We tasted four bourbons ranging from roughly $25 to $200 without seeing the bottles. Could we identify the expensive whiskey—or would price prove absolutely useless?

Three barrel-strength titans. One blind tasting. Stagg, the Four Roses 2025 Limited Edition, and The Reveries 16-Year go head-to-head in an epic showdown where reputation means nothing and only the whiskey in the glass matters. Which bourbon earns the title of Cock of the Walk, and which one leaves bourbon lovers questioning the hype? Welcome to High Test Bangers—only on Tortured Bourbon.

Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection No. 21: Sweet Oak is one of the most talked-about allocated bourbon releases of 2025 — and for good reason. Finished in Chinkapin oak barrels, this 110.4-proof limited edition pushes Woodford far beyond its traditional flavor profile. In this episode of Tortured Bourbon, Heather and B break down the barrel experiment, taste it live, debate the $180 price tag, and decide whether Sweet Oak is a bold success or an oak-heavy gamble.