The 7 Best Thanksgiving Whiskeys to Serve on Turkey Day 2023
The fourth Thursday of November is a magical day when millions of Americans hang out with friends and family and gorge on turkey before eventually throwing on a pair of sweatpants, watch football or a James Bond marathon on TV and fade into a delightful, tryptophan-induced food coma.
The 7 Best Thanksgiving Whiskeys
Yes, Thanksgiving is almost here, and this very special holiday is about gratitude, family, friends, and of course food and drink. Considering that whiskey is an essential fall and winter tipple, we’ve put together a list of some of our favorite whiskeys for Thanksgiving imbibing.
WhistlePig 12 Year Robbie’s Blend
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This whiskey from the Vermont-based brand, WhistlePig, has one heck of a story to tell. A 12-year-old rye bottled at 86 proof, Robbie’s blend is a celebration of the Canadian-American musical group, The Band and the group’s famous concert, The Last Waltz.
Robbie Robertson, the late guitarist, singer and songwriter for The Band, hand-selected the rye blend sourced from three whiskeys finished in three different wine barrels: Madeira (76%), Port (19%) and Sauternes (5%). The singer died Aug. 9, not long after his collaboration with WhistlePig.
Fans of The Band are well aware of the legendary concert played on Thanksgiving Day of 1976 in San Francisco, which featured legends like Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young.
Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese filmed a documentary on the show, “The Last Waltz,” and the movie is considered a modern Thanksgiving Day classic. Robbie’s Blend is a great after-dinner whiskey, delivering a sweet berry nose and loads of crémè brûlée on the palate and finish. Consider pairing this whiskey with a slice of pecan pie or an after-dinner cigar.
A limited release, Robbie’s Blend can be purchased from the WhistlePig website for $175. It’s on the pricier side but is also a damn cool whiskey to have thanks to the story packed into it.
Fun fact: Each bottle of WhistlePig 12 Year Robbie’s Blend was dipped in wax includes melted-down vinyl from the “The Last Waltz” album.
Found North Batch 008
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This offering from Found North hosts a suggested retail price of $170, and you pay for what you get with this masterful Canadian blend. Found North’s Batch 008 is composed of 18-26-year-old whiskies and clocks in at a whopping 124.4 proof. Found North Batch 008 is quite the blend. One component is an 18-year-old rye aged in an ex-Madeira cask, which the brand claims is so distinctive that it “dominates” the flavor profile of the whisky despite making up only 4% of the final blend.
The whisky also includes four corn components of varying age statements: a 22-year, two 23-years and one 26-year-old whisky aged in a combination of new oak, ex-bourbon and Hungarian oak. The final component is a 19-year-old Hungarian oak aged rye, which the brand claims adds a “spicy backbone.”
In his review, Whiskey Raiders Chief Spirits Critic Jay West noted that the nose has loads of berry and tobacco with caramels, cream, honey and pepper. Picture plenty of oak and spice leading to the palate, which is rich, decadent and syrupy. With loads of tannin, pepper and baking spice, this opulent whiskey is the quintessential “main course” whiskey to pair with your turkey.
Wild Turkey Rare Breed Bourbon
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If we didn’t include an offering from Wild Turkey in this list, well, we wouldn’t be doing Thanksgiving right. You could always snag the classic Wild Turkey 101, which is a killer bang-for-buck whiskey, but upgrading to Rare Breed is worth the extra cash. Wild Turkey’s original small-batch barrel-proof expression, Wild Turkey Rare Breed Bourbon is a blend of 6-, 8- and 12-year-old bourbons.
Bottled at cask strength, this value-centric bourbon is typically priced between $40-$60 and hosts a massive spicy nose that smells like cloves, allspice and caramel. The whiskey can be purchased from Total Wine for $55.
On the palate, this thick, luscious bourbon is packed full of heat, pepper and spice with caramel, nougat and tobacco. If you leave this bourbon open for a couple of weeks, it tilts into the dessert spectrum and offers up plenty of brown sugar aromas all the way through the finish. Consider pairing this quintessentially Thanksgiving bourbon with all things dessert, including apple pie; pumpkin pie or pumpkin custard; or anything with cinnamon-spiced aromas.
Ardbeg 19 Years Old Traigh Bhan (Batch 4)
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If you’re a diehard scotch fan, this offering is for you. As you probably are aware, many scotch people are, well, scotch people, and they don’t often deign to step outside of the realm of their favorite spirit category. So, as far as Thanksgiving whiskeys go, we didn’t want to leave you folks out in the cold with only American whiskey selections.
For those on the lookout for a peaty and powerful dram to pair your main course with, look no further than Ardbeg 19 Years Old Traigh Bhan. This Islay scotch has a suggested retail price of $350, is bottled at 46.2% ABV and was aged in a mixture of American oak and Oloroso sherry casks.
The rich and fruity nose is packed with cedar aromas, coupled with honey, cream and has loads of complexity. On the palate, there’s plenty of that ashy, Islay salinity, coupled with vanilla bean and lemon curd. This Ardbeg expression finishes with an ashy and peaty throughline, coupled with some citrus and vanilla sweetness.
Though it is admittedly one of the more mellow Ardbegs we’ve tasted, it’s an excellent whisky to pair with turkey, since it won’t overpower the dish. Consider it your go-to Thanksgiving scotch. Those interested in purchasing the Ardbeg Traigh Bhan can snag a bottle from Total Wine — a Thanksgiving treat if there ever was one.
If you’re not looking to splurge to this degree, check out this list of the seven best affordable scotch whiskies.
Barrell Bourbon Batch 35
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Barrel Bourbon Batch 35 is the “swiss army knife” bourbon on our list, because it will go with pretty much just about anything on your Thanksgiving dinner table.
If you want to imbibe while cooking in your kitchen — because it feels like being in one of those Lifetime movies — Barrell Bourbon Batch 35 is a great choice as an easy sipper. And at 58.75% ABV, it’s powerful but not knock-you-on-your-ass powerful. This bourbon can be purchased for $85 directly from Barrell Bourbon.
Barrell Bourbon Batch 35 is a blend of 6-, 7- and 8-year-old bourbons distilled in Indiana; 7- and 13-year-old whiskeys distilled in Tennessee; and an 8-year-old Kentucky bourbon.
On the nose, this batch delivers massive maple and brown butter notes coupled with peanut butter and milk chocolatey goodness. This blended bourbon hosts a rich and funky nose with moderate oak structure and spice. It finishes with blended fruits, butterscotch and more caramel, yielding a friendly and approachable bourbon that will take you from the apps course to dessert.
Clermont Steep American Single Malt Whiskey
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The American Single Malt category is red hot, and if you’re interested in getting in on the trend this Thanksgiving, check out Clermont Steep. This whiskey composed of 100% malted barley is the first offering in the category from the storied James B. Beam Distilling Company.
This whiskey clocks in at a modest 47% ABV and implements Beam’s “jug yeast” during the fermentation process.
Quintessentially mellow yet bold in all the right places, this whiskey hosts plenty of big caramel notes on the nose. The palate is pleasant with just a little kiss of heat coupled with honey, praline, pepper, tobacco and nougat. Clermont Steep finishes with toffee, vanilla bean, cream and tobacco.
A versatile and fun release with a modest suggested retail price of $60, this Beam offering should appeal to a wide range of consumers. If you want to pick up a bottle and hop on the American Single Malt train this Thanksgiving, you can snag it from Total Wine.
Remus Repeal Reserve Series VII Bourbon
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This annual expression from MGP’s Ross and Squibb Distillery honors Repeal Day. This year’s Remus Repeal Reserve Series Seven hosts a suggested retail price of $100 and is composed of a blend of bourbons that range from 9 to 16 years of age.
Clocking in at 100 proof, this whiskey is composed of 6% 2007 bourbon (with 21% rye in the mashbill) 26% 2013 bourbon (21% rye mashbill) 26% 2013 bourbon (36% rye mashbill) 21% 2014 bourbon (21% rye mashbill) and 21% 2014 bourbon (36% rye mashbill.)
Remus Repeal Reserve Series VII possesses a warming, buttery nose that is layered and “easy to love.” On the palate is a rich, layered viscosity with loads of dark chocolate tobacco and peppery sweetness.
With a lengthy, toffee and baking spice-laden finish, this beautifully complex whiskey hosts a relatively approachable ABV, making it a perfect before-dinner tipple. Remus Repeal Reserve Series 7 is also a great option because this premium expression is reasonably easy to find — find it from Total Wine.
Remus Repeal Reserve Series VII isn’t cheap but is worth it in our books, as it is what West refers to as “possibly the best Remus yet.”
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