Is the $3,000 Stitzel Reserve Bourbon Worth the Hype? Here's Our Tasting Review.

Last year, Diageo shook up the bourbon world with the release of Stitzel Reserve, a limited- edition whiskey tied to one of the most storied distilleries in all of Kentucky. 

Now, I’ve scored an advanced taste of the second release in the ongoing series: a 31-year-old bourbon, which will sell for $3,000 a bottle. Beginning tomorrow (April 30), it’ll be available exclusively at the brand’s home, the Stitzel-Weller Distillery. Is it worth schlepping to Louisville to score a bottle of this ultra-aged whiskey? Here’s what to know before you go.

Stitzel Reserve Bourbon Tasting Notes

This new release is a sturdy one, bottled at an astonishing 163.2-proof (81.6% ABV). This horsepower is apparent in its aroma, where a boozy, brandy-like fruit bouquet grabs your attention before your nose picks up hints of cedar and sage. 

On the palate, the bourbon has assertive, concentrated confectionery flavors. I taste baked berry cobbler and cinnamon-apple streusel. But these sweeter notes retreat rapidly, giving way to a lasting tannic dryness that dominates the finish. 

The heavy presence of wood is unavoidable in an American whiskey of this age. Bourbon matures in barrels of charred virgin oak—and in Kentucky, they spend that time fluctuating between hot, humid summers and cold, snowy winters. This particular combination encourages an intensity of extraction and a propensity for evaporation (the so-called angel’s share). So, bourbon beyond two decades in age is exceptionally rare—and exceedingly undrinkable. 

Related: Mysterious Bottles of Whiskey Washed Up on the Jersey Shore. He Tried to Trace Their Origin

Stitzel Reserve's Backstory

To skirt that outcome, master blender Nicole Austin pulled a few secret weapons from her bag of tricks. Shortly after being named the site’s chief custodian in 2018 (her full title is Director of American Whiskey Liquid Development and Capabilities at Diageo), Austin began scouting out barrels near the base level of the Stitzel-Weller rickhouses, ones that had the greatest potential for extended aging. Historically, workers here would open all windows of the ironclad buildings throughout the summer months. It accentuated a chimney effect, wherein hot air was pushed towards the top by a steady breeze that kept cooler the barrels below. Further, they also benefited from a system of racking, patented by industry icon Frederick Stitzel in 1879, to increase air circulation throughout the storage facility.

“When I discovered these barrels, I saw the potential for something extraordinarily rare,” she says. Austin worked to consolidate some of these uniquely preserved casks and moved them into more environmentally safeguarded conditions, where she could further protect and monitor their continued maturation. 

“What makes this release so special is not just its age, but the fact that it reached 31 years with such integrity,” she contends. “The way these warehouses are able to preserve exceptionally old whiskeys is remarkable. The patented design from Frederick Stitzel creates an airy, well-ventilated environment that prevents over-oaking during maturation.

Combined with careful blending, we were able to preserve a liveliness and complexity in the spirit that is truly special; it has allowed us to carefully steward barrels like this over time in a way that very few distilleries in Kentucky can.”

The Extra-Old American Whiskey Market

Nevertheless, 2026 has already been quite the year for ultra-aged American whiskey. Earlier this month, Buffalo Trace released its oldest bourbon ever—a 30-year expression of Eagle Rare that has a suggested retail price of $12,500. A month before that, Michter’s released the fifth edition of its Celebration Sour Mash, a $6,000 bottle containing a blend of bourbons and ryes, including some that are over 30 years old.

By comparison, the $3,000 Stitzel Reserve might seem like a relative bargain. And unlike those other releases, this bourbon was not aged in a temperature controlled warehouse in order to attain its supernatural extended age. 

But it’s also important to mention that we’ll never know the exact source of this Stitzel Reserve Bourbon. Though it spent most of its life maturing in Stitzel-Weller warehouses, it was not, however, made at the famous distillery. How do we know? The distillery shut down in the summer of 1992, which was at least two full years before this whiskey was made. This whiskey was made at a different distillery, then aged on site.

A Special Whiskey Tasting 

If you’re reluctant to spend $3,000 on this bourbon without tasting it, starting on April 30 the distillery is offering an on-site bespoke tasting for $350 per person. The tasting price includes an etched whiskey glass, a branded bag and a limited-edition pin. This might be the only way to taste this special whiskey, since there are only 176 bottles in existence.