The Best Sipping Bourbon in 2025

How to Choose the Best Sipping Bourbon?

Pick your drinks by focusing on rich flavors, balanced quality, fair price, and how they’re crafted. This way, every sip turns into a memorable experience you’ll want to repeat. Price is a good starting point, but it shouldn’t be your only deciding factor. 

Sure, higher-end bourbons usually have longer aging and more nuanced production methods, but there are many moderately priced options you can also find with great depth and character. Look for drinks that give you that layered experience we all crave, starting off with the initial sweetness into spicy mid-palate notes and a long, warm finish. 

Best Sipping Bourbon for Cocktails

Sipping bourbons are best savored neat, but many also add rich, bold flavors to premium cocktails when mixed skillfully. High-rye bourbons can balance sweet mixers by adding in some spice, while wheat bourbons give a much softer, rounder blend. The Old Fashioned and Manhattan are great starter bourbon-based cocktails. 

Best Sipping Bourbon for Drinking Straight 

The best way to enjoy a sipping bourbon neat is with a well-aged small batch or single barrel. Expect rich flavors like vanilla bean, toasted oak, leather, dark chocolate, and dried fruit that develop over a long, lingering finish.

How Much Does Sipping Bourbon Cost?

You can buy sipping bourbon with rich, refined flavors for under $50, making quality easy to access. For premium options, expect to pay $100 or more, but even then, bourbon remains surprisingly affordable for the experience it delivers. We also recommend checking out our top sipping whiskey picks, all priced under $100.