Decadent dessert whiskeys, resplendent rums, and a new mezcal that is simply fascinating. These are the best bottles of booze released this year.
The 2024 Esquire Spirit Awards
2024 was a great year for spirits. Maybe that’s surprising; most of the news stories concerning booze lately have been about declining sales, after all. But many of the changes in the industry have been undeniably exciting and, even better, delicious. American whiskey is now being outsold by agave spirits here in the U.S., but there was certainly no shortage of fantastic new bourbon, rye, and American single malts, as well as new high-quality tequilas and mezcals. There was also some amazing Scotch, Irish whiskey, and other whiskeys from countries like Taiwan and Denmark hitting shelves. Rum is a category that has been touted as the next big thing for years. That hasn’t quite happened yet, but this year the Esquire Spirits Awards feature more rum releases than any previous year thanks to the large amount of high-quality expressions that were released.
This is a list of the best spirits I tasted this year in all the major categories, including a sherry-cask-finished Danish rye whiskey, a San Francisco gin flavored with tea and rosemary, and one of the best bourbons Wild Turkey has ever released (also one of the most expensive). Flavor was the main criterion in choosing these spirits—they had to be absolutely tasty and interesting to make the list. But their ability to be procured was also taken into consideration. There are some frustratingly elusive and expensive whiskeys included here, along with ones that are affordable and easier to find on shelves. These are the best spirits of 2024.
This might be the best bourbon to ever come out of the Wild Turkey distillery, and there are plenty to choose from. Russell’s Reserve is the smaller-batch label from Wild Turkey, and the core expression is one of the best deals in American whiskey—a ten-year-old bourbon that you can usually find for about 50 bucks or less. Over the past few years, Russell’s Reserve began releasing some older bourbons, starting with a 13-year-old that immediately skyrocketed in value. That is also the case with this new 15-year-old, which is a shame, because this bourbon is delicious and one that everyone should try. It’s bottled at 117.2 proof and has rich notes of caramel, dark chocolate, stone fruit, leather, and oak on the palate. If you get the chance to try this fantastic new bourbon, consider yourself very lucky.
This is another hard-to-come-by bourbon, but it’s too good to leave off this list. Four Roses stands out because it makes ten different bourbon recipes using two mash bills and five different yeast strains. While the core bourbon combines all ten of these, this annual release uses just a few that are aged for much longer. This year marks the 17th edition, combining three recipes aged from 12 to 20 years. It’s bottled at 108.2 proof with no chill filtration and is a perfect balance of sweet and spice, older and younger whiskeys. It’s safe to assume this will be a difficult bottle to get your hands on, but if you find a bar pouring it for a reasonable price, order a glass (or two).
Baker’s is part of the Jim Beam Small Batch Collection, but it’s nowhere near as popular as its sibling whiskeys (Knob Creek, Booker’s, and Basil Hayden). A few years ago, the brand relaunched as a seven-year-old single-barrel bourbon bottled at 107 proof, and a limited-edition 13-year-old version joined the lineup that same year. That whiskey has returned, and it’s superb. I think this is truly an underrated bourbon, and while each bottle will vary depending on which barrel it came from, overall the palate is full of notes of fig, dark chocolate, espresso, and smoky oak, all buttressed by Beam’s signature nutty grain notes.
Woodinville has consistently been releasing some of the best bourbon you can find that doesn’t come from traditional whiskey states like Kentucky and Tennessee. This distillery is located just outside of Seattle, and the flagship bourbon (and various cask-finished expressions) are all very tasty. This fall, Woodinville released its oldest whiskey to date, an eight-year-old bourbon with a high-rye mash bill (35 percent, to be exact). It was aged in heavily toasted, lightly charred barrels in Central Washington, where the distillery’s warehouses are located. The result is a complex sipper with notes of spiced nuts, caramel, peach, oak, and loads of maple syrup on the palate.
The annual release of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection is something that whiskey fans look forward to every fall. The details of this collection of bourbon and rye change from year to year, but the names are the same: George T. Stagg, Eagle Rare 17, Thomas H. Handy, William Larue Weller, and Sazerac 18. That last whiskey was the standout from this year’s collection, an 18-year-old rye bottled at 90 proof. This took me by surprise; I didn’t expect it to be my favorite of the collection. But it hits all the right marks, with trademark spice notes tempered by nearly two decades in oak, as well as big notes of vanilla, honey, butterscotch, and maple on the palate. This whiskey is highly allocated and expensive, so happy hunting.
Still Austin is another craft distillery making whiskey that can stand with the best from the big boys and girls. This small operation located in—you guessed it—Austin and is making seriously good whiskey in a state that is full of great distilleries. This new straight rye was the last in the 2024 Bottled in Bond series (as a reminder, that term means the whiskey is at least four years old, exactly 100 proof, and the product of one distillery and one distillation season). This expression was made from a mash bill of 100 percent Texas-grown rye, and it’s a perfect choice to use in any classic whiskey cocktail and a great sipper on its own.
Kentucky’s Green River Distilling Co. has a long history, but current whiskey production has been going on there only for less than a decade. Still, the distillery has released some fantastic, affordable whiskeys over the years, including this excellent new rye. This bottle is priced at $35, which is part of its appeal—but the flavor is even better. It’s a 95 percent rye like those you might find from MGP in Indiana, but it drinks more like a Kentucky-style rye, with notes of vanilla and caramel mingling with black pepper and baking spice. Cheers is right.
Wild Turkey is best known for its affordable, 101 proof Kentucky bourbon. But the distillery also happens to make some great rye, and the latest release in this category arrived as part of the high-end Master’s Keep collection. It sounds simple—Triumph is a ten-year-old rye whiskey made with just the legally required 51 percent rye grain in the mash bill. You may have tried something similar before, but this 104 proof expression shines with notes of cinnamon, cloves, dark chocolate, molasses, and oak. This is a great rye whiskey to sip neat, but go ahead and mix up a Cadillac-level Manhattan if you’re feeling inspired.
Bardstown Bourbon Company has become a go-to distillery for brands looking to contract-distill, but the team there also produces its own whiskey and sources barrels to blend and finish into new expressions. The Collaborative Series is focused on bringing together different producers of wine and spirits by sourcing casks to use for secondary maturations, more often than not with great results. This year saw the release of this new blend of bourbon from four states, aged nine to 15 years, made with different mash bills, and finished for 17 months in Silver Oak cabernet wine barrels. As with previous BBC wine finishes, this is a complex and seductive sipper, augmenting classic bourbon flavors with notes of dried fruit and spice—the perfect dram for both whiskey and wine lovers.
This one surprised me for two reasons—I don’t normally like bourbon this old, and I find that toasted barrel finishes can go overboard rather quickly. That being said, this was one of the year’s best cask-finished whiskeys, a blend of bourbon distilled in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana that was aged for 15 years in new charred oak and then a final five years in specially toasted barrels. This long secondary maturation unlocked new layers of flavor, revealing a dusty but vibrant bourbon that is full of notes of wood, toasted almonds, and dried fruit.
Triple Oak is the first new addition to the Angel’s Envy lineup in about a decade. This distillery is known for its cask-finished whiskey because that’s the only thing it does (aside from a limited-edition, bottled-in-bond bourbon that came out earlier this year). The core bourbon is finished in port barrels, but Triple Oak was given a secondary maturation in three different kinds of barrels—Hungarian oak, chinquapin oak from Kentucky, and French oak. Each imparts its own unique flavor into the whiskey, and the final blend is a balanced and expressive bourbon that has earned its place in the Angel’s Envy portfolio.
This is another wine-barrel-finished whiskey, but this time it’s a rye instead of a bourbon. And it’s not just any rye—it’s a 12-year-old whiskey produced at Alberta Distillers in Canada and sourced by Vermont distillery WhistlePig. Normally, WhistlePig’s 12-year-old rye is finished in three different types of wine barrels, but for this release just one was used—French oak cabernet barrels from Shafer Vineyards in California. This gave the whiskey notes of raisin, vanilla, grape candy, and rye spice on the palate. Aside from a few bottles floating around on the secondary market, this is exclusive to bars and restaurants around the country, so you’ll have to go out to get a sip.
This release isn’t a bourbon, and it isn’t a rye—it’s a blend of both American whiskey styles that comes from one of the great bourbon brands, Knob Creek. Knob Creek is part of the Jim Beam Small Batch Collection, and this is probably the most unusual release to date from the brand, but it works. The whiskey is a blend of the two core expressions, nine-year-old bourbon (about 70 percent) and seven-year-old rye (about 30 percent), bottled at a high 113 proof. The end result is an assertive but totally sippable blend of classic American whiskeys.
This was one of the best whiskeys I tried all year. It was made at Virginia distillery A. Smith Bowman, which is actually the sister distillery to Buffalo Trace in Kentucky. That’s where the whiskey was originally distilled before being redistilled in Virginia, a relatively uncommon step in American whiskey. It’s a 12-year-old expression aged in both charred and uncharred French oak barrels, which is why it cannot be considered a bourbon (which must be aged in new charred oak). It’s truly delicious, with bright berry and oak flavors complemented by notes of honey, brown sugar, maple, and custard. And at 50 percent ABV, there’s a welcome bit of heat on the palate.
This is a highly coveted annual release from Kentucky’s Heaven Hill distillery. The whiskey changes each year, whether it’s the mash bill or maturation or both. The 2024 edition (the 18th overall) was one of the best in recent years, a 14-year-old malt whiskey made from a mash bill of 65 percent malted barley and 35 percent corn. Before bottling, the whiskey was put into reconstructed cognac casks for an additional four months. This whiskey is unusual and delightful, with notes of dark chocolate, dried fruit, and molasses on the palate.
Longmorn might not be the most familiar name in single malt Scotch to American drinkers, but that should change, since the distillery relaunched its core lineup earlier this year. Two whiskies were released at 18 and 22 years old (a 30-year-old was just added as well), and the older one beats the younger by a hair. It was aged mostly in American oak, so don’t expect a sherry bomb here—instead there are deep notes of vanilla, almond, and molasses, with some toasted nuts, citrus, and a hint of tropical fruit on the palate. If you can’t find the 22, or if it’s out of your price range, you can’t go wrong with the 18 instead.
Bruichladdich is famous for its incredibly heavily peated Octomore expressions, an annual release of smoke bombs that get a lot of attention. But the distillery’s core expression, the Classic Laddie, is actually unpeated. This new release is a much older version of that, and it arrived paired with an even older 30-year-old expression. The younger whisky is the superior one, however. It was distilled in 2001 shortly after the distillery reopened after being shuttered for several years. The whisky was aged in bourbon, port, and Sauternes wine casks and bottled at 50 percent ABV. This is a more mature version of the Classic Laddie, with notes of honey, tobacco, leather, and some tropical fruit on the palate.
This whisky took me completely by surprise, but it was one of the best I tried this year. Daftmill is an independent distillery in the Lowlands of Scotland, and it has been making whisky only for less than 20 years—a drop in the bucket given Scotland’s long whisky history. This is a 12-year-old single malt aged in just 15 bourbon barrels that was bottled at a cask strength of 58.7 percent ABV. That is strong, but the flavor is so complex and delicate that the alcohol content is not overwhelming. Add a drop of water and you will discover a bouquet of notes, starting and ending with honey and revealing apricot, vanilla, and some spice along the way.
Nc’nean is another new, independent Scotch distillery that has been producing whisky only since 2017. That means all of the single malts coming out of this distillery are young, but that’s not a bad thing at all. Orchard Cobbler is part of the Huntress series, and it’s named after the fruit notes that are evident on the palate. Nc’nean produces two types of spirit, one that is meant to be aged longer and one that is meant to be younger—this is the latter. It was matured in a combination of red wine, American whiskey, and Oloroso sherry casks, resulting in a bright, crisp, and fruity whisky that is young without tasting green or immature.
Talisker is one of Diageo’s key distilleries, located on the beautiful and rugged Isle of Skye. The whisky produced there is peaty but not intensely smoky, with a range of vanilla, citrus, and fruit notes on the palate along with a salty maritime influence. This 30-year-old expression was first introduced in 2006 as part of the Special Releases whisky series and returned in 2021 as an annual release. That’s a good thing, because this is a fantastic older single malt Scotch that retains its vibrancy and doesn’t get overpowered by oak, with lovely notes of fruit, spice, and just a bit of peat on the finish.
This is a very, very rare and expensive Irish whiskey, but it deserves a mention here. Midleton Very Rare is the annual release from the Midleton distillery located just outside Cork, where famous brands like Jameson, Redbreast, and Powers are produced. This particular whiskey is a blend that changes each year and is consistently good. For the 40th anniversary of MVR, which is aged exclusively in bourbon barrels, master distiller Kevin O’Gorman selected just three casks, blended them, and put the whiskey into a port barrel for an additional nine months. The result is a fruity, succulent whiskey with notes of cotton candy, leather, tobacco, cedar, and cherry.
Teeling became the first distillery to operate in Dublin in more than a century when it opened almost a decade ago. Now it’s owned by drinks company Bacardi, and it’s still producing and sourcing very good Irish whiskey. This new release is a 24-year-old single malt with a Notre Dame football tie-in, but that’s not the most interesting thing about this whiskey. That honor belongs to the fact that it was finished in Rivesaltes casks, and if you don’t know what those are, you are not alone. This sweet fortified wine from southern France has given the whiskey delicious notes of fruit, caramel, and sweet milk chocolate.
Redbreast is always at the top of my list of favorite Irish whiskeys, but the addition of this new 18-year-old expression really took the brand to another level. That’s because 18 years is right in that sweet spot of whiskey maturation, not too old to become overly tannic but mature enough to pick up a range of complex new flavors. This single-pot-still whiskey was distilled at Midleton and aged in bourbon, Oloroso sherry, ruby port, and cream sherry casks. That diverse collection of barrels has allowed the liquid to develop intense notes of cherry, grape, dark chocolate, orange, and espresso on the palate.
Keeper’s Heart is an American brand that blends Irish and American whiskey into new and unique expressions. The distillery is led by Brian Nation, the former master distiller at Midleton who was behind many of its Midleton Very Rare releases. He sourced the casks for this release from the Cooley distillery in Ireland, coming up with a well-aged single malt that he then finished in a Hungarian Tokay wine cask. This is a decadent dessert whiskey, with sweet notes of chocolate and fruit that overlap a layer of spice—but expect to pay a hefty premium for this high-end bottle.
Who says high age statements are just for single malt Scotch? This blended whisky is the oldest release from Crown Royal to date, the third edition in its Extra Rare Series that is a year older than the last. The distillery’s core character is present here, but the much older components add notes of tropical fruit, oak, barrel-aged vanilla extract, and toasted nuts to the mix.
This whisky is one that only the most affluent can afford, but it deserves a place on this list nonetheless. Hibiki 40 is a fascinating and complex blend of whisky from each of Suntory’s three distilleries—Yamazaki, Hakushu, and Chita. There are many different components in the mix, including whiskies aged in Japanese mizunara oak, Spanish sherry seasoned oak, and American oak. (According to Suntory’s master blender, a 1978 vintage malt whisky aged in American oak was the key to this blend.) If you have $35,000 to spend on a single whisky, make it this one.
Danish distillery Stauning has been making some seriously great whisky over the past few years, with its rye expression leading the way. This new version of that whisky is made from Danish rye and barley and aged in new American oak before being finished in Pedro Ximénez and Palo Cortado sherry casks. That brings nice dried-fruit and toffee notes to a spicy whisky, with a touch of sweetness and some tannic dryness to round out the palate.
This is another sherry-centric whisky, a single malt from Taiwan’s Kavalan distillery that was triple matured in Oloroso sherry, Pedro Ximénez sherry, and muscatel casks—a first for the distillery and a brand-new expression here in the U.S. Each whisky is matured separately, and then they are all blended together, resulting in a sweet and dry single malt with creamy notes of citrus, chocolate, and tons of dried fruit on the palate. Macallan fans, give this one a try.
This tequila is released as a different vintage each year, and the 2023 was the latest. It’s a fantastic blanco, made from agave that was harvested from a single field called El Sabino. This tequila is an experiment in terroir, and whatever you think about how that concept relates to spirits, the result is delicious. (Compare different releases back-to-back if you really want a proof of concept.) Look for zesty, earthy, grassy citrus notes, along with a dollop of cooked agave, in this additive-free tequila.
Mijenta is a newer tequila brand that somehow managed to release a good cristalino this year, a dubious style at best, but that’s not the bottle in question. Maestra Selection No. 1 is a limited-edition blanco that is built for sipping, which is not something you can say about every un-aged tequila. It was made from agave grown from seed, an uncommon practice in the industry. While you might question what effect that really has, the proof is in the palate—this tequila is earthy and full of citrus, vanilla, and agave notes.
This was the first extra añejo (meaning it was aged more than three years) release from Tequila Ocho since 2022, and it was worth the wait. Ocho is overseen by famed tequila maker Carlos Camarena, and the brand’s focus is on producing single-estate expressions that will vary from release to release. This new tequila was aged for three years in American whiskey barrels, resulting in a rich, wood-kissed tequila with notes of vanilla and maple that is not overtaken by tannins.
This reposado expression from the well-regarded G4 brand was released to mark this year’s Día de los Muertos. It was made using traditional methods and aged for seven months in barrels that previously held Jack Daniel’s Tennessee whiskey. This is another aged tequila that has all the best qualities that come from spending time in wood without being dominated by it, revealing soft notes of vanilla and maple that augment the soft agave notes on the palate.
This brand has been around since 2012, but this new reposado just came out this past year. This is a pricey limited-edition release that was aged in a very interesting combination of casks for up to ten months—port, Pedro Ximénez sherry, barrels that held Irish whiskey and then stout beer, and new French oak. That sounds like a complicated formula, but the final result is simple and flavorful, with notes of nuts, spice, vanilla, malt, and roasted agave at the center of the palate.
This new release from popular mezcal brand Amaras was made from Americana agave, a varietal that grows in the state of Oaxaca, where the mezcal was produced. This is a versatile mezcal that can be sipped or used in cocktails, with big notes of nuts, tropical fruit, and bitter herbs and a smoky undercurrent running throughout.
This Día de los Muertos release from Tres Tribus was made using some very interesting ingredients. After cooking and fermenting the agave underground, the mezcal was double-distilled. On the second go, cempasúchil (marigold flower), orange, tangerine, grapefruit, and quince were added to the still, and then the spirit was put into glass to rest for two years before bottling. This new mezcal is fascinating—it’s fruity, smoky, savory, and herbal all at the same time, a must-try for fans of agave spirits.
This rum from Dominican brand Brugal came out in early 2024, and it has stayed in the top ranks even in a very strong year for the category. It was initially aged in sherry casks that were emptied and then subjected to the brand’s proprietary “dark aromatic toasting.” The rum was subsequently refilled into those barrels for a secondary maturation period. The result is a beautiful sipper with notes of caramel, toasted almond, orange, and spice, with no sugar or other additives used to augment the natural flavor of the spirit.
This was the first vintage release from Equiano, a rum brand that launched in 2020 that is named after 18th-century writer and abolitionist Olaudah Equiano. This rum is a blend of liquid aged in bourbon and cognac casks, with a small amount of sherry-cask-matured rum included in the mix, that was bottled at 11 years old. (According to the brand, this is in recognition of the age at which Equiano was enslaved.) The rum was sourced from esteemed distilleries Foursquare (Barbados) and Gray’s (Mauritius) and is a delicate marriage of rich and vibrant flavors.
This is the seventh release in Barbados distillery Mount Gay’s Master Blender series. It was created by master blender Trudiann Branker, and what makes this expression unique is that it was distilled using a Coffey still, or column still, that was recommissioned in 2019. (Mount Gay’s rum is normally a blend of column- and pot-distilled rum.) This rum was made from 100 percent Barbados molasses and aged in bourbon barrels for four years. Even at that relatively young age, the rum is floral and rich, with notes of brown sugar, honey, vanilla, and a bit of florality on the palate.
This series from Jamaican distillery Appleton Estate consistently has some of the best (and most expensive) rum you can find. The newest vintage in the collection is a 25-year-old rum distilled in 1998 that was selected by master blender Dr. Joy Spence. It’s a 100 percent pot-still rum that was bottled at a high 126 proof. Add a little water if you’d like to this exceptional spirit, but any way you choose to drink it will reveal notes of caramel, tropical fruit, and even a wisp of smoke, along with that signature earthiness that is familiar to fans of well-aged Jamaican rum.
This release is another example of just how exciting rum can be. Magisterium is a 16-year-old rum that was blended by Foursquare master distiller and blender Richard Seale. It’s actually a marriage of three different rums—one aged for three years in bourbon barrels and then 13 years in Oloroso sherry casks; one aged for nine years in bourbon and seven years in sherry; and one matured entirely in bourbon barrels. No color, sugar, or other additives are used here, as is the case with most Foursquare rums, revealing a palate resplendent with notes of banana, coconut, molasses, citrus, and oak.
There were three new releases from Scottish gin brand the Botanist this year, and they all deserve a mention. (So what, I’m cheating crashing three winners into one! It’s my list.) First came the Cask Rested and Cask Aged expressions, barrel-aged gins that were distilled and matured at the Bruichladdich distillery on Islay. The former was aged for six months in European and American oak, the latter for more than three years. Both bring new meaning to the barrel-aged-gin category and will sway even the most dubious with their complex laying of flavors. Then this fall Distiller’s Strength arrived, a higher-ABV version of the classic gin, made with 22 Islay botanicals and clocking in at 100 proof—strong but not overpowering and a great choice to use in cocktails.
Monkey 47 is a German gin made at a distillery in the Black Forest that uses 47 different botanicals in its recipe. That sounds like a lot, even overkill, but it works here, resulting in a complex spirit that can be used in any gin cocktail or even sipped neat. The Distiller’s Cut is released every year with the addition of one more unique ingredient—the 14th edition uses Capparis, better known as capers, which were grown on the Italian island of Pantelleria. The effect is subtle but noticeable, adding salty, nutty, vegetal notes to the already fragrant and floral gin.
This new gin was one of the best spirit releases of 2024. Junipero is made by San Francisco craft distillery Hotaling & Co., and this is a riff on the classic expression, which was one of the first American craft gins to gain wide release when it launched in 1996. Rosemary and lapsang tea are the two additional botanicals used here, each playing an equal part in giving the gin its unique flavor. Fragrant smoke and savory herbal notes are the dominant forces, but they work in tandem with the gin’s trademark citrus, spice, and of course juniper notes.
This release doesn’t come out every year, but cognac fans are very happy when it arrives. Eighth-generation Hennessy master blender Renaud Fillioux de Girond selects the eaux-de-vie that go into this special, one-of-a-kind blend, which debuted back in 2016. De Girond worked with 18 different distillers to select the core components, which were matured for a minimum of seven years in French oak barrels. The palate has a creaminess to it, along with notes of chocolate, fruit, spice, and a bit of tobacco. This is a fantastic sipping cognac that is relatively reasonably priced in a category that can get very expensive.
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