{"title":"Staff Picks","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe bottles the Chips Liquor crew is pouring and recommending right now, from allocated Buffalo Trace bourbons to Jamaican pot-still rum and additive-free tequila. We rotate this list as new releases land, so check back.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"blantons-bourbon-whiskey","title":"Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eBlanton's changed American whiskey in 1984, when Master Distiller Elmer T. Lee — who'd worked under Colonel Albert B. Blanton since 1949 — decided to commercialize a practice that had previously been private: hand-selecting single barrels from the middle sections of Buffalo Trace's Warehouse H, the same spot Colonel Blanton always favored for his own personal reserves. It became the first modern single barrel bourbon ever sold commercially, a full year before Lee's own retirement. Built from Buffalo Trace's higher-rye Mash Bill #2 (roughly 12-15% rye, though the distillery doesn't confirm exact numbers), it's bottled at 93 proof (46.5% ABV) and packaged in its now-iconic round bottle with one of eight collectible horse-and-jockey stoppers. Reviewers consistently describe it as genuinely well-balanced rather than showstopping — Breaking Bourbon specifically praised its remarkable consistency bottle to bottle rather than calling it the most exciting pour available, and The Whiskey Shelf found it good but lacking a real \"wow factor.\" Expect vanilla, caramel, orange citrus, and honey up front, moving into white pepper, toasted sugar, and rye spice, finishing long with citrus and oak. A genuine bourbon icon worth trying for the history alone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eBuy Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey online with fast shipping right to your door.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chips Liquor","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":22376784691300,"sku":"C0001177L","price":94.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0057\/8089\/7892\/products\/blantons_54e36515-ba02-4df2-be3c-00e8330bc642.jpg?v=1572542083"},{"product_id":"buffalo-trace-bourbon","title":"Buffalo Trace Bourbon Whiskey","description":"\u003cp\u003eBuffalo Trace is the flagship of the distillery that makes Pappy, Blanton's, Weller, and Eagle Rare — and the one bottle on that list you can still find under $40. The Frankfort distillery on the Kentucky River is the oldest continuously operating distillery in America, running through Prohibition on a medicinal license, and it takes its name from the ancient buffalo migration path that crossed the river there; Harlen Wheatley has been master distiller since 2005. Buffalo Trace bourbon is Mash Bill #1 — the low-rye recipe, believed around 10% rye or less, with Kentucky corn, Minnesota rye, and North Dakota malted barley — sour-mashed with limestone water from the site, aged around eight years in new charred oak in the distillery's century-old brick warehouses, batched from no more than 40 barrels, and bottled at 90 proof. The house yeast and the low rye give it a profile all its own: Bourbon Culture, tasting it against Bulleit, found it sweeter and more caramel-driven, with vanilla, brown sugar, toffee, and a soft oak backbone, a hint of mint and dried fruit, and a medium, warming finish. Honest note: it's allocated in many markets now and marked up on secondary, which is absurd for a bourbon built to be an everyday pour — at retail it's one of the best values in Kentucky. For an Old Fashioned, a Manhattan, a highball, or neat, it's the benchmark. The buffalo's path, at 90 proof.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBuy Buffalo Trace Bourbon Whiskey online with fast shipping right to your door.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chips Liquor","offers":[{"title":"750ml","offer_id":25000802386020,"sku":"C0001212L","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0057\/8089\/7892\/products\/Buffalo_Trace.jpg?v=1564882720"},{"product_id":"eagle-rare-bourbon-whiskey","title":"Eagle Rare Bourbon Whiskey","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eEagle Rare dates back to 1975, created by Charles L. Beam and originally distilled at Seagram's Four Roses Distillery before production moved to Buffalo Trace in 1992. It uses Buffalo Trace's flagship Mash Bill #1, the same recipe behind Buffalo Trace itself, Benchmark, and E.H. Taylor, aged a minimum of 10 years in new charred oak. One genuinely interesting historical detail: Eagle Rare was originally bottled at a stronger 101 proof and originally carried a \"single barrel\" designation, but both have changed over time — it dropped to 90 proof (45% ABV) by 2005, and the single barrel label was quietly removed once the distillery moved to an automated bottling line where residue from one barrel can blend into the next as barrels switch over. Reception is honestly quite split for a bourbon this hyped and hard to find: some reviewers describe real depth (dark fruit, toasted oak, caramel, a long, complex finish), while others find it pleasant but genuinely underwhelming for its reputation, describing it as thinner-bodied and less complex than expected for a 10-year bourbon at this price point. Expect vanilla, honeycomb, orange peel, and baking spice, with earthy, nutty undertones running throughout.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eBuy Eagle Rare Bourbon Whiskey online with fast shipping right to your door.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chips Liquor","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":24262009684068,"sku":"C0001242L","price":59.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0057\/8089\/7892\/products\/EagleRare.jpg?v=1627867162"},{"product_id":"e-h-taylor-small-batch-bourbon-whiskey","title":"E.H. Taylor Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eCol. E.H. Taylor Jr. earned the nickname \"Father of the Modern Bourbon Industry\" the hard way: born in 1832, he pioneered new mash and sour-mash techniques, modernized distillery buildings, and lobbied hard for the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897, the law that first protected consumers from adulterated whiskey. His own distillery, O.F.C., eventually became today's Buffalo Trace after financial troubles forced him to sell it in 1879. Buffalo Trace launched this tribute line in 2011, and Small Batch is the entry point — built from the same Mash Bill #1 behind Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, and George T. Stagg, bottled true to Bottled-in-Bond standards at 100 proof. Reviewers are largely enthusiastic: expect a nose of caramel, cherry, vanilla, and baked bread, with a palate bringing raisin, charred oak, brown sugar, and citrus, finishing with rye spice and a touch of bitter orange. Most reviewers call it a clear standout among Buffalo Trace's allocated entry-level bottles, though a few have found it a bit thin or unremarkable compared to the hype, and it can be genuinely hard to find at MSRP given how much demand it's earned. A genuinely solid everyday sipper when you can get it near retail price.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eBuy E.H Taylor Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey online with fast shipping right to your door.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chips Liquor","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":24291333931108,"sku":"C0001273L","price":64.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0057\/8089\/7892\/products\/EH_taylor_Small_Batch.jpg?v=1568873666"},{"product_id":"clairin-sajous-chelo-rum","title":"Clairin Sajous Chelo Rum","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eClairin Sajous is the expression that started it all — the first clairin that serious rum drinkers encountered when Luca Gargano of Velier introduced Haiti's ancient cane spirit tradition to the world in 2014, and the one that has kept them coming back ever since. Produced by Michel Sajous at the Chelo distillery in Saint Michel de l'Attalaye — reached by a long dirt road from Saint-Marc through a magnificent natural enclave surrounded by mountains — this is rum at its most elemental and authentic. The distillery sits in the middle of Sajous's 30-hectare plantation growing the Cristalline sugarcane variety, fermented spontaneously with wild yeasts over seven to ten days, then double distilled in a 1,000-liter copper pot still fired directly with bagasse — the spent cane fiber — and sent straight to Port-au-Prince to be bottled at still strength without reduction, filtration, or any addition whatsoever. In all the Caribbean there are 49 operating distilleries. In Haiti alone there are 532. No chemistry in agriculture, no selected yeast, archaic distillation, no filtration — the most natural rum in the world by any measure. The nose delivers intense olives, fresh sugarcane, herbs, and brine alongside vibrant floral notes of mango and citrus, while the palate is oily, pungent, and chewy — hot, thick, and heavily seasoned with sea salt, fresh sugarcane, and tropical fruit, finishing long with citrus, anise, and lingering mineral depth. RumX community rates it 8.2\/10 from over 1,200 reviews. Buy Clairin Sajous Chelo online with fast shipping right to your door.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chips Liquor","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":29875310231631,"sku":"C0001908L","price":71.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0057\/8089\/7892\/files\/ClairinSajous.jpg?v=1783563409"},{"product_id":"w-l-weller-antique-107-bourbon-whiskey","title":"W.L. Weller Antique 107 Bourbon Whiskey","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eW.L. Weller Antique 107 just had a massive moment: it won Best Bourbon in the World at the 2025 London Spirits Competition, beating out every other whiskey entered that year. It's built from Buffalo Trace's wheated mash bill, the same recipe believed to be behind the Van Winkle \"Pappy\" lineup, earning Antique 107 its long-standing nickname as the \"poor man's Pappy.\" It's a non-age-stated bourbon generally believed to fall in the 6 to 8 year range, bottled at its namesake 107 proof (53.5% ABV) — genuinely one of the best-balanced proofs in the whole Weller family, strong enough to carry real flavor without overwhelming heat. London Spirits Competition judges praised a warm, woody nose with spiced dried fruit and roasted nuts, finishing smooth, peppery, and elegantly malty. Independent reviewers consistently rank it among the best widely-distributed wheated bourbons available, describing cinnamon, cherry, dark fruit, caramel, vanilla, and aged oak, with a rich, full-bodied mouthfeel. Even the most experienced tasters remain genuinely enthusiastic bottle after bottle, though a few recent reviews note some batch variation in bitterness. MSRP sits around $50, but this remains one of the most actively hunted bottles in bourbon, often reselling well above that.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eBuy W.L. Weller Antique 107 Bourbon Whiskey online with fast shipping right to your door.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chips Liquor","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":31263644745863,"sku":"C0002237L","price":109.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0057\/8089\/7892\/products\/WEller_107.jpg?v=1574371627"},{"product_id":"siembra-valles-blanco-tequila","title":"Siembra Valles Blanco Tequila","description":"\u003cp\u003eOld Town Tequila's buyers give Siembra Valles Blanco an A and call it one to have on your shelf at all times — David Suro's lowland tequila from Cascahuín, the Rosales family distillery in El Arenal since 1904. Suro is the Philadelphia restaurateur, author, and agave evangelist behind Siembra Spirits, built to show what Jalisco's best traditional distilleries already do — mature agave, brick ovens, native yeast, copper pots, zero additives — one terroir at a time: Valles for the lowlands, Alteño for the highlands, Ancestral for the oldest methods. Siembra Valles is made at NOM 1123 with master distiller Salvador Rosales Torres from 100% blue Weber agave, 80% grown at Cascahuín, slow-roasted up to seventy-two hours in brick ovens, shredded four times for full extraction, fermented in mampostería stone tanks and stainless, double-distilled in copper, and bottled at 40% ABV, additive-free. Old Town: rich, buttery agave, fruit, and black pepper. Agave Matchmaker's tasters: cooked agave, wet cement, minerals, earth, pepper, olive, and butter — the 1123 concrete signature, distinctive and delightful — Cascahuín far ahead of the rest; another found petrichor, wet stone, and a whole spring bouquet of florals. Honest note: the lowland blanco enthusiasts use to explain terroir, made by one of the two or three most respected valley distilleries in Mexico, at a price that's a gift. Neat, in a copita. Valles.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBuy Siembra Valles Blanco Tequila online with fast shipping right to your door.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chips Liquor","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43746570305792,"sku":"C0006993L","price":74.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0057\/8089\/7892\/files\/SiembraBlanco.jpg?v=1683929105"},{"product_id":"hampden-estate-hlcf-rum","title":"Hampden Estate HLCF Classic Overproof Rum","description":"\u003cp\u003eHLCF Classic is Hampden's overproof, rebuilt around a single marque. Hampden Estate in Trelawny Parish, Jamaica, has made rum since 1753 and only began bottling under its own name in 2018; its marques are shorthand for ester levels, and HLCF — Hampden Light Continental Flavoured — sits in the middle of the range, funky and fruit-forward without the wildness of the DOK. In 2024 Hampden replaced its original Overproof with this HLCF Classic Overproof, narrowing the blend to just the HLCF marque, which the estate says delivers a very similar profile. The process is unchanged from the 18th century — wild fermentation lasting up to two weeks in vats that are a two-century-old bacterial micro-habitat, dunder and muck-pit additions, double-retort copper pot stills, and tropical aging in ex-bourbon oak in the Jamaican heat — and it's bottled at 60% ABV with no sugar, color, or additives. 88 Bamboo, tasting the classic Hampden bottlings, found the overproof moving deeper into the thick, syrupy humidity of the tropics. Expect the HLCF signature: overripe banana, pineapple, mango, and a glue-like ester note on the nose, opening into a dense, dry, intense palate of tropical fruit, cherry, oak, and warm spice, finishing very long, and opening beautifully with water. Honest note: 120 proof of Hampden funk demands water and respect — the 8 Year is the entry point. For a Mai Tai or Jungle Bird that needs a backbone, or neat with water for the ester devotee, it's the new Hampden overproof.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBuy Hampden Estate HLCF Rum online with fast shipping right to your door.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chips Liquor","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44296292270336,"sku":"C0008102L","price":104.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0057\/8089\/7892\/files\/HampdenClassic.jpg?v=1706318028"},{"product_id":"hampden-estates-2024-great-house-rum","title":"Hampden Estate 2024 Great House Rum","description":"\u003cp\u003eGreat House 2024 is the sixth edition of Hampden's annual distillery release — and 88 Bamboo calls it another excellent introduction to the Hampden style without overwhelming the senses. Great House is co-bottled with Velier in the black bottle with the blue label showing the estate's Georgian great house: each year a marriage of Hampden's marques of varying ages and ester levels, blended and bottled at the Trelawny Parish estate that's made rum unchanged since 1753 — wild fermentation, dunder, double-retort pot stills, tropical aging. For 2024 the team selected rums spanning the range of marques, three to six years old, all aged in ex-bourbon oak, and bottled at 57% ABV with no sugar, color, or additives. Memphis Rum Club found pineapple yogurt, fresh orange juice, vanilla bean, mango, rotting banana peel, maraschino cherry, and jackfruit on the nose, then pineapple, sour red grape, starfruit, and a hint of aloe, finishing long and complex with cola spice, orange rind, and a Band-Aid ester note — spicier than other Great Houses, a fun release and an excellent entry in the series. 88 Bamboo: brighter and more fruit-forward with caramel and brown sugar, a spectrum of banana from grilled to green with banana bread between, and smoky, burnt high notes that never overpower — spicier than the 2019 and 2020, with less funky fruit. Honest note: a limited annual release at a fair price for what's inside. Neat, with a drop of water, or in a Mai Tai worthy of it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBuy Hampden Estates 2024 Great House Rum online with fast shipping right to your door.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chips Liquor","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46035413369088,"sku":"C0009274L","price":139.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0057\/8089\/7892\/files\/HampdenGreatHouse2024.jpg?v=1729899029"},{"product_id":"foursquare-epilogue-rum","title":"Foursquare Epilogue Rum","description":"\u003cp\u003eFoursquare Epilogue is exactly what its name promises — the closing chapter of one of the most celebrated and decorated rum series in the world. Hand selected by Richard Seale himself, Foursquare's Exceptional Cask Series has represented the most unique and coveted rum from this celebrated distillery for the past eighteen years, and Epilogue is the oldest release to date, acting as both the culmination and conclusion to the series as we know it. A blend of pot and column rums distilled from molasses, crafted by Foursquare master distiller and master blender Richard Seale using a double-retort copper pot still and twin Coffey column still, then aged 19 years on-site in Barbados in ex-bourbon barrels. Rich and unctuous with notes of grapefruit, caramelized orange, toffee, nougat, butterscotch, and brown butter, with undertones of leather, tobacco, and tropical fruit. No added sugar, coloring, or other additives, non-chill filtered, and bottled at 57% ABV. A genuine piece of rum history — when it's gone, the series itself is gone with it. Buy Foursquare Epilogue Rum online with fast shipping right to your door.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chips Liquor","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48871548027136,"sku":"C0010038L","price":179.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0057\/8089\/7892\/files\/FoursquareEpil.jpg?v=1781978311"}],"url":"https:\/\/chipsliquor.com\/collections\/staff-picks.oembed","provider":"Chips Liquor","version":"1.0","type":"link"}