American Whisky's New Firepower

Cask-strength spirits are all the rage among enthusiasts and distillers-but is anyone actually enjoying this high-proof juice?

- Jason O'Bryan

IF YOU’VE FOUND yourself anywhere near a glass of whisky 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 whisky world but particularly at American distillers, high-alcohol, highintensity 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 whiskies 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 per cent alcohol. By comparison, the standard strength in the US is between 80 and 90 proof (40 to 45 per cent alcohol).

Whisky forums now reliably feature commenters not only celebrating highproof 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 on the secondary market (King of Kentucky, Four Roses Limited Edition, Kentucky Owl, George T. Stagg and many more) weigh in at barrel proof.