Best Whiskeys to Gift in 2023

SUMMARY:

Best Whiskeys Under $50

Elijah Craig Small Batch $30 (bourbon)

• Aroma: Complex notes of vanilla bean, sweet fruit and fresh mint
• Taste: Smooth and warm, pleasantly woody with accents of spice, smoke and nutmeg
• Finish: Long, sweet and slightly toasty

Four Roses Single Barrel $50 (bourbon)

• Aroma: Dried spice, pear, cocoa, vanilla & maple syrup
• Taste: Hints of ripe plum, cherries
• Finish: Smooth and delicately long

Basil Hayden Dark Rye $40 (rye)

• Aroma: Oaky notes balanced with dark berries and molasses
• Taste: A complex blend of caramel, dried fruit, and oak with notes of spice
• Finish: Lingering dried fruit with a hint of sweetness and rye spice

Best Whiskeys Under $100

Knob Creek Single Barrel Bourbon $60 (bourbon)

• Aroma: Very sweet, brown sugar and caramel, apple, toffee
• Taste: Rich and creamy sweetness, higher proof, 120. Vanilla, maple syrup, brown sugar.
• Finish: Hot and long-lasting, cinnamon, oak, and leather

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof $80 (bourbon)

• Aroma: Caramel with toasted oak, fruit notes of apple and orange
• Taste: Rich vanilla, caramel, butterscotch with spices and black pepper
• Finish: Nicely layered, fades slowly as it cools

Willet 4-Year Rye $75 (rye)

• Aroma: Floral, botanical, and sweet scents. Plenty of caramel, caramel apple, caramel popcorn, burnt toffee
• Taste: Raisin, menthol, spices. Green tee notes a somewhat medicinal taste. Light cherry and citrus notes
• Finish: More botanical notes with slight spices

Best Whiskeys Over $100

Blue Run Golden Rye $110 (rye)

• Aroma: Freshly baked bread, cinnamon, vanilla bean, slight hint of oak
• Taste: Light rye gain, spices, vanilla, charred oak, dried raisin
• Finish: Oak, vanilla, rye spice, cinnamon, leather

Eagle Rare 17 (or anything from Buffalo Antique Collection) $100+ (bourbon and rye)

• Aroma: Toasted sugar, white peppercorn, oak
• Taste: Vanilla, creme brulee, tart apple, cinnamon syrup, dark fruit hints
• Finish: Dry oak, peppercorn, dry leather, vanilla

Weller 12 Year $250 (wheated bourbon)

• Aroma: Rich vanilla, sweet caramel and oak
• Taste: Thick buttery, oak notes, warm caramel, vanilla notes
• Finish: Pecan, caramel, and a faint red fruit note

Additional Gift Ideas

• Bourbon nosing kit – Nose Your Bourbon – $70
• Glencairn Glasses – $30 (for a set of 4) 
• Bourbon Curious book by Fred Minnick – $15 
• Drizzly: Online Liquor Store

Click here to download our eBook on “Buyer Beware: Why do they keep trying to sell you that annuity?”