World Whisky Day Picks Under $100

Mackmyra Brukswhisky was first introduced to the market in 2010 is now part of the Swedish distillery's core range. In international markets, it's sold as "The Swedish Whisky." A bottle redesign in 2012 features playful sketches drawn years ago by the owners during their initial planning stages for the distillery. This whisky combines barrels of single malt in ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, and new Swedish oak, with a touch of smoky malt whisky. It's bottled at 41.4% ABV.

Announced in late June 2018, this marks the third release in the Noble Collection series for Crown Royal following the Wine Barrel Finish (2017) and Cornerstone Blend (2016). It also follows the spring 2018 release of Blenders' Mash and uses a similar corn-forward mash bill as that whisky: 60% corn, 36% rye, and 4% malted barley. Created by master blender Mark Balkenende, it is inspired by one of the five flavoring whiskies used in the brand's signature DeLuxe bottling. Aged for 13 years in new, charred American oak, it is bottled at 90 proof. Availability will be limited nationwide.

This particular Penderyn limited edition, which is bottled at 46%, is distinct in the single malt world. It’s aged in ex-bourbon barrels as well as ex-peated-Scotch casks, the latter of which imbues it with its smoky character. No peated malts are used in production.

The malt is Indian barley peated to 25 ppm with Islay peat, double-distilled in a set of Indian-made copper pot stills that were designed to emulate the traditional Scottish method. Primarily ex-bourbon, the barrels age in an underground climate controlled warehouse. The hot tropical climate of Goa accelerates barrel breathing, and the angel's share (loss of whisky due to evaporation) is about 10-12% per year (compared with 2-3% in Scotland). Similar to Kentucky, the ABV rises with time, so that the whisky which was put in barrel at 55% ABV emerges at 57% or higher. Hence, the oaking process is accelerated, as compared to other, cooler regions. Bottled at 46% ABV, this whisky is non-chill filtered and contains no added coloring.

The Warenghem family first founded their namesake distillery in the Brittany region of France in 1900. In 1998, they created the Armorik, the first single malt whisky from Brittany. Armorik Double Maturation used a 100% malted barley mash that is distilled and aged in new Brittany oak casks before being finished in ex-oloroso sherry barrels.

This release from Kavalan is the first single malt from the brand to be created for mixing cocktails. This series called Distillery Select Series was crafted by master blender, Ian Chang. The whisky is matured "in select malt neutral casks" to showcase the characteristics of the Taiwanese climate without too much wood influence. Bottled at 86 proof, it is available in the US beginning September 2018.

This Speyside Scotch from Dufftown is known for growing their own barley for malting, a tradition all but lost in the Highlands now. This release is aged in first fill ex-Bourbon casks, that have been selected specifically for their sweetness and vanilla aromas. "Each bottling forms a limited edition of no more than 300 hand-numbered bottles drawn from a single cask, making each bottle unique and unrepeatable."

Redbreast is made in the classic Irish Single Pot Still style. This means it is produced using a mash bill consisting of both malted and unmalted barley which is triple distilled in copper pot stills. The 12 year is aged in ex-bourbon and European oak ex-oloroso sherry.

Jack Daniel's already offers a single barrel whiskey watered down to 94 proof. The barrel proof, as the name suggests, is bottled at what ever proof the whiskey comes out in the barrel. As each barrel has a different alcohol content due to evaporation during the aging process, there is no standard proof for this bottling. The bottle reviewed was 66% abv.

When a malt whisky and a grain whisky come of age, leave the casks they’ve called home, and fall in love, they get “married” - the process of blending and re-casking whisky. It’s a complex wedding for a master distiller to arrange but can ultimately lead to marital bliss in the form of this whisky from Nikka that only comes in 500ml bottles. Nikka From The Barrel is drawn from a blend of more than 100 different batches of malt and grain whisky produced at the brand's Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries. Note: This will be made available in the US as of June 2018 in 750ml sized bottles.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof 12 Year bourbons are bottled without any dilution or chill filtering. The batch numbers provide specific information about the release: The first letter indicates which of that year's releases the bottle was a part of starting with "A", while the second digit is a number that determines the month of the year the bottle was released. The third and fourth digits indicate the year.

There was a time when up to seven registered (and several illicit) distilleries existed on the Isle of Skye -- now only Talisker remains. The peat level is a moderate 16-22 ppm (Phenol Parts per Million) and their 10 year old is aged primarily in ex-bourbon casks which they constructed to a larger hogshead size. Talisker 10 Year is bottled at a very appreciated 45.8% ABV.