The 10 Best Bourbons We Tasted in 2023, Ranked

2023 has come and gone, and as we enter the new year — and Dry January for some — let’s take a moment to pause and reflect upon the best bourbons that made their way across our desks.

2023 brought us sought-after expressions that bourbon drinkers dream of and plenty of underrated gems. The competition was stiff, but we’ve ranked the 10 best bourbons we reviewed last year. Without further ado, let’s raise a glass to the 10 best bourbons of 2023.

The 10 Best Bourbons We Tasted in 2023

10. Larceny Barrel Proof Batch C923

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This beloved bourbon is distilled by Heaven Hill and released three times a year. Heaven Hill’s Larceny Barrel Proof Bourbons have a bit of a cult following, and September’s release was the standout this year.

With a suggested retail price of $60, this wheated bourbon is bottled at 63.2% ABV. We crushed pretty hard on Larceny’s Barrel Proof Batch C923, with the bourbon appearing in our 8 Best Whiskey We Tasted in September 2023 and 10 Best Bourbons to Gift During the 2023 Holiday Season lists last year.

With plenty of maple syrup, brown butter and cherry cola on the nose, this bourbon is a decadent dessert lover’s dream. On the palate, picture more luscious maple, coupled with cinnamon, pepper and nutmeg, segueing into a lingering finish of crème brûlée all day.

9. Remus Repeal Reserve Series V

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The Remus Repeal Reserve Series was crafted to honor the end of Prohibition on Dec. 5, 1933, and this bourbon is definitely worth celebrating!

This offering from the Luxco-owned brand, Remus, was released in 2021, but we reviewed it this year and found it superior to the 2022 or 2023 Remus release, hence its presence on this list. Remus Repeal Reserve Series V is a blend of 2005, 2006 and 2008 bourbons.

With a bold and rich nose loaded with brown sugar, maple sweet toffee and cherry pie, this dessert-driven dram hosts plenty of dark berries and spice on the palate. A balanced ABV of 50% adds richness, which leads to a lingering finish with plenty of spice and fruit.

Remus Repeal Reserve Series V hosts a suggested retail price of $89.99 a bottle.

8. Wild Turkey 12 Year 101 Proof

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This export-only release of Wild Turkey 12 Year is good enough to be worth the hunt. Clocking in at 101 proof, this is an extra-aged rendition of Turkey’s flagship 101 release. This whiskey can be found in international markets like Japan and uses Wild Turkey’s traditional mashbill of 75% corn, 13% rye and 12% malted barley.

Wild Turkey’s 12-year-old bourbon hosts a rich nose with brown sugar, cinnamon roll and sweet oak that undoubtedly makes quite the impression. The palate starts relatively moderate, then becomes lusciously viscous, with brown butter, tobacco, fig and cinnamon.

The finish might just be the best part of this pour and is chock full of maple, brown butter and freshly baked cinnamon rolls. Though Wild Turkey can generate some hits and misses, this bourbon is definitely a hit, and may even be worth taking a trip out of the country to score a bottle.

7. Barrell Bourbon Batch 034

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If Barrell Bourbon Batch 034 can be summed up in a word, it would be “exceptional.” This blend of 6-, 8-, 10- and 15-year-old bourbons distilled in Tennessee, Indiana and Kentucky hosts an ABV of 58.31%.

The nose possesses bits of nutmeg, caramel and fudge leading to a textured, syrupy mouthfeel with plenty of cocoa, toffee and salted caramel. The finish is dry and cocoa-forward with nougat and sweet cream, coupled with espresso and cherry.

A bold and beautiful bourbon from Barrel Craft Spirits, you can pick yourself up a bottle directly from Barrell for $84.99.

6. Hardin’s Creek Frankfort

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Beam released its three-bourbon Hardin’s Creek Kentucky Series in 2023, and Frankfort was the second installment. Each bourbon was aged for 17 years and distilled from the same mashbill. The only differentiating factor between the expressions was the location. Each expression with the Hardin’s Creek Kentucky Series was aged at a different campus for James B. Beam Distilling in — you guessed it – Kentucky.

Hardin’s Creek Frankfort has an MSRP of $170 and an ABV of 55%.

Frankfort is a bourbon that tilts towards the dessert end of the spectrum, with plenty of buttercream, nougat, pralines and just a bit of oak. There is a lighter touch of oak here than its predecessor, Hardin’s Creek Clermont.

On the syrupy palate, expect plenty of buttercream and maple candies. The tannin integrates beautifully with this bourbon, giving it a great backbone. Hardin’s Creek Frankfort finishes long, with funky tobacco and black tea, making it quite a rollercoaster of a ride.

All three bourbons of the Hardin’s Creek series received a score of 8/10 at Whiskey Raiders, making it difficult to choose, but the journey on this expression pushed it ahead of its compatriots.

5. Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged

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Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged was one of the more hotly anticipated releases of 2023, and bourbon fans have been waiting for this release forever. This blend of bourbon was distilled by Maker’s Mark and traditionally, initially aged for six years at the brand’s rickhouses. This extended-aged bourbon spent an additional 5 and 6 years in the property’s limestone cellar.

The blend of 11- and 12-year old bourbons was bottled at a cask-strength 115.7 proof and hosts all the signature Maker’s Mark qualities in its nose. With plenty of baking spice, soft oak and buttercream, the nose is way more potent than the standard Maker’s Mark.

On the palate, this oaky bourbon has plenty of structure and complexity. There are baking spices aplenty, joined by red berries and a bit of blackberry.

The whiskey finishes long, with plenty of tobacco, raisins and nutmeg. If you’re a wheated bourbon fan, this offering from Maker’s Mark is the stuff dreams are made of. This wheated bourbon hosts a suggested retail price of $150, and as a limited release of approximately 30,000 bottles, will probably be hard to find. Check out the below video for more of our thoughts on this delightful bourbon.

4. 2023 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection William Larue Weller

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The 2023 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection made major waves as always. The on-paper highlight of this year’s collection was the oldest Eagle Rare in its history, distilled in 2004. Though that age statement is impressive, the expression that really made us pause and take note was the William Larue Weller Bourbon. We tasted this whiskey in October and filmed our first impressions on it, which can be viewed below.

This wheated bourbon clocks in at a 133.6 proof, and the barrels were pulled from Buffalo Trace’s Warehouses C, L, M and N. With a powerful, butterscotch-driven nose featuring caramel aromas aplenty, this richly layered palate hosts plenty of nougat and caramel. This wheated bourbon hosts a finish that just goes on and on, with waffle batter, tobacco and toffee.

Though this offering hosts a suggested retail price of $124.99, it’s highly likely this bourbon will sell for significantly more on the secondary market.

3. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch C923

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This release of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof marks the oldest expression we’ve seen to date from the series. With a hefty 133 proof, this bourbon is definitely big and bold.

The richly layered nose has plenty of caramel, cocoa and root beer with plenty of sweetness. On the palate, there’s plenty of power here. With cocoa, red berries, cherry cola and caramel, this bourbon has a lot to say. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch C923 finishes with plenty of toffee, caramel, cherry cola and root beer.

Some whiskey enthusiasts were a bit worried when Heaven Hill removed the age 12-year age statement from the Elijah Craig line, but after tasting this offering there is clearly nothing to worry about. If you want to learn more about Elijah Craig’s Barrel Proof C923, you can watch the video below:

2. Four Roses 135th Anniversary Limited Edition Small Batch 2023

Four Roses released its 135th Anniversary Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon, and this particular bourbon was special because it featured the oldest whiskey in the distillery’s history.

A blend of 12-, 14-, 16-and 25-year-old bourbons, this whiskey is a blending masterpiece from Master Distiller Brent Elliot. With a bright and fruity nose, loaded with strawberries and waffle cone, the palate is rich and beautifully balanced. Dangerously drinkable with aromas of strawberry, blackberry, ginger and waffle cone, this decadent and nuanced bourbon is truly stunning.

The Four Roses 135th Anniversary has a moderate finish, with plenty of fruity crémè brûlée qualities and an oak-driven spine. This knockout hosts a suggested retail price of $199.99. We’ll admit it will probably be hard to find — we were lucky to be able to score a bottle ourselves. If you want to watch a video of our in-house spirits critic, Jay West’s first impressions on the bottle, you can check out the video below:

1. A. Smith Bowman Cask Strength Bourbon Batch #2

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This stunner of a bourbon from Virginia’s oldest distillery was bottled at a cask-strength of 135.1 proof. Aged for at least nine years, this bourbon will be available via a nationwide lottery which opens at noon EST Jan. 3 and closes at noon EST. Jan. 10.

With a suggested retail price of $99.99 per 750-milliliter bottle, this bourbon received a score of 9/10 at Whiskey Raiders and is the best bourbon we tasted in 2023. The nose is intoxicatingly rich, with Madagascar vanilla, Werther’s candies and cherry cordial. The heady aromas give way to a palate that delivers layer upon layer of bold cherry, tobacco, salted caramel and crémè brûlée. A. Smith Bowman’s bourbon finishes long, with cherry cola, crème brûlée and pipe tobacco.

Strong, powerful and the best Bowman we’ve ever tasted, it’s just incredible stuff through and through.

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