Was recently out to dinner with the wife and based on your video was able to pick an amazing pour that I’ll likely never see again. It was amazing. Thank you!
Great video! I always look forward to this episode. Plus, keeping it honest and real is much appreciated! You guys review plenty of readily available bottles throughout the year, but this is the TOP 10 list.
Feel there’s a lot of consensus on these. As far as a Top 5 I’d say (in no particular order): Woodford Reserve Double Oaked, Old Forester 1910 or 1920, Buffalo Trace or Eagle Rare, Tin Cup 10 Yr, Wild Turkey Rare Breed
My personal favorite would be to find a local craft distillery that you really like and support them! Most will do an annual or limited release these days. Rising tides raises all ships!
@@erllar2980 Well, I'm retired so I certainly have the time. And I'm far from poor. I'd happily pay the SRP on every one of these bottles, but I have too much self-esteem to wait overnight in the cold for ANYTHING, and I'm certainly not going to encourage the black market.
Great review and love your channel. You put a great deal of work into this. My only issue is that most of your viewers, including me, have no access to any of these. I doubt that any of us have more than 1 - 3 of these, if any. Could I request a top 10 list of accessible bourbon???? At what ever price point you feel appropriate of course. Just asking. Love the videos.
I’ve been watching you guys for awhile now. Yesterday I went ahead and ordered two T-shirt’s around 2pm. Well this morning at 9:55 they’re in the mailbox. The greatest and most satisfying buy I’ve ever made. It’s like the old days of going to a brick and mortar to get what you want. The hand written card really sealed the deal you two keep it up. The wife and I thank you guys.
Awesome to see Four Roses come in 3rd!!! It's the only selection I have access to and it's fantastic. I hope to have (or at least sample) a BTAC at some point, but until then, I'm content. Cheers! 🥃
Congrats on the bottle! Just realized i was there a few weeks ago. About 2 years into my collecting and would love to add this Glencarin glass to my collection
You have issues finding Knob Creek Single Barrel and Old Forester 1920? I could see some areas having problems with 1792 Full Proof and Rare Breed, but not Knob Creek and Old Forester. This is just more of an example of when people say "make an available list", it's going to be so different depending on location. Where are you located?
Let me start out by saying to you both thank you for all the reviews and the hard work this year on your videos keep it up 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 I cannot wait to see what you both have planned for 2023. I'm still trying to find more Bourbons I like 🥃 Sláinte
On one hand, people are reacting to the lack of accessibility, which is legitimate. Our wonderful hosts don't control market conditions. What they do offer is passionate and painstaking analysis of the elite stuff that is out there, and the helpful suggestion that a special pour is worth investing in. Having done this for a couple of Holy Grails, I must say it is well worth it for special occasions. Thanks for all that you do at It's Bourbon Night.
What's the thought process behind this? Just because they didn't get a bottle of WLW or GTS doesn't make them any less good. You clicked on a video to see what they thought were the 10 best bourbons they got to drink this year and are upset that as a bourbon media channel they got media samples.
It's a cool idea but our issue with leaving out any whiskey that was shared or gifted from friends or sent from a distillery is that a huge part of Bourbon community is sharing. We can't tell you how many times we've experienced excellent whiskey because of the kindest of our friends, and because of that, we try to do the exact same thing for our friends. So to leave those out feels misplaced. As for samples from distilleries, we do our ranking blind as to take out any bias of favoritism. You might be interested to know that we're doing a new series this year where we taste though 64 Bourbons all under $100 in a head-to-head bracket style competition!
I agree with the comments here saying this is basically a list of unobtainium, but IBN is always a solid watch in my bourbontube rotation, even when I hate your videos occasionally.
I have 2 of the top 5, GTS and HH17. One on the shelf, one relationship bottle. I passed on the Old Fitz 19 for $365… just to much for a bottle IMO. I can handle alittle above retail. But above $350 would have to be other worldly for me. Have the Old Fitz 8 purchased on the shelf. Haven’t opened any of them yet, but excited to try them when the time is right. Thank you for the great content, really top notch.
@@koumamahed3089 I think a great price is semi relative. Considering I paid less for HH17, I stayed away. I think to break the $350 mark, it would have to be super interesting to me.
Your right. You will never find them on the shelf for retail. Unless your in a controlled state you have to build the relationships with the clerks, managers and spend money weekly not just at allocated drop times.
Except for the Russell's Reserve 13, there's literally no chance of finding these in the wild. Does present a great challenge to find one, but also might lead us to a bar to get a pour (saving us all a lot of money).
@@ajbucher9440 i know the hunt is discouraging, I saw a ton of bottles for secondary prices across my town. I have one store who the manager tries his best to help get things out close to retail to customers who are interested in bourbon (even if you don’t spend 10k a year). The other store has become a best kept secret where the owner mostly shelves allocated bottles at a particular time during the week. I have no relationship at that store… I landed 4 bottles from allocation from their glass case. If it wasn’t for two stores, I would be hopeless.
Any chance I can convince you two to visit Prague and sample some of my 40+ bottle collection?? It would be soooo much fun because you guys are just great.
Love show but your tops choices are out of my price ranges. I am only 6 months into my whiskey journey and am getting hooked. My wife has given me $500 for the entire year. Below is what I am thinking for my 2023 purchases but asking your opinion based on my taste info. I have not tried any of these bottles yet. My most expensive bottles I own are Woodford Double Oak and I am not sure about it yet. I like 1910 & WT101 the most. BT is sweet but flat to me. I also like Sazarac Rye. I think I am locked into below plan but should I skip EC Small Batch if I am getting EC Barrel Proof? I currently also own EW B&B and Early Times so I don’t need any more $20 bottles. Would you change anything based on my info I shared? 1. Rare Breed ($46) 2. 1792 Bottle in Bond Select ($35) 3. Old Forester 1920 ($52) 4. Knob Creek Singl Barel Res ($50) 5. Four Roses Single Barrell ($42) 6. Michters American (Blue - $44) 7. Ole Grandad 114 ($21) 8. Elijah Craig Small Batch ($28) 9. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof ($80) 10. Redbreast 12 ($65)
Happy New Year Chad and Sara! I have felt a shift in the overall community with a distaste for flippers who spend much of their time hunting allocated bottles that they intend to flip for a large profit and making many of these allocated bottles virtually impossible to find without waiting hours in a line or paying inflated secondary prices. Part of me feels like it was inevitable as the popularity and value of bourbon increased exponentially over the last 5 years. It's no different in other markets where demand far outstrips supply like sneakers, Taylor Swift tickets, Hamilton tickets (a few years ago) and frustration that consumers feel over being taken advantage off by others. I enjoy your list, I may never find any of your top 10 in the wild but it's nice to know in the off chance I do come across a bottle. I also agree that a best available bourbon video would be rehashing probably the same bottles most years. Maybe having categories would help such as top 10 LEs, top 10 craft, etc. Thanks for the follow up video on the comments, self reflection and awareness is always worthwhile and I appreciate the honest discussion! Aloha and wishing you the best in 2023!
Happy New Year Sara and Chad and all the Bourbon Night Family! Be well. Be safe. Also, I haven't heard yes or no, but are you guys doing the dry January again this year? Might wanna tag along for that this time around if you do.
First off, @patrick, thank you for the nice comment, we do appreciate it. Also wanted to address @txmike1945 comment. I understand why you might feel that way, and I'm not even trying to change your mind, I just thought I would fill you in on how it really is, if you're interested. When we started in 2016, we had no idea that doing RU-vid as a full-time job was even possible, and really it wasn't until 2021 through present day that we were able to make this into a career for both of us. The ad revenue we get from this platform goes towards the same things I'm sure it does for you, too. That being paying bills, buying food, living, etc. Yes, we do need to buy bottles to make videos since that's what our channel is about, that is correct. If you look at the bottles we reviewed in 2022, you'll see a great variety from inexpensive to expensive. That's us trying to be as well versed in the category of Bourbon as we can since it is our livelihood. Hope that helps to shed more light on our business. Thanks for watching, and cheers.
Although, I can appreciate your list it is a list comprised of bottles that are unobtainable for most. Whether due to availability or price they're bottles that the average bourbon drinker will never have an opportunity to try. That's great that you're able to enjoy these bottles but a list of more obtainable bottles would be more realistic for us average drinkers. Wishing you a Happy and Healthy New Year!
This should be the list you share with all the other people who have their own bourbon RU-vid channels and then make a list for the rest of us common folk.
There were two Russell’s Reserve 13 year releases in 2021, I found three this year but they were all the December 2021 release, so which release was the Russell’s on this list? Truly from 2022?
Enter all the lotteries and drawings that you can. Beyond that, it really comes down to frequency, unfortunately. The more you're out there looking for them, the more your odds go up of finding something. There's also the option of getting a pour of some of these at a bar.
People complain. That’s what they do. That said, the problem may be your entire Best Of list was un obtainium. Simply, you get everything. Your videos are diverse and you don’t need to apologize for a particular video. You just reviewed the new BBCo. products that are highly affordable. However, they are only in 24 states (not in Mn. where I am). Four Gate only 6 states. Whiskeytubers generally need to be more sensitive to limited distribution. And I don’t mean allocation-I mean availability via distribution. I don’t know the solution, but you could do an 11-20 list. That might solve it.
For everyone who noticed that the Best Bourbon can be hard to find watch a channel that reviews wine, beer, or scotch and I can guarantee those channels top picks will be hard to get too. It’s the nature of the business now and honestly has been for years. Chad and Sara continue with your excellent work and I am looking forward to the reviews for 2023
Interesting. Fred Minnick just released a video saying that the Parker's Heritage is "astringent and over-oaked." It didn't make his Top 100 of the year. Someone commented on his video that it didn't seem over-oaked. We know Sarah doesn't like a flavor profile that's too oakey. Could the bottles be that different between them? Or something else going on (palette on a particular day)? I'd love to try this bottle.
Sara likes oak as long as it isn't too old and as long as the oak isn't overpowering and there's something else on the palate to experience. I can't speak for Fred, but no, the bottles shouldn't be that different between them, it's just different palates, different preferences.
Came here after watching the response video. Yup, I watch you less because some of your videos seem to me that ya'll are just bragging. Two full bottles of BTAC in the b-roll and everything.
Sorry you see it that way. We see it as reporting on a variety of bottles from the value end to the high end and everything in between. No bragging meant here, just trying to be thorough and fair. As a side note, the BTAC bottles in our b-roll are from previous years, we haven't been able to buy a bottle since 2019 or so (we have a bottle from 3 of the 5 expressions so we do consider ourselves very lucky), and we do enter every lottery and stand in every line that we can. We've got a release coming up next week actually. This will be the first in-person release since before everything happened in 2020. It's back to standing outside in the cold for hours while they read off ticket numbers, but that's what you gotta do now days. Cheers to ya!
@@ItsBourbonNight People are just saying, there is something we don't like about HOW you are presenting yourself around these le/allocated products. Especially when other people are frustrated in their hunting and you do an f-ing list about how you get to have all of these... Oh yeah, last years WLW was better than this years... You can choose to not listen if you want, but don't wonder what happened if your channel's growth stagnates or plateaus.
For our Christmas tasting we did double oaked bourbon and rye. Got a taste of the Parker Heritage blend! Actually liked Found North batch 6 a little better. Also got to taste 2021 and 2022 Michter's 20 yr. The '21 was excellent, the '22 disappointed.
Thank you both for your videos. I have been watching RU-vid whiskey videos for many years, have been down to Austin to pick up my Eleanor. I couldn't find another email (the RU-vid thing said business inquiries). i am coming to Louisville in May for a conference, What would be the best experience overall in Louisville so I can book early. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks, Moe
We love the experiences at Michters and Old Forester, although there are plenty of amazing options on whiskey row! Both of those have bars as well so you can do tastings or grab a cocktail. For Michters definitely reserve a bar spot ahead of time!
We got some of these limited '22 drops late in VA. Yesterday at a drop I was the first in line and had a choice between the OF19 and the Parker's. Glad I picked up the Parker's - retail, $175.
It's a series called The Bardstown Collection. 2022 was the first year for it. Technically 2021 was, as it says 2021 on the neck of the bottle, but it wasn't released until January of 2022. The collection featured one expression from 5 different distilleries located in Bardstown, KY: James B. Beam, Heaven Hill, Preservation Distillery, Log Still, and Bardstown Bourbon Company.
I look forward to the top whiskies of the year lists that the whiskeytube community puts out each year. From It’s Bourbon Night to the Bourbon Junkies to ADHD Whiskey to Mash and Drum and on and on and on. I think the more negative than typical response from commenters has to do with factors that are beyond your control and I think you should keep on doing your thing. With that said your past top whiskey videos have generally included some surprisingly available bourbons (1792 Full Proof, Knob Creek Single Barrel, etc.) or more obtainable limited releases (Stagg, ECBP, Bardstown Disco, etc.). These more available whiskies made your lists relatable even though they were mostly out of reach. The 2022 list has been an exception to the past. This year seemed to be unicorn after unicorn. Not only did I not try anything on the list, I didn’t have a friend who was able to find or try anything on this list. This is obviously a consequence of your success and popularity. Again not your fault but this year's list was the least relatable that I have seen from your channel. My second thought is that there is obviously a growing frustration with the lack of availability of whiskey that is getting worse year over year. Frustrated whiskey fans can’t get a response from Buffalo Trace so your channel gets a piece of the rage instead. Keep up the good work. The fact that you are even responding to the comments shows how much you both care about your fans and content. Cheers
In our opinions, we would take the best 3 BTACS of the year over any of the Pappy line. Pappy is good and all, but it's more like wearing designer labels to be seen wearing them, it's more of a status thing, where the best of the BTAC line are usually some of the best whiskeys of the year.
I have a bottle of Stagg which is my personal favorite. I've had the HH17 at a local tavern and would agree that it is terrific. I've not had a chance to try the Parker Heritage but I'll be on the lookout for the 22' version now!
@@hintonb NO, mine is a 2019, I believe. Short story...I was very fortunate to be at the right place at the right time on a trip to KY. I picked up 2 bottles of the Four Roses 20 year Visitor Center Private Selection and had them signed by the Master Distiller. I flipped one of them for a bottle of Stagg and a RVW 10 yr.
Love watching you two. However, this show disappoints in that most of these are not readily available or affordable. I love hearing about your picks but would love more on those we can all get.
So tired of people getting salty about not being able to find these. The video isn’t, “10 bottles you need to go buy right now”, it’s “10 best bourbons of the year”, which is likely inherently going to be a list of harder to find stuff. This is a list as a kudos to the distillers and a flag to keep an eye out for more from that distillery in the future. Enjoy the list for what it is and don’t bitch about what you want it to be. If you need someone to tell you what’s available and worthwhile, I think you are missing the point of the hobby. Be more willing to take chances and roll the dice on something. You might just find a gem. You might not, but you’ll likely at least make a memory and broaden your horizons. Idk. My 2¢
I’m sure these are great and would love to try, but many many many of us can’t get this stuff and I’ve tried for quite awhile. Still love the vids as always just is what it is.
I looked at this again, after watching your response video then giving myself a cool down period. There isn't a single bottle in here without a secondary price under $300 and only one I saw on a shelf at all - the same bottle, RR13. I routinely buy $150 bottles. The only local store that had it wanted $375. Most of these bottles are a once in a lifetime unicorn for dedicated bourbon enthusiasts, to the point that my bourbon club of 600 members runs wish lists and ALL 1-7are not allowed because they are not achievable to regular people. I'm going to agree with the comments cited in your other video. When even Fred Minnick has a more affordable list than you then you have probably gotten out of touch with your audience.
First off, thanks for coming back to this video after watching our response video, we appreciate that. We also appreciate your sharing your thoughts, but I think we just have differing view points on this particular topic and we're going to have to agree to disagree, which is fine of course. That's whiskey after all! We really try our hardest to take the bias out of scoring our whiskeys and 2022 just shook out the way that it did. Luckily, this type of video is a once or twice a year type of video in the grand scheme of our content, and the nearly 200 other videos that we'll put out this year will give plenty of room for variety, or something for everyone's palate ;) Cheers!
@ItsBourbonNight that may be true. But as you could tell by my name, I lived in O'ahu for twenty years. I got to know a lot of places not available to anyone but locals. If I made a video of "best views on O'ahu" and they were all from people's backyards or the beaches where if they don't know you you get run off, I would be ... well, let's just say lacking self awareness. I'm sure you get the parallel. You, first and foremost, cater to your audience. The second you get too good for your audience, you lose something in yourself. If you do, I hope you enjoy the ride because that's all there is left.
Oh, no worries there! We're just a small part of the much larger Bourbon Community. We would never think we're too good for anyone, we just love that we're able to share our experiences with those who want to know them. Whiskey is all about sharing and we wish we could do it more with our bottles (luckily sometimes we are able to at Patreon events and things like that), but if nothing else, we can share our experiences. I bet O'ahu is beautiful, we would love to make it there some day! Perhaps we could even raise a pour with you. We'll drink to that! Cheers.
Dang I passed on a Four roses limited and Parker Heritage at drops this year…. Will have to wash away the tears with the other bottles I grabbed instead 🤦🏽♂️
You guys are great but this wasn’t exactly “helpful” to most of us. Should I buy WLW or George T Stagg at MSRP?!? Hmmm let me think for half a second here. It’s a no brainer that highly allocated bottles are in the top 10, but what about the actual obtainable bottles? Maybe make a “altered” list like with the ryes.
Wow, guys come on. You should really start doing more everyday obtainable stuff. This list is the equivalent to top 10 100k sport cars while the majority of us are buying Toyotas and Fords (the Eco versions before someone brings up the Shelby or something stupid like that Lol). Love the channel but it's becoming the rare, limited, and expensive show. As always though the production value of your show is always top notch.
Couldn’t agree more. I’ve tried half of this list. Not worth the time or money IMO. Plenty of available options that drink just as good. Disappointed they went this route with it. This seemed like more of a flex video than anything else to me.
That’s an incredible collection. You are fortunate to be able to taste these spirits that most of us won’t. It will take an act of god for me to see any of these bottles in my area. I will just stick to the readily available BiB bottles like Evan Williams and OGD. Cheers!
Other than a BTAC lottery, not one of your top 10 available in Pennsylvania. Unfortunate for us Bourbon fans that live here. Thanks for sharing your favorites with us.
Great list, and such an amazing top-10 (even though I'll never sniff any of them). It is good to see that the historic power-houses are still putting out great products instead of phoning it in. Curious to see the complete list and see where other bottles landed just for comparison.
