Blind Whiskey Tasting

🏆 The Definitive 2025 Whiskey of the Year Bracket

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Searching for the best bourbon of 2025? Welcome to the official hub of the Your Bourbon Journey WOTY Tournament.

We don’t just pick a winner—we earn it through a rigorous, 100% blind tasting process. We’ve taken the top-rated whiskeys from our monthly reviews and pitted them against each other in a single-elimination playoff. From heritage Kentucky distilleries to the most innovative craft whiskey brands, this is the ultimate quest for the best bottle of the year.

Bookmark this page to track live results, scoring averages, and the updated Elite Eight and Final Four standings as we crown our 2025 Champion.

2025 WOTY Tournament Tracker

RoundMatchupResults AvailableVideo Link
Sweet 16Battles 1 & 2Jan 2S16 Round 1
Sweet 16Battles 3 & 4Jan 3S16 Round 2
Sweet 16Battles 5 & 6Jan 4S16 Round 3
Sweet 16Battles 7 & 8 + RevealJan 5S16 Round 4
Elite 8Battles 9 & 10Jan 6E8 Round 1
Elite 8Battles 11 & 12 + RevealJan 7E8 Round 2
Final 4Semi-FinalsJan 8Final Four
FINALECHAMPIONSHIPJan 9Championship

🥃 THE ROAD TO 2025 WOTY: We spent 12 months hunting for the best juice—see our complete selection process and the 100% blind bracket logic on our website: https://yourbourbonjourney.com/2026/01/01/the-road-to-the-2025-whiskey-of-the-year-the-blind-bracket-revealed/

NOTE: All spirits in this tournament were purchased by us for the purpose of evaluation. We were not compensated by any producer for reviews or inclusion in this series. These rankings are based solely on our blind tasting scores and the performance of the liquid in the glass throughout the 2025 season.

🚨REMEMBER TO ALWAYS DRINK RESPONSIBLY🚨

❓Questions❓ YourBourbonJourney@gmail.com

#WhiskeyOfTheYear #BestBourbon2025 #WhiskeyReview #BourbonJourney #SpiritsAwards #WOTY#BlindTasting #BourbonBracket #WhiskeyTuber #SmallBatchBourbon #BarrelProof #WhiskeyTournament

Which Whiskey Wins? Sweet 16 Showdown Starts Now

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🥃 THE ROAD TO 2025 WOTY: We spent 12 months hunting for the best juice—see our complete selection process and the 100% blind bracket logic on our website: https://yourbourbonjourney.com/2026/01/01/the-road-to-the-2025-whiskey-of-the-year-the-blind-bracket-revealed/

NOTE: All spirits in this tournament were purchased by us for the purpose of evaluation. We were not compensated by any producer for reviews or inclusion in this series. These rankings are based solely on our blind tasting scores and the performance of the liquid in the glass throughout the 2025 season.

The Road to Whiskey of the Year: Sweet Sixteen Battles 1 & 2! 🥃🏆

Welcome to the Sweet Sixteen! We are kicking off the ultimate tournament to crown our Whiskey of the Year. We’ve taken the winners from our Whiskey of the Month and Whiskey of the Quarter competitions, added four high-scoring wildcards, and now it’s time for the ultimate blind taste test.

In this episode, we tackle Battle 1 (1-seed vs. 4-seed) and Battle 2 (2-seed vs. 3-seed). We’re tasting these completely blind—no labels, no proofs, no prices—just pure flavor profiles. Through the magic of editing, you’ll see the winners revealed while we remain in the dark until the very end of the round!

What’s on the Menu Today?

  • Battle 1: A clash of classics. One glass is packed with rich vanilla, brown sugar, and cinnamon, while the other brings a lighter, butterscotch-forward pop with surprising proof.
  • Battle 2: This one gets wild. We’re talking “grilled cherries” and deep barrel notes versus a bright, citrusy, and drier bourbon profile.

Will the top seeds hold their ground, or are we heading for an early-round upset? Grab a pour, hit play, and follow along with Wayne and Rebecca on Your Bourbon Journey.

Inside the Tasting Room:

  • The Process: 16 whiskeys, blind pairings, and a scoring system based on Nose, Taste, and Finish.
  • The Stakes: Only the winners move on to the Elite Eight.
  • The Reveal: We won’t know the identities until all eight battles are done, but you get to see the winners as they advance!

Which bottle are you rooting for? Are you Team Cherry & Barrel or Team Vanilla & Spice? Let us know your predictions in the comments!

📅 Don’t miss out: We’re dropping Battles 3 & 4 tomorrow! Hit that Subscribe button and ring the bell so you don’t miss a single sip of the tournament.

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#whiskeyoftheyear #bourbon #blindtasting #whiskeytournament #bourbonreview #yourbourbonjourney #bestwhiskey2025 #sweet16 #whiskeybracket #kentuckybourbon

The Road to the 2025 Whiskey of the Year: The Blind Bracket Revealed!

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January 1, 2026

Happy New Year, Bourbon Family!

At Your Bourbon Journey, we spent all of 2025 searching for the absolute best pours on the market. We tasted over 100 expressions, from heritage Kentucky legends to innovative craft distillers. But now, the “fun” part of the year is over, and the evaluation begins.

Starting tomorrow, January 2nd, we launch our 2025 Whiskey of the Year Sweet Sixteen Playoff.

The Integrity of the Process

We believe the label on the bottle shouldn’t dictate the score. To find our winner, we use a 100% Blind Bracket System.

  1. Selection: We took our 12 Monthly Winners and our 4 highest-scoring runners-up (Wildcards).
  2. Seeding: Bottles were seeded based on their performance in our “Whiskey of the Quarter” battles.

The Playoff: A head-to-head, single-elimination tournament where we have no idea what is in the glass until the Championship trophy is awarded.

The Class of 2025: The Contenders

To make it into the Sweet Sixteen, these bottles had to be the best of their respective months. Here is the field of 16 that earned a spot in the starting bracket: (with links to the original tasting videos)

The #1 Seeds (Quarterly Winners)

The #2 Seeds (Quarterly Runners-Up)

The #3 Seeds (Quarterly 3rd Place)

The #4 Seeds (The Wildcards)

How to Follow the Tournament

We will be releasing the results in stages. Every bottle you see on the table will be masked. We won’t know the winners of the early rounds until the very end, ensuring that our palates stay objective through the Grand Finale.

  • Jan 2–5: The Sweet Sixteen (4 Videos)
  • Jan 6–7: The Elite Eight (2 Videos)
  • Jan 8: The Final Four
  • Jan 9: The Grand Finale & 2025 Champion Reveal

Who is your pick for the title? Will a #1 Seed hold the line, or are we looking at a “Cinderella Story” from the Wildcard ranks?

Subscribe to our Your Bourbon Journey YouTube channel to see every battle as it happens.

Cheers to the journey! — Wayne & Rebecca

🚨REMEMBER TO ALWAYS DRINK RESPONSIBLY🚨

❓Questions❓ YourBourbonJourney@gmail.com

NOTE: All spirits in this tournament were purchased by us for the purpose of evaluation. We were not compensated by any producer for reviews or inclusion in this series. These rankings are based solely on our blind tasting scores and the performance of the liquid in the glass throughout the 2025 season.


#whiskeyoftheyear #bourbon #blindtasting #whiskeytournament #bourbonreview #yourbourbonjourney #bestwhiskey2025 #sweet16 #whiskeybracket #kentuckybourbon

ECBP A125 vs C925 vs B525: Blind Bourbon Battle!

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🥃 Which 2025 Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Is King? Blind Tasting A125 vs B525 vs C925!

Do Proof and Age REALLY Matter? In this highly-anticipated bourbon review, Wayne and Rebecca from [Your Channel Name] put all three 2025 Elijah Craig Barrel Proof batches (A125, B525, and C925) head-to-head in a true blind tasting!

Heaven Hill released some real curveballs this year, with the lineup featuring the lowest-proof batch ever, the oldest release since 2023, and the youngest release in series history!

We’re diving deep into the profiles of these coveted, uncut, and non-chill filtered Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskeys to determine our favorite pour of the year.

🍒 Tasting Notes & Surprises

We break down the classic Elijah Craig notes of cherry, caramel, and cinnamon and find some major profile differences this year. The blind tasting results surprised us, with the lowest-proof, A125, taking the crown for its incredible cherry-forward sweetness and perfect balance, despite the judges typically being “proofy people.” The oldest, B525, and the highest-proof, C925, didn’t quite live up to the winner in the final sip-off!

If you love high-proof bourbon, Heaven Hill, or collecting the annual ECBP releases, you don’t want to miss our honest review and ranking.

🚨 SPOILER ALERT! See which batch finished last (and why its high alcohol-forward nose and flavor pushed it back).

💬 What do YOU think?

Have you tried all three 2025 Elijah Craig Barrel Proof releases? Which one is your personal “banger” of the year? Let us know your favorite batch and why in the comments below!

Cheers to the great work by Heaven Hill’s Master Distiller, Conor O’Driscoll!

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✴️ ECBP A125

  • Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
  • Distillery: Heaven Hill
  • Mash Bill: 78% Corn, 12% Malted Barley, 10% Rye
  • Age: 10 years, 7 months
  • Proof: 118.2
  • MSRP: $74.99
  • Released: January 2025
  • Purchased: 02/27/25 for $99.99 at High Spirits in Evansville, IN

✴️ ECBP B525

  • Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
  • Company: Heaven Hill
  • Distillery: Elijah Craig Distillery Co.
  • Mash Bill: 78% Corn, 12% Malted Barley, 10% Rye
  • Age: 11 Years, 6 Months
  • Proof: 126.2
  • MSRP: $75
  • Released: May 2025
  • Purchased: 09/02/25 for $79.99 at Heaven Hill, Bardstown KY

✴️ ECBP C925

  • Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
  • Distillery: Heaven Hill Distillery
  • Mash Bill: 78% Corn, 12% Malted Barley, 10% Rye
  • Age: 9 Years, 1 Month
  • Proof: 129
  • MSRP: $75
  • Released: September 2025; Final Batch of 2025
  • Other: This is the first time since the ECBP series began in 2013 that a batch has carried an age statement under 10 years (a “single digit” age statement).
  • Purchased: 10/29/25 for $65 at Archie & Clyde’s in Newburgh, IN

❌YOUR BOURBON JOURNEY DOES NOT SELL ALCOHOL❌

🚨REMEMBER TO ALWAYS DRINK RESPONSIBLY🚨

❓Questions❓ YourBourbonJourney@gmail.com

NOTE: The spirits in this review were purchased by us. We were not compensated by the spirit producer for this review. This is simply our opinion based on what we tasted on this day. Please drink responsibly.

#ElijahCraigBarrelProof #ECBP #bourbonreview #blindtasting #WhiskeyReview #A125 #B525 #C925 #HeavenHill #KentuckyBourbon #BarrelProof #Whiskey #BourbonLife #bourbon #whiskeytasting 

Best RYE Whiskey? Blind Taste Test 5 Bottles!

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🥃 Blind Rye Whiskey Battle: Which Bottle is the Champion?

Join Wayne and Rebecca from Your Bourbon Journey as they go WAY off the beaten path for an epic blind rye whiskey tasting! Can these bourbon lovers pick their favorite rye when they don’t know what’s in the glass? Five incredible bottles are in the running, each with a unique mash bill and proof point. The results are surprising, revealing a range of flavors from chocolate malt and coffee to floral notes and citrusy orange!

Watch as we blindly review and rank:

  • Bardstown Bourbon Co. Origin Series Rye (96 Proof): The double-barreled rye finished in Toasted Cherry Wood and Oak. 
  • Hard Truth Chocolate Malt Rye (109.6 Proof): A unique rye with a high percentage of Chocolate Malted Barley that tastes like an “after dinner coffee drink!” 
  • Neeley Family Distillery Sweet Thumped Rye (108.9 Proof): The only Single Barrel in the group, praised for its pure sweet mash profile. 
  • New Riff Balboa Rye Bottled in Bond (100 Proof): Featuring the heirloom Balboa Rye grain. 
  • Tom’s Town Straight Rye Bottled in Bond (100 Proof): A Bottled-in-Bond rye with distinct citrus notes, perfect for a cocktail! 

From high-rye Balboa to the unique chocolate malt, which bottle takes home the title of our personal favorite sipper? You won’t believe the final scores! Plus, we give a shoutout to the perfect bottle for making an amazing Manhattan!

Let us know in the comments: Have you tried any of these ryes? What are your favorite tasting notes in a rye whiskey?

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NOTE: The spirit in this review was purchased by us. We were not compensated by the spirit producer for this review. This is simply our opinion based on what we tasted on this day. Please drink responsibly.

#RyeWhiskey #blindtasting #whiskeytasting #WhiskeyReview #HardTruthDistilling BardstownBourbonCo #NewRiff #NeelyFamilyDistillery #TomsTown #RyeLife #BourbonVsRye #CraftWhiskey #bottledinbond #RyeCocktails #ChocolateMaltRye 

Top Secret Whiskeys: A Blind Barrels Exclusive!

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Blind Barrels XV “Inception”

Get ready for a thrilling taste adventure 🚀 into the shadowy world of Blind Barrels! 🕵️‍♂️ In this episode, we’re plunging headfirst into the unknown, blind tasting 👀 and dissecting FOUR ENIGMATIC MYSTERY WHISKEYS! 🥃🥃🥃🥃 Can our palates decipher their secrets? 🤔

Join us as we become whiskey detectives 🔎, meticulously sniffing👃, swirling 🔄, and savoring 😋 each anonymous dram. We’ll delve deep into their intriguing flavor profiles and captivating aromas ✨, piecing together the clues 🧩 to uncover what makes each one truly unique.

The anticipation is building! ⏳ Will we correctly identify their origins? 🌍 Which hidden gem 💎 will steal our hearts (and our taste buds 👅)? And ultimately… which mysterious whiskey will rise above the rest and claim the coveted top spot 🏆 in our ranking?

Prepare for unexpected twists 😲, surprising revelations 🎉, and maybe even a few gasps of delight! 😮 You might just discover your next favorite pour lurking within these blind barrels. Hit play ▶️ now and join the mystery! 😉

Are you as passionate about whiskey as we are? Show us some love by giving this video a thumbs up 👍, hitting that subscribe button 🔔 so you’re always first to know about the most exciting whiskey releases, and sharing this with your fellow enthusiasts and tasting buddies! ➡️

To learn more about a Subscription to Blind Barrels, this is our Affiliate Link (commissions can be earned): Blind Barrels Subscription

#blindtasting  #bourbontasting  #whiskeytasting 

🚨REMEMBER TO ALWAYS DRINK RESPONSIBLY🚨

✅ Please SUBSCRIBE and hit the LIKE button!

❓Questions❓ YourBourbonJourney@gmail.com

NOTE: We were not compensated by the spirit producers or Blind Barrels for this review. This is simply our opinion based on what we tasted on this day. Please drink responsibly.

Top Secret Whiskeys: A Blind Barrels Exclusive!

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Blind Barrels XIV “The Prestige”

Get ready for a thrilling taste adventure 🚀 into the shadowy world of Blind Barrels! 🕵️‍♂️ In this episode, we’re plunging headfirst into the unknown, blind tasting 👀 and dissecting FOUR ENIGMATIC MYSTERY WHISKEYS! 🥃🥃🥃🥃 Can our palates decipher their secrets? 🤔

Join us as we become whiskey detectives 🔎, meticulously sniffing👃, swirling 🔄, and savoring 😋 each anonymous dram. We’ll delve deep into their intriguing flavor profiles and captivating aromas ✨, piecing together the clues 🧩 to uncover what makes each one truly unique.

The anticipation is building! ⏳ Will we correctly identify their origins? 🌍 Which hidden gem 💎 will steal our hearts (and our taste buds 👅)? And ultimately… which mysterious whiskey will rise above the rest and claim the coveted top spot 🏆 in our ranking?

Prepare for unexpected twists 😲, surprising revelations 🎉, and maybe even a few gasps of delight! 😮 You might just discover your next favorite pour lurking within these blind barrels. Hit play ▶️ now and join the mystery! 😉


Are you as passionate about whiskey as we are? Show us some love by giving this video a thumbs up 👍, hitting that subscribe button 🔔 so you’re always first to know about the most exciting whiskey releases, and sharing this with your fellow enthusiasts and tasting buddies! ➡️

To learn more about a Subscription to Blind Barrels, this is our Affiliate Link (commissions can be earned) ➡️ Click Here

#blindtasting  #bourbontasting  #whiskeytasting 

🚨REMEMBER TO ALWAYS DRINK RESPONSIBLY🚨

✅ Please SUBSCRIBE and hit the LIKE button!

❓Questions❓ YourBourbonJourney@gmail.com

NOTE: We were not compensated by the spirit producers or Blind Barrels for this review. This is simply our opinion based on what we tasted on this day. Please drink responsibly.

Blind Whiskey Taste Test! Unmasking 4 Mystery Drams

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Get ready for a thrilling taste adventure 🚀 into the shadowy world of Blind Barrels! 🕵️‍♂️ In this episode, we’re plunging headfirst into the unknown, blind tasting 👀 and dissecting FOUR ENIGMATIC MYSTERY WHISKEYS! 🥃🥃🥃🥃 Can our palates decipher their secrets? 🤔

Join us as we become whiskey detectives 🔎, meticulously sniffing👃, swirling 🔄, and savoring 😋 each anonymous dram. We’ll delve deep into their intriguing flavor profiles and captivating aromas ✨, piecing together the clues 🧩 to uncover what makes each one truly unique.

The anticipation is building! ⏳ Will we correctly identify their origins? 🌍 Which hidden gem 💎 will steal our hearts (and our taste buds 👅)? And ultimately… which mysterious whiskey will rise above the rest and claim the coveted top spot 🏆 in our ranking?

Prepare for unexpected twists 😲, surprising revelations 🎉, and maybe even a few gasps of delight! 😮 You might just discover your next favorite pour lurking within these blind barrels. Hit play ▶️ now and join the mystery! 😉

Blind Barrels

To learn more about a Subscription to Blind Barrels, this is our Affiliate Link (commissions can be earned):  https://blindbarrels.com/#subscription_plan?sca_ref=7200023.Ze2fVg6fhr

Our Original Review – J.T. Meleck Rice Whiskey Tasting: https://yourbourbonjourney.com/2024/08/25/august-2024-j-t-meleck-rice-whiskey-tasting/ 

Distilleries in this Blind Barrel:

🚨REMEMBER TO ALWAYS DRINK RESPONSIBLY🚨

✅ Please SUBSCRIBE and hit the LIKE button!

❓Questions❓ YourBourbonJourney@gmail.com

NOTE: We were not compensated by the spirit producers for this review. This is simply our opinion based on what we tasted on this day. Please drink responsibly.