If you’ve found yourself anywhere near a glass of whiskey in the past five years, you may have noticed a burning sensation rising in your nose and throat. This, we’re told, is a good thing: Across the whiskey world but particularly at American distillers, high-alcohol, high-intensity spirits have taken over.
These high-proof bourbons and ryes—often called cask strength or barrel proof—were once just a peripheral curiosity, but in recent years they’ve captured the attention of industry critics, writers, and connoisseurs. The 2023 list of 100 top American whiskeys from influential critic Fred Minnick is emblematic of the trend: Of 100 spirits listed, 87 are 100 proof and up, 49 are 110 or higher, and 18 are at or above 120— which, because “proof ” is twice the amount of alcohol-by-volume, means a whopping 60 percent alcohol. By comparison, the standard strength in the U.S. is between 80 and 90 proof (40 to 45 percent alcohol).
Whiskey forums now reliably feature commenters not only celebrating high-proof releases but also denigrating those with standard proofs that, until recently, were seen as perfectly desirable. Meanwhile, it seems as if every distillery is releasing something cask strength, to the frothy enthusiasm of the bourbon commentariat, and most of the splashy, limited-release unicorns that sell for many times their suggested retail price
