Owensboro Bourbon Fan Chooses the Five Best Bourbons Distilled in Kentucky

It's National Bourbon Day and, naturally, we're celebrating here in Kentucky, where bourbon has long been and continues to be a booming business. Make no mistake about it. The finest bourbons in the world are distilled right here in the Commonwealth and any bourbon-loving Kentuckian will tell you that.

My friend Jacob Kiper is the biggest bourbon aficianado that I know.  He started "diving into bourbon" about five years ago.  He picked up Clay Risen's American Whiskey Bourbon & Rye: A Guide to the Nation's Favorite Spirit.

That booked instantly hooked Jacob. He's been pouring through books (and glasses) since! In fact, he's currently reading book #391 on the subject.

Oh, fun fact. Clay Risen writes for the New York Times and is coming to town early next year. He's the guest speaker at the Owensboro Bourbon Society in January of 2023.  I'm certain he and Jacob will have a lot of talk about it and pour over.

For National Bourbon Day, I thought it would be fun to ask Jacob for his "expert" opinions about the bourbons distilled here in Kentucky. I know he's familiar with most, if not all, of them, and could give a lightweight beginner like me some pro tips on the absolute best bourbons in the state.

Within moments, Jacob gave me his top five and he decided to focus on bourbons that are relatively easy for the average consumer to find on store shelves.

Here they are!

FOUR ROSES SMALL BATCH SELECT

GREEN RIVER KENTUCKY STRAIGHT BOURBON WHISKEY

MAKER'S MARK PRIVATE SELECT

EH TAYLOR SINGLE BARREL

WILD TURKEY 101

Of course, Jacob has some more-than-honorable mentions too. Among his other favorites: Russell's Reserve Single Barrel, Maker's Mark 46 Cask Strength, and Four Roses Single Barrel OESK.

Here's Jacob chatting about his love of bourbon and how he developed this particular list of Kentucky favorites.

Cheers!  Happy National Bourbon Day!