10 Best Whiskeys We Tasted in February 2026, Ranked

Every month, we sift through loads of new releases — and older expressions that are new to us — and highlight the whiskeys that stand out the most. February 2026 was a great month, from barrel-proof rye to richly layered bourbon and compelling scotch.

As always, these whiskeys are ranked by The Daily Pour’s Critics’ Score — our proprietary metric that aggregates our house rating with scores from the most trusted whiskey critics across the internet. In the case of a tie, we break it first by our house score, then by the number of aggregated reviews and finally alphabetically, when necessary. This ensures the rankings reflect both broad critical acclaim and our own tasting expertise.

I always enjoy putting this list together, and it’s actually been a little while since I’ve done one. We skipped it in December because we did all of our end-of-year content (check out our 100 Best Whiskeys of 2025, Ranked list, if you missed it), and in January I just didn’t review enough whiskeys for it to be worth it (holidays into lots of non-alc tasting for Dry January). All of that to say: I’m glad to be back doing these.

Here’s February 2026’s list, ranked 10 to 1.

10. Still Austin Bottled In Bond Blue Corn Bourbon Whiskey (2025)

ABV: 50%  |  Price: $83

Released this winter, this bourbon is the seasonal anchor of Still Austin’s Bottled in Bond series — a collection that drops a different expression each quarter, with winter always belonging to the Blue Corn. Distilled from a mashbill of 51% corn (split between blue and white), 44% rye and 5% malted barley, this six-year-old is bottled at 100 proof per Bottled in Bond regulations.

On the nose, it’s immediately inviting — butterscotch and crème brûlée up front, with apple bake, lemon peel, tapioca, cinnamon and clove rounding things out. The palate follows through with a well-balanced flood of oak, custard, banana cream pie, cookie dough, brown sugar, cherry and gingerbread. The finish is cleaner and more restrained — cocoa powder, oak, cherry — but no less satisfying for it.

9. Wheel Horse Barrel Master Select 5 Year Old Barrel Proof Bourbon (Batch 1)

ABV: 56.3%  |  Price: $39.99

Released in July, this is the brand’s first batched barrel-proof release — a limited run of 2,100 bottles, each priced at $39.99. Barrel Master Stephen Corrigan blended 12 barrels of 5-to-6-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon sourced from Green River Distilling in Owensboro, Kentucky, using Green River’s standard mashbill of 70% corn, 21% rye and 9% malted barley, and bottled the result at 112.6 proof.

The nose is pleasant and sweet: dark chocolate, Tootsie Rolls, malted milk balls, salt water taffy, tapioca and cherry candy. The palate is somewhat woody, with cinnamon, taffy, cherry, nougat, green apple and pepper, while the finish opens with a big hit of cinnamon before giving way to cherry, apple bake, pie crust and ash.

It’s nicely well-rounded and balanced. At $40, this is an awesome value; Green River’s full-proof offering retails for $50, making this barrel-proof bourbon $10 cheaper. Hard to argue with that math.

8. The Whistler P.X. I Love You Single Malt Irish Whiskey

ABV: 46%  |  Price: $49.99

P.X. I Love You is an Irish single malt from The Whistler, a brand under Boann Distillery — a family-owned operation in Ireland’s County Meath that has been distilling since 2019. The whiskey spends four years in ex-bourbon barrels before a one-year finish in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks, and is bottled at 92 proof.

The nose is tart, fruit-forward and well balanced — prunes, raisins and orange pith layered over leather, coffee grounds and dark chocolate-covered macadamia nuts. On the palate, decadent sweetness (honey, maple syrup) combines with a fruit-forward profile of pear and raspberry, plus rose petals, walnuts, chestnuts, cinnamon and graham cracker. White pepper and cinnamon kick off the finish, which fades gracefully into chestnut, caramel and sassafras.

The honeyed notes of the distillate meld well with the nutty and dried-fruit character from the sherry finish — it slips into cloying territory at times, but darker and spicier notes help rein it in. This is an easy-drinking Irish malt at a price that’s hard to beat.

7. Still Austin Bottled in Bond Straight Bourbon Aged 7 Years (2025)

ABV: 50%  |  Price: $80

Released in September 2025, this is the fall installment of Still Austin’s Bottled in Bond lineup and the oldest whiskey the Austin-based craft distillery has ever bottled. Distilled from a mashbill of 70% white corn, 25% rye and 5% malted barley and bottled at 100 proof, it has a suggested retail price of $80 per 750-milliliter bottle.

The nose strikes a nice balance between dark fruit and spice — cinnamon, gingerbread, frosting, chocolate-covered cherries and espresso grounds. The palate is moderate in weight with a lovely profile of butterscotch, marzipan, plum, hefty oak, tannin and tobacco. Tobacco and oak carry the finish, joined by black pepper, cinnamon and vanilla.

This lovely oak-forward bourbon showcases the accelerating impact of Texas’ climate. Still Austin’s Bottled in Bond series remains one of our favorite regular-release annual collections in American whiskey — and while the fall release isn’t the standout of the four, it’s a great bottle.

6. Jack Daniel’s Distillery Series Selection No. 16: Tennessee Rye Whiskey Finished in Table Syrup Barrels

ABV: 55.7%  |  Price: $44.99 (375-milliliter bottle)

Released in December, this is the 16th entry in the Jack Daniel’s Distillery Series. Bottled at 111.4 proof from a mashbill of 70% rye, 18% corn and 12% malted barley, the whiskey was aged approximately five years before spending an additional three years in table syrup barrels — vessels that had first held Jack Daniel’s rye, then table syrup (here made from corn syrup, cane sugar syrup, cane molasses and pure honey), then circled back to finish this rye. It has a suggested retail price of $44.99 per 375-milliliter bottle.

The nose is rich and lovely — maple cream, blackberry, cinnamon, sassafras and clove. On the palate, maple and oak anchor a flavor profile that also includes nougat, raspberry, clove, cinnamon and peanut brittle. The finish is satisfying and generous, with big notes of blackberry and clove before a surprising banana cream pie closer.

An enjoyable, spectacularly balanced expression, the real achievement here is that it never strays too heavily into sweetness — an impressive feat for a syrup finish. Delicious stuff from Jack Daniel’s, and at $45 for a 375-milliliter bottle, it demands serious consideration from any rye lover who comes across it.

5. Ampersand Opimus

ABV: 58.4%  |  Price: $150

Ampersand Opimus is a 750-milliliter bourbon distilled from a mashbill of 75% corn, 13% rye and 12% malted barley, finished for nine months in Hungarian Tokaji wine casks and bottled at 116.8 proof. The distillate is widely rumored to be “BuffTurkey” — a series of barrels (that whiskey fans go nuts over) distilled by Buffalo Trace in 2008 using Wild Turkey’s mashbill but with Buffalo Trace’s yeast, grains, stills and distillation techniques. Wild Turkey contracted the work out to Buffalo Trace due to capacity constraints, aged the bourbon, then ultimately decided the flavor profile was too far from its house style to use. The barrels were sold to non-distilling producers.

The Ampersand line is produced by Foley Family Wine & Spirits, with blending led by Chip Tate, who famously founded Balcones Distillery in Waco, Texas, before exiting in 2014. If you don’t know that story, it’s a lot. There’s a whole New York Times exposé on it. Worth a read. Regardless of all that, it’s exciting to see Tate’s talents back in a meaningful whiskey-making role.

The nose is beautiful and rich — buttercream frosting, demerara sugar, cinnamon, anise, marzipan, brandied cherry, and a waxy golden delicious apple and pear character. The palate leads with oak and tannin, underneath which lie Luxardo cherry, toasted marshmallow, toasted almonds, vanilla custard and cocoa — all wrapped in a silky smooth mouthfeel. The finish is long and spiced, opening with cinnamon, nutmeg and clove before settling into apple bake, tobacco, mint and a lovely earthy close.

Rich, delicious and oaky. If you’re a fan of oak-forward, well-balanced bourbon with plenty of spice, you’ll love this. Those who prefer lighter or less tannic expressions need not apply — but for everyone else, this is a must-try.

4. Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 18 Year Old (2026)

ABV: 52.3%  |  Price: $199.99

This is the 2026 edition of Bruichladdich’s Port Charlotte 18 Year Old — the third annual release since the expression debuted in February 2024. The Port Charlotte line carries a well-earned reputation for producing intensely peaty whisky, and this year’s edition continues that tradition while breaking new ground: aged in a mixture of first-fill bourbon, second-fill sherry, new oak and first-fill red wine casks from France’s Rhône Valley, the 2026 release is the first in the series to incorporate red wine casks. It’s bottled at 104.6 proof and is limited to 8,000 bottles worldwide.

The nose is ashy, briny and peaty, with softer, sweeter notes pushing through — honey, waffle cone, melting butter, strawberries and tangerine. On the palate, orange blossom, red grape peel and strawberry jam arrive first, followed by sea salt, browned butter and then a big influx of red wine character. The finish is long and earthy, leading with mushroom and tobacco before dry red wine, walnut, pepper and a touch of minerality carry it home.

Red wine casks are notoriously difficult to balance, and Bruichladdich does a very strong job of integrating their influence alongside Port Charlotte’s signature peat-forward profile. The result is an enjoyable, satisfying expression that rewards patient sipping — and among the finest heavily peated scotches we’ve encountered at any price.

3. Knob Creek Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon, Eli Manning’s Bold Pick 2026

(Photo: Knob Creek)

ABV: 58.2%  |  Price: $69.99

Released in January 2026, this cask-strength single-barrel bourbon was selected by former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning. Unlike his 2025 selection, this one comes at full cask strength — consistent with Knob Creek’s 2025 expansion of its single-barrel program to include uncut options, which, if you missed our coverage on that, check it out here. I went to the distillery and did a whole mock-pick selection. It was a lot of fun.

Proofs across the series range from 112.2 to 121.6; our sample of Manning’s clocked in at 116.4. The barrel was laid down Sept. 23, 2015, and bottled Oct. 7, 2025, making it just over 10 years old. Suggested retail price is $69.99 per 750-milliliter bottle.

The nose is powerful and delicious, anchored by Beam’s classic nutty profile and layered with rich dessert notes and subtle spice — peanut brittle, caramel, cherry cola, vanilla, frosting and sassafras. The palate is rich and lovely, building on that peanut brittle base with fudge, espresso, caramel, ash, Luxardo cherry, a sprig of mint and a light minerality. The finish opens with a big dark chocolate-covered almonds note, then gives way to marshmallow fluff, coffee grounds and ash before moving into a fruitier close of red grape, raisin and cherry.

It’s just a great Knob Creek pick.

2. Yellowstone Recollection Bourbon 8 Year Old

(Photo: Yellowstone)

ABV: 55%  |  Price: $69.99

Released Feb. 24, this is the debut release in Limestone Branch Distillery’s new Recollection Series. The project began when founder Stephen Beam came across a vintage “back bar bottle” on eBay and set out to recreate — or “recollect” — it. The result is a hand-bottled decanter bearing embossed lettering. Initially released in a limited distillery-exclusive run in fall 2025, this expression returns in 2026 as a planned regular but limited release. The whiskey is a blend of two mashbills — Limestone Branch’s 75/13/12 corn/rye/malted barley and Lux Row’s 78/10/12 — aged at least eight years, non-chill filtered and bottled at 110 proof, with a suggested retail price of $69.99 per 700-milliliter bottle.

The nose is very beautiful — sweet corn, toffee, sweet cream, gingerbread, caramel, vanilla custard, apricot, red apple and cocoa. A big red apple note kicks off the palate as well, joined by custard, gentle oak, caramel, toffee, candied ginger, carrot cake and molasses. The warming finish opens with cinnamon, then unspools into tobacco, toasted oak, leather, Granny Smith apple and just a touch of peanut brittle.

This is absolutely delicious bourbon — perfectly calibrated, sippable but with plenty of complexity. Decadent, custardy, creamy and fruit-forward, Yellowstone’s debut Recollection Bourbon delivers dynamite balance. It’s rich yet easy-drinking, it represents exceptional value at $70 and it comes in a bottle that will look great on any bar. Just everything you want from a daily bourbon.

1. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Rye Batch A126

ABV: 60.2%  |  Price: $75

ICYMI, Heaven Hill’s Elijah Craig Barrel Proof program recently expanded into rye, and Batch A126 (the second in the series) is a testament to how good of a choice that was. Clocking in at 120.4 proof, this uncut, unfiltered barrel-proof rye is 11 years and 11 months old.

The nose is delicious, well-balanced and rich: demerara sugar, cinnamon, sassafras, cherry, frosting, mocha and horseradish. The first impression on the palate is that of a very oaky rye — dusty wood up front, then gingerbread, cinnamon, molasses, cherry, lemon candies, coffee bean and leather, with a pleasant peanut brittle note emerging on the back palate. The finish is long and satisfying, with cinnamon and nutmeg leading into sunflower seeds, lemon peel, leather, cacao and coffee grounds.

It’s got some heat to it, but this is a very tasty, well-aged bourbon lover’s rye — spicy, well-balanced and just delicious. It’s great stuff and a worthy addition to Heaven Hill’s regular-release lineup of barrel-proof whiskeys.