Five & 20 Deep Water Straight Bourbon Whiskey

The label says seven years. Most of these barrels went eight.

Five & 20 could have bottled this at seven. They kept tasting the barrels, liked them better a year on, and waited. "We'd rather put out an over-aged whiskey than an under-aged one," Joe Nelson, their director of distilling and brewing, told us. They never changed the label, so it still says seven. Nelson says most of what's in the bottle was "probably pushing" eight.

The name is a Mazza family saying: "If you're gonna drown, it may as well be in deep water." The Mazzas have made wine on Lake Erie since 1972, and Five & 20 is their distillery. As Nelson tells it, putting a whiskey away for seven years means committing to deep water.

The extra time shows. Wine Enthusiast gave it 92 points in 2025, with vanilla on the nose, then espresso and black tea, and a long finish with black pepper and clove. VinePair scored it 91 and put it on its list of the 30 best bourbons of 2024.

The recipe is 95% New York corn and 5% malted barley, with no rye. Five & 20 runs tight cuts at the still to chase the sweetness of the corn, and seven-plus years of charred oak put caramel and char on top of it. Nelson's notes on our call: barrel char, heavy caramelized sugar, a little campfire. If you like your bourbon rich and on the sweet side and want something older and stronger than your everyday bottle, this is the one to try.

At 99 proof it takes a splash of water well, and Five & 20 suggests trying it that way.

Tasting Notes

• Nose: caramel and vanilla, with sweet corn
• Palate: chewy caramel moving into rich corn
• Finish: long, with lingering wood

Those are Five & 20's notes.

Bottle Specifications

• Category: Straight bourbon whiskey, small batch
• Age: Minimum 7 years (label); Five & 20 says these barrels were closer to 8
• Mash bill: 95% New York corn, 5% malted barley
• Cask: Charred American oak, no finish
• Proof / ABV: 99 proof / 49.5%
• Distillery: Five & 20 Spirits & Brewing, Westfield, New York
• Bottle size: 750ml

Poured by Bourbon-of-the-Month Club Explorer members in August 2026.

FAQ

Is a bourbon with no rye still a bourbon?
Yes. Bourbon has to be at least 51% corn, and the rest of the recipe is up to the distiller. Most add rye or wheat. Deep Water uses only corn and a little malted barley, which is there to help turn the starch into sugar.

The label says seven years. How old is it?
At least seven, by law and by the label. Five & 20 told us this release came mostly from barrels near eight years old, because they tasted better there.

Where is Five & 20?
Westfield, New York, on the shore of Lake Erie, on 80 acres of grapes and grain between Routes 5 and 20. It shares a home with Mazza Chautauqua Cellars, the family's winery.