As the winter holidays approach, so too comes the chance to acquire bottles of exceptional American whiskey, many of which only come to market this time of year. Here, we spotlight 10 great bourbons, ryes, and single malts that are likely to have you agreeing with the lyrics of that timeless Andy Williams Song — that it’s the most wonderful time of the year.
William Larue Weller Bourbon
Every year around this time, Buffalo Trace releases its Antique Collection — a lineup of as many as five whiskey labels, each one highly limited, typically of significant age, and always a representation of the Kentucky distillery’s most revered stocks. Most years, the William Larue Weller ($150) label shines as the most divine bourbon in the bunch, and this year is no exception. Sporting its signature wheated mashbill and bottled at 125.8 proof, the more-than-12-year-old whiskey introduces faint tobacco and ripe fruit sweetness on the nose, but it drinks like liquid honey. More specifically, it marries caramel and toffee on the palate and chases those flavors with a vibrant spice that is representative of the spirit’s more than decade-long maturation in charred oak.
Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye
In recent years, when Buffalo Trace’s Antique Collection has included the release of both rye labels, the Sazerac 18-Year has more strongly turned heads. As for the lineup’s Thomas H. Handy Sazerac ($150), well … as they say, always a bridesmaid, never the bride. This year, however, Thomas H. Handy is the one wearing white. Created in honor of the New Orleans bartender who first created the Sazerac cocktail, this cask-strength rye (127.2 proof) dishes out a prominent black pepper note on the nose but packages smooth baking spice flavors on the palate — most notably soft cinnamon notes and bolder hints of all spice and clove. Thanks to a wonderfully coating viscosity, all of those flavors linger for quite some time on the finish, too.
Booker’s ‘The Reserves’ 2024 Bourbon
Up until recently, Booker’s Bourbon has focused only on creating four distinctive batches that are released throughout the year. In 2024, however, the brand took a new path, creating ‘The Reserves,’ an annual special release that is produced in more limited quantities and taps into a select number of older barrels aging in the many warehouses of the brand’s parent company, James B. Beam Distilling. The inaugural release in that series, Bookers’ 2024 ‘The Reserves’ ($130) is a blend of eight bourbons that have matured between eight and 14 years, and together they create a layered and complex spirit. The Reserves delivers notes of baking spice, vanilla, and cherry cola, and while those flavors and aromas are customary for bourbon, they are especially rich and deep within this bottle. Such is the trademark of exceptional aging.
Four Roses 2024 Limited Edition Bourbon
Known for crafting special blends of multiple bourbons that have been created from as many as 10 different recipes, Four Roses tapped into a handful of those to create its 2024 Limited Edition Bourbon ($220). This special whiskey, which brings together four highly mature bourbons ranging from 12 to 20 years of age, introduces striking aromas of caramel and candy apples, yet, in an interesting twist, the flavors that this spirit drops venture into the category of tropical fruits, primarily offering up strong mango character. Better still, there’s an underlying herbal layer that adds a touch of savory character to this whiskey, which also finishes slightly dry. Those final two components inject this limited-edition with real staying power, turning what might have been a sugar bomb into a contemplative sipper.
Rabbit Hole Boxergrail Founder’s Collection Rye
The latest release in Rabbit Hole Distillery’s lineup of limited-edition, cask-strength expressions, Boxergrail Founder’s Collection Rye ($300) provides evidence to what a couple extra years can do. Whereas the previous 6-year-old, limited-edition Boxergrail whiskey (the premier release for the Founder’s Collection in 2020) showcased a nose of butterscotch, citrus, and mint, all of which transitioned to flavors of caramel, vanilla, black pepper, and some herbaceous spice on the palate; here, the 8-year-old Boxergrail smells richly of cinnamon, anise, and brown sugar, and it delivers a complex flavor profile defined by balanced notes of ginger, tobacco, and blood orange.
Westland Garryana 9th Edition Single Malt
Located just outside of Seattle, Westland has dedicated all of its 10 years of distillation to single malt whiskey because, as Master Distiller Matt Hofmann explains, the region is the world’s most ideal location — outside of the United Kingdom — to grow barley. For much of that existence, the distillery has also experimented with cask maturation and finishing using species of wood that are indigenous to the Pacific Northwest. Most recently, Westland released its ninth edition of Garryana American Single Malt ($150), which marries American single malts matured in three different barrel types: ex-bourbon, ex-Oloroso sherry, and Garryana oak. There’s a creaminess to the whiskey’s mouthfeel, which complements the aromas and flavors of burnt marshmallow, mocha, ground cloves, and fresh cinnamon.
Castle & Key Experimental Series Vino de Naranja Rye
For those unaware, Castle & Key is a relatively young distillery that has taken up shop in the rebuilt (and, in some places, restored) premises of a historic Kentucky distillery outside of Lexington that previously belonged to one of the forefathers of bourbon, Colonel Edmund Haynes (E.H.) Taylor, Jr. While the label is focused mostly on traditional bourbons and ryes (with a lineup of equally delicious gin), the distillery’s team is equally committed to experimentation. Hence, the label has just released Castle & Key Experimental Series Vino de Naranja Rye ($70). Bottled at cask strength (115.8 proof), this classic rye is bolstered by an 11-month finish in barrels that previously held a sweet, fortified Spanish wine. The end result is a whiskey that offers up scents of cacao nibs, burnt orange peel, and thyme; then delivers bold flavors that swirl between orange blossoms, ripe cherries, rich honey, and baking spices.
Bhakta 2014 Bourbon
In the years since WhistlePig’s founder, Raj Bhakta, sold the Vermont whiskey brand, he has created a new namesake label, one that dabbles mostly in well-aged Armagnac. More recently, Bhakta partnered with WhistlePig’s former master blender to create a decidedly American spirit. Born from those efforts, Bhakta 2014 Bourbon ($149) is a 9-year-old bourbon, bottled at cask strength (105.4 proof), which benefits from a secondary cask finish in French Oak barrels that previously held a 1973 vintage of award-winning Armagnac. The end result is a smooth, sophisticated American whiskey that offers up notes of spice cake, red berries, and maple syrup, all of which is juxtaposed by an underlying presence of charred oak.
Lost Lantern Westland Peated American Single Malt
In recent years, Lost Lantern has captured plenty of the whiskey industry’s attention. As the first independent bottler dedicated to American whiskey on a national scale, the label has balanced its efforts between creating unique blends and acquiring and bottling captivating barrels from craft distilleries located all around the country. One of its latest releases in the latter category, the Lost Lantern Westland Peated American Single Malt ($150) showcases a Pacific Northwest whiskey made from heavily peated malted barley and aged for 9.99 years. (Lost Lantern chose to bottle this whiskey one day short of the liquid’s 10th year in the barrel, because Westland, itself, has yet to release a 10-year-old single malt. Despite such respectful restraint, this Lost Lantern bottling still represents the oldest Westland single malt released thus far.) As for how it tastes, the highly limited whiskey (only 185 bottles were produced) offers up savory aromas of smoke and scorched apples and drinks like a marshmallow s’mores fresh from the fire.
Old Grand-Dad 16-Year Bourbon
If the distillery’s marketing is to be believed, 2024 represents the one and only time that whiskey enthusiasts will find Old Grand-Dad 16 Year ($195) on store shelves. The brand’s history dates back to 1882 and is a tip of the cap to distiller Basil Hayden Sr., who was brandished with the Old Grand-Dad moniker by succeeding generations of whiskey makers. Fast-forward to the modern era, and the brand’s popularity up until now has largely been rooted in cocktails, as the distillery’s overproof expression, Old Grand-Dad 114, brings a strong backbone to whiskey-based libations. With the 16-Year, bottled at 100 proof, bourbon enthusiasts who prefer uncomplicated neat pours now have something to cheer about. Predictably full-bodied, this mature whiskey pours a deep copper hue and deliver aromas and flavors that range from leather and tobacco to caramel, vanilla, and lingering baking spices.
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