Barrel Proof Bourbon

Most bourbon is cut with water before bottling to bring it down to 80, 90, or 100 proof. Barrel proof (also called cask strength or full proof) skips that step. What you taste is the whiskey exactly as the warehouse made it: concentrated caramel, dark fruit, toasted oak, and baking spice, with a long, warming finish.

Because each batch comes off at its own natural strength, proof varies from release to release. Heat in the upper floors of a rickhouse evaporates water faster than alcohol, so some barrels finish well above their entry proof. That's why releases like Booker's, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, and Stagg are batch-numbered and collected.

How to drink it: pour a little, sip it neat, then add a few drops of water at a time. The water opens up aromas and tames the burn without washing out flavor. Barrel proof bourbon also makes a bigger, bolder Old Fashioned. Prefer something softer? Try a wheated bourbon or a bottled in bond at 100 proof.