The 10 Bourbons We’re Drinking Long After Bourbon Heritage Month

Who says there need only be one month where America’s national spirit can be celebrated? September is officially designated National Bourbon Heritage Month (the U.S. Senate even passed a resolution cementing this holiday back in 2007), and with it comes a yearly slew of new releases and celebrated limited-edition offerings from both David and Goliath, so to speak, in the whiskey world. 

But again, why keep your celebration of fine bourbon to just one month? The spirit deserves year-round attention, at least in our book, now that September has drawn to a close. 

The month itself certainly holds special meaning for many a distiller, as companies trot out their finest new wares at hotspot enthusiast events like the Kentucky Bourbon Festival. 

Angel’s Envy Master Distiller Owen Martin looks upon the holiday month fondly, but that enthusiasm carries onward past September. 

“Releasing a new whiskey during Bourbon Heritage Month is meaningful for us because it is a celebration not only of this great industry but of the community as well,” he told CoolMaterial. “Bourbon Heritage Month is about honoring everything that came before you while doing your best to shepherd the spirit into the future.”

A similar forward outlook can indeed guide your own bar cart curation well beyond the government-appointed celebratory month. 

There are single-barrel expressions up for grabs. There are limited-edition releases you’ll have to find in corners of the Internet or perhaps IRL. There’s even a forthcoming honey cask-finished whiskey along with award-winning mainstays listed here. 

Each one represents distinction to keep the bourbon-soused (responsible) fun running long into the rest of autumn and winter. 

Age brings wisdom, experience and a deft touch, in both the real world and the bourbon industry. The premium single-barrel line from James B. Beam Distilling, Baker’s brings back its 13-year expression as it toasts 90 years of its namesake, the grand-nephew of ole Jim Beam himself. The $149.99 release offers vanilla and caramel on the nose, plus touches of toasted nuts and vanilla on the palate, a worthy celebration of a bourbon icon.

Tracking down a great whiskey can take one well outside of Kentucky, as Milam & Greene did in this new blend incorporating straight bourbons from the homeland of bourbon, plus Texas Hill Country and the rolling hills of Tennessee. 

It arrives non-chill filtered and at cask strength, with the Texas heat pushing oak notes forward alongside older Kentucky and Tennessee bourbons. Since this monthly holiday is all about discovery, as is the rest of the year at large for bourbon lovers, take a swig of something new, but beware. It’s bottled at 60.8 percent ABV.

As famed Hill Country distillery Garrison Brothers says, its legendary Cowboy Bourbon now “rides again,” an expert study in throwing a proverbial lasso around the Texas heat leading to a slew of award-winning editions. 

The 12th in the series, it clocks in at a blazing 141 proof (gun smoke and burnt wood are tasting notes that sippers should expect). With a thick coating on the palate and a pleasing, rich and warming finish, there’s no bourbon out there quite like it. Saddle on up and score your bottle for $249.99 starting October 1st.

Every bar cart worth its salt deserves a reliable rotation of heavy hitters, of fan favorites that consistently deliver remarkable quality. Michter’s fits the bill, undoubtedly. While a steadfast flagship release rather than a buzzed-about new offering, the world’s most admired whiskey is nigh impossible to pass up (or to put down). Expect notes of bold coffee beans, toasted oak, caramel and a sumptuous finish. 

As easy to imbibe in an Old Fashioned as over a large cube, the Kentucky heavyweight stands alone at the top of the proverbial rickhouse for a reason. Make space in your bar cart accordingly.

Four Roses puts together a delightful bourbon puzzle of sorts with its distinctive recipes and mashbills, resulting in Jenga-esque combinations that are utterly remarkable in their complexity and variety, as this writer found out during a springtime visit to Four Roses’ old Kentucky home. 

The second release in its Experimental Series (which goes up for sale October 10), this option takes its character from second-fill Four Roses bourbon barrels previously used to age Kentucky honey. 

The result is nuanced rather than overpowering, as the 104-proof offering uses six, seven and eight-year-old bourbons from the company’s OESQ and OBSK recipes, with a three-to-nine-month finish in the aforementioned honey-seasoned casks. Talk about a buzzed-about release, ehh?

As reliable as the power behind a Muhammad Ali punch, Knob Creek delivers bold, distinctive bourbon sure to make America proud throughout this month-long celebration of the United States’ native spirit (and well beyond). 

Knob Creek 9 often serves as a bartender standard, only made better with age by a barrel-strength delivery and three additional years of aging. It’s also worth comparing both the 9-year and 12-year offerings side by side (responsibly, of course). 

And given the limited-edition nature of this triumphant release, it’s worth scooping up a bottle wherever and whenever you can.

Every great bar cart should have variety aplenty and perhaps some expressions that push the envelope, as this writer found out when visiting the Whiskey Row home of Angel’s Envy earlier this summer. 

When it comes to  the latest release from master distiller Owen Martin, the use of rare amburana wood casks indeed pushes the envelope for many a bourbon lover as far as the classics are concerned. 

More specifically, distillate was finished in elusive amburana wood as well as imperial stout barrels, one that might just call to mind Cinnamon Toast Crunch on the palate and finish. It’s a swerve from traditional aging processes, but a welcome one. 

The effort wasn’t undertaken lightly, its master distiller says in “pushing the industry forward, sometimes in unlikely ways.” 

“In this case, it is pairing Stout and Amburana cask finishing, but only using 1% Amburana barrels in the final blend. Learning from what came before so you can create something better,” he told CoolMaterial.

Martin added that “the Distillery Series gives us the freedom to explore new ideas while staying true to what makes Angel’s Envy special.” Worthy of a deal, undoubtedly.

Just when you think you’ve seen it all in the whiskey world, a newcomer arrives to shake up your libations roster. 

Hailing from family-owned Wooler Brands, Wooler Whiskey (distilled in Bardstown, Ky.) is now available nationwide and comes complete with a “Best Buy” designation from Wine Enthusiast. 

Offering up a fairly “high rye” mashbill made up of 72% corn, 18% rye, 5% malted barley and 5% wheat, there’s a curious symphony of oak softness and even citrus, a pleasant introduction at 90-proof for those who like their whiskey with a little less heat than barrel-strength expressions.

It seems like all of us at CoolMaterial were just talking about Little Book’s The Infinite, Edition II in our guide to the best whiskies to pour after Dry January. Time flies with a few drams, ehh? 

But with the arrival of fall comes another ultra-luxe limited-edition whiskey featuring liquid from three generations of the James B. Beam Distillery’s Noe family. 

The distinct characteristics of each distiller’s signature style come together in luxurious harmony: There’s Booker Beam’s smoke, oak and char, Fred Noe’s touches of caramel and butterscotch, plus eight-generation distiller Freddie Noe’s tobacco-tinged whiskey notes. 

Look for this 118.3-proof offering at an MSRP of $199.99.

Remember the legend of the rambling man Johnny Appleseed? It’s perhaps a good bet he drank Laird’s apple brandy (the company’s been making the good stuff since 1780, after all), but if he were around today, he’d find much to love in this straight rye-meets-apple brandy blend. 

So, while this isn’t bourbon, it’s plenty good enough to sneak in under the wire here. 

Offered at 100 proof, think of it like taking a bite of apple pie, but distilled into rocks glass-worthy form. And it’s indeed a worthy choice for those who take their distillate with delicate spice and less proof. 

The Americana heritage of Chicken Cock dates back to 1856, and this release is a worthy salute to the country’s native spirit.