The 11Best whisky Drink in October 2033

The 11 Best Whiskeys We Tasted In October 2023, Ranked

The shadows grow longer and a slight chill is in the air — Happy Halloween! Whether you’ll be passing out candy to trick-or-treaters, having a scary movie marathon or hosting a Halloween party of your own, whiskey is always a great potion of choice this time of year.

The 11 Best Whiskeys We Tasted In October 2023

Many whiskeys come across our desks each month, but the following whiskeys stood out from the crowd. Below is our list of the 11 best whiskeys we tasted in October, ranked from good to scary good.

Of note in October: The 2023 Buffalo Antique Collection dropped, and we tasted our way through it. Keep scrolling to see where each of this year’s BTAC expressions fall among our other favorite whiskeys of the month.

11. Glenmorangie 15 Year Old Cadboll Estate

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Scotch whisky producer The Glenmorangie dates back to 1843, and its Cadboll Estate offering is a celebration of one of the distillery’s properties, which is a stone’s throw away from its facilities. The Cadboll Estate series was created by The Glenmorangie to honor single-estate offerings, and this expression is distilled from grain from The Glenmorangie’s coastal barley fields.

With a 15-year age statement and an ABV of 43%, this expression hosting a suggested retail price of $100 and was aged in ex-bourbon and ex-Amontillado casks. Amontillado is a type of sherry that is a favorite of the Glenmorangie’s Director of Whisky Creation, Dr. Bill Lumsden.

The nose on this delightful dram channels a majorly autumnal mood, with aromas of flaky pie pastry, fresh bread, and apple butter. The pastry theme continues throughout the palate, yet flavors of honey and sweet cream round it out a bit. Just a pinch of cracked pepper brightens this scotch up. The Glenmorangie Cadboll Estate finishes with lingering apricot fruit and cream. The Amontillado makes an impact here, and Whiskey Raiders Chief Spirits Critic Jay West described this lovely whisky as “really something” in his review.

10. Wild Turkey 8 Year 101 Proof

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This 8-year-old edition of the classic Wild Turkey 101 was created by the father-and-son distilling duo Jimmy and Eddie Russell.

In America, Wild Turkey’s benchmark expression hosts no age statement. This 8-year expression can be found internationally — particularly in Japan — as an everyday drinker at an affordable price, yet is extremely hard to find in the U.S. Interested parties may have to hunt for this bourbon beauty, but it’s well worth it.

With baking spice aromas and plenty of pepper interlaced with orange peel, Wild Turkey’s 101-proof 8-year-old whiskey does not disappoint. This is an easy-drinking whiskey that possesses comforting flavors of rye bread and ginger.

Wild Turkey 8-Year 101 Proof has an orange peel throughline that lingers on the palate and gives away to a pleasant finish of turtle candies, oak, and nutmeg coupled with plenty of baking spice dusted throughout.

9. Frey Ranch Straight Rye Whiskey

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Frey Ranch is a grain-to-glass distillery located due east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Frey Ranch grows the grains used in all of its whiskeys, and this rye expression was made from Frey Ranch’s Winter Cereal Rye. With five years of aging and an ABV of 50%, this whiskey is Bottled in Bond and can be purchased from Frey Ranch for just $63.

In his review, West described this rye as an “amped up Kentucky-style rye” with big brown sugar, cracked pepper and of course that traditional spicy rye aroma. On the rich and layered palate are notes of cola, caramel, luscious vanilla bean and tobacco. This is a generous rye with plenty of viscosity and structure. It finishes long, with honey, sweet oak, ginger and caramel.

Though this rye is without a doubt a monster, there’s nothing scary about its spicy, dessert-driven profile.

8. Jack Daniel’s Twice-Barreled Rye

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In August, Jack Daniel’s released this Twice-Barreled Rye promising “sweetness with spice.” With a 7-year age statement and a 50% ABV, this rye was distilled from a mashbill with 70% rye, 18% corn and 12% malted barley. It was aged for a minimum of five years and finished for two extra years in a barrel with heavy char.

The nose of this spicy yet nuanced rye has plenty of jam, maple, tobacco char and pepper. On the palate, expect cherry cola, ash, honey, pepper and toffee. With an impressively long finish, this rye is oaky without bitterness, complete with toffee and more cherry cola. In so many words, it’s a fun rye that’s easy to enjoy, which West describes as “cool stuff.”

Jack Daniel’s Twice-Barreled Rye has a suggested retail price of $75. Check out West’s first-taste review of this whiskey in the below video.

7.  2023 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection: Sazerac Rye 18 Year Old

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The first BTAC expression on our list, Sazerac 18 is soft and sweet on the nose, with some herbal grassiness, orange and baking spice. The mouthfeel  is moderate with notes of sweet cream, cracked pepper, candied ginger and orange peel.

This is a great rye, but it’s our least favorite expression among this year’s Antique Collection due to its heavy dose of oak. Those 18 years of maturation have left this rye with a lot of tannin, and that’s accentuated by the rye’s relatively low proof of 90.

To hear more of what we thought about this rye, check out the following video.

6. Brown-Forman King Of Kentucky 2023 Bourbon

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This year’s King of Kentucky Bourbon was drawn from 51 barrels at Old Forester and is 16 years old.

The bourbon was bottled at 62.9% ABV, and the distillate dates back to July 19, 2007. King of Kentucky 2023 was composed of a mashbill of 79% corn, 11% rye and 10% malted barley. Just 3,800 bottles are available, with the majority of them up for purchase in Kentucky. Though this hard-to-find bourbon hosts a suggested retail price of $300, you may have to fork quite a bit more dough than that on the secondary market, where it can be tricky to find for under $2,500 or so.

With a nose of maple, tobacco, big fig, cherry, espresso and cocoa coupled with a palate that is richly textured with plenty of oak, cherry and banana, this King of Kentucky is a “beast,” according to West. The 16-year-old bourbon has massive tannins and finishes with a punch of tobacco and clove. A big, beautiful aged bourbon — could this whiskey be crowned one of the best of 2023? Only time will tell.

If you want to check out our first impressions on this year’s King of Kentucky, check out the video below.

5. 2023 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection: George T. Stagg

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The George T. Stagg expression from Buffalo Trace’s hard-to-find antique collection takes its namesake from the dutch whiskey salesman. Stagg was one of the first “whiskey aristocrats,” according to the Buffalo Trace brand, and used his sales chops to turn E.H. Taylor’s massive distillery into a thriving business, which later became the Buffalo Trace Distillery.

This offering within the 2023 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection was aged for 15 years and four months, prior to being bottled at a monster 135 proof. The barrels were pulled from Buffalo Trace’s Warehouses C, I, K, L and M. Though the proof is incredibly high, you’d never know it, as this bourbon is one elegant, dessert-driven dram with plenty of brown sugar and caramel qualities.

The nose on the 2023 offering is loaded with char and brown butter, coupled with maple sugar and luxardo cherry. With a kick of pepper, oak, and plenty of caramel, there’s a spicy sweet combination going on — and we’re definitely here for it. The palate is rich and decadent, with cherry cola, brown sugar, char, oak and caramel candies. It leads to a rich finish that lingers on and on, carrying on those baking spice and brown sugar aromas, with a subtle dash of cherry.

4. 2023 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection: Eagle Rare

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The 2023 Eagle Rare release from the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection is the oldest Eagle Rare in Buffalo Trace Antique Collection history. Aged for 19 years and three months, this bourbon was pulled from barrels aged in Buffalo Trace’s Warehouses C, I,K, M and Q. It was bottled at 101 proof in homage to the 1975 Eagle Rare release, the year the brand was launched.

According to VinePair, bourbon had a reputation as “cheap” in the 1970s, and a lot of drinkers avoided it in favor of clearer spirits like vodka. Charles Beam, the master distiller of Four Roses, made the choice to launch Eagle Rare to rebrand bourbon as a luxury spirit, introducing Eagle Rare 10 Year, which is now Eagle Rare today. Times have changed and the bourbon category’s reputation reigns supreme. This Eagle Rare offering is no exception, and though it hosts a suggested retail price of $30-ish, you’re highly likely to find it for up to $10,000.

“Stalk this Eagle with confidence,” West advises. With fruity nose loaded with vanilla bean, caramel and butterscotch coupled with a rich palate that West describes as “a win for Eagle Rare at this age,” 2023’s Eagle Rare is a special bourbon indeed. The finish is long and sweet, loaded with apple and luxardo cherry — making it a winner. Check out our video with Jay’s first impressions below:

3. Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged Bourbon

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The folks at Maker’s Mark will be the first to tell you that age is just a construct, and they typically claim their whiskeys are perfect at around 6 to 8 years old. Maker’s Mark claims with its latest release, what matters is not the actual number but the aging process.

This hotly anticipated release was aged for six years in Maker’s Mark’s rickhouses and then spent another five and six years in Maker’s Mark’s limestone cellar. The final bourbon is a blend of 11- and 12-year-old wheated bourbons and was bottled at a cask-strength 115.7 proof. Maker’s Mark claimed the whiskey cellar aging process lowers the amount of tannin in the final spirit due to the whiskey being exposed to cooler temperatures.

Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged Bourbon hosts a suggested retail price of $150.

The nose is loaded with potent caramel and baking spice aromas, coupled with soft oak, honey, and buttercream. The palate hosts rich dessert and baking spice qualities. It is loaded with brown sugar, butterscotch, clove and nutmeg with a touch of black fruit. With a lingering finish that goes on and on, this dessert-forward dram is an excellent treat to imbibe during Oct. 31 shenanigans.

If you want to learn more about this heavily-aged expression, check out the video below:

2. 2023 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection: Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye Whiskey

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This offering from the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection was named after the New Orleans bartender who invented the Sazerac. This year’s release was aged for six years and two months and clocks in at 124.9 proof.

The nose on this bad boy is absolutely massive, loaded with brown butter, cream and nougat aromas. On the palate, this decadent whiskey is viscous and layered, with plenty of spicy rye character. There’s baking spice, and a nice kick from the heat with a beautifully opulent finish laden with rye spice and brown sugar, hanging on “for an eternity,” according to West.

West describes this year’s Thomas H. Handy as “one of the best THH releases [he’s] had in a good long while.”

Consider it a showstopper of a rye that is well worth the hunt. If you’re interested in viewing our first impressions, check out Whiskey Raiders’ video on our Youtube Channel below:

1. 2023 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection: William Larue Weller Bourbon

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The best whiskey we tasted in October is what West describes as a “killer release” that earned a rare 9/10 rating.

William Larue Weller Bourbon 2023 is a wheated bourbon bottled at 133.6 proof. The barrels were pulled from Buffalo Trace’s Warehouses C, L, M and N. The nose on this wheated bourbon is simply massive and loaded with caramel aromas. There’s just a slight kiss of oak, which adds a sweetness and backbone. On the palate, William Larue Weller is one complicated beast. With its high proof, bold sweetness and opulent mouthfeel, there is a lot going on here. Picture loads of caramel, tobacco, sweet cream and red berries, it’s liquid hedonism at its finest.

The 2023 offering finishes with waffle batter, toffee, buttercream and tobacco and goes on and on, making this stunner of a wheated bourbon our favorite for the month. Check out our First T8ke video below.

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