The 10 Best Whiskeys We Tasted In February 2024
February has blown by (even with that extra leap year day!), and we tasted more than our fair share of whiskeys within the 29 days. We sipped our way through some truly impressive expressions this month, from punchy ryes to decadent, dessert-driven bourbons to sophisticated scotches.
The following whiskeys are true head-turners and deserve a special shout-out as the 10 best whiskeys we tasted in February.
10 Best Whiskeys We Tasted in February 2024, Ranked
10. Green River Rye
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Green River Distilling Co. was revived in 2020 and acquired by Bardstown Bourbon Company in 2022. Ever since, the brand has been reaching new heights. The white-hot whiskey brand released this punchy rye in January. The expression hosts a mashbill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley. With a mellow-ish proof of 95, Green River’s rye is a blend of 4- to 6-year-old whiskey.
This incredible rye has loads of complexity, with a surprisingly sweet yet bright nose that’s a cornucopia of orchard fruit with rye and baking spice, drizzled with honey. A pleasant amount of viscosity clings to the palate, with plenty of toffee-drizzled apple flavors throughout the pour. This rye whiskey finishes beautifully with additional rye spice, orange peel, apple butter and some cloves.
Green River’s rye has made quite the splash, and its affordable price tag of $34.99 per 750-milliliter bottle makes it one of the better value pours to release in a while. If you want to watch us take a deep dive into Green River’s latest expression, you can watch the video below:
9. Larceny Barrel Proof A124
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If cinnamon is your thing, Larceny Barrel Proof A124 from Heaven Hill is a must-try bourbon. The first Larceny release of 2024, this whiskey is made from a mashbill of 68% corn, 20% wheat and 12% malted barley. Larceny Barrel Proof A124 has an ABV of 62.1% and was aged between six and eight years in Heaven Hill’s rickhouses.
With a suggested retail price of $64.99, this whiskey has a bright and sweet nose, with aromas of caramels, pastry and cinnamon. On the palate, this bourbon offers up more cinnamon than we’ve ever tasted on a Larceny Barrel Proof release. The finish is long and lingering and has just the slightest kiss of salted caramel.
This expression marks a great start to 2024 for Larceny and is beautifully layered and complicated.
8. Thompson Bros Auchroisk Single Malt Scotch Whisky 1982 Vintage Aged 37 Years
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Thompson Bros was founded by Phil and Simon Thompson, owners of the Dornoch Castle Hotel and Whisky Bar in Scotland. Dornoch Distillery is a small team of 7 and is relatively new — the brand distilled its first batch of new make in 2017. When the brand isn’t distilling whisky, rum or gin, it operates as an independent bottler.
This offering was distilled by Auchroisk Distillery in Speyside but selected by the Thompson brothers. It spent 37 years aging in ex-sherry casks. This scotch hosts an ABV of 48.3% and costs a pretty penny of £245.83 ($311.83) from the Thompson Bros website.
This lovely dram has a sweet nose with some slate and lemon curd. On the palate, there’s a pleasant sweetness with a good oak backbone and a symphony of aromas of honey, pepper, toffee, tree fruit and tobacco. This scotch’s finish goes on and on, and the tannins are surprisingly gentle for a whisky with this high of an age statement. This is a cerebral pour with plenty to contemplate that is well worth spending time with!
7. Jack Daniel’s 12 Year Old (Batch 2)
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Released in February, this is the second batch of Jack Daniel’s 12 Year Old, the Tennessee whiskey brand’s oldest expression in recent history. It is distilled from the classic Jack Daniel’s mashbill of 80% corn, 12% malted barley and 8% rye. Jack Daniel’s 12 Year Old undergoes the brand’s traditional charcoal mellowing process, in which the whiskey is filtered through sugar maple charcoal for an extra smooth pour. According to Jack Daniel’s, for three times a day three days a week, the brand stacks pallets made of hard sugar maple five feet high, douses them in whiskey and lights them on fire in order to get those charcoal pellets.
This whiskey is bottled at 53.5% ABV and has a rich, oaky nose with quite a bit of banana. On the palate, picture banana toffee, caramel and pepper. This 12-year-old whiskey’s finish goes on and on and has plenty of complicated, toffee-driven notes. The expression hosts a suggested retail price of $95, although it’ll be tough to find it near that mark. If you want to hear more about what we thought of this release, you can view the video below.
Jack Daniel’s has really been leaning into older, premium releases in recent years, and we’re fans of this shift in strategy. Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof Rye made the No. 3 spot on our list of the 10 Best Rye Whiskeys We Tasted In 2023, and as far as premium whiskeys go, the hits just keep coming from this brand.
6. Gordon & MacPhail Cask Strength Connoisseurs Choice From Scapa Distillery 1991
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Gordon & MacPhail claims its Connoisseurs Choice collection focuses on rare single malts from some of Scotland’s oldest distilleries.
Just 66 bottles of this offering from Gordon & MacPhail were released of this 29-year-old scotch, which hosts an ABV of 54.9%. This whisky was distilled by Scapa Distillery in 1991 in Orkey, Scotland, and spent 29 years resting in ex-bourbon barrels before it was bottled in December 2020.
This is easily one of the best Scapa whiskies we’ve ever tasted, with a gorgeous, honeyed nose that bursts forth with tropical fruit. On the palate, there’s just a slight punch of ethanol before it fades into more tropical fruit, honey, vanilla and minerality. This scotch finishes beautifully with almond, graham cracker, lemon curd and brown sugar.
5. Parker’s Heritage Collection Original Batch 13 Year Old Straight Wheat Whiskey
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If there’s a pour that put wheat whiskey on the map, Parker’s Heritage Collection Original Batch 13 Year Old Straight Wheat Whiskey might just be it. This expression was the eighth edition of Heaven Hill’s Parker’s Heritage collection. It released way back in 2014, well before the launch of Whiskey Raiders, so we decided to re-explore this delightful pour for a review in February. Proceeds from the Parker’s Heritage Collection go to the ALS Association, making it a purchase for a good cause.
This dessert-driven stunner clocks in at 126.8 proof. Wheat tends to yield dessert-driven aromas, and this whiskey is liquid proof of that. On first whiff, picture a bold sticky-sweet nose with oatmeal cookie, decadent custard and French vanilla. The palate has crème brûlée and raisin bread aplenty and finishes beautifully with layered sweet caramel, tobacco and cinnamon.
Parker’s Heritage Collection Original Batch 13 Year Old Straight Wheat Whiskey hosts a suggested retail price of $185.
4. Seelbach’s 9 Year Old Private Reserve Batch 006 Kentucky Straight Bourbon
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The distiller — or distillers — who made this bourbon for Seelbach’s remain a mystery, but we’d raise our glasses to them for their part in creating this knockout, 131.2-proof bourbon. Batch 006 hosts a 9-year, 5-month age statement and marks the sixth release within Seelbach’s Private Reserve series. The mashbill on this powerful bourbon is composed of 75% corn, 15% rye and 10% malted barley.
Though scarcity is a factor with this release — just 608 bottles were produced — it’s well worth the hunt. With a humongous nose filled with baking spices, oak, sweet vanilla cream and tobacco, this whiskey is a knockout. The palate is concentrated, and this offering drinks older than it is; it could be easily mistaken for an 11- or 12-year-old whiskey. It’s dangerously drinkable, with plenty of maple and tobacco aromas. On the finish, there’s more maple, baking spice and tobacco.
This characterful, bold and gorgeous bourbon can be purchased from Seelbach’s for $99.99.
3. Stranahan’s Cask Strength SB ‘Topflight S2B16’
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Stranahan’s is having a pretty exciting start to the year.
The Colorado brand is opening a whiskey lodge in Aspen in March, and lucky guests will be able to enjoy pours of their whiskey in addition to elevated cuisine. This wildly popular Colorado-based brand specializes in American Single Malts, and we loved this barrel pick so much that it was February’s selection for the Whiskey Raiders Bottle of the Month Club. Aged for at least seven years and bottled at 57.02% ABV, this American single malt is a killer example of how compelling this up-and-coming category can really be.
With a nose driven by cola, char and chocolate, this intriguing whiskey segues into a rich, cherry cola and root beer-driven pour. The finish is decadent, with espresso and cherry cola for days. This selection was featured in the Bottle of the Month Club for Whiskey Raiders, simply because the release was so special.
This whiskey can be purchased from ReserveBar as part of its Topflight Series and can be purchased for around $65.
2. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof A124
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Elijah Craig Barrel Proof A124 made waves upon its release. The lower-than-usual age statement of 10 years and nine months caused plenty of controversy among many whiskey enthusiasts, who have been concerned since Heaven Hill removed the 12-year age statement from its Elijah Craig Barrel Proof series. But sometimes, change is good — it keeps people on their toes, and this release is definitely a winner despite its relative youth.
Bottled at 119 proof, this whiskey hosts a suggested retail price of $74.99 and is one of the better value bottles around if you can find it near MSRP. The nose on 2024’s inaugural Elijah Craig release hosts plenty of tobacco, crème brûlée and sweet oak. As far as the pour goes, this whiskey has plenty of dessert-driven qualities, complete with toffee and tobacco. Though the finish doesn’t quite hang on for ages and ages, it is incredibly pleasant with lingering vanilla and tobacco.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof A124 is a standout amongst the releases and is one of the more approachable whiskeys from the series. If dessert-driven pours with notes of tobacco are your thing, make sure you pick up a bottle. A video of our first impressions of this disruptive release can be viewed below.
1. Springbank 30 Year Old
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This scotch whisky from the Campbeltown-based distillery, Springbank, is nothing short of a masterpiece. With a hefty age statement of 30 years, this limited release from 2022 was aged in a mixture of bourbon casks (85%) and sherry casks (15%.) Just 1,400 bottles were released, making it a tough bottle to find.
The nose on this stunner is beautifully laced with caramel and honey, coupled with lemon curd, orange peel, light pear and plum. There’s a bit of ash and salinity, which lends to a nuanced and layered palate on this whisky. Richly textured and opulent, there are apples, pears and kiwis aplenty with vanilla, char and salinity. The finish just goes on and on, and the cornucopia of aromas harmoniously weaves together, completing a truly impressive dram.
Springbank 30 Year hosts an eye-watering price tag north of $1,000, but it was memorable enough to make the No. 1 spot on our list for February.
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