10 American Bourbon Bars and Restaurants with Amazing Bourbon Collections
Barrel Proof, New Orleans
This new-ish venture from the Sylvain team in NOLA’s Lower Garden District focuses on whiskey and beer. There’s no cocktail menu here, but the bartenders will make what you please.
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Canon, Seattle
The “whiskey and bitters emporium” lays claim to the largest selection of American whiskey in the world. Plus, it’s beloved as a cocktail institution.
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The Franklin Room, Chicago
With a subterranean speakeasy vibe and “turn-of-the-century-inspired” American tavern fare, this River North newcomer has a strong brown spirits list and equally strong cocktail chops.
3 of 10
Hard Water, San Francisco
From Charles Phan and the team behind Slanted Door, this Embarcadero spot is famed for its horseshoe-shaped bar and Southern seafood–heavy menu. Try the Bourbon Lift (Buffalo Trace bourbon, St. George NOLA coffee liqueur, orgeat, Straus organic cream, soda water).
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Jack Rose Dining Saloon, Washington, D.C.
The bar keeps count on its website of how many bottles of whiskey are on the shelves (2,225 last we checked), including a staggering backlist of bourbon. Don’t forget to text ahead for entry to the buzz-y basement speakeasy, Dram & Grain.
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Julep Cocktail Club, Kansas City, Missouri
Look for the whiskey sign out front for this “cozy and convivial” spot, which offers nearly 100 bourbons, a list of Julep variations as well as a happy hour featuring 25-percent off all whiskey. A must-add to your itinerary for those headed to the Paris of the Plains cocktail festival.
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Maysville, New York
Though we’re still mourning the recent closure of Brooklyn’s Char No. 4, Manhattan offspring Maysville keeps the bourbon flowing, plus plenty of farm-to-table eats to soak it all up.
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Multnomah Whiskey Library, Portland, Oregon
The 1,500 bottle options on the “library” shelves are just staggering. They’ve become known for refined tableside drinks service and lengthy waits, so plan ahead.
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The Silver Dollar, Louisville, Kentucky
Only Kentucky whiskey is carried in this laidback bar in the heart of bourbon country, including plenty of bourbon (of course) and some proprietary single-barrel offerings you can’t find anywhere else.
9 of 10
Southern Efficiency, Washington, D.C.
Note the URL: whiskeyhome. That pretty much says it all. Because lauded bartender Derek Brown is one of the masterminds behind the operation, bourbon-soaked cocktails like the Mint Julep on tap are the way to go.