The Best New Whiskeys to Drink This June 

Scotch | 50.2% ABV | Aged 35 Years
Crafted by Master Blender Billy Walker, this Speyside single malt offers maturation in four different barrel types, including American virgin oak, Oloroso sherry, Pedro Ximénez sherry and, most importantly, Mizunara virgin oak. That rare Japanese oak brings out some sandalwood and floral notes, which play well with the dark fruit flavors from the sherry casks. Cocoa, ginger, raisin and baking spices round out this lovely sipper.

American Whiskey | 45% ABV | Aged 4+ Years
A collaboration with Bardstown Bourbon Company, the first release in the Split Barrel Project is a four-year-old Kentucky bourbon (75% corn, 15% rye and 10% malted barley) combined with a five-year-old Virginia Distillery Co. American Single Malt (100% malted barley, aged in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels). It’s a 50-50 split of the two liquids: Will this get bourbon drinkers excited about American single malts, or vice versa? There’s a lot of lemon citrus, honey and malt with a butterscotch/caramel undertone. To me, it leans more toward an approachable, everyday ASM — would love to see them play more with the ratios and proof, and I feel like future releases in this series will accomplish that — but if you’re open about your American whiskey, it’s a fun and tasty experiment.

Bourbon | 49% ABV | No Age Statement
Sweetens Cove Spirits — the brand born out of a golf course of the same name, with Peyton Manning and Andy Roddick as investors — just released this new limited-edition bourbon, timed to Father’s Day and the U.S. Open. The 2026 First Release is a blend of aged Kentucky and Tennessee bourbons, finished in cuvée wine barrels and bottled at 98 proof. Designed as an annual, collectible release, the fruit notes (cherry, red berries) are front and center with additional hints of creme brûlée and baking spices.

Bourbon | 45% ABV | Aged 8 Years
This release is part of the Kentucky distillery’s Single Oak Project, which began in 1999 and included 192 distinct bourbons that reflected “seven critical variables and 1,396 possible taste combinations.” Consumers picked a winning barrel after numerous taste tests, now reflected in this new permanent expression, which replicates the mash bill and aging condition of barrel #80. It’s full of cinnamon, vanilla, oak spice, cloves, cherry and toasted rye and balances nicely between sweet and herbaceous.

Scotch | 47.8% ABV | No Age Statement
Held annually on the final Saturday of Islay’s Festival of Music and Malt (Fèis Ìle), Ardbeg Day is a celebration of all things Ardbeg, and it’s here where Dolce debuted. It’s a peaty whisky matured in Marsala dolce casks (the sweetest style of Sicily’s fortified wine), blended with some bourbon cask-matured Ardbeg. While maintaining its expected peaty profile, the underlying sweetness from the wine casks offers a nice balance. It’s sweet campfire, a little citrusy and extremely delicious.

Bourbon | 46% ABV | Aged 4 Years
I’m not the biggest proponent of honey-finished whiskey, but Green River does it right. This is a Kentucky Straight Bourbon finished with 100% real local honey inside the barrel, which is subtle but effective. This would be a decent shot, sure, but the slightly honeyed take on a (relatively high-proof) bourbon seems ideal for a cocktail, and it still possesses the typical bourbon notes of caramel, oak spice, vanilla and orange peel. At $25, it’s a steal, like almost everything Green River produces.

Rye | 50% ABV | Aged 10 Years
This limited-edition, bottled-in-bond release was crafted (like many bottles coming out this year) to celebrate the Semiquincentennial, and that includes commemorative packaging and an image of the Liberty Bell, which pays homage to Rittenhouse’s Pennsylvania roots. Aged for 10 years and bottled at 100 proof, the whiskey has a mash bill of 51% rye, 35% corn and 14% malted barley. Non-chill filtered and drawn from “90 carefully selected barrels aged across multiple rickhouses and floors,” this isn’t a spicy rye but a nuanced expression, full of chocolate, coffee, toasted rye, tobacco and citrus.

Scotch | 53.7% ABV | Aged 14 Years
The Islay distillery recently launched a bottle in collaboration with actor Willem Dafoe. In lieu of providing tasting notes, the single malt maker is hosting a contest for people to submit their own (winners will star alongside the actor in a bit of Laphroaig media). We were able to grab a sample of the 14-year-old, Oloroso cask-finished whisky, which the actor describes (vaguely) as a “whisky that evoked the most curiosity about its taste.” But if you like fruity, peaty (more medicinal/iodine than campfire) and malty with a nice oily mouthfeel, you’ll be very pleased with it.

Bourbon | 45% ABV | Aged 6 Years 
American Whiskey | 45% ABV | Aged 12 Years

Hailing from the award-winning, Bardstown-based whiskey blenders 15 STARS, Kentucky County is a new brand created to honor America’s 250th anniversary. It’s also the 250th birthday of Kentucke County, which was established in Virginia’s western frontier and later evolved into the Kentucke District, where Bourbon County was created and bourbon whiskey was named. The six-year expression features a blend of two Kentucky bourbons. It’s a fairly straightforward take on the genre, with notes of oak spice, vanilla, caramel, sarsaparilla and cloves. The 12-year is a blend of straight bourbon and American whiskey, distilled from a bourbon mash bill and aged seven years in second-use oak before an additional five years in new charred oak. There’s more going on with this one — the fruit notes (cherry, pear) are complemented by hints of dark chocolate, coffee, herbal tea and baking spices with a hint of tobacco.

Bourbon | 45% ABV | Aged 18 Years
This modestly proofed bourbon was first introduced in 1994 as the oldest single barrel on the market, and it’s the second Elijah Craig single-barrel release of the year (out of three). This expression is proof (no pun intended) that an extra-aged bourbon can still offer nuance, complexity and, yes, smoothness. While there’s some definitive oak spice, it’s rounded out nicely by hints of orange peel, vanilla, caramel, chocolate mint and cherry.

Scotch | 46.5% ABV | No Age Statement
Yes, that Harrison Ford. The iconic actor recently worked with the Highland single malt distillery on a series of advertisements and apparently found time to collaborate with Glenmorangie’s director of whisky creation, Dr. Bill Lumsden MBE, on a limited-edition expression. Uniting bourbon cask-aged Glenmorangie with a parcel of rare whisky finished in toasted Portuguese red wine casks, this bottle is full of orange zest (quite a bit, actually) and hints of sandalwood, vanilla, malt, honey and leather with a nice, oily mouthfeel and finish.

Rye | 40% ABV | No Age Statement
What’s in a name? Golden Rye offers the same 100% malted rye mash bill as Basil Hayden’s Malted Rye, but this new/revamped bottle is part of the distillery’s evolution of their very approachable whiskeys. Essentially, all the BH releases now fall under Core, Creativity or Rarity ranges, with use cases, price points and availability all intrinsic to the categories. Meant to be versatile, bright and approachable for newer drinkers, Golden Rye succeeds. It’s bright but a bit herbaceous with baking spices, vanilla and soft citrus notes. Pretty solid for 80-proof.