2024 American Whiskey Holiday Gift Guide: Best Bourbons and Beyond at Every Price

It’s time to raise a glass to the most wonderful time of the year, the festive season. We’ve always found that whiskey makes a perfect gift, so we’ve gone ahead and curated a selection of the best American whiskeys and bourbons for gifting in 2024. This spirited selection features a range of stellar producers across the good old US of A.

Some brands are heavy hitters, and others are hidden gems, but regardless, we’re confident with this selection there’s a whiskey at every price point for the whiskey lover in your life.

Pricing may vary based on location.

$0-$59.99

Old Forester Rye ($27)

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Old Forester Rye is the quintessential rye for mixologists. Old Forester’s rye is quite the value as far as rye whiskeys go. This rye whiskey leans heavily on cloves and brown sugar, making it friendly enough to go into any craft cocktail.

Bernheim Wheat Whiskey ($35)

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Wheat whiskeys are a great gift for the person with a sweet tooth in your life, and this offering from Heaven Hill is a great value matchup. With an average price of $35, according to Wine-Searcher, Bernheim Wheat whiskey has an ABV of 45%. Loads of honey and vanilla dominate this Bernheim Wheat Whiskey, and we ourselves would prefer it to Old Weller Antique any day of the week.

Sagamore Small Batch Rye ($39)

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Sagamore is a great under-the-radar rye whiskey producer from Baltimore, Maryland. This whiskey is made from a blend of high-rye and a low-rye rye mashbills and spent six years aging. It is bottled at 46.5% ABV. With all of its gingerbread qualities from nose to finish, this rye whiskey has no shortage of the festive factor and features a modest price of $39.

Dierks Bentley’s ROW 94 Kentucky Straight Bourbon ($39.99)

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Fans of country music star Dierks Bentley will be delighted with the star’s debut bourbon, which is bottled at 94 proof. ROW 94 Bourbon is priced at an affordable $39.99 and was produced by the rising star brand Green River.

High Wire Discovery Collection Gift Set ($39.99)

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High Wire’s claim to fame is that it uses a mashbill with 100% Jimmy Red corn. This corn nearly went extinct, but this South Carolina distillery has brought it back into the limelight. This gift set comprises 100-milliliter bottles of High Wire’s Jimmy Red Bourbon Classic, Jimmy Red Bourbon Sherry Finish and Jimmy Red Bottled In Bond, making it a truly unique gift. High Wire Discovery Collection Gift Set costs $39.99 from the brand.

Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon ($40)

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As far as great value bourbons go, Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon is sure to impress. With a 7-year age statement and an ABV of 43.3%, this rich, brown sugar-driven bourbon has plenty of tobacco smoke aromas and complexity right down to the finish.

Knob Creek Bourbon x Rye ($49.99)

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Does the whiskey drinker in your life have a thing for rye and a thing for bourbon? Why not gift them a little bit of both? Knob Creek’s Bourbon x Rye is a blend of 30% 9-year-old bourbon and 70% 7-year-old rye that’s bottled at 56.5% AV and priced at a modest $49.99. Fans of cinnamon will fall hard for this spicy-sweet whiskey.

Green River Full Proof Bourbon ($49.99)

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This barrel-proof version of Green River’s flagship bourbon was distilled from a mashbill of 70% corn, 21% rye and 9% malted barley. Though the proof varies, this one clocks in at around 117.3 proof and has a suggested retail price of $49.99. This bourbon is elegant, with cherry cola and cream aromas with honey laced throughout.

Minden Mill American Single Malt ($59.99)

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Grain-to-glass Nevada whiskey brand Minden Mill is a newcomer on the whiskey scene. The brand’s American Single Malt is a plenty affordable pour, with a $59.99 price tag. This single malt was aged in an eclectic combination of casks — oloroso sherry, ex-bourbon and American oak — for five years before it was bottled at 94 proof. With a nose that bursts forth with dark fruit like blackberry and a palate that’s a symphony of pepper, tobacco and leather, this is the ultimate American single malt for that spice lover in your life.

Barrell Craft Spirits Gift Box ($59.99)

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Maybe you want to give the spirits lover in your life a little bit of variety. If so, consider Barrell Craft Spirit’s Gift Box. Barrell is an American independent blender, and the brand is putting together some of the absolute best whiskey in the country.

This box offers three samples of Barrell’s core whiskeys: Seagrass, Vantage and Barrell Bourbon Batch 036. All three whiskeys feature a diverse array of blended bourbons from around the U.S and Canada. Seagrass is finished in Martinique Agricole rum, madeira and apricot brandy casks. Vantage, meanwhile, is finished in French oak, toasted American oak and Japanese mizunara casks.

This truly eclectic gift set is priced at $59.99. It’s perfect for any fan of creative and delicious whiskeys — especially if they aren’t familiar with Barrell Craft Spirits, in which case, they’ll be in for a massive treat. You might just change their whole whiskey worldview.

$60-$99.99

Eric LeGrand Single Barrel Bourbon ($62.99)

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Eric LeGrand is nothing short of an inspiration. The former Rutgers football player was paralyzed from the neck down during a game. Since then, he’s launched a whiskey brand. For each case sold, LeGrand donates $5.20 to the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, which is working toward finding a cure for paralysis.

With an ABV of 52% and a price of $62.99, this single-barrel bourbon is incredible, with plenty of apple pie and fruit notes from nose to finish.

Middle West Cask Strength Straight Wheated Bourbon Whiskey Michelone Reserve Batch 001

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Highly underrated Ohio indie distillery Middle West dropped its Cask Strength collection in October 2024, and this four-grain bourbon is a star. Its four-grain mashbill includes red winter wheat in conjunction with dark pumpernickel rye. Priced at a modest $69.99 per bottle, Middle West Cask Strength has a nose of buttercream frosting, walnuts and plenty of orange peel and cornbread on the palate. It’s the perfect whiskey for any spirits fan looking for “the next big thing.”

O.H. Ingram River Aged Flagship Bourbon ($79.99)

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O.H. Ingram’s bourbons are aged in floating rickhouses that bob up and down the Mississippi River. We’re very partial to the 2024 release of O.H. Ingram’s Flagship Bourbon and think it marks an incredible year for the brand. With an ABV of 58.85% and a price of $79.99, this bourbon is distinctive and powerful with notes of caramel and plenty of buttercream.

Wyoming Whiskey Outryder ($84.99)

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This eclectic blend from Wyoming Whiskey consists of a high-rye bourbon mashbill and an “almost rye whiskey.” If you know a whiskey drinker who likes herbaceous and fruity flavors, Wyoming Whiskey’s Outryder is the perfect buy. This distinctive whiskey has an ABV of 50% and a price of $84.99.

Laws Whiskey House Honey Cask Finished Straight Bourbon Whiskey ($84.99)

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Colorado whiskey brand Laws released this buzzy bourbon in November, and it was finished in barrels that once housed raw honey from a local apiary called Bee Squared. The honey is beautifully integrated and not at all cloying in this bourbon, which has an ABV of 47.5%. With a price of $84.99 and aromas of raw honey; sourdough and blackberry coupled with a palate full of fudge, almonds, tea and cherries; and cinnamon on the finish — this is a great whiskey for any bourbon drinker who loves a good Gold Rush cocktail.

SirDavis American Rye Whisky ($89)

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Beyoncé’s SirDavis Rye Whisky isn’t just another celebrity whiskey. It was named after the singer’s great-grandfather, Davis Hogue, a moonshine distiller. This sherry cask-finished rye was made in conjunction with Moët Hennessy and scotch icon Dr. Bill Lumsden. It has an ABV of 44% and is priced at $89.

Wolves 5 Year Old American Single Malt ($89.99)

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With a suggested retail price of $89.99 and an ABV of 48%, Wolves American Single Malt is definitely worth the buy due to its balance. This whiskey brings a California vibe to the American Single Malt category and was aged for five years in Cali wine barrels before it was finished in cognac casks for six weeks. This American single malt is a beautifully integrated mixture of fruit, tobacco and char from start to finish.

Milam & Greene Unabridged Volume 3 ($94.99)

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The Blanco, Texas-based Milam & Greene is one of our favorite underrated American distilleries, and Unabridged Volume 3 is one of its best whiskeys to date. This blend of 3.5- to 10-year-old bourbons from Texas, Kentucky and Tennessee is bottled at 59% ABV. Any bourbon fan is sure to adore this bottle, which delivers a soft, fluffy profile on the nose, followed by sweet demerara, praline and satisfying oak on the palate. The finish is long and deeply sweet, with notes of candied walnuts, vanilla frosting and cinnamon.

Westward Whiskey Cask Strength American Single Malt ($99.95)

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So you’ve got a scotch lover in your life but want to get them a whiskey with an American flair — look no further than Westward Whiskey’s Cask Strength American Single Malt. Clocking in at a hefty 125 proof and priced at $99.95 according to the brand’s website, Westward Whiskey Cask Strength American Single Malt is a bright and fruity pour, according to Breaking Bourbon. With orange zest and peach pie on the palate, this whiskey will convert even the most discriminating palates to the American Single Malt category.

$100 and Up

15 STARS Private Stock 8 & 15 Years

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15 STARS is the perfect brand for premium whiskey lovers — looking at you, Buffalo Trace fans — looking to try an up-and-comer in the bourbon world. This bourbon is a blend of 8- and 15-year-old Kentucky bourbons and is priced at $140. Classic bourbon fans will go nuts for the classic, oaky style of this well-proofed bourbon.

High West: A Midwinter Night’s Dram ($149)

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High West’s A Midwinter Night’s Dram releases each year and is the quintessential winter whiskey. Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 12 was finished in a mixture of port and French oak barrels. Pre-finish, A Midwinter Night’s Dram begins as High West’s Rendezvous Rye. Act 12 has a proof of 98.6 and is priced at $149. A Midwinter Night’s Dram has plenty of herbal wintergreen spices on the nose, interlaced with cherry and gingerbread.

Westland Garryana 2024 ($149.99)

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As far as American single malts go, Westland is a Seattle producer that knocks it out of the park, and Garryana is liquid proof of that. This whiskey was aged in quercus garryana, an oak species exclusively found in the Pacific Northwest, and during this go-round, the brand used Oloroso sherry casks to give this dram some “oomph.” With an ABV of 50% and a suggested retail price of $149.99, Westland’s Garryana 2024 is unexpected on the nose, with strawberries and cream. The nose contrasts beautifully with a powerful pour of sassafras, clove, cinnamon that leads to a smoky finish.

Blackwood Toasted Bourbon ($159)

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Blackwood Toasted Bourbon has an ABV of 59.3% and a suggested retail price of $159, making it a bit of a splurge, but it’s excellent. The bourbon is finished in small batches in new toasted barrels using a signature process from Blackwood, an up-and-c0ming Kentucky brand.

With a mixture of candied fruit, orchard fruit and baking spice, this bourbon is perfect for cold weather sipping.

Jacob’s Pardon 18 Year Old Small Batch Recipe #3 ($195)

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This American whiskey was distilled at MGP in Indiana from a mashbill of 99% corn and 1% malted barley. Following distillation, it spent just two years shy of two decades resting in uncharred new barrels. Priced at $195, it is definitely a more elevated pour, but with its high age statement and roaring Hazmat-level proof (142.7), this is a dream come true for many whiskey enthusiasts.

Plus, it’s delicious. It’s powerful but doesn’t drink outrageously hot considering the ABV. Despite the near-$200 price tag, it might just be worth the buy, with its aromas of custard, clove and banana muffins.

Westward Whiskey Milestone Edition No. 2 ($249.95)

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Westward Whiskey’s 2024 Milestone release was drawn from a 21-barrel Solera system of whiskeys, which gives Westward the ability to continuously age and draw whiskeys throughout the years. It is a bit of a splurge at the $249.95 price point, but it is absolutely one of the most exciting American Single Malt whiskeys we have ever tasted.

Westward’s Milestone Edition 2 has an ABV of 48.5% and a funky nose with plenty of cinnamon roll goodness throughout.