Looking back at 2023, there was a lot of great whiskey released. So much so that you can be 100% forgiven for losing track of it all. We are truly in a whiskey boom and there are amazingly rare and delightful whiskeys hitting shelves pretty much non-stop. One way to catch up with the best of the best — that may have slipped through the cracks — is to keep track of big spirits competitions and their awards. Enter the John Barleycorn Awards.
The John Barleycorn Awards is a beloved spirits competition that was started by spirits critics and writers to adjudicate spirits from all over the world. Full disclosure, I am a judge at both the wider Spring and Fall sessions and the Best of the Year session that determines the year’s best spirits. I tasted all of these whiskeys double-blind at least twice this year. And I can tell you that there are some truly phenomenal whiskeys in play.
Below, I’m calling out all 16 best of the best whiskeys from each category of the 2023 John Barleycorn Awards. I’ve added my professional tasting notes to each best-of-the-year whiskey to help you decide whether or not to try one of these yourself. As I mentioned, there are some amazing whiskeys on this list so find something that speaks to you and go out and get it. Let’s dive in!
Best Bourbon — Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Batch No. B523
ABV: 62.1%
Average Price: $69
The Whiskey:
The 2023 spring edition of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof was a banger. This edition is a batch of bourbons that are a minimum of 11.5 years old (down from the usual 12-year age statements). The batch is bottled completely as is without cutting with water or chill filtration.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a nice sense of funk and fruit on the nose — think standing by a barn in an apple orchard — that leads to salted caramel, cherry tobacco, and rich dark chocolate cut with red chili pepper flakes with a lush vanilla foundation of almond cakes and powdered sugar icing.
Palate: Rich winter spice cakes with a hint of rum raisin drive the taste toward dark cherry spiced tobacco with a rush of ABVs that cause a deep buzz before old cellar dirt floors and oak arrive with a dark sense of chocolate and espresso all kissed with salt.
Finish: Cherry Coke and gingerbread drive the finish with a lush and vibrant sense of red chili pepper spice, black pepper woodiness, and cinnamon bark softness before stewed apple and buttery pie crust lead back toward a vanilla almond cake vibe with a lingering warming sensation.
Bottom Line:
I keep picking this as my favorite bourbon in double-blind taste tests. It’s quintessential Kentucky bourbon with a deep sense of spicy sweet warmth that just keeps giving. Pour it over a single big rock and let it wash over you.
Best Single Barrel Bourbon/Tennessee Whiskey — Rock Town Column Still Collection Single Barrel Straight Bourbon
ABV: 60.9%
Average Price: $59
The Whiskey:
This Arkansas whiskey is made with a very local vibe. The mash bill is made with 79% Arkansas corn, 8% Arkansas wheat, and 13% malted barley. The actual whiskey was distilled in Kentucky though, at Bardstown Bourbon Company on a column still (that’s only for these releases, the rest is actually made in-state). After at least 34 months of mellowing, a single barrel of whiskey was hand-picked and bottled at cask strength for this release.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a hint of minerality on the nose next to fresh honey, dark cherries, peaches, pie crust, and a touch of maple syrup.
Palate: The palate has a sense of tangerine next to bran muffins with a whisper of green grass and vanilla wafers.
Finish: The end is full of soft toffee and mild woody spiciness with a clear vanilla-orange foundation.
Bottom Line:
This distillery single-handedly put Arkansas whiskey on the map. This is a great sipper or cocktail base and worth tracking down to try.
Best Rye Whiskey — Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co. Small Batch Rye Whiskey
ABV: 54.7%
Average Price: $89
The Whiskey:
Kentucky Peerless’ Small Batch Rye is the stuff of legend. It zoomed onto the scene only a handful of years ago and has helped reinvigorate and entire brand (and distillery). The whiskey is made in Louisville in a tiny craft distillery and aged for at least four years before small batching and bottling at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The whiskey opens with a dark fruit vibe countered by rich spices floating in soft vanilla cream and caramel with a hint of dried red chili pepper lurking on the back end of the nose.
Palate: Orange zest and maple syrup drive the palate toward soft notes of spiced winter cakes, vanilla buttercream, and salted caramel.
Finish: The end leans into spiced oak staves with a hint of cedar humidors that once held fresh tobacco alongside a twinge of brandied cherries.
Bottom Line:
This is classic Kentucky rye with a deep and dark fruity spiced edge. It’s damn tasty and makes a killer cocktail or sipper.
Best Single Barrel Rye — A.M. Scott Distillery Single Barrel A.M. Scott’s Rye Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $49
The Whiskey:
This Ohio whiskey is made with a very low rye mash bill of 51% rye with mostly corn and a touch of malted barley in the mix. The barrels were left to age until just right for bottling with a touch of water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a green sense of mint and fennel next to soft rye bread crusts, woody spice, and touches of soft vanilla candies.
Palate: The vanilla takes on a caramel vibe on the palate before the mint adds sharpness and a touch of rock candy sweetness with hints of tobacco and oak.
Finish: The tobacco and oak meld with the sharp mint and rye bread for a dank sort of finish with a syrup candy sweet edge lurking in the background.
Bottom Line:
This is a very unique rye that teases greeny grassiness and herbs before veering into corn sweetness. It’s a fascinating and fun pour for anyone looking for something unique.
Best Irish Whiskey — Redbreast Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey Cask Strength Aged 12 Years
ABV: 58.6%
Average Price: $88
The Whiskey:
This is a testament to the magic that can happen when a cask hits just the right marks. This is the standard 12-year expression — single pot still, triple distilled, and ex-bourbon/ex-sherry maturation — that’s blended and bottled unfiltered, and uncut. It’s the purest expression of the cask in the bottle.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dried tropical fruit, stone fruit, and berries come through on the nose with a hint of cedar next to a slight cinnamon-forward spice powder.
Palate: Those fruits and spices mix into a Christmas cake with a bit of malt next to that wood while vanilla pokes in with a rich and creamy texture.
Finish: The fruit, oak, and spice marry on the long and warming end as the fade brings a buzzing to your senses.
Bottom Line:
This is an excellent Irish whiskey the perfect bridge between bourbon and single pot still Irish whiskey for anyone looking for a change-up.
Best American Whiskey — 15 STARS Fine Aged Spirits Sherry Cask Finish A Select Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys
ABV: 57.5%
Average Price: $179
The Whiskey:
This new release from 15 STARS is made from a blend of 10 and 13-year-old Kentucky and Indiana bourbons. Those barrels were batched by the 15 STARS crew and then the whiskey was re-barreled in sherry casks for a final touch of maturation. That whiskey was then bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Plums, dates, and figs come through on the nose with deep marzipan cut with pear brandy and dipped in salted dark chocolate next to eggnog spices and creaminess with a good dose of Christmas nut cakes.
Palate: The eggnog lusciousness leads the palate toward soft vanilla cookies, salted caramel chews, and a hint of spiced plum jam next to buttermilk waffles studded with pecans before old cellar oak adds an earthen layer.
Finish: The sweetness of the leathery dried fruits drives the finish toward winter spice barks and berries with a sense of old pipe tobacco braided with smudging sage and a whisper of dried mint next to cedar and fall leaves.
Bottom Line:
This is an excellent sipper and should be on every bar cart around the country. Sadly, it’s very limited so good luck out there. I hope you can find one and enjoy it. It’s worth the hunt!
Best Luxury Whiskey — The Devil’s Keep Single Malt Irish Whiskey 2023 Edition
ABV: 46.13%
Average Price: Extremely Limited
The Whiskey:
This is an ultra-rare Irish single malt. There were only 333 bottles produced. It’s twice distilled and the Irish malt was pulled from five barrels for cask-strength bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Bourbon vanilla and salted caramel entice you on the nose with a deep sense of old oak and cedar bark dipped in rock candy with a hint of toasted marshmallow lurking in the background.
Palate: The taste leans into that rich bourbon vanilla and caramel as the toasted marshmallow gives way to smoldering smudging sage, a whisper of tobacco, and soft notes of dark chocolate shavings.
Finish: The dark chocolate and tobacco meld on the finish with a vibrant sense of the smoldering toasted marshmallow next to rich toffee and soft vanilla.
Bottom Line:
You could easily mistake this for a very high-end bourbon if you didn’t know better. Take that as your guide if you’re going to spend your loot on this one (you have to sign up for the right to buy this whiskey — it’s that expensive).
Best American Single Malt — Cedar Ridge American Single Malt Whiskey The QuintEssential Signature Blend
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $60
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is all about a grain-to-glass experience. The juice is made with 100 percent 2-Row Pale Malted Barley (the same stuff used in some of the biggest craft beers) from up in Saskatchewan. The whiskey is then matured in ex-bourbon barrels for an undisclosed term. That whiskey is then finished in a combination of brandy, rum, wine, port, and sherry barrels before it’s vatted. The whiskey’s blend is then made using the solera method — where the vat is never fully emptied before the next barrel is added.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is immediately full of bright fruit with a peach and pear vibe that leans into a malty banana bread with plenty of butter, cinnamon, and walnut next to a touch of Almond Joy (but the good ones from a high-end shop).
Palate: The palate is soft and subtle with hints of spiced malted gingersnaps, light cream soda vibes (maybe a light sasparilla), and a mellow and creamy base of chocolate that’s not dark but not milky either.
Finish: The mid-palate has a nice sweetness that’s slightly apple adjacent with an apricot hint that mellows into a final note of chewy toffees with rum-raisin lurking on the very backend.
Bottom Line:
This is an excellent example of American single malt whiskey. If you can find some, but a case. You will not be disappointed.
Best Tennessee Whiskey — Jack Daniel’s 12-Year-Old Tennessee Whiskey
ABV: 53.5%
Average Price: $537
The Whiskey:
Jack Daniel’s doesn’t hide any of its processes. The mash at the base of this whiskey is a mix of 80% corn, 12% barley, and 8% rye. Those grains are milled in-house and mixed with cave water pulled from an on-site spring and Jack Daniel’s own yeast and lactobacillus that they also make/cultivate on-site. Once fermented, the mash is distilled twice in huge column stills. The hot spirit is then filtered through 10 feet of sugar maple charcoal that’s also made at the distillery. Finally, the filtered whiskey is loaded into charred new American oak barrels and left alone in the warehouse. After 12 years, a handful of barrels were ready; so they were batched, barely proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is creamy with deep notes of old boot leather, dark and woody winter spices, black-tea-soaked dates, plum jam with clove, and an underbelly of chewy toffee-laced tobacco.
Palate: That creaminess presents on the palate with a soft sticky toffee pudding drizzled in salted caramel and vanilla sauce next to flakes of salt and a pinch of orange zest over dry Earl Grey tea leaves with a whisper of singed wild sage.
Finish: The end leans into the creamy toffee chewy tobacco with a hint of pear, cherry, and bananas foster over winter spice barks and a deep embracing warmth.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the best bottles of Jack Daniel’s maybe ever. It’s delicious. It’s hard to get but a new batch is on the horizon in 2024, so keep your ears to the ground and maybe you can snag one.
Best Wheat Whiskey — Bernheim Original Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey Barrel Proof Batch: B923
ABV: 60.2%
Average Price: $64
The Whiskey:
The second edition of Bernheim Wheat Whiskey Barrel Proof is made with a mash bill of 51% winter wheat, 37% corn, and 12% malted barley. That whiskey was then left to age for seven to nine years before prime barrels were chosen for batching. Once batched, the whiskey went into the bottle 100% as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Fresh loaves of whole grain bread vibe with rich oaky winter pieces on the nose before soft vanilla cake, hints of dry grass, old leather tobacco pouches, and a touch of dried orange round things out.
Palate: Rich buttery toffee drives the palate toward clove-laced honey next to dry orange oils, salted caramel, rum raisin, and hints of cedar bark braided with smudging sage and dry tobacco.
Finish: Piney honey and salted caramel attach to the tobacco as dry straw and back porch wicker lead to a sense of dry winter spice and soft caramel candy corn.
Bottom Line:
This is a very nice change of pace sipper from Heaven Hill out in Kentucky. It’s reminiscent of a classic bourbon but then feels like a rye from some perspectives. If you’re looking for that vibe, grab one of these.
Best Corn Whiskey — Abasolo El Whisky de Mexico Corn Whiskey
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $45
The Whiskey:
This is billed as the first 100% corn whisky from Mexico. The spirit is made from Cacahuazintle corn that’s prepared via nixtamalization (traditionally: soaked in limewater) to enrich the corn’s bioavailability. The corn is then hulled and ground and mashed with local yeast and spring water. The spirit is twice distilled and then aged for two years in a combination of used bourbon barrels and new American oak. Finally, the juice is married, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose reminds me of a paper bag that held yellow masa with a touch of day-old popcorn and knock-off Werther’s Original candies.
Palate: There’s a continuation of that paper masa bag that leads towards a softer cornbread vibe, next to a shallow yet slightly sweet corn note on the mid-palate.
Finish: A final bow of vegetal spice with maybe some dry straw and alcohol warmth round out the finish.
Bottom Line:
This is a bold whiskey that really leans into the corn vibes. If you’re looking for the perfect pour for Taco night, this is going to be it.
Best American Craft Spirit — M&O Spirits Black Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 45.5%
Average Price: $49
The Whiskey:
This Ohio whiskey is triple distilled and then double oaked. The bourbon is pulled from small batches of four-grain bourbon (corn, rye, red winter wheat, and malted barley) and proofed before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a fruity sense of old orchards and dry red fruits on the nose with a good dose of winter spice barks and soft vanilla cream next to a hint of pipe tobacco cut with citrus oils.
Palate: Orange chocolate and apricot drive the palate toward spiced oak with another dose of that sharp tobacco before a note of nutshell arrives.
Finish: The end has a smidge of sweetgrass and cedar next to orange tobacco and more of those dry orchard fruits.
Bottom Line:
This is a pretty fruity bourbon. If that’s your jam, then you know what to do the next time you’re in Ohio.
Best Scotch Whisky — Chivas XV Blended Scotch Whisky
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $50
The Whisky:
This is a classic Chivas that has finally arrived in the U.S. The whisky is classic Chivas blended whisky (made from malt and grain whiskies) that was left to age for 15 long years before the whisky is moved into French cognac casks for a final rest. Finally, that whisky is vatted, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Orange marmalade on wheat toast is accented by freshly ground cinnamon, a touch of clove, and mincemeat pies iced with a thin layer of powdered sugar icing.
Palate: Dark dried fruits — think prunes, sultanas, and dates — drive the palate toward soft berries, rich butterscotch, and a touch of caramel-laced toffees dipped in roasted almonds.
Finish: The end is lush and creamy with a hint of vanilla kissed with more mincemeat pie, brandy-soaked dates, and a dark Christmas pudding swimming in brandy butter.
Bottom Line:
This is a classic on the rocks Scotch whisky. It’s vibrant and delicious.
Best World Whiskey — Rampur Asava Indian Single Malt Whisky
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $100
The Whisky:
Rampur Asava is distilled and aged in the shadow of the Himalayas. The whisky is aged in both ex-bourbon and finished in Indian Cabernet Sauvignon casks before vatting and proofing with water from those Himalayan peaks.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Ripe apricots mingle with fresh pineapple, blackberry, and a hint of fruity tobacco on the nose.
Palate: The palate leans into a honey sweetness as a thin line of vanilla and red wine staves drives the taste.
Finish: The end has a slightly warm and woody tobacco note that touches on clove and nutmeg.
Bottom Line:
This is a unique and dialed whisky that delivers deep fruit and woody spice in unison. If you’re looking to change up your single malt game and indulge in some Indian malt, this is a great place to start.
Best Canadian Whisky — Black Velvet Reserve Canadian Whisky
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $15
The Whiskey:
Sticking with the under-appreciated Canadian whiskies, Black Velvet Reserve is a shockingly good whisky for its price. No, it’s not the be-all-and-end-all of Canadian whisky. But it’s cheap and very drinkable. The actual juice is an Alberta spirit mostly rendered from corn and rye that’s blended before it goes into the barrel for eight long years.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Peppery rye mingles with toasted oak, rich vanilla, and a nice dose of sweet caramel on the nose.
Palate: A slight fruit note arrives — think cherry — that counterpoints the spicy rye on the palate while the oak and vanilla fade into the background.
Finish: A slice of citrus arrives late and ends the finish rather abruptly, but nicely.
Bottom Line:
I’m not going to try and convince you that this whiskey is as good as some of the others on this list. What is it then? It’s the best Canadian whisky that made it through three levels of double-blind tastings by whiskey pros — against other Canadian whiskies only. All of that said, this is a good mixer.
Director’s Choice Awards — The Donn The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. Single Malt Irish Whiskey 23rd Edition
ABV: 46.15%
Average Price: Extremely Limited
The Whiskey:
This release from The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. is a very limited release of very rare Irish single malt. There were 4,477 bottles made for the 23rd edition from select barrels of almost forgotten single malt. Those barrels were batched and just kissed with water for this special release.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Soft apricot and marmalade dance with bourbon vanilla buttercream, butterscotch toffee, and soft tobacco chewiness on the nose.
Palate: The palate opens with a deeply salted caramel and soft vanilla cream next to nutshells, sharp marmalade, and even sharper woody winter spices with a hint of old oak cellars and whispers of cedar cigar humidors.
Finish: That soft woodiness drives the finish toward chinotto oranges, dark smoked plums, and a whisper of pear soaked in brandy and saffron.
Bottom Line:
This is a wildly delicious whiskey with an incredible fruitiness that’s so varied but still so tasty. If you can find this one, you’ll be in for a real treat.
