The 10 Best Whiskeys We Tasted in March 2024
March is always a busy month on the whiskey front, especially in the Irish category — what with St. Paddy’s Day shenanigans and all.
So many whiskeys came across our desk with plenty of stories to tell this March, and in this selection, you’ll find whiskeys from an industry legend, a spirits writer who has penned articles for The New York Times and even a legendary rock band.
The following 10 whiskeys stood out from the crowd and marked a particularly eclectic list this month, with offerings from far and wide including Scotland, Ireland and the good old US of A.
10 Best Whiskeys We Tasted in March 2024, Ranked
10. Keeper’s Heart 10 Year
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We would be completely remiss if we didn’t have some Irish whiskeys in March’s 10 Best Whiskeys list, and Keeper’s Heart 10 Year is an Irish whiskey from an American brand.
Keeper’s Heart is a collaborative project helmed by Brian Nation and David Perkins, two heavy hitters in the worlds of American and Irish whiskey. Perkins founded High West — you may have heard of it — and Nation worked as a master distiller for Irish icons like Redbreast, Jameson and Midleton. You could say it’s a match made in whiskey heaven.
Keeper’s Heart 10 Year is an Irish whiskey and was distilled by Nation. The whiskey was aged in ex-bourbon barrels and finished in Malaga wine casks. You can pick up a bottle from Keeper’s Heart for $99.99.
This 43%-ABV whiskey has a creamy nose with blackberries, raisin bread and icing. On the palate, picture plenty of dessert-driven flavors, like toffee, honey and sweet cream, layered with raspberries and more raisin bread. The finish lingers with plenty of icing and fresh pastry, making it our favorite release from the brand by far!
9. Natterjack Cask Strength
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If you consider yourself a bourbon aficionado, Natterjack might just be the Irish whiskey brand for you. The brand describes itself as “Irish whiskey with an American accent,” and it was founded by bourbon lover Aidan Mehigan.
Bourbon’s influence is palpable here, as the brand distills its Irish whiskeys from a bourbonesque mashbill of 80% corn and 20% malted barley before aging its whiskeys in ex-bourbon barrels for 3.5 years. The whiskeys are then finished for a year in American oak barrels sourced from a cooper located in Napa Valley.
Natterjack Cask Strength clocks in at a pretty hefty proof for an Irish whiskey — 126. And that proof adds a lot of weight and viscosity to the pour. On the nose, picture vanilla and stone fruit interlaced with peppery spice.
Natterjack Cask Strength is a dessert-driven whiskey, making it a great after-dinner option with plenty of honey, peaches and pears. The finish lingers on with sweet cream and oak. This whiskey hosts a suggested retail price of $89.99.
8. New York Distilling Company Writer’s Rye Chapter 2.1 Goldfarb
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Speaking of story-driven whiskeys, this whiskey from New York Distilling Company was actually selected by a spirits writer, Aaron Goldfarb.
Goldfarb is an accomplished writer who has written about all things imbibing-related for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Esquire and VinePair.
Just 192 bottles are available of this rye, which was distilled from a mashbill of 72% rye, 16% corn and 12% malted barley in September 2016. The whiskey hosts a proof of 112 and can be purchased for $69.99 from Seelbach’s.
Writer’s Rye Chapter 2.1 Goldfarb is a distinctive rye whiskey that doesn’t skew towards the herbaceous end of the spectrum. Picture aromas of sesame seeds, toffee and butterscotch, followed by sweetness, vanilla bean and light rye bread.
There’s still some of that punchy pepper — especially at the end — which gives it a nice kick on the finish.
7. Shortbarrel Barrel Proof ReserveBar Single Barrel Bourbon Selection
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Shortbarrel is an Atlanta brand that was founded by a group of bourbon fans who, on a Sunday in Louisville, drunkenly crossed paths with a barrel broker and created the brand through a moment of “inspired intoxication.” The rest was history.
This bourbon, selected by ReserveBar, was such a head-turner that we made it our Bottle of the Month Club pick. With an ABV of 59.3% and a generous nose chock full of sweet cream, vanilla bean and toffee, this whiskey is simply delicious. The palate is rich and characterful with plenty of tobacco and sweet cola and it drinks much older than its age. The finish is decadent and dessert-driven, with bits of cracked black pepper.
This killer release that be purchased from ReserveBar for around $80.
6. Blackened X Rabbit Hole
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This wild collaboration is between whiskey industry heavy hitter, Kaveh Zamanian’s Rabbit Hole Distillery and Metallica’s Blackened brand. The whiskey was released in September 2023 and has a suggested retail price of $149.
Part of Blackened’s 2023 Masters of Whiskey series, this whiskey is a blend of 13-year-old Tennessee bourbon and Rabbit Hole Heigold High Rye Double Malt Kentucky Straight Bourbon.
The Tennessee bourbon has a mashbill of 64% corn and 36% rye, and Rabbit Hole’s High Rye Double Malt Kentucky bourbon was distilled mashbill of 70% corn, 25% malted rye and 5% malted barley. The bourbon was finished in Calvados apple brandy casks for a distinctive sweetness.
Drawn at a cask strength of 53.3%, this whiskey is slightly left-of-center but approachable. A pungent yet sweet nose has balanced acidity with fuji apple aromas. The pour has an oily richness, coupled with notes of tobacco and graham cracker crumble. The whiskey finishes with orange peel and toffee.
5. Bruichladdich Re/Define Thirty 30 Year Old
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Bruichladdich’s Luxury Redefined series was released in February, and it contained two single malts with 18 and 30-year age statements. The 30-year-old whisky is from a time when the Islay distillery lay dormant, from 1994 to 2001, and boy are we glad this whisky wasn’t lost to time.
The single malt was aged in ex-bourbon casks and bottled at 43% ABV.
This Islay single malt has a rich and sweet nose with honey, tobacco and just a light bit of char. The sweet, toffee-drizzled palate leads into a lingering finish with plenty of coconut, toffee and caramel.
Though it costs a pretty penny at $1,999.99, this opulent release possesses a richness that sets it apart from other extended age statement scotches from Bruichladdich, which is why it made this list.
4. Teeling 33 Year Very Rare Cask Pineau des Charentes Finish
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Irish whiskey brand Teeling released just 316 bottles of this exceedingly rare 33-year-old whiskey. It spent three decades aging in ex-rum casks and was finished in casks that formerly contained Pineau des Charentes, a French aperitif.
Pineau des Charentes finishes appear to be increasing in popularity, as more whiskey brands continue to experiment with it for aging or the finishing process.
Teeling 33 Year Old Very Rare Cask Pineau des Charentes Finish Single Malt Whiskey costs a pretty penny and will set you back around $3,000. The whiskey has an ABV of 49.7%.
This complicated yet approachable release has a nose of almonds, pound cake and orchard fruit. The palate bursts forth with peach rings, nougat and a beautiful structure. The whiskey finishes long, continuing that peach ring throughline with some pleasant tobacco and almonds.
3. Stagg Jr. Batch 16
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This Stagg Jr. (today simply known as Stagg) release from Buffalo Trace’s highly popular barrel-proof line was released in the summer of 2021, and it’s a winner through and through. This offering has an ABV of 64.5% and a suggested retail price of $60, but you’re likely to find it at a significantly higher price on the secondary market unless you’re buying through a lottery. Wine-Searcher cites the average price as within the $340 range if you’re looking to pick up a bottle.
There’s not much more we can say about this incredible release other than it’s a richly complex knockout. There’s plenty of honey, caramel and root beer on the nose of this beautiful pour, and on the palate, there’s all kinds of root beer-imbued cherry cola goodness that goes straight through to the finish.
A great release through and through, this is very much worth the hunt.
2. Bernheim Barrel Proof Wheat Whiskey A224
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Heaven Hill’s Bernheim Barrel Proof wheat whiskey is released twice a year and is a cask-strength version of the beloved Bernheim, which is the first wheat whiskey to use winter wheat as the principal grain in its mashbill, according to the brand. This whiskey was released in February, making it the first Bernheim Barrel Proof release of the year.
This expression hosts a mashbill of 51% wheat, 37% corn and 12% malted barley. It was bottled at an ABV of 62.6% and has a suggested retail price of $64.99.
This wheater channels major dessert dreams, with plenty of brown sugar, maple syrup and waffle cone on the nose. On the palate, this whiskey is significantly heftier and more viscous than previous Bernheim offerings and has plenty of clove, more maple, and spice. Bernheim finishes with tobacco, candied ginger, cinnamon and oak. If we’re being really honest with ourselves, it was love at first sip for us with Bernheim’s first offering of 2024.
If you’re not so sure about wheat whiskey, this one will make you a believer.
1. Redbreast 27 Year Batch No. 4
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Redbreast 27 Year Irish whiskey is the brand’s oldest consistent release, and it is made at Midleton Distillery in Ireland. It hosts an ABV of 53.6% and was blended after being aged in a mixture of bourbon, sherry and ruby Port casks.
The nose features plenty of fruit, like pear, apple and blackberry on the nose — yet there are plenty of secondary aromas of oak, toffee, espresso and pepper which add nuance and multidimensionality. The palate is richly honeyed, with mandarin, cherry, sweet peaches and creamy vanilla coupled with apricot. It finishes beautifully with toffee, more apricot and pepper.
This offering from Redbreast doesn’t come cheap, however, with a suggested retail price of $500 — and you’ll typically find it going for much more in the secondary market. Consider it liquid proof that Redbreast only gets better with age.
Well, there you have it! The 10 Best Whiskeys of March, 2024 ranked. To hear Whiskey Raiders Chief Spirits Critic Jay West’s thoughts on these 10 whiskeys, check out the latest video on the Whiskey Raiders YouTube Channel:
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