10 Red Flags To Avoid When Buying Your Next Bottle Of Bourbon

If you love bourbon, you probably agree that picking up one you've never tried before is super exciting. There are tons of options out there, and who knows when you're going to find your new favorite? However, this overwhelming variety means not every bottle is a winner. We here at Mashed have even put together some expert advice on how to pick a great bourbon. Green flags are half the story, and now we're once again turning to the experts for their take on red flags that might indicate a bourbon is less than stellar.

And here's the thing: knowing what to avoid is as important as knowing what to look for, as there is an almost shocking number of distilleries in the U.S, meaning there are countless brands and labels to choose from. As of February 2026, the American Distilling Institute says there are 2,593 active distilleries in the country, and to put that in perspective, that's up from a mere 97 back in 2007.

Add in the fact that there's a ton of buzzwords and terminology you may feel the need to learn, and it can be a little overwhelming. We're here to help — with the assistance of industry gurus who generously took the time to share their thoughts on how to spot the signs to watch out for when buying bourbon. Our experts included Chris Walster, whisky connoisseur from The Cask Connoisseur; Blake Johns, longtime bourbon enthusiast and founder of Smokeye Hill; Heather Butcher, director of Food and Beverage at Conrad Indianapolis; Lindsay Jacobs, Food and Beverage manager for W Los Angeles in West Beverly Hills; Oona Wong-Danders, bar manager at the Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco; and Samantha Fowler, bartender at Auld Alliance, located at Cloudland at McLemore Resort.

Chris Walster is the go-to for all things whiskey and bourbon, and he told us that one thing that makes him skeptical about a bourbon's quality is when the label and packaging lean too heavily into an elaborate mythos. Everyone loves a great story, but when a bourbon is all about the tale, then it's time to start questioning.

"If a bottle tells you a very long story but gives you very little information about the liquid itself, this to me isn't one I want to try," he told us. "It's almost like they're trying too hard, because they know they have little to sell it on."

And it makes sense, right? There's something alluring about a great story, and we all love the idea that we're drinking a bourbon that might harken back to Prohibition or channel the spirit of the Wild West. But that doesn't actually mean anything. It doesn't tell you things like how it was aged, where it was sourced, or the lengths the distillery has gone to guarantee it's delivering a respectable product. A story's fine, as long as that's not all there is to it.

Sure, there are a lot of expensive bourbons that you'll definitely want to try before you die. Some go for tens of thousands of dollars, but Chris Walster cautioned that buyers looking to invest in a bottle shouldn't do so just based on price alone. Brands can charge a premium for any bottle, but that doesn't mean it's automatically worth it — especially if no information justifies the price.

Take age statements. Not all bourbon comes with an age statement, and there are a few reasons why. Distilleries that mix bourbons of different ages to create their desired final product might not like the limits associated with age-statement labeling, for example. Throughout the 2010s, demand for bourbon outpaced supply, which led to shorter aging processes, more blending, and consequently, dropping age statements became widely accepted. That's fine: with a caveat.

"A lack of an age statement is not automatically a reason to avoid a bourbon," Walster told us. "However, I would be more cautious when a bottle commands a very high price without providing much information about its age, source, proof, barrel selection, or why it deserves that premium." You might expect a 23- or 25-year-old bourbon to be on the high end. When the label doesn't explain why you should be prepared to fork over the big bucks, however, it's time to get skeptical.

Blake Johns is the founder of Smokeye Hill, a Colorado-based bourbon distillery that's using heirloom blue corn in its unique mash bill. He's not only worked with some of the top distillers in the country, but he's also heading a family-owned company that makes award-winning bourbons — and along the way, he's learned what to look out for.

"I'm not here to be the fun police, but generally I avoid buying anything in an absurdly shaped glass bottle — and by absurdly shaped bottle, I mean something in the shape of, say, a machine gun or samurai sword. That has 'gimmick' written all over it," he told us. "You're usually paying for the novelty of the glass, not the quality of the whiskey inside it."

Heather Butcher absolutely agreed that flashy, over-the-top packaging that's designed to stand out is a warning sign. "Specific red flags I look for are heavy wax tops, ornate bottles, and velvet bags," she added. Sure, everyone wants something that looks cool on the shelf, but when you're getting quality liquid, the packaging doesn't have to do all the heavy lifting.

There are some cases when you might find yourself passing on even the best brands and bourbons that typically have a secure place on your list of favorites. Chris Walster told us that improperly stored bottles indicate you might not be getting the best product, which is something to keep in mind at liquor stores as well as in bars and restaurants.

"I would always check how the bottle has been stored, particularly if you are paying for an expensive pour," he explained. "Direct sunlight, obvious heat exposure, a damaged cork, leakage around the neck, or a nearly empty bottle that appears to have been sitting open for a very long time would all make me hesitate." Even if you're familiar with why laying bourbon bottles flat is a bad idea, those other conditions should be on your radar, too.

We've all seen those questionable liquor stores with displays in the window, but bottles that have been sitting in the light should be a no-go. All the goodness and complexity that develop during the aging process are destroyed by UV light, and bourbon is so sensitive that there can be noticeable flavor and aroma loss in just a matter of weeks. Bottles in areas where they've been subjected to light and massive temperature fluctuations — think of displays alongside regularly opening and closing doors to the outside — are unlikely to be at their best.

Getting into the bourbon world means finding yourself overwhelmed with new terminology. Professionals and industry experts use a lot of words, but there's also a ton of terms that have grown up around discussions between collectors and on social media. Some descriptors have even been adopted as marketing and advertising tactics, but don't actually mean anything. Confused?

Blake Johns explained that when he looks at a label, he's looking for concrete, meaningful data like an age statement, where the bourbon is made, who's distilling it, and the mash bill. All this information is empirical. For a bourbon to be labeled as a 12-year-old, for example, it's legally required that every single drop be at least 12 years old. Other words aren't so strictly defined. "Take a few terms like 'small batch' or 'limited' tongue in cheek," Johns says. "There's no legal classification for what that means, so it's open to interpretation."

That's pretty surprising, and it feels like it's something that's not talked about enough. Saying a bourbon is small batch makes it seem like you're getting something special, but that might not be the case. Heather Butcher told us that "handcrafted" is another word that doesn't necessarily mean much. Instead of focusing on meaningless buzzwords, she recommended looking to the producer and age statements as more reliable testaments to quality.

Celebrity endorsements can be weird, especially when it comes to food. (Ozzy Osbourne for I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!? What the what?) It's the same for bourbon, and several of the experts we consulted said that when a bourbon leans too heavily into whichever celebrity gets on board to sell it, it's questionable at best. Lindsay Jacobs told us that having a celeb hawking a brand wasn't an immediate red flag, but it was worth further consideration.

"If a brand spends more time talking about who's attached to the bottle than what's actually in it, I start asking questions," Jacobs explained. "I want to hear about the whiskey itself. How it's made, where it's sourced, and what makes it worth drinking. Not just who invested in it. A celebrity name might get people to pick up the bottle, but it shouldn't be the reason it costs more. At the end of the day, the bourbon should be good enough to stand on its own."

Chris Walster agreed. He said if there's not much that makes a bottle stand out aside from a celebrity name — especially if it's entering into the pricier side of the spectrum — it's a warning that you might be paying for the endorsement, not the actual bourbon.

A lot goes into making a great bourbon, and while there's only so much room on a bottle label or box, you should absolutely expect it to give definite details about the bourbon, the distillery, and what to expect. When it doesn't really get into any specifics at all, that's a warning sign.

"Become familiar with reading the labels," Oona Wong-Danders advised. "In general, higher-quality products will provide more details — they are proud of their process and ingredients, and want to highlight them. Two key words to remember are straight versus blended."

Legally speaking, all bourbons must contain a mash bill with at least 51% corn and be completely free of additives and coloring. If you see a bottle described as straight bourbon, know that you're also getting a spirit that has been aged at least two years in oak. A blended bourbon, however, falls into more of a gray area. While they must comprise at least 51% straight bourbon, "Blended bourbons are a mixture that can contain other spirits and may include flavorings and coloring agents," Wong-Danders pointed out. This is an important distinction to keep in mind and one that's easy to spot on a bottle.

Some of the red flags we've been talking about are visible at a glance, but this one's a little trickier. Samantha Fowler cautioned against distilleries that make claims that don't necessarily line up with their history.

"[A] notable red flag to look out for [includes] a 'founded in 1802' narrative from a company that has clearly only been bottling since 2015," she said as an example. Sure, that founding date might sound impressive, but when other context clues lead you to believe the math doesn't add up, there's clearly something fishy going on. Fowler added that this — especially when coupled with a lack of information about the distillery and its processes — is a sign that you can do better. 

Sure, there are some really old distilleries out there. With over two centuries of history, Old Overholt is America's oldest whiskey still available today, but that's the exception, not the rule. As Fowler says: "Don't buy the hype, buy the bourbon!"

If you tend to choose a bourbon without paying much attention to the proof, you might want to reconsider. It's not just an indication of how strong a particular pour is. It's also a reflection on flavors, complexity, and quality. Samantha Fowler told us that anything that's 80-proof or a "low-proof expression" should be considered suspect.

What does that mean? To be considered bourbon, the spirit legally has to be at least 80 proof. Bourbons that clock in around 80 proof — 40% ABV — are generally on the mild side. They're less complex and tend to have a thinner mouthfeel.

Then you have higher-proof bourbons and cask-strength expressions. The higher alcohol content is just a small portion of what you're getting with these. Once you start approaching 100 proof, you're getting a stronger, more versatile flavor. These are the bourbons you can definitely sip, but won't get lost against other ingredients when they're used in a cocktail. Over 115 proof, and you can expect ultra-complex, rich flavors, which might be exactly what you're looking for ... or, on the other hand, it might be much more than you want. Just remember that the higher the proof, the bolder the bourbon, and you'll learn where your personal sweet spot is.

There are all kinds of opinions as to what makes the perfect bottle of bourbon, and while certain factors — like clearly described aging processes and sourcing — are objective, tastes are subjective. That's why we'd like to add one more sign to look out for: the mash bill.

Bourbon has to be made from a mash bill of at least 51% corn, but flexibility, creativity, and the chance to distill something unique go beyond that. Some mash bills might be your own personal red flag, and let's take a quick example to illustrate what we mean. There are a lot of really great rye bourbons out there, but when rye appears in a mash bill, it adds a distinctly spicy, black pepper-ish bite. That can be something of an acquired taste, and if you're not fond of that zesty kick, you should consider rye somewhat of a red flag to steer clear of.

Percentages of the various grains used in a mash bill impact how much of their trademark characteristics are expressed too. You might appreciate a bourbon that uses a small percentage of rye, or you might prefer wheated bourbons, which are known for being exceptionally smooth. Whatever you like, keep in mind that going too far outside of your comfort zone might turn your evening sip into a cringefest.