The 10 Best Spirits I Drank This Year: Bourbon, Scotch, Rye, And More

Another year is nearly in the books, my dudes. Looking back at 2024 I can say I was fortunate enough to drink some of the best whiskey released on earth.

Most of the information below comes from my reviews throughout the year but each year I like to compile it all together to highlight the best whiskey of the year. So without further ado, here are my 10 favorite pours from the past 12 months.

Booker’s Bourbon Jimmy’s Batch

The 4th Booker’s Bourbon batch release of the year, Jimmy’s Batch, came just in time to put some hair on my chest for the holidays. This bourbon carries an age statement of 7 years, 9 months, and 19 days and clocks in at a fiery 125.8 proof. The breakdown from the blend is 12% from 5th floor of Warehouse Z, 20% from 5th floor of Warehouse I, 46% from 3rd floor of Warehouse 3, and 22% from 4th floor of Warehouse Q.

‘Jimmy’s Batch’ was named in honor of Master Distiller Jimmy Russell who is a living legend in the bourbon world. I’ve said it in the past and I’ll say it again, you don’t slap such an important person’s name on a bottle/batch unless the quality lives up to that person’s legacy and in this case, Fred Noe is paying an incredible tribute to Jimmy Russell with this batch. Check out the Booker’s Bourbon website to find a bottle near you!

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The Boss Hog XI ‘Juggernaut’

From my October review here on the Boss Hog XI: Juggernaut from WhistlePig.. For this year, WhistlePig looked to the Land of Kings 7,000 miles away from Shoreham, Vermont and created the world’s first Thandai-seasoned whiskey barrels. Members from WhistlePig’s ‘experimental team’ encountered Thandai at the Holi festival in Jaipur and knew the flavors of ‘saffron, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, fennel, poppy and black peppercorn’ would pair perfectly with their best Rye whiskey.

Boss Hog XI: Juggernaut clocks in at 51.9% ABV. It is an American rye whiskey made in Vermont. And true to other Boss Hog releases, there is no age statement on this annual release. I cannot tell you the number of times I’ve gone to a liquor store and an overeager salesman has tried to sell me on a ‘Flavor Bomb’ of some sort that, when I sampled it, turned out to be just another cask strength flavorful whiskey. From the first sip with the Boss Hog Juggernaut though, I knew the term ‘flavor bomb’ had taken on a new life for me.

Thinking that maybe I was getting ahead of myself while sampling it, I poured a dram for a relative of mine who isn’t particularly keen on rye whiskeys. I didn’t tell him what it was, the rarity or the price, just that it was a rye whiskey… He was begging for more after the first pour. WhistlePig appears to have struck gold with the Thandai spiced barrels because having tried nearly every Boss Hog release over the past 11 years this is my favorite so far.

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2024 Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch

The 2024 Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch is/was one of the most highly sought after bourbon releases of the year. This is the 17th year that Four Roses is releasing a Limited Edition Small Batch with each year offering something new and exquisite. Last year marked the 135th anniversary of Four Roses and a special LE release that included 65% of the blend older than 14 year bourbon, and a blend that was characterized by the OESV recipe.

This year’s Four Roses Small Batch LE was released on September 14th with about 16,680 bottles released with an SRP of $220. This marks a rise in availability from previous years with 15,060 bottles in 2023 and 14,100 bottles released in 2022. Here is the final blend breakdown:

• OBSV 12-Year Bourbon – 31% of the final blend
• OESK 15-Year Bourbon – 23% of the final blend
• OESF 16-Year Bourbon – 39% of the final blend
• OBSV 20-Year Bourbon – 7% of the final blend

Four Roses master distiller Brent Elliott called the OBSV recipe the primary ‘driver’ of the LE flavor profile this year which is the recipe in their flagship single barrel and it has also made an appearance in 10 of the previous Limited Editions. This high rye recipe is known for it’s delicate fruit flavors (plum, apricot) which come from the V yeast strain. But the 39% F yeast of the blend adds some incredible floral notes to the blend as well, minty and clove notes that also add some incredible mouthfeel to the final blend, according to Brett Elliott. If you can find it, buy it! But it’s near impossible to come across out in the wild…

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Frey Ranch Distillery’s 100% Wheat Whiskey LE SB

The Frey Ranch Distillery’s 100% Wheat Whiskey LE SB sold out within minutes this year but I was fortunate enough to get my palms on a bottle and this ‘best things I drank this year’ list wouldn’t be complete without it. The Frey Ranch 100% Wheat Whiskey Single Barrel #1208 was aged for 6 years and 2 months. I was fortunate enough to get an advance sample of this which I cracked open last weekend for the Kentucky Derby.

Frey Ranch described this single barrel release as a “Sugar Bomb” which in hindsight seems accurate but the butterscotch, milk chocolate, and frosting flavors aren’t subdued by the heat. At 134.48-proof there’s a good Kentucky hug on the way down with this 100% Wheat Whiskey. When I say that there’s still A LOT of great whiskey left to be bottled in America, Frey Ranch is a perfect example of that. Frey Ranch Distillery is a farm-to-glass producer and 100% soft white winter wheat was grown on the Frey Ranch farm before being used in this whiskey.

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Acrónimo Spirits Sotol Blanco

I’d never even heard of Sotol until this year. I might have seen it on a cocktail menu in passing at some point but I came to love it this year through Acrónimo Spirits, the first female-led sotol company, after interviewing their co-founder Alessandra Camino Creel.

Sotol production in Mexico is confined to the Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Durango regions because sotol is made from the Dasylirion plant which is a shrub native to these regions. The Dasylirion plant is closely related to the Nolina, Beaucarnea, and Calibanus plants and interestingly, all of them are part of the asparagus family! So while sotol as a spirit might have a similar taste to mezcal or tequila, it is closer in relation to asparagus than blue agave.

The flavor profile of sotol ranges from grassy to leather to spicy. We’ll get into that more below as well. It has three categories: Reposada, Añejo, and Plata/Puro/Blanco. Many believe what will elevate sotol above tequila and mezcal in the future is its versatility when tasting and mixing, something to certainly keep in mind. Check out my full interview with Acrónimo Spirits co-founder Alessandra Camino Creel to learn more!

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The Ardbeg 17-Year-Old

The history behind Ardbeg’s 17-Year-Old Scotch is fascinating. It was released way back in 1997 as one of the first bottles from Ardbeg upon the distillery reopening and it set an incredibly high bar going forward. The 17-year-old release was retired 20 years ago back in 2004 while I was still in college, that is until it made a triumphant return this year.

This 40% ABV release carries “enticing aromas of malted barley and toasted bread” along with notes of cocoa powder, caffé latte, and plenty of smoky oak. At 80-proof, I found that I could sip more than a few drams of this and still keep my wits about me which I loved because it had the full/complete flavor profile of a much hotter/stronger scotch. Check out Ardbeg’s website to learn more!

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Blue Run Flight Series II Micro Batch

Back in June I did a side-by-side tasting of Blue Run’s Flight Series II Micro Batch Bourbons to see which batch was my favorite and it was one of my favorite drinking exercises of the year. Blended by Blue Run’s Whiskey Director, Shaylyn Gammon, the Blue Run Flight Series II featured six micro-batch high rye bourbons: Biscayne Breeze (3 barrels blended, 114.1 proof), Joshua Tree Sunrise (3 barrels blended, 117 barrel proof), Miami Sunset (4 barrels blended, 115 proof), Santa Monica Pier (4 barrels blended, 115.1 proof), Tahoe Powder (3 barrels blended, 116 barrel proof), and Yosemite Pine (3 barrels blended, 116.6 barrel proof).

I was fortunate to get my mittens on bottle #401 of 934 of the Miami Sunset and bottle #360 of 658 of the Tahoe Powder and figured there was no better way to dive into this Blue Run Flight Series II release than sampling them side by side. All of the barrels underwent a #4 alligator char before aging in Bardstown. Ultimately, I tend to prefer higher rye bourbons so both of these Blue Run Flight Series II micro batches fit my taste profile but the ‘Tahoe Powder’ had some extra spice on it that I was looking for.

At the same price points for all of the Blue Run Flight Series II, I’d say I would lean toward re-upping on the ‘Tahoe Powder’ but it was sort of a coin flip for me. I can envision a world where I paired the ‘Miami Sunset’ with some caramel and it is the best thing I drink in 2024. Likewise, I’m a cigar smoker (on occasion) and I can see the ‘Tahoe Powder’ pairing magnificently there. You can shop Blue Run on their website here.

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Wyoming Whiskey’s Outryder Whiskey

It might sound silly, but one of the biggest indicators that I’ve fallen for a new spirit is when I find myself going back for more. In both cases above, I went back to get second bottles because they were that good. Wyoming Whiskey has been releasing the Outryder Whiskey for several years. Their 100-proof 2021 edition was incredibly well received by the industry. I’m admittedly late to the game on this but glad I’m playing catch up.

The 2024 Outryder Whiskey is a 100 proof American Straight Whiskey blended from two distinct mash bills, a bourbon and a rye. It has a copper-mahogany color and a nose full of honey, cherry, and orange blossom. Across the palate there are biscuits, brown butter, pumpernickel bread from the rye spice, and the finish is long and warm with notes of maple syrup.

Is it a bourbon? No. Is it a rye? No. Does it combine the two and allow the best characteristics of both to shine through? It absolutely does. Check out Wyoming Whiskey’s website for information on where to find it.

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Angel’s Envy Triple Oak Joined Delicious Rarefied Company

This year, the whiskey world welcomed an absolutely delicious new addition, the Angel’s Envy Triple Oak. This marked the first time in 11 years that Angel’s Envy has added a whiskey to its award-winning Signature Series and the Triple Oak joins 2011’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Wine Barrels and 2013’s Rye Whiskey Finished in Caribbean Rum Casks.

The Angel’s Envy Triple Oak made its triumphant debut on September 14th at the Angel’s Envy Distillery on East Main Street in downtown Louisville just across the street from the Louisville Slugger baseball field. As the name implies, Angel’s Envy Triple Oak is a blend of three whiskeys finished in three different barrels from around the world. Each whiskey starts by sitting in the traditional American White Oak Char #3 for between 4to 6 years before moving onto the triple oak finishing process.

The three oaks are Hungarian Oak from Hungary, Chinkapin Oak from Kentucky, and French Oak from France. Each of these oaks imbues the whiskey with unique characteristics and for this tasting, as you can see from the image above, Angel’s Envy sent out smell boxes to draw out the notes instilled in this whiskey from each barrel type. Check out the Angel’s Envy website for more!

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Knob Creek’s 10-Year-Old Pre-Prohibition Style Rye

Growing up I was always told I had a sweet tooth but as I got older I learned my palate craves spice. As it turns out, both can be true and what draws me to rye whiskey is the combination of rye spice with the sweet caramel and vanilla notes which this Knob Creek 10 Year Rye is chock full of.

This new addition to the Knob Creek portfolio sits in the barrel for a decade. Somehow ‘a decade’ seems to hit harder in my head than ’10 year’ and really put into perspective how long this pre-prohibition style rye whiskey sits in charred barrels.

• 100 proof
• Aroma rich with caramel, vanilla from the extra barrel aging, dried apple, and thick with rye spice
• Tastes of creamy vanilla, caramel, black peppercorn, and hints of the oak char comes through
• A long smooth finish full of baking spice and rye spice
• Suggested retail price of $69 for a 750ml

Pre-prohibition style ryes are so different from typical ryes on the market it’s hard to compare them. There’s more honey on the palate, more flavor. Historically, they are distilled using a three chamber still versus the more common pot stills used today and there’s been a push over the past 8ish years to bring this style back. Check out Knob Creek’s website to learn more!