The 19 Best Whiskeys We Tasted at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival 2026

The Kentucky Bourbon Festival celebrated its 35th year last weekend and once again took over the small town, bourbon epicenter of Bardstown. While the recent sales sheets may say otherwise, bourbon still has a massive and dedicated following that turned out in a big way, a sold-out 6,000 strong, to wait in the heat and occasional rain for a chance to taste, and just maybe purchase, their favorite Kentucky whiskeys.

Perhaps the biggest thing that stood out about this year’s festival was the embarrassment of riches available to whiskey fans from both legacy distillers and a broad lineup of craft and non-distilling producers, many of whom were sampling some of the most talked about bottles of the weekend. Compared to my last visit in 2023, the excitement for smaller Kentucky distillers was palpable with the Craft Distillers’ Row area of the festival boasting some of the biggest crowds of the weekend.

As usual, there was more whiskey on hand for even the most dedicated fan to catalogue, but I did my level best in between much-needed water breaks, a few engaging industry talks on the main stage, the occasional premium event (a great way to grab some AC), and trying to get a picture with Jim Gaffigan (struck out) who was at the festival promoting his Fathertime bourbon brand (and maybe also Hot Pockets). Chris was able to narrow it to 17 best last year, but I didn’t have that kind of self restraint. At least I kept it under 20!

Booker’s The Reserves 2026

The latest Booker’s The Reserves release was one of Beam’s rarer offerings during the festival, and while it didn’t quite sing like the Knob Creek Single Barrel pick selected for the festival, it was still one of the more memorable pours of the night. Inspired by a Booker Noe holiday wassail, this 6-year rye was aged in French apple brandy casks and infused with cinnamon sticks, delivering loads of warm baking spice and green Jolly Rancher notes for days. We haven’t seen a rye whiskey with a Booker’s label on it since the 13-year “Big Time Batch” a decade ago. This wasn’t that. But it was a lot of fun. $130

Kentucky Boy Straight Bourbon Whiskey

The longest lines every day of the festival were to taste, and more importantly purchase, this bottle. That’s understandable since limited editions from Brown-Forman are rarely both interesting and affordable. Kentucky Boy honors the 50-year career of Kentucky legend and master distiller emeritus Chris Morris. It’s an unspecified blend of Woodford Double Oak, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, and King of Kentucky, and if you think that sounds like a bold and oak-forward bourbon, you’d be right. Chocolate, ginger, and barrel char dominated this decidedly rustic yet quite enjoyable, commemorative pour. $100

Dark Arts Mizunara 19 Year Old

Dark Arts was once again a darling of the festival with lines almost as long as the Brown-Forman tent. And in many cases fans were shelling out considerably more money for their bottles, like this luxe rendition of their acclaimed Mizunara Bourbon that was aged a whopping 19 years and finished in Mizunara casks before bottling at cast strength. Mizunara and old bourbon shouldn’t work this well together, but this was an impressively balanced and full-flavored bourbon, silky on the palate with beautiful notes of brown butter and five spice. $400

Wilderness Trail 10 Years Old

This 10-year-old, wheated bourbon blend was a highlight of the festival, bottled to celebrate the induction of Wilderness Trail co-founders Shane Baker and Pat Heist into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame. Before Wilderness Trail scaled up production of their impressive bourbons and ryes, they fine-tuned their unique sweet-mash process on a small pot still. This wheated bourbon is some of the earliest and best whiskey to come off that still, delivering a bold yet balanced mix of classic bourbon flavors from rich brown sugar to caramel apple and pie spice. $190

Silk Velvet Barrel Proof Single Barrel Whiskey

Maybe the most talked about craft distiller at the festival this year, Silk Velvet offered a full lineup of great pours including a new, standout rye whiskey. But this seven-year-old, single barrel bourbon stole the opening night crown (as evidenced by the near sellout before the festival had even officially started). Made from a mashbill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley by eighth generation distiller Jacob Call (of early Green River fame), it was the biggest, boldest yet approachable bourbon of the festival for me. $100

MGP Chapter One: Out of the Shadows 10 Years Old

For decades, MGP has been the source for hundreds of whiskey brands, and now the storied distillery is finally taking its rightful place on the bourbon shelf with this new release, somewhat dramatically titled Chapter One: Out of the Shadows. It’s a 10-year-old blend of the distillery’s signature, high-rye mashbill bourbon bottled at a generous proof that showcases a healthy amount of baking spice, brown sugar, and black cherry, everything fans have come to love about the former Seagrams outpost. Now they can finally get it straight from the source. $70

K.Luke Batch 16 Bourbon

This was my first taste of K.Luke, and I have to say I was impressed. A passion project for founder Jonathan Maisono (who was doing all the pouring), the brand is the result of a single barrel obsession that led him to sample thousands of whiskeys and hone his blending skills. All that tasting clearly trained him well because this bourbon was impressively approachable without sacrificing an ounce of flavor. A blend of whiskey sourced from Kentucky and Indiana distilleries, aged at least 8 years, and bottled at just shy of 115 proof, it ticked all the classic bourbon boxes. $100

Very Olde St. Nick Superfreak Freakazoid

Preservation Distillery was one of the busiest tents at the festival and for good reason. They were pouring a long list of pricey unicorns including several humorously named expressions of their popular Very Olde St. Nick label. While the 19-year-old Notorious “The Shiz” seemed to be a favorite among those lucky enough to sample from the $1100 bottle, I personally preferred the more reasonably priced (comparatively) Superfreak Freakazoid. Like last year’s Superfreak, this was a blend of bourbons meant to showcase balance across a broad age range (11-18 years). And it succeeded, delivering layers of fruit and brighter sweetness while still showcasing a lot of maturity with a soothing, well-aged foundation of sandalwood and gingery spice. $350

New Riff Silver Grove

New Riff has been celebrating their double-digit age statement bourbons and ryes for a bit now, which is why this 6-year-old, barrel proof limited edition caught my eye. Released exclusively at the distillery in Newport, this young-ish bourbon (6 years old) is made with 30% malted rye and offered flavors you don’t usually get from New Riff including lots of sweet baked apple and candy apple notes.

Old Louisville Double Oak Rye

Old Louisville Whiskey Company had been on my radar for a few years now, but this was my first chance to sample their wares. They are a non-distilling producer that focuses on well-aged whiskeys, mostly sourced from MGP. I thought I liked several of their bourbons more than this double oaked rye, especially their 12-year-old festival release, but after sitting with it for a bit it really came to life. Made from 51% rye and 49% malted barley, it started out with that classic Kentucky-style rye profile – minted syrup and clove – but took on an impressive, earthy depth with a little time in the glass. $NA

WhistlePig 10 Year Bourbon Rye Cask Finish

WhistlePig, long known for their rye, seems equally serious now about bourbon. They made the move to sourced Kentucky stock last year and earlier this year opened an impressive tasting room dubbed The Vault in a former bank building in Louisville’s NULU neighborhood. Plenty of worthy WhistlePig rye was on offer over the weekend, but their newest bourbon, which won’t roll out until next year, was a standout. This 10-year ups the proof from previous WhistlePig bourbons while adding warm top notes of clove and ginger with a finishing in their rye casks. $NA

Angel’s Envy Peach

Under master distiller Owen Martin, Angel’s Envy has continued to push the boundaries of cask finishing. Some of these experimental whiskeys have been better than others, but the upcoming 2026 Cellar Collection, a rye finished in peach brandy and toasted oak barrels, is going to have a lot fans. It was hiding behind a few tables at the festival, and I managed to sneak a taste. Peach is one of my favorite flavors, and this has it in spades with peach rings candy on the nose and a palate that adds depth across the sip from fresh peaches and cream to warm peach cobbler. $NA

Michter’s Toasted Barrel Finish Rye

The Michter’s line was also one of the longer over the festival weekend with fans clamoring for the chance to taste and buy the 10-year bourbon and rye along with the latest Toasted Barrel Finish Rye release, a whiskey we haven’t seen since 2023. While a lot of distillers struggle to move their rye offerings, Michter’s can’t seem to make enough of it, and it’s easy to see why with this release; a big, toasty rye whiskey with layers of chocolate and baking spice accented by Andes mints and brûléed sugar. $120

Pursuit United Sakura Bloom Bourbon

The buzz over at the Pursuit Spirits tent was the cutely named “Found Footage,” a collaboration blend of their United Double Oak Rye with Shortbarrel’s maple-finished Sapsquatch. That whiskey was fun but not nearly as unique as this bourbon which aged in Japanese sakura wood and delivered a wholly unique floral element. Bottled at cask strength, it delivered notes of cherry blossom, peaches and cream, and bright, airy red fruits, all wrapped in brown sugar and baking spice for one of the best bottled desserts of the festival. $90

Barrell Hazmat Decade 2 20 Years Old

The Barrell booth was awash in bottles both new and old, including the latest red label 12-year finished in Cognac casks and the 15-year Gray Label Seagrass from years ago. A pair of Decades Releases caught the attention of ageist and hazmat whiskey drinkers, myself included in that particular moment, and I didn’t regret sampling this 20-year blend of Canadian whiskeys finished in Spanish brandy and Hungarian oak casks. It takes a special Canadian whiskey to drink well over 140 proof, and this was it: complex with syrupy fruits and dark caramel and impossibly approachable at full volume. $200

Bluegrass Distillers Blue Corn Single Barrel

Last year, Chris enjoyed the Elkwood Reserve 17 Year from Bluegrass Distillers, and this year’s 19 Year single barrel of Barton juice was another stunner, if a bit pricey. For all of $75, this Blue Corn Single Barrel was probably one of the better values at the festival. Most blue corn whiskeys tend to have a pronounced grain profile that doesn’t always work, but this expression was impressively balanced. It showed as much fruit and baking spice as it did grain character with a generous and memorable corn pudding note. $75

Four Roses Small Batch Limited Edition 2026

Four Roses was sampling several standout single barrel picks along with the latest Experimental Series release, a honey barrel finish so new it was poured out of an unlabeled, handle-sized lab bottle. But the 2026 Small Batch Limited Edition was in short supply. If you were quick to the opening night lines or managed to find master distiller Brent Elliott throughout the weekend, you could luck into a sample. That pour featured some of the oldest Four Roses stock yet, a 23-year OESK that made up 10% of the blend and added a notable heft and depth to a whiskey that’s often more fruit-forward and high toned. Great stuff, once again. $250

Bardstown Bourbon Company Discovery 2026

Bardstown Bourbon Co. was pouring most of its impressive portfolio, including the much-discussed Lochs of Jura finished in single malt casks. That bourbon was almost too nuanced to really dig into during a hot day of festival tasting, but the newest Discovery release did the trick, showing loads of bold rye spice with rich undertones of ginger snap cookies from the Garryana oak aging. $140

Calumet Farm 12 Years Old

Whiskey House was hard to miss with its two-story chalet front and center at the festival’s main gate. There were a multitude of standout options from the distillery’s many contract brands, including two Phifer Pavitt Cab-finished bourbons and the return of the delicious Calumet Farm 18 Years Old. This 12-year, small batch Calumet was a real surprise, however; a rare, noteworthy bourbon that delivered impressive flavor without any special finishing, crazy proof, or extra age. And at a reasonable price, to boot. $100

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