Congratulations! You finally got that raise you’ve been angling for. Or maybe you crushed those quarterly targets, or successfully shipped a new product, or finally put the finishing touches on that project for the client from Hell. You’ve got some money to spend, you’re ready to celebrate, and the fancy part of the whiskey store beckons. Here’s what we think you should be buying, hot shot.
Springbank 18
One of just three remaining Campbelltown distilleries, Springbank is famous for making malts of uncommon character. Their 10-year-old entry-level official bottling is nothing to sneeze at, with a huge range of farmy, phenolic, and briny flavors, but if you’re celebrating an accomplishment, it’s time to move up the food chain.
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Springbank describes the 18-year-old as “full of authority,” an apt phrase for such a commanding whisky, replete with ripe fruit, strange must, and maritime pastures.
Michter’s 10-Year-Old Single Barrel Bourbon
Michter’s might be the new kid on the block when it comes to Kentucky bourbon, but they know what they’re doing. Each year, they release a 10-year-old single barrel bourbon that’s tricky to track down, but totally worth the hunt. Sweet, balanced, and full of buttery flavor, this is the kind of whiskey you’ll want to drink all day long.
Anything from Samaroli
Silvano Samaroli, the great Italian iconoclast of the independent bottling world, passed away earlier this year, but his brand lives on.
Eccentric and pioneering, Silvano began seeking out exceptional Scottish single malts in the middle of the 20th century, a time when blends dominated the global market. He thought nothing of personally selecting barrels from the Macallan, Springbank, or Benriach, then decanting them into his own casks for more—sometimes much more—aging.
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Sacrilege? Not to Silvano. His releases are strange, wonderful, gorgeously packaged, and tough to get your hands on—but a real trophy if you can find one.
Lock Stock & Barrel Straight Rye
Like WhistlePig, but ready to branch out? Lock Stock & Barrel Straight Rye from Cooper Spirits Company is your answer. It’s one of those Canadian flavoring rye bottlings: 16 years old, 100% pot-distilled rye, likely sourced from Alberta Distillery (the first release was), and so densely packed with flavor it’s almost solid in the glass. And as a bonus, the bottle is very stylish—to be expected from the same people who brought you the now iconic St. Germain.
This article originally appeared on The Whiskey Wash.
