11 Best Whiskeys We Tasted in January 2024
The first month of the year tends to be a slow month as far as spirits releases are concerned — what with the whole “dry” thing and all. Nevertheless, we tried our fair share of excellent whiskeys this January and are excited to report our favorites
The following 11 best whiskeys are an eclectic bunch and definitely worth breaking any dry spell for.
11 Best Whiskeys We Tasted in January 2024
11. Holladay Soft Red Wheat Rickhouse Proof
Read Our Review
Founded in 1856, Holladay Distillery is a brand richly steeped in history. In 2023, the brand exploded in popularity with good reason, as several of its recent expressions knocked it out of the park. Holladay Distillery uses soft red wheat in the mashbill of this whiskey and claims it has lower protein levels and minimal gluten compared to other varietals of wheat.
This Bottled-in-Bond whiskey is distilled from a mashbill of 73% corn, 15% wheat and 12% malted barley. It was aged for six years and bottled at 120.1 proof. Holladay Soft Red Wheat Rickhouse Proof hosts a suggested retail price of $60.
A lovely head-turner of a bourbon that’s a pretty easygoing pour for the proof, Holladay Soft Red Wheat Rickhouse Proof delivers plenty of cream and confectioners sugar on the nose, coupled with a palate full of crémè brûlée, oak and banana. The bourbon finishes with a long, banana bread-laced throughline.
10. George Dickel 18 Year
Read Our Review
George Dickel continues to release whiskeys with impressive age statements.
In December 2022, the brand released a 17-year-old expression that received favorable reviews here at Whiskey Raiders. This latest release builds upon that with an additional year of aging. It is the oldest release from George Dickel to date, and we have to say it’s great.
George Dickel 18 Year hosts a mashbill of 84% corn, 8% rye and 8% malted barley. Though George Dickel 18 Year costs a pretty penny with a $500 suggested retail price, it may be the bourbon for you if high-proof bourbons aren’t your jam.
With loads of caramel on the nose and palate, George Dickel 18 Year is a lovely and pleasant bourbon that is surprisingly light on the oak. The finish has a lifted minerality to it, with fruit and sweet cream.
9. Old Forester 1924
Read Our Review
A fresh release this month, Old Forester 1924 is a significant release for two reasons: It hosts the highest age statement of the Whiskey Row Series and is distilled from a brand spanking new mashbill never used by the distillery, with a higher percentage of corn and less rye.
The 10-year-old bourbon has a suggested retail price of $115. The name and new mashbill are a nod to the year 1924, when the U.S. was four years deep into Prohibition. Old Forester was one of the few distillers still allowed to make whiskey at the time, but the brand also managed to get its hands on barrels of whiskey from other distilleries that were shut down by the government. These sourced whiskeys would have different mashbills, which explains the Brown Forman-owned brand’s decision to shake things up with this release.
With an ABV of 50%, Old Forester 1924 is a richly complicated pour. This bourbon has baking spice, clove, cracked pepper and maple on the nose. On the palate, picture plenty of butterscotch, caramel and creamed corn. The bourbon finishes with darker notes of cherry cordial for plenty of cerebral sipping.
If you want to see our first impressions of Old Forester 1924, feel free to take a look at our video below:
8. Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Rye
Read Our Review
A first from Angel’s Envy, this cask-strength rye is on the money. Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Rye is distilled by MGP in Indiana from a mashbill composed of 95% rye and 5% malted barley. It, alongside 2023’s Cask Strength Bourbon, was the first release under Angel’s Envy’s new master distiller Owen Martin.
It’s clear Martin had plenty of fun with this rye, as it was aged between five and seven years before being partly finished in sauternes casks and a mixture of toasted French and American oak — a funky little combination indeed. Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Rye clocks in at 114.4 proof and has a suggested retail price of $269.99.
The sauternes aging adds some fruity qualities to this pour, with plenty of baked apples on the nose and palate. There’s plenty of toffee and butterscotch at first sniff, and one sip of this pour is beautifully balanced between the syrupy goodness of the sauternes and the spice of the rye. It finishes with toffee, white grape and a little bit of heat.
7. Barrell Bourbon New Year 2024
Read Our Review
If you’re looking for a festive way to toast the New Year — look no further than Barrell Bourbon New Year 2024. Each year, the brand releases a bourbon meant to usher in the next year, and the 2024 edition is quite the blend.
Barrell Bourbon New Year 2024 is composed of 8-year-old Kentucky bourbon; 5-, 6- and 9-year-old Indiana bourbon; 8- and 15-year-old Tennessee bourbon; 11-year-old Wyoming bourbon; 5-year-old New York bourbon; 5-year-old Texas bourbon; 5-year-old Ohio bourbon; and 5- and 6-year-old Maryland bourbon.
With a proof of 113, Barrell Bourbon can be purchased directly from Barrell Craft Spirits for $84.99. This pour is dessert-driven on the nose, so if you love the smell of freshly baked goods, you should definitely consider picking up a bottle. On the palate, there’s a delightful twist of orange peel and raisin bread. Barrell Bourbon New Year 2024 finishes beautifully with tobacco, char, cola and more orange peel.
6. Remus Gatsby Reserve 2023
Read Our Review
The 2023 edition of Remus Gatsby Reserve is perfect for bourbon fans who aren’t into heavy oak. Gatsby Reserve is inspired by — you guessed it — F. Scott Fitzgerald’s American classic, “The Great Gatsby.”
Remus Gatsby Reserve 2023 is bottled at 98.1 proof — unusually low for cask strength. With a nose of black pepper and root beer, the whiskey segues into a palate loaded with caramel, honey, tobacco and black tea. This blended bourbon finishes beautifully with more black tea and caramel.
Remus Gatsby Reserve 2023 is a blend of two bourbons: One hosts a mashbill of 75% corn, 21% rye and 4% malted barley. The second has a mashbill of 60% corn, 36% rye and 4% malted barley. With a suggested retail price of $200, this swanky spirit channels all the glitz and glam of the roaring ’20s.
5. Bruichladdich 13 Year Old 2006 The Laddie Valinch #50
Read Our Review
Bruichladdich’s 13 Year Old 2006 The Laddie Valnich #50 was distilled by Bruichladdich in 2006. This single malt scotch whisky spent 13 years aging in refill sherry casks and is bottled at 63.1% ABV.
Bruichladdich 13 Year Old 2006 The Laddie Valnich hosts a nose full of sherry and red fruit aromas. The palate balances it out beautifully, with contrasting elements of char and tobacco.
This single malt finishes with crushed stone and sherried fruits — a balanced dram that’s just plain pretty all around.
4. Bruichladdich Distillery Micro-Provenance Series 9 Year Old 2010 Ribero Del Duero
Read Our Review
The reawakened Islay distillery, Bruichladdich, claims it intends to create the most “thought-provoking” spirits possible. Indeed, this release from Bruichladdich’s Micro-Provenance Series left of with a lot of thoughts.
Bruichladdich’s Micro-Provenance series intends to explore how different casks affect the taste of scotch whisky, and this 9-year-old scotch was aged in red wine casks from a region in Northern Spain, the Ribiero Del Duero. SevenFifty Daily refers to the Ribero Del Duero as one of Spain’s top-notch wine regions, yielding big, bold, full-bodied reds with plenty of “oomph.”
This 63.5%-ABV scotch whisky has plenty of sweet honey, pears and a bit of tropical coconut on the nose. On the palate, it’s big vanilla and big berries, with some cracked pepper. This whisky finishes with minerality, pepper, slate and plenty of Bruichladdich’s smoke. An absolutely gorgeous scotch.
3. Westward Whiskey Milestone
Read Our Review
Westward’s Milestone was released in November as the brand’s first “luxury” whisky. With a suggested retail price of $250, this whiskey was made from a 21-barrel solera system. Solera systems are commonly used in Jerez to age sherry and contain multiple vintages. The Oregon-based Westward claims that via the solera, Westward Milestone contains some of its oldest whiskeys, making it an interesting way to taste the history of the distillery in one spirit.
With an elegant, dessert-forward nose, this layered and rich whiskey has a lot going on. Its complexity is extremely impressive considering it has a low ABV of 43%. On the palate, picture a cake-y and rich malt of salted caramel and brioche. The whiskey finishes with pudding, cinnamon sugar and caramel.
In his review of this whiskey, Whiskey Raiders Chief Spirits Critic Jay West wrote that Westward Milestone is “up there with the best American malts I’ve ever had.”
2. Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 10 Year Old 2009 Juracon Valinch
Read Our Review
This scotch was distilled at Bruichladdich and aged for a decade in Jurancon wine casks. Jurancon is a wine region in Southwestern France that sits at the foot of the Pyrenees. Sweeter, white wines typically come from the region, and grapes commonly grown here are Gros Manseng, Petit Manseng and Courbu.
West describes this pour as a “delightful monster,” and at first whiff, you’ll understand what he means. The nose is bizarre but in a good way, with a combination of peat, petrol, blackberry reduction and tar. On the palate, there’s caramel and more blackberry reduction with a drizzle of honey and toffee. The finish to this pleasantly dirty, feral little scotch is bold with loads of tar and tobacco kissed with blackberries.
1. Yamazaki 18 Year Mizunara 100th Anniversary Edition
Read Our Review
One hundred years is nothing to sneeze at, and you know a whisky brand that’s been around for that long probably knows what it’s doing. Last year, Beam Suntory had the media abuzz with new releases over the yearlong celebration of House of Suntory’s 100th Anniversary.
This whisky was released in May and is an 18-year-old Japanese single malt aged in Mizunara oak casks. The offering clocks in at 96 proof and hosts an eye-watering suggested retail price of $1,500.
The Mizunara oak casks impart a beautifully sweet and spicy nose, with aromas of sandalwood, molasses and black pepper. The palate is moderate with black tea and molasses, coupled with honey, clove, anise and cola.
Yamazaki 18 Year Mizunara 100th Anniversary Edition finishes long and is beautifully balanced. It is complicated, powerful and well-integrated. West refers to this expression as a “Yama for the ages” with no equal in our selection of Japanese whisky reviews thus far.
Follow The Daily Pour:
