Ranking the 10 Best Whiskeys We Tasted in September 2025

Every month, we sort through dozens of new releases (and older ones that are new to us!) to highlight the whiskeys that stood out the most. September 2025 was by far the best month of the year. We tasted several expressions that are sure to be in “Best of the Year” discussions a couple months from now. The competition was incredibly stiff this month; some excellent whiskeys didn’t crack the top 10. Let’s get into the list, which is sorted from great to nearly perfect. Spoiler: It was a big month for bourbon and Irish whiskey.

10. Starlight Distillery 10 Year Old Bourbon

(Photo: Starlight Distillery)

Released in late July, this is the first 10-year-old bourbon ever released by Starlight Distillery, the Borden, Indiana-based distillery. This bourbon was aged for 10 years in Icône barrels sourced from Napa Valley cooperage Seguin Moreau, which spent their time aging on the West side of Starlight’s Warehouse 2, purportedly the “warmest pocket” of any of its rickhouses. Suggested retail price is set at $250.

This well-aged bourbon is rich and inviting on the nose, with dessert-forward notes of buttercream and graham cracker, plus a fruitier side with peach rings and lemon meringue. On the palate, it’s oily and oaky with notes including milk chocolate, custard, strawberry, cinnamon and clove. The finish is long, dry and tannic, closing the sip with barrel char, cherry, malted milk balls, French toast, mint and tobacco.

Click here to read our review.

9. WhistlePig The BigShǝBàng 30 Year Old Single Malt

(Photo: WhistlePig Whiskey)

The oldest and most expensive whisk(e)y ever to come from WhistlePig, The BigShǝBàng is a 30-year-old Canadian single malt finished in barrels that previously held Vin Santo, an Italian dessert wine. Per WhistlePig, this is the oldest known bottled North American single malt. Presumably by Glenora, this whisky is bottled at 90.4 proof and priced at $4,999.99.

Would we recommend you pay 5 grand for this? Probably not. It’s great whisky without a doubt, though, delivering a beautiful mix of earthy musk and perfumey sweetness.

Click here to read our review.

8. Woodinville Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 9 Years

(Photo: Woodinville Whiskey)

Released in August, this is the oldest whiskey ever to come out of the Washington-based Woodinville Whiskey Co. Released to celebrate Woodinville’s 15th anniversary, this bourbon is aged nine years and bottled at 100 proof. Distilled from a mashbill of 55% corn, 35% rye and 10% malted barley, this bourbon was aged in heavily toasted, lightly charred barrels made from 24-month open-air seasoned staves by Independent Stave Company.

Decadent and rich on the nose, this $130 bourbon has aromas of cherry cordial, fudge, caramel, oak and musky grape. On the palate, it’s silky an, rich and sweet with oak, cocoa powder, caramel, tobacco, figs, cinnamon and cashew. It’s sweet but with enough of a bitter tannic bite to balance out the sweetness.

7. Bushmills Single Malt 46 Year

(Photo: Bushmills)

The theme of this month thus far appears to be age; Bushmills 46 Year is the oldest single malt released by the Bushmills Distillery and the oldest Irish single malt ever released. This 46.3%-ABV expression honors the River Bush, which has supplied water to the distillery since 1608. The whiskey was aged exclusively in oloroso sherry butts, and only 300 bottles were released, each priced at $12,500.

While we weren’t quite as in love with this one as some critics thanks to its heavy oak, there are some truly wonderful notes in here. Picture, earthy, umami, mushroomy goodness with tobacco, paired with an uber-fruity profile of  mango, peach, raspberry and pineapple. All of that is joined by big oak and some honeyed sweetness.

Click here to read our review.

6. Bushmills 26 Years Crystal Single Malt Irish Whiskey

(Photo: Bushmills)

Back to back appearances by Bushmills! This malt may be two decades younger than the previous entry on this list, but we actually found it to be a more well-rounded pour. This $1,000 bottle was released in 2025 in Europe but didn’t make it to America until September. Bushmills 26 Year Old Crystal Malt gets its name from the crystal malted barley it’s distilled from. This barley undergoes a process that crystallizes sugars within the grain. The whiskey was aged for 26 years in oak casks and bottled at 46% ABV in a 700-milliliter format.

This gorgeous whisky strikes a killer balance between light fruitiness and dark, brooding oak, spice and tobacco. Great whiskeys take you on a wild but well-structured ride, and this is a prime example.

Click here to read our review.

5. Bruichladdich Octomore 16.3

The lone scotch to crack the list this month, this is the third entry in the 2025 release of Bruichladdich’s annual Octomore series. Each offering in the Octomore lineup is some of the world’s peatiest scotch whisky as measured by phenol parts per million, or ppm. Octomore 16.3 is aged five years and distilled from 100% Concerto barley grown on Bruichladdich’s Octomore Farm, which is two miles away from the distillery on Islay. At 189.5 ppm, it’s by far the peatiest of the Octomore 16 collection — and the proofiest at 61.6% ABV. Bourbon, Sauternes and Pedro Ximénez casks were used for aging, and the result is a spectacular scotch whisky that achieves truly impressive balance despite the high peat level.

Click here to read our review.

4. Heaven Hill Master Distillers Unity Bourbon

Released in September, this is a limited-edition bourbon from Heaven Hill. It’s a blend of bourbons aged six, eight, 14 and 32 years. The 32-year-old portion is one with great history and meaning behind it: It was drawn from the last remaining barrel distilled at the historic Old Heaven Hill Springs Distillery in 1991 by Heaven Hill Master Distiller Parker Beam, who died in 2017. The 32-year-old barrel is blended with younger bourbons crafted at Bernheim Distillery by Beam and other former Heaven Hill Master Distiller Denny Potter, as well as current Master Distiller Conor O’Driscoll. Uniting the work of three master distillers of such a storied brand is a very cool project, and the result is one of our favorite bourbons of the year. It’s an opulent, delicious blend with a creamy mouthfeel. With its decadent, dessert-y flavor profile, this bourbon is peak Heaven Hill.

Click here to read our review.

3. Old Fitzgerald VVS 2025 Bottled-in-Bond 11 Years Aged

Speaking of peak Heaven Hill, this edition of Old Fitzgerald Very Very Special is a delicious sweet treat. Released in August, this is the fourth VVS release to date from Heaven Hill’s Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Decanter Series. With a suggested retail price of $169.99 per 750-milliliter bottle (although you should expect to pay much more than that on the secondary market), VVS 2025 is aged 11 years and available at the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience in Bardstown and select Kentucky retailers. It’s distilled from the classic Heaven Hill wheated bourbon mashbill of 68% corn, 20% wheat and 12% malted barley, and it’s a great entry to the Old Fitz Decanter Series. It’s silky, soft, sweet, fluffy and utterly delicious.

Click here to read our review.

2. Keeper’s Heart 32 Year Old Irish Single Malt

(Photo: Keeper’s Heart)

Released in September, Keeper’s Heart 32 Year Old Irish Single Malt is the most exclusive release yet from the Minnesota brand, with only a single barrel available. That barrel was selected in 2020 by Keeper’s Heart Master Distiller Brian Nation. Bottled at 54.9% ABV, this rare single malt is priced at $2,499. This is an unpeated malt, but the pot stills used to distill it had previously been used for peated whiskey and weren’t fully cleaned, allowing for a sweet, oaky profile with just a wisp of smoke. If you’re lucky enough to enjoy a pour of this malt, expect a perfect mix of honeyed sweetness, fruity notes, delicate peat and oak.

Click here to read our review.

1. Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Beacon

(Photo: Wild Turkey)

There are still a couple of months left in 2025, but if the year ended now, this would be our pick for the best whiskey of 2025. Released in September, Beacon is the final release in Wild Turkey’s Master’s Keep collection. It’s a blend of 10-year-old bourbon selected by Associate Master Blender Bruce Russell and 16-year-old bourbon selected by his father, Master Distiller Eddie Russell. It’s bottled at 118 proof and has a suggested retail price of $300.

This is really just near-perfect bourbon. Powerful waves of oak are layered with beautiful sweetness and enough spice to keep things interesting. It’s a wonderful mix of Bruce’s signautre powerful, spice-forward profile and Eddie’s softer, sweeter one.

Click here to read our review.