The Best New Whiskeys to Drink This August 

Rye | 44% ABV | No Age Statement

Best known for their bourbon, Jefferson’s just launched a modestly priced, crowd-pleasing blended rye. There are hints of vanilla, baking spices, toasted rye bread and eucalyptus here — it’s not overly complex, but rather a solid baseline for what a good rye whiskey should taste like. Note: The rye is also the key spirit in a collaboration kit with Cocktail Courier and entrepreneur Brooklyn Peltz Beckham and his hot sauce brand Cloud23.

Bourbon | 55.69% ABV | Aged 8+ Years

A blend of Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee whiskeys ranging in age from 10-15 years with a derived mash bill of corn (78%), rye (18%) and malted barley (4%), this cask strength release offers a buttery mouthfeel with notes of citrus, caramel, vanilla and toasted rye, cherry and red licorice. As usual, an excellent and slightly off-the-beaten-path bourbon.

Scotch | 50.4% ABV | No Age Statement

One of two releases inspired by Scottish artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh and part of the new Tree of Life Collection, the limited-edition Art Is the Flower is a single malt that “celebrate[s] the circularity of nature.” We did not get to try the 46-year-old Tree of Life release (it’s well above our pay grade), but Art Is the Flower, matured in sherry seasoned European oak casks, offers notes of raisin, oak, cherry, almonds and orange.

Rye | 52.6% ABV | Aged 6 Years

The second edition of this limited-edition series — where the whiskeys are crafted from locally grown grain, distilled, aged and bottled entirely at Heaven Hill Distillery — features a mash bill of 63% rye, 24% corn and 13% malt, which is a higher rye content than Heaven Hill’s traditional rye release. The labels on these bottles feature details of the specific corn seed varietal (#6225) utilized from Beck’s Hybrids, along with the mashbill, distillation year and and release year. Non-chill filtered and bottled at barrel proof, this liquid features notes of orange creamsicle, milk chocolate, rye spice, white pepper and charred oak.

Bourbon | 63.25% ABV | Aged 7 Years

As a reminder, Booker’s is barrel-strength, uncut and unfiltered bourbon with a deep emphasis on the location of the barrels in Beam warehouses. The whiskey is overseen by seventh-generation Master Distiller Fred Noe (Jim Beam’s grandson). The second release this year, “By the Pond” (named after Noe’s father’s beloved backyard pond) is made up of barrels from seven production dates that were aged in eight different warehouses. It’s a burly one, full of oak spice, tobacco, caramel and slight hints of red fruits and lemon.

Bourbon | 60.2% ABV | Aged 6 Years

Fiddler is an Atlanta-based distillery that recently won World’s Best Small Batch Bourbon at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. But this release is more experimental — it’s a heavily wheated bourbon aged nearly seven years, including two years in a secondary toasted barrel. As well, seasoned white oak heartwood staves from the North Georgia mountains are toasted and charred on one of Big Green Egg’s ceramic smokers, then added to the barrels for the final few months of aging. Very dark in appearance, this whiskey is both sweet and smoky on the palate, offering a rich campfire experience that still allows the bourbon notes to shine (though a little more caramel than s’mores-y).

Scotch | 59% ABV | No Age Statement

We’re big fans of Nc’nean and thrilled that the organic Scotch distillery is making their new Cask Strength release a permanent part of their core lineup. Crafted from Scottish barley and matured in a combination of red wine, American whiskey and sherry casks, this 118-proof offers plenty of fruit and cereal on the nose, with those notes continuing on the palate alongside hints of lemon, caramel, red berries and, interestingly, an unexpected rye bread character. Lovely and complex.

Bourbon, Rye, Wheated | 55.7% – 66.5% ABV | Aged 4+ Years

For their summer collection, the Vermont-based independent bottlers Lost Lantern feature eight different whiskeys from field-to-bottle operations, including Frey Ranch (Nevada), Corbin Cash (California), Whiskey Acres (Illinois) and Far North Spirits (Minnesota). There’s a wide range of ages, proofs and whiskey styles here, along with two “Farmers’ Field” blends of estate bourbons and ryes. They’re all unique and the ryes in particular are a standout, especially the one from Far North (the northernmost distillery in the lower 48 states), an herbal treat full of lemon zest, vanilla custard, black peppercorn and toasted rye. 

Rye | 50% ABV | No Age Statement

Hailing from New Orleans, Sazerac Rye is named after America’s first branded cocktail, the Sazerac. The new 100-proof variation was designed with bartenders in mind (the core release is 90 proof and offers hints of cloves, vanilla, anise, citrus and pepper). For $30, it’s a steal. 100 Proof is also now part of Sazerac’s single-barrel offerings.

Bourbon | 46.5% ABV | No Age Statement

Part of the Louisville distillery’s 117 Series, 1910 Extra Old is a double-barreled bourbon aged for an extra 24 months in a heavily charred secondary oak barrel. The whiskey commemorates the October 22, 1910, distillery fire at 117 Main Street, when a batch of mature whisky, ready to be bottled, was re-barreled in new barrels so it could be removed safely from the fire damage. So is 1910 smoky or extra woody? The oak is certainly more prominent, but amidst hints of the leather, cloves and barrel char is a lovely bit of vanilla sweetness, brown sugar and cherry.