16 Hot Whiskies to Chase This Fall

As leaves turn and temperatures drop, whisky enthusiasts turn their attention to fall's most anticipated releases. This season's landscape spans the spectrum, from coveted Kentucky bourbons to scotch single malts to American whiskey with experimental cask finishes. While there are a lot of bottles generating much-deserved buzz in 2025, these 16 (presented in no particular order) represent what collectors, enthusiasts, and bar professionals are hunting, pouring, and enjoying.

Old Cassidy Bourbon (2025 Release), 60.5%, $199

This indulgent blend from Rare Character Whiskey Company melds several “exceptional barrels ranging in age,” hand-selected by co-founder Pablo Moix, including 18 year old Kentucky bourbon. Blended by Chad Watson, the final batch comes in at 123 proof, though it noses and drinks far lower. Flavors of sweet cherry syrup and cinnamon buns abound, and the protracted finish is decadent.

Stranahan’s Diamond Peak American Single Malt (2025 Release; Batch 4), 45%, $70

This year’s 6 year old Diamond Peak spent 1.5 to 2 years in a number of Colorado brewers’ casks, including coffee stouts, barley wines, peach ales, and Belgian quads from the likes of Avery, River North, Crooked Stave, and Wild Provisions, all selected by Stranahan’s head blender Justin Aden. The whiskey does an impressive job of delivering multiple flavors from the beers, with ample malt coming through. “Beer lovers ought to love it. It’s viscous and rich, a gratuitous ode to our impressive Colorado brethren,” says Aden. Order it online here.

El Tesoro Mundial Collection Yamazaki Edition Añejo Tequila, 42%, $179

Not a whiskey, but it’s close enough. This collaboration between El Tesoro’s master distiller Jenny Camerena and Suntory’s chief blender Shinji Fukuyo is the fourth Mundial release, and the best yet. El Tesoro’s añejo spent a year resting in 12 year old Yamazaki barrels. The resulting liquid is as divine as it is distinctive. Rich, round, and perfectly balanced, ample floral notes and dark chocolate make this a pour you’ll want on repeat.

Baker’s 13 year old Single Barrel Bourbon (2025 Release), 53.5%, $150

This annual single barrel release from Jim Beam never disappoints. Featuring a low rye mashbill (77% corn, 13% rye, 10% malted barley), this year’s variant perfectly rides the fine line between oaky and astringent, with a balanced blend of bite, spice, and creaminess.

Milam & Greene Provisions Bourbon, 40%, $35

Heather Greene, Milam & Greene’s master blender, spent seven years crafting the Provisions expression purposefully to be an 80-proof sipper that doesn’t skimp onflavor. “You can’t drink hazmat whiskey every night,” Greene says, rightfully so. Greene blends a proprietary bourbon mashbill (70% corn, 22% malted rye, and 8% malted barley) made both in a Kentucky column still and in a Texas pot still, and it works perfectly in the glass. It’s bold, easy drinking, rich, and complete. Try it blind and you’d never peg it as 80-proof.

Tamdhu 21 year old Scotch Single Malt, 47.5%, $400

For sherry bomb lovers who want to splurge, this is a must. When Ian Macleod Distillers acquired the Speyside brand from Edrington in 2021, they made a conscientious decision to only age in oloroso sherry casks, an expensive but undeniably tasty method. The 21 year old is the oldest in the core collection—which features 12, 15, and 18 year old expressions—and delivers robust nutty and fruity flavors, melding sweet with savory. Bonus: the wood utilized in the bottle's box has an intoxicating smoky scent.

Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse Camp Nelson E Bourbon, 64%, $300

Master distiller Eddie Russell had one specific place in mind when selecting the barrels that comprise this year’s Single Rickhouse release: floor five in Camp Nelson E. So chosen due to a cooler aging environment, the result was the highest-proof Russell’s expression (and the highest-proof Wild Turkey product). Of the bourbon, Russell says it has, “this beautiful balance of dark fruit, baking spice, and rich oak,” that best represents the label.

Compass Box Brûlée Royale Scotch Blended Malt, 49%, $160

We gave a score of 93 to this blended malt that Compass Box’s whisky maker Samuel Travers crafted as an homage to the iconic dessert. With a base of single malts comprised of 18 year old Benrinnes, Clynelish 8 year old, 24 year old Speyburn, and a dash of 23 year old Ardbeg, we found the liquid to have a “balanced, dessert-like profile, with depth, grace, and great flavor integration.”

Sagamore Spirit High Rye Straight Bourbon, 59%, $49

Baltimore-based Sagamore Spirit strictly makes rye, in keeping with its historical dominance in Maryland. It’s no surprise that its first bourbon would naturally be a high-rye. With a mashbill of 60% corn, 25% rye, and 15% malted rye, the new expression is part of the distillery’s Reserve Series. Cherry and cinnamon lovers will rejoice, as those flavors rise.

Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon, 52.5%, $130

This year, Heaven Hill expanded its Grain to Glass lineup with a Specialty Barrel Series that focuses on unique woods to bring more distinctive flavors. Three whiskeys comprise this release, including a bourbon and a rye, both aged for 6 years in Chinquapin oak—known to imbue notes of butterscotch, toasted nut, and coffee, and foster a bolder mouthfeel—but a standout is the wheated bourbon (52% corn, 35% wheat, 13% malt). A sweet pop of cherry yields to dark chocolate and coffee, all while retaining an earthy grain undercurrent.

Paul John Indian Single Malt Christmas Edition (2025), 48%, $80

If Indian single malt isn’t on your radar, it should be. Particularly, Paul John’s Christmas Edition expression. An annual offering—we gave the 2024 release a score of 92—this year’s spent 5 years in bourbon barrels and another 3 years in a blend of PX and oloroso sherry casks before being blended by master distiller Michael D’Souza. Aging in Goa’s tropical climate means accelerated maturation and deep, robust flavors, including caramel, cinnamon, hazelnut, and dried fruits. It’s Christmas in a glass.

Very Olde St. Nick Superfreak 11+ year old Bourbon, 58.1%, $350

From Preservation Distillery comes this fun combo of three barrels, two 11 year Kentucky bourbons, and one ultra-concentrated 18 year old “very syrupy, low-yield barrel,” per Kyle Lloyd, Preservation’s general manager. The resulting liquid is absurdly crushable, with a pleasing mixture of barrel char, nuttiness, circus peanuts, and a heavier viscosity and density, courtesy of that 18 year old. The 116.2 proof is cask strength for the 11 year old components, which had low entry proofs, though it drinks far below that.

Bernheim Original Barrel Proof Wheat (Batch C925), 59.2%, $60

Technically, this is batch is B925, though a misprint on the labels reads C925. We loved the first batch of the year, giving it a score of 95, and this batch is equally delectable. The signature winter wheat, aged between 7 and 9 years, gives notes of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, mint, and honey.

Colonel E.H. Taylor Bottled in Bond Bourbon, 50%, $150

The first new Buffalo Trace Antique Collection addition in nearly two decades, E.H. Taylor Bottled in Bond will be one of this fall’s most sought-after bottles. (If you find it anywhere near retail price, snag it.) While most E.H. Taylor products are 6 years old, this is 15 years and 4 months, and features “a good Kentucky kiss,” according to master distiller Harlen Wheatley. The rye in the undisclosed mashbill pokes through, but it doesn’t shout. Cinnamon, mushroom, and hints of brown sugar are present on the nose, while red fruit gummies, leather, and tobacco arrive on the palate and finish.

1792 Cognac Cask Finish Bourbon, 47.5%, $38

Take Barton’s famed high-rye mashbill and finish it in cognac casks—stored at the top of the rickhouse for maximum impact—for 6months and you’ve got 1792’s first permanent cask-finished expression. (Port Cask Finish bourbon was a 1792 limited release offering back in 2015.) Presume those cognac barrels came from within the Sazerac family: The parent company owns both 1792 and cognac house Sazerac de Forge & Fils.

Highland Park 16 year old Between You and I Scotch Single Malt, 48%, $180

This collaboration between the Orkney distillery and Björn Frantzén–the only three-time three-Michelin-star chef—is a 16 year old single malt that spent time in virgin Swedish oak (a first time for Highland Park), sherry-seasoned European and American oak, and bourbon barrels. Frantzen’s collaboration comes with a booklet of prompts instead of tasting notes, to explore while sipping.