Rankings
Explore our annual whiskey rankings, featuring every bottle we reviewed and scored. Each year stands on its own, making it easy to see how new releases, returning favorites, and standout pours compare.
Select a year to view the complete rankings, click any bottle for its detailed review, or browse all of our Reviews for more American whiskey.
10 - OUTSTANDING
9 - EXCELLENT
8 - VERY GOOD
7 - GOOD
6 - ABOVE AVERAGE
5 - AVERAGE
4 - BELOW AVERAGE
3 - POOR
2 - VERY POOR
1 - UNDRINKABLE
2026
9.0 → Still Austin Tanager Cigar Blend (2025)
9.0 → Barrell 12 Year Toasted American Oak Finished
9.0 → Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Rye / A126
9.0 → Rittenhouse 10-year 250th Anniversary
8.5 → Bardstown Bourbon Co. Cascadia
8.5 → Star Hill Farm Wheat Whisky (2026)
8.5 → Smokeye Hill Barrel Proof Rye*
8.5 → Maker’s Mark Stewards Release
8.5 → Blood Oath Pact 12
8.5 → Barrell Bourbon / Batch 38
8.0 → 13th Colony Barrel Symphony Composition No. 1
8.0 → Templeton Rye 13 Year*
8.0 → Peerless Toasted Rye*
8.0 → OGD 114 Single Barrel*
8.0 → Redwood Empire Haystack Needle Rye*
8.0 → Green River Honey Bourbon Cocktail*
7.5 → Green River Full Proof Wheated
7.5 → Augusta Small Batch Bourbon
7.5 → Redwood Empire Pipe Dream Toasted
7.5 → 13th Colony Maple Finished Rye
7.0 → Bardstown Bourbon BIB*
7.0 → Elijah Craig 15 Year Single Barrel*
7.0 → Garrison Brothers Small Batch*
7.0 → Castle & Key Experimental Rye*
7.0 → Peg Leg Porker Spirit of America
6.5 → Knob Creek Blender’s Edition 01
6.5 → Duck Club High Brass
6.5 → Bernhiem 20th Anniversary Wheat Whiskey
6.5 → Evan Williams America 250 Single Barrel*
6.0 → Blue Note Wheated Bourbon
*Excluded from Whiskey of the Year awards. While this bottle was tasted this year, its original release occurred in a prior year or it's a single barrel. To qualify, bottles must be released between December 2025 and November 2026 and can't be a single barrel due to the variation from bottle to bottle.