As drinks writers, we try a lot of liquid in a year. We sample new releases, taste experimental cocktails and visit some old favorites. Obviously, some stand above the rest, the kind of pours that we’re still thinking about weeks, even months later. Now, we’re excited to share those drinks with you. In no particular order, these were our favorite spirits, wines, cocktails and cans of 2025.
Pinhook Vertical Series Rye 9 Year
Pinhook, which is now contract distilling its own whiskey, has some leftover barrels from its early days. Early on, the company acquired several barrels from MGP, a spirits producer in Indiana that supplies several non-distilling whiskey brands with product. In the Vertical Series, bourbon and rye fans are allowed to follow a group of barrels as they age (beginning with their release at four years) and taste the impact of time. Vertical Series Rye 9 Year was blended from 20 barrels and bottled at cask strength (111.2 proof); all the releases in the series are blended from the same lot of 450 MGP-sourced barrels with a mashbill of 95% rye and 5% barley. There’s an amazing root beer or sarsaparilla note that dominates here, with a nice dose of vanilla. It shows a lot of growth and change from earlier rye editions, and has actually none of the dill note that tends to dominate MGP ryes. You can read more about this series here. — Kirk Miller
Tomatini From LPM
I’d heard lore of the Tomatini from LPM but never actually tried it myself until Tales of the Cocktail this summer. And wow, what a drink. Mixed with Ketel One Vodka, Campari tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, simple syrup, and salt and pepper, it’s somehow one of the most balanced libations I’ve ever had. Savory, but not too much so. Bold, but pleasant. I took the whole thing down in about five minutes. — Amanda Gabriele
Reframe Liquid Luck
From the makers of the Reframe app, Liquid Luck, a non-alcoholic option, features ingredients that support brain health, stabilize mood, balance blood sugar and reduce cravings. Bonus? They’re low-calorie, taste great and actually worked as a replacement for booze, unlike a lot of non-alcoholic recipes. — KM
Isle of Harris Gin
I first tried this gin in a Martini at The Spence in Edinburgh, and it made one of the finest versions of the classic I’ve ever had. What makes it special is sugar kelp, which is hand-harvested from local sea-lochs on the Scottish Hebridean island of Harris. The maritime ingredient gives the spirit a beautiful salinity, which plays well with classic gin botanicals like juniper, coriander and bitter orange peel. It’s become one of my favorite gins for mixing my beloved Martini at home. — AG
Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Blackberry
I’m allowed one fun drink rec per best-of list (see: Bubba’s Secret Stills Burnt Sugar Whiskey). This year, it’s a flavored whiskey. Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Blackberry is crafted from the distillery’s classic Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey, which is then infused with a fresh blackberry flavor before bottling. At 70 proof, it’s an ideal cocktail ingredient. Seriously. I had a Whiskey Smash and a Whiskey Lemonade with this, and both were incredibly bright and refreshing. — KM
Ambassador From Panda & Sons
So nice I had it twice. During my trip to Edinburgh, I went to Panda & Sons two times — not only because it’s the best but because they’re serving my favorite drink of the year. The Ambassador is a vegan version of the classic Grasshopper, made with Diplomático Reserva Rum, crème de menthe, spiced vanilla, shortbread and oat yogurt. The flavor of this thing is unbelievable: rich, minty, decadent. I wish I had the fancy bar tools to make it myself at home. — AG
El Tesoro Mundial: Yamazaki Edition
This is the latest limited-edition in the Mundial series of specialty aged tequilas, where El Tesoro partners with distilleries from around the world, primarily in the Suntory Global Spirits family. I absolutely loved their Basil Hayden collaboration from late last year. The Yamazaki Edition is a collab between El Tesoro and Shinji Fukuyo, The House of Suntory’s fifth-generation chief blender. This release comes in at 42% ABV and, interestingly, at that low number, it’s a cask-strength proof. It’s balanced but also unexpected, with notes of red berries, sandalwood, baking spices, ginger, milk chocolate, cherry and cooked agave. I haven’t tried a tequila like this before — and the agave notes do shine through — so I hope it becomes a permanent edition. — KM
Split Rail 2023 Just Another Rainbow Grenache
I belong to a wine club in Idaho because the winery in question, Split Rail, makes my absolute favorite wines on this planet. This Grenache came in my spring allotment. Juicy and fruity but with a hefty body that doesn’t wilt in the glass, I wish I had 10 more bottles so I could enjoy it again and again. — AG
Nc’nean Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch
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. — KM
Mount Gay’s Best Rum Is Their New Single Estate Release
It’s also the best rum of 2025Mount Gay Single Estate Series 25_04_Vt19dp
This is the fourth edition of Mount Gay’s Single Estate Series, which we’ve been a fan of since the launch. In 2015, Mount Gay acquired 324 acres of the Mount Gay and Oxford Estates, enabling the company to harvest estate-grown sugar cane annually for these special releases. 25_04 is a blend of two pot still distillations combined into one expression, matured for five years in American oak ex-bourbon barrels. Bottled at 55% ABV, this non-chill-filtered release encapsulates the best of Mount Gay. There’s a grassiness here, some apple on the nose, plenty of vanilla and butterscotch, hints of pear and cherry, a nice bit of charred oak and even a little salinity. — KM
Amorotti Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo 2022
Hugo Wai, the sommelier at Roscioli NYC, introduced me to this wine in July, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since. The ruby-hued rosé is made from Montepulciano grapes in Abruzzo, Italy, where it spends a short time on the skins before it’s aged for a year in Slavonian casks. It’s deep and fruity with a rich texture that drinks like a dream with a slight chill. — AG
Ranch Water From Schmuck
No, it’s not that kind of Ranch Water, you know the one with tequila and soda? This Ranch Water from Schmuck NY is actually made with Patron and aquavit that was fat-washed with ranch dressing, then mixed with lettuce and seltzer and served with a salt rim. It was outrageous and so delicious, and thank god Kirk ordered it so I could try because I’m lactose-intolerant but would certainly suffer for another taste. — AG
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