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All product images cred: Jack Daniel’s Jack Daniels is one of the most iconic spirits brands in the world, and with such a vast range of bottles, its only natural to rank them against each other. This ranking is entirely personalso take it as a guided exploration rather than a definitive verdict. While Old No.
In the world of American whiskey , few terms create more confusion than “small batch” and “single barrel.” ” While these designations appear on countless bottles, their actual meaning remains shrouded in mystery for many drinkers. “Small batch,” however, lacks legal definition.
Vat & bottle image credit: Jack Daniel’s If youve ever sipped Jack Daniels and wondered why its so smooth, you can thank the Lincoln County Process. This nearly 200-year-old technique also known as charcoal mellowing involves filtering fresh whiskey through sugar maple charcoal before it goes into the barrel.
Beyond its warming properties, this combination of hot water or tea, lemon, honey or sugar, and whiskey has a long history of use as a cure for the all-too-common winter cold. It makes sense all the cocktails ingredients, even whiskey at one point, have been used as home remedies to treat the unpleasant symptoms of a cold.
Ranging from Bottled-in-Bond expressions to experimental cask finishes, there was no shortage of profiles to explore and review. In the inaugural Whiskey Wash Awards , 45 bourbons were awarded a medal – Double Gold, Gold, or Silver. If you can track down a bottle, do it you wont regret it a legendary release.
The whiskey world is like that. Whether youre talking about bourbon , Irish whiskey , or single malt Scotch , you can probably name a bottle that makes you utter meh, even though the public loves it or the taters doggedly chase it down. Plenty of bartenders and bar professionals have at least one whiskey they feel is overrated.
In 2024, our reviews team tasted and reviewed 81 different American whiskeys including ryes, blends, and American single malts. At our inaugural Whiskey Wash Awards , 31 of these whiskeys were awarded medals, with some achieving Double Gold and Gold. You can find a full list of the medal-winning American whiskeys here.
Before bourbon, rye whiskey was America’s first native spirit. But with the rediscovery of classic, rye-based drinks during the early-aughts cocktail renaissance, bartenders fell back in love with the bold, spicy style of whiskey — and with that, rye’s comeback began. Rye’s resurgence shows no signs of slowing down.
It’s a subcategory stuffed with tried-and-true labels and buzzy emerging brands, but there are some splendid bottles that fly under the radar — and this collection of underrated gems is thrilling to explore on its own merit. Dant Bottled in Bond Kentucky Bourbon will always have a spot in my well and home. Here’s what they had to say.
Its the risk enthusiasts take when they open a critically acclaimed or tater-approved bottle for the first time. That initial encounter with the juice may leave them cold or indifferent, leaving them to wonder why the bottle garnered so much hype. It might be time to turn to the American single malt whiskey category instead.
We at VinePair have put together the definitive modern Urban Dictionary of all things agave. So the next time that one serious collector friend offers you a copita of pechuga that they suitcased back and swear is Pepsi bottle-worthy you won’t have to nod politely while secretly wondering if they’re having a stroke.
Before this decision, there was no firm definition of what American single malt whisky was, or who could use the term of the label. It must be made from 100 percent malted barley, distilled to a proof of 160 or less, stored in oak barrels with a maximum capacity of 700 liters, and bottled at no less than 80 proof.
Bourbon might be known as Americas native spirit, but before it was the booming industry we know today, rye was the preferred whiskey on U.S. While the spirit may have fallen out of favor post-Prohibition, rye whiskey is back in full force, with volumes swelling in the past decade and a half.
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has ratified a ruling that will officially create a recognized category for American single malt whiskey (ASM). Many ASM producers, as well as the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission ( ASMWC ), have applauded the long-coming decision.
Bottle images credit: Buffalo Trace Few bottles spark more conversation among bourbon fans than Blantons. Once a sleeper hit on the shelves, it’s now a poster child for the modern whiskey hunt. The concept of a single barrel bourbon was radical at the time: a bourbon bottled from a single barrel rather than batched.
Kentucky may be the heartland of bourbon, but distillers outside the Bluegrass State are proving that world-class whiskey knows no borders. The World Whiskies Awards USA 2025 recently announced its winners, recognizing the best American whiskeys across a range of categories. Lets take a closer look at the standout bottles.
Whiskey has continued to grow in popularity over the years, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to slow down anytime soon! Within the whiskey category, two of the most celebrated types are bourbon and rye. They both have their specific qualities that make whiskey lovers loyal to one or the other.
When Grain and Barrel Spirits launched Chicken C**k Whiskey in 2018, the branding drew plenty of amused chatter. To revive Chicken C**k Whiskey, Grain and Barrel and Gregg Snyder worked with Bardstown Bourbon Company’s collaborative distilling program. 100 proof.
Batch With an emphasis that could be considered hedonism at its finest, Batch puts its focus on two things: whiskey and doughnuts. Opened in 2016 by Tucson natives Ronnie and Christian Spece, Batch boasts one of the largest whiskey collections in the state, with more than 1,000 unique labels and counting. s flagship hazy IPA.
While American whiskeys have certainly had their time in the premium spotlight, much of the culture around them remains proudly blue-collar, offering great quality whiskeys at 45% or 50% ABV from a wide range of brands. Typically, the peatier you go, the more expensive the bottle becomes.) Its their entry-level bottling.
The company produces a wide range of offerings, including whiskey and tequila alternatives, plus a variety of ready-to-drink cocktails. Bottles are 700ml. N/A whiskey is always a dicey proposition and Kentucky 74 doesn’t much move the needle on that calculus. abv or less.
For this seventh release, this American whiskey that threads the needle between bourbon and rye comes with its origin story, which I don’t recall ever reading. And here it is: In 2010, co-founder David DeFazio requested Wyoming Whiskey’s distiller at the time, Bourbon Hall of Famer Steve Nally, to develop a rye. 100 proof.
David Gluckman and his team mixed whiskey with cream in 1973 – critics called it crazy, but Baileys Irish Cream went on to sell over 1.25 billion bottles In 1973, one of the world’s most respected drinks executives looked at a bottle of brown liquid and declared “That s**t will never sell!”
Jump to Recipe Photo courtesy of Angel’s Envy Bourbon Apparently every June 14th , whiskey enthusiasts get a chance to celebrate one of the United States’ most beloved spirits. This day is specifically dedicated to appreciating bourbon, a whiskey that has become deeply ingrained in American history and culture.
The world of whiskey is wonderfully vast, which is why it can often be intimidating — even for aficionados. When it comes to whiskey, underrated really means what overdelivers for the price. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a diverse flavor profile from the typical whiskey we’re used to.” It tends to be a crowd pleaser.
If there’s one thing whiskey fans love, it’s superlatives. As with any list primed to spark debate, we should outline some ground rules: The rye must be a specific bottling OR bottled within an identifiable range of years. All spirits must be American rye whiskeys. Oldest, highest proof, rarest — we covet them all.
The Most Overrated Bourbon Cocktail, According to Bartenders Old Fashioned Whiskey Sour Mint Julep Whiskey Ginger Old Fashioned as an Introduction to Bourbon Cocktails Bourbon Old Fashioned Ward 8 Brown Derby Overly Complex Old Fashioneds The most overrated bourbon cocktail is arguably the Old Fashioned. Whiskey Sour.
Elijah Craig Whiskey is a big name in bourbon. Its an American whiskey that has proved to be a reliable, versatile, affordable sipper and a bartender’s go-to for Old Fashioneds and Manhattan cocktails. According to legend, in 1789, Craig became the first distiller to age whiskey in new charred oak barrels.
Even white rum has to rest before hitting the bottling line. Bourbon, scotch, Canadian whisky, Irish whiskey , tequila , Cognac, and armagnac are by international agreement all made within a single country, and sometimes one area within a country. . Photo by Richard Wadey Now compare rum to whiskey.
But in the past decade, tucked among the various bourbons and ryes, more bottles carrying the indeterminate “American whiskey” label have appeared. It’s a tempting prospect for whiskey nerds looking for novelty and affordable spirits in the decade-plus age range. s MGP Ingredients (MGP). Low calorie, it is not.
Whisky fans can be extremely spirited (if you’ll pardon the pun), and in whisky circles, there are great debates surrounding the spelling of the word ‘whisky’ or ‘whiskey’, and the differences are between the two. So, here is a breakdown of the whisky vs. whiskey debate and the questions that arise from it. Well, it is both.
1 So I was surprised to discover that Costco’s house brand bottled Old Fashioned is kind of, sort of, almost maybe, an exception. The whiskey recedes into the background. The Kirkland Signature Old Fashioned, on the other hand, runs $18– for the entire bottle. And the bottle is a full liter, or about 33.8
Jameson is the world’s bestselling Irish whiskey brand, selling 31 million bottles annually. If you’ve ever been curious about this monumentally popular Irish whiskey, we explore Jameson’s origins, distillery history, and production. million cases of Jameson whisky produced each year.
American whiskey is in a weird place. It’s not uncommon to say that the whiskey industry is five to seven years behind craft beer in terms of trends. These consumers increasingly prefer a handful of favorite bottles rather than experimenting across brands. Does all this spell trouble for American whiskey?
Like the rest of the country, the whiskey trails in the Western part of the United States are vast and full of options to explore. Drawing from local ingredients and influenced by local microclimates, the distilleries — and the whiskeys they make — reflect a relaxed and creative attitude common in this part of the country.
image via Cedar Ridge) Editor’s Note: We received a review sample of this whiskey from the brand. Iowa’s Cedar Ridge is an American whiskey distillery with some history behind it, at least by craft distilling history standards. Read the full article at Whiskey Review: Cedar Ridge The QuintEssential Portside
There are thousands of whiskeys out in the world. Not all of them appeal to every whiskey drinker, regardless of how popular they are or how ubiquitous they may be on back bars, and this is fine, of course. Whiskey is subjective. This doesn’t make the whiskey bad. Also, any whiskey with peat is just not good to me.
The Edinburgh Whisky Academy (EWA) has partnered with the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission to launch an online, educational course about American single malt whiskey. This pack includes six American single malt whiskeys from Virginia Distillery Co., Sign up for your place on the course here.
With some 200 whiskeys available for tasting, you can’t possible sample everything on offer. Producers bring their unicorn bottles like Heaven Hill Parker’s Heritage Collection and Michter’s two 10 Year Old Single Barrel offerings, all for sale at MSRP. And so they did again in 2024 at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival.
Editor’s Note: The Whiskey Wash acquired this whiskey as an independent review sample not supplied by the related brand. One of the more fascinating sub-categories of whiskey these days is the so-called “cigar blend.” Read the full article at Whiskey Review: Wheel Horse Cigar Blend Bourbon
Most American whiskey makers face a seemingly inevitable fork in the road: One path is marked “bourbon,” and the other is marked “rye.” And if your mash bill doesn’t fit neatly into the federally regulated definitions of either — at least 51 percent corn in the case of bourbon, or else a minimum of 51 percent rye — then tough luck.
The TAG Global Spirits Awards 2024 judges have named the ‘Best In Show’ bourbons and American whiskeys. Previously, I broke down the best American whiskeys and bourbons as named in the 2023 TAG Global Spirits Awards. Looking for more award-winning whiskeys? Check out the rest of my Awards Series.
In just about eight months, seven different whiskeys have arrived at Drinkhacker HQ, and today we’re finally getting down to reviewing them all. Let’s fire away at this septet of whiskeys. This is without doubt a whiskey that requires time and patience to open up and evolve. One cask produced — 316 bottles.
From the very beginning, as one of the oldest distilleries in Tennessee, George Dickel was determined to do things differently — rethink American whiskey using fresh spring water as well as tried-and-true distillation techniques. Case in point: the Improved Whiskey Cocktail — and “improved” cocktails in general.
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