The only real litmus with the list below was whether or not the bourbon tastes any good. With all of that in mind, we’re calling out 20 MGP bourbon whiskeys that we love drinking. A chance to be legit (and even content for awards) without having to start from scratch.

It’s kind of like the chance to set up a micro-distillery inside a massive industrial distillery. On top of that, distillers at MGP make a long list of mash bills and aging/finishings that are ready to be blended and proofed by master blenders (also known as non-distiller producers) - giving creative upstart brands a ton of flexibility.

In part, this is because they allow distillers to come into their facility and contract distill their own whiskey without having to spend millions on a facility. MGP juice ends up in a lot of bottles of whiskey on your local shelves - just look for “Made in Indiana” somewhere on the label. is MGP of Indiana in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, just over the Ohio River from Kentucky. One of the biggest sources for bourbon (and rye) in the U.S. Ask any whiskey judge, reviewer, or aficionado. Period.Īlso, much of it is incredibly good. In reality, sourcing whiskey is commonplace and has been going on as long as we’ve been making whiskey for commerce in this country. Some still think it’s a dirty word (or practice) in the industry, others look down on brands that don’t create their own mash. “Sourced” bourbon elicits a wide range of reactions from whiskey drinkers.

Fred minnick best bourbon 2021