I don’t mean to belabor the point, but this year’s Whiskey of the Year candidates are truly in elite company. Just to get my top lists narrowed down has taken well over a month, and with the heavy cadence of new releases coming in at the last minute…well, you get it. It’s been a busy season. Moving on.

The criteria to make it into the top list for each category this year is the same as ever, but we all know it comes down to the most obvious grading metric: flavor. From there, I need to then consider pricing and availability, because what good is a whiskey recommendation if it’s a bottle no one can find?

Will there be some spendy options in the top whiskey lists? Of course there will be; however, this isn’t a list of ‘must-buy bottles’ or ‘how to build a bourbon collection’ clickbait. This is simply the bottles that stood out to me in terms of quality and overall experience throughout 2024. Spoiler: my whiskey of the year can be found nearly anywhere, and for a fair price, so don’t fret.

Once I’ve narrowed down each category according to the grading criteria, I beginning thinning the herd down to the bottles that met all criteria in the most standout of ways. I will name a handful of Honorable Mentions that were nearly fit to be Whiskey of the Year, but were beat by the overall winner. Basically, the winner will be the best overall choice from all of my favorites. Make sense? Good. Let’s roll.

And now…the winners

As a quick note before I list the winners in each category (and ultimately my whiskey of the year) I want to say that there are a few gaps I was unable to fill with tastings. I know, calling myself The Bourbon Finder while I was unable to get my booger hooks on every single bottle of bourbon is a bit misleading, eh? I guess we’ll all just have to deal with it. Long story short: if you don’t see something in this top ten, and you feel as though that’s a total whiff on my part, maybe it is, or maybe I just didn’t get to try it before writing this post. Whatever’s funnier.

Best Bourbons of 2024

• Elijah Craig Barrel Proof
• Blue Run Ember
• Michter’s 10 Year
• Maker’s Mark Cask Strength
• Larceny Barrel Proof
• Russell’s Reserve 15
• Still Austin Bottled in Bond Red Corn Bourbon
• Wild Turkey Rare Breed Bourbon

Best Ryes of 2024

• Pride of Anderson County Rye
• Barrell Rye Batch 04
• Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye
• Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye
• WhistlePig 10 Year Rye
• Pursuit United Rye
• Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof Rye
• Sagamore Spirit Rye

Best Finished Whiskeys of 2024

• WhistlePig Boss Hog XI “The Juggernaut”
• Sagamore Spirit Double-Oaked Rye
• Joseph Magnus Cigar Batch Bourbon
• Maker’s Mark “The Heart Release”
• Raconteur Rye (Batch 02 – Brazen)
• Barrell Craft Spirits Seagrass

Best American Single Malts of 2024

• Westward Milestone (Batch 02)
• Rare Character Exceptional Series Kentucky Straight Malt
• Westland Whiskey Wine Cask Finish
• Stranahan’s American Single Malt

Other Whiskey Bests 2024

• Found North Helldiver Canadian Whisky
• WhistlePig CampStock Wheat Whiskey
• Bernheim Barrel Proof Wheat Whiskey
• Redbreast 27 Irish Whiskey
• Penelope Limited Release American Light Whiskey

Honorable Mentions 2024

• Russell’s Reserve 15 Year
• Westward Milestone (Batch 02)
• Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing Series “The Heart Release”

And the overall winner…

Wild Turkey Rare Breed Bourbon is a product I find myself recommending dozens of times per year. That’s not an exaggeration. I think that, in many ways, the bourbon world could use a dose of reality in the form of regularly available bottles like Rare Breed. Not only is it available damn near everywhere in the United States (and even travel retail options for the adventurer), but it’s also a product that checks the boxes whiskey enthusiasts appreciate.

A barrel proof offering that showcases great blending (in this case a blend of 6, 8, and 12 year bourbon according to Wild Turkey) is essentially the starting point for most bourbon enthusiasts, but it goes deeper than that.

A brand that has a large presence that a consumer can find a bottle at their local shop for a reasonable price, or even when out of town is something that really scratches the itch for me. Wild Turkey is not only a brand with incredibly history (see RareBird101.com for more on this) but they offer extremely high end releases like Russell’s Reserve 15 year, and their Single Rickhouse series, as well as available and affordable products like Kentucky Spirit and Rare Breed bourbon and rye–hell–they even have a regularly available age-stated 10 year Russell’s Reserve that can be found for an incredibly reasonable price.

Those things combined really add up to a win in my book. While the days of finding Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel selections for under $60 seem to be nearly gone; however, I’m not really considering a single barrel selection for whiskey of the year anyway. A whiskey of the year, for me, really needs to hit the mark for quality of flavor, price, and availability, and few bottles on the shelf today can do this near the level of Wild Turkey Rare Breed.

In all honesty, the only thing I feel Rare Breed is missing is an age-statement. That said, being the discerning whiskey lover you undoubtedly are, dear reader, you know that the age-statement would be six years (as the youngest liquid in the blend is what must be on the label) so that would do the product itself no favors. Does the absence of an age-statement leave room for an LTO premium product? Only time will tell…but I wouldn’t be upset to see a 10+ year Rare Breed release.

In closing out another year of great whiskey I find myself curious about the future. The pace at which new brands have been arriving on scene was staggering these past few years. The trend of releasing more high end LTO’s has been undeniable. Truth be told, 2024 was a year where I found myself so overrun with new products to try that I wasn’t able to try everything I intended to. I don’t know about you, dearest reader, but I am certainly feeling as though there is more affordable and delicious whiskey on the shelves than ever before, and I mean to say that it has grown beyond my capability–as someone who shares whiskey news and reviews for fun–to keep up with. I’m overwhelmed, albeit it in the best of ways.

On some levels this is a great thing. American whiskey has truly arrived on scene, and carved out not just a niche for itself, but it has earned so much attention and shelf space that there are multiple niches within the American whiskey category as a whole. I love to see this, although I do wish I had been able to get my hands on a few particular bottles (looking at you, Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged) for consideration this year.

I’ll continue tracking down great bottles and sharing my thoughts on them, and I’ll post whiskey news here as it streams across the media desk, and hopefully get to sample my way through the bottles that have thus far evaded my sweaty paws. Thank you again for another year of reading along and being part of the American whiskey world. I appreciate each and every one of you who reads along, joins Discord to chat, and/or shares on social media. Looking forward to 2025. Cheers!