Bourbons worth the shelf space

Clara Nishimoto

@claracodes

8Items

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Not a bar list — this is the stuff I actually buy, keep in rotation, and pour when a friend swings by and pretends they're a bourbon person too. Ranked less by "prestige" and more by "would I be sad if I ran out." Rated some of these post-SFMOMA, which may or may not be relevant.

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Bourbons worth the shelf space — 8 items
Name	Comment	Bottle	Proof	Best For
1Buffalo Trace	The point guard of bourbons. Does everything fine, never the star of the highlight reel, always in the starting five.	Buffalo Trace	90	Tuesday night, no occasion needed
2Eagle Rare 10 Year	Buffalo Trace's older sibling who went to grad school. Smoother, a little more self-serious, still shows up.	Eagle Rare 10 Year	90	When you want to seem like you know things
3Four Roses Small Batch	Fruity in a way that surprises people who expect bourbon to punch them in the face. Underrated pick and roll.	Four Roses Small Batch	90	Converting a skeptical vodka friend
4Woodford Reserve	The bottle every bar has, for good reason. Reliable mid-range shot, hits the same every time.	Woodford Reserve	90.4	Gifting someone whose taste you don't know yet
5Elijah Craig Small Batch	Charred oak vibes for days. Feels like a bigger deal than the price tag suggests, which I respect.	Elijah Craig Small Batch	94	Sneaky-good value pour
6Old Forester 100 Proof	Spicy, a bit rough around the edges, ages me ten years every sip in the best way. Full-court press energy.	Old Forester 100 Proof	100	When you want it to taste like a decision
7Larceny Small Batch	Wheated and gentle, basically the bench player who quietly puts up 20 and nobody notices until the box score.	Larceny Small Batch	92	Sipping neat while doomscrolling
8Old Grand-Dad 114	High proof, low pretense. Tastes like it's daring you to say something about the price. I never do.	Old Grand-Dad 114	114	Cocktails that need to stand up to ice

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