This is it. We’ve reached the end of the road, folks. Today is my last day as a full-time spirits writer at Uproxx. I’ll be leaving you to work for a Kentucky-based whiskey brand as their Chief Brand Officer and VP of International Sales. In times like these, you can’t help but look back — I’ve been writing about travel, food, and drinks at Uproxx since early 2016 — and reflect on what has been one hell of a run.
Over the last eight years at UPROXX, I’ve tasted close to ten thousand whiskeys. Last year alone, I racked up around 2,500 individual pours. While I was writing tasting notes for Uproxx, I was also judging whiskey (along with other spirits, RTDs, beer, and cocktails) at events like the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the IWSC. That all was piled on decades of traveling the world, eating and drinking while learning to cook local cuisines everywhere from Kyrgyzstan to Kerala to Krakow to California. There was a good half-decade of bar work in there, too — I had the pleasure of learning behind the stick at two of the best bars in Europe: Victoria Bar and Rum Trader in Berlin. All told, I’ve had a blessed life when it comes to tasting food and drink and it’s been an honor sharing that with you all these years.
Below, I’m calling out 100 whiskeys that I love deeply. It’s my all-timers club. But I’m not ranking a bourbon above a Scotch single malt or rye or Japanese malt — they all have different qualities. So, I’ve put these 100 whiskeys into four sections with 25 whiskeys in each. Call this my Swan Song, my goodbye, my final answers on all things whiskey for Uproxx.
One last time, let’s dive in!
PART 1 — THE BEST MISCELLANEOUS WHISKEYS
25. Penderyn Rhiannon Single Malt Welsh Whisky
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $90
The Whisky:
This Welsh whisky is part of the distillery’s “Icons of Wales” line. The seventh release in that series is a malted barley whisky aged in sherrywood grand cru barrels and proofed with local Welsh spring water. The bottle is named after the Celtic horse goddess which means “Great Queen.”
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This hits hard, with a big oak char that immediately fades towards red and blackberries plus a hint of pear that’s then emboldened by creamy walnut sauce from a Chiles en Nogada on the nose.
Palate: The taste touches on rich marzipan and walnut cake as a creamy caramel leads towards plums, more berries, chocolate-covered espresso beans, and a hint of dry oak.
Finish: The end leans back into the spiced creamy sauce with a nice touch of toffee that’s just kissed with salt and cinnamon before a supple chewing tobacco cut with honey sneaks in late.
Bottom Line:
This is a great outlier malt from Wales. While this is only really going to be available in the UK and EU, it’s worth tracking down to get a sense of the great work Penderyn is doing in the malt scene outside of Scotland.
24. Indri Single Malt Indian Whisky Diwali Collector’s Edition 2023 PX Sherry Peat
ABV: 60.5%
Average Price: $135
The Whisky:
This peated malt from India is made with 6-row Barley that’s locally grown and peated before fermentation and running through old copper pot stills. That hot whisky is then filled in old PX sherry casks and left to age in the sub-tropical climate of Northern India.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: A medley of homemade trail mix with really good nuts, raisins, and chocolates drives the nose toward deeply earthy oakiness with a smoldering sense of a sweet brush fire off in the distance.
Palate: Candied ginger and red berries lead the palate toward toasted walnuts and cashews with a flake of salt before spiced oak staves lead back to the trail mix with way more dark chocolate in it.
Finish: That dark chocolate gets creamy on the finish as spiced nuts and dried berries drive the finish toward a whisp of the sweet brush fire that almost feels like burning sugar cane.
Bottom Line:
There are a lot of great Indri malts. This is a recent expression that is simply delicious. I like breaking this out as a pairing whiskey with big spicy food flavors — Fishhead Vindaloo, Nasi Goreng, Szechuan Pork, Camarones a la Diabla, etc.
23. Rare Perfection 15 Years Old Cask Strength Canadian Whiskey
ABV: 59.85%
Average Price: $194
The Whiskey:
This very rare whiskey from Preservation Distilling is a Canadian whiskey that was hidden away in Canada for a long time. The whiskey in the batch is a 15-year-old whiskey that’s batched to highlight dark and deep fruitiness while feeling like something deeply familiar to the American bourbon lover.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dark orange chocolate balls open the nose toward rich vanilla buttercream, smoldering oak staves, and a whisper of dry green tea leaves with this whisper of strawberry shortcake lurking in the background.
Palate: The orange takes on a candied vibe with a hint of ginger on the palate as creamy eggnog lattes mingle with pear brandy-soaked marzipan dipped in dark chocolate next to a moment tart red fruit tobacco.
Finish: A deep oakiness arrives late with warming spice barks and rich tobacco leaves before the orange returns with a bright zestiness that accentuates the warming spices and old oak.
Bottom Line:
Canadian whisky remains very hit-and-miss. Luckily, we’re starting to get some gems down here and this is a prime example of the amazing old barrels waiting to be bottled from up in the frigid North.
22. Pōkeno New Zealand Single Malt Whisky Single Cask Double Bourbon Cask
ABV: 56%
Average Price: $112
The Whisky:
The New Zealand malt is made with local barley. That hot juice is then aged in first-fill bourbon barrels for just under three years before it’s re-barreled in fresh first-fill bourbon barrels for an additional six months of mellowing. One barrel was then bottled completely as-is for this special U.S.-only release.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Old vanilla pods and dark cacao nibs mingle with honeysuckle, nasturtium, and old sweet oak staves with a hint of nutmeg, espresso, and creamed salted caramel filling out the deep nose.
Palate: That honeysuckle and dark cacao drive the malty palate toward a rich sense of malted cookies dipped in toffee candy and rolled in spice barks and dried red berries with a whisper of coconut tobacco lurking in the far background.
Finish: The finish leans into the spice barks and old sweet oak staves with a fluttering of coastal rocky brininess that somehow just works with the sweet and spicy malts, providing a lovely balance on the finish.
Bottom Line:
Pōkeno is one of the most exciting single malt whiskies right now. They’re killing it with these special finishes.
21. Waterford Irish Single Malt Whisky Peated Fenniscourt 1.1
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $105
The Whiskey:
This Irish whisky is extraordinarily special. The whisky is made with Arcadian barley grown in Fenniscourt in County Carlow on the Byrne Family farm near the River Barrow. The barley was kilned with peat from Niall Carroll’s cuttings at Ballyteige in County Kildare before mashing and distilling. The whisky was then aged in first-fill bourbon barrels, French oak, and Vin Doux Naturel casks.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a bold sense of a football field after a rainstorm that’s accented by fresh lemonade, moist marzipan, buttermilk biscuits, pancake syrup, and dried pear slices kissed with sea salt and olive oil with these fleeting sense of roasting herbs.
Palate: Those roasting herbs take on a fatty smoked pork vibe on the palate as old tobacco leather and salty chili spice lead to dark cherry and lychee with a mild sense of plum jam.
Finish: The end circles back around to that rainy field with a sense of warming spices, old tobacco, and soft salted creaminess.
Bottom Line:
Waterford is a real whisky-nerd whisky. This is all about learning about soils, grains, and processes with each new expression from the brand. That does make these whiskies feel a little like homework, but it’s important work for the whole industry.
20. Virginia Distillery Co. American Single Malt Whisky Courage & Conviction Double Cask Reserve
ABV: 48%
Average Price: $71
The Whiskey:
This new fall release from Virginia Distillery Co. features double asking. That means that the whiskey was aged a minimum of five years in first-fill bourbon casks and European red wine Cuvée casks before slow batching with a touch of water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with deep honey and candied orange next to apricot jam over scones with a hint of malted spice and brandy-soaked oak staves.
Palate: Black Forest cake by way of honey-pear-floral malted crackers drives the palate toward winter spice barks, soft milk chocolate sauce, and a dash of lemon malt meringue.
Finish: Fresh gingerbread and soft oak round out the finish with a nice dose of spice, chocolate, and malt.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the best single malts in America. The work they’re doing in Virginia is as close as you’ll get to a great Scotch whisky in the U.S.
19. The Macklowe American Single Malt Whiskey 6th Edition
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $1,699
The Whiskey:
This is a super rare American single malt that’s filtered through a masterful Scotch whisky POV. The barrel was chosen by Master Blender Ian MacMillan and American beauty entrepreneur, socialite, and whiskey master Julie Macklowe. MacMillan and Macklowe chose a seven-year-old toasted barrel single malt aged in new American white oak in Kentucky. That whiskey was cut with local water and bottled as-is otherwise, creating only 237 bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is all about sweet oak sugars (think brown sugar and rock candy) with a sense of burnt orange, marzipan, and salted caramel next to this moment of spicy honey with a twinge of dried florals and pecans.
Palate: Bitter yet sweet orange drives the taste toward soft stick toffee pudding with good salted caramel, orange zest, and walnut next to real maple syrup and old woody holiday spice barks.
Finish: Those holiday spices blend with the marzipan and dried orange for a cake vibe that’s accented by soft malted whisky with a sense of bourbon cream.
Bottom Line:
This is another great example of the single malt burgeoning in the U.S. right now. It’s supple and classic, which makes it a great sipper for Scotch fans looking for something local.
18. The Hakushu Single Malt Japanese Whisky Peated Malt Aged 18 Years 100th Anniversary Suntory Whisky
ABV: 48%
Average Price: $1,199
The Whisky:
This whisky was blended from 18-year-old peated single malt casks (a lot of different woods in play) to celebrate the centenary of Suntory. Once vatted, the peated whisky was mellowed with super soft mountain water that has spent millennia filtering through granite.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Bright fruit greets you on the nose with fresh and tart apples leading to juicy pineapple with a hint of woody honey, smoked pear, and a light sense of roasting sage.
Palate: The peatiness layers through roasting herbs, grapefruit peels, and more woody honey but never overpowers while minor keys of white flowers and creamed honey create a luscious texture.
Finish: Pomelo and grapefruit oils linger on the finish with a line of smoke that’s … clean. It’s like a thin whisp of smoke from whisky-soaked coal that wafts through an apple orchard in full bloom while you sip from green tea just kissed with fresh honey.
Bottom Line:
This is a beautiful pour of unique whisky. It’s 100% its own thing and worthwhile in that it’ll expand your palate with subtle flavors you may have never tasted in whisky before.
17. Triple Eight Distillery The Notch Nantucket Island Single Malt Whisky 12 Years Old
ABV: 48%
Average Price: $399
The Whiskey:
This is classic The Notch single malt made with Maris Otter barley. In this case, the barrels are left seaside for 12 years before batching, proofing, and bottling in slightly larger runs than the famed eight-year-old expression from the brand.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Creamy toffee with a flake of salt leads to red berries and stewed apples with a hint of floral honey, old oak staves, and cellar funk.
Palate: The taste is immediately pure silk and lush with a sense of creamy yet floral honey, creamed berries stewed in a pie, and malted vanilla wafers layered with nougat next to a fruit orchard on a bright summer day.
Finish: That orchard drives the finish toward a soft honeyed sweetness with a touch of apple and raspberry cobbler with a soft dollop of vanilla ice cream that’s just kissed with salt and caramel.
Bottom Line:
The Notch is probably the best hidden gem single malt in the U.S. This whiskey is very niche and you kind of have to be in Massachusetts to even get it (from a brewery no less).
16. Nikka Whisky Single Malt Yoichi 10 Years Old
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $175
The Whisky:
The Yoichi facility is perched on the Hokkaido coast in the far north of Japan. The whisky is made very slowly with lightly peated local malt. The mash is made with local spring water and slowly distilled in pot stills with direct coal heating underneath. That whisky is then left to age for 10 years by the sea but also in the forest, in used oak, until it’s just right. The barrels are then vatted in a large wooden tank and bottled with a touch of that local water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a clear sense of an old herb spice cupboard with a hint of mint and sage that leads to fresh tart apples and red berries with a touch of smoked plums and apricots next to fresh pain au chocolate dipped in floral honey.
Palate: That buttery pastry opens the taste with a hint of white pepper and dried strawberries dipped in milk chocolate and drizzled with a spiced caramel before this thin whisper of smoked mushroom powder sneaks in.
Finish: That smoked umami vibe attaches to a dry oakiness with a sense of apricot leather just kissed with sweet orchard wood smoke and soft pepperiness tied to malted honey digestive biscuits before a final rush of creamy yet still floral honey softens everything.
Bottom Line:
This is the whisky I’m most likely to bring to a dinner party. It pairs wonderfully with any type of meal, especially a cheese board, and is an unbelievably easy sipper.
15. Balcones Pilgrimage Texas Single Malt Whisky
ABV: 58.5%
Average Price: $76
The Whisky:
This single malt starts with Golden Promise malted barley in the mash with proprietary ale yeast and local Texas water. The distilled juice is then loaded into used barrels like all of the world’s great single malts. After a few years of aging under the hot Texas sun, the whisky is transferred into French Sauternes casks, bringing a distinct dessert wine vibe to the whiskey. Finally, the whisky is bottled at cask strength from very small, one-off batches.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is all sweet honey, soft white grapes, stewed peaches in syrup, light leather, ripe pear, and a touch of salted caramel candy. There’s also this fleeting moment of milk chocolate.
Palate: The taste starts off a bit slow with an initial moment of sweet grains that translate to very clear pear notes by the mid-palate before ascending towards honeyed malts, Caro syrup roasted pecans, apple blossoms, and a small dusting of egg nog spices.
Finish: All of that sweetness and fruitiness completely hides the ABVs under a wall of lusciousness. The end does have a spicy edge but it’s still tied to the sweet honey and orchard fruits and leaves you with this sense of a refined apple soda and more milk chocolate at the very end.
Bottom Line:
This release is where Balcones truly came into their own. This is planting a flag for Texas Single Malt in the whisky world, and it’s goddamn delicious.
14. Kavalan Oloroso Sherry Oak Single Malt Whisky
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $209
The Whiskey:
This version of Kavalan takes their iconic Solist release and adds a touch of local mountain spring water to just proof it down. That sherry-finished whisky is then bottled for this iconic release.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dried red berries, figs, and dates lead to marzipan richness and soft winter spice powders that are just kissed with red mulled wine and vanilla cakes.
Palate: The palate is lush from the jump with layers of moist holiday fruit and nut cakes, candied orange, brandy-soaked cherry, soft marzipan, and plummy jams over soft buttermilk scones.
Finish: A hint of dark salted chocolate pops on the finish with a sense of clove-laced berry cobbler, soft vanilla buttercream, and a fleeting sense of old oak cellars with sweet dirt floors.
Bottom Line:
Kavalan is one of those whiskies that hasn’t quite popped in the U.S. yet but is amazing. Start here and then try them all (that you can get your hands on).
13. 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:
These ultra-rare releases from Teeling are the jewel in the crown of the Irish whiskey brand. This is just incredible sipping whiskey with beautiful depth.
12. Little Book Chapter 5: “The Invitation”
ABV: 58.4%
Average Price: $299
The Whiskey:
The whiskey in this vintage Little Book is a blend of four whiskeys — three straight bourbons and one straight rye. The rye is a 100% malted rye that’s three years old. The bourbons are two, five, and 15 years old.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a Pecan Sandie vibe with a flake of salt, spiciness derived from fresh ginger juice, and dark chocolate laced with raw sugar and apple-soaked cinnamon sticks that have been ground to a fine powder.
Palate: The palate builds on that cinnamon spice with a touch of nutmeg and clove that ties to a vanilla pudding-esque svelte body next to little pops of dried pecan shells, faux maple syrup, cinnamon toast with plenty of butter, more of that ginger, and a touch of subtle red fruit.
Finish: The mid-palate leans creamy with light milk chocolate that leads back to the warmth with a dried red peppercorn pepperiness next to a rush of cedar boxes full of vanilla tobacco leaves with the slightest echo of menthol and dried reeds on the very deep back end.
Bottom Line:
Of the seven Little Books, so far, this was my favorite. The balance of bourbon and rye just sings on the palate and delivers a quintessential Kentucky vibe.
11. Heaven Hill Heritage Collection 2nd Edition Kentucky Straight Corn Whiskey Aged 20 Years
ABV: 57.5%
Average Price: $289
The Whiskey:
The 2nd edition of Heaven Hill’s Heritage Collection asks what budget brand Mellow Corn would taste like when left alone for 20 years and treated like an elite whiskey. The results from the mash of 80% corn, 12% malted barley, and 8% rye ended up in 110 barrels back in October 2002. After 20 long years in Heaven Hill’s famed Rickhouse 1K, they were batched and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a mix of sweet white grits cut with salted caramel and old oak on the nose next to a slight nuttiness with a hint of sweetgrass dipped in Caro Syrup.
Palate: That dry grassy nature continues on the palate as burnt orange and dry nuts balance out next to sweet dry white hominy and a hint of vanilla pods.
Finish: The end leans into the burnt orange and nuttiness with a creamy edge and a mild sense of powdered winter spices.
Bottom Line:
Heaven Hill makes amazing whiskey. Their corn whiskey is no exception. This ultra-rare release from 2023 is a prime example of how you can step outside of the norm and still deliver an exceptional product.
10. Bushmills Aged 25 Years Irish Single Malt Whiskey
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $949
The Whiskey:
This small-batch high-age-statement whiskey from north Ireland is a bold pour. The whiskey in the bottle is made from a whiskey that spent about four years in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks before batching and re-barreling into ruby port casks for 21 long years of “finishing”. Those casks were small-batched, proofed, and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a huge old tannic oak note on the nose that leads to old dark fruit leathers, a hint of old honey, and plenty of dark espresso beans just kissed with dark chocolate and winter spice.
Palate: The taste is silky but dominated by chewy old oak staves dipped in stewed dark fruits cut with winter spice barks, burnt orange, and bitter chocolate sauce.
Finish: That chocolate and barky spice merge on the finish and swing back toward that old oak with a sense of dry tobacco packed into an old cedar humidor with this fleeting sense of dried roasting sage and singed rosemary.
Bottom Line:
Of all the Bushmill special editions, this is the sweet spot. There are older whiskeys in the lineup, but this is where they peak with the most beauty and depth (and sippability).
9. Bardstown Bourbon Company Chateau Doisy Daene A Blend Of Straight Whiskeys Finished In Sauternes Barrels And Toasted Oak Barrels
ABV: 54.5%
Average Price: $159
The Whiskey:
This collab is a blend of 10-year-old Kentucky bourbon with six-year-old Indiana rye (with a high-corn mash bill). Those whiskeys were batched and then re-barreled into Chateau Doisy Daene Sauternes barrels for another seven months of aging before another batching session. Then that whiskey was re-barreled again into a new toasted oak barrel for a final four months before batching and bottling as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Rum raisin and black-tea-soaked dates drive the nose toward bitter marmalade, brandy-soaked marzipan, cinnamon-laced apple cider, and creamed honey with a fleeting sense of white wildflowers in the summer.
Palate: Semi-fermented raisins fresh off the vine open the palate toward caramel candies cut with freshly ground cinnamon and nutmeg next to soft vanilla pound cake drizzled with toffee cut with orange and salt.
Finish: The finish leans gently toward old oak staves in a sunny grape orchard with a light sense of orange blossom, Earl Grey tea, and fresh honeycomb with a nice vanilla lush underbelly.
Bottom Line:
Bardstown Bourbon Company makes some of the best collab whiskeys in the game right now. Their Chateau Doisy Daene collab is an amazing sipper that showcases the prowess of the team at BBCo and how much they care about flavor above all else.
8. Michter’s Celebration Sour Mash 2022
ABV: 56.4%
Average Price: $19,999
The Whiskey:
The fourth ever Michter’s Celebration release — and the first one since 2019 — was finally released in early 2023. The bottle was slightly delayed, making it a February 2023 release this time around. This American whiskey is a collaboration between Michter’s Master Distiller Dan McKee and Master of Maturation Andrea Wilson. The duo chose seven whiskeys for this special blend that ranged from twelve to thirty-plus years old. Those barrels were batched and bottled without any cutting with water, creating only 328 bottles for the whole world.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose subtly opens with a sense of dark chocolate cut with brown butter, Saigon cinnamon bark, and a light note of crème brûlée made with just a drop of cognac.
Palate: That boozy vanilla opens the luxurious palate toward a dusting of winter spices — clove, anise, nutmeg — next to stewed peached and burnt orange over singed marshmallows, old smoldering hickory, and orchards full of falling leaves next to whisper of creamy black cherry and candied pecans.
Finish: Those pecans meld with woody maple syrup, more cinnamon bark, orange-studded cloves, and a sense of bushels of orchard fruits mixed with nuts and dried fruits in an old wooden basket and wrapped with thick old twine and leather next to a spiced chocolate cherry tobacco leaf dropped in the middle of it all.
Bottom Line:
I was going to put an older vintage of Michter’s Celebration here, but this one feels like the right one for this list. This is approachable yet feels like a deeply nuanced representation of the expression. It’s so easy to sip and yet it delivers almost endless flavor notes that massage into your senses more deeply with every return.
7. 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:
There are a lot of Midleton Very Rares out there but this one is the most fun. It’s delicate and soft — like all good Irish whiskey — while delivering depth and nuance in a way that’ll have you killing a bottle far too quickly.
6. Balcones Cataleja Texas Single Malt Whisky
ABV: 59%
Average Price: $125
The Whisky:
This new release from Balcones down in Waco, Texas celebrates the distillery’s 15th anniversary. The whisky in the bottle is built from 100% Golden Promise malted barley. That whisky was then aged in a variety of old sherry puncheons that held Moscatel, Amontillado Dulce, Oloroso, and Palo Cortado sherries for decades. Once batched, the whisky was bottled as-is with a drop of proofing water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Brandy-soaked dates, figs, and prunes pop on the nose with a hint of apricot jam, clove-studded oranges, cherry hand pies, and a note of soft pecan wood with this fleeting sense of … I swear … venison backstrap frying in butter in a cast iron skillet.
Palate: Those dates go hard on the palate as marzipan and salted cashews add a deep nuttiness with more of that clove-studded orange, a touch of lemon zest, and maybe some smoldering sandalwood next to eucalyptus and sage aromatic sticks.
Finish: A touch of smudging sage drives the finish toward grilled pineapple and peach with a touch of absinth herbs before a deeply creamy mocha latte leads to a scoop of black cherry ice cream.
Bottom Line:
Where Balcones Pilgrimage planted a flag for Texas Single Malt, this whisky took it to the stratosphere. This is amazingly unique and feels like the future of an entire region of whisky.
5. Hibiki Suntory Whisky 21 Years Old 100th Anniversary Suntory Whisky
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $7,000
The Whisky:
Sticking with Hibiki’s 100th anniversary, this new version of Hibiki 21 is going to be on a collector’s wish list. The whisky in the bottle is a blend of malt and grain whiskies chosen and blended by Suntory’s legendary Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo alongside his blending team. The team specifically chose Mizunara oak casks for the heart of the whisky out of respect for their shared Japanese heritage.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Jasmine blooms draw you in on the nose with a hint of savory fruits like dragonfruit and kumquat with a hint of star fruit next to burning incense coming from a distant sensor on the other side of the room.
Palate: Old potpourri with a hint of sandalwood drives the palate toward a super subtle sense of acacia bark next to a faint whisper of betel nut and maybe some floral honey with an almost crisp edge.
Finish: Spiced whisky wood staves arrive late on the finish with a sense of dried jasmine and lavender next to dried coriander and a fleeting sense of sweet incense in the far distance on a cold night.
Bottom Line:
It should come as no surprise that a 21-year-old Hibiki is amazing. If you’re looking for subtly and grace, this is the pour to have on hand.
4. 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 just incredible.
3. Kavalan Solist Sherry Oak Single Malt Whisky
ABV: 54%
Average Price: $269
The Whisky:
This big, award-winning whisky is made from 100% malted barley. The distillate is aged in Oloroso sherry casks for an undisclosed amount of years. That whisky is then bottled as-is without any coloring, filtration, or cutting with water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is pure Christmas cake on the nose with sticky prunes, tons of holiday spice, orange oils, and marzipan.
Palate: The taste has a subtle nutmeg with creamy vanilla that leads towards a soft and almost rummy plum pudding with a hint of sweet oak in the background.
Finish: Hints of dark chocolate dust lead towards a hot and spicy tobacco leaf buzz on the end that’s very reminiscent of a hard-hitting, high-ABV bourbon.
Bottom Line:
This is one of my all-time favorite Kavalan whiskies. It’s perfect.
2. Bardstown Bourbon Company Collaborative Series Foursquare Blend of Straight Whiskies Finished in Foursquare Rum Barrels
ABV: 53.5%
Average Price: $159
The Whiskey:
This is a much-sought-after blend from Kentucky darling Bardstown Bourbon Company. The blend in this case is a mix of seven-year-old Indiana straight rye with a mash bill of 51% rye, 45% corn, and 4% malted barley blended with a 17-year-old Tennessee straight bourbon with a mash bill of 84% corn, 8% rye, and 8% malted barley. Once those barrels are batched, the whiskey is re-barreled in Foursquare rum barrels for an additional 23-month rest.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Woody banana and rich marzipan pop on the nose with a deep and sharp clove, anise, and cinnamon vibe next to peanut butter clusters dusted with toasted coconut, burnt orange zest, and sea salt with this whisper of rum-soaked raisins and old oak in the background.
Palate: The rye funkiness drives the rummy oak tannins towards a soft sticky toffee pudding with rich toffee, mild vanilla oils, and a sense of spiced mincemeat pie.
Finish: The finish is lush and silken with a sense of fresh and warm vanilla pods over warm grog with a handful of dark and woody winter spices countered by luxurious and buttery salted caramel with a fleeting hint of smoldering marshmallow.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the best blended American whiskeys of the last decade, maybe of the 21st century.
1. Redbreast Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey Aged 27 Years Ruby Port Casks
ABV: 54.6%
Average Price: $674
The Whiskey:
This is the mountaintop of Irish whiskey and Redbreast. After triple distillation, the whiskey is left in ex-bourbon, ex-port, and ex-sherry casks for at least 27 years before batching and bottling at cask strength with zero fussing.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Bright red berries and mango skins (that are almost freaking juicy) mix with seared pineapple spears, roasting herbs, and spiced wood barks dipped in rock candy syrup and rolled in roasted walnuts and vanilla pods.
Palate: The palate is like silk with a sense of plums, figs, and cherries fresh from the vine next to dried chili over cinnamon bark, whole nutmeg, and toasted clove before lush brandy butter and a whisper of menthol pipe tobacco arrive.
Finish: That tobacco wanes as the fruits stew into a spiced holiday cake soaked in the best brandy and served with a dollop of the richest vanilla cream.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those whiskeys that I wish I could drink every day. It’s that good. The price makes me save it for special occasions. Still, this is probably the best Irish whiskey money can buy.
PART 2 — THE BEST BOURBON WHISKEYS
25. Starlight Distillery Carl T. Huber’s Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Pineau des Charentes Barrels
ABV: 52.05%
Average Price: $80
The Whiskey:
This whiskey from craft-distilling darling Starlight in Indiana is a masterpiece of distilling and aging. The juice is made from a high-corn mash with a touch of rye and malted barley in the mix alongside local water. The hot spirit goes into new white oak Canton barrels for about four years before it is refilled into hand-picked Pineau des Charentes casks from France (that’s a light grape-forward fortified wine) for a final maturation.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a soft sense of sultanas soaked in brandy with an echo of an old cheese cellar oak beams, vanilla wafers with floral honey pressed between them, almond crescent cookies, cinnamon powder, nutmeg, and orange and clove marmalade with a hint of savory scone.
Palate: The palate builds on the nose with layers of dark berry fruit leather, spiced holiday cakes with dates, allspice, and plenty of almond (and maybe some walnut) next to chestnut chutney cut with orange, pear, sultana, and a good dollop of winter spices with a hint of caramelized dark ale lurking underneath it all.
Finish: The end is a supple landing in softly spiced and dark fruity bourbon notes by way of a luxurious holiday cake soaked in brandy.
Bottom Line:
This whiskey helped take Starlight from a local farmhouse distiller to a national superstar. This is a great bourbon that hits every flavor note perfectly with a beautiful nuance and depth.
24. Nashville Barrel Company Straight Bourbon Whiskey Single Barrel 6 Years Old UPROXX January 2023 Barrel
ABV: 59.08%
Buy Here: $119
The Whiskey:
The barrel was chosen and bottled at the tail end of 2022 on a visit to Nashville Barrel Company. The whiskey in the bottle is a 6-year-and-two-month-old bourbon from MGP of Indiana. The high rye mash bourbon (75/21/4 corn/rye/malted barley) aged for five years in Indiana before moving to Nashville for an additional 14 months of resting. The bourbon went in the bottle at cask strength straight from the barrel.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with toffee, mild leather, orchard barks, blood orange, soft sweet grains, cinnamon sticks, cherry tobacco, plum, and a whisper of old pine accented by a touch of thyme.
Palate: The taste meanders through salted caramel, dates, cinnamon bark, cardamon pods, clove buds, and soft vanilla cake before leaning slowly into a spiced warmth.
Finish: The end arrives with sweet and chewy pipe tobacco, orange bitters, rock candy, and very light yet creamy cacao lushness next to hazelnut Manner Neapolitan Wafers and dry oak.
Bottom Line:
I picked this barrel and it’s delicious. If you’re looking for a bold yet supple bourbon sipping experience, look no further.
23. Bardstown Bourbon Company Discovery Series Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Series #11
ABV: 59.05%
Average Price: $139
The Whiskey:
The latest release from Bardstown Bourbon Company is a full-on Kentucky bourbon blend. The whiskey is made with 73% 13-year-old Kentucky bourbon, 21% 10-year-old Kentucky bourbon, and 6% of Bardstown’s own six-year-old Kentucky bourbon. Once batched, the whiskey mellows before bottling 100% as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Tart cherries and rich toffee rolled in roasted almond and dipped in salted dark chocolate drive the nose toward cinnamon spice cakes with a hint of dried cranberry, plummy sauce, and rich tobacco.
Palate: The taste leans into caramel-covered peanuts with a hint of red fruit leather, old spice barks, and a whisper of orange rinds next to a touch of Cherry Coke, old leather tobacco pouches, and the old beams from a whiskey barrel house.
Finish: The end leans into a lush vanilla buttercream with notes of old back porch wicker, almost sweet cedar kindling, smudging sage, and cinnamon bark soaked in cherry brandy with a touch of chili-cut dark chocolate.
Bottom Line:
I love pairing this whiskey with big meals — roasts, stews, risotto, pasta, etc. It is so diverse yet balanced. It’s truly a delicious whiskey that should get you very excited for what comes next from Bardstown Bourbon Company.
22. Blanton’s Straight From The Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 66.85%
Average Price: $240
The Whiskey:
This expression is the purest form of Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon. The whiskey in these bottles is from the same Blanton’s barrels, but they’re perfect just the way they are. This whiskey goes into the bottle straight from the barrel with no proofing water whatsoever.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is full of very bespoke dark chocolate-covered salted hard caramel toffees encrusted with almonds and pecans — the kind you get from a chocolate shop that imports their goodies from somewhere like Belgium — next to full fall leaves falling on wet grass outside musty old warehouses with a hint of well-worn boot leather lurking beneath it all.
Palate: The nutty toffee carries through into the taste as oily vanilla pods mingle with cedar boxes of dried tobacco leaves and a touch of floral honey jars with old wooden spoons and more of that old boot leather before sharp winter spices and dried red chili pop on the mid-palate.
Finish: The end is very long and lingers in your senses with a hot buzzing thanks to the barky spices and dry chili that subtly fades through all that sweetness before ending up in an old cedar box full of choco-chili tobacco layered with old dark fruit leather sheets.
Bottom Line:
If you’re going to give into the hype around Blanton’s, get their best bottle. It’s this one. Buy this one. And drink it! It’s great.
21. Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 70.45%
Average Price: $319
The Whiskey:
Last year’s Cowboy Bourbon from Garrison Brothers is a blend of only 118 barrels of six-year-old Texas bourbon. 1,000 bottles of the crafty Texas whiskey were available in mid-September at the distillery last fall. The rest — 8,600 bottles — are now in the wild and available nationally.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a rush of sharp cinnamon bark wrapped up with old saddle leather, freshly fried apple fritters, walnuts, old cedar bark braids twisted up with dried wild sage, and a hint of dried yellow mustard flowers with an underlying sense of maple syrup over pecan waffles.
Palate: The palate leans into the spice with a hint of allspice and ginger next to apple pie filling with walnuts, brandy-soaked raisins, and plenty of brown sugar next to spiced Christmas cake dipped in dark chocolate sauce.
Finish: The end takes its time and meanders through salted caramel, stewed plums with star anise and sharp cinnamon, a hint of vanilla Dr. Pepper, and a mild sense of chocolate-cinnamon-spiced chewing tobacco buzziness with a warming Texas hug that’s part Hot Tamales and part chili-spiced green tea.
Bottom Line:
Garrison Brothers is another Texas whiskey that’s truly come into its own in the past year or so. They’ve dialed in their vibe and last year’s Cowboy Bourbon is a great example of how far they’ve come and the exciting things to come.
20. Rabbit Hole Heigold Singel Barrel Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 52.8%
Average Price: $173
The Whiskey:
This is a four-year-old single-barrel version of Rabbit Hole’s beloved Heigold expression. That’s the brand’s double malt (malted rye and malted barley) that has a high-rye bourbon mash bill (70/25/5 corn/malted rye/malted barley). Prime barrels are bottled as-is at cask strength to highlight the beauty of Rabbit Hole’s spirit.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is lush with deep layers of maple syrup over pecan waffles with a good hit of salted butter (really good butter) next to dark chocolate chips, old boot leather, smudging sage that’s just smoldering, and a fleeting sense of old rickhouses on a crisp fall day.
Palate: The palate follows the nose’s path with caramelized pecans finished with floral honey and dusted with candied orange peels, ground pear chips, and very dark chocolate with a pinch of salt and apple blossom before the sharp and woody winter spice kicks in.
Finish: The end leans into the dryness of the winter spice mix before silky marzipan and maple syrup creamed with butter creates a luscious finish that slowly fades from warm to comforting.
Bottom Line:
Rabbit Hole has really started to pop in the last couple of years. Their single barrel program is a big part of that, with amazing releases like this. This is great Kentucky bourbon, folks.
19. Frank August Case Study 2: XO PX Brandy Cask Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50.5%
Average Price: $199
The Whiskey:
This Kentucky bourbon is all about time … and old-world oak. The whiskey was batched and then re-barreled into a 1992 cask that held PX brandy for 17 years. Another portion of the whiskey went into an XO PX brandy cask from 1948. The barrels were still wet when they arrived in Kentucky and re-filled with this bourbon, adding to the depth of that final aging of the final batch.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This starts with a deep sense of old-world oak before diving into dark prunes and dates with stewed apricots, soft dark chocolate, spicy mulled wine, and brandy-soaked pears rolled with rose-water-soaked marzipan with a hint of soft buttery toffee underneath it all.
Palate: Those dark fruits and murky spices drive the palate toward brown sugar, rum raisin, more of that brandied pear, old oak staves from an older cellar, soft reminiscent notes of cognac and Norman cider, and this fleeting sense of stewed prunes with a whisper of birch smoke.
Finish: The end goes full cognac with bright orchard fruits and berries with a hint of floral honey, soft vanilla oils, and sharp marmalade next to soft scones bespeckled with rum raisin and smeared with softly whipped salted butter over a plate made from dessert-wine-soaked oak staves.
Bottom Line:
This is an amazing sipper. Keep an eye on this brand as they continue to bring you fantastic whiskey.
18. Binder’s Stash Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 14 Years
ABV: 72.45%
Average Price: $750
The Whiskey:
This bottle from bespoke bottlers Binder’s Stash in Louisville is a hell of a find. The whiskey is a classic 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley mash bill that was left to age for 14 long years. Then the Binder’s Stash team bottled that barrel at cask strength, 100% as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Corn husks and toasted vanilla pods drive the nose toward rich nutmeg-heavy nog, singed black tea leaves, and a whisper of menthol tobacco loaded into an old pine humidor.
Palate: The palate is warm from the jump but countered by raw sugar rock candy, lush vanilla oils, salted caramel, and almost sweet and fresh roasting herbs with a hint of nasturtium leading to raw red chili pepper flakes and hot woody spice notes.
Finish: That woody spice amps up on the finish toward rich vanilla-laced pipe tobacco, singed marshmallow, and almost burnt salted caramel with a hint of dried red ancho chilis swimming in dark chocolate.
Bottom Line:
This is brash and bold whiskey that works. Binder’s Stash is the epitome of ‘go big or go home’ and they make it work every time. You might need to pour this big bourbon over some ice though.
17. 15 STARS Fine Aged Spirits Sherry Cask Finish A Select Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys Finished in Sherry Casks
ABV: 57.5%
Average Price: $179
The Whiskey:
This 2023 release from 15 STARS was 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:
15 STARS is bottling some amazing whiskey right now. It’s beautiful, deep, and delicious — especially this sherry cask finished bourbon.
16. Old Forester President’s Choice Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 58.5%
Average Price: $1,495
The Whiskey:
This year’s President’s Choice Single Barrel bourbon from Old Foresters is yet another masterpiece from the Louisville brand. The whiskey in this case is a 10-year-old barrel that rested in a specific location in the West Louisville warehouses. Once it was just right, the whiskey was bottled as-is with a touch of water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The whiskey opens with a salted caramel apple nose that edges towards apple saltwater taffy with a creamy layer of spicy dark chocolate and a touch of orange blossoms and barrelhouse beams.
Palate: The palate takes the wintry spices and attaches them to the creaminess, creating an egg nog feel to the taste that leans into dark fruits and a hint of toasted coconut cream pie.
Finish: The end holds onto the spice but focuses more on anise (and maybe fennel) while the caramel and spice attach to sticky tobacco with a warming end.
Bottom Line:
This is another moment of “…If you buy one Old Forester…” Seriously though, President’s Choice Single Barrel is their mountaintop and always delivers an amazing sipping experience from the old-school Louisville brand.
15. Blackwood Toasted Bourbon Batch #3 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 59.3%
Average Price: $149
The Whiskey:
This new brand has a Kentucky Derby history that runs deep. Guinness McFadden (co-founder of the brand) is the co-owner of 2019 Kentucky Derby winner Country House and built this whiskey around his stables in eastern Kentucky. The whiskey in the bottle is Bardstown-area bourbon with a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. After a good spell of resting, the whiskey is re-barrelled in a freshly toasted oak barrel for a final maturation before bottling as-is straight from the barrel.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose draws you in with a deep sense of fresh vanilla pods and rich salted caramel with a sense of old wicker lawn furniture on a sunny day, soft pipe tobacco kissed with cherry, and a light sense of mincemeat pies and toffee dipped in dark chocolate.
Palate: Pecan and maple drive the taste towards a rush of Kentucky hug warmth, dry cedar, and old glove leather with a hint of dried mint and maybe some chocolate-covered espresso beans cut with vanilla and clove.
Finish: The spices take on a woodiness and blend with dry cedar bark, old vanilla pods, and chewy pipe tobacco with a dash of salted caramel butteriness and pecan waffle comfort.
Bottom Line:
This is quintessential Kentucky bourbon with a nice layer of oak to elevate beyond average into the “greats”. It’s amazing sippable and worth grabbing for special occasions or everyday sipping.
14. Bomberger’s Declaration Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 2023 Release
ABV: 54%
Average Price: $119
The Whiskey:
This whiskey heralds back to Michter’s historical roots in the 19th century before the brand was even called “Michter’s.” The old Bomberger’s Distillery in Pennsylvania is where the brand started way back in the day (1753). The whiskey in the bottle is rendered from a very small batch of bourbons that were aged in Chinquapin oak. The staves for that barrel were air-dried for three years before coppering, charring, and filling. The Kentucky bourbon is then bottled in an extremely small batch that yields around 2,000 bottles per year.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Sweet mashed grains — think a bowl of Cream of Wheat cut with butter and molasses — mix with sticky toffee pudding, old saddle leather, old cellar beams, and sweet cinnamon with a hint of candied orange and dark chocolate next to luscious eggnog with a flake of salt.
Palate: The palate is super creamy with a crème brûlée feel that leads to soft winter spices, dry cedar, and orange chocolates with a hint of pear-brandy-soaked marzipan in the background.
Finish: The end has a creamed honey vibe next to brandy-soaked figs and rum-soaked prunes with fresh chewing tobacco and salted dark chocolate leading back to dark chocolate and old cellar floors with a touch of smoldering orchard bark.
Bottom Line:
This is an incredibly approachable pour of bourbon that delivers one of the best and most iconic flavor profiles in the game.
13. Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $549
The Whiskey:
This is the same whiskey as Master’s Keep 17-Year. In this case, after batching minimum-17-year-old barrels, the whiskey was only proofed down to 50% or 100-proof for bottling as per bottled in bond laws. The resulting whiskey is then bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a bold nose of spicy Christmas cakes spiked with orange oils, candied cherries, and dried apples next to vanilla pods and worn saddle leather that leads to this subtle hint of fresh cinnamon rolls with a cream cheese frosting cut with lemon and vanilla.
Palate: The palate is the epitome of smoothness with a subtle warmth derived from woody winter spices — star anise, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon — that then branches toward this whisper of burnt sugars and fats from an old brisket smoker with a hint of salted red taffy and singed marshmallow next to vanilla pound cake with a hint of poppy seeds.
Finish: The end has a sweet cinnamon candy flourish before smoldering wild sage and old boots arrive with a dark chocolate espresso cherry tobacco layers into an old cedar box with a hint of black dirt lurking in the distant background.
Bottom Line:
Goddamn, this is good bourbon. It’s bold in all the right ways while being subtle in all the right ways. It’s just a dream to sip slowly with a good crew and great food on the table.
12. Jack Daniel’s 12 Years Old Tennessee Whiskey Batch 2
ABV: 53.5%
Average Price: $83
The Whiskey:
Jack Daniel’s 12-year Batch 2 is here! 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 bursts forth with soft and bright fruits — kind of like a package of Starbursts — before leaning into a luscious sense of stewed prunes and figs next to mulled wine spices and brandy-soaked vanilla cookies dipped in salted caramel chewing tobacco.
Palate: That Starburst vibe explodes on the palate with all the colors of the fruity sweet rainbow before a thick and creamy vanilla creaminess drives the palate toward burnt orange and vanilla wafers just kissed with Nutella and tobacco stems.
Finish: That tobacco takes on the creamy vanilla with nice layers of dark chocolate, an old barrel house, and soft and smoldering fall leaves wrapped in apple-smoked tobacco leaves bunched into an old cedar box.
Bottom Line:
Jack Daniel’s has almost completely reinvented itself over the last half-decade or so. Expressions like this are fantastic examples of that reinvention and should get you very excited about the future of Tennessee whiskey.
11. Russell’s Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 13 Years
ABV: 55%
Average Price: $289
The Whiskey:
This whiskey was made by Eddie Russell to celebrate his 40th year of distilling whiskey with his dad, Jimmy Russell. The whiskey is a collection of a minimum of 13-year-old barrels that Eddie Russell hand-picked. Those barrels were married and then bottled as-is with no proofing or filtration.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Sweet and dried fruits invite you on the nose as a touch of fresh, creamy, and dark Black Forest cake mingles with mild holiday spices, dried almonds, and a sense of rich pipe tobacco just kissed with sultanas.
Palate: That dark chocolate and cherry fruit drive the palate as a hint of charred cedar leads toward vanilla tobacco with more of that dark chocolate and a small touch of honey, orange blossom, and a whisper of dried chili flake.
Finish: That honey leads back to the warmth and spice with a thin line of cherry bark smoke lurking on the very backend with more bitter chocolate, buttery vanilla, and dark cherry all combining into chewy tobacco packed into an old pine box and wrapped up with worn leather thread.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those whiskeys that just gets better and better every year. It’s so good, folks. It also makes an amazing old fashioned. Just sayin’.
10. Michter’s US*1 Limited Release Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 20 Years Old
ABV: 57.1%
Average Price: $4,889
The Whiskey:
Master Distiller Dan McKee personally selects these (at least) 20-year-old barrels from the Michter’s rickhouses based on… I guess just “pure excellence” would be the right phrase. The bourbon is bottled as-is from the barrels.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: A sense of dark cherry with deep rummy molasses, dried rose petals, old almond shells, and cedar bark mingle with a fresh pipe tobacco leaf just kissed with apple and pear essence with a hint of vanilla oils and old wintry wine spices.
Palate: The taste leans into smoldering vanilla pods with a sense of old oak staves from a dusty old cellar next to sweet cinnamon and cherry over dried sage and sharp spearmint with a clove syrup base and a dash of toasted marshmallow sweetness.
Finish: The end is full of dark cherry and woody spice with moist marzipan, burnt orange oils, and chewy fresh tobacco wrapped up in old leather and cedar bark with a hint more of that old cellar sneaking in.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those whiskeys that wakes you up. It’s that good. It’s nuanced, delicate, and delicious. It’s everything you could ever want from a Kentucky bourbon and then so much more that you didn’t know you needed.
9. George T. Stagg Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey BTAC 2010
ABV: 71.5%
Average Price: $3,995
The Whiskey:
The 2010 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection George T. Stagg is another legendary bottle of whiskey. The whiskey was distilled back in 1993 and rested in prime locations across four warehouses in Frankfort, Kentucky. Then after 17 years of mellowing, 142 barrels were selected for blending and bottling at full cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This incredibly deep and lush chocolate opens the nose toward rich and oily vanilla beans soaking up the sun, fermenting coffee beans, a twinge of orange pith, and this earthy sense of cottonwood trees swaying on a warm sunny day with fresh sweet black dirt and old brick barrel houses in the distance with a thin line of wafting pipe tobacco smoke floating by. What a nose.
Palate: The palate leans into a deep and creamy sense of espresso cut with bitter salted dark chocolate, orange oils, rich vanilla oils, and a cut of nutmeg, clove, and allspice that melds into a mulled wine-infused fruitcake with brandied cherries, candied citrus, and soft fatty almonds.
Finish: The finish leans into the nuttiness and winter spice cake vibes before building a soft warmth with sharp tobacco leaf, smudging sage, and cedar bark layered with spearmint, cinnamon bark, and star anise with a hint of old world absinth.
Bottom Line:
Digging back into the BTAC archives is a very illuminating (albeit expensive) endeavor. Sipping on this Stagg from 2010, you’ll immediately see why this brand got so much hype around it back then and why people still line up outside of liquor stores to this day for it.
8. Eagle Rare 25 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50.5%
Average Price: $9,899
The Whiskey:
Eagle Rare Straight Bourbon is made from Mash Bill #1 at Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. That’s their low-rye mash bill, and that’s all that’s known about the juice. That whiskey was then left to rest for nearly two decades in a warehouse before being moved into Buffalo Trace’s new state-of-the-art Warehouse P facility. When the whiskey hit 25 years old, something magical happened to the barrel and it was ready for bottling.
The single barrel was proofed down to Eagle Rare’s 101-proof and otherwise bottled as-is, yielding only 200 bottles. The bottle is also a collectible with a hand-hammered sterling silver eagle wing wrapped around a hand-blown crystal decanter. That striking bottle comes in a custom display box that opens like an eagle’s wings.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose hints at old oak staves resting in a musty warehouse before veering toward stewed cherries with hints of clove and nutmeg next to salted dark chocolate shavings and rich powdered sugar icing cut with bourbon vanilla and light pipe tobacco essences with a whisper of fall leaves and orchard barks.
Palate: The rich vanilla gets buttery and creamy with an almost eggnog vibe thanks to the spice on the lush palate has dried cranberry, brandy-soaked cherry, and dried figs lead to rich toffee rolled in dark chocolate and anise before getting cut with a touch of earthy tobacco pulled from fresh black dirt.
Finish: The finish hugs you gently with warmth tied to winter spice barks soaked in apple cider cut with black cherry as the dirt takes on a warehouse must with gently sweet oak staves mingle with a whisper of whole black pepper and clove buds over creamy dark orange spice cake.
Bottom Line:
This is an inexplicable whiskey that’s delicious from top to bottom. It’s also exciting in that this is a beacon sending a light out from the future of well-aged bourbon in Kentucky.
7. Willett Barrel #1614 19-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 60%
Average Price: $899
The Whiskey:
Every year, Willett releases amazing barrels that are going to blow you away. In early 2023, they released this short barrel that yielded only 62 bottles. That made this a distillery-only release of last year — that also means that this was a very fleeting bottle that came and went very quickly.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Rich and oily coffee beans mingle with dark chocolate creaminess on the nose next to wet brown sugar, buttermilk biscuits fresh from the oven, salted caramel chews, and this fleeting sense of rye bread with a caraway seed crust covered with fresh and almost sour butter smeared over it.
Palate: That chocolate and coffee bean meld on the front of the palate for a rich and very dark mocha latte vibe before leaning into clove, anise, and sasparilla with a smoldering sense of smudging sage and marshmallow next to lush vanilla buttercream and pear compote cut with saffron.
Finish: Ginger coins dusted in raw sugar drive the finish toward spiced mulled wine and holiday nut cakes brimming with dried rum raisin, candied orange, and brandied cherry before eggnog-laced tobacco layered into an old cedar humidor leads to a rich yet sweet black dirt from a cellar that held hams and funky rind cheeses for centuries.
Bottom Line:
So many Willetts could be in this spot. But this one is just a gem. These nearly 20-year-old Willetts are just on another plane of existence entirely.
6. William Larue Weller Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Barrel Proof (BTAC 2023)
ABV: 66.8%
Average Price: $1,799
The Whiskey:
This is Buffalo Trace’s classic wheated bourbon. This year’s Weller BTAC was distilled back in the spring of 2011 and left to rest in warehouses C, L, M, and N for 12 long years. Those barrels were batched and this whiskey was bottled 100% as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Deep and dark candied black cherry mingles with dry cedar bark, molasses, real vanilla beans, nutty brown butter, and old leather rolled in pipe tobacco and just kissed with smoldering sage and dry chili pepper flakes.
Palate: The palate opens with a full blast of ABVs, making the front of your tongue tingle, as floral honey, cherry cobbler topped with vanilla ice cream, and brown butter streusel cut with nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove lead to a hint of dry orange tobacco.
Finish: Cinnamon sticks and clove buds floating in maple syrup arrive on the finish with a sense of old leather boots, the oak in an old rickhouse, orchard barks, and soft notes of vanilla and cherry cake.
Bottom Line:
Last year’s Weller BTAC was a masterpiece. It’s by far the best Weller on the shelf today and one of the best since the series started back in the mid-aughts.
5. Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 15 Years Old
ABV: 53.5%
Average Price: $3,295
The Whiskey:
This is where the “Pappy Van Winkle” line peaks. The wheated bourbon in this expression is pulled from 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:
I’ll say it again — if you buy one Pappy, make it this one. This is really the sweet spot for Pappy Van Winkle bourbons. This whiskey is straight-up delicious and delivers the most quintessential Kentucky bourbon vibe.
4. Rare Character Presents “Obliteration” Selected by Pablo Moix Single Barrel Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 71.9%
Average Price: $599
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is a very rare release from 2023. The whiskey in the bottle is a 14-year-old bourbon made from a classic mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. The barrel was stored out at a winery in California that then burnt down during recent wildfires — but this barrel survived the firestorm. There was actually whiskey left in the barrel and it was still delicious. The barrel was then bottled 100% as-is, yielding only 36 and a half bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose draws you in with a deep sense of dark chocolate powder next to hazelnut wafers with a dash of bright orange oils before a dark and sharp sense of Szechuan peppercorn arrives to spice things up.
Palate: The taste leans into the sharp red peppercorns with an earthy underbelly before deeply salted and lush caramel leads to roasted almonds and buttery walnut cake cut with vanilla, allspice, and dried red berries dashes with brandy and apple cider cut with more butter.
Finish: The end leans into sharp winter spice barks and more whole red peppercorns with a deep warmth that gives way to luxurious salted toffee, vanilla buttercream, and tobacco kissed with spearmint, smudging sage, and almost fatty roasting herbs.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those rare bottlings that break the mold. It’s amazing whiskey with incredible depth. It’s also very exciting in that these barrels are out there just waiting to be bottled by people who know great whiskey like Pablo Moix does (he arguably has the best whiskey palate in the world right now).
3. Old Grand Dad 114 Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — 1989 Vintage
ABV: 57%
Average Price: $100, 1-ounce pour
The Whiskey:
National Distillers was one of the first behemoths of Kentucky bourbon thanks to being allowed to stay open during Prohibition (wherein it started buying a lot of distilleries all over Kentucky, including the original Old Grand-dad Distillery at Hobbs Station). Eventually, National Distillers (which made Old Grand Dad at The Old Taylor Distillery, which is now Castle & Key) was bought by Beam in 1987. That means that this whiskey is pre-Beam Old Grand Dad from Old Taylor Distillery but bottled by Beam.
Today, the whiskey is made at Beam’s facility fully and these barrels are exhausted (much to the chagrin of the brand’s old fans).
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is pure buttercream vanilla that leads to a rich layering of spiced holiday cakes, rum raisin, black-tea-soaked dates, black walnuts, and dried cherries dipped in salted toffee and rolled in dark cacao powder.
Palate: The mouthfeel is silky and lush with a sense of that rich buttercream leading toward more of the dark cherry that attaches to winter-spiced tobacco packed into an old cedar humidor and then wrapped in old motorcycle jacket leather.
Finish: The finish takes that old leather-wrapped humidor and places it in a bed of sweetgrass braided with cedar bark and smudging sage before the luscious creaminess returns with a sense of old vanilla husks and cherry pits.
Bottom Line:
This is an “Ah! I get it now!” whiskey. Old-school Old Grand Dad 114 was amazing and people could actually get it. It kind of makes you sad though when you compare it to today’s offering under the same label — they’re lightyears apart in taste.
2. Martin Mills Aged 24 Years Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — 1999 Vintage
ABV: 53.5%
Average Price: $8,972
The Whiskey:
This release from Heaven Hill was for the Japanese market in the 1990s when that was really the only market that cared about well-aged and delicious American bourbon. The whiskey in the bottles was distilled in 1974 with a mash bill of 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley. That juice was left in barrels until 1999 when it was bottled with a hint of proofing water and sent to Japan.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: A deep and dark sense of cherry bark and black cherry opens the nose with a deep boot leather soap, soft cedar bark, and powdery winter spices next to a rich vanilla sauce cut with honey and caramel.
Palate: Bruised peaches and stewed pears lead back to black cherry and dark oak on the palate as brandy-soaked fruit cake brimming with candied citrus, fatty nuts, and rum-soaked dried fruits dance with salted toffee rolled in dark chocolate powder and crushed almond next to a mild sense of old tobacco rolled with dank cedar and smudging sage.
Finish: Sticky toffee pudding with flakes of salt and orange zest vibe on the finish next to soft salted caramel and cacao over rich and chewy pipe tobacco, dark stewed cherry soaked in brandy, and a fleeting sense of fatty roasting herbs over more of that chewy pipe tobacco.
Bottom Line:
Over the years, this became one of the iconic “bourbons you have to try before you die” bottles. It’s easy to see why. This is extraordinary bourbon.
1. Very Old Fitzgerald Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — 1964 Vintage
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $5,932
The Whiskey:
This Old Fitzgerald is the OG bourbon that Julian Van Winkle, II (the one and only “Pappy”), built after WWII. The juice was made at Stitzel-Weller when Pappy still owned and operated the whole place (today, it’s owned by Diageo). When the brands and distillery were sold off, Old Fitz ended up as a Heaven Hill product, where it was revived into one of the most sought-after modern bottles (more on that later). In short, this is classic bourbon that sort of sets the flavor profile for a vast majority of bourbon being made today.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on a 1964 release I tried recently is a mix of salted caramel next to light touches of orchard fruit, oily vanilla, light and soft wood, and spiced tobacco.
Palate: The palate is pure silk with bursts of stonefruits, soft leather, a touch of vanilla cream, and burnt sugars.
Finish: The mid-palate to finish is a slow fade into the silkiest vanilla custard you can imagine that’s been spiced with fresh tobacco, a touch of mint, and boozy soaked red fruit.
Bottom Line:
This is my favorite bourbon ever. Once and for all; final answer. Here’s a video of me killing a bottle recently.
PART 3 — THE BEST RYE WHISKEYS
25. Starlight Distillery Old Rickhouse Huber’s Bottled-In-Bond Indiana Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $60
The Whiskey:
This rye from craft distiller Starlight Distillery — part of the Huber Farm and Winery in Southern Indiana — is all about that final blend. The small batch is made from a group of five-year-old barrels and just proofed to highlight the whiskey in those barrels.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The whiskey opens with a nose full of white pepper countered by stewed apples with a twinge of sour cherry tossed in smoked sea salt before a hint of creamy espresso and summer herb gardens arrive.
Palate: The palate has a creaminess that leans toward mocha lattes with a tobacco spiciness, cedar bark, and more of that stewed orchard fruit with an underlying white pepper spiciness.
Finish: The end leans into that white pepper with plenty of warm apple cider spiked with clove and cinnamon over vanilla cake cut with salted toffee and creamy espresso just kissed with chocolate tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is a great starter rye that goes beyond basic. This is a fantastic cocktail whiskey that you can easily sip and feel the depth from top to bottom.
24. Still Austin Cask Strength Rye Whiskey
ABV: 58%
Average Price: $65
The Whiskey:
This release from Still Austin uses 100% Texas rye in its mash bill. That whiskey is then proofed and filled into barrels and left to mellow with water getting added over the years (so that water evaporates before the whiskey does). Finally, a few barrels are selected and bottled 100% as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with pure nostalgia — summertime back porch livin’ — with soft cherry pie, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, ginger rock candy, and a note of apricot jam over buttermilk biscuits.
Palate: A note of coffee cake opens the palate toward marzipan cut with pear brandy and a light sense of lemon cake drizzled with mint frosting.
Finish: The mint gets spice on the finish with a sense of candied ginger and brown winter spices before soft salted buttercream and cherries soaked in brandy round things out.
Bottom Line:
This is a great example of another Texas distillery that’s really found its footing in recent years. This is a great sipper that also makes killer cocktails. If you’re in Austin, this is a must-stop spot to pick up bottles and try a cocktail.
23. Woodinville 100% Rye Whiskey Finished With Toasted Applewood Staves
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $70
The Whiskey:
Woodinville’s 100% Rye is a multi-award-winning whiskey. A couple of years ago, they created this distillery-only expression of that rye that celebrates Washington state’s biggest crop: Apples. They added toasted applewood staves into the finishing barrels and just let it rest until it was just right. That whiskey was then vatted, proofed, and bottled for the distillery store.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The whiskey opens with a medley of dark berries, tart and sweet apples, kiwi, and the dry staves of a thin wooden gift basket.
Palate: Hints of cloves spiked into orange peels drive the palate as a dusting of white pepper leads towards a moist apple pipe tobacco that smoothes out with a hint of vanilla cream pie with a lard-infused crust.
Finish: The mid-palate lets that vanilla cream settles as the apple tobacco spices up towards a warming finish that settles into tart apples dripping in sweet caramel with a buttery base and a small flake of finishing salt.
Bottom Line:
This is my favorite release from Woodinville (to date). It’s not always on the shelf, but when it is, buy a case.
22. Chicken Cock Rum Barrel Rye Island Rooster Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 47.5%
Average Price: $200
The Whiskey:
This collaboratively-distilled whiskey (at Bardstown Bourbon Company) from Chicken Cock is from 25 hand-picked four-year-old Kentucky straight rye casks (with a mash bill of 95/5). Those barrels were vatted and re-barreled in Caribbean rum casks for six more months of maturation. Finally, the whiskey was bottled with a touch of proofing water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with a hint of sour orchard fruit next to fresh grains, light molasses sweetness (with a twinge of tannic oak) next to a mild dose of dried and woody chili pepper.
Palate: The palate starts off with a sour apple candy sweetness next to rum-soaked raisins with more of that tannic molasses, a good layer of vanilla creaminess, buttery toffee, and a dash of red peppercorns.
Finish: The end lets the butteriness of the toffee take over as crusty rye bread flour mixes with dark sugars.
Bottom Line:
This is a great example of rum-finished rye, which balances the sweetness and spiciness perfectly. It’s also a very fun pour of whiskey that’ll amp up any cocktail or slow-sipping experience with a big ol’ ice cube.
21. High West A Midwinter Nights Dram Blend of Straight Rye Whiskeys
ABV: 49.3%
Average Price: $149
The Whiskey:
Each year, this limited drop varies slightly. This release was a mix of MGP rye (95% rye) and High West rye (100% rye) finished in French oak barrels that held ruby and tawny port. The barrels picked for this batch were between four and seven years old with the older barrels coming from Indiana and the younger ones from Utah.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is a pretty complex nose with sour berries next to dried apricot, woody and slightly sweet cinnamon, French toast, and a mild note of something umami (dried mushrooms perhaps).
Palate: The palate gets more savory with a rhubarb vibe as dark chocolate with a serious woody spiced edge meets old leather laced with years of tobacco, lush vanilla cream, and salted caramel.
Finish: The end is as silky as eggnog with a whisper of black tea bitterness and minty tobacco rounding things out.
Bottom Line:
This is a good whiskey that gets better every year. At this point, it’s a must-have for rye heads.
20. Knob Creek Small Batch Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Aged 7 Years
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $35
The Whiskey:
This new 2023 rye version from Beam marks the age-statement return of their iconic Knob Creek Rye. The whiskey in this case was aged seven years before batching, slight proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Salted caramel sweetness with a vanilla underbelly drives the nose toward rye bread crusts, a hint of dried savory herbs, apple blossoms, and a whisper of soft leather gardening gloves.
Palate: The spiciness arrives after vanilla cream and salted caramel with a dose of freshly cracked red peppercorns, dried red chili, and sharp winter brown spices next to a spiced oak.
Finish: The sweetness and spiciness coalesce on the finish with a deep sense of fruit orchards full of fall leaves and apple bark.
Bottom Line:
Sometimes the easy stuff gets it right. This is broad but so dialed into a great Kentucky rye profile — the perfect balance of sweet, soft, and spicy — that you can’t help but love it neat or in your favorite cocktail.
19. Old Potrero Single Barrel Reserve Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 65.16%
Average Price: $86
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is a bit of a throwback with a West Coast vibe. The juice is 100% rye whiskey made at Hotaling & Co. in Potrero Hill, one of San Francisco’s most iconic spots for booze. As of this year, the spirit is being distilled on the waterfront in San Francisco but still carries that Anchor Brewing heritage. With that move, the bottle also got a brand new design that leans into San Francisco’s sea-faring history.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Molasses heavy bran muffins mingle with dry cinnamon sticks, Granny Smith apple skins, and Red Hots next to rum-raisin and a twinge of an old oak stave and craft grain porridge with a caramelized edge.
Palate: The palate leans into ginger snaps with plenty of cinnamon and nutmeg next to vanilla pudding right out of the cup and a dry sense of cedar kindling.
Finish: The end holds onto the dry woodiness with a layer of salted caramel raisins, sweet porridge, and vanilla candy on the very end.
Bottom Line:
Old Potrero turned a huge corner recently and became a delicious rye (you cannot fake age). Their single-barrel products are a must-have if you’re looking for something wholly unique in the rye game.
18. Michter’s US*1 Barrel Strength Toasted Barrel Finish Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 54.45%
Average Price: $520
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is Michter’s standard rye, finished in a second toasted barrel. In this case, those barrels are air-dried for 24 long months before being lightly toasted and loaded with the rye. The whiskey then goes into the bottle at barrel strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This has a spicy and sweet nose that’s just like a buttery, candied, and dried fruit, and nut-filled holiday cake that’s been drenched in good whiskey and left to sit for a month to amp up those flavors while a flutter of dry cedar kindling dipped in dark chocolate sneaks in.
Palate: The taste has a clear sense of black-tea-soaked dates, creamed vanilla honey, black walnuts, wet brown sugar, and a touch of salted dark chocolate with a whisper of bitterness that feels like vanilla pods still on the branch and old smoking hickory just kissed with brisket fat.
Finish: The mid-palate dries out towards that pitchy yet dry woodpile with an echo of dirt from the bottom of that woodpile on the finish before the roasting herbs and soft dark berries arrive with a whisper of dark chocolate tobacco and leather.
Bottom Line:
Toasted whiskey is still pretty niche and Michter’s always does it right. This is boldly oaky and rye-forward while feeling balanced with great sweet depth and fruitiness. It’s complex and that’s why I love it.
17. Blue Run Single Barrel Double Oak Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey (Barrel: #68594)
ABV: 53.85%
Average Price: $199
The Whiskey:
Blue Run Double Oak Single Barrel Rye Whiskey is a new line of 10 single barrels that dropped in time for Father’s Day 2023. The whiskey in each case is a double oak finish Kentucky rye that’s first aged in classic American white oak that’s finished in another new American white oak barrel — both of which were toasted and charred to a level #3 (medium deep). Those whiskey barrels were then bottled 100% as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Bright dried red chili peppers mingle with soft leather, a twinge of toffee sweetness, soft red berries, and a whisper of umami.
Palate: Caramel and woody vanilla rush to a touch of cherry bark and ABV warmth next to creamy winter spice and a hint of sharp red chili heat.
Finish: The end is a long and warm hug with a sense of dried brown spices with a hot edge, mild nuttiness, and a foundation of buttercream cut with sassafras.
Bottom Line:
Blue Run is another bottler that hits some very high marks. Their single-barrel releases are stellar examples of how great their barrels are.
16. Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof Tennessee Rye Whiskey
ABV: 68.65%
Average Price: $61
The Whiskey:
The whiskey in this bottle is drawn from single barrels of the good stuff. The whiskey in those barrels was made with Jack Daniel’s rye mash bill of 70% rye, 18% corn, and 12% malted barley that’s fermented with Jack’d proprietary yeast and lactobacillus before running through column stills. The hot juice was then slowly — literally one drip at a time — filtered through 10 feet of sugar maple charcoal made on-site at the distillery. Once filtered, the whiskey was filled into new American oak barrels and left to rest until each one was just right for a barrel-proof bottling run.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose runs deep with a hint of dried red chili pepper that builds toward soft and fresh pipe tobacco cut with pear and packed into an old leather pouch as a little bit of old candy wrapper a note of fizzy chinotto soda with a rock candy sweetness and a hint of dry sweet cedar.
Palate: Sweet dark fruits and grilled peach open the palate as a dramatic warmth starts to build toward razor-sharp clove, cinnamon, and mace with a very slight woody bark presence before singed marshmallows come into play and the heat hits 9-point-holy-shit on the Richter Scale.
Finish: That heat fades pretty quickly on the back end as notes of old boot leather and apple skin tobacco mingle with a faint whisper of creamy almond and ginger rock candy next to a fleeting note of dried ancho chilis soaked in hot water.
Bottom Line:
This is a fantastic rye whiskey that leans into deep spice and fruitiness in perfect balance. It’s amazingly sippable and makes some of the best cocktails you’ll ever have.
15. Pursuit United Blended Straight Rye Whiskeys Finished in Sherry French Revere Oak
ABV: 54%
Average Price: $74
The Whiskey:
This new rye from the team over at Bourbon Pursuit is a masterful blend. The whiskey is hewn from Bardstown Bourbon Company’s 95/5 Kentucky rye batched with two Sagamore Spirit ryes — one a 95/5 and one 52/43/5 rye/corn/malted barley. Those whiskeys are batched and re-barreled into a French sherry revere cask for a final rest before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a sense of dark fruits — black cherry, dates, rum raisin — on the nose that leads to soft and sweet oak next to worn leather, mulled wine, and brandy-soaked fig cut with nutmeg and clove.
Palate: The taste is more on the woody side of the spice with a clear sense of old-school mulled wine with sweet vanilla and star anise over orange rinds and raisins with a slight chili warmth underneath.
Finish: The chili warmth drives the finish toward a soft red-wine-soaked oak that’s spiced with orchard barks and fruits next to vanilla/cherry tobacco just kissed with dark chocolate.
Bottom Line:
The team behind Pursuit United truly loves American whiskey and that deep adoration shines through in their whiskeys, especially this masterpiece from last year. This is a great sipper and should get you excited for all that’s on the horizon for the brand.
14. Smooth Ambler Founders’ Cask Strength Series Rye Aged 5 Years Batch Two
ABV: 61.6%
Average Price: $54
The Whiskey:
This 100% West Virginia whiskey is made from a mash of 88% rye and 12% malted barley — no corn needed here, folks. The barrels are left to age in the Appalachia hills for five long years before coming together in tiny batches and bottled as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a hint of leather and pine tar on the nose with a hint of tart red berry and burnt toffee.
Palate: The palate opens with a bourbon vibe with dark cherry, soft vanilla cream, and light old oak staves with a hint of bitter dark cacao.
Finish: The end leans into cinnamon bark and clove layered into a vanilla tobacco leaf that’s braided with wet cedar, dry leather, and old bouquet garni with a light sense of an old cheese cellar lurking on the very backend.
Bottom Line:
This is just a great whiskey, folks. Find it, drink it, love it.
13. New Riff 100% Malted Rye Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Aged 8 Years
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $56
The Whiskey:
This whiskey from New Riff is a whiskey lover’s dream pour. The mash is made from 100% malted rye (most rye that is used for whiskey is unmalted). That means more sugars are available in the grain as it goes through germination and then heating to stop that process, which helps create a lot of sugars. The juice then rests for eight years in new oak before the barrels are blended, proofed down, and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a hint of figs and dates on the nose that leads to a spiced Christmas cake covered in powdered sugar frosting with plenty of candied citruses, dried dark fruits, and roasted nuts next to vanilla pudding and dried pear skins.
Palate: The taste has a hint of orange saltwater taffy on the front that leads to a mix of clove, allspice, and sassafras as dark fruit leather and white peppercorns pop.
Finish: The end is lush and mellow with a hint of that pepper next to dark dried fruit layered into a tobacco leaf alongside cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and dark orange oils.
Bottom Line:
New Riff is always pushing boundaries and this is one place — malted rye — where they really hit a bullseye. This is a stellar example of craft rye from Kentucky.
12. Blackwood Toasted Rye Whiskey Barrel Strength
ABV: 58.2%
Average Price: $150
The Whiskey:
This rye is sourced from expertly picked barrels for a very small batch offering. The mash is a classic 95/5 rye/malted barley bill. The barrels are close to seven years old before a handful comes together to create this barrel-strength bottling of only 620 bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is a straight-up classic with a sense of cherry and cinnamon tied to fresh and chewy tobacco with a sense of old cedar bark braided with dry sweetgrass and smudging sage with a light sense of pear candy and cream soda.
Palate: The taste leans into spiced cherry tobacco and stewed pear with a hint of marmalade and peach cobbler next to a hint of black-tea-soaked dates, salted whiskey-laced toffee, and clotted cream before a red chili pepper spiciness kicks in with a sense of cinnamon and cherry bark.
Finish: The woodies of the orchard fruit and spice drive the warm finish — but never hot — toward a luxurious and creamy end full of sharp yet sweet tobacco, a whisper of dank resin, and echoes of old fruit orchards.
Bottom Line:
I guess I really like toasted rye. This whiskey is a great sipper that delivers more and more with every return. It’s a great sipper that’ll reward your patience.
11. Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Toasted Cherry Wood And Oak Barrels
ABV: 48%
Average Price: $69
The Whiskey:
This whiskey — from Bardstown Bourbon Company’s own Origin Series — is their classic 95/5 rye that’s aged for almost five years. Then the whiskey is finished with alternating toasted American oak and toasted cherry wood staves in the barrel. Once the whiskey is just right, it’s batched, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is classic with fresh cherry layered with nasturtiums, cinnamon sticks, and soft cedar planks just kissed with clove, nutmeg, and anise before light red peppercorns and brandy-soaked cherries dipped in salted dark chocolate kick in.
Palate: The palate follows the nose’s lead with a lush mouthfeel that’s full of spicy stewed fruits and ciders mixing with creamy vanilla and nutty bases over subtle chili pepper spiciness far in the rear of the taste.
Finish: The end pushed the woody spices toward an apple cider/choco-cherry tobacco mix with a cedar box and old leather vibe tying the whole taste together.
Bottom Line:
This is another envelope pusher in the rye category — I think that’s why I’m such a big rye fan as there’s so much innovation in the sector. Overall, this whiskey is delicious and another amazing food pairing or cocktail whiskey. It works wonders over a big ice cube too.
10. Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 57.2%
Average Price: $599
The Whiskey:
Angel’s Envy’s new Master Distiller, Owen Martin, put together the brand’s first-ever cask strength rye finished in Sauternes and toasted oak casks and it’s a masterpiece. The 95/5 rye was over five years old when it was batched and re-barreled into two different casks for a final mellowing. Then those casks were expertly blended and bottled 100% as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Creamy and deep creme brûlée cut with bold orange zest draws you in on the nose before this bright sense of sweet green apple blossom leads to pear brandy-soaked marzipan, eggnog spices, and buckwheat porridge cut with a whisper of salt and honey.
Palate: That pear brandy pops on the palate as sweetened cream over raw sugar cubes drives the taste toward rye bread with a twinge of caraway and fennel, more eggnog, and creamed honey in an old pine mug.
Finish: The end gets shockingly light for a moment with a fresh cream soda feel before twangy buttery floral cider arrives with a deep Earl Grey tea sharpness next to tobacco rolled with birch bark, roasting herbs, and old leather.
Bottom Line:
This was a “wow” whiskey when I tried it late last year. This is amazing rye and a testament to Angel Envy’s new Master Distiller and his prowess in making phenomenal whiskeys.
9. Michter’s US*1 Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey 10 Years Old
ABV: 46.4%
Average Price: $419
The Whiskey:
2023’s Michter’s 10-Year Rye release was an instant classic. The whiskey is made from a corn-rich rye whiskey mash bill with a good dose of barley in there. The absolute best barrels are chosen — with some up to 15 years old — for this release. Then each of those barrels is individually bottled as-is with a hint of proofing water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Rich and lush toffee combines with soft marzipan on the nose as a dash of freshly cracked black pepper leads to cinnamon-laced apple cider and cherry-soaked cedar bark.
Palate: The palate is part Red Hot and part zesty orange marmalade with creamy vanilla pudding, sweet and spicy dried chili peppers with a hint of smoke and woodiness, and this fleeting whisper of celery salt.
Finish: The end dries out the almond with a vanilla cream tobacco, soft and sweet cedar, and dark chocolate orange vibe all balanced to damn near perfection.
Bottom Line:
If you come to my house and ask for a Manhattan, I’ll make you one with this. And it’ll be the best Manhattan of your life.
8. Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye 13 Years Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 47.8%
Average Price: $1,999
The Whiskey:
This is the only non-bourbon whiskey in the Van Winkle line. While we don’t know the exact mash bill, Buffalo Trace does use a rye mash bill that’s very low-rye (how low we’ll never know, but it’s way closer to 51% … I heard somewhere). Either way, the whiskey is then barreled and allowed to mellow for 13 years before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Imagine old rye crusts with a hint of caraway spiked with red peppercorns next to rich salted caramel apples and plenty of Christmas spices layered into a sticky toffee pudding all wrapped up in old worn leather with hints of fatty nuts and dried fruits on the nose.
Palate: The pepperiness mellows quickly as powdery white pepper leads to a soft vanilla cream pie cut with bitter orange zest, dark chocolate flakes, and a hint of salted black licorice.
Finish: The end pops with sharp anise and clove next to a fleeting sense of mint chocolate chip tobacco folded up with that old leather and plenty of soft cedar.
Bottom Line:
This is the only other bottle of Pappy I’d clamor to buy. This whiskey is often the best of any modern vintage and so sippable.
7. Parker’s Heritage Collection 17th Edition Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Cask Strength Aged 10 Years
ABV: 64.4%
Average Price: $749
The Whiskey:
The latest edition to Heaven Hill’s Parker’s Heritage Collection is a brashy 10-year-old rye. The whiskey is made from 142 barrels from specific warehouses and floors, all made with Heaven Hill’s 51% rye mash bill (supported by 35% corn and 14% malted barley). Once batched, the whiskey went into the bottle 100% as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dark stewed and dried fruits lead on the nose with a deep leatheriness that makes for chewy dried chili peppers, old tobacco leaves, and musty spice racks full of cumin, cinnamon, and clove.
Palate: Stewed black cherries dipped in dark chocolate open the palate toward deep creamed honey, cinnamon-infused mulled wine, and clove-studded blood oranges with a hint of old wicker porch furniture and piles of fall leaves just moistened by the rain.
Finish: Dry winter spice barks and berries mingle with dark black cherry compote on the finish before the wicker reeds take on a moment of dank and more tobacco drives the finish to a warm yet eggnog-creamy end.
Bottom Line:
This is an amazing pour of rye from Heaven Hill. You’ll want more the moment it hits your senses.
6. Jack Daniel’s Twice Barreled Special Release Tennessee Rye Whiskey Heritage Barrel Rye
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $203
The Whiskey:
This whiskey starts off with Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Rye Whiskey which is hewn from a mash of 70% rye, 18% corn, and 12% malted barley with Jack’s own yeast and lactobacillus strains. After a slow drip-drop filtering through 10 solid feet of sugar maple charcoal (which strips oily graininess and highlights sweet fruitiness, among other notes), the mellowed juice is filled into “Heritage Barrels.” Those barrels were seasoned in the open air for years. Once coopered, the American white oak barrels are heavily toasted and lightly charred. That toasting allows the sugars to caramelize and become more easily available to the distillate while the light char means less filtering as the whiskey moves in and out of the wood.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a deep sense of Christmas spiced cakes brimming with candied cherries and orange peels next to roasted walnuts and a moist strip of pear brandy-soaked marzipan with a light hint of homemade cranberry sauce, roasting herbs, and a light sense of fresh pipe tobacco just kissed with spicy chili-infused Mexican hot chocolate with a real vanilla pod as a swizzle stick.
Palate: That vanilla gets super creamy on the palate as eggnog with clove and nutmeg drive the taste back to candied pear, cherry, and orange with an underbelly of dry smudging sage, cedar bark, and tobacco leaves braided and rolled into an old cigar humidor with a sweet leathery edge.
Finish: The end marries the candied cherry, spiced chocolate, and vanilla buttercream into a bespoke Black Forest cake with a holiday spice vibe next to soft sweetgrass, more of those roasting herbs, and a whisper of dried ancho chili soaked in pear brandy that’s just kissed with huckleberry pie.
Bottom Line:
This is a “holy shit!” pour of whiskey. It’s amazing.
5. E.H. Taylor, Jr. Straight Rye Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Bottled In Bond
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $249
The Whiskey:
This rye from Buffalo Trace is a beloved bottle. As with all Buffalo Trace whiskeys, the mash bill and exact aging are not known. This is likely made from a mash of very high rye mixed with just malted barley, maybe. We do know that it is not the same mash bill as Buffalo Trace’s other rye, Sazerac.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This nose is vibrant with hints of freshly plucked pears next to black peppercorns, soft cedar, winter spice barks and berries, and a hint of fresh mint chopped up with fresh dill that leads to a minor key of spearmint and maybe some fresh chili pepper on the vine.
Palate: The palate holds onto the fresh green chili pepper as the pear gets stewed with those winter spices and drizzled with a salted toffee syrup cut with sharp burnt orange and bitter chinotto leaves.
Finish: That sweet and citrus bitter vibe leads back to dark and woody clove and anise with a dash of sasparilla and salted black licorice before some fresh mint and dill return to calm everything down.
Bottom Line:
This might be my favorite Buffalo Trace product. This is a perfect Kentucky rye and one of my all-time favorites.
4. Booker’s Rye Limited Edition 13-Year-Old “Big Time Batch” Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey — 2016 Vintage
ABV: 68.1%
Average Price: $2,499
The Whiskey:
This whiskey was released back in 2016 and people are still talking about it in 2024 as if it’s a mythical creature of yesteryear. The whiskey in the bottle was the last of the barrels laid down by the whiskey legend Booker Noe at the Beam distillery. In 2016, this whiskey dropped and was instantly revered as a classic.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a light whisper of cherry bark layered into pipe tobacco with soft worn saddle leather, old whiskey-soaked oak staves, and smoldering smudging sage leading to a hint of spearmint and freshly cracked black pepper next to dried Herbs de Provence.
Palate: Cinnamon bark, star anise, clove buds, allspice berries, and fresh Tellicherry black peppercorns drive the palate toward mulled wine cut with Amaretto, soft eggnog creaminess, a touch of espresso cream, and a soft sense of cherry-laced tobacco layered into an old cedar humidor.
Finish: Those woody and barky winter spices warm on the finish as the tobacco gets darker and the smudging sage starts to smolder with a whisper of oaky smoke next to a warming sense of dried sweetgrass braided with pepper leaves.
Bottom Line:
One sip of this and you’ll be transported (and see what all the hype was about). This is a masterpiece.
3. Michter’s 25-Year Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 58.65%
Average Price: $24,999
The Whiskey:
All we really know about these barrels is that they prove the prowess of Michter’s team to bring in the best of the best in the whiskey world. A 25-year-old American whiskey aged in a new oak will rarely taste this nuanced but that’s sort of the magic of Michter’s.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s an earthiness here that feels like dried white moss on a wet forest floor next to little popping notes of bitter yet oily espresso beans, vanilla that costs way too much to buy, oranges wrapped in gold cellophane, and an almost wet black pepper vibe.
Palate: Golden sultanas draw you in with a very clear sense of clove that almost leads to anise (maybe black licorice) with that vanilla staying dry as the orange oils become burnt and this distant note of salted, almost black cacao powder harkens the finish.
Finish: That finish does lean into a classic Tellicherry cracked black pepper but remains dry and features just the right amount of dried fruit sweetness.
Bottom Line:
Again, you’ll instantly see how Michter’s became so beloved from the first nose and sip of this amazing whiskey. This is just perfection.
2. Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey — 2006 Vintage
ABV: 66.35%
Average Price: $4,499
The Whiskey:
This first Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye from the Buffalo Trace Antique collection was released back in 2006, and it feels like a high we’ve all been chasing ever since. The whiskey was made with a mash bill of 51% rye, 39% corn, and 10% malted barley and left to age for years before cask-strength bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a soft sense of fresh but warm vanilla pods next to salted caramel dipped in dark chocolate and rolled in coarsely ground cinnamon bark, freshly cracked allspice, freshly grated nutmeg, and a hint of black licorice root over touches of pipe tobacco braided with smudging sage, dried sweetgrass, and strips of soft and word boot leather.
Palate: Dark stewed orchard fruits with a hint of mushroom earthiness drive the palate toward rich vanilla sauce cut with nutmeg and cinnamon before bruised peach and marmalade with a touch of oily espresso bean kicks the taste toward saddle soap, dank rickhouses, and fallow fruit orchards after the leaves fall.
Finish: A warming dark spiciness builds on the finish with a light sense of cinnamon and anise before softer black pepper and allspice kicks in over worn leather gloves with a hint of firewood bark and black dirt worn into them and a touch more of the tobacco laced with dried ancho chilis, black cherry, and the zest from a bitter marmalade.
Bottom Line:
This is another “Oh…..I get it now” pour of whiskey. All the hype and bolstering around BTAC makes sense when you try this whiskey. This is just f*cking amazing.
1. Pride of Anderson County Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 58.4%
Average Price: $500
The Whiskey:
This elite whiskey is a collaboration between Rare Character’s Pablo Moix, Rare Bird 101’s David Jennings, and Wild Turkey’s Bruce Russell. The whiskey in the bottle is a single barrel of Wild Turkey rye that was distilled back in June of 2014 and left to age in the famed Tyrone rickhouse at Wild Turkey (on floor four if you want to get granular). That barrel was pulled in October of 2023 and bottled 100% as-is, making this highest-proof and only barrel-proof single-barrel Wild Turkey ever released.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dark candied orange and brandied cherry jump out of the glass toward the nose as rich toffee rolled in almond and dusted with dark chocolate and a pinch of salt leads toward this sense of Earl Grey tea leaves soaked in dry champagne with this faint whisper of chinotto sneak in with a light effervescence.
Palate: The taste opens with a light fresh sourdough rye bread with hints of fennel and poppy seed before soft black peppercorns gently lead the palate toward candied lime and orange peels, vanilla buttercream, nutmeg and clove-spiked walnut bread, salted butter, and more of that champagne-soaked Earl Grey layered into a rich pipe tobacco leaf with a hint of worn saddle soap.
Finish: The spice leans into woody cinnamon barks, clove buds, allspice berries, and star anise with a moment of sarsaparilla wood before brandied cherries, pear compote with saffron, and apple fritters with powdered sugar icing meld into a lush vanilla-forward creamy eggnog with a whisper of peppermint and tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is one the best whiskeys — of any category — that exists right now. If I was going to spend a car payment on any whiskey on this list, this is the one. Well, this and maybe one or two of the Scotches we’re about to get to.
PART 4 — THE BEST SCOTCH WHISKIES
25. Johnnie Walker Green Label Blended Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 15 Years
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $79
The Whisky:
Johnnie Walker’s Green Label is a solidly crafted whisky that highlights Diageo’s fine stable of distilleries across Scotland. The whisky is a pure malt or blended malt, meaning that only single malt whisky is in the mix (no grain whisky). In this case, the primary whiskies are a minimum of 15 years old, from Talisker, Caol Ila, Cragganmore, and Linkwood.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Soft notes of cedar dance with hints of black pepper, vanilla pods, and bright fruit — think red berries, fresh pear, and nectarines — with a wisp of singed green grass in the background.
Palate: The palate delivers on that soft cedar woodiness while edging towards a spice-laden tropical fruit brightness with grilled peaches covered in salted caramel, honey malt biscuits, and bitter yet sweet marmalade with a dash of winter spiciness.
Finish: The finish is dialed in with hints of soft cedar bark, singed wild sage, bark-forward winter spice, and stewed stonefruit leading toward a briny billow of smoke at the very end.
Bottom Line:
This is the best Johnnie Walker expression from the mainstream lineup. Yes, this is better than Blue Label. The key is that this is a blended malt, meaning that it’s made with single malts only (no grain whiskies here).
24. Bowmore Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aston Martin Masters’ Selection Aged 22 Years
ABV: 51.5%
Average Price: $999
The Whisky:
This is the next step in the much-lauded high-end Aston Martin series from Bowmore. The whisky is batched from special barrels of Bowmore’s famed barely-peated whisky into a final product that’s refined and just kissed with that iconic Islay spring water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Gently smoked cherries and smoked orange come through on the nose with a mild sense of smudging sage ash next to bourbon vanilla and apple fritters with a soft powdered sugar glaze.
Palate: That sweetness presents on the palate with a smoked chocolate powder vibe next to spiced malts, singed vanilla husks, and more of those smoked cherries but this time they have a twinge of tartness with a pinch of salt.
Finish: The finish combines the tart yet salty smoked cherries with the dark chocolate next to a deep sense of oak and spicy malts.
Bottom Line:
This is the mountaintop of Bowmore in the 2020s. It’s so gentle and supple with a great balance of soft smoke, dark fruits, and delicate sweetness.
23. The Singleton of Glen Ord Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 40 Years
ABV: 45.9%
Average Price: $1,127
The Whiskey:
This new release from The Singleton of Glen Ord is a well-aged masterpiece. The malt spent 12 years aging in old bourbon casks before being re-barreled into fresh used oak for another 37 years. Finally, those barrels were vatted and that whisky was re-filled into a mix of rum casks which were ex-solera rum casks of Zacapa XO Rum and Zacapa Royal Rum. Finally, the whisky was vatted and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Soft orchard fruit — plums, pears, quince — mingle on the nose with a light sense of roasting sage, thyme, and rosemary — all fresh and oily — before a mild note of old cellar oak and dried prosciutto skins arrive.
Palate: The taste leans into the orchard fruit before curing everything with salt, creating a tart yet salted plum/apricot/pear vibe that leads to soft yet dry cacao with a hint of spice barks.
Finish: Those spice barks get sharp and peppery on the finish as the chocolate mellows toward salted figs, plums, and pears that have just been kissed with cherry smoke.
Bottom Line:
This is a crazy good whisky that’s so goddamn approachable. There’s nothing off-putting about this pour. It hugs you like an old friend and lets you sink into its softness.
22. Aberlour Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky Double Cask Matured 18 Years Old
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $163
The Whisky:
The expression from Speyside’s Aberlour uses ex-bourbon casks for its primary maturation and ex-sherry for its finishing maturation. Those barrels are batched after at least 18 years and proofed down with soft Speyside water and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: You’re drawn in with a note of hard butterscotch candies next to a touch of chinotto (bittersweet Italian orange), butter toffee, and the slightest wisp of peach pits.
Palate: The taste builds out from that peach pit layer with a note of ripe peach flesh and fuzzy skin while jammy blackberry leads towards a soft cedar.
Finish: The finish takes its time and leaves you with a silken texture next to a honeyed sweetness and a final roundness of vanilla cream.
Bottom Line:
While I love Aberlour A’bunadh, this is the Aberlour you really want on your bar cart. This is just beautiful unpeated malt that’s so sippable over a big rock or in your favorite whiskey-forward cocktail.
21. The Glendronach Allardice Aged 18 Years Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $174
The Whisky:
This Highland whisky is a local tradition of sorts, dating back to the brand’s origins in the 1820s. The whisky in the bottle is hewn from barrels of at least 18-year-old whiskies. The maturation is done exclusively in hand-picked Olorosso sherry casks from Spain.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Old orchard wood, soft leather, dried orange peels, raspberry jam, and creamy dark chocolate gently mingle on the nose.
Palate: That jam leans into a spiced cherry compote as stewed plums with plenty of allspice and clove lead to soft walnut cake with a malty backbone.
Finish: The mid-palate takes that walnut and sweetness and moves the taste toward velvety malts and soft and sweet orchard wood, dusting more of that dark chocolate and dark berry silkiness.
Bottom Line:
There were a lot of The Glendronach I could have put on this list but this one feels right. It’s the expression I reach for the most. This whisky is endlessly sippable and feels deeply nostalgic in all the right ways.
20. Oban Distillers Edition Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $162
The Whisky:
This expression is a love letter to the tiny town of Oban on the western coast of Scotland. The whisky is standard Oban that’s finished in Montilla Fino sherry casks to add an extra dimension to the already finely crafted whisky from the distillery. Those casks are then vatted and proofed before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: A small billow of smoke greets you on the nose next to notes of sea brine, orange zest, and a hint of vinous fruit that feels a little like saltwater taffy and a little like old Fruit Roll-Ups with a sense of soft winter spices lurking under it all.
Palate: Sweet caramel malts form on the silky palate as stewed pear and apple mingle with salted toffee and a light sense of oyster shell and toasted seaweed barely breakthrough on the back end.
Finish: That hint of the sea fades on the finish as you’re left with soft caramel maltiness and even softer stewed pear just kissed with saffron, clove, and anise next to a whisper of plum pudding.
Bottom Line:
Oban’s Distillers Edition is the one you want from the tiny “Highlands” distillery nestled next to the sea. This is amazing whisky, full stop. Pair it with a seafood feast or just a basket of fish and chips and you’ll be in for a real treat.
19. Glenfiddich Grand Yozakura Aged 29 Years Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 45.1%
Average Price: $1,999
The Whisky:
This limited edition from Glenfiddich is their first foray into Japanese barrel finishing. After 29 years (!) in American oak and re-fill oak, the whisky is vatted and refilled into an ex-Awamori cask — which is an Okinawan rice spirit of sorts — for another nine months of mellowing. Those barrels were then batched and bottled with a hint of proofing water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is immediately amazing with deep notes of caramelized orange and grapefruit peels rolled in roasted almonds, allspice, and salt with a hint of confectioner’s sugar leading to this toffee maltiness and dark leathery fruitiness just kissed with creamy vanilla/chocolate before a hint of dried savory herbs sneaks in with a touch of old oak.
Palate: That ultra creamy vanilla and toffee lean into that soft oakiness and caramelized maltiness with a hint of green apple tartness and old wicker baskets full of tree barks next to date tobacco and salted caramel chocolate ganache.
Finish: That tobacco takes on a sticky toffee pudding and mincemeat pie vibe as the creaminess just keeps getting creamier on the long spice malt finish.
Bottom Line:
This was a huge surprise last year. It’s amazing. Sip it slowly, go back and forth with water and ice, and really dive into this profile. It’ll reward you handsomely with amazing flavor notes from top to bottom.
18. Macbeth Act One Lady Macduff Linkwood Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 31 Years
ABV: 48.2%
Average Price: $806
The Whisky:
This whisky is from a super whisky nerd distillery, Linkwood. If you know, you know. The whisky in the bottle was chosen by Elixir for its Macbeth lineup this year. The whisky is hewn from four ex-bourbon barrels that held the malt for at least 31 years (it’s a small miracle that any survived). Those barrels were vatted and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a beautiful sense of ripe apricot (fresh from vine clarity) with creamy lemon curd, fresh spearmint, lavender lemonade, soft saddle soap, buttery brioche, and … I swear … freshly washed sheets hanging out on a line on a sunny day.
Palate: Fresh pears and sweet apples counter the apricot on the palate as buttery scones just touched with rose water smeared with vanilla brandy butter with a light toward of floral honey and very dry champagne.
Finish: The pear layers into the champagne while the floral honey creates a luxurious mouthfeel next to soft moments of winter spice barks, marmalade, apricot leather, and creamy salted buttercream just kissed with vanilla and summer flowers.
Bottom Line:
This is another masterpiece that sort of came out of nowhere in 2023. It’s a great bottling of a very old and rare whisky that’s freaking delicious. You really can’t ask for more.
17. Glenglassaugh Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 46 Years Old
ABV: 41.7%
Average Price: $4,800
The Whiskey:
Glenglassaugh is a reborn distillery in Scotland — having operated from the 1800s to the 1980s before getting mothballed for over two decades before its resurgence in 2008. This is important to know in that the whiskey in this bottle was made in 1975 during the last years of the distillery’s 20th-century heyday. Living legend Master Blender Rachel Barrie found this barrel (a bourbon cask) in the stocks, and by some sort of whisky miracle, there was juice in the barrel. That whisky was bottled as-is at barrel strength and sent exclusively to the U.S.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is almost … fresh on the nose with a sense of tart and woody black currants, fresh plum, mango juice, and red grapes that then veers into the abyss with a sense of old boot leather, maple wood dipped in varnish, and waxy sense of ambergris (I swear) — think boot cream, fresh tobacco, and sandalwood with a hint of salt.
Palate: The taste takes the fruit and tosses it into a fruit salad that’s cut with seawater and nori that’s then countered by menthol tobacco and sharp citrus oils with a whisper of cherry-flavored cream soda.
Finish: A twinge of grapefruit oil drives the finish toward this fleeting sense of cellar dirt, more ambergris, and mint chocolate chip ice cream that’s laced with pipe tobacco and black currants.
Bottom Line:
This is a great example of how the older malt gets, the more it returns to its yeasty/fruity roots. This is a vibrant pour that grabs your attention and holds onto it with a delectable flavor profile.
16. The Scotch Malt Whisky Society Single Malt Scotch Whisky Cask No. 12.79
ABV: 43.7%
Average Price: $3,995
The Whisky:
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society releases a lot of amazing single casks of whisky every year. But this year they really upped the ante with a special once-in-a-lifetime release of 40-year-old Speyside single malt. The whisky in this case was laid down back in 1983 and left in ex-bourbon casks for 35 years before being re-barreled into a Spanish sherry oak hogshead for five more years. Finally, the whisky was bottled as-is into only 130 bottles — with only 24 making it to the U.S. market.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose of this whisky is a walk through an orchard blooming with flowers, pears, apples, and apricots with soft incense burning in the far distance before a deep and creamy sense of cherry and ginger arrives with a hint of fresh and moist pipe tobacco.
Palate: The palate opens with a dark spiced winter cake soaked in rum and brimming with brandy-soaked cherry, candied orange peels, soft nuts, and buttery spice and then dipped into dark salted chocolate with a whisper of toasted coconut leading back to the pipe tobacco with a soft and salted caramel vibe.
Finish: That caramel tobacco leads the finish toward apple tartan with a dollop of brandy butter next to rolled almonds over toffee with a hint more of that salty dark chocolate, a twinge of smudging sage, and a light flutter of roasting herbs.
Bottom Line:
Masterpiece.
15. Tomatin Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 36 Years Old
ABV: 45.1 %
Average Price: $1,535
The Whisky:
This is 100% malted barley malt whisky that spends a lot of time in the warehouse. The whisky in the bottle is a blend of a minimum of 36-year-old barrels — both ex-bourbon and ex-Oloroso sherry casks. Those barrels were vatted and allowed to rest before the whisky went in the bottle with a touch of water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a deep sense of apple and cherry trees in full bloom on the nose with a hint of mango skins, white peaches, and mulled wine spices that leads toward dark plum jam over buttery scones with a hint of brandy butter lurking in the background.
Palate: The palate is immediately lush and silken with a sense of pear pudding and mincemeat pies next to fire-roasted almonds, dried apples, and raw honeycomb with a light lavender vibe.
Finish: The spices rear their head on the finish with a mild eggnog and spiced Christmas nutcake feel that leads to figs and prunes with a hint of pear pie and soft vanilla rounding out the end.
Bottom Line:
Tomatin completely upended its middling status in 2023 with this amazing release. This is world-class whisky with an amazing profile that’s endlessly sippable (neat or on a rock).
14. The Dalmore Cask Curation Series The Sherry Edition Aged 28 Years Finished in Very Rare Gonzalez Byass 30-year-old Matusalem Sherry Cask
ABV: 55.3%
Average Price: $37,500 (set of three)
The Whisky:
This whisky starts with The Dalmore’s ex-bourbon-cask-aged single malt. That whisky was then transferred into a 30-year-old Matusalem Oloroso Sherry, which is a dark, sweet, and spicy sherry with plummy depths. After a long rest, the whisky was bottled at cask strength to let all those dark sherry notes shine in the whisky.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Black-tea-soaked dates, old leathery prunes, and rum-soaked raisins drive the nose toward black licorice ropes, dark and creamy honey with a hint of summer flowers, and a bright burst of star fruit with a deep sense of bourbon vanilla beneath it all.
Palate: Mincemeat pies and sticky toffee pudding (cut with orange zest and salted toffee) drive the lush palate toward bold marmalade, brandy-soaked pears cut with marzipan, and more of that black licorice with a hint of absinth candy.
Finish: Black cherries soaked in brandy and dipped in salted dark chocolate arrive late on the finish with a sense of sasparilla bark, dark molasses, and more of that mince meat pie vibe next to candied orange tobacco and whispers of cedar.
Bottom Line:
Goddamn, this is a delicious whisky. This is the sort of whisky that you want to be an everyday part of your life. It’s that good.
13. Glenfiddich Suspended Time Aged 30 Years, Time Re:Imagined Collection
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $1,399
The Whisky:
This elite line from Glenfiddich is all about slow and steady aging over decades. In this case, this ultra-rare whisky was aged for three decades in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks until it hit a perfect point for batching, proofing, and bottling this year.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Soft hints of stewed plums cut with sweet cinnamon, bitter clove, and salted dark chocolate mingle with a sense of old but very soft suede, dusty oak beams in an old wine cellar, and this fleeting sense of old honey stored in stone pots of eons with an echo of orange blossom.
Palate: The palate builds on that mild floral vibe with and aura of rose-water-laced moist marzipan dipped in creamy dark chocolate with an edge of cinnamon bark and dried apple bushels countering everything.
Finish: The end has another note of that old honey and stone pots with a lingering sense of pipe tobacco dipped in apple honey and rolled with dry strings of cedar bark and strips of musty leather.
Bottom Line:
This is another one that’s kind of mind-blowingly good. It’s so nuanced and supple while delivering iconic unpeated malt notes.
12. The Balvenie Single Malt Scotch Whisky The Tale of the Dog Aged 42 Years
ABV: 47%
Average Price: $18,799
The Whiskey:
This whisky was named after a famed whisky thief — or “dog” — that was flattened to stop too much whisky being thieved back in the day. The actual whisky in the bottle is from two casks that were put on the racks in 1974 and 1978 and left alone.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a classic sense of old and sweet malts on the nose that leads you to sweet and floral perfume that’s so subtle and enticing before a hint of sticky toffee pudding and geranium bound toward old mint rolled into chocolate malts.
Palate: The palate has a soft and salted toffee with honey nut cluster dusted with light notes of sweet winter spice and floral orchard blossoms before a hint more of honey and sweet old oak arrives.
Finish: That sweet oak drives the finish toward nutty creaminess, old orchard wood, and a sense of soft summer flowers with a hint of malt cookies cut with raisin and cinnamon.
Bottom Line:
This is another “holy shit!” pours. It’s so amazingly nuanced and soft while presenting as a deeply old and musty whisky. There’s a great complexity in this pour.
11. The BenRiach Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky The Forty
ABV: 43.5%
Average Price: $4,500
The Whisky:
Legendary Master Blender Rachel Barrie assembled this from a few select barrels that survived for 40 years. The peated malt rested in both bourbon casks and Port casks. Those barrels were batched and just kissed with water for this amazingly rare bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Old fruit leather — think dried plum and fig skins — mingle with burnt grapefruit pith, caramelized orange sauce, and salted dark chocolate covered dried cranberry with a deep sense of buttery walnut cake cut with cinnamon and clove and drizzled with spiced cherry syrup.
Palate: That spiced cherry drives the palate toward apple pie filling, grilled white peaches drizzled with honey, and lychee with a hint of kiwi and star fruit leading to spice barks and tobacco boxes.
Finish: The chocolate comes back on the end with more of that walnut cake and cherry driving the finish toward a moist and soft finish full of spice, orchard fruits, and soft tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is another masterpiece. The balance of subtle peat, deeply roasted malts, and expert aging just sings on the palate as you sip this one.
10. Lagavulin Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 25 Years
ABV: 51.7%
Average Price: $3,489
The Whisky:
This bottle was originally released in 2016 along with the launch of Lagavulin 8. The whisky is a sherry-cask-aged whisky that was left alone for 25 long years in a storehouse next to the cold and black sea. The honey barrels that made it through that era of aging were then vatted and bottled as-is at cask strength into only 8,000 bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose meanders through old wood varnish, rich sticky toffee pudding with salted caramel sauce, savory figs, black-tea-soaked dates, meaty smoked prunes, peppery smoked beef fat, chewed-up Band-Aids, and an old cedar box that’s been filled with pennies for decades.
Palate: The palate feels like raspberry saltwater taffy wax wrappers filled with smoked honey candies and waxy cacao nibs straight off the tree. A soft cherry wood smoke meanders through more honey and pine kindling with plenty of pitch, tart yet dry cherry tobacco, long and dry willow branches, and burnt mint leaves.
Finish: Candied orange peel drives the mid-palate back to that smoked honey and peppery beef fat as dried chipotle chilis mix with a very dark and bitter chocolate, a dash of BBQ ash, and a little bit more of that pine resin.
Bottom Line:
Laga 25 is a must-try-before-you-die whisky.
9. Springbank Aged 25 Years Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $2,499
The Whisky:
This is a very rare whisky aged in 60% sherry casks and 40% bourbon casks for 25 long years in the tiny and very old Springbank Distillery in Campbeltown. After that whisky is touched with a little local water, and it’s filled into only 1,300 bottles per year (there are insane lines to get it at the distillery when it drops).
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a soft marriage between fresh raspberries and subtle rose petals with old cellar beams, cobwebs, and a dirt floor rounding things out, with a whisper of seaside air lurking in between.
Palate: The palate veers from that nose pretty drastically with hints of rum-soaked overripe bananas next to wet brown sugar, rock candy, and a hint of large salt flakes.
Finish: The end builds on that saltiness with a rush of malted barley and sweetgrass after the rain.
Bottom Line:
This is another whisky that gets an incredible amount of hype but 100% lives up to every bit of that hype when you finally get to sip it. It’s a wonderful pour of one-of-a-kind whisky from a one-of-one distillery.
8. Mortlach Midnight Malt Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged for 30 Years
ABV: 49.1%
Average Price: $4,799
The Whiskey:
This is 30-year-old Mortlach from a couple of barrels that actually made it that long without drying out or becoming undrinkable — it’s kind of a miracle in that sense. The vatted whisky was finished in a trio of barrels — Bordeaux wine, Calvados, and Guatemalan rum — before bottling completely as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a lovely hint of malt dipped in honey with a touch of apple stewed with cinnamon and saffron that leads to roasted pork skin and fat cut with a sense of rosemary and singed sage before a honeyed oaked sweetness arrives again
Palate: The taste is like a creamy, apple-forward, malty lush elixir cut with hints of black pepper, burnt orange, and marzipan that leads to a sense of honey-soaked cinnamon sticks floating in apple cider.
Finish: There’s another rush of that black pepper late that leads to woody apple cores and wintry barks that eventually fade towards a mildly spiced apple-cinnamon tobacco leaf packing into an old cedar box.
Bottom Line:
This is an amazing whisky from an amazing place. That makes it extra special. The profile of this one is just phenomenally engaging and supple. Take it slowly and it’ll never stop rewarding you with beautiful flavors and textures.
7. Ardbeg 25 Years Old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $1,350
The Whisky:
This expression from Ardbeg is also their oldest expression (as of their current lineup). The whisky is the epitome of peat on Islay. What makes this expression so special and extremely rare is that it was distilled and casked when Ardbeg was on its knees as a company, in the early 1990s. They simply weren’t making that much whisky back then and there’s hardly any of it left. That makes this a one-and-gone whisky with only 278 bottles, 90 of which were sent to the U.S.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Heavy cream, smoked toffee, lemon pith, and ashes from last night’s campfire open this one up on the nose before veering toward soft sea-filled air, a touch of muddy bog, and old shovel handles from a well-worked farm.
Palate: On the palate, there’s this deep sense of potting soil that’s still in the plastic from the garden shop next to uncooked smoked bacon rashers with plenty of black pepper and a slightly sour edge leading back to that heavy cream and smoked toffee by the mid-palate.
Finish: Finally, hefty/spicy packed tobacco chewiness brings about a full-on head buzz — it’s a wild sensation.
Bottom Line:
This is the best Ardbeg and one of the best peated malts of all time.
6. The Dalmore Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 25 Years
ABV: 42%
Average Price: $1,500
The Whisky:
Like many whiskies on this list, this is all about the casks. This whisky spends around 25 years aging in ex-bourbon casks and Tawny Port pipes and casks, some of which held Matusalem oloroso sherry for 30 years before they got to The Dalmore. Those barrels are married and then the whisky is proofed down before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with a hint of lychee next to grilled papaya before veering more traditional with sticky toffee pudding, Earl Grey tea, salted toffee sauce, and a good dusting of dried orange blossoms.
Palate: The palate amps up the vanilla to the point of rich and oily pods being squeezed in your hands as waxy cacao nibs mingle with soft wintry spices and plum pudding with plenty of dark stone fruit.
Finish: The finish takes on a slight maple syrup vibe before hitting a soft cedar bark braided with a single leaf of ginger-infused tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This The Dalmore is so freaking good. It’s warming, nostalgic, and just plain delicious.
5. Johnnie Walker Masters of Flavour Aged 48 Years
ABV: 41.5%
Average Price: $25,000
The Whisky:
This whisky is so rare that the casks it’s made from are from ghost distilleries. Those are the ones that no longer operate. In this case, that’s barrels from Port Dundas, Brora, Glen Albyn, and Glenury Royal. However, the Brora distillery has officially reopened as of spring 2021 after a nearly 40-year closure. Regardless, single malt barrels from each of those distilleries that were a minimum of 48 years old came together to make a mere 288 bottles for this release.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a soft breeze on a misty pebble beach with a grill box smoking away somewhere in the distance with some oysters and salmon on the fire as dates wrapped in nori mingle with rum-soaked prunes, a hint of winter spice, and an old leather tobacco pouch that’s more old tobacco oil and old dirt than rawhide.
Palate: The palate leans into the smoke but layers in dried cherries, blackberries, and slightly tart currants as the spice kicks in with sharp cinnamon with browned buttered layered into an apple fritter with a hint of vanilla and a touch of nuttiness.
Finish: Hot fireplace coals, burnt toffee, and smoked berries round out the finish as a final note pulls in the beachside grill box smoke, berries, spice, and leather into a subtly soft end.
Bottom Line:
Back in the world of Johnnie Walker, this is an amazing limited edition release of one of the coolest blends of Scotch (maybe ever) made. This is truly a special pour of whisky.
4. Talisker Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 30 Years
ABV: 45.8%
Average Price: $1,627
The Whisky:
Talisker’s seaside vibes are on full display in this beautiful bottle. The 2023 limited release (the 30-year is on a random release schedule) was around 3,000 bottles, making this a very rare expression from the Isle of Skye distillery. Those bottles were pulled from both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks and masterfully blended right next to the sea at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is shockingly subtle and soft with velvety notes of smoldering dried nori next to matchsticks that have been dipped in a buttery and rich dark chocolate with sea salt gently sprinkled all over.
Palate: The palate leans into the dialed-back peat by bringing about a smoked cream with fire-seared peaches next to a hint of wet cedar, very old tobacco leaves, and a touch of almond or oat milk flecked with salt.
Finish: That salt drives the mid-palate towards a finish that’s like getting kissed by merfolk on a beach next to a campfire that’s heating a cauldron full of spicy stewed peaches in more of that cream.
Bottom Line:
This is my go-to pour at home. It’s perfect.
3. Benromach Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 40 Years
ABV: 57.1%
Average Price: $3,818
The Whisky:
This Speyside distillery is for the whisky nerds out there. This particular release just dropped last summer with only 1,000 total. The whisky in those bottles was produced in 1981 and then spent four decades chilling out in old Oloroso sherry casks before going into the bottle as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is soft on the nose with flourishes of plum puddings and mince meat pies next to candied ginger, lightly spiced malts, a hint of dark cacao powder, orange zest, and old brown sugar.
Palate: The palate keeps that subtly as stewed apples with a hint of saffron dance with a dash of grapefruit pith, more orange zest, old maple syrup, and waxy dark cacao nibs freshly picked from a tree.
Finish: The end has a trace of tannic old oak stave with dry sweetgrass and cedar bark braids next to a thin line of black-tea-soaked dates and allspice.
Bottom Line:
This is another masterpiece whisky. If you can find it, buy two (one to drink and one to save for special occasions).
2. Talisker Forests of the Deep Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 44 Years
ABV: 54.6%
Average Price: $6,552
The Whiskey:
This is one of the more unique Taliskers to hit shelves. The 40-plus-year-old whiskey is finished in casks made with staves that were charred with Scottish sea kelp and stave wood shavings. The staves are then used to finish the whiskey before it’s vatted and bottled 100% as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a sense of classic fruit orchards with a hint of blossom next to briny smokiness from a distance that slowly fades into toasted seaweed salad tossed with roasted sesame seeds and chili oil with a fleeting sense of mild soy sauce lurking way in the background.
Palate: The taste leans into orange zest and maybe even lime leaves with a twinge of old and sweet oak before a twinge of soft rope dipped in seawater leads to a thin line of a beach campfire surrounded by grey stones and spitting rain.
Finish: A mild note of chili pepper arrives late with a mild waxiness tied to chocolate, plum, and pear with a final flourish of a fruit orchard in full bloom.
Bottom Line:
This is an amazingly unique pour that takes Talisker to new heights. There’s so much going on and it all works towards creating a completely unique whisky experience that’s unparalleled.
1. Caol Ila Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 24 Years 175th Anniversary
ABV: 52.1%
Average Price: $929
The Whisky:
This whisky was bottled to celebrate the 175 years Caol Ila has been operating on Islay. 3,000 bottles were rendered from barrels of at least 24-year-old whisky, each of which highlighted the sophisticated brand’s nuanced peatiness and fruitiness.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a sense of a beach campfire far away as fresh brioche filled with nougat and dusted with nutmeg dries the profile toward raisins soaked in mulled wine with plenty of orange and clove.
Palate: There’s a sense of that deeply ruddy mulled wine on the palate with star anise, allspice, cinnamon bark, and rum-raisin butter next to prunes, dates, figs, and tart dried red berries with a flourish of moist vanilla cake frosted with salted toffee and dusted with dark chocolate shavings.
Finish: The end leans into the woody spices with mulled wine-soaked cinnamon bark and clove buds next to salted caramel tobacco leaves rolled with old cedar bark and strips of nori as that whisper of beach campfire smoke sneaks back in.
Bottom Line:
This is probably the best Scotch single malt of the 21st century. I could be swayed toward a handful of other pours on this list, but I could also sway you to this if you gave me ten minutes to lead you through a tasting.
