New Whiskies, Including Some Unusual Ones, All for $75 or Less

Looking for good, solid whiskies that won’t break the bank? These recent releases are worth stepping out of your go-to lane and exploring something new. All these whiskies have a suggested retail price of $75 or less, and all scored 90 points or above.

93 points - Filmland Spirits Moonlight Mayhem! 2 The White Port Wolf bourbon, 47%, $65

This white port cask-finished 7 year old bourbon comes from Los Angeles-based non-distiller producer and blender Filmland Spirits, which takes inspiration from B-movies. It features a high-rye mashbill, with 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley.

93 points - Knob Eli Manning Bold Pick Cask Strength Single Barrel bourbon (2026), 58.2%, $70

For the NFL fans out there: this Knob Creek single barrel bourbon was made in collaboration with former Giants quarterback Eli Manning. As part of the partnership, Manning tasted through a variety of Knob Creek barrels alongside master distiller Freddie Noe; the two selected a 9 year old bourbon with notes of vanilla, butterscotch, cherry, and espresso, among others.

93 points - Two Stacks Triple Sherry Cask Finish Irish Single Pot Still, 43%, $49

This was aged in bourbon barrels, then parceled and individually finished in oloroso, amontillado, and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks (hence the name Triple Sherry). Two Stacks doesn’t make its own whiskey, but aims to honor Ireland’s history of sourcing, aging, and blending distillate.

92 points - Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (A126) bourbon, 60.2%, $75

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof rye stole our hearts in 2025, when it was named our Whisky of the Year, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the second edition keeps a good thing going. This one is quite a bit hotter than the first release, coming in at 60.2% ABV (compared to 2025’s decidedly lighter 54% ABV).

92 points - Maker’s Mark 7 year 2 month old Cask Strength bourbon, 56.3%, $50

With this whiskey, Maker’s marked a first: it added an age statement to one of its bourbons. While the cask strength has existed since 2014, it’s now a loud and proud 7 year old.

92 points - Killowen Rum & Raisin Irish single malt, 55%, $70

This was distilled at Great Northern Distillery, aged in bourbon barrels, and ultimately finished in a combination of Pedro Ximénez sherry butts and Killowen’s dark rum casks. Consider trying this alongside or over some rum and raisin ice cream.

92 points - Skellig Six 18 Small Batch PX Cask Finished Irish blend, 40%, $40

For this release, Skellig blended sourced single pot still and single grain whiskeys, then gave it a Pedro Ximénez sherry cask finish. Skellig, based in the coastal town of Cahersiveen, takes its name from Skellig Michael, where 6^th-century monks carved 618 steps into rock before building their monastery at the summit.

91 points - Wheel Horse Cigar Blend Sherry, Port, & Armagnac Cask Finished bourbon, 50.5%, $40

The latest cigar blend bourbon from Wheel Horse is its oldest yet at 5 years old; it consists of sourced whiskeys from unnamed Kentucky distilleries, and is finished in a combination of port, cognac, sherry, and armagnac casks. Light up your favorite stogie and enjoy it with a pour of this.

91 points - Lagavulin 11 year old Sweet Peat Bourbon Cask Aged scotch single malt, 43%, $70

We’re well aware that the word peat can be an instant turn-off for some, but Lagavulin wants to ease you into your peat journey with Sweet Peat, which was made with approachability in mind and pulls out sweet notes alongside the peated ones.

90 points - Bardstown Bourbon Co. Origin Series Bottled in Bond bourbon, 50%, $50

Bardstown Bourbon Co.’s 6 year old bottled in bond bourbon is a wheater, featuring a mashbill of 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley. It’s part of the distillery’s Origin Series, which highlights its own-make distillate.

90 points - Bulleit Mesquite Smoked Malt bourbon, 46.5%, $50

Bulleit took a leap with this bourbon: it’s the distillery’s first-ever departure from its signature high-rye bourbon mashbill, instead consisting of 65% corn, 30% mesquite-smoked barley, and 5% malted barley. That mesquite-smoked barley means there’s earth and smoke at play here, making for a fun twist on a classic whiskey.

90 points - Buzzard’s Roost Double Oak bourbon, 50%, $45

In making this bourbon, Buzzard’s Roost sourced distillate from MGP, then finished it in proprietary casks that are specially toasted and feature a lighter char. The resulting whiskey is dessert in a glass.

90 points - Carlyle Master Blender's Selection 16 year old blended scotch, 40%, $35

At just $35, this might be the best value you’ll see for a 16 year old scotch. It’s a blend of more than 20 components, and spent its maturation in bourbon barrels.

90 points - Chattanooga Barrel Finishing Series Triple Islay Cask Finished Blend of Straights blended American whiskey, 55.5%, $90

Part of Chattanooga’s Barrel Finishing Series, this release celebrates Islay. First is the whiskey itself: it’s a 5 year old custom blend of three different peated whiskeys, each made with a unique peated malt sourced from three different UK malthouses. The finish leans into peat even more, with the whiskey seeing secondary maturation in three types of scotch casks from three of the island’s distilleries—a peaty promised land!

90 points - Clan Colla Uasis The Triple blended Irish whiskey, 43%, $46

This sourced blend from Galway’s Ahascragh Distillery contains 50% grain, 25% single pot still, and 25% single malt Irish whiskeys.

90 points - Loch Lomond Triple Oak single malt scotch, 40%, $45

This isn’t a new Loch Lomond, per se, but it did get a facelift and is now part of the brand’s The Original Series. As the name suggests, it’s aged in three types of American oak: first-fill, refill, and re-char.

90 points - Shelby Co. Peaky Blinders bourbon, 45%, $45

If you’ve ever tuned into the Peaky Blinders television series, perhaps you’ll want a taste of the Peaky Blinders whiskey, which was distilled by Kentucky’s Green River Distillery but has Irish influence by way of an Irish whiskey-soaked oak stave finish. The best of both worlds!

90 points - Shortbarrel Four Grain bourbon, 46%, $40

This is a blend of Kentucky bourbons made from corn, rye, wheat, and malted barley. Before bottling, the whiskey saw additional maturation at Shortbarrel’s Atlanta, Georgia-based distillery and tasting room.

90 points - Stoll & Wolfe Pennsylvania rye, 45%, $48

Made from the same recipe and process passed down by legendary Pennsylvania master distiller Dick Stoll, this rye is corn heavy, with a mashbill of 60% rye, 30% corn, and 10% malted barley.

90 points - Traveller No. 40 Full Proof blended American whiskey, 60.5%, $40

The second whiskey from Buffalo Trace and musician Chris Stapleton is bottled at a bold 60.5% ABV, much higher than the flagship’s 45% ABV. The result is a whiskey with more panache than the original, if you can handle the heat.