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20+ Year Old American Bourbons And Ryes To Know About

Sitting at the top of the food chain for American bourbons and rye whiskies are the mythical 20+ year old crowd. Here's a list to inform you of them.
  • Nino Kilgore-Marchetti, founder of The Whiskey Wash, is an award-winning whiskey journalist, expert, and judge
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The world of American bourbons and rye whiskies in the 20 year and up category is small, rare and controversial to some. To many collectors of anything old whiskey, 20 and up seems to be a sweet spot for throwing out hundreds or even thousands of dollars a bottle just to say you own something of that age and/or to even try to sell it to others on the secondary market.
To those who find it controversial, on the other hand, arguments against its existence can include American whiskey in this age range being well past its prime in terms of taste (i.e. often very woody because of the extended time in barrel) and also that those who buy these overhyped releases can end up being gullible to the marketing forces behind them.
20+ year American bourbons, ryes
Some American bourbons and ryes in the 20+ year category. (image copyright The Whiskey Wash)
As for what distilleries these 20+ year American whiskies herald from – and for many this can be one of the biggest sticking points one way or the other – that can be a bit of a mystery depending upon the company behind the bottling. Common mythology for some of it is the famed former Stitzel-Weller distillery, but mergers and acquisitions in the leaner years of the bourbon industry have shifted aging barrels around and this, along with the fact some distilleries which have remained in operation have old whiskey stock around still for their own use or to sell to others, make it at times quite the guessing game.

Whatever the position you take, you have to at least be fascinated by the idea such old American whiskey can still exist in the first place. To give you an idea of what bottlings are out there in the 20+ age range, we’ve prepared a list below for your consideration.

It is likely we may miss some, so please let us know in the comments if we do. Note these are listed by oldest first and then alphabetically from there. Also, in many cases, they are likely almost fully sold out at retail and only available via private collectors or Internet/brick and mortar auctions at a high premium from what suggested retail was when they were first released. Those we’ve found are still available through retail channels are linked below to a third party site which offers suggestions on where to buy (in some cases it may be overseas).

30 Year Old Jefferson’s Presidential Select Straight Bourbon
28 Year Old Hirsch Selection Straight Bourbon
28 Year Old Willett Single Barrel Straight Bourbon
27 Year Old Parker’s Heritage 2nd Edition Kentucky Straight Bourbon
26 Year Old Orphan Barrel Old Blowhard Kentucky Bourbon
25 Year Old Hirsch Selection Kentucky Rye
25 Year Old Jefferson’s Presidential Select Rye
25 Year Old Jefferson’s Presidential Select Straight Bourbon
25 Year Old Michter’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon
25 Year Old Michter’s Kentucky Straight Rye
25 Year Old Rittenhouse Rye
25 Year Old Willett Single Barrel Straight Bourbon
25 Year Old Willett Straight Rye
24 Year Old Willett Single Barrel Straight Bourbon
24 Year Old Willett Straight Rye

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23 Year Old Rittenhouse Rye
22 Year Old Blade & Bow Kentucky Straight Bourbon
22 Year Old Hirsch Selection Straight Rye
22 Year Old Orphan Barrel Lost Prophet Straight Bourbon
22 Year Old Willett Single Barrel Straight Bourbon
22 Year Old Willett Straight Rye
21 Year Old Elijah Craig Single Barrel Straight Bourbon
21 Year Old High West Old Rocky Mountain Rye
21 Year Old Hirsch Selection Rye
21 Year Old Hooker’s House General’s Reserve Bourbon
21 Year Old Jefferson’s Presidential Select Rye
21 Year Old Jefferson’s Presidential Select Straight Bourbon
21 Year Old Rittenhouse Rye
21 Year Old Orphan Barrel Rhetoric Bourbon
21 Year Old Willett Single Barrel Straight Bourbon
20 Year Old A.H. Hirsch Bourbon
20 Year Old Hirsch Special Reserve American Whiskey
20 Year Old Michter’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon
20 Year Old Orphan Barrel Barterhouse Bourbon
20 Year Old Orphan Barrel Rhetoric Bourbon
20 Year Old Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon
20 Year Old Willett Single Barrel Straight Bourbon

Nino Kilgore-Marchetti

Nino Kilgore-Marchetti is the founder of The Whiskey Wash, an award-winning whiskey lifestyle website dedicated to informing and entertaining consumers about whisk(e)y globally. As a whisk(e)y journalist, expert, and judge, he has written extensively about the subject, been interviewed in various media outlets, and provided tasting input on many whiskeys at competitions.

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