Two decades into America’s historic bourbon boom and the category continues to evolve with no signs of slowing. As heritage distilleries experiment with enjoyable new expressions, the number and quality of craft producers only continue to grow. While there’s no disputing Kentucky’s status as the spirit’s heartland, with production taking place in all 50 states, it’s by no means the only source of fine bourbon. This tasting for VinePair’s annual roundup of America’s native spirit included dozens of bottles and offered no shortage of pleasant surprises. For the final list, we limited inclusion to one bottle per brand and have shared average prices based on online data (because price gouging, unfortunately, is alive and well).