10 Best Whiskeys We Tasted in May 2025, Ranked

As a media entity that covers the world of spirits, we routinely taste a bevy of whiskeys — some excellent, some good, some just OK, some worse than OK. At the end of each month, we like to take a moment to round up the month of tasting and highlight the best of the best — it’s a way to keep track of what we taste. In May, we had the pleasure of tasting some truly fantastic expressions, from reliable Kentucky bourbons to exotic malts and beyond. Without further ado, let’s get into the list, which we’ve ranked from good to fantastic.

Prices are U.S. averages via Wine-Searcher.com, unless labeled “MSRP,” which stands for manufacturer’s suggested retail price. 

10 Best Whiskeys We Tasted in May 2025

10. The Cardrona Single Malt Whisky Just Hatched (MSRP: $120 per 375-milliliter bottle)

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This is a single malt whisky from Cardrona, a women-owned New Zealand distillery that also makes a great vodka named The Reid. Named “Just Hatched” because it’s the younger sibling of Cardrona’s “Growing Wings” whisky, this malt is aged three years in ex-Oloroso sherry butts and ex-bourbon barrels and bottled at natural cask strength (my bottle was 64.4% ABV).

Despite its youth and sweltering heat, this single malt is awesome and packed with flavor. It delivers a basket of fruits: orange peel, kiwi, peach, orange blossom, stewed cherries and plums. Those sherried fruit notes are backed by vanilla, brown sugar, pastry dough, cocoa powder, almonds and a bit of spice.

Click here to read our full review.

9. Pinhook Vertical Series 9 Year Rye 2025 Release (MSRP: $89.99)

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This is the sixth rye release in Pinhook’s Vertical Series. For its Vertical Series, Pinhook has taken a large parcel of MGP bourbon and rye barrels and continues to release a batch of each one one every year, always one year older than the previous batch. This allows fans to taste the effects of age on the whiskey without other variables involved. It’s an exciting experiment on the effects of age on whiskey. 2025’s release is a blend of 20 barrels — 12 fewer than 2024’s 8-year-old release.

This decadent rye whiskey is deep, dark and rich, with notes including peaches and cream, espresso, cinnamon, gingerbread, clove, spearmint, leather, black cherry, espresso and caramel. It delivers a beautiful mix of spice and oak and is a total rye lover’s rye.

Click here to read our full review.

8. Blue Run Flight Series III Filly & Fiddle (MSRP: $124.99)

Filly & Fiddle is one of six releases in Blue Run Spirits’ third Flight Series drop, a collection of “micro batch” whiskeys dropped in May 2025. Owned by Coors Spirits Co., Blue Run’s blending efforts are led by Head of Whiskey Development and Innovation Shaylyn Gammon, an alum of Wild Turkey. Gammon crafts each blend in the Flight Series from Kentucky bourbon and rye whiskeys sourced from Castle & Key, Bardstown Bourbon Company and a third, undisclosed Kentucky producer. Each whiskey in the collection is blended from an undisclosed mix of up to four mashbills: 6-year-old rye distilled from 80% rye, 12% corn and 8% malted barley; 5-year-old bourbon distilled from 75% corn, 21% rye and 4% malted barley; 5-year-old bourbon distilled from 65% corn, 30% rye and 5% malted barley; and 5-year-old rye distilled from 80% rye, 12% corn and 8% malted barley.

On top of its presentation in a beautiful bottle, this whiskey is a masterful blend from the Blue Run team. It’s sweet, rich and desserty, with aromas of ccreme brûlée, burnt caramel, French toast, cinnamon, orange peel and cherry. The palate has a thick viscosity and continues those dessert-forward notes, joined by honey, tannin and demerara. The finish is long and expertly blends rye spice with bourbon sweetness.

Click here to read our full review.

7. Glenmorangie A Tale of the Forest ($110)

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This scotch whisky comes from Glenmorangie, a distillery nestled in the Scottish Highlands. This is a truly special whisky, as it is GLenmorangie’s first expression crafted from barley kilned with woodland botanicals: juniper berries, birch bark and heather flowers.

After distillation, A Tale of the Forest was aged in ex-bourbon barrels and bottled at 92 proof.

The final product is a delightful and welcoming whisky. It’s medicinal, herbal, herbal, sweet and smoky — complex and balanced.

Click here to read our full review.

6. Star Hill Farm American Wheat Whisky (MSRP: $100)

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Released in May, Star Hill Farm Whisky is the first new mashbill and non-bourbon produced by Maker’s Mark in its 70-plus-year history. The 2025 release of Star Hill Farm Whisky is a blend of two mashbills: one made from 100% malted soft red winter wheat and the other from 70% soft red winter wheat and 30% malted barley. The whiskey is bottled at 114.7 proof and has a suggested retail price of $100.

Maker’s Mark’s first wheat whiskey was, in my eyes, a hit. It’s sweet, floral and wheaty, serving up classic Maker’s DNA but in a totally different manner than we’re accustomed to. Tasting notes include confectioner’s sugar, praline, banana bread, olden raisins, caramel cake, leather and dark chocolate-covered walnuts.

Click here to read our full review.

5. Old Forester 117 Series: Bottled in Bond Rye (MSRP: $64.99 per 375-milliliter bottle)

Released in March 2025 as a member of the 117 series, this is the first Bottled in Bond rye whiskey ever released by Old Forester. Barrels of this rye whiskey were filled during spring 2015 and bottled at 100 proof. This rye whiskey has a suggested retail price of $64.99 per 375-milliliter bottle.

My experience with this rye was an interesting one: Upon first taste, I wasn’t terribly impressed. But the next day, after it had some time to breathe? A totally different story. This is a splendid rye whiskey that’s bright at times and dark and brooding at others.

The nose is sweet, deep and dark, with baking spice notes giving way to cherry cordial, molasses, mocha and raspberry. The palate brings with it a sizable helping of oak, some smoke, anise, caramel, powdered ginger, walnuts and fresh mint leaves. The finish is long and brooding: Lots of char, ash and coffee beans, plus maple, cacao, smoke and a touch of peppermint.

This is an intricate, balanced and tasty rye whiskey.

Click here to read our full review.

4. Jefferson’s Cask Strength Reserve Bourbon (MSRP: $69.99)

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A new release from Jefferson’s, this monster of a bourbon is aged at least eight years and bottled at 130 proof. Caramel and butterscotch lead the nose and palate, but what truly makes this bourbon stand out is its finish, which is packed with sweet oak.

With a suggested retail price of $69.99, this cask-strength bourbon is a tremendous value bottle.

Click here to read our full review.

3. Michter’s 10 Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon 2025 (MSRP: $195)

Released annually and always heavily sought-after, Michter’s 10 Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon is a beloved, critically acclaimed expression. Bottled at 47.2% ABV, this year’s batch has a suggested retail price of $195 — although actually finding it for around that price tends to be tricky. This bourbon has a 10-year age statement but is often aged beyond that, and Michter’s confirmed that the 2025 batch is “again overaged beyond 10 years.”

I’m a frequent adorer of Michter’s products, so I wasn’t at all surprised at how good this bourbon is. To my palate, it’s the oakiest batch in recent memory, and the oak works spectacularly. Vanilla custard is joined by candied orange, cinnamon, root beer, red berries and brown sugar on the nose. The palate is powerfully oaky, with big cherry and cocoa, plus almonds, baking spice and orange peel. Cinnamon leads the finish, followed by tannin, leather, toasted oak and cherry.

This bourbon is rich and decadent and continues the lineage of this series as one of the best regular bourbon releases around — especially for anyone who’s not a fan of the uber-high-proof movement so many drinkers obsess over. Want tremendous flavor at sub-100 proof? Look no further.

Click here to read our full review.

2. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch B525 (MSRP: $74.99)

Released in May 2025, this is the second Elijah Craig Barrel Proof batch of 2025. Like all Elijah Craig bourbons, it’s distilled from Heaven Hill’s 78% corn, 10% rye and 12% malted barley mashbill. It has a suggested retail price of $75 and is the oldest batch of ECBP since September 2023’s at 11.5 years.

At 63.1% ABV, this is a big and bruising bourbon. Powerful heat and drying oak work beautifully in this bourbon, where they’re counterbalanced by light, fluffy and sweet notes. The nose emits aromas of caramel candies, creamed corn, flan, pie crust, peanut butter, praline and cinnamon. After a little time in the glass, red-fruit notes emerge: strawberries smothered in powdered sugar, luxardo cherry and plum.

On the palate, this bourbon is so viscous you can almost chew it. It’s got some heat to it but is still approachable. Oak and tannin are joined by a scoop of frozen vanilla custard in a waffle cone, topped with fudge and chopped peanuts. Other rich dessert and fruit notes sing in the background. The pour concludes with cornbread, caramel corn, crème brûlée, chocolate-covered cherries and blackberry ice cream.

Click here to read our full review.

1. Still Austin Tanager Cigar Blend Bourbon (MSRP: $149)

This whiskey was released in December 2024, but we didn’t get the chance to taste it until this month. Tanager is the first “cigar blend” whiskey from the Austin, Texas-based distillery, Still Austin. It was blended by master blender Nancy Fraley, who is very well known for bringing “cigar blends” — spirits crafted to be paired with cigars — to America. With a suggested retail price of $149, Still Austin Tanager is a blend of bourbons made from red, white and blue corn (plus rye and barley). Still Austin says that this whiskey was made with the Petites Eaux blending method, which is French for “Small Waters.” This technique, often used for cognac and armagnac, ages a mix of spirit and water to 25% ABV for one year and then blends it into the base spirit.

I had high hopes for this bourbon, and it blew my expectations out of the water. It’s sweet, rich, floral with undercurrents of dried fruit. This nuanced, complex expression achieves what the best whiskeys do: Takes you on a journey through layers of flavor.

Click here to read our full review.