“Kentucky” and “bourbon” are almost interchangeable words. You really can’t think of one without thinking of the other. Yes, even horses come in second to bourbon when it comes to the Bluegrass State. And while bourbon doesn’t need to be made in Kentucky, it is where the lion’s share is made and has been made for centuries.
That’s all a long way for me to say that it’s time to call out 100 great bourbons from Kentucky. Yes, there is enough bourbon from Kentucky that I can easily call out 100 delicious ones. Hell, this list could be 500 bottles long if you wanted to get into vintage bourbons and name entire brand lineups.
I’m sure you’ll agree that 100 entries is plenty so let me break down what’s below:
• Standard bourbons that you can get on any shelf that taste great.
• Widely available expensive bourbons that also taste great.
• Limited Editions, one-offs, and highly allocated bourbons that you might only taste once in your life…that taste great.
• A large swath of bourbon that was released in the last year and — you guessed it — tastes great.
There are no vintage bourbons below. And I did hold myself back from adding entire brand lineups (but there are still multiple entries from certain brands). E.H. Taylor, Jr.’s whole line could be on this list but that’d take up too much space and eliminate too many other great bourbons from Kentucky.
Lastly, there’s price-taggery. For the most part, I’ve called out the actual retail prices in the real world (and not the fantasy of MSRPs). Every one of these bourbons is something you can get — just click on those price links — but some of them come with a great cost. You’ve been warned.
Let’s dive in!
