The 10 Best Bourbons of 2026 So Far, Ranked

We’re officially a quarter of the way through 2026, and the bourbon category is already making a strong case for itself. The releases covered here span the full spectrum of what American whiskey can do: sourced blends and single barrels, celebrity picks and heritage releases, sub-$50 everyday pours and $300 collector bottles.

We taste a ton of bourbon and other spirits every day here at The Daily Pour, so we figured this would be a good time to take a step back and evaluate the best of the year, so far.

All 10 bourbons below are ranked using The Daily Pour Critics’ Score, an aggregate metric that combines our in-house rating with scores from the most trusted critics across the internet. Ties are broken by house score, and then number of aggregates if a tie still exists.

10. Wyoming Whiskey Barrel Strength Bourbon Whiskey #6429 (2026)

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Kicking off the list at a 91 is a barrel that earns its score, even if the price tag gives us pause. Wyoming Whiskey Barrel Strength Bourbon Whiskey #6429 is a single-barrel, 10-year wheated bourbon bottled at 62% ABV (124 proof) from the upper floors of Wyoming Whiskey’s Kirby rickhouses, with a mashbill of 68% corn, 20% wheat and 12% malted barley. The nose opens with butterscotch and cornbread layered over a mineral, wheat-driven character that is unmistakably Wyoming Whiskey, with cherry, mint and fresh vanilla rounding things out. On the palate, the age asserts itself immediately: big oak, leather, coffee grounds, sassafras, brandied cherries and a peanut shell note that arrives quietly on the back palate like an uninvited guest who turns out to be the most interesting person at the party. For 124 proof, it drinks with surprising composure. The finish is drying and tannic, built around chopped peanuts, espresso and grape peel, before a late vanilla note steps in to soften the edges. At $299.99 for fewer than 500 bottles, this lands at the bottom of our list not because of quality but because of the math. It’s an excellent bourbon; the value proposition is just harder to defend than everything above it.

9. Knob Creek Blender’s Edition 01

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Also scoring a 91, but a far easier recommendation, Knob Creek Blender’s Edition 01 is the kind of release that makes you root for a brand. Distilled at Beam’s Clermont distillery, aged 10 years and bottled at 106 proof, this inaugural “sweet bourbon blend” retails for $44.99, which, for a decade-old bourbon at this proof, is a remarkable deal. The nose is a departure from classic Knob Creek: less of the house nuttiness, more marshmallow fluff, butterscotch, frosting and a fruit character that lands somewhere between apple pie and peach cobbler, with a sawdusty oak note lurking underneath. The palate is viscous and generous, with caramel, candied peach, apricot and custard all showing up alongside soft oak, the balance between sweetness and wood impressively maintained throughout. A finish of cinnamon, dark chocolate-covered macadamia nuts and espresso closes things out cleanly. A new competitor has entered the mid-shelf arena, and it arrived swinging.

8. High West Cask Strength Bourbon Batch 25K14 (2026)

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High West’s newest core-portfolio addition is a blender’s showcase, pulling from bourbons aged six to 20 years across Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee, none of it distilled in-house. The result, High West Cask Strength Bourbon Batch 25K14, is bottled at 58.5% ABV and retails for $69.99. The nose is a pleasant collision of demerara and gingerbread, with anise, cola, powdered sugar, blueberries, marshmallow fluff and maple all jostling for position. The palate pivots toward spice first, with cinnamon and candied ginger leading, before softening into cornbread, rhubarb and brown sugar. The finish is where things get particularly interesting: dusty oak and maple syrup give way to blueberry preserves, blackberries and a whisper of tobacco and clove. Spectacularly blended, and at $69.99 for a non-chill-filtered cask-strength bourbon drawing on 20-year-old stock, it earns its 91 without much argument.

7. Heaven Hill Heritage Collection 22 Year Old

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Twenty-two years in the barrel, aged on the fifth and sixth floors of Rickhouse Y, bottled at 64.6% ABV with Heaven Hill’s classic 78/10/12 mashbill. Heaven Hill Heritage Collection 22 Year Old is a serious piece of work, and its $319 price (will be much more than that on the secondary market) reflects that. The nose is probably the most lush of any bourbon released this year: molasses, maple, demerara, cherry, caramel, buttercream, crème brûlée and toasted marshmallow all piling on in the best possible way. The palate brings the oak in hard, with almonds, walnuts, cinnamon, clove, vanilla, blackberry, leather and tobacco all present, and the finish extends into blackberry, banana bread and mint before pushing into tannic territory that may be a step too far for some drinkers. That finish is the one legitimate knock here. But for those who can handle serious oak, the richness and depth on offer are remarkable.

6. Woodford Reserve Distillery Series: Cabernet Sauvignon Barrel Finish

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Woodford Reserve’s Distillery Series has a history of taking swings, and the Woodford Reserve Distillery Series: Cabernet Sauvignon Barrel Finish connects. Fully matured Woodford Reserve Bourbon finished in cabernet sauvignon French oak barrels, bottled at 90.4 proof and priced at $64.99 for a 375-milliliter bottle, this one skews toward the wine-forward end of the finished-bourbon spectrum, and it works. The nose balances deep, musky red wine with cotton candy, licorice and browned butter in a way that shouldn’t make sense but does. On the palate, the Cabernet is prominent but the bourbon pushes back, delivering toasted marshmallow, seared oak, pepper and browned butter alongside the tannins. The finish opens spicy, with cinnamon handing off to oak and more red wine character. It’s a limited release with narrow distribution, which keeps it lower on this list despite its 92 score. Pair it with a steak and report back.

5. Knob Creek Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon, Eli Manning’s Bold Pick 2026

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Celebrity barrel picks have a spotty track record, but Knob Creek Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon, Eli Manning’s Bold Pick 2026 is the rare one that earns its place on the shelf on merit alone. Barreled in September 2015, bottled in October 2025 and released in January 2026, this is a just-over-10-year-old cask-strength single barrel at 116.4 proof, retailing for $69.99. The nose is a showcase of Beam’s classic nutty profile dressed up for a night out: peanut brittle, caramel, cherry cola, vanilla, frosting and sassafras. The palate doubles down on the peanut brittle before layering in fudge, espresso, caramel, ash, Luxardo cherry and a sprig of mint. The finish is where this barrel really distinguishes itself: dark chocolate-covered almonds give way to marshmallow fluff and coffee grounds, then pivot into red grape, raisin and cherry. It takes everything that works about the Knob Creek house style and turns the dial up. Well done, Eli.

4. Yellowstone Recollection Bourbon 8 Year Old

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The debut release in Limestone Branch’s new Recollection Series, Yellowstone Recollection Bourbon 8 Year Old came about when founder Stephen Beam found a vintage back-bar bottle on eBay and decided to chase it. The result is a blend of two mashbills, aged at least eight years, non-chill filtered and bottled at 110 proof, retailing for $69.99 per 700-milliliter bottle. The nose is all corn sweetness and warmth: toffee, sweet cream, gingerbread, caramel, vanilla custard, apricot and red apple. The palate opens on that same red apple note before settling into custard, gentle oak, caramel, toffee, candied ginger, carrot cake and molasses. A custardy texture clings throughout. The finish warms up with cinnamon, then tobacco, toasted oak, leather, Granny Smith apple and a touch of peanut brittle. At $70 for a non-chill-filtered, 110-proof, 8-year-old blend in what is objectively a beautiful decanter bottle, this is one of the strongest value plays of the year. The 92 score is deserved.

3. Barrell Bourbon Cigar Blend

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At $85 for a full 750-milliliter bottle, Barrell Bourbon Cigar Blend delivers arguably the most generous value on this list. Barrell Craft Spirits built this limited release around a blend of straight bourbons aged 7.5 to 18 years, sourced from Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee, then finished in Madeira, Armagnac, rum and Hungarian oak casks before being bottled at cask strength (111.2 proof, 55.6% ABV). The name telegraphs the experience pretty accurately: this is a bourbon that wants to be sipped slowly, ideally next to something smoldering. The nose opens with browned butter, butterscotch, cake batter and grape jelly, with mint and grape leaves adding an herbal lift that keeps things from going too sweet. The palate is where the Armagnac and rum finishes really announce themselves, pushing Luxardo cherry, plum and raisin to the front before tobacco, leather, caramel, cinnamon and anise fill in behind. There’s a drying tannin structure holding everything together, and the whole thing has a viscosity that coats the glass. The finish leans hard into spice: tobacco, clove, cinnamon and black pepper in a long, warming exit. Each of the four cask finishes pulls its own weight here, and the fact that they cohere into something this coherent at cask strength is the real achievement. One of the best whiskey releases of 2026 so far, and at this price, it’s not a hard sell.

2. Bardstown Bourbon Co. Distillery Reserve: Cascadia Garryana Oak Barrel Finish

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Bardstown Bourbon Co.’s Distillery Reserve series put two bottles in The Daily Pour’s top 10 whiskeys of 2025, so the first 2026 installment arrived with significant expectations. Bardstown Bourbon Co. Distillery Reserve: Cascadia Garryana Oak Barrel Finish earns a 93 and mostly delivers, though it is, admittedly, a polarizing one. A blend of 9- and 10-year-old Kentucky and Indiana bourbons finished for 10 months in custom Garryana oak barrels from Oregon Barrel Works, it’s bottled at 107.5 proof and priced at $99.99 for a 375-milliliter bottle, available only at Bardstown’s distillery gift shop and Louisville tasting room. The nose is lovely: Bavarian cream, caramel, dark chocolate, chamomile, almonds, peaches and cream, green apples and toffee. The palate brings a silky, killer mouthfeel and a complex push-pull between espresso, cinnamon, clove and tobacco on one side and butterscotch, toasted marshmallow and sweet cream on the other, with apples, strawberries, lime peel and a touch of banana weaving through the background. The finish is the highlight: very long, moving through toasted oak, caramel, marshmallow, sugar cookies, maple cream, graham cracker, cocoa and cinnamon before closing on overripe Granny Smith apple and honey. The Garryana oak gives everything a woody bitterness that’s leathery, faintly chocolatey and edged with lime peel — different from standard American oak in a way that’s hard to pin down but easy to appreciate. Not for everyone, but for those who want something new from the finished-bourbon space, this is it.

1. Brown-Forman’s King of Kentucky Small Batch Bourbon (Batch 1)

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Long a single-barrel product, King of Kentucky made its first foray into batched whiskey in February 2026, with Brown-Forman releasing three separate batches simultaneously. Brown-Forman’s King of Kentucky Small Batch Bourbon (Batch 1) is the lowest-proof of the trio at 105 proof (52.5% ABV), a blend of barrels aged between 12 and 18 years, some of which had lost as much as 84% of their original fill to the angels. At $299 per 700-milliliter bottle, it sits firmly in the premium tier. The nose is a master class in the classic Brown-Forman profile: vanilla custard, blueberry, chocolate-covered cherry, lavender, cream cheese frosting, salted caramel, sweet cream, chocolate ganache and a whisper of melon. The palate is thick and opulent, with big dark chocolate and espresso up front, followed by cherry, coconut, ash, oak and tannin. The finish runs medium to long, moving from brown sugar and cinnamon through nutmeg, leather and tannin before landing on candied orange, ginger and vanilla. It may not be the most labyrinthine bourbon on this list, but as a showcase of pure, perfectly executed richness, it’s hard to beat. Master Distiller Emeritus Chris Morris has likely been sitting on some of these barrels for quite some time, and that’s clearly paid off.