5 Bourbon Whiskeys You Can Only Find Overseas

Before its native whisky became the style du jour across the globe, Japan’s greatest contribution to whiskey culture (or American whiskey culture, at least) was more fundamental. In the 1970s and 1980s, American whiskey was down for the count, beaten out by vodka, rum and gin. There was just no thirst for premium bourbons — except in Japan.

Raised on lofty age statement scotch whisky, Japanese drinkers wanted the old American bourbon America didn’t. The result was a flood of new bourbons that only ever saw the light of day in Japan. And despite the return of bourbon’s popularity in the land of its provenance, Japan continues to receive exclusive gems from some of America’s most notable producers. From Four Roses to Wild Turkey, here are the bourbons to hunt down on your next (or first) trip overseas.

Four Roses Super Premium

Four Roses’s history is inextricably tied to Japan. To survive American whiskey’s down years, the company shifted its gaze to more fruitful Asian and European markets — as proof, its straight bourbon didn’t return to the U.S. until 2002.

Vestiges of its overseas empire can be found on the back shelves of dusty liquor stores across Asia, but the company’s Super Premium bottling is its most readily available product there. Sometimes called Four Roses Platinum, it’s in almost every liquor and grocery store in Japan for the equivalent of $50 USD. Think of it as a fruitier, slightly more-mature version of Four Roses Small Batch.

Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel

Americans accustomed to liquor stores being sold out of Blanton’s 93 proof, high-rye single barrel bourbon might consider a trip to Japan. The country is one of few regularly stocked with Blanton’s Green label, Gold label and Straight from the Barrel, the only barrel-proof Blanton’s out there. Bottled at a heavy 130 proof, it’s Blanton’s with a pedal to the metal. Hot tip for those who can’t track it down: check the liquor store in the basement of Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station. You’ll find it for $85 to $100 USD.

Wild Turkey 13-Year Distiller’s Reserve

Japan-exclusive bourbon aficionados will likely shudder at this recommendation, but not because it’s bad. Until recent years, everyone’s favorite 101 proof bourbon was available in Japan at a more mature 12-year age statement. That bottle was discontinued. What we’re left with is an older, slightly lower proof whiskey that lacks the sucker punch of 101 but is markedly more drinkable.

Evan Williams Red

You can find Evan Williams 12-year-old bourbon at the distillery’s Louisville gift shop but it’ll run you nearly $200. In Japan, it’s available in most stores for under $30. Other than the infamous 23-year-old offering, Red Label is the most mature Evan Williams out there. In the glass it’s a richer, better Evan Williams Black. What’s not to like?

Ancient Ancient Age 8-Year

Yes, you read ancient twice. This is a deep-cut bourbon, distilled using Buffalo Trace Distillery’s high-rye Mashbill #2 (same as Blanton’s). Ancient has run through a number of owners but has always been distilled by Buffalo Trace. For those curious about the quality: it’s fine, but its connection to Buffalo Trace makes the $15 to $20 pickup no-brainer.

Other Notable Whiskeys to Pick Up Abroad

Blanton’s Gold: When it comes to proof, Gold sits between standard Blanton’s and Straight from the Barrel. Like the barrel-proof option, it’s harder to find outside of urban areas. Expect to pay anywhere from $60 to $90 for it.

Four Roses Black Label: Not much is known about Four Roses Black other than the fact that it’s dirt cheap and mixes into a punch really, really nicely. It’s everywhere Super Premium is, but it usually goes for about $20.

Wild Turkey 12-Year: It’s discontinued, but it’s what whiskey nerds would be looking for. Look for it in stores off the beaten path. (Rest assured, every store in Tokyo has been picked over by hunters well before you arrive.)

I.W. Harper 12-Year: Some will call I.W. Harper a hype play, but the slightly mysterious 12-year-old bourbon (no one knows for sure who made it) isn’t too expensive and looks great in a liquor cabinet. And if you believe the rumors that it was distilled by Four Roses, it’s a perfect holiday gift with some backstory.

Evan Williams 23-Year: Another famous discontinued offering. Most reviews indicate Evan Williams 23-year is painfully oaky, suggesting it’s perhaps too old. That’s no matter. If you find it, buy it. Bottles of it go on the secondary market for $500 and up and it’s not any cheaper at the Evan Williams gift shop — when it’s even available.

Note: Purchasing products through our links may earn us a portion of the sale, which supports our editorial team’s mission. Learn more here.

You Need a Passport to Buy These American Bourbon Whiskeys

Before its native whisky became the style du jour across the globe, Japan’s greatest contribution to whiskey culture (or American whiskey culture, at least) was more fundamental. In the 1970s and 1980s, American whiskey was down for the count, beaten out by vodka, rum and gin. There was just no thirst for premium bourbons — except in Japan.

Raised on lofty age statement scotch whisky, Japanese drinkers wanted the old American bourbon America didn’t. The result was a flood of new bourbons that only ever saw the light of day in Japan. And despite the return of bourbon’s popularity in the land of its provenance, Japan continues to receive exclusive gems from some of America’s most notable producers. From Four Roses to Wild Turkey, here are the bourbons to hunt down on your next (or first) trip overseas.

Four Roses Super Premium

Four Roses’s history is inextricably tied to Japan. To survive American whiskey’s down years, the company shifted its gaze to more fruitful Asian and European markets — as proof, its straight bourbon didn’t return to the U.S. until 2002.

Vestiges of its overseas empire can be found on the back shelves of dusty liquor stores across Asia, but the company’s Super Premium bottling is its most readily available product there. Sometimes called Four Roses Platinum, it’s in almost every liquor and grocery store in Japan for the equivalent of $50 USD. Think of it as a fruitier, slightly more-mature version of Four Roses Small Batch.

Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel

Americans accustomed to liquor stores being sold out of Blanton’s 93 proof, high-rye single barrel bourbon might consider a trip to Japan. The country is one of few regularly stocked with Blanton’s Green label, Gold label and Straight from the Barrel, the only barrel-proof Blanton’s out there. Bottled at a heavy 130 proof, it’s Blanton’s with a pedal to the metal. Hot tip for those who can’t track it down: check the liquor store in the basement of Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station. You’ll find it for $85 to $100 USD.

Wild Turkey 13-Year Distiller’s Reserve

Japan-exclusive bourbon aficionados will likely shudder at this recommendation, but not because it’s bad. Until recent years, everyone’s favorite 101 proof bourbon was available in Japan at a more mature 12-year age statement. That bottle was discontinued. What we’re left with is an older, slightly lower proof whiskey that lacks the sucker punch of 101 but is markedly more drinkable.

Evan Williams Red

You can find Evan Williams 12-year-old bourbon at the distillery’s Louisville gift shop but it’ll run you nearly $200. In Japan, it’s available in most stores for under $30. Other than the infamous 23-year-old offering, Red Label is the most mature Evan Williams out there. In the glass it’s a richer, better Evan Williams Black. What’s not to like?

Ancient Ancient Age 8-Year

Yes, you read ancient twice. This is a deep-cut bourbon, distilled using Buffalo Trace Distillery’s high-rye Mashbill #2 (same as Blanton’s). Ancient has run through a number of owners but has always been distilled by Buffalo Trace. For those curious about the quality: it’s fine, but its connection to Buffalo Trace makes the $15 to $20 pickup no-brainer.

Other Notable Whiskeys to Pick Up Abroad

Blanton’s Gold: When it comes to proof, Gold sits between standard Blanton’s and Straight from the Barrel. Like the barrel-proof option, it’s harder to find outside of urban areas. Expect to pay anywhere from $60 to $90 for it.

Four Roses Black Label: Not much is known about Four Roses Black other than the fact that it’s dirt cheap and mixes into a punch really, really nicely. It’s everywhere Super Premium is, but it usually goes for about $20.

Wild Turkey 12-Year: It’s discontinued, but it’s what whiskey nerds would be looking for. Look for it in stores off the beaten path. (Rest assured, every store in Tokyo has been picked over by hunters well before you arrive.)

I.W. Harper 12-Year: Some will call I.W. Harper a hype play, but the slightly mysterious 12-year-old bourbon (no one knows for sure who made it) isn’t too expensive and looks great in a liquor cabinet. And if you believe the rumors that it was distilled by Four Roses, it’s a perfect holiday gift with some backstory.

Evan Williams 23-Year: Another famous discontinued offering. Most reviews indicate Evan Williams 23-year is painfully oaky, suggesting it’s perhaps too old. That’s no matter. If you find it, buy it. Bottles of it go on the secondary market for $500 and up and it’s not any cheaper at the Evan Williams gift shop — when it’s even available.

Note: Purchasing products through our links may earn us a portion of the sale, which supports our editorial team’s mission. Learn more here.

10 Modern American Whiskey Brands Everyone Should Know

Dominated almost entirely by mega-distillers like Jim Beam, Buffalo Trace, Wild Turkey and Heaven Hill, the American whiskey landscape is oligarchical and old. The reason for this is straightforward: making good whiskey requires extraordinary initial capital, and the capacity to bleed money close to a decade. This has led many of America’s next-gen distillers down a dark path, relying almost exclusively on buying stocks of whiskey from other makers and passing it off as their own. Five-year-old distilleries selling 10-year-old bourbon without any mention of where the whiskey might have been made.

Beyond transparency concerns, reliance on bought-stock spawns issues of its own. Newer distillers leaning on the work of other whiskey makers means less craft, less innovation and more stagnation in a slow-moving industry. If the smaller, less bureaucratic producers aren’t free to experiment and explore new corners of whiskey, we leave that task to colossal macro-distillers. In this way, craft whiskey is related to craft beer in name alone.

But there are new American whiskey brands trying, in earnest, to change that perception. Craftspeople pushing for a more creative, more clear and more diverse whiskey shelf. From rye blenders to hype peddlers, these are ten of the brands leading whiskey’s next act.

Balcones

Headquarters: Waco, Texas
Bottle to Try: Balcones Baby Blue

Balcones’ guiding principle was established early on — make it different and make it Texas. Original founder Chip Tate built his own stills, his own barrels and opted to buy Texas-grown blue corn instead of the more economical commodity grain. In other words, it was as Texan as possible, and people loved it. Baby Blue, the first release, earned a Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and the word was out — a craft distiller was making great whiskey unlike anything else being made. With an ongoing series of limited releases and slightly-off-kilter signature whiskey lineup (including an American single malt and a 100 percent blue corn whiskey), Balcones has continued being its weird self since.

New Riff

Founded: 2014
Headquarters: Newport, Kentucky
Bottle to Try: New Riff Rye

New Riff looks a lot different than most on this list. It’s not centuries old, it’s not owned by a larger parent company and none of its three whiskeys are more than 5 years old. But New Riff isn’t troubled by a lack of history — it’s the whiskey geek’s dream whiskey brand.

All its whiskeys now and forever will be at least 100 proof, totally unfiltered and come labeled with all the facts and figures one could want (mashbill percentages info and clear age statements included). It’s a bold step for a distillery self-described as a “mid-major” — not craft status, but certainly not a macro-distillery. It’s paying off thus far, though. Along with the adoration of the online whiskey community, New Riff took home its first serious silverware at 2019’s San Francisco Spirits Competition — Double Golds (the highest rating possible) for all three of its whiskeys.

High West

Headquarters: Wanship, Utah
Bottle to Try: High West Double Rye!

Craft whiskey is looked down upon in the whiskey world. It takes years to build a solid stock of well-aged whiskeys to use, and because most can’t suffer through heavy cash loss for that long, they ratchet prices up for ho-hum whiskey. High West embodies what it is to make craft whiskey not by trying to compete with centuries-old liquor empires, but by its own weirdness. Using a mix of its own pot-stilled whiskey and old-as-hell stock bought from older distilleries, founder David Perkins (a former biochemist) does his thing. Whether it’s a blend of 2- and 16-year-old whiskeys or corraling bourbon, rye and peated scotch into a single bottle, High West is willing to do anything but bore you.

WhistlePig

Headquarters: Shoreham, Vermont
Bottle to Try: WhistlePig 10-year Straight Rye

In ten years time, rye whiskey sales have risen a batshit insane 1,100 percent increase. Eleven-hundred. Vermont-based WhistlePig is a posterchild for the spike. Led by former Maker’s Mark Master Distiller Dave Pickerell, WhistlePig got its start purchasing a lot of 10-year-old Canadian rye whiskey and selling it to the US market. This would be seen as a cashgrab if people didn’t love it. Pickerell and team remain commited to acquiring and distilling rye and only rye, and using their Vermont base to their advantage. The distillery’s Farmstock series combines grains grown on the farm with water from the area and ages the distilled result in Vermont white oak grown on the WhistlePig farm.

Barrel Bourbon

Headquarters: Louisville, Kentucky
Bottle to Try: Barrel Bourbon Batch 011

Whiskey brands that don’t make their own whiskeys, called non-distiller producers (NDP), aren’t always looked up favorably by the whiskey world. Barrel is an exception. Though it did begin putting down barrels of its own stuff in the last couple years, Barrel’s bread and butter is acquiring and blending other distiller’s forlorn barrels and turning them into something exceptional. And unlike other NDPs, Barrel makes clear that the juice blended inside its bottles is not of their creation — full sourcing info, including mashbill, age and state of distillation, is available for every bottle. And unlike the majority of major distillers today, Barrel could give a damn about consistency. Every batch (all barrel proof) released is intentionally different than the last; meant to explore a different flavor profile or a different age combination.

Willet

Headquarters: Bardstown, Kentucky
Bottle to Try: Willet Family Estate Bottled Rye

Many see the revival of historic distilleries as cash grabs, and, based on the cash some of Willet’s releases go for, one might classify it as such. But that’s plain shortsighted, and the Kulsveen family are anything but shortsighted. Willet got its start in the 1800s, but it wasn’t until the Willet family sold the farm to the Kulsveen family that modern Willet began to take shape. The Kulsveens began buying up old stock from distillers looking to get rid of barrels they didn’t think they could sell (the ’80s were not a good time for whiskey), and years later, once whiskey had made its comeback, they started selling it. Since then, it’s become the only American whiskey label to surpass Pappy in price and collectability.

Master Distiller Drew Kulsveen heads up the company’s own whiskey making program. Even though its oldest release to date is a 4-year-old rye, it’s already garnering praise from drinkers.

Old Elk

Headquarters: Colorado
Bottle to Try: Old Elk Blended Bourbon

In his last job as Master Distiller of MGP, Greg Metze created the über-high rye mashbill that took the whiskey world by storm (you know, the one Bulleit, Angel’s Envy, Redemption, Smooth Ambler and more rode to success). Funded by the guy behind Otterbox, Metze’s new project takes aim at another enormously profitable sector of the whiskey market: ultra-smooth, inoffensive beginner bourbons. Based in Colorado, Old Elk may not have a distillery yet (a rather large one wraps construction later this year), but its ambitions are to become the Basil Hayden’s of bourbon’s next act. Get used to looking at the Old Elk label; in a few years time, you’ll be seeing it everywhere.

Kentucky Owl

Headquarters: Bardstown, Kentucky
Bottle to Try: Kentucky Owl Confiscated

Whiskey enthusiasts don’t really like Kentucky Owl, but that may not matter. Kentucky Owl had long been dead before part-blender, part-marketer Dixon Dedman got his hands on it and Dedman, whose great-great-grandfather had founded the distillery, started by buying up choice barrels from distillers around the region, blending them and selling them only in Kentucky at a super-super-premium $170 pricetag. Word got out about it, bottles sold out quickly, and Kentucky Owl achieved cult status in a matter of months (bottles were re-selling for ten-times the retail price within the year). The whiskey nerd among your friend group will protest: Kentucky Owl doesn’t disclose where they get the whiskey from, how old it is or really anything else about what is inside its high-priced bottles. But with the 2019 release of Confiscated (a blend of 6-, 9-, 10- and 12-year-old bourbons) and a $150 million distillery being built, the Owl isn’t going anywhere.

Westland

Headquarters: Seattle, Washington
Bottle to Try: Westland American Single Malt American Oak

If one famed whiskey-producing nation can have a single malt all to itself, why can’t another? That’s the principle behind Westland and a swell of other American craft whiskey producers. Westland’s take on the category — which still lacks a formal, legal definition — views single malt quite literally. Its mashbill is 100 percent malted barley, the only other ingredients being water, yeast and the barrel it ages in. If you’re looking for what’s next in American whiskey, it’s the American single malt.

Note: Purchasing products through our links may earn us a portion of the sale, which supports our editorial team’s mission. Learn more here.

The 10 Best Festivals Every Beer Lover Needs on Their Bucket List

If it’s rare beer you’re after, the local watering hole will only get you so far. For the ultimate beer-tasting experience, you’ll need to hit one of the country’s many beer festivals, where attendees have the chance to taste rare beers from heavy hitters and hyped breweries. These one-stop-shops let craft beer nerds and casual drinkers try exclusive brews while chatting with the brewers who made them.

Of course, not all beer festivals are created equal. So what makes a festival worth attending? The rarity of the beers being poured, the quality of the breweries attending (invitationals tend to be more selective) and the ticket price. Still don’t know where to start? We’ve done the hard research and put together the following list of the best beer fests in America.

Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival

Location: Paso Robles, CA
Dates: June 1
Notable Breweries: Garage Project, Jester King Brewery, The Bruery, Side Project Brewing, Burial Beer Co.
Ticket Prices: $90+

Widely regarded as the top beer festival in America, Firestone Walker Invitational brings together more than 50 of the world’s most hyped and in-demand brewers, who all bring their A-games (read: best beers) to this annual fest in California. Beyond the beer, food trucks abound and grub comes with the price of a ticket — assuming you can grab one before they sell out after going on sale every February.

Other Half Pastry Town/Green City

Brooklyn’s Other Half has made a name for itself with New England-style IPAs and imperial stouts, and it has capitalized on its successes by framing two invitational beer fests — one in February and the other in June — around those styles. Oh, there’s amateur wrestling, too. It doesn’t get much more Brooklyn than that.

Location: Brooklyn, NY
Dates: February / June
Notable Breweries: Grimm Artisanal Ales, WeldWerks Brewing, The Alchemist, Hudson Valley Brewery, Tired Hands Brewing Company
Ticket Prices: $100+

Great American Beer Festival

Location: Denver, CO
Dates: October 3-6
Notable Breweries: Revolution Brewing, Allagash Brewing Co, The Veil, Societe Brewing Company, Three Floyds Brewing Co.
Ticket Prices: $85+

For a long time, the Great American Beer Festival (founded in 1982) was the paragon beer fest in the U.S. Part competition, part public tasting event, it is a unique combination of breweries vying for coveted GABF medals in over 100 beer styles — it’s the largest ticketed beer festival in the United States. You have to be smart and selective about the beers you go after, but there are not many other festivals where a ticket gets you the ability to sample over 4,000 beers. If you’re looking for the biggest “scene” event in craft brewing, the Brewer’s Association GABF is still it.

Extreme Beer Fest

Location: Boston, MA
Dates: February 1-2
Notable Breweries: Dogfish Head, Highland Park Brewery, Lamplighter Brewery, Monday Night Brewing, The Rare Barrel
Ticket Prices: $65+

Beer Advocate’s Extreme Beer Fest has been going for 16 years. Pulling in over 130 breweries in 2019, it celebrates brewers who push the boundaries and spur creativity — no wonder Dogfish Head, led by James Beard Award winner Sam Caligione, is the lead sponsor. Brewers are encouraged to bring their best brews, especially those that are sessionable. When tasting lots of beers, less can sometimes be more.

Hop Culture Juicy Brews Craft Beer Festival

Location: All over the U.S.
Dates: Usually once a month
Notable Breweries: Bissell Brothers, Mast Landing Brewing Company, Foam Brewers, Half Acre Beer Company, Bearded Iris Brewing
Ticket Prices: $60+

Hop Culture has turned the craft beer phenomenon of the New England IPA into a (mostly) monthly beer fest. Usually hosted with a brewery in whichever city it takes place, Juicy Brews has invigorated the beer fest scene and helped the craft beer world overcome festival fatigue syndrome. Collaboration is the name of the game for Juicy Brews, and most of the breweries that attend brew a beer specifically for the event that’s only available there or in their taprooms.

Oregon Brewers Festival

Location: Portland, OR
Dates: July 24-27
Notable Breweries: Boneyard Beer, Fort George Brewery, Sunriver Brewing Co., Friem Family Brewers, Gigantic Brewing Company
Ticket Prices: Free to enter, $20 for a mug and 10 beer tokens

This year’s Oregon Brewers Festival will, for the first time since it was founded in 1988, exclusively feature Oregon craft beers and ciders. Good thing Oregon has one of the best beer scenes in the country. There’s also no admission charge, meaning you’re not riddled with the feeling of having to get your money’s worth. While it’s not necessarily a beer fest to seek out those rare white whales, it is one that typically offers nice summertime vibes in the Tom McCall Waterfront Park in downtown Portland.

Hill Farmstead’s Festival of Farmhouse Ales

Location: Greensboro Bend, VT
Dates: August 3
Notable Breweries: Brasserie de Blaugies, The Lost Abbey Brewing Company, Russian River Brewing, Shelton Brothers Imports (Drie Fonteinen)
Ticket Prices: $100+

Leave it to the adored Hill Farmstead to concept a beer festival that’s entirely unique to them. What started as a weekend shared with brewer friends in 2006 has morphed into a bucket-list beer festival for beer fans from the world over. Even more extradonary is that it showcases one style of beer: the farmhouse ale. The ticket package includes a tasting glass, beer samples, designated driver entry and live music — food is on-site for purchase. This year’s FoFA features beer from only five breweries (including Hill Farmstead), and they’re all bangers.

Great Taste of the Midwest

Location: Madison, WI
Dates: August 10
Notable Breweries: Bell’s Brewery, Rhinegeist Brewery, Mikerphone Brewing, Founders Brewing Co., Great Lakes Brewing Co.
Ticket Prices: $60

The Midwest is full of craft beer stalwarts and up-and-coming breweries. The Great Taste of the Midwest brings them all to one place. Over 190 breweries descend upon Olin Park overlooking Lake Monona in Madison, Wisconsin, to give drinkers the chance to sample beers from breweries that are spread out across the Plains. This beer fest will operate its 33rd edition in 2019 and the Madison Homebrewers and Tasters Guild does a superb job of making sure attendees won’t have to stand in long lines all day by limiting the number of tickets to the event.

Modern Times’s Festival of Dankness

Location: San Diego, CA
Dates: August – TBD
Notable Breweries: Modern Times Beer, Bottle Logic Brewing, Brouwerij West, Trve Brewing, Pizza Port Brewing Co.
Ticket Prices: $50+

San Diego is a craft beer mecca, with Modern Times Beer at the forefront. The brewery’s Festival of Dankness is a one-day tribute to hops, and the list of brewers that attend is on-par with just about any other beer fest in the U.S. There is something to be said for leaning into the most popular beer style and creating an epic festival around it in one of the most beer-centric cities in the United States.

Trillium Field Trip

Location: Canton, MA
Dates: August 10
Notable Breweries: Trillium Brewing Company, Evil Twin Brewing, Great Notion Brewery, Monkish Brewing Co., J. Wakefield Brewing
Ticket Prices: $50+

Some beer fests are all about quantity and variety. Trillium’s Field Trip isn’t one of them. Only 1,200 general admission tickets and 300 VIP tickets are up for grabs this year. This two-session event offers a carefully curated lineup of beers and breweries. Founded in 2018, Field Trip has already made a name for itself thanks to Trillium’s collaborative nature.

Note: Purchasing products through our links may earn us a portion of the sale, which supports our editorial team’s mission. Learn more here.

6 Rice Whiskeys — Yes, Rice Whiskey — to Try Now

Rice whiskey might sound like something entirely new. And it is … sort of. But let us start with the part that’s not.

Various Asian cultures have been using rice and its mold (the Japanese call it koji) to make distilled spirits called shochu, soju, baijiu and ruou gao for hundreds and, in some cases, thousands of years. Whatever you want to call it — “rice wine” or “white liquor” — it’s used a ton, for medicinal purposes, to honor ancestors or just to get lit. Baijiu, much of which is made with rice, is the best selling liquor in the world; in 2016, more bottles of the stuff were sold than vodka, gin, rum, whiskey and tequila combined.

Whiskey is a grain-based spirit aged in wood barrels, and rice, of course, is a grain. So, throw one of those rice spirits in charred oak and you have rice whiskey. Skeptics could say the pairing of rice spirits and oak barrels is a great way to put the magic “w” word on a bottle. But this new class of spirits speaks for itself. Plus, the path to making this sort of drink often involves an epic journey between Asia and America, intentional or otherwise.

At Vinn Distillery, two generations and a history of diaspora conspired to make whiskey using rice. Phan Ly and his wife, Kim Trinh, were moved by war, work and hope from North Vietnam to China to Hong Kong, and eventually, to Oregon. After Ly retired, he decided he wanted to put his homemade rice spirits on the liquor store shelf and started Vinn Distillery. And then there was the luck side of it. “My sister was at a garage sale and bought a few gallon-sized oak barrels to age baijiu in,” says one of his daughters, Michelle, who helps with the business. “A year later we were tasting it at the distillery. It was amber-colored, and it was delicious, and we realized it was a whiskey.”

At Moto Whiskey in Brooklyn, it was travel, and a dispute between palates, that gave rise to its rice whiskey. Cofounder Marie Estrada, who used to work in publishing, tasted her first rice spirit when her business partner, Hagai Yardeny, brought some back from a motorcycle trip through Vietnam. “Everyone there drinks it out of reused plastic water bottles,” Estrada says. “I tasted it, and I said to him, ‘You fell in love with this?’ I thought it was horrible. Then I tasted another one, and it tasted delicious, almost like cashews.”

It’s hard to generalize the category of rice whiskey, given the many different ways distillers make the base rice spirit. But common characteristics include a light mouthfeel, hints of subtle fruit and sugary brightness, and the classic whiskey notes of caramel, oak tannin and vanilla.

There are still only a few distillers making it worldwide, and several in Japan, with an interesting twist. One, Kikori Whiskey, was founded by an American, Ann Soh Woods, who makes her whiskey in Japan but can only sell it in the U.S.; the Japanese have stricter rules than America does about what constitutes whiskey. (There are two other Japanese distilleries that make rice whiskey and must export it to the US to sell it.)

Look for one of these bottles to give it a try yourself.

Kikori Whiskey

Ann Soh Woods may well be the mother of rice whiskey: hers, Kikori, was the first to be widely distributed in the U.S. Kikori is made on the west coast of southern Japan using locally sourced rice. It’s aged for three to ten years in American and French oak casks as well as sherry casks.

Tasting Notes: Sugary and grassy on the nose, with light hints of citrus, minerality, and sweet bread.

Fukano Whisky

Fukano Distillery has been making shochu since the 19th century. Its whisky is made at the same distillery, located on the island of Kyushu, in both a blend (“Fukano whisky”) and single cask (“Fukano single cask”) form. Whisky Advocate named the blend one of its 20 best whiskies of the year in 2017.

Tasting Notes: Bright and citrusy, with notes of lychee, raspberry, and peach; also some peppery spice.

Ohishi Sherry Cask

Another Japanese rice whisky that must be imported to the US. Thirty percent of the mashbill is their own locally grown rice; the other seventy percent is mochi rice. They make both a brandy cask and a sherry cask whisky — though the sherry cask is consistently rated higher of the two.

Tasting Notes: the subtleness of rice makes the perfect canvas for showcasing a bomb of sherry. It’s a dark red color, with notes of grape, vanilla, and dried fruits.

Môtô Spirits Whiskey

Marie Estrada and Hagai Yardeny started making their rice whiskey in an apartment complex. Today, they’re onto a big 120-gallon jacketed electric still. They age their stuff in bourbon barrels that have been seasoned with their own spirit.

Tasting Notes: Citrusy notes, plus strong bourbon notes, including wood, vanilla, honey and a touch of smoky char.

Vinn Distillery

The Ly family makes their rice spirit the traditional baijiu way, using parallel fermentation and solid-state distillation, where both liquids and solids are fermented. Ly compares the raw spirit to “a cross between sake and tequila, white whiskey and a hint of gin.” It’s aged in virgin American oak, heavy char #4. They recommend drinking it straight or with ginger beer, in a so-scalled “Shanghai mule.”

Tasting Notes: A unique nose, with earthiness and funk. More familiar flavors on the palate, like vanilla and oak, plus a distinct flavor of toasted rice pudding.

Atelier Vie Riz Whiskey

Jedd Haas has been distilling and selling unaged rice whiskey since 2013, using rice grown in Louisiana. In the past several years, he’s released several aged versions, including his latest, aged in small oak barrels for eaxtly one year and one month.

Tasting Notes: The unaged stuff has been noted to have flavors of chocolate and licorice. The aged version should add caramel, vanilla, and oak tannin.

Note: Purchasing products through our links may earn us a portion of the sale, which supports our editorial team’s mission. Learn more here.

The 10 Best Whiskey Cocktails to Make at Home

Whiskey drinking culture doesn’t have to be the sole domain of Glencairn glasses, eyedroppers and stuffy tasting sessions (contrary to what the whiskey cognoscenti might say). It can be something both more casual and elegant. That is the role of the cocktail. Here, the ten best whiskey-based cocktails to make at home.

Old Fashioned

There’s much to dispute regarding the undisputed king of whiskey cocktails. Rye or bourbon? Cherry or no cherry? Soda or no soda? This recipe, courtesy of the now-closed whiskey bar Post Office in Brooklyn, keeps it straightforward, approachable and altogether classic. Affordable rye, no cherry, a pair of citrus peels, some bitters and a sugar cube — that’s it.

Manhattan

Source: Food & Wine | Photo: Wendell T. Webber

Two parts whiskey to one part vermouth with a pair of Angostura bitters stirred in ice. That’s the most classic version of this classic whiskey drink, and it’s exactly what Food & Wine‘s recipe calls for. Throw a maraschino cherry on top for garnish.

Whiskey Smash

Source: Bon Appétit | Photo: Zach DeSart

Smash cocktails are not sophisticated drinks. They are cold, bright and refreshing. And though the whiskey smash often takes a backseat to its vodka and rum counterparts, it’s no less enjoyable.

Milk Punch

Source: Garden & Gun | Photo: Johnny Autry

Most milk punch nowadays is built around bourbon, not brandy. Make it instead of eggnog during the holidays. Garden & Gun’s recipe comes from a cocktail bar in the heart of New Orleans’ French Quarter.

Whiskey Highball

Source: Punch | Photo: Lizzie Munro

An argument could be made that the highball is not a cocktail, but the ubiquity and painstaking attention to detail on display in Japanese whisky highball culture demands its inclusion on this list. Punch’s recipe comes courtesy of a small cocktail bar in Kaga, Japan.

Mint Julep

Source: Liquor.com

The Kentucky Derby classic doesn’t have to be an annual drink. It’s fresh, cold and lets your choice bourbon do most of the work, so you don’t have to.

Rattlesnake

Source: Bon Appétit | Photo: Ted Cavanaugh

The Rattlesnake is a powerful, albeit lesser-known drink. At first glance (and taste), it’s easy to mistake it for a classic whiskey sour. Then the absinthe hits. Use a whiskey with an especially high rye content so that the rye’s spiciness cuts through the egg white and lemon. Redemption Rye and WhistlePig’s rye offerings both work well in this regard, as does the much-maligned Bulleit rye.

Hot Toddy

Source: Epicurious

We can’t comment on its efficacy as a salve for the common cold, but we can say it’s a nice way to warm up in a dark New York winter. The use of low-rye bourbon, lemon and hot water makes the vanilla flavors in the whiskey explode forward.

Whiskey Sour

Source: Punch | Photo: Daniel Krieger

Few drinks are as foundational to cocktail culture as the humble sour. It’s sweet, rich and, of course, pleasantly sour. But the addition of the egg white into the standard combination of lemon, sugar, whiskey and ice makes it something else entirely — technically, that’s a Boston Sour.

Sazerac

Source: Garden & Gun | Photo: Cedric Angeles

The straightforwardness of the Sazerac makes it appear to be a simple drink. It isn’t. Striking the balance between bitters, simple syrup, absinthe and spirit is a sign of bartending proficiency. And though it’s almost always made as a whiskey drink now, its roots are cognac-based. Feel free to substitute the cognac in this recipe for your choice rye if that’s not your thing.

Note: Purchasing products through our links may earn us a portion of the sale, which supports our editorial team’s mission. Learn more here.

The 10 Best Beer Festivals in America

If it’s rare beer you’re after, the local watering hole will only get you so far. For the ultimate beer-tasting experience, you’ll need to hit one of the country’s many beer festivals, where attendees have the chance to taste rare beers from heavy hitters and hyped breweries. These one-stop-shops let craft beer nerds and casual drinkers try exclusive brews while chatting with the brewers who made them.

Of course, not all beer festivals are created equal. So what makes a festival worth attending? The rarity of the beers being poured, the quality of the breweries attending (invitationals tend to be more selective) and the ticket price. Still don’t know where to start? We’ve done the hard research and put together the following list of the best beer fests in America.

Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival

Location: Paso Robles, CA
Dates: June 1
Notable Breweries: Garage Project, Jester King Brewery, The Bruery, Side Project Brewing, Burial Beer Co.
Ticket Prices: $90+

Widely regarded as the top beer festival in America, Firestone Walker Invitational brings together more than 50 of the world’s most hyped and in-demand brewers, who all bring their A-games (read: best beers) to this annual fest in California. Beyond the beer, food trucks abound and grub comes with the price of a ticket — assuming you can grab one before they sell out after going on sale every February.

Other Half Pastry Town/Green City

Brooklyn’s Other Half has made a name for itself with New England-style IPAs and imperial stouts, and it has capitalized on its successes by framing two invitational beer fests — one in February and the other in June — around those styles. Oh, there’s amateur wrestling, too. It doesn’t get much more Brooklyn than that.

Location: Brooklyn, NY
Dates: February / June
Notable Breweries: Grimm Artisanal Ales, WeldWerks Brewing, The Alchemist, Hudson Valley Brewery, Tired Hands Brewing Company
Ticket Prices: $100+

Great American Beer Festival

Location: Denver, CO
Dates: October 3-6
Notable Breweries: Revolution Brewing, Allagash Brewing Co, The Veil, Societe Brewing Company, Three Floyds Brewing Co.
Ticket Prices: $85+

For a long time, the Great American Beer Festival (founded in 1982) was the paragon beer fest in the U.S. Part competition, part public tasting event, it is a unique combination of breweries vying for coveted GABF medals in over 100 beer styles — it’s the largest ticketed beer festival in the United States. You have to be smart and selective about the beers you go after, but there are not many other festivals where a ticket gets you the ability to sample over 4,000 beers. If you’re looking for the biggest “scene” event in craft brewing, the Brewer’s Association GABF is still it.

Extreme Beer Fest

Location: Boston, MA
Dates: February 1-2
Notable Breweries: Dogfish Head, Highland Park Brewery, Lamplighter Brewery, Monday Night Brewing, The Rare Barrel
Ticket Prices: $65+

Beer Advocate’s Extreme Beer Fest has been going for 16 years. Pulling in over 130 breweries in 2019, it celebrates brewers who push the boundaries and spur creativity — no wonder Dogfish Head, led by James Beard Award winner Sam Caligione, is the lead sponsor. Brewers are encouraged to bring their best brews, especially those that are sessionable. When tasting lots of beers, less can sometimes be more.

Hop Culture Juicy Brews Craft Beer Festival

Location: All over the U.S.
Dates: Usually once a month
Notable Breweries: Bissell Brothers, Mast Landing Brewing Company, Foam Brewers, Half Acre Beer Company, Bearded Iris Brewing
Ticket Prices: $60+

Hop Culture has turned the craft beer phenomenon of the New England IPA into a (mostly) monthly beer fest. Usually hosted with a brewery in whichever city it takes place, Juicy Brews has invigorated the beer fest scene and helped the craft beer world overcome festival fatigue syndrome. Collaboration is the name of the game for Juicy Brews, and most of the breweries that attend brew a beer specifically for the event that’s only available there or in their taprooms.

Oregon Brewers Festival

Location: Portland, OR
Dates: July 24-27
Notable Breweries: Boneyard Beer, Fort George Brewery, Sunriver Brewing Co., Friem Family Brewers, Gigantic Brewing Company
Ticket Prices: Free to enter, $20 for a mug and 10 beer tokens

This year’s Oregon Brewers Festival will, for the first time since it was founded in 1988, exclusively feature Oregon craft beers and ciders. Good thing Oregon has one of the best beer scenes in the country. There’s also no admission charge, meaning you’re not riddled with the feeling of having to get your money’s worth. While it’s not necessarily a beer fest to seek out those rare white whales, it is one that typically offers nice summertime vibes in the Tom McCall Waterfront Park in downtown Portland.

Hill Farmstead’s Festival of Farmhouse Ales

Location: Greensboro Bend, VT
Dates: August 3
Notable Breweries: Brasserie de Blaugies, The Lost Abbey Brewing Company, Russian River Brewing, Shelton Brothers Imports (Drie Fonteinen)
Ticket Prices: $100+

Leave it to the adored Hill Farmstead to concept a beer festival that’s entirely unique to them. What started as a weekend shared with brewer friends in 2006 has morphed into a bucket-list beer festival for beer fans from the world over. Even more extradonary is that it showcases one style of beer: the farmhouse ale. The ticket package includes a tasting glass, beer samples, designated driver entry and live music — food is on-site for purchase. This year’s FoFA features beer from only five breweries (including Hill Farmstead), and they’re all bangers.

Great Taste of the Midwest

Location: Madison, WI
Dates: August 10
Notable Breweries: Bell’s Brewery, Rhinegeist Brewery, Mikerphone Brewing, Founders Brewing Co., Great Lakes Brewing Co.
Ticket Prices: $60

The Midwest is full of craft beer stalwarts and up-and-coming breweries. The Great Taste of the Midwest brings them all to one place. Over 190 breweries descend upon Olin Park overlooking Lake Monona in Madison, Wisconsin, to give drinkers the chance to sample beers from breweries that are spread out across the Plains. This beer fest will operate its 33rd edition in 2019 and the Madison Homebrewers and Tasters Guild does a superb job of making sure attendees won’t have to stand in long lines all day by limiting the number of tickets to the event.

Modern Times’s Festival of Dankness

Location: San Diego, CA
Dates: August – TBD
Notable Breweries: Modern Times Beer, Bottle Logic Brewing, Brouwerij West, Trve Brewing, Pizza Port Brewing Co.
Ticket Prices: $50+

San Diego is a craft beer mecca, with Modern Times Beer at the forefront. The brewery’s Festival of Dankness is a one-day tribute to hops, and the list of brewers that attend is on-par with just about any other beer fest in the U.S. There is something to be said for leaning into the most popular beer style and creating an epic festival around it in one of the most beer-centric cities in the United States.

Trillium Field Trip

Location: Canton, MA
Dates: August 10
Notable Breweries: Trillium Brewing Company, Evil Twin Brewing, Great Notion Brewery, Monkish Brewing Co., J. Wakefield Brewing
Ticket Prices: $50+

Some beer fests are all about quantity and variety. Trillium’s Field Trip isn’t one of them. Only 1,200 general admission tickets and 300 VIP tickets are up for grabs this year. This two-session event offers a carefully curated lineup of beers and breweries. Founded in 2018, Field Trip has already made a name for itself thanks to Trillium’s collaborative nature.

Note: Purchasing products through our links may earn us a portion of the sale, which supports our editorial team’s mission. Learn more here.

The 6 Best Beers to Drink on the Fourth of July, According to Brewers

The Fourth of July is a time for hanging out in the backyard, going to the beach and enjoying a beer or two while celebrating the independence of America. One of our favorite ways to do that is with a few independent craft beers — not many people embody the American spirit better than a craft brewer.

So we reached out to a few of them see which beers they’ll be drinking to celebrate America’s birthday. Light, low in ABV and easy-drinking are the qualities they all have in common, which works out — you’ll probably want to drink more than one.

Folksbier Brauerei Cucumber Lime Glow Up

Beer Style: Sour – Berline Weisse
ABV: 4%
Brewery Location: Brooklyn, NY
Distribution: Local

“Last weekend, I had Cucumber-Lime Glow Up by Folksbier for the first time. It’s bright, refreshing, and crisp, with a modest acidity that’s never overpowering, but always present. At 4%, I could drink it all afternoon. Small cans so your beer never warms up and bright neon labels that make them hard to lose. While we can’t get it in Vermont, it’s the first beer that came to mind.” — Jon Farmer, Foam Brewers

Bohemian Brewery 1842 Czech Pilsener Lager

Beer Style: Pilsner – Czech
ABV: 4%
Brewery Location: Midvale, UT
Distribution: Local

“I had what I think is the best Czech pilsner brewed in the States just a few days ago, from a place called Bohemian Brewery — they’re out in Midvale, near Salt Lake City Utah. It’s a style I love, and one that’s deceptively hard to make — there’s no hiding with a pilsner. They don’t sell [in Boston], but if they did, I’d have some in stock this weekend. Any chance they’ll read this and send me some?” — Dan Kierny, Harpoon Brewery

Half Acre Tuna Session India Pale Ale

Beer Style: Session India Pale Ale
ABV: 4.7%
Brewery Location: Chicago, IL
Distribution: Regional

“If I could be drinking anything this Fourth of July, it’d be Tuna from Half Acre. It’s a just-complex-enough pale ale with a hop presence that isn’t so massive as to nuke your palate. It’s just complex enough to keep you reeled in for a full day of drinking. Those folks are hops wizards and witches.” — Nick Nunns, TRVE Brewing Co.

Oxbow Farmhouse Pale Ale

Beer Style: Farmhouse Ale – Saison
ABV: 6%
Brewery Location: Newcastle, ME
Distribution: Regional

“Oxbow’s Farmhouse Pale Ale is a 6% ABV blonde ale fermented with their house saison yeast and hopped entirely with American hops. This beer was part of Oxbow’s original line up when they first opened in 2011 and is now available in bottle conditioned 330mL bottles for on-the-go consumption. It’s a great beer to drink on July Fourth since it’s super dry and has just enough hop character to keep things balanced, but also because it combines elements of old world brewing and American innovation.” — Joey Pepper, Folksbier Brauerei

Allagash White

Beer Style: Witbier
ABV: 5.2%
Brewery Location: Portland, ME
Distribution: Regional

“I’ve recently revisited Allagash White for the first time in a while, as one of our local beer bars in Athens has been keeping it on draft this summer. It’d be tough to find a more refreshing, just perfectly executed beer to sip while grilling outdoors in the heat this holiday weekend.” — Adam Beauchamp, Creature Comforts Brewing Co.

Holy Mountain Holy Light

Beer Style: Light American Lager
ABV: 4.6%
Brewery Location: Seattle, WA
Distribution: Local

“My top pick for Fourth of July this year will be Holy Mountain’s Holy Light. I was recently in Seattle and brought back several cans of this delectable session-strength lager that packs much more flavor and body than its 4.6% ABV would suggest.” — Tim Adams, Oxbow Brewing

The Best Things We Drank This Month

Every month, a huge amount of booze moves through the Gear Patrol offices — beer, wine and a whole lot of whiskey. Here are a few of our favorites.

Crown Royal Noble Collection (French Oak Finished)

As evidenced by a number of whiskey makers out there (including one later on this list), experimenting with oak types in aging and barrel finishing is the thing to do right now. And though Crown may not be the whiskey drinker’s whiskey, it can still turn out great bottles. The brand’s Noble Collection has rolled out banger after banger (each has earned at least a 90 from Whisky Advocate), and the French oak finished isn’t an exception. It’s got the lightness and vanilla bomb qualities associated with the brand, but the French oak, a denser, more tannin-heavy wood, shifts the structure of the whisky completely. It’s still light in proof and potency, but it carries a creaminess other Crown doesn’t. It’s retailing for $60. Hunt it down and pour it over ice.

Allagash Tiny House

The Maine brewery that introduced America to the joys of Belgian beer released a house beer. It’s 3.5 percent ABV, it’s dry hopped with Amarillo and it’s just a little malty. More importantly, it’s an incredibly crushable, flavorful, no-bullshit beer from one of America’s best breweries. If you can find Allagash at your local shop, Tiny House may be the ideal summer six-pack.

Old Charter Oak (Second Release)

Buffalo Trace’s new Old Charter Oak line is a study in wood. Releasing quarterly and in limited quantities, every drop will be a different experiment with oak. The second release is 12-year-old Mashbill #1 Buffalo Trace bourbon aged entirely in French oak barrels. Because French oak grows at a tighter grain than the usual American oak, the whiskey inside the barrel interacts differently with it. Like the Crown Royal French Oak finished whisky above, the most notable difference between this installment of Old Charter Oak and a regular bottle of Buffalo Trace is texture. It’s a more velvety bourbon that touches on different parts of the mouth, especially the back part of the jaw. This is to be sipped neat side-by-side with a similar bottle from Buffalo Trace’s line.

Note: Purchasing products through our links may earn us a portion of the sale, which supports our editorial team’s mission. Learn more here.

The Complete Buying Guide to Suntory Japanese Whisky: Important Brands and Bottles Explained

Yamazaki. Hakushu. Hibiki. When a Westerner thinks of Japanese whisky, they think of names under the House of Suntory. Which makes sense, of course — Shinjiro Torii’s company, founded in 1923, is Japan’s first and most popular whisky maker. But it wasn’t always that way.

In 1929, Torii hired Masataka Taketsuru to create the world’s first Japanese whisky. They got it wrong. The expression, called Suntory Shirofuda, tasted too much like Scotch — too peaty, too powerful. Torii realized the Japanese palate didn’t want ultra-smokey peat bombs; it wanted finesse. So they made what has since become the most popular whisky Japan: Suntory Kakubin. It’s light, punchy and floral, the baseline for all Japanese whiskies to come.

Since then, Suntory’s whiskies have grown in volume, quality and prestige. It operates three distilleries across Japan — Yamazaki Distillery, Hakushu Distillery, Chita Distillery — each with its own purpose and flair. Here’s everything you need to know.

Editor’s Note: Suntory has recently discontinued many of its expressions, citing the growing popularity of Japanese whisky and general stock shortages. Those are included in this guide, as they remain available in limited quantities in and outside of Japan.

Hibiki

The most luxe of Suntory’s whisky holdings also happens to be its most Japanese. Hibiki, which first hit shelves in 1989, was designed as a more palatable alternative to blended Scotch, meant to be sipped neat or over ice.

Each Hibiki expression is a blend of dozens of whiskies produced at all three of Suntory’s whiskey-making facilities and, as with each Suntory whisky brand, may contain spirit aged in new American oak barrels, Spanish Olorosso sherry casks, ex-bourbon barrels, ex-wine casks and the legendary (not to mention extraordinarily expensive) Japanese Mizunara oak barrel.

The size and variability of the Hibiki toolkit is what separates it from Suntory’s other whiskies. It’s the only of the company’s whiskies that contains parts from every distillery, every wood type and every barrel in its repertoire. The results are intensely floral and fruity that, as you climb in years-in-barrel, present more depth, citrus notes and tannic twists.

Hibiki Japanese Harmony

SRP: $65
Street Price: $65-$100
Year Introduced: 2015
Production: Ongoing

Within the Hibiki line, only Japanese Harmony (the sole non-age statement Hibiki expression) remains at or near its listed retail price in the U.S. It’s a composite of Chita grain whisky and Yamazaki and Hakushu single malt whiskies, and though Suntory discloses no age information for the whiskies in the Harmony blend, it’s likely younger than the other offerings under the Hibiki umbrella. Japanese Harmony leans heavily on its springiness — it’s heavily floral and citrusy on the nose and palate — but it lacks some barrel flavors like vanilla, maple and wood spice until the finish. Pour it over ice for best results.

Hibiki 12

SRP: $85
Street Price: $350-$450
Year Introduced: 2009
Production: Discontinued

The first of Suntory’s whisky to get the axe … Hibiki 12 was discontinued in 2015, so despite its status as the youngest of the line’s age-statement collection, it’s no easier to track down than its older siblings. The liquid itself exhibits an immediate woody note on the nose, with the brighter, more acidic notes relegated to a supporting role. The taste is closer to Harmony than expected, but is noticeably less watery rolling around the mouth and it’s apparent there’s a different variable at play. In this case, it’s a significant portion of time spent aging in ex-plum liqueur barrels, a practice other Hibiki bottles don’t include.

Hibiki 17

SRP: $150
Street Price: $450-$600
Year Introduced: 1989
Production: Discontinued

The discontinuation of Hibiki 17 was perhaps the biggest Japanese whisky news of 2018, and for good reason. It’s the benchmark Hibiki — an award-getting bottle that shows off the power of Japanese whisky making technique and, more specifically, the Mizunara oak tree.

Whisky aged in Mizunara casks is thought to need more time to reach its potential than traditional aging types; thus, the older the Hibiki expression, the more Mizunara characteristic. In this case, that means a spirit with a weighty body, heavy coconut and sandalwood aroma and a balanced sweet- and spice-driven taste profile.

Hibiki 21

SRP: $250
Street Price: $850-$1,100
Year Introduced: 1989
Production: Ongoing

If a betting man were to put money on the next discontinuation domino to fall, it’d be on Hibiki 21. The oldest of the U.S.-available Hibiki products carries a significantly more wood-driven (Mizunara especially) flavor than the 17 or the 12. Its finish is more drawn out, and the sweet and bright notes you get at first sip with Harmony and the 12 don’t show up as quickly. But 21 isn’t what one would call overoaked — Hibiki’s trademark floral acidity cuts through the richness. If you’re able to order a pour at a bar, do so neat for the full experience.

Hakushu

Suntory’s Hakushu distillery is hidden under a mountain in central Japan’s Yamanashi Prefecture. The whisky made there is defined by its intensely forested environment and, more pragmatically, peated malt. Hakushu is the only whisky in the Suntory profile that utilizes peated malt (the company imports it from Scotland), but thanks to exceptionally low mineral content water flowing from Mount Kaikomagatake and a much lower peat level, it’s intentionally tamer than the peat bombs Scotch drinkers may be used to.

Hakushu 12

SRP: $85
Street Price: $125-$200
Year Introduced: 1994
Production: Discontinued

The first of two U.S.-distributed Hakushu offerings, 12 offers up what the Hakushu line’s deep green bottle promises: freshness. On the nose and palate, 12 is bursting with Hakushu’s rich terroir — pine, mint, grass, chamomile, rosemary and lemon. The peat comes through most on the nose and finish, where it amounts to a background profile flavor. Hakushu 12 was discontinued May of 2018, but it can still be found with a little digging. Just expect a considerable markup.

Hakushu 18

SRP: $250
Street Price: $400-$600
Year Introduced: 1994
Production: Ongoing

This expression is the exact same base spirit as 12, just six years older. It’s also three- to five-times the price. The 18-year-old channels the 12-year-old bottle’s freshness, and goes deeper. It’s fresh herbal notes become dried herbal notes and the citrus is replaced with a big, ripe sweetness. The peat is still there, but shows up more on first tasting than it does near the end of a glass.

Yamazaki

Located in a Kyoto suburb, the Yamazaki Distillery is the birthplace of Japanese whisky. Its many-layered whiskies serve as an introductory course to Japanese whisky — light-bodied, clean, rich in fruit and floral quality with varying degrees of spice. Yamazaki whisky isn’t as distinctive as Hakushu and it isn’t as poetic as Hibiki, but it’s an idealistic interpretation of what Japanese whisky is and should be.

Yamazaki 12

SRP: $85
Street Price: $125-$200
Year Introduced: 1984
Production: Ongoing

The most popular Japanese single malt in the world was also the first. Yamazaki 12 is primarily made up of whisky aged in American oak and ex-bourbon casks, with trace amounts of whisky coming from Olorosso or Mizunara casks. For Westerners, this lends it a slightly more familiar flavor — at least initially. What follows are the rich, standard markers for Japanese whisky: delicate fruit, light spice and a long, sherry-driven finish.

Yamazaki 18

SRP: $250
Street Price: $500-$1,000
Year Introduced: 1984
Production: Discontinued

The 18-year-old expression nails the same profile as the 12-year-old, but the order is reversed. Instead of sherry on the back-end, it’s the first thing you taste. The followup is a swell of barrel-derived flavor compounds picked up from six more years in casks: vanilla, coconut, butterscotch, toffee and so on. As with Hibiki 17 and up, the Mizunara cask impact is greater than on the 18 than the 12, with loads of sandalwood that stay with you from nosing to the finish.

Yamazaki 25

SRP: $1,600
Street Price: $7,500+
Year Introduced: 1984
Production: Ongoing

Forwarning: you will (likely) never drink this expression. Everything about Yamazaki 25 is excessive (the color is literally darker than the barrels it’s aged in). One of the few Japanese whiskies that could fairly be described as oak-aggressive, the 25-year-old bottling packs a payload unlike its younger counterparts — heavy wood tannin astringency, deep sweetness as all stages of tasting and a consistent sherry bite that cuts through all of it. If you want to try it, your best bet is to patron a well-stocked bar and order a pour. Otherwise, a bottle will run you upward of $7,500 in store, or $10,000-plus online.

Other Notable Bottles

Kakubin

SRP: Not Available in the US
Year Introduced: 1937
Production: Ongoing

Think of Kakubin as Japan’s Jim Beam White Label — it’s cheap, available everywhere and just good enough to mix with soda for a decent drink. Effectively the second Japanese whisky ever made, its light body and slightly spicy profile were built to mix into a highball and cut through the carbonation just enough. It’s unavailable in U.S. stores, though you could buy this online from a number of sites, but prices are far exaggerated from Kakubin’s status as a convenience store whisky in its home country. Our advice: wait until you make it to Japan yourself before picking up bottles. Its price means it the perfect bulk buy, and its story makes it an ideal travel gift.

Toki

SRP: $35
Street Price: $35-$50
Year Introduced: 2016
Production: Ongoing

Suntory designed Toki to do one thing extraordinarily well: mix in highballs. After all, Japan’s favorite way to consume whiskey — which entails mixing a few ounces of whisky with a few ounces of club soda (lemon spritz optional) — was not a prudent way to use up more mature bottles. Toki is primarily made up of Hakushu malted whiskies and a heavy helping of Chita grain whisky (Chita can be purchased as its own expression in Japan), giving it a springy, velvety nose and mouthfeel with enough spice to cut through soda and ice dilution. The mixture is finished with trace amounts of Yamazaki aged in American oak and Spanish sherry casks. Available in nearly any decent liquor store, it’s perhaps the only Japanese party whisky.

Chita

SRP: Not Available in the US
Year Introduced: 2015
Production: Ongoing

For blending purposes, Chita grain whisky serves as dashi; it’s the whisky equivalent to broth in a stew — a flavorful foundation, but not the star of the show. In 2015, Suntory decided to bottle a single grain variant to sell in Japan (it hasn’t made it to the States yet). No one would recommend it for sipping neat or on the rocks, but it’s a perfectly capable highball whisky, especially if you prefer more passive flavor profiles. Tasting Chita also serves as an education tool for those aiming to understand the building blocks of Japanese whisky, as it’s presence is easy to miss in Hibiki and Toki bottlings.

Yamazaki Distiller’s Reserve

SRP: Not Available in the US
Year Introduced: 2014
Production: Ongoing

You’ll notice a pattern with Suntory’s most recent whisky releases: no age statements. Unavailable in the U.S., Yamazaki Distiller’s Reserve is essentially Yamazaki Light. It’s composed of the stuff that goes into the more mature expressions, but it lacks the depth brought on by said maturation. It’s a good place to start trying Yamazaki, and one that, if you find yourself in Japan, won’t break the bank.

Hakushu Distiller’s Reserve

SRP: Not Available in the US
Year Introduced: 2014
Production: Ongoing

This is just like Yamazaki Distiller’s Reserve but made entirely with Hakushu whiskies. It carries the huge green notes and mild peatiness of its older catalog mates, but it has a much quicker, one note finish. Also like the Yamazaki, less complexity isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

The Best Everyday Bourbon Whiskeys Are Affordable and Easy to Find

Bourbon culture is a lot like sneaker culture. We wait in lines, enter raffles and hunt on secondary markets for bottles with the words “Limited Edition” etched in gold leaf (or we get a Task Rabbit to do the deed for us).

For everyday whiskey drinkers not part of the Instagram #crotchshot generation, frustration can set in. What must the layman do to buy even the most humble of allocated bottles? An answer can be gleaned from the WOPR supercomputer in WarGames — “the only winning move is not to play.”

Maybe it’s time we all embraced the anti-hype: The lower-middle shelf. The bourbon normcore. Because the best whiskey isn’t the stuff flipped for hundreds of dollars on your local Facebook group. It’s in those bottles that are always on the shelf, always reasonably priced and always good. Here are five standbys.

Wild Turkey 101

Price: $20-$25
Proof: 101
Age: 6-, 7-, 8-year-old blend

Somehow, someway, the whiskey you drank at college is cool among bourbon bros. It isn’t without reason. Wild Turkey’s high-proof, low-cost 101 blends 6-, 7- and 8-year old whiskeys, and it is made with the same mashbill, barrel char and process as all its other whiskey (both high- and low-end). There isn’t a bottle at you local liquor store that packs more flavor into every dollar than 101. The $20 to $25 bottle, bursting with vanilla, oak and black pepper, is the perfect gateway into high-powered bourbon.

Elijah Craig Small Batch

Price: $25-$30
Proof: 94
Age: 8- to 12-year-old blend

After a long stint as an oaky 12-year-old whiskey, Elijah Craig Small Batch lost its age statement in 2016. This wasn’t well-received by the bourbon community, but the bottle has remained the same proof and price as it was then, and it’s better than almost everything it sits next to on the shelf.

The contemporary expression is a composite of 8- to 12-year-old juice. It’s both an excellent table whiskey and appetizer for Heaven Hill’s harder-hitting bottles (namely, the Elijah Craig Barrel Proof). Given the price, you can mix it without guilt, though its flavor is good enough to drink out of a snifter.

Four Roses Small batch

Price: $30-$35
Proof: 90
Age: 6-, 7-year-old blend

Five expressions comprise Four Roses’s permanent whiskey portfolio, which scales linearly in price and, to most drinker’s minds, quality. Between the Yellow Label and Single Barrel offerings lies Small Batch, a high- and low-rye blend an 6- to 7-year-old bourbons. According to Four Roses Master Distiller Brent Elliot, the final mix is a dead-even split of two mashbills and a 70-30 split of the distillery’s K (slight spice) and O (rich fruit) yeast strains. The final result is an equally warm, dry, sweet, caramel-forward bottle that’s remained remarkably consistent over time.

Knob Creek Single Barrel

Price: $35-$45
Proof: 120
Age: 9-years-old

One could argue that Knob Creek’s Single Barrel Reserve doesn’t deserve a place on this list — especially when the standard Knob Creek straight bourbon is a perfectly good alternative. To hell with that.

This carries a 9-year age statement, the allure of the single barrel, near cask strength proof (120!) and an easy-to-like brown sugar taste. All that for $35 to $45 is a steal in today’s bourbon environment, and you’d be a fool not to buy it. Sip Single Barrel straight, with an ice cube or mix into an Old Fashioned — the baking spice richness works nicely with the orange.

Old Forester Signature 100

Price: $25-$30
Proof: 100
Age: No age information available

Signature 100 is the modern history of bourbon in a bottle. After the federal government signed the Bottled In Bond Act of 1897 into law, Old Forester juiced its staple offering from 90 proof to 100 proof to meet the new standard. But when drinkers began favoring lighter spirits — vodka, rum and the like — the whiskey category tanked, and Old Forester was forced to blend its whiskey down to 86 proof. As the whiskey industry returned, so did Signature 100 — a stouter, older (though still without an age statement), more flavorful version of the easy-drinking 86 proof offering. Its initial taste and finish are characterized by a caramel richness and fruit sweetness. Find it anywhere for $25 to $30.

Note: Purchasing products through our links may earn us a portion of the sale, which supports our editorial team’s mission. Learn more here.

How to Buy Better Beer, According to a Bottle Shop Owner

My first visit to a bottle shop was in college, right after I turned 21, with a friend who had the beer bug as bad as me. The rows of bottles behind the frosted glass, the hum of the refrigeration, the watchful eye of the owner — all together, it cast a spell on us. We were suddenly giddy, like kids in a beer-filled candy shop.

Then we were overwhelmed. This is the problem with the best bottle shops: you’re spoiled for choice. But it’s better than what you’ll sometimes find elsewhere: overpriced beer, old bottles (so-called “shelf turds”), asshole patrons or, worse, asshole owners. Oftentimes, it’s enough to drive you to the corner store, where the selections might suck, but at least you’re not harried about beer, of all things.

A better solution: find the right bottle shop, and go from there.

ABC Beer Co., in Manhattan, has been open for seven years. It’s one of the best beer stores in New York City, replete with well-stocked coolers, a small bar, communal seating and tasty bites. Zach Mack, its cofounder, says things have only changed for the better since they opened. “Seven years ago, there were fewer beer options out there, and people considered themselves a lot less knowledgeable,” he says. “Now, people who didn’t drink beer back then are drinking sours, saisons, all sorts of stuff. It’s widened the market.” We asked him how to navigate the craft bottle shop scene. Here are some of his tips.

Don’t be crippled by indecision, embrace it. The reality is, at a good bottle shop, there’s too much to choose from. “Sometimes I get FOMO standing in front of my own refrigerators,” Mack says. “I sit there for upwards of 25 minutes. People are like, ‘don’t you own this place?’”

It’s fun to take your time. “When I was growing up,” Mack says, “I loved walking around record stores, and bookstores, spending time perusing shelves and seeing what jumped out. The act of standing in front of products is quickly vanishing from lives. I revel in doing that with beer. And the same path to discovery can happen at a bottle shop. Sometimes, if I stand there long enough, I end up picking something I never knew I wanted.”

Pay attention to freshness. More breweries and distributors are worrying about freshness than ever before. You should, too. “It matters more for specific styles,” Mack says. “IPAs need to be as fresh as possible. Barrel-aged stouts are a different story.”

“Some breweries use cryptic, strange systems,” Mack adds. One prominent example is the Julian code, which is based on the day of the year. December 21 would be 365. “It’s more of a European thing, but it’s happening in the U.S., too,” he says.

Consult a human, not an app. “Don’t go on an app and double check to what people say you should buy,” Mack says. “God forbid you’re shopping for a pilsner, and look it up. Apparently, all pilsners in the world are mediocre at best.”

Have a human interaction instead. “Talk to other shoppers and ask what they like. Certainly ask the staff. Any place worth shopping at will have knowledgeable employees. Some of the best beers I’ve had are from asking someone to point me to the last thing they had that really opened their eyes.”

Subscribe to a newsletter. Yes, newsletters can make you cringe. But a bottleshop letter is the best way to keep up to date about what’s coming and going. “We use our newsletter to let people know which new breweries are available, cue big releases and update about special events,” Mack says. Following your local shop on social media, where they’ll often post about upcoming releases, can give you a leg up, too.

Become a regular — but don’t expect special treatment. “We have a bunch of regulars who are good, friendly people,” Mack says. “You don’t have to spend a ton of money to be a regular. It’s about engaging in a positive way. They let me know what type of beer they’re interested in, and ask politely that they’d love to be made aware if I can get it in.”

Just don’t get too comfortable. “Spend a few nights drinking with the owner, become their buddy, but at the same time, know that that doesn’t guarantee any special treatment,” Mack says.

Widen your horizons for shops, not just beers. “Your spot doesn’t have to be a hip bottle shop,” Mack says. “It could be a guy who’s passionate about beer at your local grocery store. Explore all avenues, and don’t settle for something you don’t like.”

Non-Chill Filtered Bourbon Is the Natural Wine of the Whiskey World

Hunched over a small white table with an eyedropper and two Glencairn glasses half-full of Four Roses bourbon, Master Distiller Brent Elliot conducted a science experiment. “A little cold water and you’ll see what I’m talking about,” he said.

Elliot dabbed five drops into one of the glasses, swirled and waited. “There!” he said. “You see that? That’s the cloudiness we’re talking about.”

The occasion was the release of Four Roses’s first new mainline bottle in over a decade, but the subject was the words emblazoned in capital letters on the bottleneck: NON-CHILL FILTERED.

During the fermentation, distillation and barrel-aging processes, spirits develop trace byproducts that take the shape of acetone, esters, tannins, fatty lipids and other particles, collectively called congeners. Non-chill filtered spirits are those spirits that have not had those naturally occurring congeners sieved from them — sort of like natural wine. The effects congeners have on taste is up for debate — some argue filtering them out is tantamount to limiting the depth of flavor, others say their effect is mostly imagined.

Related Video: 3 Affordable, Must-Buy Bourbons

Including Heaven Hill Old-Style Bourbon, a non-chill filtered spirit found only in Kentucky – for about $10.

In the early days of bourbon filtration, the chief concern was aesthetic: non-chill filtered whiskeys become cloudy at lower temperatures, leading customers to believe there was something awry with the whiskey inside. Chill filtering these particles out of the whiskey became been standard procedure for bourbon makers for 100-plus years hence.

“Some distilleries and brands will lock onto [non-chill filtering] more than others,” said Clay Whittaker, whiskey writer and frequent contributor for Men’s Journal, Town & Country and more. “These places are the ones thinking about authenticity — the most real version of the whiskey.”

Elliot believes non-chill filtering has an effect, but that it may be different — more pronounced or more subdued — depending on the person. “A lot of our customers feel that non-chill-filtered bourbon offers a more natural bourbon experience because nothing has been removed — you know, heavier mouthfeel, more woody flavors, but it’s not a question of good or bad.”

Because of the enormous cost associated with chill filtration equipment, the craft distilling community (that is, those craft distillers that make their own whiskey) has largely skipped chill filtration wholesale. Andy Nelson’s award darling of a distillery, Belle Meade, is one such company. And despite offering a full line of non-chill filtered juice, Nelson is on the same page as Elliot.

“Subtlety is the keyword. It’s fully dependent on the person tasting the booze. If you drink the same spirit side-by-side, one chill filtered and one non-chill filtered, you’ll feel it,” he said, “It’s a mouthfeel thing for me — like the difference between a well-marbled steak and a steak on the leaner side.”

With the new non-chill filtered Four Roses, Weller’s forthcoming non-chill filtered Full Proof and a swell of offerings from craft distillers forgoing chill filtration, it’s easy to call NCF bourbon a trend. Whittaker says it may be trendy, but it’s not a trend itself. Rather, he says, it’s a smaller part of a larger bourbon movement — portfolio diversification.

“Whiskey nerds, budding or otherwise, want to try variations of things. They want to learn by exposing themselves to as many versions of something as possible. It’s another tool in a distiller’s toolset, not an all-or-nothing thing.” Here are a handful of non-chill filtered bottles to get yourself acquainted to the category.

Bottles to Try

Four Roses Small Batch Select

Small Batch Select is the decendant of a transcendent bottle of bourbon. The Four Roses 130th Anniversary Limited Edition release stormed award shows last year, eventually claiming the title “World’s Best Bourbon” from the World Whiskies Awards. Small Batch Select is bottled at a similar proof (104 to 108) and is made with each of the same mashbill and yeast strains associated with the limited release (for more info on Four Roses recipes, go here).

New Riff Distilling Bottled-in-Bond

“Nonetheless, if New Riff is not on your radar, you need to follow them. They’re one of the most exciting new distilleries in the world.” Bourbon writer and personality Fred Minnick’s words on New Riff after earning itself some silverware at San Francisco’s World Spirits Competition this year. It’s Double Gold-winning Bottled-in-Bond bourbon is made with a 30 percent rye mashbill, imparting it with a tasteful blend of mellow corn and warm baking spices.

High West Prairie

High West was early in the craft distilling game, and it shows. The Utah distillery’s range of whiskeys embraces the atypical — a bourbon blended with peaty smoke scotch, a genuinely wild mix of very young and very old ryes and this vanilla-bomb of a mid-proof, sourced bourbon.

Belle Meade Madeira Cask Finish

Belle Meade just wants you to try their whiskeys in as many ways as they can afford to give them to you. The Nashville distillery’s madeira-finished bourbon is a blend of six- and nine-year-old high-rye whiskeys. You won’t get the madeira on the nose, but after the first sip it’s front and center with deep blackberry and dark cherry notes.

Bulleit Barrel Strength

If you’ve really acclimated yourself to Bulleit’s brand of bourbon whiskey, you’re in for a treat. The brand’s barrel strength offering is Bulleit with the pedal to the metal. Clocking in anywhere from 115 to 125, it’s the richest way to experience one of the most controversial bourbon labels in America.

Booker’s Shiny Barrel Batch

Booker’s is the grandaddy of all the high proof bourbons flooding the market. Introduced in 1988 at a then-ludicrous $40 clip, today it’s the first bourbon mentioned in any conversation around barrel strength booze. Released in quarterly batches, the Shiny Barrel Batch is one of the easiest drinking Booker’s in a while. As ridiculous as it sounds, its marked 124 proof is a good bit lower than the usual 130-plus. Sip it neat with a few drops of cold water to bring out its famed peanut-heavy foundational note.

Note: Purchasing products through our links may earn us a portion of the sale, which supports our editorial team’s mission. Learn more here.

The Best Booze We Drank This Month: May, 2019

Every month, a huge amount of booze moves through the Gear Patrol offices — beer, wine and a whole lot of whiskey. Here are a few of our favorites.

George Dickel Bottled-in-Bond

In order to qualify for Bottled-in-Bond status, a whiskey needs to be 100 proof, the product of a single distillation season by a single distiller at a single distillery and aged in a bonded warehouse under federal government supervision for at least four years. This means that most Bottled-in-Bond offerings don’t typically advertise age statements, as most aren’t pushing far beyond that 4-year minimum.

George Dickel’s new bottle overachieves to the tune of a 13-year-old age statement and a strangely reasonable $36 retail price. If you like Dickel, you’ll like this bottle a lot — the added years in the barrel mellow its infamous mineral-heavy finish and lets its low-rye mashbill do most of the heavy lifting. It’s not going to be the best bourbon you drink all year, but it might be the best under $40. It’s rolling out to specific markets now.

Haus Citrus + Flower Aperitif

New apéritif label Haus wants to undercut Aperol in the casual, low-alcohol, easy-drinking cocktail game. Citrus + Flower, its first flavor, is an all-natural blend of chardonnay grapes, meyer lemon, grapefruit, elderflower, hibiscus, cinnamon and low amounts of cane sugar (its sugar content is effectively one-seventh that of Aperol’s).

Substitute it in for your usual fare in a range of more complex cocktails, or just pour it over ice with a lime wedge and let the herbs and aromatics do the work. Through a weird loophole in alcohol sales law, Haus is able to be sold directly to you online, which will the first time true direct-to-consumer booze has ever cropped up in the states. If you want a bottle, you’ll need to drop your email on the brand’s site to get in line.

Wolves Whiskey First Run

The first expression from this nascent whiskey label is intentionally weird. A blend of whiskey distilled from stout beer aged in French oak barrels for 8 years, whiskey distilled from Pilsner beer aged in classic American oak for 5 years and an especially spicy rye, Wolves “First Run” hits classic whiskey notes with an atypical body. Marko Karakasevic and his family’s hyper-unique alambic still — only five exist in the States — are to thank for that.

The distillate is made slowly over a 10-day period with plenty of cuts in between. And because it’s distilled from beer, it exudes a hoppiness on the nose that is completely unique to it. Less than 900 bottles of the First Run are available and retails at a heavy $150, but it’s likely one of the most unique bottles of whiskey you can get your hands on.

Note: Purchasing products through our links may earn us a portion of the sale, which supports our editorial team’s mission. Learn more here.

The 25 Beers You Need to Try Before You Die

Developing an interest in beer comes down to the right beers in the right circumstances, same as anything. So we asked a dozen masters of beer and brewing to name which beers every drinker should try at least once in their lifetime. Some of them are basic, the beers that give you a baseline and hold your hand as you try more complex and obscure styles. Others are simply the most notable examples of brewers pushing the limits of science and taste.

Editor’s Note: Some responses have been edited for clarity and length.

3 Fonteinen Oude Gueuze Cuvée Armand & Gaston

Style: Gueuze
ABV: 6%
Brewery Location: Beersel, Belgium
“The first time I shared a 3 Fonteinen Oude Gueuze with my wife years ago, she handed it back and told me it smelled like burnt cat hair. Gueuze, of course, can be an acquired taste with its mashup of minerality, acidity, and deep earthy funk. But this new take on oude gueuze from the best gueuze blender in the business is really something spectacular. Soft lemon and stone fruit notes peek out from a body with just a touch of caramelized malt, while a tightly edited acidity is a constant reminder of just how heavy-handed some American brewers are with their ‘sour’ beer.” — Jamie Bogner, cofounder and editorial director of Craft Beer & Brewing

The Alchemist Heady Topper

Style: Double IPA
ABV: 8%
Brewery Location: Stowe, VT
“Do we need more lists that include Heady, the venerable Vermont IPA that helped usher in the NEIPA craze? Yes, yes we do. If we’re talking beers you need to try, why not try one that was once considered the most sought-after beer out there? While you may (or may not) get a better beer from The Alchemist’s neighbors in Vermont — Foam, Hill Farmstead — it’s fun to taste a brew that was once the center of the beer universe.” — Cory Smith, beer writer and photographer

Allagash White

Style: Witbier
ABV: 5.1%
Brewery Location: Portland, ME
“This is probably the most important beer in the history of American craft brewing. If you care about Belgian-American beers, unfiltered brews or fiercely independent business in any way, shape or form, you owe it to yourself to drink White. It also happens to be as tasty, refreshing and versatile as it’s been for the past [two decades].” — Alex Delany, associate web editor at Bon Appétit

Badische Staatsbrauerei Rothaus AG Rothaus Pils

Style: Pilsner
ABV: 5.1%
Brewery Location: Grafenhausen-Rothaus, Germany
“This beer is over 60 years old and still an elegant representation of a classic German pilsner. Brewed in Germany’s Black Forest, it’s as crisp and refreshing as it gets. We always try to keep some on hand at home and at the brewery as it’s a wonderful beer to share after a long shift, or with friends when entertaining at home.” — Dino Funari, founder of Vitamin Sea Brewing

Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier

Style: Hefeweizen
ABV: 5.4%
Brewery Location: Freising, Germany
“This German wheat beer is hazy, fluffy and fruity, with no bitterness at all — nearly 1,000 years before the invention of New England-style IPA! Founded in 1040, the brewery was housed in an old monastery and is now owned by the German government.” — Jason Synan, brewer and co-owner of Hudson Valley Brewery

Birrificio Italiano Tipopils

Style: Pilsner
ABV: 5.2%
Brewery Location: Province of Como, Italy
“A wonderful example of an often produced but tough-to-nail style. Tipopils from Birrificio is certainly special among ‘normal’ beers. It’s more full in body than many of its pilsner counterparts, and it provides waves of malt flavors throughout the palate with a perfect Nobel hop spice and bitterness that tickles the tastebuds. Straight up, this beer rules.” — Andrew Witchey, founder of Dancing Gnome Beer

Bottle Logic Fundamental Observation

Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 13.2%
Brewery Location: Anaheim, CA
“I first had this beer at a bottle share around the time of Great Notion’s opening. I’ve had a fair number of imperial stouts in the past, but this one surprised me. Since then, I’ve gotten to know the guys from Bottle Logic, and I realize how crazy they are. They use an insane amount of vanilla beans in each bourbon barrel, which, with time, take on a really cool toasted marshmallow flavor. For me, this beer sets the standard for barrel-aged imperial stouts.” — James Dugan, cofounder and cobrewer at Great Notion Brewing

Brasserie de la Senne Taras Boulba

Style: Belgian Pale Ale
ABV: 4.5%
Brewery Location: Brussels, Belgium
“I only recently tried Tara Boulba but it was an eye-opening experience. A beer with a soft hay-like malt character, a grassy brightness from the hops and a touch of earthiness from the yeast that adds some complexity. It’s a shining example of all the ingredients that make beer melding in perfect harmony to create something greater than the sum of its parts.” — Sofia Barbaresco, general manager at Industrial Arts Brewing

Brasserie d’Orval S.A. Orval

Style: Belgian Pale Ale
ABV: 6.2%
Brewery Location: Florenville, Belgium
“One of the first beers I remember trying that had Brettanomyces in it. Eye opening. Balanced hoppiness when it is young, leaning towards a lovely funkiness as it ages. It might take more than one bottle understand profundity of it all. — Anthony Accardi, cofounder and fermentologist at Transmitter Brewing

Brasserie Dupont sprl Saison Dupont

Style: Saison
ABV: 6.5%
Brewery Location: Leuze-en-Hainaut, Belgium
“One of the most iconic bottle-conditioned beers, offering bright spritzy carbonation with aromatics and a flavor profile that embodies a farmhouse ale. This beer transcends seasons and is a must on everyone’s list.” — Scott Jones, cofounder of Triple Crossing Brewing

Brasserie Thiriez Extra

Style: Saison
ABV: 4.5%
Brewery Location: Esquelbecq, France
“Thiriez, the French farmhouse brewery that was doing hoppy saisons before any stateside brewers caught on to the magic, is possibly the most under-loved and under-appreciated brewery in the world. Extra is the archetype for the modern hoppy saison: unbelievably grassy, dank and yeasty. Drinking Daniel Thiriez’s brew gives context to an entire style of now-ubiquitous American beer.” — Alex Delany, associate web editor at Bon Appétit

Brauerei Spezial Rauchbier

Style: German Rauchbier
ABV: 4.7%
Brewery Location: Bamberg, Germany
“Every drinker should get out of their comfort zone and try a smoked beer. And this, in my opinion, is the best example in the world.” — Steve Luke, head brewer and owner of Cloudburst Brewing

Brouwerij Rodenbach N.V. Rodenbach Classic

Style: Flanders Red
ABV: 5.2%
Brewery Location: Roeselare, Belgium
“I found this on draft at The Ginger Man in New York City not knowing what I was in for in terms of flavor profile and experience. When I see it on draft today, I order it to bring back the experience of astonishment and revelation that tasting that beer had on me.” — Anthony Accardi, cofounder and fermentologist at Transmitter Brewing

Brouwerij Verhaeghe Duchesse De Bourgogne

Style: Flanders Red
ABV: 6.2%
Brewery Location: Vichte, Belgium
“Fans of contemporary American sour ales (read: fruited kettle sours) will love this classic from West Flanders in Belgium. Balancing yogurt-like acidity and sweetness, Duchesse tastes a lot like Sour Patch Kids.” — Jason Synan, brewer and co-owner of Hudson Valley Brewery

Daisy Cutter Half Acre

Style: Pale Ale
ABV: 5.2%
Brewery Location: Chicago, IL
“The beer scene has certainly exploded over the last two years, let alone five, but Half Acre, just outside of Chicago, has been putting out phenomenal product for over a decade. Daisy Cutter is a near-perfect example of an American Pale Ale that checks all boxes. Pronounced and balanced bitterness, a dry and refreshing finish and, perhaps most importantly, an explosion of flavor that’s palatable for everyone. This one is for sure a desert-island beer.” — Andrew Witchey, founder of Dancing Gnome Beer

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout

Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 15.2%
Brewery Location: Chicago, IL
“Completely side-stepping the whole craft vs big beer debate, this beer is a benchmark for what barrel-aged stout can be. It created and defined an entire category and needs to be tried at least once.” — Cory Smith, beer writer and photographer

Hill Farmstead Citra

Style: IPA
ABV: 6.3%
Brewery Location: Greensboro Bend, Vermont
“It’s just perfection. The best representation of any single hop variety I’ve had in a beer. It smells like a citrus grove in bloom and tastes like perfectly ripe peaches. The finish is soft and slightly acidic, making your mouth water for another drink. It’s magic.” — Kyle Jefferson, owner and brewer of Pueblo Vida Brewing Company

Jester King Le Petit Prince

Style: Table Beer
ABV: 2.9%
Brewery Location: Austin, TX
“It’s a complex 2.9-percent farmhouse table beer that I could have on my dinner table for the rest of my life; the beer pairs well with any meal. Soft and delicate, yet full of flavor and funk. The brewers at Jester King are basically just showing off. It’s the hardest style to execute and they perfected it.” — Kyle Jefferson, owner and brewer of Pueblo Vida Brewing Company

Kane Brewing Mexican Brunch

Style: Imperial Milk Porter
ABV: 9.2%
Brewery Location: Ocean, NJ
“This is my favorite offering from our New Jersey friends at Kane and one of the best dark beers in the country. Kane does a great job balancing the flavors from a rich base beer with the delicate flavors of the adjuncts. Try it, if you can get your hands on a bottle!” — Eric Ruta, owner of Magnify Brewing

Perennial Abraxas

Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 10%
Brewery Location: Saint Louis, MO
“Easily one of the most consistently delicious stouts year after year. Abraxas tends to dodge the “pastry stout” moniker because it manages to stay balanced despite the number of adjuncts.” — John Paradiso, managing editor of Hop Culture

Sante Adairius Rustic Ales Saison Bernice

Style: Saison
ABV: 6.5%
Brewery Location: Capitola, CA
“One day, back when I lived in the Bay Area, I found myself at Toronado on Haight Street. The bartender served me my first Saison Bernice and I was blown away. I remember sipping it slowly, appreciating every nuance, and it changed my idea about what a saison could be. The beauty of it is in its balance: you get a mix of funky Brett, bright acidity and classic farmhouse character. As I try to achieve that level of balance in our mix culture beer, this beer still inspires me.” — James Dugan, cofounder and cobrewer at Great Notion Brewing

Schneeeule Brauerie Marlene

Style: Berliner Weisse
ABV: 3%
Brewery Location: Berlin, Germany
“Schneeeule is making some amazing Berliner Weisse in Berlin, and Marlene is a great example of the style. If you enjoy the beer younger side you might find it has a touch of acidity, but if you let it age longer, you might be able to enjoy a more pronounced acidity and carbonation.” — Alex Wallash, cofounder of The Rare Barrel

Side Project Bière du Pays

Style: Saison
ABV: 4%
Brewery Location: Maplewood, MO
“While there are plenty of Side Project beers you could spend an excessive amount of time and money chasing, this dry and lightly tart exploration into the interaction of Brettanomyces and hops is, for me, one of the most beautiful expressions of mixed culture fermentation there is. Bright citrus notes buoyed by the gentle acidity lay over a crisp malt bed with a touch of spicy Brettanomyces notes to give it structure. Pop open a bottle outside on an early summer afternoon with a friend or two, as this is a beer to drink by the glass, not by the taster.” — Jamie Bogner, cofounder and editorial director of Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Style: Pale Ale
ABV: 5.6%
Brewery Location: Chico, California
“No matter if I buy this beer at a gas station off a highway exit ramp, a grocery store or an airport, the quality is guaranteed to be the same: impeccable.” – Josh Bernstein, author of The Complete Beer Course and Complete IPA: The Guide to Your Favorite Craft Beer

Yeast of Eden Family Miner

Style: Grisette
ABV: 4.2%
Brewery Location: Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
“This is my favorite grisette because it’s both complex yet crushable, with a hint of acidity … it can really fit whatever mood you have for a beer. If you’re new to the grisette beer style, you can think of a grisette as something like a sessionable saison.” — Alex Wallash, cofounder of The Rare Barrel

Does Beer on Draft Actually Taste Better?

Today’s craft beer scene is overwhelming. Even for those with a grasp on hop varieties and local breweries, combing through a tap list can induce decision paralysis. But if there’s one thing that should guide an order, it’s freshness. Draft beer has long been heralded as the best option, whether for mouthfeel, pressure control or a foamy head. Now that so many craft breweries are choosing cans over bottles and kegs, is draft still considered “better?”

The answer, it turns out, isn’t so clear cut. Style — specifically when it relates to a beer’s hop content — influences the shelf life of a beer, as does packaging. Your best bet is to consult with the bartender. Robert Sherrill, beverage director of Covenhoven, a Brooklyn-based craft beer bar with 16 rotating taps and a fridge stocked with over 200 local, national and imported cans and bottles, explains.

Q: Is draft beer always better?
A: Draft beer is definitely better than bottled, but canned can be better than draft. It depends. If you look at trends, locally and nationally, most breweries are moving to canning beers. What that allows for is a proper seal. Even in a glass bottle, oxygen can leak in. So flushing cans with carbon dioxide and sealing a beer shut keeps it fresher for longer. Cans also prevent light from getting in, which can be an issue with bottles, even brown bottles. Light and oxygen are the enemies of beer.

Draft beers usually move faster, and if you’re replacing kegs more often, that usually means fresher beer. So, in terms of quality and turnover, it’s draft, then cans, then bottles.

Q: Are there particular styles that move faster than others?
A: IPAs are king. They have been for a number of years, at least in the craft market, and particularly in New York. Pilsners tend to be very popular, too; and I’ve recently had more and more people coming in asking for sours on draft.

Generally speaking, for an IPA, you want to consume it within a month of it being brewed. Hop quality begins to fade after about 30 days. Beyond that, freshness ranges according to style and hops. That information will usually come from the brewery, printed on a can or bottle. Sours like lambics can age for years; a traditional lambic is a one-year-aged beer that’s blended with a three-years-aged beer and then aged for another year. The same goes for big imperial stouts — you can hold those for five or 10 years. Some bars, like [Covenhoven], keep stuff. I have a case of beer in the cellar that my predecessor instructed us not to open until 2024 — it’s Anchor Old Foghorn Barleywine.

Q: Are local beers usually indicative of freshness?
A: Yes and no. Local beer has a tendency to be more fresh, but it has to be good beer to be fresh enough that you’ll go through kegs of it.

Q: What about year-round versus seasonal releases?
A: All beer is fresh when it first comes out. I don’t pay attention to seasonal releases; I pay attention to what the season is and order from there. You’re more likely to get a fresher witbier in the summer than in the winter, for example.

Q: What sort of questions should someone ask a bartender in order to get the best or freshest beer?
A: First, let the bartender know what type of beer you like. People often ask what I like best, but every palate is different. Knowing what kind of beer you like gives the bartender a starting point, even if it’s Heineken or Guinness. Any good beer bar will allow you a few tastes before deciding on a beer, so you should always taste before committing to something.

Choosing the right bar is also really important. You want a staff that’s casual and approachable and knowledgeable, not snooty. Craft beer bars are some of the most inviting, magical places you can go to. They’re filled with cool people gathering and uniting around a beverage, recognizing that [the beer isn’t the reason for being], but that it’s a means to a conversation. And the staff is what drives that dynamic. So picking the right bar, with the right staff, and having a bartender guide you through the process of choosing a beer and expanding your palate is what matters most. It’s not just what you can do to choose a better beer, it’s knowing how to choose the person who’s going to guide you.