Kentucky bourbon gift guide: Nine premium whiskey bottles to toast the holidays

With the holidays approaching, there will be plenty of occasions when you want to gift or bring a special bottle of Kentucky bourbon, maybe even a premium one.

There are so many great options, from special releases to barrel picks, it can be hard to know what to get.

Here are some bottles that are a little out of the ordinary, definitely conversation starters at parties, Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner or possibly a special present under the tree to someone. This guide and list has some that are completely new releases, while others are new versions of familiar favorite whiskeys. All are available now to buy in stores, some online.

Never Say Die Bourbon

This new bourbon is from Lexington developer Patrick Madden and partners, including Danville by whiskey makers Pat Heist and Shane Baker, founders of Wilderness Trail. Distilled in 2017, Never Say Die Bourbon was aged for five years in Kentucky before being shipped in barrels to England in 2022. After the six-week voyage, the barrels aged another six to 18 months at the White Peak Distillery in Derbyshire, which keeps the barrels to use for its single-malt.

The finished whiskey, named for a famous Madden family racehorse, was released in 2022 in the United Kingdom, where it won several awards. Now, they’ve shipped it back home to Kentucky.

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“We are incredibly proud of what we have achieved, creating a world-class bourbon that is rooted in Kentucky provenance but with an undeniably English character,” Madden said in a statement. “We have been overwhelmed by the positive response from UK whiskey fans. Just like our namesake racehorse, the bourbon has won multiple golds, as well as being named by ‘British Esquire’ as one of the best bourbons of 2023 and the third most innovative spirit launch of 2022 by ‘The Spirits Business.’”

The first 800 cases of Never Say Die Small Batch have arrived in the U.S. and bottles will be on shelves in mid to late November in Lexington, Louisville and select retailers including Ernie’s Spirits on Harrodsburg Road, according to Brian Luftman, a Lexington entrepreneur who also is a partner in the brand. Seelbachs.com also is offering Never Say Die by direct shipping in some states.

Made with a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye and 4% malted barley, Never Say Die has notes of mellow spice and citrus, as well as vanilla, leather and caramel, according to the tasting notes. It’s 95 proof and has a suggested retail price of $69.95.

Barrell Foundation Bourbon

At a time when many bourbon brands are pushing the envelope with ever higher proof releases, Louisville-based Barrell Craft Spirits has decided to go in the other direction.

For the first time they are releasing a non-cask strength whiskey, Barrell Foundation. It’s a blend of Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee and Maryland bourbons bottled at 100 proof.

“Barrell Foundation is a delicious and easy drinking bourbon whiskey with all the flavor of a cask strength bourbon whiskey at 100-proof,” said BCS Founder Joe Beatrice in a statement. “We believe that a true art form in bourbon-making is the ability to produce bourbon whiskey that can be enjoyed by everyone, and we welcomed the challenge to show that we can produce great bourbon whiskey at a more approachable strength and price for all occasions. For 10 years we’ve led the blending movement in the U.S. and now welcome this exciting opportunity to be a trailblazer of an entirely different style of bourbon whiskey.”

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Barrell Foundation is available online via the Barrell Craft Spirits site, barcart.barrellbourbon.com, and in select markets for a suggested price of $59.99. It will roll out nationally in January.

15 STARS Sherry Cask Finish & First West Rye

What do you do to top winning 60 awards with your first releases? Come back with more heavy hitters that have already taken Best Bourbon of 2023 in the New York Wine & Spirits Competition and Best in Show with another whiskey.

15 STARS Sherry Cask Finish is a blend of 13-year-old and 10-year-old bourbons, sourced in Kentucky and Indiana by the father and son team of Rick and Ricky Johnson who worked with Bardstown Bourbon Co. to create their label. They finished the bourbons in sherry wine casks.

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The result was bottled at 115 proof and has a nose of raisin, dried fig, clove, toffee, marshmallow, creme brulee and leather. On the palate, it’s fruit cake, plum, bananas foster and sherry, melded with charred oak and cacao beans, with a finish of dark fruit and oak.

It’s priced at $179.99 and available at select retailers in Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, Missouri, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana and online through 15STARS.com.

Best in Show went to 15 STARS First West Rye, a blend of 6-, 7- and 8-year-old straight rye whiskeys from Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee. Bottled at 105 proof, the result has a nose of floral, dried fruit and spice notes. On the palate, it’s dried apricot, ginger, cinnamon, green tea and lavender with hints of dark cocoa, herbal tea, honey and tobacco, and a finish of light caramel, ground pepper and rye spice.

It’s $89, available to buy online at 15STARS.com.

2XO Gem of Kentucky

Dixon Dedman, the blender who brought Kentucky Owl back to life before turning his hand to a new brand, has a new release.

His 2XO (“Two Times Oak”) Whiskey has launched a new annual release, Gem of Kentucky. It’s the only double barreled single barrel Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey on the market. Dedman started with selected single barrels of high rye bourbon mashbill then aged them for a year in a new charred oak barrel before bottling.

“The inspiration for Gem of Kentucky was to take my high rye double barreled mash bill and show the nuances you get from different barrels,” Dedman said in a release. “Each taste profile changes from barrel to barrel. The common theme is the viscosity, the mouthfeel, and the richness of each one of these. And I wanted this liquid in a black bottle, because I didn’t want it to look like any other whiskey bottle on the shelf, something more modern, sleek, and elegant.”

Each of the 60 or so barrels will taste a bit different, with some sweeter with notes of chocolate, cinnamon and toasted marshmallow, and others more savory with notes of dark red fruits, nutmeg and black pepper, according to the tasting notes.

The inaugural version of Gem of Kentucky has a suggested price of $199.99. It’s available at select retails and specialty bars and restaurants. Go to 2xo.whiskey.com/store-locator/ to see where you might find it.

Rabbit Hole Seasong

This Louisville distiller know for innovative releases has a new one to add to the lineup: Seasong, a Kentucky Straight Bourbon finished in rum casks.

The result is a full-bodied bourbon that has a nose of nutmeg, allspice and ginger, with flavors of oak, black currant and apple.

Rabbit Hole Distillery’s Seasong is 108.4 proof with a suggested retail price of $49.99, available in Kentucky, Alaska, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota and Washington D.C. and online at rabbitholedistillery.com.

Woodford Reserve Sonoma Triple Finish

Fans of Woodford Reserve know that the Kentucky distillery periodically puts out Master’s Collection releases. This fall version by master distiller Elizabeth McCall is Woodford Reserve finished in Sonoma County Pinot Noir, Brandy and former bourbon barrels used to age red wine.

“The result is a whisky that brings together the worlds of bourbon and wine in a way unlike any we’ve released before,” McCall said.

The result is rich, fruity, vanilla and spice forward. According to the tasting notes, it has a nose of vanilla and cinnamon dusted grilled pineapple and red plum fruit. On the palate, it’s vine and red fruit with rich vanilla bean and oak notes and a finish of long oak and red grape tannins.

It’s 90 proof, with a suggested retail price of $149.99 at Woodford Reserve Distillery outside Versailles and at select retailers globally.

James E. Pepper Distillery 5-year-old Barrel Proof

The Lexington distillery on Manchester has released a new whiskey that brings back an old look: It’s the James E. Pepper Distillery’s 5-Year-Old Barrel Proof Bourbon in a recreated 1940s era vintage decanter.

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The new permanent addition to the lineup is 105 proof and has a complex flavor profile with notes of toasted oak, walnuts, marzipan, dried dark fruits, citrus peel, creamy vanilla and nutmeg.

Suggested retail price is $65. James E. Pepper’s 5-Year-Old Barrel Proof Bourbon is available in Lexington and many other states.

Castle & Key Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey

Castle & Key, the revived distillery in Woodford County, has begun releasing single barrel editions of its bourbon.

Proof and flavor vary by barrel. The releases started on Oct. 21 and will continue each Saturday through Dec. 9, finishing with co-owner Will Arvin’s pick. Suggested retail price is $75.

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Two selections (the Nov. 4 and Nov. 18 releases) will be available at the distillery’s satellite location inside the Falls City Market at Omni Louisville.

The rest will be available (until they sell out) at the distillery at 4445 McCracken Pike in Frankfort. Limit of one bottle per person daily.