The Top 20 Whiskeys of 2024
The Top 20 Whiskeys of 2024
One of these days the world of whiskey is going to stop giving us the embarrassment of riches we’ve become accustomed to, but for now, the train is still rolling along unabated, and it seems like every week we see a new whiskey that we’re falling in love with.
As is always the case, we reviewed a ton of whiskey this year – more than 400 different bottles, by my count – and picking out our ten favorites was an incredibly difficult task. So, we didn’t. Instead, we picked 20 – which you can consider as 10 favorites and 10 runners-up, if you’d like. All of them deserve a spot on your bar, but if you’re going to bend our arm and force us to pick our absolute faves, well, we aim to please. Again, we are trying hard to prioritize availability and value with these picks, but a case was made for at least one unicorn on the list, and if you want to yell at someone about that, I’ll give you their email address.
We’ll reveal one or two top picks each day for the next week, dropping our #1 selection and the 11-20 picks at the end on Saturday, December 21. Check back for updates, and happy holidays!
Want more selections? Check out our holiday shopping guide. While you’re preparing for the big reveal, feel free to indulge in some of our previous top 10 whiskey lists: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017. You can also search multiple stores at wine-searcher to find the best prices on all these products and more.
Agree, disagree? Love us? Hate us? Sound off here or on social (we’re even on BlueSky now!) and let us know what you think!
1. Barrell Bourbon Cask Finish Series: Ice Wine – By my count we’ve reviewed more than 50 different whiskeys out of Barrell’s clearly insane blending operation, and here we have it: The best of the lot. This limited edition sees a complex blend of bourbons from four states finished in ice wine casks – something that I don’t think we’ve ever seen in the 17 years that Drinkhacker has been up and running. The sweetness from this unique wine makes for a showstopper, something akin to caramel apples, apple cider doughnuts, and vanilla all wrapped up with a rich and immersive base whiskey that would probably be just as delightful with no finishing whatsoever. At just $85 a bottle (and even less in some shops), I don’t think you’ll find a more interesting whiskey on the market right now – at least while supplies last. Consider this your final warning – with our wholehearted encouragement – to grab one. 106.52 proof. $85 -CN [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]
2. Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ice Chalet – Ice is a bit of a theme on this year’s list (spoiler, maybe) – but before we get to that, yes, I know what you’re saying… Johnnie Walker? Blue Label? Really? Really. If you’ve slept on JW’s roughly annual special editions of Blue Label, you’ve been missing out on some of the best blended Scotch whiskies you can buy. Ice Chalet starts with stock from JW’s best distilleries and even includes some Brora barrels in the mix, the conceit being that all the distillation runs were done during the winter. I don’t know how much that matters, but the results speak for themselves, with the finished product showcasing seasonally appropriate apple-cinnamon character, orange blossoms, and sandalwood. Blue Label releases are often exotic and downright weird, but the gentle, fruity, and buttery Scotch is nothing short of a hug-worthy crowd pleaser. The unique carrying case (a puffy coat of sorts for the bottle) is its own talking point. 86 proof. $280 -CN [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]
3. Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse Camp Nelson B – It appears that we can now look forward to annual releases from the Fort Nelson campus, which is a good thing because those rickhouses are apparently holding some of Wild Turkey’s best bourbon. The inaugural release from Camp Nelson C just barely missed our 2022 Top 10 list, but the latest from Camp Nelson B earned a top spot with ease. Boldly woody and fruity in equal measure and perfected with a splash of water, it bested even the buzzy Russell’s Reserve 15 Years Old. 120.2 proof. $300 -DB [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]
4. Gold Spot Generations 13 Years Old – Gold Spot was a standout when it debuted in 2022 as the newest color in the Spot Whiskeys range, earning a position on our Top 10 list. A new Gold Spot, subtitled Generations, launched this year distinguished by a bit more age and 16 months of finishing in Valpolicella Riciotto wine casks which have imparted elegant notes of fresh berries and citrus that perfectly complement the line’s trademark Irish pot still spice. The rare example of a sequel being just as good, if not better, than the original. 92 proof. $190 -DB [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]
5. Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024 – Maker’s Mark used to make a big deal about how its whiskey was “perfectly aged” at around the 7 year mark, and that if it was aged longer, it would be too old and overly woody. Well, someone’s eating crow over in Loretto, because the operation has been turning out some of its best whiskey ever with the Cellar Aged series, now in its second year, showcasing a blend of 12- and 13-year-old stock that would have previously been considered, perhaps, undrinkable. It’s fantastic stuff, even better than the 2023 Cellar Aged, showcasing plenty of wood, for sure, but also lots of fruit, vanilla, and a big almond nougat note. It’s not just “cellar aged,” of course, it’s also cask strength, and at nearly 120 proof you get the full force of everything this juicy, holiday-friendly whiskey has to offer. If you see it, you need it. 119.3 proof. $300 [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]
6. High Wire Jimmy Red Wheated Bourbon 7 Years Old – Charleston’s High Wire has become a well-kept secret in the world of craft spirits, but what’s hidden in the dark eventually comes to light. While the overwhelming majority of American whiskey utilizes #2 yellow dent corn, High Wire focuses on heriloom Jimmy Red corn with this release. (High Wire isn’t alone: Still Austin makes a Jimmy Red bourbon that almost made our list, too.) Bottled at a familiar 107 proof, High Wire is a wheater to be reckoned with. The nose is a beautiful balance of sweet molasses, red apples, and tobacco. Wheat shines on the palate as Golden Grahams breakfast cereal leads. Wheaters distilled by Buffalo Trace have driven the hype train for years, but High Wire has something to say about going forward. It’s not just one of the best “craft” whiskeys of the year, it’s one of the best whiskeys we tasted, period. 107 proof. $120 -JK
7. Little Book Blended Whiskey Chapter 8: “Path Not Taken” – Beam’s Little Book series (always a wild blend of something or other) has never been short of fascinating, but with this 8th installment of the whiskey line, Little Book finally hits its stride. Six of the seven whiskeys in the blend are ryes, plus a high-rye bourbon aged 18 years. What distiller Freddie Noe has done is manage to take some of the grassiness out of a standard rye and infuse it with a fresher, herbal quality before finally taking a trip into sweeter climes. It’s a knockout – and both better and cheaper than the latest Little Book iteration, The Infinite, though that release is also quite charming. 118.2 proof. $150 -CN [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]
8. Bardstown Bourbon Company Collaborative Series: Silver Oak – BBCo. launched a pair of impressive Collaborative Series releases this year, and it was honestly a tossup between this bottle and the Amrut release that saw a portion of whiskey finished in single malt casks from India’s Amrut Distillery. This wasn’t the first (or second) time BBCo. teamed up with a top Napa producer for a wine cask-finished release, but it is by far the best we’ve tasted, owing surely to the quality of the Cabernet in the finishing cask but also the careful, complex blending of six very different bourbons. 108 proof. $140 -DB [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]
9. 2XO The Kiawah Blend – 2XO made a splash when it launched in 2023, and all eyes have been on master distiller/blender Dixon Dedman and the quality of each succession of his releases ever since. Dedman’s concerted focus on char and oak (the name literally means “two times oak”) is a bold and risky but winning enterprise: If you’re into a sweeter, caramel- and vanilla-forward bourbon, this may not be your jam. But if you’re into oak, the Kiawah Blend exemplifies the palate-opening journey into the layered profiles of wood tones that you didn’t know you needed. Here we have complexity, subtly engaging bitterness, and grip – though don’t worry, a dense caramel vanilla overtone is present, replete with the edgy adornment spice and dusty cacao powder. 104 proof. $90 -MU [BUY IT NOW FROM RESERVEBAR]
10. Balcones Cataleja – Texas whiskey can be a divisive experience, but I don’t know how anyone could not fall in love with Balcones’ Cataleja (“spyglass” in Spanish), its most ambitious release ever – by far. Finished in a huge range of Spanish wine casks, followed by additional aging in reused single malt casks, the whiskey has a depth of flavor and complexity that is unheard of in the world of single malt. Orange peel, raisins, and figs are all immersive – and amplified by exotic flavors ranging from sweet tea to tobacco to saffron. Texas red it ain’t. 118 proof. $100 -CN [BUY IT NOW FROM RESERVEBAR]
11. New Riff Kentucky Straight Bourbon 8 Years Old, $84
12. Sagamore Spirit Rye 9 Years Old, $70
13. Penelope Private Select Estate Collection 9 Years Old, $260
14. Redbreast Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey 18 Years Old, $200
15. Blood Oath Bourbon Whiskey Pact 10 2024, $150
16. Deanston 2002 Organic American Oak 20 Years Old, $228
17. Lost Lantern Mississippi Memory Rich Grain Distilling Straight Bourbon, $90
18. Glenmorangie The Nectar 16 Years Old, $100
19. George T. Stagg Bourbon 2024, $850
20. Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond 13 Years Old 25th Anniversary Edition VVS 2024, $1100
Additional reporting by Drew Beard, Jacob Kiper, and Monica Uhm.
Thanks for the thoughtfulness with your list!