Top Picks of 2023

At The Whiskey Reviewer, we have a more informal way of dealing with the question of annual awards. Instead of handing out medals or drawing up a conglomerated list, every member of the team who wishes to opine on the subject keeps her or his own voice, naming their personal choice in three categories.

• Best New Whiskey
• Best Whiskey To Pass My Lips (the absolute best, new or not)
• Biggest Disappointment

Below are the picks for those three categories, drawn up person by person and starting with the chief:

Richard Thomas, Owner-Editor

Best New Whiskey, King of Kentucky Bourbon 2023: Of the whiskeys released last year, the best I got hold of was the most recent installment in the King of Kentucky series. I’ve taken to calling this series Brown-Forman’s answer to Buffalo Trace’s George T. Stagg, but generally speaking I prefer King of Kentucky, and for 2023 I don’t think the issue should even be debatable. This wasn’t just the best new whiskey of last year, but also the best new bourbon release.

Master Distiller Chris Morris set aside a lot of 51 barrels filled in 2007, making it a 16 year old bourbon bottled as single barrel allotments. The barrel my sample came from rated 125.8 proof, and the total yield was roughly 3,900 bottles. It was very well-rounded, with aspects of brown sugar and vanilla sweetness; wood-driven spiciness; and berry fruitiness.

Best To Pass My Lips, Glenglassaugh 46 Year Old: This one is new to 2023 and the United States, but I’ll cite the technicality that it’s not entirely new to the rest of the world. Luscious in its fruitiness and luxurious in its accents, I can’t quite call it ambrosia, but only because it makes me think that maybe I filched the sample from some lesser immortals like elves rather than the actual gods. The only downside to this single malt, in fact, is a price tag so steep ($4,600 MSRP) that I can’t imagine that either myself or anyone I know would ever be in a position to buy it.

Biggest Disappointment, Glyph Spice Spirit Whiskey Review: I try to keep an open mind when it comes to new technologies that are touted as solutions to traditional maturation, and also to attempts to revive or make use to moribund categories, such as light whiskey or spirit whiskey. As a consequence, I sometimes sample things that leave me underwhelmed, unimpressed or flat out disappointed. For 2023, that slot is filled by Glyph Spice Spirit Whiskey. ‘Nuff said.

Kurt Maitland, Deputy Editor

Best New Whiskey, Michter’s 25 Year Old Bourbon:  Always a pleasure to have this dram and it is always a contender for this pick, on those years it comes out.

Best Whiskey To Pass My Lips, Tomatin Single Malt Whisky 15 Year Old (distilled in 1963 and bottled in 1981):  So fruity and just a joy to drink. I had this at the 2023 Whisky Show in London, where it won best in show and best of the year.

Biggest Disappointment, Clermont Steep American Single Malt Whiskey: It’s not a horrible whiskey, it is just that I expected more from Beam Suntory’s first entry into this space. I’m sure with time it will improve and I’m curious to see how it stands up to the more established American Single Malt.

Randall H. Borkus, Senior Contributing Writer

Best New Whiskey, WhistlePig The Béhôlden 21 Year Old Single Malt Whiskey
WhistlePig Farm brought us a new whiskey called “The Béhôlden,” their first ultra-aged single malt. WhistlePig sourced the whiskey from Glenora Distillery in Nova Scotia, and finished in WhistlePig’s own used rye barrels. All the bottles are single barrel offerings, numbered and presented in an ultra-deluxe wooden box holding a 750ml bottle at 92 proof. I thoroughly enjoyed “The Béhôlden,” as it surprised all of my senses and is truly a spectacular whiskey.

Best to Pass my Lips, Longrow Red 11 Years Old Tawny Port Cask Single Malt
The Longrow Red is released annually and bottled at cask strength.  In 2023 they unleashed 8,400 bottles of Longrow Red 11 Years Tawny Port Cask bottled at 57.5% ABV. At cask strength, it drank delightfully smooth and a few drops of water only further enhanced the multitude of flavors.  This is a must have for anyone who digs Scotch finished in Port barrels.

Biggest Disappointment, Glenmorangie A Tale of the Forest Whisky
This is a first for me and The Glenmorangie, because I simply could not finish the dram. The botanicals killed the flavor experience for me. I am sure there are a few who love botanicals, but for me it was overwhelming, off putting and undrinkable. The true tale is told on the shelves, as I see it available all over Chicago. That fact speaks for itself, suggesting as it does that it is both mass market and not moving. The malt was truly a disappointment for me, especially coming from one of my favorite distilleries.

Elizabeth Emmons, Contributing Writer