10 Best Special Occasion Bourbons to Splurge On Right Now

Not every bourbon is an everyday pour. Some bottles are built for a moment — a milestone birthday, a long-awaited celebration or any other evening where an occasion calls for something extraordinary. These 10 bourbons — some easier to track down than others — are all terrific options to consider toasting your next special occasion with.

Bottles ranked from least to most expensive, based on suggested retail price.

Prices listed are suggested retail; some of these bottles can be difficult to find at or near that price, sadly. 

10. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof

Proof: 120.2 | Price: $75

 

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is one of the most reliable regular releases in bourbon — Heaven Hill puts out three batches per year, each drawn uncut from the barrel and bottled from the distillery’s 78% corn, 10% rye and 12% malted barley mashbill, and each carrying a different proof depending on the barrels selected. The series has built a devoted following precisely because the quality floor is so consistently high relative to the price.

Batch B525, released in May 2025, was a particularly strong entry. The nose opens with Werther’s caramel, creamed corn, flan, pie crust, peanut butter, praline and cinnamon, with strawberries, Luxardo cherry and plum developing over time. The palate is sweet and drying with a chewy viscosity — vanilla frozen custard, fudge, chopped peanuts, beignet, butterscotch, coffee grounds and a fruity undercurrent of cherry, raisin, apple fritter and black cherry. The finish runs through caramel corn, crème brûlée, blackberry ice cream, tannin and milk chocolate-covered cherry. Bruising but sweet and beautifully layered.

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9. Still Austin Bottled in Bond Red Corn Bourbon

Proof: 100 | Price: $84.99

Still Austin’s Red Corn Bourbon is our favorite of the distillery’s four annual Bottled In Bond Series releases. Distilled from a mashbill of 36% red corn, 34% white corn, 25% rye and 5% malted barley, this is genuinely elite bourbon, and some of the greatest evidence that Still Austin is one of America’s best distilleries.

The nose is sweet and floral — lavender, vanilla bean, butterscotch, cherry syrup and powdered sugar. The palate delivers a velvety mouthfeel with cherries, powdered sugar, almond, toffee, caramel cake, butterscotch and cocoa. The finish is long, with oak, cherries and more powdered sugar. A phenomenal, full-bodied bourbon from one of the best, mst interesting craft distilleries around.

This bourbon releases every summer, so keep your eyes peeled in a few months — the cat’s out of the bag on how damn good this release is, and it’s gotten tricky to find.

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8. Booker’s Bourbon

Proof: 126.5 | Price: $99.99

Booker’s is a regularly released series of barrel-proof bourbon from the James B. Beam Distilling Company. Releases are uncut, unfiltered and drawn from multiple warehouse locations. Our favorite release in recent memory was last year’s “By the Pond,” which is blended with barrels spanning eight locations, aged 7 years, 1 month and 20 days.

The nose is dark and dessert-heavy: confectioner’s sugar, cookie dough, icing and butterscotch alongside coffee grounds, dark chocolate and black cherry, with gingerbread, anise and milled corn grain tying the two profiles together. The palate is oily with measured heat — buttercream, cornbread and peanut brittle give way to cherry, peach cobbler and orange peel, while bitter tannin, coffee and tobacco cut through the sweetness for a beautifully balanced pour. The finish is long: apple pie with cinnamon, brown sugar, lemon oil, leather and tannin. Big, bold, dark and flavorful — a dynamite batch.

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7. Jack Daniel’s 14 Year Old Batch 1

Proof: 126.3 | Price: $149.99

Jack Daniel’s oldest age-stated whiskey since Prohibition, Batch 1 of the 14 Year Old was released in February 2025 and is distilled from the classic Jack Daniel’s mashbill of 80% corn, 12% malted barley and 8% rye. Expect to pay well above the $149.99 MSRP at retail, unless you get very lucky.

The nose is deep and layered: Luxardo cherry syrup, gingerbread, dark chocolate, crème brûlée, Demerara, cinnamon, butterscotch, spearmint, a charred smoky note and — with time in the glass — banana bread batter. The palate opens hot and aggressive with chili powder and cinnamon before softening into chocolate shavings, black cherry, hazelnut, coffee and peanut brittle against a consistent through-line of tobacco and oak. The finish is long and layered, moving from ash, dark chocolate and espresso through cinnamon, nutmeg and serrano pepper before landing on cherry candies, banana taffy and cake batter, with tobacco throughout.

If you can’t find (or don’t want to spend an arm and a leg on) Jack Daniel’s 14 Year Old, its 10-year-old and 12-year-old counterparts are a bit more accessible and affordable alternatives worth seeking out.

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6. Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged

Proof: 112.9 | Price: $175

Cellar Aged is Maker’s Mark’s “here, damn” answer to all of its fans who had been clamoring for a Maker’s product with more age. The 2025 edition (the third annual release) was composed of 74% 11-year-old bourbon, 16% 14-year-old bourbon and 10% 13-year-old bourbon — with the 14-year component representing the oldest whiskey ever introduced into a Maker’s Mark blend. Aged in the distillery’s limestone cellar, which Maker’s believes moderates the aging environment enough to prevent over-oaking, it’s bottled at 112.9 proof.

The nose is rich with custard, caramel cake and orange peel. The palate delivers cocoa, oak, caramel, Demerara, chopped peanuts and baking spice — gingerbread, anise and sassafras alongside the sweetness. The finish continues with cinnamon and clove before darkening into coffee grounds, fudge and tannin. Darker and spicier than standard Maker’s, with the age showing beautifully. Not the most complex bourbon on this list, but superb and exceptionally drinkable.

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5. Michter’s 10 Year Old Single Barrel

Proof: 94.4 | Price: $195

An annual release and one of the most consistently acclaimed bourbons in its price range, the Michter’s 10 Year Old Single Barrel is typically aged significantly longer than 10 years — and that’s clear in the glass.

The nose of the 2025 release was gorgeous and balanced: vanilla custard, candied orange, cinnamon, root beer, brûléed brown sugar, toasted oak, sweet cherry and tart raspberry. The palate is powerfully oaky, with a pronounced cherry cordial character supported by cocoa powder, almonds, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange peel, confectioner’s sugar and substantial tannin. The finish is led by cinnamon, with tannin, leather and drying toasted oak, closing on cherry. The oakiest recent batch of this expression — rich, decadent and not for drinkers who prefer light oak influence. Finding it at or near MSRP takes effort.

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4. Remus Gatsby Reserve 15 Year Old

Proof: 102.8 | Price: $199.99

The 2025 edition of Ross & Squibb’s annual Gatsby Reserve, released in October in ultra-limited quantities, is a 15-year-old MGP bourbon bottled at 102.8 proof. The nose leads with a pronounced orange blossom note, joined by candied ginger, cinnamon, sassafras and banana cream. The palate is spice-forward and deeply satisfying — gingerbread, cinnamon and clove accented by cola, caramel and orange peel. The finish delivers cola, sassafras, coconut shavings, cocoa powder, orange zest and candied ginger. A wonderfully cohesive, spice-driven bourbon that is dangerously easy to drink at its relatively low proof.

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3. Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch 2025

Proof: 109.1 | Price: $249

Released Aug. 19, last year’s Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch is a blend of four bourbons: 13-year OBSV (38%), 13-year OESV (35%), 13-year OBSK (17%) and 19-year OESV (10%), with the “V” yeast strain contributing delicate fruit character and “K” adding light spice. The nose is rich and gorgeous — honeycrisp apple, apricot and blueberry pie filling alongside mocha, molasses, confectioner’s sugar, tapioca and cinnamon. The palate has ideal viscosity and what can only be described as a perfectly calibrated oak presence: crème brûlée, Demerara, caramel, cherry, coffee grounds, cinnamon, anise, frosting and tobacco. The finish opens with cinnamon, clove and peppercorns, transitions through cherry and honeycrisp apple, then closes on cocoa powder, tea and a final pop of bubblegum. A masterful blend from master distiller Brent Elliott — deep and sweet yet light and fruity, with moderate rye spice throughout. One of the best bourbons of 2025.

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2. Angel’s Envy Cask Strength 10 Year Old

Proof: 122.6 | Price: $249.99

Released Oct. 10, Angel’s Envy’s annual cask strength expression carried an age statement for the first time in 2025 — 10 years — and was finished in port casks, as is the brand’s standard. Distilled by an undisclosed Kentucky producer and bottled at 122.6 proof, it opens on a nose of sweet port, chopped walnuts, slivered almonds, brown sugar, cinnamon toast and plum. The palate is sweet and satisfying with a fine balance of oak, sweetness and port character: brown sugar, strawberry candies, saltwater taffy, plum, cherry, fig, cinnamon, caramel, cracked pepper and sweet oak. The finish is long — cocoa, toffee, chocolate-covered cherries, salted caramel, cinnamon, tobacco, grilled apricot and lemon balm. No off notes, exquisitely balanced and remarkably drinkable at north of 122 proof. The port integration is seamless throughout.

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1. Knob Creek 21 Year Old

Proof: 100 | Price: $249.99

At 21 years, Beam’s oldest release is the kind of bottle that defines a special occasion. Aged in white oak barrels and bottled at 100 proof — restrained relative to most of the bottles on this list, which at this age is a deliberate choice to let the oak-driven complexity lead rather than proof heat. The nose is beautiful: Bavarian cream, maple donuts, caramel, Luxardo cherry, blueberries, cinnamon and tobacco. The palate carries butterscotch, a commanding oak presence, cinnamon, gingerbread, a huge cherry note and licorice. The finish delivers oak, tannin, cinnamon, mint, peanut brittle, dark chocolate and watermelon candies. This will not appeal to drinkers who find heavy oak off-putting — but for those who seek it out, this is an excellent example of what 21 years in Kentucky white oak can produce, with rich, layered flavors that justify every year of wait.

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Selections are chosen by The Daily Pour’s editorial team and informed by The Daily Pour’s Critics’ Score, a proprietary metric that aggregates and averages ratings from the internet’s most trusted beverage critics.