The Insider’s Guide to Bourbon Heritage Month 2025

It's September, which means Bourbon Heritage Month is here, and we’ve narrowed things down to two simple truths:

You have every excuse to add something special to your collection.
We’re about to make that way too easy for you.

Last year, we walked you through the history of the holiday. This year? We’re skipping the textbook and heading straight for the fun part — the bottles worth bragging about in 2025. These aren’t “grab it at the grocery store” bourbons. They’re the kind you text your bourbon buddies about. The kind you strategically place on the top shelf when people come over.

Let’s go hunting.

Quick Links:

The Bourbon Concierge Private Selections and One-of-a-Kind Picks
Ultra-Collectible American Icons
International & Export Exclusives
Vintage & Dusty Treasures
Prestige Annual Releases

The Bourbon Concierge Private Selections & One-of-a-Kind Picks

If bourbon collecting had a VIP lounge, this is it. Private selections are one-off barrels, bottled exactly as they came out of the cask — no do-overs, no second batches. Whether we picked them ourselves or pulled strings to get them, these are bottles you’ll only see once.

Blue Run "Chosen" The Bourbon Concierge & T8KE Private Barrel Selection – Chosen for flavor so layered, it practically wrote its own tasting notes.
Hunt Country 9 Year Single Barrel Bourbon – The Bourbon Concierge Private Selection – Oak, caramel, and a finish that makes you forget to check your phone.
Hunt Country 9 Year Single Barrel – RdV Private Selection – Baking spice for days and a pour that lingers like a good story.
Hunt Country 8 Year Single Barrel – RdV Lost Mountain Wine Cask – Where bourbon meets wine and everyone wins.

Ultra-Collectible American Icons

You know these names. You’ve seen the bidding wars. But having them in your hand? That’s another level. They’re the definition of American bourbon royalty — and yes, they taste as good as the hype suggests.

Jefferson’s Presidential Select 17 & 18 Year Bourbons – Mature, refined, and about as subtle as a velvet smoking jacket.
Old Fitzgerald 17 Year Old Decanter – 100 Proof – Decanter series elegance with proof to match.
Buffalo Trace Antique Collection William Larue Weller – 2005 – If you know, you know.
Buffalo Trace Prohibition Collection / Prohibition Collection 2 – Elaborate sets that look as good unopened as they do in a glass.
Parker’s Heritage Collection 18th Edition 14 Year Malt Whiskey – Heaven Hill’s annual drop that collectors stalk like it’s concert tickets.

International & Export Exclusives

Bourbon may be born in America, but it gets plenty of stamps in its passport. Distilleries often make special releases for markets overseas — meaning most U.S. drinkers never even know they exist. Until now.

Weller 12 Year – Year of the Snake Taiwan Exclusive – Exotic packaging meets smooth, wheated perfection.
Weller 12 Year – Year of the Dragon Taiwan Exclusive – The Snake’s equally irresistible sibling.
Dollar Fever – Heaven Hill Export – A cult export bottle you won’t see at your local shop unless we’re the ones stocking it.

Vintage & Dusty Treasures

Dusty bottles are the bourbon equivalent of time travel. Changes in mash bills, barrel sourcing, and aging practices mean a 1980s Four Roses doesn’t just taste old — it tastes different. These bottles are more than pours; they’re history lessons you can drink.

Fairfax County Bourbon 90 Proof – 1980’s Vintage Bowman Distillery – Virginia bourbon before it was cool.
Four Rose’s Vintage 6yr Bourbon 1980’s – From a time when Four Roses kept its best stuff overseas.
Four Roses Single Barrel Reserve Vintage – 1990s – A softer, lighter style from the brand’s pre-modern era.

Prestige Annual Releases

The annual releases are like bourbon’s version of a Netflix drop — everyone’s talking about them, and they disappear overnight. Serious collectors build verticals (multiple years in a row). Casual drinkers just hope they get lucky. Either way, they’re must-haves.

Booker’s "The Reserves" 2024 – Deep, rich, and unapologetically bold.
Booker’s 2025-01 "Barry’s Batch" – The year’s curtain-raiser.
Booker’s 2025-02 "By the Pond" – A softer, more contemplative follow-up.
Little Book Chapter 9 – None for Granted – Beam’s blending artistry in a bottle.
Little Book "The Infinite" – Layered and lingering.
Blood Oath Pact 9, 10 & 11 – A trilogy worth completing before the next pact drops.

Ready to Make a Move?

Bourbon Heritage Month 2025 only comes once. Some of these bottles might last that long — but don’t count on it. If there’s something here you want, or a unicorn bottle you’ve been chasing, our team can track it down for you.

Preview Photo by Joel Zar