The 17 best whiskeys to gift this holiday, from Islay smoke to Pennsylvania rye

If ever there was a year to wrangle great whiskeys to gift — or drink yourself — 2024 was a thirst-maker. A memorable journey this spring to Scotland also put me enthusiastically back on the distilled grain train for my annual holiday bottle list after a sunny detour last year to Mexico for agave spirits.

This season’s 17 stellar bottles were culled from a recent tasting, where my panel of whiskey nerds, beverage pros, and neighbors sniffed, sipped, and spat (mostly) through 49 candidates. The winners include malt-based U.K. classics, bourbons, spice-forward ryes, and locally distilled gems — many of which follow the trend toward higher-proof spirits. They represent a wide range of price points, too, from tremendous values to worthy splurges — all available now in Pennsylvania or South Jersey.

But the first category noted in this year’s list is decidedly cloaked in Islay smoke. I visited this southernmost Hebrides island — home to 10 distilleries — in May, and it was a thrill to witness peat fires drying malt and sip whiskeys from the barrel in warehouses along the picturesque coast. Many great Scotches off this island have no smoke at all (including one beauty on this list), but I value how that distinctive sense of place is imprinted on its spirits. I also learned how smoke can be cast in many bewitching shades, all the more apparent now beyond Islay as distillers experiment with smoke from Finland to Brooklyn, including a couple of table bottles included here.

You don’t have to love smoke to appreciate this list, though, which offers something for everyone — including Eagles fans.

Kilchoman Sanaig

Located on the northwest coast of Islay, Kilchoman is one of the island’s few independently owned distilleries. The peat smoke is present in its Sanaig, but like a gentle campfire on its final embers. It’s woven into a deeply ambered liquid, whose sherry-casked spirit throws off apple and honey notes, then lingers with a bacony richness on the tongue. Opulent and earthy, this is a breakfast Scotch. Kilchoman Sanaig Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 92 proof, 750ml, on December sale ($5 off) for $64.98 at Roger Wilco, 1001 Rt. 73, Pennsauken. Also available in Pennsylvania by special order (PLCB item #573269).

Ardbeg Uigeadail

Ardbeg has a cult following for whiskeys that have some of the heaviest peat influence on Islay. Uigeadail (pronounced “oog-a-dal”) is named for the distillery’s water source and lands in the middle tier of Ardbeg’s peat range, with its smoky core rounded out by the raisiny sweetness of former oloroso sherry casks. It lands with a meaty savor reminiscent of good smoked jerky. Try Tasting Whiskey writer Lew Bryson’s tip of adding a few drops to your next raw oyster. Ardbeg Uigeadail, 98.4 proof, 750 ml, on sale in December ($5 off) for $88.59 (PLCB Item #7095).

Laphroaig Single Cask French Oak

This was the final whiskey I tasted on a warehouse tour of Islay’s most iconic distillery, and I’m pleasantly stunned to find it in Pennsylvania. The cask-strength blast of Laphroaig’s signature profile — ashy smoke, iodine, and sea salt — hits the palate like a velvet fog and keeps rolling, framed by the rich vanilla char of virgin French barrels (vs. the used bourbon barrels that are standard). Lucky for us the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board bottled its own cask. “Holy crap, that’s good!” said one judge. The peat is bold but not overwhelming, even at undiluted strength. A serious splurge for the Scotch collector in your world. Laphroaig Single Cask French Oak, 114.8 proof, 750ml, $249.99 (PLCB Item #100024640).

Glenglassaugh

There’s no peat smoke at all on this elegant Highlands malt from a 19th-century distillery that was rebooted in 2008. The current crew is producing lovely spirits, as this Sandend Bay edition was named Whisky Advocate’s No. 1 whiskey in 2023. The straw gold liquid smells like a pastry shop, then unfurls from first sip with tropical fruits, butter-toasted nuts, and a dry, sea salt savor that evokes the use of manzanilla sherry casks on the finish. Glenglassaugh Sandend Bay, 101 proof, 750ml, $69.99 (PLCB item #100026398).

Green Spot

I was introduced to this beauty at the legendary Palace Bar in Dublin, and don’t let its pale gold hue fool you. A full-flavored spirit emerges from behind the opening note of orchard pear, which turns mouth-coatingly creamy then lingers with a cigar box puff of charred oak and cloves. This is Midleton Distillery’s entry-level Spot, so keep an eye out for the rarer Yellow, Red, and Blue Spots in the wild. Green Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey, 80 proof, 750ml, $71.99 (PLCB Item #7745).

Slane Irish Whiskey

Historic Slane Castle north of Dublin is known as the site of multiple U2 concerts and a popular Boyne Valley tourist draw near the must-visit prehistoric monuments of Newgrange and Knowth. A distillery built there in 2017 also produces a triple-casked whiskey that’s one of the best values on the market. Honey-colored and sweet on the nose, its smooth caramel entry turns grassy and gingery on the finish. It’s not complex, but is perfect for cocktails and will make you popular at the party. Slane Irish Whiskey, 80 proof, 750ml, $31.99 (PLCB Item #2127).

Starlight Distillery Bottled-in-Bond Indiana Straight Bourbon

This family-owned Indiana distillery known for brandy also makes a tremendous bourbon using estate-grown non-GMO grain (corn, rye, and wheat, plus sourced barley). This sweet mash whiskey hums at bottled-in-bond strength with bright aromas of orchard fruit and cinnamon, then rolls with dark caramel-vanilla sweetness and stone fruit tartness across the palate for the long finish framed by new oak. Much smoother than expected from a 100 proof spirit. Starlight Distillery Bourbon Whiskey, Bottled-In-Bond, 100 Proof, 750 ml, $59.99, Canal’s Mount Ephraim.

The Wiseman Bourbon

The Wiseman is a lower proof, lower cost release from the collectable Kentucky Owl line and shows up like a basket of Werther’s caramel candies, then opens up with ginger spice and sweet apple fruit on the back end for a balanced sipper that lingers for a sneaky finish. It is one of Whisky Advocate’s Top 20 whiskeys for 2021 and is a great value. The Wiseman Bourbon from Kentucky Owl, 90.8 proof, 750 ml, $49.99 (PLCB item # 88858).

Bird Gang LeSean “Shady” McCoy Kentucky Bourbon

I expected to bench this bottle based on the uninspired entry-level Bird Gang bourbon from BOTLD’s Eagles-themed series. But they stepped it up for this special edition honoring Eagles legend LeSean “Shady” McCoy with a legit straight bourbon sourced from Bardstown, Ky. It has power off the jump, hits a silky smooth stride of brown sugar sweetness, then finishes with a puff of spice. Not especially complex, but far better than a novelty bottle has to be. Bird Gang LeSean “Shady” McCoy Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey, 90 proof, 750m, $58 at botld.com and BOTLD locations (Rittenhouse Square, Midtown Village, King of Prussia).

Kings County Straight and Peated Bourbons

This Brooklyn-based distillery’s relatively young straight bourbon ($70) has a coppery hue, but not too much sweetness, and showcases the mouth-filling richness of New York corn threaded with anise and mint. The peated version is also intriguing — not only because peated bourbon is rare, but because the smoked barley notes are relatively restrained, hovering like a hazy backnote that accentuates the sweetness of the 70% corn mashbill, which evokes candy corn on the nose, then dried fruits and black coffee on the palate. Kings County Peated Bourbon, 90 proof, 750 ml, $75, at botld.com and BOTLD locations (Rittenhouse Square, Midtown Village, King of Prussia).

A. Overholt Straight Rye Whiskey

Old Overholt has deep roots in Pennsylvania’s rye lore, dating to 1800 in West Overton near Pittsburgh, where a distilling museum showcases its history. This new edition, named for founder Abraham Overholt, is a return to the brand’s original spice-forward Monongahela style, which had been modified to a softer, Kentucky profile when it was sold and moved out of Pennsylvania post-Prohibition. With no corn whatsoever, the sandalwood and rye spice ride high on the nose, but are wrapped in buttery richness that lingers on the palate like boozy banana bread for a comforting finish. A stellar value. A. Overholt Straight Rye Whiskey, Monongahela Mash, 95 proof, 750ml, on December sale ($3 off) for $36.99 (PLCB item #100025544).

Still Austin Straight Rye Whiskey “The Artist”

Nancy “The Nose” Fraley uses a blending method more typical of Armagnac for the Texas grain-to-glass spirits from this relatively new Austin-based distillery. The Artist, its first rye, is a surprisingly opulent sipper considering the fair price, young age (two years), and high proof. It offers figs and cherries on the nose, dark chocolate richness on the palate, and a fruity finish that unfolds with a gingery spark, as the rye spice appears primarily on a lip-smacking finish. Still Austin Straight Rye Whiskey “The Artist,” 99.6 proof, 750ml, available at Total Wine and Spirits in Cherry Hill on sale ($5 off) for $34.99 or in Pennsylvania by special order for $44.99 (PLCB item #100039457).

Little Book Chapter 8

“Path Not Taken” is Chapter 8 in the coveted Little Book series from Jim Beam’s eighth-generation master distiller, Freddie Noe. A powerhouse homage to the creative possibilities of rye, it features a blend of six different styles between four and 18 years old. It’s extraordinarily deep and complex, with aromas of vanilla spice and cinnamon, fudgy richness on the palate, and echoes of pretzel cone, molasses, and candied orange. The rye spice swirling on the finish just goes and goes. Incredibly sippable for cask strength and a worthy splurge for your favorite whiskey collector. (Note: it’s incorrectly listed as a straight bourbon in the PLCB’s system.) Little Book Chapter 8, 118.2 proof, 750ml, $149.99 (PLCB item #100021647).

Kyrö Single Wood Smoked Straight Malt Rye Whisky

This 100% Finnish rye brings an intense twinge of caraway at first sniff, and is surprisingly creamy on the palate with a bright citrusy finish. But this edition of Kyrö‘s malted rye is also smoked over alder wood in a 100-year-old barn, which adds another dimension that curls up and hovers in the rafters of your palate. The alder smoke feels less weighty than peated Scotch. It’s also well balanced, making it a unique ingredient for blending, or a celebratory snifter beside your next everything bagel with lox. Kyrö Single Wood smoked Straight Single Rye Whisky, 94.4 proof, 750ml, $45 at the BOTLD tasting rooms (Rittenhouse Square, Midtown Village, King of Prussia) or online at botld.com for Pa.-only shipping.

Dad’s Hat Rye Maple Finish

I’m wary of flavored whiskeys, but Dad’s Hat from Bristol’s Mountain Laurel Spirits does cask finishing right. This deep amber rye spends time in used maple syrup casks and showcases a spicy rye grain pop on the nose, then softens into a comfort reminiscent of warm gingerbread. Maple sweetness wells up on the finish, but it’s always framed by a smoky puff of barrel char. The perfect choice for your next chicken and waffles brunch. Dad’s Hat Rye finished in maple syrup casks, 90 proof, 750ml, $46.99 on Dad’s Hat website; also available in Pennsylvania state stores (PLCB item # 000075456).

Kinsey Dark Roast American Single Malt

Distiller Rob Cassell lends a novel twist to the rising trend of American single malts at Kensington’s New Liberty, using local barley from Deer Creek Malthouse that’s been roasted to a Vienna brown hue (vs. no color at all, typically). This translates in flavor to noticeable shades of toasty coffee and chocolate in a well-crafted spirit rounded with a brown sugar sweetness, cinnamon, and baking spice. “It tastes like Christmas,” noted one taster. Kinsey Dark Roast American Single Malt, 95 proof, 750ml, $69.99 online at shopnewlibertydistillery.square.site, and New Liberty’s outlets in Christmas Village, Enswell, a December pop-up at Franklin Fountain.