Barrell Bourbon Cigar Blend is one of those bottles that sounds gimmicky until you actually sit down with it. The name makes you expect something smoky, over-oaked, and built purely for cigar lounges and leather chairs.

Augusta Distillery Small Batch Bourbon is exactly the kind of bottle that fills a gap you didn’t realize was missing. Known more for premium, higher-priced releases, Augusta steps into the mid-shelf space here with something more approachable and surprisingly complete.

Bardstown Bourbon Co. Cascadia Garryana Oak Barrel Finish is the kind of release that reminds you why Bardstown leans into experimentation.

Green River Full Proof Wheated takes a familiar profile and turns up the intensity. Bottled at 109.3 proof and priced around $50, it lands right in the middle shelf where value and flavor have to deliver.