The Best New Bourbon and Whiskey Releases of 2024 (So Far) | Gear Patrol (2024)

Knob Creek Bourbon x Rye is a limited-edition blend combining Knob Creek’s 9-Year-Old Bourbon and 7-Year-Old Rye. Bottled at 113 proof, this whiskey balances the sweetness of bourbon with the spice of rye. The nose features notes of brown sugar, caramel, tart orange peel, dark plums, and rye spices, while the taste offers sweet brown sugar, caramel, tart citrus, and black pepper. The finish is long and dry with lingering citrus and tannins. Priced at $44.99 for a 750mL bottle, it’s available nationwide for a limited time​

Elijah Craig Toasted Rye is a Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey made from a traditional mash bill of 51% rye, 35% corn, and 14% malted barley. Finished in custom toasted barrels from Independent Stave Company, it presents a unique flavor profile with dessert-like notes of softened dark green flavors, balanced by classic rye spice. It’s also a rare widely available release that will be available nationwide at a suggested retail price of $54.99.

The House of Suntory’s Tsukuriwake 2024 series celebrates Japanese whisky-making craftsmanship through four distinct expressions: Yamazaki Golden Promise, Yamazaki Islay Peated Malt, Yamazaki 18 Year Old Mizunara, and Hakushu 18 Year Old Peated Malt. The series emphasizes diverse elements like ingredient selection and cask types. Yamazaki Golden Promise features rich malt flavors from Scottish barley, while Yamazaki Islay Peated Malt combines balanced sweetness and smokiness. Yamazaki 18 Year Old Mizunara offers complex, spiced notes from Japanese oak, and Hakushu 18 Year Old Peated Malt provides refined smokiness with herbaceous undertones​.

The rum barrel-finished whiskey trend keeps chugging on. Old Forester’s latest addition to its 117 series, launched initially in 2021, features whiskey finished in barrels that held rum for at least four years. It’s available in 375 ml bottles for a retail price of $60, but there’s also an option to buy a two-bottle set for double the price. Find it exclusively at Old Forester’s retail shop, with shipping available to D.C., KY, NE, NH, and ND only.

Master Distiller Eddie Russell’s namesake bourbon just announced this new premium limited release as a spiritual successor to the brand’s limited 13-year release. Given that it is non-chill filtered and bottled at 117.2 proof, this should be a potent expression that Wild Turkey fans will appreciate, granted they can find a bottle and are willing to pay the MSRP of $250 or more on the secondary market. Bottles are expected to hit shelves on July 1st.

Rebel Bourbon isn’t a household name. However, thanks to a trophy case that includes industry awards from ASCOT, the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Whiskey Magazine’s World Whiskies Awards and SIP, it’s earned attention as a rising star. The brand’s newly announced 100-proof 10-Year Single Barrel release is notable for being a new wheated bourbon offering with a decent age statement attached. Like all single-barrel releases, each bottle is at least somewhat distinct in its own way. It’s available now for an MSRP of $100.

Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Barrel Proof Rye is an uncut, unfiltered rye whiskey bottled straight from the barrel at 126 proof. It’s supposed to feature a complex aroma highlighted by white pepper, nuts, floral hints, and candied apricot notes. On the palate, it balances sweet dried fruit, pepper, and oaky dryness, with a rich and thick texture. This limited-edition release is priced around a $77.99​ MSRP.

Michter’s has shared details about its latest 10-Year Rye. It’s a 92.8-proof10 YearSingle Barrel “Kentucky-style” rye. This means that while its mash bill is majority rye, it has a higher portion of corn and malted barley than many other ryes on the market.Bottles areapparentlybeing allocated now, with some even going to international markets, so look alive, whiskey hunters, andmaybeyou’ll find one for its MSRP of $200.

This is the 6th iteration of George Dickel’s Bottle in Bond series. It’s a 13-year-old Tennessee whiskey with a mash bill of 84% corn, 8% rye, and 8% malted barley and bottled at 100. The flavor profile includes oak, vanilla, and maple, along with hints of cherry, tobacco, and earthy spices. Priced around $45, it’s become a coveted series for its balance and maturity, offering excellent value for its age and quality​.

Crown Royal has introduced its first single malt Canadian whisky. It’s crafted from 100% malted barley and distilled in copper. Priced at $55, it’s supposed to offer aromas of vanilla and banana, with tasting notes of caramel, apple, baking spices, and a warm cinnamon finish. This release aims to attract new consumers to single malts with its approachable and light profile, though it may lack the complexity sought by seasoned single malt enthusiasts​

In an era when many whiskey brands are abandoning age statements to increase production flexibility, Knob Creek is taking a different approach. The distillery has announced that a 10 Year Rye will now be a permanent part of the Knob Creek collection, joining a series of ryes that already includes a single barrel select and 7-year rye. The 100-proof whiskey is now available everywhere in the U.S. for $69.99.

Weller Millennium is a unique, ultra-aged whiskey released by Buffalo Trace Distillery. Unlike traditional bourbons, it is a blend of vintage straight wheated bourbon and wheat whiskeys distilled in 2000, 2003, 2005, and 2006, and bottled at 99 proof. This blend emphasizes the smoothness and sweetness imparted by the wheat, creating a balanced and nuanced flavor profile with rich caramel, toffee notes, and hints of dried and stone fruits​. The whiskey comes in a handcrafted crystal decanter and is priced at $7,500, making it one of the most expensive offerings from the distillery. Limited quantities will be available globally, reflecting its exclusivity and high craftsmanship​.

Men’s Journal has shared details about what will go down as one of the most exclusive whiskies ever made by a Japanese distillery. Don’t let the name confuse you; this isn’t a bottle full of 90-year-old whisky. Instead, it’s a blend of over 50 batches of whisky made across the last 90 years. Still the oldest dates back to the 1940s. You’ll also notice we’re not calling in a Japanese Whisky because it’s technically not in compliance with a new set of regulations that formally went into effect at the beginning of this year. Instead, this unique offering presented as a “world blend whisky,” given that The Nikka included at least some spirit originally distilled in its Ben Nevis distillery in Scotland. Four hundred bottles of this 90th-anniversary celebration whisky are supposedly coming to the U.S. for $3,000, which honestly feels low to us.

A 100-percent wheat whiskey single-barrel release bottled at cask strength, this 10th-anniversary celebratory bottle from farm-to-glass distillery Frey Ranch is basically catnip to whiskey enthusiasts.

Wild Turkey has officially announced the latest entry to the brand’s premium and highly-collectable Master’s Keep series started back in 2015. It’s a 10 year, 104-proof rye that now has the claim to fame of being the oldest age stated rye the storied brand has ever released. Wild Turkey will be offering some bottles for direct sale at a suggested MSRP of $275 to fan’s who sign up, while other bottles will hit retailer shelves this Father’s Day.

Back by popular demand, Basil Hayden’s high-rye bourbon is treated to a six-week finish in hickory smoke-infused toasted barrels, resulting in the eponymous “subtle smoke” flavor.

“Today…is…the..greatest”bourbon collaboration in Smashing Pumpkins’s history, if only because it’s the only one we know. The unique whiskey features Rose Tea fromMadame ZuZu’stea shop in Chicago, which band front member Billy Corgan co-founded with designer Chloé Mendel. It’s now available on FEW’s website and includes tasting notes of rose water, honeydew melon, sandalwood, and black tea. The timing couldn’t be better, given that The Smashing Pumpkins are kicking off theirnew The World is a Vampire Tourin just a few months.

This whiskey, priced at $2,000, is aged in American oak barrels before being finished in Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon casks. The flavor profile includes honey, oak, dried flowers, and camphor, with a complex palate featuring malty, honeyed notes and a long, spicy finish. The packaging is luxurious, featuring an engraved wooden box and heavy metal cork. The release is limited and individually numbered.

Overholt goes back to its roots with this first release of the A. Overholt label, a Pennsylvania rye that utilizes the same Monongahela mashbill of 80 percent rye and 20 percent soft malted barley that brand founder Abraham Overholt used in the early 19th century.

Colorado’s popular upstart distillery finishes its top-selling American single malt whiskey in spent rum casks from Barbados, Martinique and the Dominican Republic, allowing three distinct styles of rum to imbue the whiskey with myriad tropical flavors.

Award-winning Australian whisky maker Starward teamed up with legendary Scotch distillery Lagavulin for this release that sees the red wine-aged spirit finished in former Lagavulin barrels for a touch of peated Islay magic.

Scotland’s storied Port Ellen distillery reopened in 2024 after being shuttered for 40 years, and to celebrate, owner Diageo launched a pair of exceedingly rare whiskies that were filled at the then-open distillery 44 years ago.

Just the third “Very Very Special” release in the history of Old Fitzgerald’sBottled-in-BondDecanter Series, this rare bottle lives up to its name as a 100-proof wheated bourbon that’s been aged for a solid 13 years.

The 94.4 proof premium bourbon is generally known for its rich, highly drinkable flavor profile often defined by sweeter tones of toffee, caramel, vanilla and maple syrup.

Can’t decide if you’d rather have a Manhattan or a whiskey neat? This Sagamore bottle offers the best of both worlds. Rather than going the bottled co*cktail route, Sagamore has finished its 4-year-old rye in a mix of vermouth, bitters and cherry brandy barrels for just a touch of co*cktail flavor in a full-blooded whiskey.

A showcase for American bourbon, First West blends bourbons from three states —Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana — at three ages — 7, 9 and 15 years —resulting in a balanced and robust whiskey bursting with classic bourbon flavors.

Essentially the modern global state of whiskey/whisky in a bottle, this intercontinental spirit was produced by Hatozaki aging two already-aged American rye whiskeys in Japanese Mizunara oak barrels in Japan and then proofing, bottling and sending them back across the Pacific for sale exclusively in the U.S.

Texas-based American single malt distiller Balcones marked the 2024 solar eclipse with this limited-edition whiskey. Playing off of the way eclipses show familiar things in a different light, the distillery added two new yeasts to its house yeast during the fermentation process, yielding some fruity flavors unassociated with American single malt.

After a five-year hiatus, Bulleit brought back its 12-year-old rye for 2024. The whiskey uses the same spicy mashbill as Bulleit’s standard rye offering (95 percent rye and 5 percent corn) but is more refined thanks to the extra aging while also being slightly stronger at 92% ABV rather than 90%.

The first bourbon from well-known rye whiskey maker Templeton is also the first distillate to come out of the brand’s new Iowa distillery. The naturally high-rye bourbon has a mashbill of 55 percent corn, 40 percent rye and 5 percent malted barley and is non-chill filtered.

It may be expensive for Dewar’s, but for a 21-year-old Scotch finished in rare Japanese Mizunara casks? It’s a straight-up bargain. The whisky undergoes the same four-stage aging process as the standard Double Double 21 while Mizunara’s soft coconut flavors add a unique twist.

The ever-growing American single malt whiskey movement got another major player when Bulleit joined the fray in 2024. The Frontier Whiskey brand’s ASM entrant clocks in a 90 proof and goes down a bit easier than the brand’s classic bourbon and rye.

Woodford Reserve’s unique annual Batch Proof series batches together bourbon from over 100 different barrels and then bottles them together uncut. The 2024 edition clocks in at a whopping 121.2 proof and is loaded with sweet aromatic tasting notes.

The first entry in Heaven’s Door Exploration Series is finished in casks that once held calvados, a French apple brandy. A natural pairing for American whiskey, the calvados lends apple cider and apple pie flavors to the bourbon.

The 2024 entry in Heaven Hill’s ultra-premium, extra-aged Heritage Collection is a Kentucky Straight Bourbon that’s old enough to vote. It’s non-chill-filtered and bottled at 120 proof, with a label providing tons of transparency about exactly when and even where in the rickhouse the liquid in the bottle came from.

The first bonded whiskey from Utah’s High West Distillery is aged for four years and features a 100 percent rye mashbill, with 20 percent of that being malted rye. But rather than purely being a spice bomb, it’s full of dessert-adjacent notes like sugar cookie, coconut caramel and honey (with plenty of spice, too).

Of the three bottles available at the launch of New York Distilling Co’s Jaywalk Rye brand, Heirloom is the most interesting to our eye. Like all Jaywalk Rye, it’s distilled from Horton rye, a 17th-century varietal native to New York, but unlike the others, it’s a limited to an annual release containing cask-strength liquid from “scrupulously selected single barrels”

A unique experiment in cask aging, The Glenlivet’s distillers broke down spent bourbon and rum barrels, reconstructed hybrid barrels using pieces of each, and then aged single malt Scotch inside them for a whisky unlike any other.

The second installment of Jack Daniel’s oldest age-statement bottle ever, the 12-year expression shows what happens to the classic charcoal-filtered recipe after extended aging.

The blended grain Scotch whisky that started it all for Compass Box back in 2000 has been reborn for 2024, and it’s just as creamy and decadent as ever. Believe it or not, the original release was also the first whisky to ever feature an image of a woman on the bottle.

A collab between country star Chris Stapleton and Buffalo Trace master distiller Harlen Wheatley, Traveller is an easy-drinking blended whiskey that leans heavily into well-loved BT bourbon territory.

The 2024 release (2023 bottling) of this Woodford Reserve annual favorite is created by finishing the distillery’s Double Oaked bourbon for another year in a heavily toasted and lightly charred new oak barrel.

Experimental is an understatement —this bourbon is infused with herbs like star anise, ginseng, bilberry and sarsaparilla, creating a German-inspired bourbon liqueur that may function best as a digestif.

When it comes to The Macallan, no whisky is too extreme, and no price is too high. Case in point: This $89,000 bottle — crafted from Lalique crystal —contains liquid distilled in 1949 and bottled in 2022. It was created to honor the distillery’s 200th anniversary as a tribute to its founder, Alexander Reid. Interested parties can email [emailprotected]to purchase.

The third iteration of Old Elk master distiller’s Greg Metze’s Infinity Blend series combines some of the previous year’s bottle with a mix of the distillery’s Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Straight Wheat Whiskey, with a total of four whiskeys varying in age from 7 – 10 years ending up in the bottle.

While only 10 years old, this bourbon’s inspiration goes back tenfold, as it recalls the time during prohibition when the distillery was one of just six in the nation granted a medicinal whiskey license that allowed it to continue operating. The whiskey debuts a new mashbill for Old Forester consisting of 79 percent corn; 11 percent rye and 10 percent malted barley.

This trio of bourbons are meant to be compared and contrasted with one another, as each was crafted with a different fortified wine finish: One in Oloroso sherry casks, one in Madeira casks and one in Tawny port casks.

An Irish whiskey for bourbon lovers, this fiery import features a mashbill consisting of a whopping 80 percent corn and 20 percent malted barley and was aged in ex-bourbon barrels.

You’ve heard of Jack Daniel’s, you’ve heard of Uncle Nearest, but there was a third man who worked alongside those two in creating the Tennessee whiskey style as we know it. That man was Reverend Daniel Call, and now his legacy is honored with a maple charcoal-filtered whiskey aged over four years in new charred oak and first-fill bourbon casks.