Welcome to 2024, whiskey crew. We’ve just come off five solid months of seemingly endless whiskey releases, the holiday season, and all the trimmings that come with all of that. It’s okay if you feel a little burned out on whiskey stuff. I get it. But the wheels of the whiskey industry never stop nowadays and that means it’s time to call out the best whiskeys to drink this January.
If you’re in the whiskey industry, Dry January doesn’t exist. It’s more a time to reset, catch up, and look forward to the year ahead. So the 10 bottles of whiskey I’m calling out below do just that. There’s a mix of late-2023 drops that snuck under the radar, brand-new releases that are dropping this week (literally), and some iconic once-in-a-lifetime releases for good measure.
Since there’s such a wide array, my advice is simple. Go through my tasting notes for each whiskey, find the one that speaks to you, and then hit that price link to see if you can score a bottle too. Welcome to 2024!
Traveller Whiskey Blend No. 40 Blended Whiskey
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $39
The Whiskey:
This new whiskey from Buffalo Trace is the summation of years of collaboration between Country icon Chris Stapleton and Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley. They’ve been collaborating on single barrel picks of E.H. Taylor, Jr. Bourbon for years now and decided to make it official in 2024. The whiskey in the bottle is a special blend of Buffalo Trace rye and bourbons that hit just the right note for Stapleton’s whiskey palate.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose leans into rich Buffalo Trace bourbon with a deep vanilla buttercream over soft spiced brandied cherries just kissed with dark chocolate and old oak staves with a whisper of salted caramel.
Palate: That caramel has a hint of sweet corn to it on the palate before the vanilla rushes back in with a creamy lusciousness and layers of winter spices, orchard barks, and musty barrel houses — classic Buffalo Trace.
Finish: The end warms nicely for a moment with plenty of woody winter spice and a touch of grassy rye notes before the lush vanilla, cherry, and oak finish lingers for just the right amount of time.
Bottom Line:
This is a very classic Buffalo Trace whiskey. It’s a great example of how far blended American whiskey has come as well since this whiskey is easily sippable or mixable into your favorite whiskey-forward cocktail.
New Riff High Note Series: Bohemian Wheat Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 8-Year-Old
ABV: 58.95%
Average Price: $69
The Whiskey:
This late 2023 release from New Riff is all about the wheat. The whiskey is made with 65% non-GMO corn, 18% Bohemian floor-malted wheat, 10% unmalted wheat, and 7% dark wheat. The whiskey was then small batched and bottled 100% as-is to highlight the work that the wood and wheated bourbon underwent over years of resting on the Ohio River.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose feels like walking into an old bread bakery in Central Europe early in the morning before hitting this note of freshly fried apple fritters and old-fashioned doughnuts, a touch of prune, plum, and date, and a good dose of soft winter spice.
Palate: The palate is dry but full of sourdough bread crusts, Graham Crackers, and Fig Newtons with a touch of huckleberry jam, dry sweetgrass braided with smudging sage, and a touch of straw bale before the woody spice kicks in with a cinnamon bark focus.
Finish: The end leans into the woody spices with a touch of clove, allspice, and nutmeg before sweetgrass and bread crusts take over with a hint of buttery cream.
Bottom Line:
This is a very unique pour of bourbon. Grab this to expand your palate beyond the usual sweet/spicy Kentucky bourbons of the mainstream.
Old Forester 117 Series: Scotch Cask Finish Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 46.5%
Average Price: $279
The Whiskey:
This brand-new release from Old Forester is their classic bourbon rested in finishing barrels from Speyside. The Scotch barrels were used sherry and wine barrels that held Scotch whisky before being shipped to Louisville and filled with well-aged bourbon. A very small batch of barrels was then vatted and bottled with a touch of proofing water for this special release.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dark yet creamy chocolate pops on the nose with a deep sense of orange oils cut with spiced mulled wine, a touch of sticky toffee pudding, and salted caramel sauce just kissed with brandy pear and cherry.
Palate: Apple fritters and toffee rolled in almond drive the palate toward cinnamon-spiced chocolate cake covered in almond buttercream frosting with a nice whisper of barrel-toasted sugars that release this fluttering twinge of singed marshmallow.
Finish: The end is silky with a deep sense of that buttercream almond frosting, sharp woody winter spices, and old oak staves from a dank and musty cellar.
Bottom Line:
Old Forester just can’t miss with these special releases right now. Every single one has slapped over the last year or so. This is a great sipping bourbon.
Almost Old Bones Bourbon 9 Years Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 55%
Average Price: $89
The Whiskey:
Old Bones is known for their 10-year-old bourbon releases but changed it up a bit for this late 2023 drop. The whiskey is a sourced Kentucky bourbon from Bardstown with a 75% corn, 15% rye, and 10% malted barley mash bill. The whiskey barrels were left alone for nine years before batching and bottling with a light kiss of water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is pure classic Kentucky bourbon with a deep vanilla presence layered with soft orchard fruits, stewed and spiced cherry, and old barrelhouse earthiness.
Palate: The palate leans into the sweet/spicy vibes with dark cherries dipped in cinnamon syrup and served with vanilla sauce and shaved dark chocolate cut with a hint of oily tobacco and cedar bark.
Finish: The end leans into the tobacco and cedar with a deep oakiness that highlights woody winter spices, stewed fruits, and soft vanilla.
Bottom Line:
This is a classic Kentucky sipper with a nice warm hug at the end. Pour it over a big rock or into your favorite whiskey-forward cocktail and you’ll be all set.
Cedar Ridge Distillery The QuintEssential American Single Malt Whiskey Special Release “Portside”
ABV: 58.6%
Average Price: $99
The Whiskey:
This new special release of Cedar Ridge’s now-iconic Quintessential American Single Malt takes that whiskey to new places. The base is the same 100% 2-Row Pale malted barely base that’s aged for six years in ex-bourbon barrels. Prime casks were then batched and re-barreled into first-fill Ruby Port casks, first-fill Amontillado sherry casks, and new French oak casks. Those barrels were then vatted and the whiskey was bottled 100% as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose draws you in with a sense of pecan waffles with a sharp candied orange rind vibe next to sugar cookies frosted with almond and lemon oil-infused frosting, a touch of creamy chocolate, and a sharp slice of ginger soaked in maple syrup.
Palate: That candied orange takes on the ginger with a rock candy sharpness and sweetness before Nutella enters the equation over buttermilk biscuits with a deep butteriness that leans toward toffee and brandy-soaked cherries dipped in dark salted chocolate.
Finish: The pecan and chocolate combine on the finish with a deep woody winter spice, soft vanilla pancake, and candied orange feel before stewed pear and soft marzipan kick in with a mildly warming finish that leans into rich tobacco spice just kissed with dried red leathery chili.
Bottom Line:
Cedar Ridge’s The Quintessential is already a must-have American single malt. This version is even more dialed and just stellar. Take a deep dive into the greatness that American single malt whiskey is (finally) achieving by getting this bottle and loving every second of it.
Lost Lantern Single Distillery Series Brooklyn Bakery Kings County Distillery Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 66.5%
Average Price: $99
The Whiskey:
Lost Lantern closed out 2023 with a release of some truly outstanding whiskeys. This single distillery release is a very small batch from New York’s iconic Kings County Distillery. The whiskey in the bottles is batched from five and six-year-old small barrels (15 gallons) made from a New York-grown mash bill of 80% corn and 20% malted barley. Once batched, the whiskey went into the bottle 100% as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Caramel malts and dark chocolate shavings drive the nose toward pecan pie with a dollop of fresh cream next to hints of blackberry brambles and soft sweet oak.
Palate: The palate leans into the blackberry in a crumble fashioned with a big scoop of malted vanilla ice cream next to a slice of warm cherry pie, wintry oak spices, and a touch of that dark chocolate sneaking in late.
Finish: The finish dips honey Graham Crackers in that dark chocolate as the stewed cherry and blackberry lead to buttery spiced crumble and a final bow from the lush malted vanilla ice cream.
Bottom Line:
This is a super fruity and creamy vanilla pour that’s great for when you’re ready for a change of pace in your bourbon lineup. Pour this over some ice to take that creaminess up to MAX volume with even more dark and tart berry vibes.
Jeptha Creed RWB Heirloom Mash Bill Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $82
The Whiskey:
This whiskey was released for Veteran’s Day late last year. The mash is a mix of 25% Bloody Butcher corn, 25% heirloom white corn, 25% Bruce’s Blue corn, 20% malted rye, and 5% malted barley. That juice is aged for at least four years before blending, proofing, and bottling for this special once-per-year release.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with hints of wicker, old leather, apple and pear cider, and a good dose of burnt orange and old oak.
Palate: The palate has a salted caramel vibe that leads to pecan waffles with plenty of maple syrup and butter next to burnt orange tobacco leaves and a touch of holiday spices.
Finish: The end leans into those woody holiday spices with a sense of caramel candies and allspice-spiked apple cider with a hint of old apple orchard wood and bark.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice woody bourbon that leans into vibrant orchard fruits. Then it goes deep on nutty sweetness on the palate that just works. Long story short, it’s diverse and delicious. Pour it over a rock or into your favorite whiskey-forward cocktail.
J. Rieger & Co. Six Columns Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $39
The Whiskey:
This whiskey from J. Rieger & Co. celebrates their home college football team with a special small batch offering. The whiskey in the bottle is a batch of four and five-year-old bourbons aged in Missouri. Once batched, the whiskey was proofed with local Missouri water for bottling and branded with the famed “Six Columns” of the University of Missouri football team.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is classic from the jump with a nose full of cherry tobacco cut with deep vanilla oils, orange zest, and soft baking spices in wintry gingerbread.
Palate: That dark cherry takes on a moment of brandy before chocolate-spiced tobacco drives the mid-palate toward oaky spice barks, soft cedar, and a hint of smudging sage braided with sweetgrass.
Finish: The end leans away from the dry grassy notes toward lush tobacco chewiness with a spiced cherry vibe just kissed with vanilla cream.
Bottom Line:
J. Rieger & Co. released this whiskey just in time for Mizzou’s run to the 2024 Cottom Bowl, which they won this past weekend. That makes this the exact right time to buy this whiskey.
Teeling Whiskey Single Malt Aged 33 Years Pineau Des Charentes Finish
ABV: 49.7%
Average Price: $3,795
The Whiskey:
This latest release from Teeling’s ultra-rare whiskey line is an oldie but a goodie. The whiskey was distilled back in 1989 and spent 30 years mellowing in ex-rum casks before it was batched and re-barreled into Pineau Des Charentes wine casks for three more years of rest.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Black tea-soaked dates, stewed prunes with cardamom and clove, and white mulled wine drive the nose toward floral honey that’s so fresh you can still feel the honeycomb and this whisper of dried apricot rolled with roasted almonds.
Palate: That medley of apricot and almond pops on the palate as grilled pineapple combines with clove-laden tobacco and spice cakes with a hint of brandied cherries dipped in salted dark chocolate with a whisper of orange oils lurking in the background.
Finish: That cherry vibes carry on throughout the finish as the winter spices get woody and dry and attach to sharp and spice tobacco with a hint of old worn boot leather, soft marzipan, and a touch more of that honeycomb.
Bottom Line:
This is squarely in the once-in-a-lifetime buy category. This is exemplary whiskey and worth checking out as a pour at your favorite whiskey bar before committing to the price tag for a whole bottle. Still, this is delicious.
Talisker Single Malt Scotch Whisky “Parley” Glacial Edge 45-Year-Old
ABV: 49.8%
Average Price: $4,999
The Whiskey:
The latest release from Talisker’s Parley series is a wildly unique version of the whisky. The juice was left to age for decades in old bourbon barrels next to the sea in Skye, Scotland. Then Talisker filled finishing barrels with ice to crack them open and fracture the staves before reassembling the barrels for a finishing run, creating a new wood surface for aging. Those barrels were then vatted and the whisky was bottled 100% as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is very bourbon forward for a fleeting moment — vanilla and orchard fruit — before diving into sheets of damp nori, soft grey sand from a rainy beach, and salted lime with this foundation of rich and lush sticky toffee pudding, creamy figs, and ambrosia salad before this whisper of fat and creamy insense wick arrives.
Palate: The palate is richly luxurious with a soft sense of smoked prunes and dates that were soaked in salt water before being turned into jam with spice barks and clove buds next to seawater salted caramel dipped in nutty nori flakes and dark and dry chili pepper flakes.
Finish: The end is long AF with a sense of fresh honeycomb candles that have just been lit next to salted orange rinds and tart cherries next to smoked chili pepper flakes over a malted gingerbread cut with smoked plums and figs with this fleeting whisper of spicy tinned mussels cracked opened on a rainy pebble beach on a cold winters day.
Bottom Line:
This is magic. This is a life-changing pour of whisky in that you’ll immediately think “I never knew whisky could be this…” It’s also f*cking amazingly delicious.
