10 Best Summer Whiskeys to Drink While Staying Cool in the Heat

It’s August, which means we’re well into the depths of summer — and yet the days seem to keep getting hotter. We’ve got some time left until the weather starts to cool off and it becomes easier to drink heavy, oaky, high-proof whiskeys galore. After all, when you think of good whiskey, you think of delicious liquid that warms your mouth and throat — perfect for the chilly autumn and frigid winter months. However, whiskey can and should be enjoyed during the summer, as well — but it’s important to pick the right kind.

We’re here to give you a hand by offering 10 of our favorite summer whiskeys as suggestions, plus the format we recommend drinking them.

We can’t stop going back to these 10 whiskeys during the summer heat.

10 Best Summer Whiskeys to Drink While Staying Cool This Summer

Starward Vitalis — Neat or Over a Single Rock

A tremendous whisky from Australia’s top whisky producer, Starward, Vitalis was first introduced to the U.S. in November 2022. Released to celebrate Starward’s 15th anniversary, Vitalis is a perfect summer whiskey.

A blend of whiskies aged in tawny barrels, rum barrels, bourbon barrels and apera barrels, this complex, fruit-forward single malt presents caramel, chocolate, melon, green apple, key lime pie, pineapple, mango and a hint of nutmeg on the nose. The palate is floral and fruity with tons of melon, including watermelon, plus strawberry, banana, raspberry and juicy, sweet cherries. This cacophony of fruits is joined by saltwater taffy and hazelnut. The finish is long with more melon joined by barbecue smoke, leather and a bit of pepper.

Starward Vitalis is complex enough to keep you thinking during every sip but is easily enjoyed outdoors. Its wildly fruity profile makes it a perfect summer sipper. Quite light despite its proof of 104, it can easily be enjoyed neat, or over a rock on a particularly warm day.

Still Austin Cask Strength Bourbon — Over Rocks or in Your Favorite Whiskey Cocktail

A brand-new release and the latest addition to the Austin, Texas-based distillery’s core portfolio, Still Austin Cask Strength Rye hit shelves in August.

Still Austin is a young producer that has quickly earned a sterling reputation, and this rye lives up to that esteem. Still Austin Cask Strength Rye packs a wallop of heat with its 116 barrel proof, and for that reason we recommend enjoying it over ice. In the winter it will be excellent neat, but for the time being, this is a rocks pour through and through — and would seriously elevate your favorite whiskey cocktail. We could see this being awesome in a Manhattan or whiskey sour.

On the nose, Still Austin Cask Strength Rye is rich and packed with dessert. There’s loads of cocoa and mocha character with hazelnut, brown sugar, marshmallow and cinnamon sugar, with fruity undertones of lemon, blackberry and cherry.

The palate takes you in a different direction than the deep, dessert-forward nose, bringing those fruity undercurrents to the forefront. This rye delivers plenty of cherry, blackberry, orange and raspberry on the palate, and even some bursting tropical notes, like mango and Juicy Fruit gum. More traditional rye notes — clove, cinnamon, ginger and spearmint — are present, as well, but are subtle. The palate also has undertones of chocolate, char and espresso.

The tropical profile hangs on during a moderate finish that’s filled with lemon and pineapple, plus ginger, char and a bit of nuttiness.

Still Austin Cask Strength Rye Whiskey has a suggested retail price of $65 and is available in most states via ReserveBar. If you live in Texas, you can also find it at select retailers.

Stranahan’s Diamond Peak Batch #2: Extra Añejo Tequila Cask — Neat or on the Rocks

Diamond Peak is an annual release from Denver-based Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey, one of America’s leading single malt distilleries.

With batch 1 debuting in 2022 and batch 2 arriving in March of this year, Diamond Peak is a relatively new release, but not one you should let fly under your radar.

Stranahan’s is owned by Proximo Spirits, which owns some of the world’s most prominent spirits brands. For its first two batches of Diamond Peak, Stranahan’s has used its sister distilleries to its advantage, finishing batch 1 in Bushmills Irish Whiskey barrels. For this year’s batch, Stranahan’s blended single malt whiskey between 5 and 8 years old and finished the blend for two years in Reserva de Familia extra añejo tequila casks from José Cuervo.

Bottled at 90 proof, this whiskey won’t bite your head off, which makes it a great neat sipper on even the warmest summer day (but feel free to toss some rocks in there if you’re looking to cool down). The tequila finish is very noticeable in this whiskey, and it totally works.

On the nose, Stranahan’s Diamond Peak Batch 2 is complex and fruity, featuring notes of rising bread; lots of tart fruit, like cherry candies, pomegranate, blueberries and blackberries; custard; and agave and salt reminiscent of a margarita. On the palate, this whiskey is viscous, bright, sweet, fruit-forward and complex. Expect notes of figs, peaches and cream, lemon-lime, strawberry ice cream, blackberry yogurt, vanilla, caramel, cocoa, fresh mint, a dash of pepper and a touch of oak. Diamond Peak finishes long. The tequila hits you first, followed by some signature single-malt barley character and then basil, dark chocolate and spearmint, closing with enjoyable dessert character.

This whiskey is wildly complex but also delivers a lovely fruity profile perfect for summer.

Available for a suggested retail price of $78, Stranahan’s Diamond Peak is worth every penny. It can be purchased from the Stranahan’s website.

Teeling Small Batch — Neat or Over a Single Rock

Probably the most accessible whiskey on this list, both in terms of availability and price, Teeling Small Batch is one of the best bang-for-buck whiskeys on the planet. Bottled at 92 proof, this Irish whiskey can be found for between $30 and $40 — but make no mistake, this whiskey will go head to head with whiskeys double or even triple its price.

Sweet and a grape bomb all the way through, some drinkers may find Teeling Small Batch a tad cloying, but if you’re a lover of sweet drams, this is the bottle for you. Light on the ethanol, sweet and fruity, Teeling Small Batch is easy to enjoy during the summer for anyone with a sweet tooth.

Order Teeling Small Batch or find it near you via the Teeling website.

Click here to read our review of this whiskey.

Barrell Craft Spirits Seagrass — Neat or Over a Single Rock

One of our all-time favorite rye whiskeys, Barrell Craft Spirits Seagrass is a powerful, bold, complex and fruity whiskey that’s easy to enjoy all year long. Bottled at 59.2% ABV, this may be a little bit hot to enjoy neat during the summer, so we won’t blame you if you pour this incredible whiskey over a rock.

Seagrass is a blend of Canadian and Indiana rye whiskey finished in Martinique Agricole Rum, Madeira and Apricot Brandy casks.

This whiskey features a powerful and fragrant nose loaded with tons of fruit, rye spice, some bitter wine and grassy citrus pop — it’s masterfully balanced. The palate is big and boisterous with plenty of rye, apricot, Madeira wine, pepper and oak. The finish is long and spicy with remarkable depth and notes of apples, pears, brown sugar, nougat, pepper, grassy funk and a great oak structure.

At a suggested retail price of $90 (but sometimes found for as low as $70), Seagrass is a damn-near perfect whiskey. A price tag that’s well below the multi-hundreds range is great value.

Click here to read our review of this whiskey.

Virginia Distillery Co. Courage & Conviction Sherry Cask — Over Rocks or in a Manhattan

A core release from Virginia Distillery Co., a pioneer of the American single malt category, this whiskey was aged for a minimum of four years in Spanish sherry casks.

This whiskey delivers tons of sherry on the nose, with notes of fig, vanilla, salt, olive oil, prunes and pears. The palate has a great viscosity. More sherry character is joined by leather, chocolate, basil, nutmeg, sour orange candies, a hint of spearmint, charcoal, butter and a nice, subtle dose of oak. The finish is long with a tinge of heat, leaving behind borange peel and buttery chardonnay.

Light, complex and overall quite good, this is a rocking summertime pour on the rocks (It’s great neat, too, if that’s more your style). This whiskey also makes a mean manhattan; the sherry influence of the whiskey blends wonderfully with vermouth. We’re always a fan of elevating a basic cocktail recipe by using an excellent whiskey, and this is certainly that.

Like the rest of the Courage & Conviction range, Sherry Cask sells for a suggested retail price of $84.99 and is widely available in the U.S.

Grand Teton Private Stock American Single Malt Whiskey — Neat or Over a Single Rock

The third release in Grand Teton Distillery’s Private Stock series, this 7-year-old single malt is brand-new, having released in July. Distilled from Idaho barley and aged in bourbon barrels, this single malt was aged in a climate that Grand Teton Distillery describes as having “extreme temperatures” at 6,000 feet elevation at the foothills of the Teton mountain range.

This whiskey is great for the summer because it’s light. In fact, when you pour a glass, you may be startled by just how light it is in color, almost appearing more like a white wine. This whiskey’s nose matches its color in lightness. It delivers aromas of tons of orchard fruits and grape character. This nose has grape juice, apples and apricots galore, plus some pleasant baking spices. The barley is present in an enjoyably grainy fashion.

On the palate, this whiskey is well-balanced with a pleasant, oily mouthfeel. Expect notes of banana, cinnamon, clove, stewed apples and plums, grapes and blueberries. The finish is medium to long and quite sweet, closing with a heavy dose of grape candies, plus leather and basil.

While the flavors of this whiskey are light and soft, Grand Teton Distillery made a good decision to bottle it at a solid proof of 100 to avoid making the whiskey too light of a sipper. For that reason, it works well neat or on a rock. In fact, the sweetness works quite well in a colder format brought on by ice.

Grand Teton Private Stock American Single Malt Whiskey is available for a suggested retail price of $79.95 per 750-milliliter bottle. This limited-edition whiskey is available online and at “select retailers throughout the West,” according to the distillery.

Bushmills 16 Year Old — Neat

Light, fruity and easy for anyone to enjoy, this 16-year-old Irish whiskey from Bushmills — the oldest licensed distillery in the world — is sure to be a hit among your summer party guests.

Aged for at least 16 years in a combination of Oloroso Sherry and seasoned bourbon casks and then finished in Port wine barrels, Bushmills 16 is a complex yet easy-drinking pour.

This whiskey is fun, fruity and barley-heavy on the nose with tons of orchard fruit, as well as sherry, figs, pears, apples, blueberry pie, honey, blackberries, rising bread, vanilla and baking spices. The mouthfeel is moderate — quite viscous for a a 40%-ABV whiskey. A complex palate delivers notes of cherries, cola, spearmint, espresso, butter, oak, caramel, clove, blueberry yogurt, vanilla and a touch of smoke.

The finish is long and evolving, with mint chocolate. chip ice cream, tobacco, cherry pie, espresso, licorice, white peaches, apricot and some sugar-cube sweetness.

Bushmills 16 is usually found for between $100 and $140.

Click here to read our review of this whiskey.

WhistlePig SummerStock Whiskey Pit Viper Limited Edition — in an Old Fashioned

Launched alongside a snazzy (if totally over the top) pair of Pit Viper sunglasses, WhistlePig SummerStock was designed for the summertime. In order to make this softer and sweeter than the spice-driven rye whiskeys WhistlePig is renowned for, the distillery opted to blend wheat and rye together for this limited release.

This is an unusual whiskey for WhistlePig, much breadier and sweeter thanks to the wheat. On the nose, this whiskey offers caramel, honey, marshmallow, graham cracker, oak, ginger snap cookies and Belgian waffle. The palate is more oak-forward than the nose, with buttercream, caramel candies and maple sugar, as well as berry and marshmallow.

Quite light at 43% ABV, we recommend enjoying SummerStock in an Old Fashioned, where its blend of spicy rye and soft wheat can shine. Of course, you can always enjoy it neat, if that’s more up your alley.

The limited-edition SummerStock Whiskey and Pit Viper sunglasses duo is available online here for $149.99. WhistlePig SummerStock Whiskey without the shades is on store shelves across the U.S. this summer at a suggested retail price of $72.99.

Click here to read our review of this whiskey.

Glenmorangie 15 Year The Cadboll Estate — Neat or Over a Single Rock

A core scotch whisky release from Highlands distillery Glenmorangie, this 15-year-old whisky just debuted its third batch in July. A portion of the final blend of this whisky was finished in casks that once held Amontillado, Glenmorangie Director of Whisky Creation Dr. Bill Lumsden’s favorite type of sherry.

This pour is lovely, fruity, complex and packed with flavor despite its low proof of 86, making it easy for anyone to enjoy this summer.

On the nose, this whisky teleports you to an orchard with heavy apricot, spiced apple cider and prunes, plus undercurrents of caramel, nutmeg and fresh-baked cookies. The palate delivers a nice viscosity and notes of leather, tobacco, walnuts, hazelnut, apples and peat smoke. The finish is medium to long, concluding with charcoal, peaches and cherries.

Bottled at 86 proof, Glenmorangie 15 sells for a suggested retail price of $99.99.

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