The 21 Best Bourbons for Any Budget

When it comes to America's favorite pastime, there's no shortage of contenders. Baseball? Jazz? Taking movies we vaguely enjoyed from the '80s and '90s and rebooting them every three years into all manner of miniseries, Broadway musicals, and endlessly expanding cinematic universes until everything is just a copy of a copy of a copy? Now that's American.

However, there's a strong argument to be made that there's nothing more American than bourbon. Americans have been making the beloved barrel-aged spirit, primarily made from corn, since the 18th century and Congress officially recognized bourbon as a "distinctive product of the United States" in 1964. Although many of the best bourbons are made in Kentucky, distilleries from sea to shining sea have emerged over the years with their own worthy expressions.

Like snowflakes, no two bourbons are alike. Sometimes you might crave something more straightforward and smooth, while other occasions may call for two fingers of something more robust and challenging. And as your palate develops, astute bourbon drinkers will begin to pick up on notes like vanilla, fresh fruit, honey, tobacco, leather, and more.

In an era where instant gratification is just a few clicks away and life's pace feels faster and more chaotic than ever before, bourbon is a testament to patience. The best bourbons age for years (and sometimes decades) until they're ready to be released into the world. And once those bottles are in the possession of the faithful, serious bourbon drinkers understand that it's ideal for slow sipping, preferably in the company of friends.

But much like another touchstone of the American experience—excess—there are seemingly endless options when it comes to bourbon, and many are far superior to others. In an effort to prevent you from wasting your time drinking subpar bourbon, we linked up with Lucinda Sterling, an NYC-based bartender and managing partner at two of the city's buzziest bars, Middle Branch and Seaborne, for her expert recommendations and layered in a few of our favorite bottles of hooch to boot.

Here are our selections for the best whiskey bourbons you can buy: