It’s the end of the year and the end of the road for 2023’s whiskey releases. It’s been a banner year for whiskey across the world and December has proven to be yet another month of bangers. That means that it’s time to list some great whiskeys that I think you should be chasing down this December.
The whiskeys I’ve listed below are all stellar, but they’re very diverse — so we’re not ranking them. I’ve broken this listing into two sections — one for whiskeys in general and one for bourbons. There are 15 whiskeys in each section that range from single barrel beauties to peated limited edition malts to special barrel finishes to one-of-a-kind whiskeys that we will never see again.
Long story short, there’s something for every palate, every level of whiskey drinker, and every price point. In short, there’s a whiskey for you. Scroll through, read my tasting notes, and once you’ve found something that sparks your interest, smash that price link and see if you can get a bottle. Let’s dive in!
Part 1: The Whisk(e)ys
Kilchoman 2023 Limited Edition 100% Islay Single Farm Single Malt
ABV: $104
Average Price: 50%
The Whisky:
Kilchoman is the whisky lover’s distillery on Islay. The small family-run operation just dropped their beloved 100% Islay release. The whisky is made from barley grown on Islay (from a single farm) that’s then malted at Kilchoman with their own peat from a few steps down the road. That peated malt is then long fermented and distilled before resting in ex-bourbon casks until just right. This year’s batch yielded 13,000 bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Canned brown bread and walnut loaf pop on the nose with nutmeg, clove, and plenty of fresh butter next to orange rinds, pear brandy, and a whisper of smoked sea salt over some almost floral honey.
Palate: Deep and creamy bourbon vanilla greets you on the palate with a sense of smoked toffee rolled in smoked raisins and dipping in dusty brown winter spices before that honey makes a creamy and lightly savory comeback.
Finish: Smoked lavender and freshly toasted sourdough pop on the end with more salted butter with a twinge of smokiness from an old wood-burning stove in a brick and clay kitchen from yesteryear as that lush vanilla rounds out the very end.
Bottom Line:
This is a beautifully balanced whisky with a sense of bourbon sneaking in amongst the softly peated fruits and spices from the malt. Pour this over a single rock and you’ll be in for a real treat.
Talisker Single Malt Scotch Whisky “The Wild Explorador” Special Release 2023
ABV: 59.7%
Average Price: $129
The Whisky:
This year’s Talisker Special Release is a unique version of the iconic whisky from Skye. Classic Talisker was finished in a trio of port casks — Ruby, White, and Tawny — before small batching and then bottling 100% as-is at cask strength. The throughline was to lean into the flavor notes of Portuguese “explorers” from the last centuries.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens has a classic Talisker with deep smoked pear and softly minerally campfire smoke next to moments of oyster liqueur before moving toward brandy-soaked prunes and mulled wine with plenty of molasses, cinnamon, and anise over a creamy sense of dark chocolate oranges.
Palate: The taste leans into that creaminess with a lush palate full of blended dates, figs, and prunes with smoke sea salt, smoldering spice barks, and the embers of an orchard bark fire on a cold and rainy day next to the sea.
Finish: The end amps up the smoke in a way that’s like restoking a campfire with fresh apple and pear logs and nutshells and then tossing on a bunch of spice barks for good measure as the sea crashes mere feet away and you settle into a big slice of mincemeat pie.
Bottom Line:
This is a very bold Talisker, and it works. If you’re looking to really go deep on the iconic brand, this is a great “up the ante” bottle to add to your bar cart this winter.
The Singleton Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 14 Years “The Silken Gown” Special Release 2023
ABV: 55%
Average Price: $147
The Whisky:
The Singleton is a great gateway unpeated malt. It’s purposefully built to be subtle and welcoming and that’s especially true of their 2023 Special Edition. This release takes the malt and finishes it in Chardonnay de Bourgogne French Oak casks until they’re just right. Once small batched, the whisky is bottled 100% as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is buttery and lush with a sense of fresh sweet apples and overripe pears next to salted toffee rolled in almonds and just kissed with cinnamon and nutmeg before this whisper of yellow melon skins arrives.
Palate: The butteriness takes on a fresh and almost sour note (in a great way) before soft oak arrives with more subtle winter spices, soft sultanas soaked in pear brandy, and a touch of caramel cut with candied citrus.
Finish: The end softens toward more toffee and butter as the wood leans sweet and softly spiced with hints of plums, apricots, and stewed pears with a whisp of saffron.
Bottom Line:
This is a lush and soft pour of whisky. It feels subtle at first but then delivers a deep and delicious profile overall. Pour this one neat and enjoy the ride. Or mix this into a very simple old fashioned and let the orange oils pop on the palate with the rest of the creamy whisky beneath.
Mortlach Single Malt Scotch Whisky “The Katana’s Edge” Special Release 2023
ABV: 58%
Average Price: $322
The Whisky:
Mortlach is another whisky lover’s whisky. This year’s Special Reslease classic Mortlach that’s been finished in a combination of ex-Kanosuke Japanese whisky casks (a small distiller) and ex-Pinot Noir casks. Once batched, the whisky went into the bottle at cask-strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Honeydew melon candy and stewed pear lead on the nose with a sense of sweet cinnamon and clove next to old oak that’s not musty but definitely spent time in a cellar.
Palate: Soft honey draws you in on the palate with a sense of those spices tied to the oak before salted dried pear chips mingle with dried lychee and maybe even a little salted dried mango with a hint of cream soda.
Finish: The end amps up the savory and the dried fruits before diving into a soft winter spice cake topped with marmalade, apricot jam, and stewed tropical melons over old yet soft oakiness with a fleeting sense of floral honey lurking deep in the background.
Bottom Line:
This is a subtle masterpiece whisky. This is the sort of sipper that you’ll want to take your time with and revisit often to find all the secrets it’s hiding in that profile.
Oban Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 11 Years “The Soul of Calypso” Special Release 2023
ABV: 58%
Average Price: $153
The Whisky:
Oban is another tiny distillery that’s doing some of the best work in peated malts right now. Their 2023 Special Release is made with classic Oban that’s finished in Caribbean Pot Still rum casks until just right. Once those barrels are batched, the whisky is bottled 100% as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is like sitting on an old dock next to an inky dark sea as someone makes fresh saltwater taffy in the distance and someone else brews up mulled pear cider (perry) with plenty of winter spice and a touch of butter depth cut with candied orange and lemon before this whisper of a fruit basket wrapped in golden cellophane arrives.
Palate: The palate opens with a luxurious sense of brandy-soaked mangos and grilled pineapple before hitting on the creaminess of the saltwater taffy (like the bright neon yellow stuff) next to old oak staves layered with mildly spiced tobacco.
Finish: The end lets that oak tobacco spice peak before smoothing out with more salted tropical fruit chewiness that’s just kissed with smoldering orchard barks that have been soaked in seawater with a twinge of old leather in there somewhere.
Bottom Line:
This is another stellar slow sipper that you should take your time with. Try it neat and dive deep. Then pour it over a rock and let it bloom in the glass, revealing soft creaminess and a sense of almost nutty chocolate espresso over rich cream with all that salted fruit.
Roseisle Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 12 Years “The Origami Kite” Special Release 2023
ABV: 56.5%
Average Price: $199
The Whisky:
Every year Diageo adds a unique release to its Special Release lineup and this year that honor went to Roseisle. The distillery and malt house are very new, it opened in 2010. The whisky in this new release is a 12-year-old single malt that was aged in first-fill ex-bourbon and re-fill ex-bourbon casks for all 12 of those years. Once batched, the whisky was bottled 100% as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Rich and silky bourbon vanilla pops on the nose with a clear sense of stewed apples and pears with plenty of winter spice, buttery caramel, and almost tart red berries that are just starting to dry out and sweeten.
Palate: That vanilla really amps up on the palate as the red fruit sweetens and darkens toward raspberry crumble and brandy-soaked cherry before this lush sense of macadamia nut cookies arrives with a burnt sugar vibe (think of fresh cookies from the oven).
Finish: Finally, the old oak arrives with a deep winter spice bark vibe over hints of white chocolate mocha lattes that are verging on eggnog territory with a whisper of (very mild) peppermint and nutmeg working in tandem.
Bottom Line:
This is a great new edition to the Diageo lineup. It does feel fresh and very bourbon-forward. It also feels very wintry by the end, which makes it a great choice to sip and mix cocktails with this month.
Lost Lantern Blend Series “Shadow” Whiskey
ABV: 63.15%
Average Price: $99
The Whiskey:
Lost Lantern released one last set of whiskeys to close out 2023 and it included this great American malt blend. The whiskey is a peated American malt with smoky single malts from Boulder Spirits in Colorado, Cedar Ridge in Iowa, and McCarthy’s in Oregon. Each barrel was four to seven years old when batched for this release, yielding only 500 cask-strength bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: A rich and full smoke flavor draws you in on the nose with a sense of berry brambles burning on a fall burn pile as spiced oak and dark spiced plums stewing in brandy round things out.
Palate: Blackberry crumble with a good dose of cinnamon crumble leads on the palate as the smoke arrives from smoldering smudging sage and spice barks next to a deep brandy-soaked plumminess.
Finish: The end leans into the plumminess and dark berries with a deep sense of smoldering fall leaves and orchard barks on a cold and rainy day.
Bottom Line:
This is a bold yet fruity peated whiskey. It’s a great example of the peated work happening in the U.S. right now and worth tracking down if you like to chase the smoke in your whisky.
Lost Lantern Blend Series “Flame” Whiskey
ABV: 56.95%
Average Price: $99
The Whiskey:
This blended American single malt — from award-winning bottler Lost Lantern — marries Arizona and New Mexico smoked malt. In this case, the malts were smoked with mesquite (instead of peat), imparting a distinctly Southwest vibe to the whisky. The whiskey in the bottles was batched from barrels that were one to four years old, yielding only 400 cask-strength bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Hot chocolate cut with dried red chili pops on the nose with a deep sense of burnt orange rinds and cinnamon sticks next to a fleeting sense of pork slow-roasted with pineapple and spices until the fat gets spicy and sweet.
Palate: That smoked fatty meat vibe leans into the choco-chili creaminess with a dark sense of winter spice and almost tart espresso beans with a smoldering sense of desert sage and maybe even juniper.
Finish: Those smoldering woods and herbs layer into the smoked meats as the burnt orange attaches to the chili and chocolate on the end with a sense of lushness.
Bottom Line:
This is a wild ride through a very unique whiskey. Grab a bottle of this to try a truly one-of-a-kind smoked American malt.
Midleton Very Rare Dair Ghaelach Kilranelagh Wood
ABV: 56.8%
Average Price: $476
The Whiskey:
The fifth installment of Midleton’s famed Dair Ghaelach series is here to help you fall in love with Irish whiskey. The whiskey is made with Midleton’s very rare whiskey that’s then aged in very specific barrels made from a single estate in Ireland (Kilranelagh Estate). The new oak barrels hold the whiskey until it’s just right before batching and bottling 100% as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is like walking through a pine forest after the rain with soft notes of fresh honey, freshly cracked black pepper, and soft oolong tea leaves leading to a sense of roasted almonds dipped in vanilla cream and rolled in freshly ground nutmeg and cinnamon.
Palate: The palate leans into a sharp but sweet bell pepper with a hint of candied orange and chocolate leading to soft roasting herbs, a touch of apple pie, and spiced oak staves that are inching toward dried red chili.
Finish: That spiced oak drives the finish toward more candied orange and oolong tea with a honeyed creamy finish that’s light and almost airy with a vanilla foundation.
Bottom Line:
This is a fun whiskey that’s very approachable. Sip this one slow and then add some water or ice to plumb some of the deeper flavor notes. That is, take your time with this one and really go deep.
The Macallan Classic Cut Single Malt Scotch Whisky (2023 Edition)
ABV: 52.5%
Average Price: $149
The Whisky:
The 2023 expression from The Macallan is made from ex-bourbon from the U.S. and ex-sherry barrels from Spain. that are seasoned in Spain for The Macallan, especially for this release. That whisky is then vatted and barely proofed down before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a dose of apple candy next to sharp and fresh ginger with hints of floral honey before the bourbon vanilla arrives with notes of barrel spice, old oak, and sweet touches of tobacco rolled with old leather from a library armchair.
Palate: The palate turns that ginger into gingerbread with plenty of cinnamon and brown sugar next to a dash of orange oils that lead to more of that rich tobacco, now spiced with winter barks, before hitting a creamy note of vanilla buttercream.
Finish: The finish layers the vanilla and gingerbread over stewed plums and a whisper of spicy/malty tobacco leaves.
Bottom Line:
This is a classic The Macallan for a reason — it’s amazingly easy to sip neat or on the rocks. And while it’s “easy,” that doesn’t mean that it’s shallow. This whisky delivers deep notes that speak the best part of malt and bourbon in a single glass.
The Dalmore Select Edition: Distilled in 2005 Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 49.3%
Average Price: $499
The Whisky:
This new limited edition The Dalmore takes classic bourbon-barrel-aged single malt and adds a little bit of Spain into the mix. The whisky was distilled back in 2005 and left in ex-bourbon casks until vatted and re-barreled into Matusalem sherry and Vintage 2005 sherry casks for a final rest. Those barrels were then vatted and proofed before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Salted caramels dipped in rich and creamy dark chocolate drive the nose toward classic The Dalmore notes of dark and candied orange peel, old oak staves from an even older cellar, and soft leather from a dark cherry wingback chair from 100 years ago.
Palate: The dark chocolate and orange marry on the palate as a deep sense of plum jam and marmalade lead the taste toward rich pear-brandy-soaked marzipan next to moist winter spice cakes brimming with ginger, winter spices, nuts, and rum raisin.
Finish: The end leans into the soft ginger spice cakes with a hint of mincemeat pies and buttery vanilla before the oak leads to a warm cellar full of old oak and tobacco leaves kissed with orange oils and chocolate.
Bottom Line:
Delicious. Pour it neat, on the rocks, or into your favorite whiskey-forward cocktail and you’ll be for an amazing treat.
Stranahan’s Snowflake Colorado Single Malt Whiskey 2023 Batch #26: “Pyramid Peak”
ABV: 47%
Average Price: $199
The Whisky:
This year’s Snowflake release from Stranahan’s is a small batch of great American single malts from the Colorado distiller. This year’s batch marries single malt finished in Islay quarter casks, rum, ruby port, sherry, and mezcal casks. Once those barrels were batched, the whiskey was proofed down with Rocky Mountain water and bottled otherwise as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Sharp white pepper and old oak drive the nose toward apple hand pies frosted in powdered sugar icing, rich salted caramel, and a sense of sweet grain porridge cut with molasses and butter.
Palate: The apple takes on a rich and spiced cider vibe on the palate as vanilla bean and caramel drive the taste toward soft herbs, smudging sage, and a moment of dried sweetgrass dipped in that spiced apple cider.
Finish: Dark and apple-laced tobacco drives the finish toward dark and sharp cinnamon bark, clove buds, and allspice berries before leading into a fresh sense of sweet apples off the tree and rolled in caramel.
Bottom Line:
This is a vibrant single malt with great depth. I’d recommend taking it slow, sipping it neat, and then diving deeper with water and ice.
WhistlePig The Boss Hog X: “The Commandments” Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 58.2%
Average Price: $999
The Whiskey:
This year’s Boss Hog is a non-age-statement Canadian rye that was shipped out to Vermont. Once there, the whiskey was re-barreled into a finishing barrel that held mead. That barrel was then filled with WhistlePig distillate made from rye and whey (an experimental spirit). Then the barrel heads were infused with frankincense and myrrh resin to add something unique to the already one-of-a-kind cask.
After all of that… the rye finally went in. Once the flavor profile was just right for bottling, the whiskey was bottled 100% as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Old honeycombs greet you on the nose with a sense of dead flowers on a cold fall day in a graveyard before a spark of freshly grated ginger with plenty of juice livens the whole experience toward a chili-spiced orange zest with a hint of green tea matcha incense.
Palate: That earthy and old honey hits the tip of your tongue with a deep and floral sweetness before raisins and salted cashews mingle with clove-studded oranges and a cut of lemon marmalade just kissed with black pepper over a scone.
Finish: That pepper fades on the finish as grassy lemon leads to roasting herbs with a hint of blackberry jam cut with floral and very earthy honey next to a rush of sandalwood and green tea powder incense with a hint of acacia bark.
Bottom Line:
This year’s Boss Hog is a fun one that’ll be sure to wow fans of the series — it’s a legitimately good rye. Overall, this might be more of a collection whiskey for the vault than a day-to-day sipper though given the rarity.
Westward Whiskey Milestone American Single Malt
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $249
The Whiskey:
Westward Whiskey has been patiently making some of the best American single malt in the country for years now. This is the culmination of all that work. The whiskey in the bottle is a batch of 21 barrels from their Solera system and includes the team’s absolute favorite whiskeys that they’ve produced over the years.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Notes of roasted almonds soaked in fresh piney honey drive the nose toward candied orange peels and candied cherry with a rich and salted toffee creamy underbelly.
Palate: Rum raisin and brandy-soaked plums lead on the palate toward apple cider spiked with real cinnamon bark and whole nutmeg next to black walnut cake, mincemeat pies, and a deep butterscotch candy vibe.
Finish: The cinnamon and nutmeg kick up on the finish as more prune, date, and fig lead to sticky toffee pudding and a lush vanilla foundation.
Bottom Line:
This is Westward flexing on the American single malt scene with a stellar product. This is a great way to get into the deeply good whiskey coming out of Portland right now.
Shirakawa 1958 Single Malt Japanese Whisky
ABV: 49%
Average Price: $31,563
The Whisky:
This is believed to be the earliest/oldest known single-vintage Japanese whisky ever bottled. The whisky comes from the stocks of the Shirakawa Distillery and is a miracle barrel that survived decades before batching, proofing, and bottling for this extremely rare release.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Pine trees dripping with sap intrigue the nose with a sense of dried orange and pomelo peels before beeswax leads to old incense sticks from a shop that’s 100 years old with this moment of green leaves and soft wet stone sitting in dry black dirt.
Palate: The taste leans into the green leaves with a hint of blossom before the incense makes a comeback with a hint of ash, soft woody spice, and dry oak staves stacked up like firewood next to a moment of espresso tobacco.
Finish: The softness of the pour gets silky on the finish as more beeswax and just lit wicks drive the end toward soft slate, old oak, and orchards at the end of winter.
Bottom Line:
This is a pretty wild whisky. It’s so subtle that you need to really take your time figuring out what’s going on with the profile. You’ll need to come back to this one a few times, which will be hard given how rare (and expensive) it is.
Part 2: The Bourbons
Starlight Family Reserve 2023 Release Indiana Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 63.3%
Average Price: $99
The Whiskey:
This late 2023 drop from Starlight Distillery up in Indiana highlights the work that the whole Huber family is doing in their distillery and barrelhouses. The whiskey is a small-batch blend of their seven-year-old bourbon that’s bottled at cask strength, highlighting the beauty of their whiskey on the profile.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a deep sense of caramel sauce over a berry cobbler with a dollop of malted vanilla ice cream next to toasted marshmallow, old oak staves, and a hint of old-school toffee hard candies.
Palate: That toffee sweetness and butteriness opens the palate toward almost dark vanilla mocha coffee with a cut of tart red berries and stewed stonefruit before a rich butterscotch vibe takes over.
Finish: The creamy and rich caramel/toffee vibe leads to a spiced oak feel with a winter spice sharpness that’s countered by rich vanilla bean and soft stewed red berries, pears, and apricots with a dash of date and prune-laced tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is a great place to start your journey with Starlight Distillery. This is a very easy sipper that’ll also make one hell of a whiskey-forward cocktail (think Manhattan or Sazerac).
Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Bourbon Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Wine Barrels
ABV: 59.1%
Average Price: $229
The Whiskey:
This is the 12th Cask Strength Bourbon release from Angel’s Envy but the first under new Master Distiller Owen Martin. Martin brings a deep knowledge of craft Colorado whiskey making and Scotch whisky to the table and it shows in this new release. The whiskey is a masterful blend of Angel’s Envy’s port-finished bourbons at cask strength, allowing the barrels to shine through. As a limited edition, there were only 22,656 bottles produced. The good news is that they’re going out to all 50 states.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Spiced cherry cake mingles with rich and buttery caramel sauce, toasted marshmallows, rum raisin, black-tea-soaked dates cut with cinnamon and nutmeg, and a deep sense of mulled wine cut with dark chocolate.
Palate: The palate leans into the mulled wine and sticky toffee pudding with a flourish of sea salt and orange zest next to lush vanilla buttercream, dark cherry spiced tobacco leaves, and old motorcycle jacket leather.
Finish: The end leans into brandy-soaked cherries dipped in dark chocolate next to dry sweetgrass, smudging sage, and cedar bark braided and stacked in an old cigar humidor next to a dry red wine cork with winter spice cakes, pear brandy marzipan, and deep dried fruits rounding out the end.
Bottom Line:
This is straight-up one of the best Angel’s Envy releases to date. It’s a delicious bourbon and truly hits on all the things that make people excited about limited-edition whiskey. This also makes a killer Manhattan.
Chicken Cock Red Stave Petite Sirah Barrel Finish Kentucky Straight Bourbon
ABV: 51.2%
Average Price: $199
The Whiskey:
Chicken Cock is great at dropping big limited releases every year. This year’s big bourbon is a “Red Stave” Kentucky straight bourbon made from a mash bill of 70% corn, 21% rye, and 9% malted barley. That whiskey is left to age for an undisclosed amount of time before being re-barrelled into select J. Wilkes Petite Sirah barrels for a final mellowing run.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a sweet mulled wine cut with piney honey, plenty of spice barks, and hints of dried red berries before veering toward creamy toffee and vanilla beans.
Palate: Wild berry jam and bold winter spices mingle with rich dark chocolate, creamed honey, and vanilla lattes on the palate before the mulled wine spices start sneaking in and building.
Finish: The mulled wine-soaked red berries and raisins drive the finish toward a lush toffee and vanilla cream with a bold warming winter spice layered into a rich pipe tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is a great food pairing whiskey thanks to the red wine vibes, which makes it a solid choice to have around this holiday season.
Jack Daniel’s Distillery Series Selection #12 Straight Tennessee Whiskey Finished in Oloroso Sherry Casks
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $41
The Whiskey:
The last Jack Daniel’s Distillery Series release has arrived. This whiskey is made with Jack’s classic Tennessee whiskey (which, yes, is a bourbon) with an 80% corn, 12% malted barley, and 8% rye mash bill. Once aged to the right point, the whiskey was re-barreled into an old oloroso sherry cask for a final rest. Those barrels were then batched and the whiskey was proofed down before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Rich and spicy winter cakes with plenty of nuts, dried fruits, and winter spices (especially nutmeg) drive the nose toward plum pie, marmalade, and a hint of cherry tobacco.
Palate: The rich fruits take centerstage on the palate with deep woody spice, prunes, dates, and figs next to mulled wine and spiked apple cider with a nice buttery underbelly just kissed with vanilla buttercream tobacco.
Finish: The end has a nice “stroll through an old barrelhouse” vibe with earthy oak and cellar floor before the dark stewed fruits kick back in with plenty of winter spice cake vibes and dark berry tobacco warmth.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice sipper for anyone looking for a dark fruit-forward whiskey. There’s good depth that helps this one shine especially well as a winter sipper.
Still Austin Bottled In Bond Blue Corn Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $79
The Whiskey:
Still Austin’s last limited release of their bottled-in-bond line this year is a killer. The mash bill on this one contains 26% blue corn, 25% white corn, 44% rye, and 5% malted barley. That hot juice is left to age for four years in Still Austin’s warehouses where water is added during the aging process to concentrate the distillate as it mellows.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Milk Duds and cream soda pop on the nose with a nice sense of cinnamon-laced apple cider with a hint of butteriness next to spiced plum pudding with a dollop of brandy butter.
Palate: The palate leans into the creaminess of the brandy butter with a counterpoint of salted dark chocolate cut with fresh orange zest before a light sense of dark earthiness comes in with a sweetness akin to carrots pulled from the sweet black dirt.
Finish: The end leans into fresh spring honey and nougat next to crème brûlée cut with oloroso spiced sherry, Earl Grey tea leaves, and a hint of sweet oak woodiness with a nice smooth layer of winter spice.
Bottom Line:
This whiskey rounds out Still Austin’s limited editions of 2023, and it’s a winner. If you’re looking for a great example of how unique corn varietals can have a huge effect on the outcome of the whiskey, this is the bottle to snag.
Barrel Bourbon Cask Strength New Year 2024
ABV: 56.5%
Average Price: $84
The Whiskey:
Barrell Bourbon’s New Year 2024 is here! This — well, next — year’s blend is a mix of bourbons from eight states. The whiskeys range from five to 15 years old and hail from Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, Wyoming, New York, Texas, Ohio, and Maryland. Once batched, the whiskey was bottled as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a rich and vibrant sense of apple cider cut with orange and vanilla before cherry pie and peaches and cream arrive with sweet and butter caramel, mocha lattes, and lemon cream pie.
Palate: That lemon creaminess drives the palate through old-fashioned doughnuts, more apple cider, spiced winter sugar cookies, and honey-dipped apples rolled into a peach cobbler.
Finish: The lemon and dark chocolate merge on the finish (a very underrated combo) before the vanilla, stewed fruits, dark spices, and sweet sugars drive the end toward spiced oak, soft pipe tobacco, and hints of old boot leather.
Bottom Line:
This is another wild ride. There’s just so much going on here but the throughline is dessert fruits. In fact, this would be a fantastic whiskey to pair with any big meal’s dessert course.
2XO Gem of Kentucky Barrel #01 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 54%
Average Price: $227
The Whiskey:
Dixon Dedman’s latest release is from his own double-barreled stocks of barrels. In this case, Dedman chose a high-rye bourbon mash bill that spent and extra year in new charred oak before bottling with a drop of water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dark chocolate cut with cinnamon and red chili pepper is countered by perfectly roasted marshmallows, prunes, dates, and figs with deeply creamy nutmeg-heavy eggnog.
Palate: That eggnog spice kicks up on the palate with extra allspice, clove, and cinnamon next to brandy-soaked dates and pears with a hint of freshly cracked black pepper lurking beneath it all.
Finish: That pepperiness kicks up a bit more on the finish with more woody spice barks and buds layered into creamy vanilla and pear brandy-soaked marzipan dipped in dark chocolate.
Bottom Line:
This has a great balance of spiciness and sweetness that just works. Pour this over a rock or two and sip it slow, it’ll deliver.
Frank August Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Cask Strength Barrel No. 0015
ABV: 60.9%
Average Price: $139
The Whiskey:
The latest single-barrel release from Frank August is from a small collection of only 15 barrels. One barrel was chosen for bottling and then bottled 100% as-is to highlight the beauty of the whiskey in that barrel. This whiskey ended up being 6.1 years old.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Rich winter spices draw you in on the nose as deep and sweet oak staves lead to red fruit leather, dark chocolate-dipped cherries, and a layer of vanilla sheet cake.
Palate: Cinnamon cake and peppery citrus drive the palate toward salted caramel over that vanilla sheet cake before more of those chocolate cherries arrive to tie everything into a rich and moist Black Forest cake spiked with allspice and clove.
Finish: The end circles around the chocolate cherry cake as the spices mount on the finish with a warming sense of cinnamon sharpness and red chili heat that’s just tempered by oak wrapped in cherry tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This a great all-around sipper, especially if you’re looking for that “classic” bourbon vibe this month.
Heaven’s Door Cask Strength “Homesick Blues” Minnesota Wheated Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 61.35%
Average Price: $79
The Whiskey:
This whiskey from Bob Dylan’s brand celebrates the singer’s home, Minnesota. The whiskey is a Minnesota bourbon made with Minnesota grains and distilled in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. The massive temperature swings — up to 116F in the summer and -80F in the winter — make for a very unique aging experience. Still, this whiskey was ready after seven years of rest and bottled in a small batch as cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Creamed honey and salted caramel draw you in on the nose with a sense of prunes and dates mixed with rum raisin and brandy-soaked pears kissed with rich vanilla and freshly ground nutmeg.
Palate: That creamy vibe remains on the palate as creamy vanilla buttercream cut with equally creamy honey dances with soft sweetgrass and smudging sage next to a hint of old oak staves soaked in brandy and just touched with old cellars.
Finish: The musty old cellar vibe accents the sweetgrass and sage with rich pipe tobacco laced with marmalade and brandied pears before the lush vanilla takes back over on the very end.
Bottom Line:
This whiskey adds a nice layer of wheated grassiness to a deeply lush bourbon. It’s a great balance and works wonders as a sipper or cocktail base.
Holladay Soft Red Wheat Bottled-In-Bond Missouri Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $59
The Whiskey:
This new kid on the block from Missouri is making big waves thanks to incredible juice. The whiskey in this bottle is made from a 73/15/12 mash bill of corn/red wheat/malted barley that’s grown and processed in Missouri. The whiskey is made at the Holladay Distiller in Weston, Missouri where it’s filled in Missouri white oak barrels and left to age for six years.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Rich and buttery toffee leads to floral honey, moist vanilla sheet cake, and a hint of woody winter spices with a nice layer of brandy-soaked raisins and plums on the nose.
Palate: There’s a deep berry crumble on the palate with a big dollop of rich vanilla buttercream next to cinnamon sticks and spice barks over a hint of marshmallow, strawberry shortcake, and old oak staves.
Finish: Those oak staves get dipped in salted dark chocolate with a hint more of that rich vanilla buttercream next to spiced tobacco rolled with spicy winter cakes stuffed with plum jam and mulled wine.
Bottom Line:
This is another great bourbon for fruit-heads who want a little punch in their bourbon. While this is a great sipper (especially over a rock), it makes killer cocktails.
Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond 8-Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Fall 2023
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $109
The Whiskey:
The second limited edition Old Fitz release this year is a fairly young entry to the ongoing Decanter series. This edition was built from Heaven Hill wheated bourbon barrels filled in the fall of 205. Those barrels were carefully selected and batched before proofing and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Wet brown sugar cut with cinnamon and fresh butter layers over toasted buttermilk biscuits before nutmeg-heavy eggnog creates a lush feeling on the nose next to hints of overripe peaches, apricots, and pears with a hint of salted caramel.
Palate: The palate opens with a vibrant sense of fresh peaches swimming in vanilla-laced heavy cream before hitting on the salted caramel with a layer of winter spice that starts to lean peppery and grassy on the mid-palate.
Finish: Those sharp spices drive the luxurious finish toward brandy-soaked pears and stewed peaches with plenty of winter spice, butter, and molasses before a whisper of old oak and tobacco sneak in late.
Bottom Line:
This is a sipper that deserves to be sipped (don’t hide this one away in a vault). Pour this over a big rock and take it slow.
George Dickel Bourbon Whisky Aged 18 Years Limited Release
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $484
The Whisky:
The latest Dickel release is a monumental one. The whiskey is an 18-year-old Tennessee bourbon (made with a corn-heavy mash bill of 84% corn, 8% rye, and 8% malted barley). The batch was made from a very small selection of barrels that were left to do their thing in Cascade Hollow’s famed single-story rickhouses in very rural Tennessee. Once batched, the whiskey was proofed and bottled otherwise as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose draws you in with a lush crème brulée served with a peach cobbler on the side before dark notes of winter spice barks and buds lead to a whisper of piney honey layered into tobacco that’s been braided with smudging sage and dry sweetgrass next to this hint of musty leather in an old cheese cellar.
Palate: That lush crème brulée drives the palate toward silken eggnog vibes with a sense of creamed honey, soft winter spice cakes brimming with dried fruit, nuts, and candied citrus before a dark sense of cellar floor dirt and old oak staves arrive with more of that tobacco braid.
Finish: The end leans into the lushness of it all and leaves you with a sense of walking through an old rickhouse that’s been standing for 100 years while holding a chocolate-dipped orange vanilla cigar in one hand and a smoldering marshmallow in the other.
Bottom Line:
This is great bourbon to grab for a change of pace that takes you deeper. It’s soft yet so refined and nuanced while delivering classic bourbon notes next to fresh ones.
Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 15 Years Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 53.5%
Average Price: $2,999
The Whiskey:
This is where the “Pappy Van Winkle” line truly shines. The whiskey in this expression is pulled from wheated bourbon barrels that are at least 15 years old. Once batched, the whiskey is just touched with water to bring it down to a sturdy 107-proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with freshly fried sourdough fritters dusted with ground almonds, sharp cinnamon, cloves, orange zest, burnt sugars, and maple frosting with a hint of old vanilla pods next to soft figs.
Palate: The palate leans into rich toffee with a sense of minced meat pies covered in powdered sugar frosting right next to sticky toffee pudding with salted caramel, orange zest, and tons of brown wintry spice countered by a moment of sour mulled red wine cut with dark maple syrup.
Finish: The end has a soft cedar vibe that leads to vanilla and dark cherry tobacco leaves and a hint of pine next to old white moss.
Bottom Line:
If you buy one Pappy this month, it should be this one. It’s the best of the 2023 lineup.
Brown Forman 150 Decanter
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $2,500
The Whiskey:
This minimalist decanter was created back in 2020 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Brown Forman (but was delayed for obvious reasons). The whiskey in the bottle is a very small batch (only six barrels) of 12-and-a-half-year-old barrels (150 months) that were batched, proofed, and bottled back in 2020. The decanters were finally released to the public in the late fall of 2023.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Maple syrup-soaked waffles drive the nose toward banana cream pie, dark whiskey-soaked cherries, and buttery honey before a hint of old tobacco leather and Nutella arrives.
Palate: That hazelnut and chocolate create a lush palate that leads to raspberry jam over creamed scones with a deep salted caramel vibe that’s dipped in very dark chocolate cut with dried florals and old winter spice barks.
Finish: The end leans into the dryness of the spice barks as dry tobacco cut with caramelized sugar from a cème brûlée leads to a finish that’s part toasted oak with a hint of smoldering char and part roasting herbs with a dash of spiced florals.
Bottom Line:
If you’re looking for a true collector’s piece, this is it. We will never see this bottle again. And yes, the whiskey is amazingly sippable inside. But… maybe hold onto this one for really special occasions?
Michter’s Limited Release Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 25 Years Old
ABV: 58.1%
Average Price: $1,500 (MSRP)
The Whiskey:
The whiskey in the bottle was distilled in or before 1998 at an undisclosed Kentucky distillery from a unique mash bill. That whiskey went into new American white oak barrels and was basically left alone until they were moved over to the Shively, Kentucky campus where they were monitored for excellence. When the barrels hit the right mark — that’s where the Michter’s team’s prowess comes in — they were batched for this very small limited release and bottled 100% as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a deep sense of old molasses vats that held prunes, dates, and raisins with a sense of winter spice barks, berries, and buds next to brown buttery Christmas sugar cookies dipped in dark chocolate and dusted with ground vanilla pods before this light sense of smoked walnut shells and fire-roasted chestnuts arrives.
Palate: That molasses leans toward thick hot chocolate just kissed with red chili before a deep sense of candied almonds takes the taste toward rich and moist sticky toffee pudding flaked with sea salt and fresh orange zest with a hint of vanilla buttercream.
Finish: The end leans into dried sweetgrass and old fall leaves in an apple orchard with a hint of pear-brandy-soaked marzipan dipped in dark-as-night chocolate and kissed with a mix of woody brown winter spices wrapped up in old tobacco leaves and stored in a very old whiskey barrel in a musty old brick rickhouse on a cold fall day.
Bottom Line:
After a three-year absence, Michter’s 25-Year Bourbon is back and it’s a … masterpiece. This is quintessential Kentucky bourbon that will wow you from top to bottom. Take it slow and you’ll be rewarded with what might be a once-in-a-lifetime pour of whiskey.
