10 Best Bourbons to Gift During the 2023 Holiday Season
The holidays are upon us, and nearly everyone has a bourbon lover (or several) in their life. If you’re struggling to find them that perfect something, look no further. We’ve got you covered with 10 of the best bourbons on the market sure to be appreciated by any bourbon enthusiast.
Editor’s Note: Sometimes, quality means spending money, and the whiskeys on this list range from $55 to $180. We understand not everyone will be looking to spend this much money on a gift. For anyone shopping on a tighter budget, we have a few other lists available for you:
- 7 Best Budget Bourbon Bottles to Buy
- Ranking The 7 Best Bourbons Available For Under $30
- VIDEO: 5 Bourbons Under $50 You Can’t Ignore
Knob Creek 12 Year ($60)
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One of the best value bourbons on the market, Knob Creek 12 Year blend oaky goodness with sweet notes like berries, sweet cream, caramel, nougat, cocoa and brown butter.
A common rule of thumb for fair pricing among whiskey enthusiasts is $10 per year, which would value this bourbon at $120. Instead, this whiskey can regularly be found for between $50 and $70, which is a remarkable price for a bourbon of this age and quality, produced by an American legacy producer (Beam).
2XO The Tribute Blend ($100)
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2XO is a young but exciting brand. If you haven’t heard of 2XO, you may have heard of Kentucky Owl, a bourbon brand founded in 1879 by Charles Dedman. Kentucky Owl shut down in 1916 thanks to Prohibition and remained lifeless until 2014, when it was revived by Dixon Dedman, the great-great grandson of Charles.
Dixon Dedman made a name for himself and Kentucky Owl with his impressive whiskey blending skills, and in 2017 sold the brand to Stoli.
In 2022, Dedman returned to the whiskey scene with a new brand, 2XO. The name stands for “two times the oak,” informed by Dixon’s plan to finish each 2XO whiskey in a second oak barrel.
Double-oaked whiskeys have gained steam in recent years, and when done well, they’re very good. Double-oaking can be tricky because it’s very possible to over-oak a whiskey, which results in a dry, bitter and tannic spirit. Dedman, however, knows what he’s doing.
2XO The Tribute Blend debuted in September to critical acclaim, earning an impressive aggregated score of 92 on Whiskey Raiders.
With a suggested retail price of $99.99, the Tribute Blend is a blend of two Kentucky straight bourbon whiskeys, one distilled from a mashbill containing 35% rye and the other containing between 16% and 18% rye.
Exquisitely oaky without taking it too far, 2XO The Tribute Blend has a spice-laden profile with with some accompanying sweet notes.
The Tribute Blend is the latest release in 2XO’s Icon Series, and Dixon says it’s an ode to his parents for their support throughout his career.
15 STARS Sherry Cask Finish ($180)
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A massively rising star (no pun intended) in the whiskey world, 15 STARS has made one hell of a name for itself despite just hitting shelves for the first time in 2022.
This sherry-finished bourbon in particular is putting 15 STARS on the map. This whiskey turned heads when it won Best Bourbon of 2023, Best Finished Bourbon of 2023 and a Double Gold medal at the 2023 New York Wine and Spirits Competition.
We reviewed this whiskey, and it’s worth the hype. It’s big and bold, and the sherry is well integrated. Expect honey, toffee and berries on the nose; pepper, baking spice, apples, cherries and ginger on the palate; and a short finish with plenty of oak, toffee, ginger, cranberry and pepper.
15 STARS was founded by a father-and-son duo, Ricky and Ricky Johnson, who produce their whiskeys alongside Bardstown Bourbon Co. in Bardstown, Kentucky.
Bottled at 115 proof, 15 SARS Sherry Cask Finish is a blend of 10- and 13-year-old bourbons from Kentucky and Indiana, finished in sherry casks. This whiskey is far from cheap, with a suggested retail price of $179.99. Sometimes, though, excellence is expensive.
If you’d like to try 15 STARS but don’t want to spend quite so much money, consider the brand’s First West Rye expression, which was named Best in Show for 2023 and Best Rye Whiskey for 2023 at the 2023 NYWSC. The rye has a suggested retail price of $89.99.
Heaven’s Door Ascension ($55)
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Released in July, this is the very first whiskey to come from Heaven’s Door’s new Kentucky distillery. Heaven’s Door is Bob Dylan’s whiskey brand, making this bottle an excellent gift for any fan of Dylan’s music — or just any bourbon enthusiast.
Bottled at 92 proof, this blended bourbon is relatively accessible, with a suggested retail price of $54.99 and pretty easy to find across the U.S.
In his review of this bourbon, Whiskey Raiders Chief Spirits Critic Jay West described Ascension as “the new gateway whiskey on the block.” The bourbon is very pleasant with vanilla, brown sugar, light baking spice and sweet oak on the nose; brown sugar, cinnamon, pepper and grahaam cracker crust on the palate; and candied ginger, waffle cone, brown sugar and oak on the finish.
Still Austin Bottled in Bond High Rye ($80)
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Still Austin’s Bottled In Bond series has been straight money so far, and if you happen across any of them, you should pick up a bottle. This high-rye bourbon is the second release in the series and debuted in fall 2023.
This bourbon is distilled from a mashbill of 70% white corn, 25% rye and 5% malted barley. On the nose, this bourbon is heavy on the baking spice with pepper, clove, nutmeg and cinnamon, along with some fruity notes, such as apple and pear. The palate is rich with more baking spice, as well as maple, honey, toffee and tobacco, plus apple butter and baked pear. The finish is rich, with plenty of baking spice, dessert and fruit.
Bardstown Bourbon Company Discovery Series #11 ($140)
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A series celebrating the art of blending, each Bardstown Bourbon Company Discovery release is a delight. No. 11 may be tough to track down, but if you can get your hands on it, the bourbon lover in your life is sure to be eternally grateful.
Discovery #11 is unusual for this series in that it’s composed of entirely Kentucky bourbon. Six percent of the blend is 6-year-old bourbon distilled by Bardstown Bourbon, and the rest is sourced bourbon (21% 10-year-old and 73% 13-year-old).
This bourbon is delicious, complex and sweet. It has plenty of oak, along with notes of honey, vanilla, orange peel, clove, crème brûlée, caramel and cherry.
Blue Run Spirits Trifecta ($180)
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Blue Run Spirits is a fast-rising newcomer on the bourbon scene, having been founded in 2020. Blue Run has an eye-popping group of folks on board with the company. It was co-founded by a former politician. The bottles were drafted by a Nike designer. Former Four Roses Master Distiller Jim Rutledge serves as the brand’s liquid advisor, and Wild Turkey alum Shaylyn Gammon is its whiskey director.
In August, Blue Run made major headlines when it became the first whiskey brand to be acquired by beer giant Molson Coors.
The first whiskey to be released by Blue Run post-acquisition, Trifecta is a blend of three bourbons (hence the name).
bottled at a near-cask-strength 117.1 proof, Trifecta is composed of 6-year-old (46% of the blend), 8-year-old (225) and 9-year-old (32%) bourbons.
At $180, this is a pricy offering, but it’s a great bourbon with a good story.
Penelope Private Select 9 Year Old Barrel Strength ($65)
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This offering from Penelope, the popular craft brand that was acquired in May by MGP, is truly a spectacular one.
This four-grain bourbon is aged nine years in charred new oak barrels before being bottled at cask strength.
At 54.5% ABV, this bourbon has a terrific heat level, and it’s delightfully oaky at nine years old. Big, bold and rich, Penelope 9 Year delivers loads of brown sugar and brown butter, with baking spice, tobacco, apple butter and toffee filling in the gaps.
Larceny Barrel Proof ($70)
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A beloved release in the bourbon community, Larceny Barrel Proof releases three times each year and is delicious every time. The most recent batch — C923 — is one of our favorite LBP releases in quite some time.
Distilled by Heaven Hill, Larceny Barrel Proof is a cask-strength bottling of the brand’s flagship wheated bourbons. Wheated bourbons tend to be soft and smooth in flavor, and those characteristics in a cask-strength format lend to a fun, delightful whiskey.
Larceny Barrel Proof Batch c923 is filled with maple, pancake syrup, brown butter, toffee, cherry cola, cinnamon, pepper, clove and crème brûlée. It’s dessert-forward and straight-up awesome.
Copper and Kings ($65)
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The first whiskey from American brandy producer Copper and Kings, this is a blend of 5-, 10 and 15-year-old bourbons featuring a 12-month finish in American apple brandy barrels, because duh.
The apple really comes through on this easy-sipping bourbon, along with notes of caramel, toffee, brown butter, nougat, black pepper, ginger, waffle cone, buttercream and honey.
This delicious bourbon was described as “dangerously sippable” by West in his review. The brandy truly accentuates the bourbon in an enjoyable way, and we certainly recommend picking up a bottle this holiday season.
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