Hazmat bourbon is fairly uncommon, and 31-year-old bourbon is even rarer, however this new bottle from Stitzel-Weller Distillery is each of these issues.
Aged for greater than three a long time and bottled at a large 163.2 proof, Stitzel Reserve 31-12 months Bourbon is in contrast to anything we’ve ever seen in the marketplace.
Specializing in simply the age, this expression is surprisingly the third time we’ve seen a mix of 30+ year-old bourbon from the Stitzel-Weller Distillery, with final 12 months’s I.W. Harper 34-12 months Bourbon and Blade and Bow 30-12 months Bourbon paving the way in which.
I.W. Harper 34-12 months Bourbon made headlines regardless of producing solely 11 bottles, with almost half bought at Sotheby’s public sale home for north of $10,000. In its wake, the model launched Blade and Bow 30-12 months Bourbon. With an undisclosed bottle rely, that providing was distinctive as a result of the 42 barrels that made up the mix have been consolidated at across the 15-year mark, which means the whiskey was mixed proper within the cask to counteract the consequences of getting old.
Now, because of the fortuitous discovery of a number of distinctive, hyper-aged casks, Grasp Blender Nicole Austin crafted this brand-new expression. Drawn from 13 barrels that have been distilled in Kentucky and matured on-site on the Stitzel-Weller Distillery for greater than 30 years, the latest member of the Stitzel Reserve lineup gives an intriguing glimpse into the consequences of ultra-aging. Not like final 12 months’s Blade and Bow 30, the brand new Stitzel Reserve 31-12 months Bourbon makes use of barrels that have been by no means consolidated, and thus spent the whole lot of their 3+ a long time resting in its authentic barrels.
I ought to add that I used to be fortunate sufficient to strive all three of those expressions, they usually’re all wildly totally different. The I.W. Harper 34-12 months Bourbon is intriguing, albeit extremely over-oaked, making it extra of a novelty and coveted collector’s merchandise than something, given its restricted availability. The youthful (that feels surreal to say) Blade and Bow 30-12 months Bourbon is kind of the alternative, a silky and decadent pour that landed close to the highest of the UPROXX listing of 2025’s best possible bourbons.
Whereas the brand new Stitzel Reserve 31-12 months Bourbon falls inside a comparable age vary to its two most rapid predecessors, this mix was bottled almost 40 proof factors increased. Cases of bourbon reaching 160+ proof and hitting the market are almost unimaginable to seek out. For reference, the highest-proof bottling of George T. Stagg Bourbon (famously praised for its daring, elevated ABV) clocked in at solely 144.8 proof. Jack Daniel’s beloved Coy Hill Single Barrel releases topped out at 155 proof.
So, as you see, Stitzel Reserve 31-12 months Bourbon combines two totally uncommon qualities in American whiskey in a single expression. In the end, although, is it an pointless oddity or an atypical triumph?
Let’s discover out.
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Stitzel Reserve 31-12 months Bourbon Evaluation
ABV: 81.6percentAverage Value: $3,000 (Solely at Stitzel-Weller Distillery)
The Whiskey:
Aged for greater than 30 years on the Stitzel-Weller Distillery, this unique bourbon comes from a mere 13 barrels and was blended to style and bottled at cask energy
Tasting Notes:
Nostril: The nostril on this bourbon is laden with cherry cordials, plums, espresso beans, and darkish chocolate up entrance. A second cross supplies additional wealthy aromas of smoked honey, candy leather-based, pipe tobacco, and vanilla. With a couple of waves of the hand, you start to choose up a bit extra smokiness and the undergirding presence of mature oak — sturdy, however not overdone.
Palate: Flavorful chunks of darkish chocolate get out forward of the pack on the palate with a hefty punch earlier than oak, vanilla, and wealthy black cherry notes come marching in. The vanilla is available in a second wave at midpalate, like ice cream with leather-based, orange marmalade, and black pepper. From there, it’s damp tobacco’s flip, with shiny bits of candied inexperienced apples. That is an extremely layered and sophisticated pour, however the alcohol punch grows heavier with each sip, even after beginning very robust.
End: This whiskey’s last act follows its authentic observe of flavors with darkish cherry and darkish chocolate notes up entrance that quickly cede floor to black pepper, salted toffee, and leather-based for an insanely lengthy end that rips and roars for minutes after. I believe it was nonetheless going at the same time as I used to be leaving the distillery.
Backside Line:
You’d be hard-pressed to discover a bourbon that may match the richness of Stitzel Reserve 31-12 months Bourbon, however now we have to speak concerning the proof.
My first time attempting this whiskey was mid-evening, and my palate was primed with a starter pour. It floored me in the easiest way doable. On my second event with the whiskey, it was simply earlier than 10 a.m. and my first pour of the day. It left me on the ground, attempting to get better. That context issues as a result of, whereas I used to be capable of report some nice notes, I didn’t take pleasure in it as a lot as I did the primary time, and that’s solely as a result of time of day, palate preparation, and proof.
In fact, I don’t anticipate anybody else who tries this bourbon to take action shortly after breakfast, nevertheless it underscores the purpose that generally there’s such a factor as an excessive amount of proof. As a lot as I like the flavour of hazmat bourbon, that high-octane ABV can definitely be a distraction. Whereas that’s relevant right here, I merely can’t dock it many factors. In the end, that is an unbelievable feat.
We deserve the existence of bourbon like this, and loved within the correct setting, it’s chic — that’s the important thing takeaway.
Bottles of this expression are completely accessible on the Stitzel-Weller Distillery for a advised retail value of $3,000.
