Each year it’s fun to look back at the incredible bottles we were able to track down, as well as the generous samples we’re sent to try. With all of this outstanding bourbon (and other whiskey) to pour and try, it can be hard to choose just one that stood out above the rest.

We’ve decided to do two things, this year, at The Bourbon Finder. First we are going to nail down a list of the bottles we bought throughout the year that stood out to us in this Best Bottles of 2019 post. Now, these may have been bottles that were recommended to us along the road–or maybe after having a blind flight we decided one of the brands was so good we just had to track it down. Whatever the reason, we’re here today to share with you The Bourbon Finder’s Best Bottles of 2019.

Secondly, we want to have a fun showdown with these bottles. It seems that today’s trend of games is leaning toward the format of getting players together on an even playing field to duke it out till the last player is standing. We can appreciate that, so check this out: we’re going to throw down with the Bourbon Finder Bourbon Battle Royale to see how all of our favorite bottles did in a blind tasting battle royale. All of our favorites on an even playing field, we’ll see who is the last player standing.

Narrowing down a list of our “best bottles of 2019” here in this post, where we’ll highlight the bottles we were able to buy, and what made them our favorite. This is our attempt at tipping our hats to three hundred sixty five days of bourbon hunting, where we stand back and admire the finds we’ve experienced. This may not include all of the absolute best pours we had throughout the year, but it defines us as Bourbon Finders. Twelve months of tracking, hunting, and finding…as well as mixing, pouring, and sipping.

Join us as we each shine the spotlight on our favorite bottles we scoured for, and ultimately bought this year.

John’s picks

  • Stagg Jr. (Batch 12)
  • WB Saffell
  • Blanton’s Gold Edition
  • Pursuit Series Episode 17
  • EH Taylor Single Barrel
  • Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel

Sam’s picks

  • Maker’s Mark RC6
  • Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 “Lot B” (2018)
  • Wild Turkey’s Rare Breed
  • Stagg Jr. (Batch 12)
  • Peerless Bourbon

As a note: we want to mention that the reason some of the releases above are 2018 editions, is that Maine moves extremely slow on BTAC/Pappy releases, and our lottery for the 2019 release doesn’t even occur until 2020. Due to the slow-moving nature of Maine’s liquor control agency, we’re usually about a calendar year behind on those highly allocated unicorn bottles.

-The Bourbon Finder

Now, back to the top bottles! Our list is–quite obviously–not all-inclusive. We had a great many samples, pours, and other drinks throughout the year that totally deserve to be on our collective highlight reel; however, we wanted to develop this list with the true spirit of The Bourbon Finder in mind, and only allow bottles that we actually hunted down and purchased in 2019.

What are your top bottle finds from 2019? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to hit us on social media with your thoughts and finds–and don’t forget to catch the final showdown in The Bourbon Finder Bourbon Battle Royale, and tune in for rematch after rematch as the winner of our Battle Royale will start 2020 as The Bourbon Finder’s King of the Hill whiskey where it will then face off in blind tastings against contenders to see who will reign supreme.

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