{"id":217316,"date":"2025-08-28T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T12:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gardenandgun.com\/?p=217316"},"modified":"2025-10-13T10:49:30","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T14:49:30","slug":"are-high-proof-bourbons-better","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gardenandgun.com\/articles\/are-high-proof-bourbons-better","title":{"rendered":"Are High-Proof Bourbons Better?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>It wasn\u2019t too long ago that a bottle of Wild Turkey 101 might be the highest-proof bourbon in your liquor cabinet, reserved for moments that called for a stiff belt. Nowadays, distilleries big and small are pushing proof points to surprising new heights: The latest <a href=\"https:\/\/1792bourbon.com\/full-proof\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1792 Full Proof<\/a> sits at 125. <a href=\"https:\/\/elijahcraig.com\/barrel-proof\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Elijah Craig Barrel Proof<\/a> hits 126.2. <a href=\"https:\/\/jeffersonsbourbon.com\/whiskeys\/jeffersons-reserve-cask-strength\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jefferson\u2019s Reserve Cask Strength<\/a> touches 130, and the most recent <a href=\"https:\/\/asmithbowman.com\/cask-strength\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">A. Smith Bowman Cask Strength<\/a> bangs in at an astounding 139.7. (A quick explainer: The label terms Barrel Proof and Cask Strength both denote bourbons that haven\u2019t had water added after going into the barrel, while Full Proof is diluted to the same proof point at which it entered the barrel before maturing\u2014still fairly high.)&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A few releases are even daring to cross the 140-proof threshold (that\u2019s 70 percent alcohol!), a category dubbed Hazmat because it\u2019s too flammable to take aboard airplanes. For real.<\/p>\n\n\n<!-- Promo shortcode start --><div id=\"nlf-1c\" class=\"gg-promo topic-distilled big\"><div class=\"grid\"><div class=\"title\">Get Our Bourbon Newsletter!<\/div><div class=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/gardenandgun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/promos\/bourbon-newsletter-big.jpg\" alt=\"glass of bourbon with ice\"><\/div><div class=\"right\"><form id=\"nlf-1\" method=\"post\" class=\"form\" action=\"https:\/\/gardenandgun.com\/newsletters\/\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"gg_form_submit\" value=\"nlf-1\"><div class=\"dek\">Distilled is our newsletter about the South\u2019s favorite spirit.<\/div><div class=\"action two-items\"><div class=\"input-left\"><input type=\"text\" name=\"email\" class=\"email-input\" value=\"\" placeholder=\"you@example.com\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"group_id\" value=\"151240180\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"shortcode_form\" value=\"nlf-1\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"subscription_99416\" value=\"on\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"prev_page_id\" value=\"217316\"><\/div><div class=\"gform_footer\"><div style=\"display:none;\"><input type=\"text\" name=\"nl-nov-st\" id=\"nl-nov-st1\" value=\"\" autocomplete=\"off\" tabindex=\"-1\"><input type=\"text\" name=\"nl-nov-b\" value=\"\" autocomplete=\"off\" tabindex=\"-1\"><input type=\"text\" name=\"nl-nov-r\" id=\"nl-nov-r1\" value=\"2025-11-14\" autocomplete=\"off\" tabindex=\"-1\"><input type=\"text\" name=\"nl-nov-et\" id=\"nl-nov-et1\" value=\"\" autocomplete=\"off\" tabindex=\"-1\"><\/div><button data-sitekey=\"6Lc-hRkaAAAAAI84hbB81Jl48pGievR_C_UgHdnY\" data-callback=\"on_submit_nlf_1\" data-action=\"submit\" class=\"g-recaptcha button button-primary after-email\">Sign Up<\/button><\/div><\/div><div class=\"captcha-terms\"><p>This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google <a href=\"https:\/\/policies.google.com\/privacy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Privacy Policy<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/policies.google.com\/terms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p><\/div><\/form><script>document.getElementById('nl-nov-st1').value=Date.now();document.getElementById('nl-nov-r1').value='';function on_submit_nlf_1(token) {document.getElementById('nl-nov-et1').value = Date.now();document.getElementById('nlf-1').submit();}<\/script><\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- Promo shortcode end -->\n\n\n\n<p>Do you actually want to sip a potentially plane-crashing bourbon? Perhaps, yes. In July, the respected 2025 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whiskycompetition.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">International Whisky Competition<\/a> named the current release of the aforementioned Bowman Cask Strength as Best Bourbon and Best American Whiskey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been in this industry for years and definitely seen the trend of proof points on the rise,\u201d says Tommy Craggs, co-owner of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.watchhillproper.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Watch Hill Proper<\/a>, a bourbon-focused bar in Louisville. \u201cIt kind of started with smaller, craft distillers trying to produce something that would get noticed. Bourbon drinkers really responded, so now the big, heritage distillers are coming around.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Craggs counts himself as a proponent. \u201cIf you\u2019re looking for full flavor, high proof is the thing,\u201d he says. \u201cPeople think it\u2019s going to be too hot for their palate, but we do blind tastings every week, and if a high-proof bourbon is made well, they can\u2019t believe how much they love it. It\u2019s what bourbon is supposed to taste like.\u201d<\/p><div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3228837\" class=\"ad-container in-line-ad mobile inContent\" data-ad-size-mapping=\"inContent\" data-ad-path=\"\/68000349\/in-between-modules\" data-ad-sizes=\"[ [336, 280], [300, 250], [300, 50] ]\" data-ad-channel=\"\" data-ad-type=\"In-between Modules\" data-page-terms=\"flagged\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-5787866\" class=\"ad-container in-line-ad tablet inContent\" data-ad-size-mapping=\"inContent\" data-ad-path=\"\/68000349\/in-between-modules\" data-ad-sizes=\"[ [336, 280], [300, 250], [300, 50] ]\" data-ad-channel=\"\" data-ad-type=\"In-between Modules\" data-page-terms=\"flagged\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-8450682\" class=\"ad-container in-line-ad desktop inContent\" data-ad-size-mapping=\"inContent\" data-ad-path=\"\/68000349\/in-between-modules\" data-ad-sizes=\"[ [336, 280], [300, 250], [300, 50] ]\" data-ad-channel=\"\" data-ad-type=\"In-between Modules\" data-page-terms=\"flagged\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Surprisingly, A. Smith Bowman head distiller David Bock maintains that he wasn\u2019t aiming for a certain proof threshold when he created his award-magnet Cask Strength. \u201cI think chasing proof is like the guy who believes that the oldest barrel or the dirtiest barrel is going to taste the best,\u201d he says. Instead, Bock pulls some barrels from the warehouse area that tends to foster high proofs, then blends them to his exacting taste. Only then does he test the final proof point. (The fact that the current release, at 139.7 proof, was bottled so tantalizingly close to the Hazmat level, which would have generated even greater bourbon-nerd frenzy, lends credence to his claim.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"733\" height=\"1100\" src=\"https:\/\/gardenandgun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_8841-733x1100.jpg\" alt=\"A portrait of a man holding bourbon\" class=\"wp-image-217319\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gardenandgun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_8841-733x1100.jpg 733w, https:\/\/gardenandgun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_8841-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/gardenandgun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_8841-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gardenandgun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_8841-800x1200.jpg 800w, https:\/\/gardenandgun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_8841-rotated.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 733px) 100vw, 733px\" \/><div class=\"wp-caption\"><div class=\"image-credit\">Photo: Steve Russell<\/div><div class=\"caption\">A. Smith Bowman head distiller David Bock.<\/div><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cProof, like aging and blending, is another tool in our toolbox, a variable to experiment with to make a great bourbon,\u201d Bock says. \u201cCask Strength doesn\u2019t drink like it\u2019s 139 proof.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This writer, who once assumed that anything above 100 proof burns going down, recently imbibed a full pour and can confirm that it is indeed world-class stuff. Full-bodied and complex, with a deep caramel note, and dare it be said for a boundary-pushing proof point&#8230;<em>smooth<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So you should pour all your 90-proof bourbons in a ditch, right? Not so fast. Many of the same bourbon fanatics who are driving the high-proof trend would chop off their non-drinking arms for a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle 20-year despite it\u2019s relatively low 90.4 proof. That\u2019s because it and the Bowman bottle both become fully realized liquid magic at their respective proofs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even Watch Hill Proper\u2019s Craggs, after declaring that 80-proof bourbon \u201cis like milk on cereal,\u201d admits that his daily drinker is 94-proof Elijah Craig Small Batch. \u201cThere are some great whiskeys at 100 proof or even less,\u201d he continues. \u201cWild Turkey 101 is still the best deal on the liquor store shelf\u2014and it doesn\u2019t make my head hurt the next day. But on the weekend, that\u2019s when I break out my high-proof bottles.\u201d<\/p><div id=\"div-gpt-ad-6347579\" class=\"ad-container in-line-ad mobile inContent\" data-ad-size-mapping=\"inContent\" data-ad-path=\"\/68000349\/in-between-modules\" data-ad-sizes=\"[ [336, 280], [300, 250], [300, 50] ]\" data-ad-channel=\"\" data-ad-type=\"In-between Modules\" data-page-terms=\"flagged\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1799992\" class=\"ad-container in-line-ad tablet inContent\" data-ad-size-mapping=\"inContent\" data-ad-path=\"\/68000349\/in-between-modules\" data-ad-sizes=\"[ [336, 280], [300, 250], [300, 50] ]\" data-ad-channel=\"\" data-ad-type=\"In-between Modules\" data-page-terms=\"flagged\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-6236108\" class=\"ad-container in-line-ad desktop inContent\" data-ad-size-mapping=\"inContent\" data-ad-path=\"\/68000349\/in-between-modules\" data-ad-sizes=\"[ [336, 280], [300, 250], [300, 50] ]\" data-ad-channel=\"\" data-ad-type=\"In-between Modules\" data-page-terms=\"flagged\"><\/div>\n\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Distilleries are pushing proof points ever higher, all the way to Hazmat bourbons. The question is whether you should follow them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":93,"featured_media":217317,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"2025-08-28T12:30:07Z","apple_news_api_id":"2274c621-64ea-4e9d-9f81-bd8c21e08e19","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2025-08-28T12:30:07Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAD\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/w==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AInTGIWTqTp2fgb2MIeCOGQ","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2392,1780,1],"tags":[51,48,29711,30280],"authors":[1977],"issue":[],"recipe-type":[],"class_list":["post-217316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drinks","category-food-and-drink","category-uncategorized","tag-bourbon","tag-drinks","tag-food-drink","tag-whats-new","authors-steve-russell"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.3 (Yoast SEO v26.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Are High-Proof Bourbons Better? &#8211; Garden &amp; Gun<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Distilleries are pushing proof points ever higher, all the way to Hazmat bourbons. 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Smith Bowman.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gardenandgun.com\/articles\/are-high-proof-bourbons-better\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/gardenandgun.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Are High-Proof Bourbons Better?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gardenandgun.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/gardenandgun.com\/\",\"name\":\"Garden &amp; Gun\",\"description\":\"Garden and Gun magazine celebrates the modern South and features the best in Southern food, style, travel, music, art, literature, and sporting culture.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gardenandgun.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/gardenandgun.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gardenandgun.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Garden & Gun\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/gardenandgun.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gardenandgun.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/gardenandgun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/19_08_GG_Email_Popup_logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/gardenandgun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/19_08_GG_Email_Popup_logo.jpg\",\"width\":166,\"height\":26,\"caption\":\"Garden & Gun\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gardenandgun.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gardenandgun\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/gardenandgun\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/gardenandgun\/\",\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/gardenandgun\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/Gardenandgun\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gardenandgun.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e6cca540eec31439cf98cf9427370a13\",\"name\":\"Gabriela Gomez-Misserian\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gardenandgun.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/df72c7dd1ad3bc62869a7fe0556dd0dbca001f49491ac08383a404b3aa30ab9a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/df72c7dd1ad3bc62869a7fe0556dd0dbca001f49491ac08383a404b3aa30ab9a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Gabriela Gomez-Misserian\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Are High-Proof Bourbons Better? &#8211; Garden &amp; Gun","description":"Distilleries are pushing proof points ever higher, all the way to Hazmat bourbons. 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