The Best Weeknight Whiskeys

Introduced in September 2017, Magnus is named in honor of Highland Park's founder, Magnus Eunson. He was a direct decedent of the Vikings who settled on Orkney hundreds of years ago and he made whisky long before Highland Park was officially founded in 1798. This no-age statement single malt was aged in a high proportion of American oak first-fill sherry casks as well as ex-bourbon barrels. This is exclusive to North America. Bottled at 40% ABV.

In 1824, farmer George Smith was one of the first to obtain a distiller’s license. Neighbors hiding illicit stills from the law resented Smith's new freedom. They reacted by threatening to burn down Smith’s distillery – with him in it. Smith retaliated by openly carrying two pistols. The neighbors cowered and he got busy creating the iconic Glenlivet whisky. This new expression is a tribute to Smith and the techniques he used to produce whisky. Master Distiller, Alan Winchester, distills his spirits using the same lantern shaped stills designed by Smith. Whiskies aged in traditional oak casks and first-fill American oak casks are blended based on flavor for this NAS whisky.

Distilled at the Woodford Reserve Distillery in Versailles, Kentucky (formerly the Labrot & Graham Distillery), this Kentucky straight bourbon was first introduced in 1996 and remains the brand’s flagship expression. The high-rye mash bill contains 18% rye and is made from a blend of pot still and column still distillates. Though it carries no age statement, the bourbon is typically aged between 6–7 years. It is bottled at 45.2% ABV.

Glenmorangie, founded in 1843, is home to the tallest stills in Scotland. Aged 10 years in American oak barrels, The Original serves as the flagship for the distillery. The casks used for the single malt are only ever used twice. The Original also serves as the base for their Extra Matured whiskies that spend 2 more years in a variety of wine barrels such as Sauternes and Port.

Jameson Black Barrel is a whiskey comprised of (a high proportion of) single pot still and grain whiskey aged first in a mix of ex-sherry and ex-bourbon. The whiskey is then aged in extra charred ex-bourbon barrels, hence the name. The age of the whiskey ranges from 8-16 years of age.

Monkey Shoulder Blended Malt Scotch Whisky takes its name from an injury once suffered by maltmen who turned barley by hand during the malting process, leaving one arm hanging like a “monkey shoulder.” Produced by William Grant & Sons, the whisky is composed primarily of Speyside single malts from the company’s distilleries, including Glenfiddich, The Balvenie, and Kininvie. Originally conceived as a marriage of three Speyside malts—a nod reflected in the three brass monkeys on the bottle—the whisky is married for several months before bottling and is commonly used in Scotch cocktails.

Introduced in 2014, Auchentoshan American Oak is a Lowland single malt that is triple-distilled. It is aged exclusively in first-fill American oak bourbon barrels. It is a core product in the distillery’s permanent range and serves as their entry-level single malt.

Produced at Teeling Whiskey Distillery in Dublin, the first new distillery in the city in over 125 years when it opened in 2015, Small Batch is a blended Irish whiskey combining grain and malt whiskeys in a 3:1 ratio. Both are initially matured in ex-bourbon barrels before being married and placed into Central American rum casks for up to 12 months. Bottled non-chill filtered at 92 proof.

Lot No. 40 Canadian Rye Whisky is distilled at the Hiram Walker Distillery in Windsor, Ontario, under the direction of Master Blender Dr. Don Livermore. Made in a 12,000-liter copper pot still, it uses a 100% rye mash bill of 90% unmalted Canadian rye and 10% malted rye. The whisky traces its roots to rye first distilled by Joshua Booth near Millhaven, Ontario, in the years following the American Revolutionary War, and was revived in the 1990s by his descendant Mike Booth. Bottled without an age statement, it’s released at 86 proof.

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.

First introduced into the market in 2005, this is the first wheat whiskey released in the US. The mash bill is predominantly winter wheat with corn and malted barley taking supporting roles. Recently (Spring 2014) this whiskey has gone from having no age statement to having one of 7 years, quite the reverse of what large whiskey brands are releasing.

Four Roses Small Batch is a Kentucky straight bourbon made by blending four of the distillery's ten proprietary recipes. It combines both of their mash bills — one with 60% corn, 35% rye, and 5% malted barley, and another with 75% corn, 20% rye, and 5% malted barley. The selected recipes use yeast strains designed to highlight a balance of light spice, richness, and fruit-forward character. Bottled at 90 proof.