The Best Bourbons of 2026 (So Far): Top 10 Best Bourbons 2026

We're not even halfway through the year and 2026 has already delivered some seriously impressive bourbon. From long-awaited age statements to cult-favorite annuals doing their best work yet, the best bourbons of 2026 so far have genuinely raised the bar. Here's our countdown of the releases that have turned the most heads.

10. Booker's Bourbon "Big Easy Batch" 2026-01 | 129.1 Proof

Booker's releases are reliably good, but the Big Easy Batch is something else. Named for New Orleans, a city that held a legendary place in founder Booker Noe's heart, this 7-year, 2-month, 15-day release is bottled uncut and unfiltered at a hefty 129.1 proof. It's a big, rye-driven bourbon that opens with cloves, black pepper, and charred rosemary before the palate finds its balance with cherry, raisin, tangerine, and brown sugar. The finish doubles down on black tea and spice. Is it the best Booker's batch in recent memory? A strong case can be made. We strongly recommend it as the base for an outstanding old fashioned.

Buy: Booker's Bourbon "Big Easy Batch" 2026-01

9. Barrell Craft Spirits Cigar Blend Bourbon | 111.2 Proof

Cigar blends had their moment a couple of years ago and most people wrote them off. Barrel Craft Spirits didn't get the memo, and thank goodness for that. Their first-ever Cigar Blend has generated more genuine buzz than almost anything else released this year, and it's earned every bit of it. Opening with fruit, fried oak, and tobacco leaf, the midpoint brings stewed red fruits, mixed berry jam, leather, and rye spice before a complex finish of brown sugar, black peppercorn, and clove. At its price point, it's one of the best value pours of 2026 and a legitimate rival to the Joseph A. Magnus Cigar Blend.

8. Michter's 10 Year Single Barrel Bourbon (2026) | 94.4 Proof

Few annual releases carry the weight of expectation that Michter's 10 Year does, and the 2026 edition continues the tradition of being just slightly off-profile from its predecessors in the best possible way. This year's release leans into candy and stone fruit, with cotton candy, nougat, toasted hazelnut, candied orange, and cooked cherries leading the way. The palate is rich, lightly syrupy, and perfectly oaked, with a toffee note that carries just a hint of bitterness, like someone pulled the sugar off the heat ten seconds too late. It works beautifully.

Buy: Michter's 10 Year Single Barrel Bourbon (2026)

7. Star Hill Farm Wheat Whiskey 2026 | 116.4 Proof

Maker's Mark made waves in 2025 when they released their first new mashbill in 70 years with the debut Star Hill Farm Wheat Whiskey. The 2026 edition takes a radically different direction, and arguably a more exciting one. Where the 2025 release leaned into dark raspberry, barrel char, and blackberry with a drier, more astringent profile, the 2026 edition is vibrant and expressive from first sniff to final sip. Built from a mashbill of 62% malted wheat, 27% wheat, and 11% malted barley, incorporating hard red and hard white wheat alongside the soft red winter wheat of the previous release, the result is a nose of fresh strawberries, honeyed apricot, peach, and marmalade, with a palate of chocolate-covered cherry, vanilla, honey, and ginger. It's a tale of two cities between the two releases, and wheat whiskey fans are the winners either way.

6. Bardstown Bourbon Company Distillery Reserve: Cascadia Garryana Oak Barrel Finish | 107.5 Proof

Bardstown Bourbon Company's Distillery Reserve line has been one of the most interesting ongoing series in American whiskey, and the first 2026 entry continues that run of form. A blend of 9-10 year Kentucky and Indiana bourbons finished for 10 months in Garryana oak, a Pacific Northwest native species more commonly associated with American single malts like Westland, the Cascadia delivers a soft, bakery-forward experience that turns unexpectedly dynamic. Cinnamon buttercream, coffee ice cream, and maple syrup on the nose. Cocoa, vanilla, and toasted marshmallow on the palate. Then a finish that catches you off guard with a sharp ramp of black pepper and allspice before settling into candied walnut and dry oak.

Buy: Bardstown Bourbon Company Distillery Reserve: Cascadia Garryana Oak Barrel Finish 

5. High West Bourye 2026 | 101 Proof

High West's Bourye has quietly built one of the most loyal followings in American whiskey, and the 2026 edition makes a compelling case for being the best version yet. The big change this year is proof, up to 101 from the more typical 92, and it suits the blend beautifully. Drawing entirely from MGP stock this year, a blend of high-rye and standard bourbons alongside 95% rye and High West's own 80% rye, the whiskey opens with orange, apricot, caramel, and dark chocolate before the palate delivers ginger, orange peel, cinnamon, clove, and a curious alpine cedar note. The finish is earthy and warm, lavender and tea leaf rounding things out with what one reviewer described as "a warm hug." Rated A. The higher proof is the right call.

4. Elijah Craig Single Barrel 15 Year Old | 108 Proof

Heaven Hill hasn't released a mainstream age-stated Elijah Craig expression since the 18-year-old back in 2015, so the arrival of the 15-year-old single barrel felt like a genuine event, and the whiskey delivered. Bottled at 108 proof, a nod to May 4, 1964, when Congress officially recognised bourbon as a distinct American product, it's a deeply barrel-driven expression built around the standard Heaven Hill mashbill of 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley. Smudged sage, charred rosemary, and heavy oak on the nose give way to a palate of chocolate-cherry, grape soda, vanilla frosting, and brown sugar. The finish is where it really shines, creamy, warm, and lingering. Robb Report scored it 97 points and called it a potential top-five whiskey of the year.

Buy: Elijah Craig 15 year Old Single Barrel Bourbon

3. Jack Daniel's 12 Year Tennessee Whiskey Batch 4 | 107 Proof

Jack Daniel's age-stated series has been one of the more interesting ongoing experiments in American whiskey since its 2022 debut, and Batch 4 of the 12-year continues a slow but deliberate evolution. Where Batch 1 is still talked about as the high-water mark of the series, rich with red fruit and sweet aged oak, each subsequent release has dialled back the fruit and let the oak take a more prominent role. Batch 4 is the most oak-forward yet. Cherry, cinnamon churro, maple syrup, and graham cracker on the nose. Leather, cherry, vanilla, and burnt sugar on the palate before a spicy peppercorn kick. The finish brings aged dry oak, stewed cherries, and lingering cinnamon spice. It won't dethrone Batch 1 in the hearts of fans, but oak lovers will find plenty to appreciate.

Buy: Jack Daniel's 12 Year (Non-Vintage)

2. King of Kentucky Small Batch Bourbon | 105 / 107.5 / 110 Proof

This year's King of Kentucky sparked more debate than any other release on this list. Brown-Forman made three significant changes for 2026: departing from the brand's traditional single barrel format, introducing a new mashbill, and downsizing to a 700ml bottle. Purists were not pleased. But here's the thing, the whiskey is excellent. A celebration of the 250th anniversary of Kentucky County, this small batch blends bourbon up to 18 years old for a classic, considered profile. Rich brown sugar, baking spices, and buttered pie crust on the nose. Vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, and anisette on the palate, finishing with aged oak and warming spice. Two things can be true at once: this is a great bourbon, and it is probably overpriced. The single barrel expression is still expected later in 2026 for those who won't accept the format change.

Buy: King of Kentucky 12 Year Old Small Batch Bourbon

1. Wild Turkey Austin Nichols Archives: Gold Foil Edition | 16 Years | 120 Proof

If there's one release that has dominated the conversation in American whiskey in 2026, it's this one. Named for the legendary "Cheesy Gold Foil" Wild Turkey bottles from the mid-1980s and early 1990s, original dusties that now command thousands of dollars at auction, the Gold Foil Edition is the launch release of the new Austin Nichols Archives Collection, blended by third-generation distiller Bruce Russell. The idea was simple and ambitious in equal measure: recreate the richness, funk, and depth of vintage Wild Turkey using 16-year-old bourbon at 120 proof, without chill filtration. By most accounts, it worked. Kola nuts, brown sugar, date syrup, smoked honey, and leather on the nose. Black cherries, earthy funk, damp tobacco, and peppercorn on the palate. A long, silky finish of honey, vanilla, and cream soda. Many have already called it the release of the year. When the full picture of the best bourbons of 2026 is written at year's end, Gold Foil Edition will almost certainly be near the top.

Buy: Wild Turkey Austin Nichols Archives: Gold Foil Edition