not surprised to see this on the list, and if you are, shame on you. It’s hard to believe that the first of this lineup was released more than twenty years ago in 2002 – but here we are. Year after year, it’s consistently fantastic – balancing out sweet notes like caramel with more earthy notes like barrel char and layering in just the right amount of baking spices at the same time. This year’s GTS is no different, but it detours from its ethos slightly with less heat than usual and an amped up fruitiness in the form of some dark fruit. Whatever it’s got going on is heavenly, and can be yours for the low, low price of only $668 according to the Bourbon Blue Book®.
The bourbon I just opened is Batch 3 because let’s face it, the earlier batches are spendy. A friend had recently had it and compared it to George T. Stagg as well (noticing a theme here?), and that on its own merits was enough for me to pick it up. Does it remind me of GTS…maybe a little, but it’s its own pour to be sure, though draws on some of the same dark fruit notes. Interestingly, this doesn’t drink anywhere near its proof, it feels like it’s a 110 proof pour not approaching hazmat territory at 135.1. What’s exceptional is how well they’ve managed the proof of this pour whilst accentuating the richly complex flavor profile that comes along with it. The Bourbon Blue Book® has this bottle averaging around $325 as of writing.
I had included this on my list of bourbons I was going to focus on acquiring this year to try as I hadn’t had any of the K. Luke line before. It’s been a relatively low key brand that I rarely see pop up on the secondary, just here and there with little to no regularity. Given such, I wasn’t expecting to get hands on one so quickly, but as luck would have it, I did. I’m not sure why this brand hasn’t gotten more love than it has but this is a standout for sure. Interestingly, I’ve got a growing line of friends who are all anxious to stop through the garage bar speakeasy and have a taste for themselves. For those who have made it by, survey says “winner winner chicken dinner.” Although not many of these have filtered out onto the secondary as of yet, the few that have are priced around $150 according to the Bourbon Blue Book®.
Call me a Weller fan boy if you want, but this wheater is one of the most well-rounded full-proof bourbons out there in my opinion. Originally finding its way onto the scene back in 2019, it’s got legs to stand on and doesn’t necessarily kick you too hard but has enough of a bite to let you know it’s there. I recall a rumor from years back that we'd start seeing more of this product as production ramped...here we are in 2025 and although secondary prices have come down, along with the market overall, I'm still waiting to ever see this with any regularity out in the wild. With an exceptionally long finish this solid and well-balanced bourbon deserves a spot on your top shelf and will certainly have you pouring an extra finger or two...just for good measure. The Bourbon Blue Book® has this sitting at $165 this week.
Data matters and having up-to-date and reliable information to make informed decisions about buying, selling or trading coveted bottles of brownwater is critical. The secondary market doesn’t stand still and neither do we in cataloguing and providing the web’s most accurate, reliable and up-to-date pricing around. As new bottles hit the market, their pricing changes daily…finding a ceiling, and eventually a floor. The market shifts up and down, commensurate with the economy – every week some bottles are up and some bottles are down. If you’re looking for a resource that’s based on real data grounded in actual sales on the secondary market, is updated regularly, and has values for over 6,000 bottles and growing at your fingertips, you need to look no further than the Bourboneur App for iOS and Android. The app does require a paid subscription, only $3 per month or $25 a year, which easily pays for itself!
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