Virginia Distillery Company
2018 is coming to a close and I’ve had a long, glorious year of tasting some of the best whiskies on the planet, at least ones that I’ve deemed to be the best. I have a discerning palate but I’m by no means a whiskey expert.
For expertise, I turn to Whiskey Advocate who publishes an annual list of the Top 20 Whiskies of the Year. For the second year in a row (2017 results here), my personal favorites have aligned pretty closely with the list Whiskey Advocate has published. My current favorite is #11 on their list, and my favorite late release of 2018 landed at #2 overall on their list.
The overall ranking is a combination of price and taste. So Whiskey A might have a higher score than Whiskey B, but Whiskey B could be ranked higher because it’s an overall better buy.
#1 • Nikka From the Barrel
Score: 94, Price: $65
#2 • Knob Creek Cask Strength Rye
Score: 94, Price: $70
#3 • Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Heritage Barrel
Score: 93, Price: $65
#4 • Port Charlotte 10-year-old
Score: 93, Price: $65
#5 • Crown Royal Noble Collection 13-year-old Blenders’ Mash
Score: 92, Price: $60
#6 • Armorik Double Maturation
Score: 93, Price: $60
#7 • Laphroaig 10-year-old Cask Strength (Batch 010)
Price: $70, ABV: 58%
#8 • GlenDronach 15-year-old Revival
Score: 92, Price: $90
#9 • 1792 Bottled in Bond
Score: 92, Price: $36
#10 • Belle Meade Cask Strength Reserve (Batch No. 5)
Score: 92, Price: $60
#11 • Little Book Chapter 2 “Noe Simple Task”
Score: 93, Price: $100
#12 • Forty Creek Unity
Score: 92, Price: $75
#13 • Virginia Distillery Co. Cider Cask Finished (Batch 3)
Score: 92, Price: $65
Want to see the rest of the list? You can click here to see all 20 on Whiskey Advocate’s website. They’ve got tasting notes on every bottle as well as information on where it was distilled, the type of whiskey, etc. Definitely, definitely, definitely follow that link and check out the full list if you’re into whiskey.
In case you were curious, here’s what the Top 10 looked like from their 2017 list of the best whiskies.
1. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B517
2. Glenmorangie Astar 2017 Release
3. Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Decades
4. Lagavulin 12 Year Old (Diageo Special Releases 2017)
5. Rampur Select
6. Ardbeg An Oa
7. Compass Box Spice Tree Extravaganza
8. Tamdhu Batch Strength 002
9. Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2010
10. Glen Moray 18 Year Old
Hit me up on Twitter at @casspa if you want to talk whiskey!