The 9 Best Whiskeys of 2026 So Far, Ranked
We’re less than three months into 2026, but the year has already produced an impressive run of whiskey releases. The nine bottles below represent the strongest whiskeys we have reviewed so far this year, ranked by our house review scores.
9. Woodford Reserve Distillery Series: Cabernet Sauvignon Barrel Finish
Proof: 90.4 | Price: $64.99 (375-milliliter)
Released Feb. 5, this limited Distillery Series entry takes fully matured Woodford Reserve Bourbon and finishes it in French oak cabernet sauvignon barrels. The result is a bourbon where red wine is very much in the foreground — on the nose it arrives alongside cotton candy, licorice and browned butter, and on the palate it sits prominently alongside toasted marshmallow, seared oak, pepper and browned butter. The finish moves from cinnamon through oak into sustained cabernet character. Master Distiller Elizabeth McCall describes it as exploring exciting new flavor dimensions through wine barrel finishing, and the final product delivers on that promise. A natural pairing with red meat.
8. Wyoming Whiskey Barrel Strength Bourbon #6429
Proof: 124 | Price: $299.99
Fewer than 500 bottles of Wyoming Whiskey’s annual single-barrel cask strength release make it to market, selected from the upper floors of the Kirby, Wyoming rickhouses and bottled after 10 years of aging. Distilled from a wheated mashbill of 68% corn, 20% wheat and 12% malted barley, Barrel #6429 carries the mineral and wheat character that defines Wyoming Whiskey’s house style, layered on top of a rich, oakdriven palate of coffee grounds, cola, pepper, sweet tea, brandied cherries, sassafras and cocoa powder. It drinks more calmly than the 124 proof number suggests. A remarkable wheated bourbon for those willing to meet the price.
7. Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 18 Year Old 2026
Proof: 104.6 | Price: $199.99
The third annual release of Bruichladdich’s 18-year-old Port Charlotte since the expression debuted in 2024, the 2026 edition marks the first to incorporate red wine casks from the Rhône Valley alongside first-fill bourbon, second-fill sherry and new oak in its maturation regime. Limited to 8,000 bottles worldwide, it delivers the peat-forward, briny character the Port Charlotte line is known for — ash and brine on the nose alongside honey, waffle cone and strawberry — while the red wine casks introduce orange blossom, red grape peel and strawberry jam on the palate, followed by sea salt and browned butter. Red wine cask finishes can easily overwhelm a spirit; here the balance is carefully maintained throughout a long, earthy, tobacco-and-walnut finish.
6. Green River Wheated Full Proof Bourbon
Proof: 109.3 | Price: $49.99
(Photo: Green River)
Released Feb. 10, this is a full-proof version of Green River’s wheated bourbon, taking the same 70% corn, 21% wheat and 9% malted barley mashbill as the 90-proof original and aging it five to seven years before bottling at a debut proof of 109.3. The $15 premium over the standard expression buys a considerably richer mouthfeel and more developed flavor — a sweet, soft nose of strawberry taffy, hazelnut and cherry danish; a palate of salted caramel, graham cracker, milk chocolate and raspberry; and a finish that builds into black cherry and vanilla after moving through oak and cinnamon. A genuinely impressive upgrade from an already strong wheater, and exceptional value at $50.
5. Knob Creek Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon — Eli Manning’s Bold Pick 2026
Proof: 116.4 | Price: $69.99
The second celebrity barrel pick from former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, this 2026 selection differs from the 2025 release by being bottled at cask strength — the result of Knob Creek’s expanded single-barrel program — and clocking in at just over 10 years old, barreled in September 2015 and bottled in October 2025. It opens on Beam’s classic nutty profile, with peanut brittle, caramel, cherry cola and sassafras on the nose, before delivering a rich palate of fudge, espresso, Luxardo cherry and mint. The finish is long and layered, moving from dark chocolate-covered almonds through coffee and ash into a fruitier close of red grape, raisin and cherry. A well-chosen barrel that plays to the strengths of the Beam distillate.
4. High West Cask Strength Bourbon Batch 25K14
(Photo: High West)
Price: $69.99
New to High West’s core portfolio in January, the Cask Strength Bourbon is a multi-source blend drawing on bourbons aged between six and 20 years from Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee distilleries — none of it distilled by High West, yet expertly blended by the Park City, Utah operation. The nose delivers Demerara, gingerbread, anise, cola, powdered sugar and blueberries, while the palate moves through cinnamon and candied ginger into cornbread, rhubarb and brown sugar, with dusty oak, maple syrup, blueberry preserves and subtle tobacco and clove on the finish.
3. Yellowstone Recollection Bourbon 8 Year Old
Proof: 110 | Price: $69.99
(Photo: Yellowstone)
The debut release in Limestone Branch Distillery’s new Recollection Series — inspired by a vintage back-bar bottle founder Stephen Beam found on eBay — Yellowstone Recollection Bourbon is a blend of two mashbills from Limestone Branch and Lux Row, aged at least eight years and bottled non-chill filtered at 110 proof. The nose is built on corn sweetness: toffee, sweet cream, gingerbread, caramel, vanilla custard, apricot and red apple. The palate opens on a prominent red apple note joined by custard, caramel, candied ginger and carrot cake. The finish is warming and complex, moving from cinnamon through tobacco and toasted oak into Granny Smith apple and peanut brittle. Decadent, custardy and fruit-forward, it delivers outstanding balance for the price — and it comes in a hand-bottled embossed decanter that earns its place on any bar shelf in style and substance alike.
2. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Rye Batch A126
Proof: 120.4 | Price: $75
The first Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Rye release of 2026 and second ever, Batch A126 is aged at least 11 years and 11 months — making it an unusually well-aged rye from Heaven Hill’s Bardstown operation. The nose is rich and well-balanced, built around Demerara, cinnamon, sassafras, cherry and mocha, with a distinctive horseradish note adding savory intrigue. The palate is oak-forward in the best sense, with gingerbread, cinnamon, molasses, cherry, lemon candies and coffee bean layered through a dusty oak structure, with peanut brittle arriving on the back palate. The finish is long and spiced, running through cinnamon, nutmeg, sunflower seeds, lemon peel and coffee grounds. A bourbon lover’s rye — spicy, well-aged and beautifully balanced.
1. Brown-Forman King of Kentucky Small Batch Bourbon Batch 1
Proof: 105 | Price: $299
Long exclusively a single-barrel product, King of Kentucky Small Batch is the first batched release of the expression in modern history. Master Distiller Emeritus Chris Morris described the barrels that went into these blends as “rare, aged barrels” that he had been waiting for the right moment to share — and at between 12 and 18 years of age, with some barrels down to 16% liquid due to extreme angel’s share, the waiting shows. Batch 1 is the lowest-proof of the three simultaneous releases at 105, and the most approachable entry point into what is an exceptional trio. The nose is a showcase of the Brown-Forman profile at its most opulent: vanilla custard, blueberry, chocolate-covered cherry, lavender, cream cheese frosting and salted caramel. The palate delivers big dark chocolate and espresso alongside cherry, coconut, ash and tannin. The finish is medium to long and oak-forward, moving through brown sugar and cinnamon into candied orange, ginger and vanilla. Pure opulence, excellently balanced.
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Founded by Dan Abrams, The Daily Pour is the ultimate drinking guide for the modern consumer, covering spirits, non-alcoholic and hemp beverages. With its unique combination of cross-category coverage and signature rating system that aggregates reviews from trusted critics across the internet, The Daily Pour sets the standard as the leading authority in helping consumers discover, compare and enjoy the best of today's evolving drinks landscape.
