The Best New Whiskeys to Drink This May

Wheat Whiskey | 62.7% ABV | Aged 7-9 Years

Crafted by Heaven Hill, Bernheim Barrel Proof gets two releases per year. Using winter wheat as its primary grain, each Barrel Proof release is non-chill filtered and up to nine years old. A225 is oily, creamy and bold, full of tobacco, orange, dark fruit, vanilla and caramel notes. Even at 125.4 proof, it’s quite approachable and a nice sipper.

Whiskey With Natural Flavors | 43% ABV | Aged 5 Years

Is it a whiskey or a cocktail? Big Easy takes a fairly traditional bourbon mash bill (81% corn, 15% rye and 4% barley), ages that whiskey in ex-bourbon barrels and then adds an “Old Fashioned blend” of herbs, spices, botanicals and fruit. I get a lot of gingerbread, mint, candied cherry and dark fruit on this thick concoction, which is sweet and syrupy. You can see how it works in New Orleans (we had ours with a King Cake), and it’s best enjoyed with ice. Dessert in a glass.

Bourbon | 50% ABV | Aged 5 Years

A lot of craft distilleries have started releasing less expensive, more mainstream whiskies (see Old Elk, Uncle Nearest). Double Barrel is a line extension of Barrell Foundation, the company’s first non-cask strength bourbon, which debuted in October 2023. The new expression — a blend of Kentucky (8yr), Indiana (5, 6 and 9yr), Tennessee (8yr) and Maryland (5 and 6yr) bourbons — undergoes secondary maturation in new American oak casks. There’s a fair amount of rye (23%) in the mash bill here, which adds a little spice to an otherwise approachable blend of vanilla, cherry, black pepper, orange, milk chocolate, wood spice and tobacco. 

Bourbon | 62.85% ABV | Aged 7 Years

The first release of 2025’s Booker’s Collection — bourbons released at barrel strength and bottled uncut and unfiltered, all overseen by distiller Fred Noe in honor of his dad Booker — is named in honor of Barry Berish, former Beam chairman and CEO. Made up of barrels from four production dates that were aged in five different warehouses, Barry’s Batch offers notes of cloves, cherry, vanilla and nutmeg. And it drinks pretty easily for a bottle that’s 125.7 proof.

Bourbon | 46% ABV | Aged 17 Years

Orphan Barrel’s rare whiskey releases can be a bit pricey, but their latest limited offering is one of the rare extra-aged bourbons I’ve tried that hasn’t felt overoaked. A non-chill filtered 17-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, this 92-proof sipper is full of fruit (mainly cherry, though not a cherry bomb), vanilla, caramel, cloves and allspice. It’s got age, but the barrel isn’t dominating. Bonus: It’s not often you see a bobcat on a whiskey label.

American Single Malt | 49% ABV | Aged 6 Years

The first American Single Malt Whiskey released by HIRSCH, The Departure — yes, “The” is italicized in all the brand’s releases — was distilled entirely at the original Hotaling & Co. distillery in San Francisco. Normally a bourbon brand, the aptly-named new HIRSCH release features 100% Maris Otter malted barley, grown and malted in the UK. There’s a wonderful grassiness on the nose that complements the butterscotch, caramel, apple and cocoa notes on the palate. Drink up because only 1,350 bottles are available nationwide.

Bourbon | 54.6% ABV | No Age Statement

Last year, Maker’s Mark brought back its best idea — the Wood Finishing Series, where wood staves are used to enhance certain characteristics in the bourbon. This time, in creative collaboration with the distillery’s warehouse team, the whisky-making team utilized virgin toasted American oak staves to impart a crème brûlée sweetness, hints of tobacco, baking spices and a nice dark fruit note.

Single Malt | 50% ABV | Aged 15 Years

Celebrating a 15th anniversary, Taiwan’s award-winning single malt producer Kavalan just released its two oldest releases to date: An Oloroso Sherry Single Cask Strength from 2009 and an Ex-Bourbon Cask Strength Whisky from the same year. The former is fine if you like sherry (it’s full of dark and tropical fruit notes), but the latter offers something unique, a beguiling mix of malt, chocolate, caramel, coconut, cherry and stone fruit.

American Single Malt | 50% ABV | Aged 5+ Years

Part of Virginia Distillery’s “Brewer’s Coalition” of limited-edition releases (collaborations with, natch, various breweries), this single malt features an imperial stout cask finish, the stout here being Foothills Brewing’s Sexual Chocolate. There’s certainly a cocoa-ness here, but I find the notes of malt and dark fruit dominating, along with hints of coffee.

Various | 45.85 – 63.25% ABV | No Age Statements

This is the first time Lost Lantern, an independent bottler in Vermont that we quite like, has released a collection made entirely of finished whiskies. The bottles include whiskies finished in casks that formerly held apple brandy, tequila, local honey, nocino and Pommeau, with the liquid sourced from distilleries in New York, New Mexico, Texas, Indiana and Ohio. The standout? Andalusia, a Texas distillery, finished its peated single malt in ex-tequila casks and created something that deftly bridges the worlds of smoky whiskies and agave spirits.