
Bourbon 101: The Complete Beginner's Guide
Everything you need to know about bourbon: legal requirements, production, tasting notes, key terms, and building your cellar.
Guides, comparisons, and insights for the curious bourbon enthusiast.

Everything you need to know about bourbon: legal requirements, production, tasting notes, key terms, and building your cellar.
Wild Turkey revives the cult Cheesy Gold Foil at 16 years, Buffalo Trace brings back E.H. Taylor Four Grain and Cured Oak, and Heaven Hill commits to wheat.

Brown-Forman rejects Sazerac's $15B offer, Maker's Mark Cask Strength is named Straight Bourbon of the Year, and Angel's Envy doubles up at cask strength.

MGP shuts distilling at two Kentucky sites. Beam ships its most transparent blend ever. Buffalo Trace's John G. Carlisle Cafe opens a year after the flood. Jack Daniel's puts a $600 bottle in a McLaren helmet.

Brown-Forman and Pernod Ricard end merger talks. Stitzel-Weller drops a 163-proof 31-year-old. New Riff named World's Best Bourbon. Tariffs cut both ways.

The mint julep earns its spot on Derby Day. But the race card has room for a blackberry-bourbon smash and a peach fizz that belong right next to it.

Mecklenburg ABC's secondary-market sting nets 28 summonses. Lux Row drops Blood Oath 12 with Italian wine cask finish. Sazerac's $15B Brown-Forman bid heats up.

Estate-grown bourbon is rare. Frey Ranch raises every grain on one Nevada farm, and a handful of other distilleries get close. A measured look for Earth Day 2026.

Wild Turkey revives the cult Cheesy Gold Foil at 16 years, Buffalo Trace brings back E.H. Taylor Four Grain and Cured Oak, and Heaven Hill commits to wheat.

Brown-Forman rejects Sazerac's $15B offer, Maker's Mark Cask Strength is named Straight Bourbon of the Year, and Angel's Envy doubles up at cask strength.

MGP shuts distilling at two Kentucky sites. Beam ships its most transparent blend ever. Buffalo Trace's John G. Carlisle Cafe opens a year after the flood. Jack Daniel's puts a $600 bottle in a McLaren helmet.

Seven barrel proof bourbons that deliver unfiltered intensity and depth. What cask strength means and why enthusiasts seek it.

Seven bourbons that hold their own in an Old Fashioned. Bold enough to stand up to bitters and sugar, balanced enough to keep things elegant.

Eight wheated bourbons worth exploring, from Weller and Maker's Mark to the exceptional 46 Cask Strength. How wheat shapes flavor and what it means for your palate.

Build a bourbon cellar with intention. Five foundation categories, common mistakes to avoid, and why tracking what you drink changes how you buy.

Learn how to use the bourbon flavor wheel to identify tasting notes. Covers sweet, spice, fruit, oak, grain, and floral categories with practical examples.

Decode bourbon labels in minutes. Proof vs ABV, age statements, single barrel vs small batch, and the hints that predict your flavor.

The mint julep earns its spot on Derby Day. But the race card has room for a blackberry-bourbon smash and a peach fizz that belong right next to it.

Bourbon pairs with spring flavors better than most people expect. Elderflower, carrot-ginger, and milk punch recipes built around bottles you probably already own.

George T. Stagg and E.H. Taylor Small Batch compared side by side. Proof, flavor profiles, availability, and which suits your palate.

W.L. Weller Special Reserve and Maker's Mark compared head to head. Flavor, availability, the Pappy connection, and which wheated bourbon fits your palate.
Add any bourbon from our articles to your watchlist, rate bottles in your collection, and find expressions matched to your palate.