American Whiskey for Independence Day

Gentleman Jack was first introduced in 1988 and after tweaking the recipe slightly, reintroduced in 1990. The difference between it and Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 is a second pass through the sugar maple charcoal filter after its maturation in new, charred oak barrels. Gentleman Jack is bottled at 40% ABV.

Distilled in the Hudson Valley at Tuthilltown Spirits, this whiskey is made from 100% malted barley. It is aged for less than four years in small new, charred American oak barrels. Bottled at 92 proof. Note: This has been discontinued.

McCarthy's Single Malt Whiskey is produced at Clear Creek Distillery outside of Portland, Oregon. Master Distiller Stephen McCarthy, ever the spirits pioneer, wanted to make an American whiskey in the style of Islay Scotch, but give it a local spin. So he sourced peated malted barley from Scotland, distilled it in Oregon, and aged it in Oregon oak.

Redemption Straight Rye is sourced from MGP in Indiana. It has a mash bill of 95% rye and 5% barley malt. The whiskey is aged for 2.5 years in new, charred American oak. Great for cocktails and over ice. Try in Manhattans, Chapel Hills or Whiskey Sours. Note: Updated packaging as of November 2016.

Russell’s Reserve 6 Year Straight Rye is matured in the deepest no. 4 char barrels. Aged for six years in the “center cut” of the rickhouse. It is hand-selected by Jimmy and Eddie Russell. Bottled at 45% ABV.

Introduced in March of 2011, Bulleit Rye is made from a mash bill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley. It is a sourced rye distilled at Indiana's famed MGP facility. This straight rye whiskey is bears no age statement, but is aged somewhere between 4-7 years. Bottled at 90 proof.

As the name suggests, each bottle of Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve is made from an unblended, hand-selected barrel. The bourbon is aged in a rickhouse in Clermont, Kentucky for at least 9 years. However, unlike the standard small batch version, it is bottled at 120 proof instead of 100 proof. Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve may vary from bottle to bottle as is the nature of the category.

Four Roses Small Batch is a straight bourbon that is comprised of 4 of the 10 recipes Four Roses employs. They use an equal measure of both of their mash bills (60% corn, 35% rye, 5% barley and 75% corn, 20% rye, 5% barley). They also use yeast strains which highlight both a light and spicy profile along with a rich and fruity one. It is bottled at 45% ABV.

This 86-proof product sits in between their 80 proof Green Label and 100 proof White Label. Though it used to have an age statement of 7 years in the 90's, it is still between 4-7 years of age. The cost of around $15 puts it at a standard go-to.

Eagle Rare 10 Year Bourbon is one of the flagship products from Buffalo Trace Distillery. It is made from a low-rye mash bill and is aged for at least 10 years at the Kentucky distillery. The barrels are hand selected for quality and consistency before bottling. While the bottling proof was originally 101 when the brand was first released in 1974, it has been bottled at 90 proof since 2005.