The Best New Whiskeys to Drink This October 

Irish Whiskey | 46% ABV | Aged 26 Years
Hailing from the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery, this interesting new bottle is crafted from crystal malt, a barley processed to crystallize sugars during kilning (the process of drying germinated barley). Aged entirely in first-fill bourbon barrels, this one has a creamy mouthfeel and is full of malt, vanilla and caramel with nice hints of orange, lemon, toffee and chocolate (and a bit tropical on the finish).

Bourbon | 52% ABV | Aged 10+ Years
Hailing from the Ross & Squibb Distillery in Lawrenceburg, IN (also home to drinks giant MGP), this is the ninth edition of the celebrated annual release (last year’s won a Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition). The release celebrates the end of Prohibition, which makes sense, as the whiskey brand is named after legendary bootlegger George Remus. Using barrels between 10 and 18 years of age, this one is full of oak, tobacco, cherry and coffee. Plenty of kick and great if you love a spicier, oak-driven, high-rye bourbon.

Scotch | 43% ABV | Aged 16 Years
The Speyside distillery just released this limited-edition, 16-year-old single malt Scotch whisky in celebration of the distillery’s multi-year partnership with the Aston Martin Formula One Team. Matured in a selected marriage of American oak wine casks, new American barrels and second-fill bourbon casks, this one surprisingly has a nice maple syrup note, along with hints of biscuit, caramel, ginger and toasted oak.

American Light Whiskey | 48% ABV | Aged 20 Years
This one needs a few explanations. “Light whiskey” was a maligned mid-century style created to combat vodka’s popularity. It’s distilled and aged at higher proofs than bourbon or rye, with the liquid matured in used or un-charred new oak containers. The mash bills can vary, but this one is an interesting 99% corn and 1% malted barley. The expression is from the World Whiskey Society (WWS), which was established in 2020 and curates rare and ultra-premium expressions, occasionally adding its own barrel maturation. Here, that means a 20-year-old light whiskey finished in a rare combination of Cognac, Tawny Port, awamori, tequila, PX sherry and Madeira casks. Those wine casks are imparting a lot of dried fruit, raisin and fig, but dig in a little and you’ll find citrus/lemon, tobacco, caramel and a nuttiness.

American Single Malt | 45.2% ABV | Aged 30 Years
The oldest and rarest whiskey ever released by the Vermont distillery, WhistlePig also claims this new limited-edition expression is aged longer than any other American Single Malt ever released. Finished in Tuscan-born Vin Santo wine barrels — that’s basically an Italian dessert wine — this one is floral and fruity on the nose, leading to a creamy, fruity, malty liquid that also has an interesting cedar characteristic.

Rye | 45% ABV | Aged 3 Years
Located in Brooklyn’s increasingly hip Navy Yard, this marks the first permanent rye release from Kings County, New York City’s oldest and largest whiskey distillery. It bears an “Empire Rye” insignia on the bottle, a mark of provenance and identity launched by New York Distillers in 2017 (Empire Rye must be made from at least 75% New York-grown rye, distilled in New York and meet the standards for straight rye whiskey). Made with 80% Danko rye grown in Ancramdale, New York, and 20% English malted barley, this double pot-distilled rye represents the region and its rye whiskey heritage proudly, offering notes of chocolate, eucalyptus, sarsaparilla, cinnamon, biscuit, orange zest and apricot. It’s herbaceous and offers a rich mouthfeel.

Bourbon | 52.5% ABV | Aged 10 Years
Bourbon | 45% ABV | Aged 4 Years
Great Jones 10 Year is a distillery exclusive (and you should visit the distillery if you get the chance). It’s a decade-aged expression crafted entirely in New York, made from 100% Hudson Valley–grown corn, malted barley and rye. At 105 proof, it offers a lovely, full mouthfeel, a lot of oak spice and notes of caramel, vanilla, orange zest and lemon peel. Also, a quick shoutout to the distillery’s Wheated Bourbon, which was released earlier this year. A $45 expression also made with 100% New York grains, it’s a four-year, 90-proof bourbon that’s a gentle, rounded sipper with a buttery palate, caramel and vanilla notes and a bit of kick at the end (credit the rye).

American Whiskey | 57.5% ABV | Aged 8+ Years
This 115-proof, limited-edition blend of four eight- to 10-year-old whiskeys from states bordering the Ohio River (Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia) pays tribute to brand founder James A. Miller’s legendary lost barrels, sunk in the A.O. Tyler steamer accident of 1860. It’s sweet and delicious, full of caramel, chocolate, toasted oak, cinnamon and rye spice.

Bourbon | 56% ABV | No Age Statement
Rye | 50% ABV | No Age Statement
Angel’s Envy is notable for its finishes or secondary maturation, but these two new limited releases go in different directions. Both part of AE’s Distillery Series — meaning they’re only available at the Louisville, KY distillery — they showcase two very different styles of whiskey. Two-Grain (112 proof) is made from a mash bill of 90% corn sourced from Langley Farms in Shelbyville, KY, and 10% malted barley. No extra maturation here, it’s the sweeter side, almost like oily, rich caramel popcorn with a bit of nuttiness and baking spices. Meanwhile, the Peated Rye Cask is what it sounds like — a Kentucky Straight Rye finished in Islay Scotch barrels. It’s a different animal altogether. The smokiness is strong and mixes well with the herbaceousness of the rye, rounded out by a hint of apple and citrus.

Bourbon | 46% ABV | No Age Statement
Coors appears to be making a bigger foray into the whiskey world, as the drinks giant now includes Five Trail and the semi-recently-acquired Blue Run Spirits in its portfolio. Barmen 1873, launched in 2023, is a reference to the hometown of Coors Brewing founder Adolph Coors and the year he established the brewery in Golden, CO. Recently, Barmen teamed up with country star Lainey Wilson on a commemorative bottle for her late summer/fall tour (she’s also the brand’s first official artist partner). The liquid’s the same, however, and we’d never tried it and were intrigued, especially after it won a Double Gold at last year’s San Francisco World Spirits Competition. As far as an affordable lifestyle bourbon goes, this one nicely hits all the classic bourbon notes (vanilla, caramel, oak spice) while offering a slightly sweeter profile, hints of orange zest, chocolate and a creamy mouthfeel.

Bourbon | 55.4% ABV | Aged 8+ Years
American Whiskey | 55.9% ABV | Aged 6+ Years
Two new releases from Bardstown focus on the distillery’s ongoing whiskey series: Discovery (“the art of modern blending”) and Collaborative (partnerships with brands outside the distillery). Discovery #13 is a a blend of Kentucky Straight Bourbons, aged eight to 15 years and double-barreled in American and Hungarian oak, the latter of which seems to be imparting nice hints of cinnamon and clove (and a drier finish/mouthfeel). The Collaborative release is a hookup with Ferrand, so it’s a blend of Kentucky straight ryes and bourbons (aged six to 12 years) finished in Cognac casks for 15 months. The brandy cask adds a lot of fruit and depth, with notes of black cherry, vanilla, apple, eucalyptus and the perfect amount of rye and oak spice.

Scotch | 46% ABV | No Age Statement
The sixth release in the long-running and innovative Scotch brand’s “A Tale Of” series was inspired by the “delights of spice markets” around the world. Previous releases from the Highlands distillery include a whisky-inspired by ice cream parlors (A Tale of Ice Cream) and one crafted from barley kilned with woodland botanicals (A Tale of the Forest). For this release, bourbon-aged Glenmorangie is finished in Moroccan red wine casks crafted from French oak, new charred oak casks, shaved and toasted red wine casks and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks. It’s fruity and full of interesting and unexpected flavors, including grilled peaches, ginger, saffron, vanilla, cherry, toasted oak and an underlying almond nuttiness.