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 many years and bottled at a large 163.2 proof, Stitzel Reserve 31-Yr Bourbon is in contrast to the rest 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-Yr Bourbon and Blade and Bow 30-Yr Bourbon paving the best way.
I.W. Harper 34-Yr 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-Yr Bourbon. With an undisclosed bottle depend, that providing was distinctive as a result of the 42 barrels that made up the mix had been consolidated at across the 15-year mark, which means the whiskey was mixed proper within the cask to counteract the results of ageing.
Now, due to 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 had 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 provides an intriguing glimpse into the results of ultra-aging. In contrast to final 12 months’s Blade and Bow 30, the brand new Stitzel Reserve 31-Yr Bourbon makes use of barrels that had been by no means consolidated, and thus spent the whole lot of their 3+ many years resting in its authentic barrels.
I ought to add that I used to be fortunate sufficient to attempt all three of those expressions, and so they’re all wildly completely different. The I.W. Harper 34-Yr 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-Yr Bourbon is kind of the alternative, a silky and decadent pour that landed close to the highest of the UPROXX record of 2025’s very best bourbons.
Whereas the brand new Stitzel Reserve 31-Yr Bourbon falls inside a comparable age vary to its two most instant predecessors, this mix was bottled almost 40 proof factors larger. Cases of bourbon reaching 160+ proof and hitting the market are almost not possible to search 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-Yr Bourbon combines two totally uncommon qualities in American whiskey in a single expression. Finally, although, is it an pointless oddity or an atypical triumph?
Let’s discover out.
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Stitzel Reserve 31-Yr Bourbon Evaluation
ABV: 81.6%
Common Value: $3,000 (Completely 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 move gives additional wealthy aromas of smoked honey, candy leather-based, pipe tobacco, and vanilla. With a number of waves of the hand, you start to select up a bit extra smokiness and the undergirding presence of mature oak — strong, 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 brilliant 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 remaining act follows its authentic monitor 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 whilst 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-Yr Bourbon, however now we have to speak in regards to the proof.
My first time attempting this whiskey was mid-evening, and my palate was primed with a starter pour. It floored me in one of the best ways potential. 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 well. That context issues as a result of, whereas I used to be capable of document 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 count on 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 actually be a distraction. Whereas that’s relevant right here, I merely can’t dock it many factors. Finally, that is an unimaginable 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 solely accessible on the Stitzel-Weller Distillery for a instructed retail worth of $3,000.
