The Best New Whiskeys to Drink This November 

48.5% ABV | American Single Malt | No Age Statement

The Portland-based craft distillery celebrates its 20th anniversary with the second edition of this unique single malt. Here, Master Blender Miles Munroe draws the whiskey from a 21-barrel Solera system featuring some of the distillery’s oldest whiskies and rarest cask types. A small amount is drawn each year and another barrel is added to the blend. There’s seemingly an Amburana cask at work here, though that cinnamon note is mild compared to stronger nods to mocha, vanilla, coconut and baked apples. 

48% ABV | World Whisky | No Age Statement

Celebrating 90 years, Nikka Whisky recently unveiled its Nine Decades release, featuring whiskies from the 1940s to 2020s (so, nine decades) distilled at Nikka’s six distilleries, including the Ben Nevis Distillery in Scotland. The luxury bottle features the Nikka emblem crafted using “Edo-bori,” a traditional glass carving method that originated in Tokyo and evolved from western sandblast carving methods — it was also used on the Nikka 40 Year Old release to celebrate the brand’s 80th anniversary back in 2014. Good luck getting one though; only 400 bottles are being released in the U.S. It’s worth searching out, as the liquid offers a lovely balance of apple, chocolate, biscuit and a hint of smoke and oak spice. 

46% ABV | Irish Whiskey | No Age Statement

After years of sourcing, this marks the first whiskey fully distilled and matured by the coastal-based, family-run distillery. Crafted from the barley grown on the Scully family farm, perched on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean in County Cork, the whiskey here is triple distilled and then matured in a selection of ex-bourbon, Amontillado sherry and Oloroso sherry casks. Those last two really show up here; there’s a nuttiness and dark fruit notes here along with the expected biscuit, vanilla and caramel. 

58.1% ABV | Rye Whiskey | 6 Years Old

The Brooklyn-based spirits makers excel at crafting historically accurate New York rye whiskies, meaning, no corn in these mashbills. The independent distillery just added mead-finished rye to its Continental Collection, which also includes ryes finished in ex-Armagnac and ex-Madeira barrels. The new release is an homage to co-founder Alex Clark’s grandfather, who was a beekeeper and meadmaker (and wrote a book on beekeeping back in 1951). The extra maturation takes place in former rye barrels that aged wildflower mead for two years, then were sent back to Fort Hamilton to additionally mature their cask-strength rye whiskey. Obviously there’s a sweet honey note here, although it’s also floral and still maintains the earthy kick of the rye. If you like your whiskey cocktails with, say, a honey syrup, this might be an ideal base. 

Japanese Whisky | 43% ABV | 40 Years Old

A new luxury release from House of Suntory, this bottle blends whiskies from several distilleries (Yamazaki, Hakushu) and Chita each matured for over 40 years. Utilizing Mizuanara, Spanish Oak and white oak casks. The packaging is just as much of a star here: the outer box is made of 12 varieties of Japanese wood with 12 faces. The bottle, meanwhile, hails from the supplier to the Japanese imperial family (Kagami Crystal) and features a 30-faceted bottle decorated with traditional Japanese maki-e, mother-of-pearl inlay and gold lacquer. Overall, it’s no surprise that the final blend is a harmonious combination of fruit, floral, malt, cocoa, honey and cloves. 

Rye | 51.9-52.6% ABV | No Age Statement

“I’m the Juggernaut, b—-!” Having absolutely nothing to do with that X-Men meme, Vermont’s WhistlePig is instead using that name (Juggernaut) to describe the 11th iteration in their annual experimental Boss Hog release, which this time pairs straight rye whiskey with Thandai (an aromatic Indian drink full of spices). Boss Hog XI is rye whiskey finished in specially seasoned barrels of aged rye full of saffron, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, fennel, poppy and black peppercorn. It’s certainly one of the more unique whiskeys I’ve ever tasted, and those spices (along with notes of cloves and tropical fruits) dominate the final flavor.

Bourbon | 70.1% ABV | 8 Years Old

The 10th anniversary of this Texas distillery’s Cowboy release is certainly powerful: it clocks in at a whopping 140.2 proof. Bottled at cask strength (obviously), uncut, and unfiltered, you’ll expect some heat, but this is no typical hazmat whiskey. The 2023 edition was named the best bourbon in the world by the American Craft Spirits Association, and this year’s release is just as good — almost like a pecan pie in a bottle. Nutty, sweet, rich and even a little fruit (strawberry) seeps in here.

American Single Malt | 48% ABV | Aged 5 Years

The luxury California-based whiskey brand is best known for its high-end, limited-edition releases. But they recently released a flagship American Single Malt release available year-round. Created by Wolves Head Blender Eddie Gonzalez and distilled at SanTan Spirits in Chandler, AZ, the whiskey is aged for five years in California wine barrels in the Arizona heat. Afterward, it’s blended from hand-selected barrels and finished in aged Cognac casks. The final result is full of cacao, biscuit, vanilla and plenty of red fruit.

Scotch | 48.8% ABV | 38 Years Old

The second addition to its Collector’s Series, Dewar’s Double Double 38 Year Old is a limited edition release featuring a selection of single malt whiskies from Scotland’s Highland and Island regions, each individually aged for at least 38 years. Finished in Pedro Ximenez Sherry casks that previously held Royal Blackla Single Malt Scotch, you’ll find plenty of biscuit, stone fruit, cocoa, vanilla and a surprising burst of citrus.  

Scotch | 61.3% ABV | No Age Statement

Admittedly, it was only a few days ago that I learned that there is an island of Raasay in Scotland (population under 200) and that they have a distillery onsite, the only one on the island and certainly the isle’s largest employer. It’s the Dùn Cana Sherry Quarter Cask that’s won all the recent awards (Forbes called it the world’s best whisky of 2024) but tasting through the portfolio (h/t Brooklyn’s Travel Bar), I’m smitten with the cask strength take on their flagship single malt. It’s lightly peated with some nice fruit flavor and a hint of star anise — the process behind the liquid involves two Isle of Raasay spirits (peated and unpeated) matured separately in first-fill rye whiskey, fresh Chinkapin oak and first-fill Bordeaux red wine casks and then married together. You can also try the peated and unpeated expressions separately and deconstructed (the Chinkapin was a winner) but it’s the usual case of the sum being greater than its parts when blended.