With Christmas just days away, it’s always nice to find some last minute gift items or some gifts for the start of the new year. Whisky and wine collectors often find themselves sipping on a bourbon this time of the year. So what about an issue of the top bourbons of 2021?

Wine Enthusiast is into much more than just wine. They have many great bourbon and whisky accessories that can be found as gifts. They also issued their top 13 bourbons which were a sub-set of their Top 100 Spirits list this year. One interesting aspect, which has some paradox for bourbon, is that only 6 of 13 are actually from Kentucky!

As a reminder, for a whisky to be a bourbon it must be made from a minimum 51% in corn. It cannot be above 160 proof (80%) and it has to be a minimum of 80-proof (40%). Distillers get to pick their wood barrel type, but the end result must be aged in new charred oak barrels.

While the Wine Enthusiast’s order is different than this list, Collectors Dashboard ranked this list with the lowest prices first. We also kept their point structure (of 100 points) and left their description and recommendations mostly from Kara Newman as is. Who would have thought you could buy one of the best bourbons of the year with 90 points or more for $30 or even less?

$23 – Paddleford Creek Bourbon (90 points) described as:

Vanilla and oak aromas light the way. The palate opens with oak and fleeting cherry sweetness. Adding water brings more vanilla and cookie dough forward. The finish sizzles with clove and nutmeg. Best Buy.

$30 – Blue Note Juke Joint Bourbon (93 points) described as:

Butterscotch and maple aromas meet with candied orange peel on the nose. The palate is similarly bold and rich, with creamy caramel and a smoky hint winding into ginger and lemon peel on the exit. Sip or mix. Distilled in Kentucky, bottled in Tennessee. Aged a minimum of three years. Best Buy.

$30 – Gunnar’s Wheated Bourbon (90 points), described as:

A “wheater” from the Wheat State, this brings a pleasing vanilla aroma and mellow palate. Adding water transforms toffee and oak into smooth caramel and crème brûlée sprinkled with cracked black pepper. Best Buy.

$40 – Rod & Hammer’s SLO Stills Bourbon (91 points) described as:

A particularly light and mellow take on Bourbon, the liquid is distilled in Indiana, aged two years and cut with water from the Pacific to add some California flair. Look for a honeyed hue and pungent aromas that suggest grilled pineapple, dried apricot and cut grass. The drying, slightly viscous palate shows golden raisin, dried apricot and a butterscotch tinge, fading into clove and brisk lemon peel on the exit.

$40 – Broken Top Bourbon (90 points). It was described:

Look for mild dried apricot, cedar and honey aromas. The palate incorporates ginger, honey and lemon peel. Adding water coaxes out a gentle chamomile note. Overall, it suggests chamomile tea with honey and lemon, with a light flick of ginger at the end. Take advantage by mixing into hot toddies.

$40 – Longbranch Bourbon (92 points) described as:

Mellow aromas of maple, vanilla and a hint of dried cherry entice. The palate echoes those flavors, bringing in a light flurry of clove and cinnamon spice. Adding water softens the profile to vanilla cookie dough flavor, sprinkled with ginger and allspice. It was filtered through Texas mesquite charcoal.

$50 – Sipes’ Straight Bourbon Whiskey (93 points). The description:

This is a four-year-old Bourbon finished in rum casks. Overall, it’s a relatively dry sipper, opening with oak, dusty cocoa and leather, expanding into a big, spiced finale that’s a flurry of ginger and nutmeg.

$50 – Larceny Barrel Proof Bourbon C920 (94 points) described as:

Third in a series of barrel-proof bottlings from Larceny, look for aromas of vanilla bean and sarsaparilla. The palate sizzles with fiery cinnamon and cayenne. Adding a fair measure of water pays off with concentrated caramel enlivened by cinnamon and hints of cocoa, espresso and vanilla. It’s a blend of Bourbons aged 6 to 8 years.

$50 – Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon (93 points) described as:

This needs a few minutes to open up to reveal a rich caramel aroma. The palate is markedly sweet and spicy, showing vanilla, caramel and a mix of cinnamon and cayenne. Adding water tones down the heat and brings a flavor or cinnamon red-hot candies wrapped in caramel squares. A vanilla accent smooths over the long exit. It’s a small-batch Bourbon finished in toasted new oak.

$50 – New Riff Winter Whiskey (90 points) described as:

Inspired by chocolate oatmeal stout, this Bourbon is made with a base of corn as well as malted oat, pale ale malt, steel-cut raw oats and chocolate malt, aged at least four years and bottled in bond. It’s definitely beer-like, warming and substantial. Look for a dark amber hue and chocolaty aroma. The robust palate shows cocoa and cookie dough, finishing with a hoppy edge and flicker of cinnamon spice.

$60 – Sipes’ Double Oaked Smoked Barrel Bourbon (87 points) described as:

This Bourbon is for fans of the smoked Old Fashioned trend. It features savory, smoky mesquite notes on nose and palate. Liquid smoke and bacon overshadow a core of vanilla and maple, finishing with plenty of black pepper. Overall, this reads like peppered maple bacon. This is a four-year-old Bourbon finished in a smoked barrel.

$65 – Penelope Rosé Cask Finish Bourbon (91 points) described as:

This is a limited release four-grain Bourbon, aged 24 months, then finished in French Grenache rosé wine casks. The end result is pleasant, though don’t expect it to drink like a glass of rosé. Mild vanilla and almond lead the nose and palate, layered with a hint of bitter espresso. The drying finish shows cinnamon, ginger and black pepper.

$85 – Remus Repeal Reserve Series IV Bourbon (93 points) Its description:

A blend of two high-rye Bourbons distilled in 2008, this annual release commemorates the repeal of Prohibition. The aroma teases dried figs and dates alongside toffee richness. The palate echoes those dark notes, showing toffee, clove and allspice that lead to tingly cayenne and ginger heat on the tip of the tongue. The final impression is drying and spiced, with a satisfying vanilla fade.

$100 – 18th Street Distillery Spirit Thief Selection Bourbon (95 points). The description:

Complex aromas include dried fig, dried cherry and vanilla. The palate opens with spice and dark fruit, similar to Port or PX Sherry. Adding water melds everything together into rich fruit cake studded with raisin, dried cherry and candied orange peel, finishing long with nutmeg and cinnamon accents. Each sip warms all the way down.

$110 – Barrell Private Release A01A Bourbon (96 points) described as:

Concentrated toffee aromas entice on the nose. While this cask-strength beast opens fiery, adding just enough water brings out a bright and fruity side: dried cherry, orange and lemon peel slide into vanilla and caramel. The spicy finish is tinged with fleeting espresso and campfire smoke, too. This is a limited-edition micro blend of Bourbons aged 5 to 15 years, with 70% of the blend 15 years old.

$130 – Milam & Greene The Castle Hill Series Bourbon (91 points) described as follows:

This is a 13-year-old Bourbon batched from a lot of just 20 barrels. The caramel aroma takes a minute to open up and shrug off a medicinal hint. The palate has a similar flavor profile, though adding water adjusts it to cocoa powder and clove, drying into an espresso and unsweetened chocolate finish accented with allspice.

$200 – Perry’s Secret Stock Buckwheat Bourbon (88 points) described as:

This non-traditional Bourbon is named for Perry Ford, who worked at the distillery for 43 years. The remarkably drying palate rotates through dark berry, toasted grain and juicy orange, finishing with cinnamon and ginger glow. Made with a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% buckwheat, and 4% malted barley.

$350 – Angel’s Envy Finished in Japanese Mizunara Oak Casks Bourbon (95 points) described as:

This was released in September 2020 to celebrate the brand’s 10th anniversary. Look for a copper penny hue and rich caramel and toffee aromas. The bold palate opens with espresso, clove and a drying hint of plum skin. Adding water softens the heat and brings more oak forward, along with accents of mocha and vanilla, finishing long with black pepper heat. Available only at distillery.