Top Whiskeys for Your Backyard BBQ

George Dickel Bourbon debuted in June 2021 as a permanent offering in the brand’s portfolio, introduced under the leadership of General Manager and Distiller Nicole Austin. It uses the same mash bill as the brand’s Tennessee whiskies—84% corn, 8% rye, and 8% malted barley—and undergoes charcoal chill-filtration. Aged 8 years, it is bottled at 90 proof.

Still Austin The Musician Straight Bourbon is produced by Still Austin Whiskey Co., a grain-to-glass distillery founded in 2015. It is made using 100% Texas-grown grains, with a mash bill of 70% non-GMO white corn, 25% Elbon rye, and 5% Wildfire malted barley. The whiskey is aged at least 2 years in new, charred American oak barrels. The label artwork, titled The Musician, was created by Texas native Marc Burckhardt and is part of a series celebrating “archetypal” Austinites. First released in Texas in August 2020, it is now widely available nationwide.

Chattanooga Whiskey 91 is made from a four-grain mash bill which in addition to yellow corn uses three malted grains: rye malt, caramel malted barley, and honey malted barley. The mash bill recipe was chosen by master distiller Grant McCracken -- Barrel 91-- from the 100 barrels distilled at the brand's experimental distillery. Chattanooga refers to this whiskey as a Tennessee High Malt, but technically this is a straight bourbon. Matured for a minimum of two years in toasted and charred barrels and is finished in a charred 4000-gallon oak solera barrel.

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.

Produced at High West Distillery in Park City, Utah, Double Rye is a blend of two straight rye whiskeys aged a minimum of two years. The first is distilled at MGP in Indiana from a mash bill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley, while the second is distilled at High West from a mash bill of 80% rye and 20% malted rye. Bottled non-chill filtered at 92 proof. (SRP $37.99)

Benriach The Smoky Twelve is a peated single malt made with both peated (using Highland peat) and unpeated spirit. Three casks were used for maturation--bourbon, sherry, and Marsala wine casks--and they aged for at least 12 years before the casks were married. Bottled with natural color at 46% ABV. This is one of four new core expressions crafted by master blender Rachel Barrie which launched in October 2020.

This release from Knob Creek is the first ever bourbon and rye blended straight whiskey from the brand. Crafted by 8th generation Master Distiller Freddie Noe along with his dad Master Distiller Fred Noe, Bourbon x Rye features a blend of Knob Creek 9 Year Bourbon (30%) with Knob Creek 7 Year Rye (70%). It's bottled at 113 proof and was first made available nationwide July 2024. It has returned to on a limited basis nationwide in July 2025. (SRP $44.99)

Balcones Texas 1 Single Malt is produced by Balcones Distilling. It is made from 100% Golden Promise malted barley and undergoes an extended fermentation before double distillation in copper pot stills. The whiskey is aged in Texas in new American oak barrels with custom toast and char profiles, typically in a mix of 240L and 500L casks. Aged at least 4 years, it is bottled at 53% ABV without chill-filtration.

Previously only available to select export markets, Wild Turkey 101 8 Year is now a permanent offering in the US. It will be available alongside the classic Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon which is aged between 6-8 years. This 8 year version is not only aged longer than the no-age statement bottling, but it is made from a smaller batch of barrels. Available at US retailers beginning April 2025. (SRP $45)

This Kentucky straight bourbon is part of Bardstown Bourbon Co.’s core lineup of estate-distilled whiskeys. It is made with a high wheat mash bill (53% corn, 39% wheat, 8% malted barley), aged for 6 years, and bottled at 106 proof (53% ABV). Available nationwide. (SRP $49.99) Previously released as part of the Origin Series. Updated name and packaging roll out beginning spring 2026.