High Wire's Bottled-in-Bond built from an heirloom South Carolina corn that nearly went extinct, tasted side by side with its siblings and no verdict attached this time.

A longtime Heaven Hill skeptic gets won over by Double Mash, a new 9-year, 100-proof Bottled-in-Bond blend of the distillery's rye-recipe and wheated bourbon mash bills — verdict: Buy.

The 15 best American whiskeys of 2026 actually worth your money — bourbon and rye you can find and afford, from bottled-in-bond bargains to high-rye pours.

Most rye starts as grain someone else grew. Frey Ranch grows every grain it distills, on the same Nevada high-desert ranch its family has farmed since 1854.

Most people assume "straight" means no coloring or flavoring added. That's not it — no bourbon can have additives. Here's what the word is actually doing on the label.

Bourbon A whiskey made in the United States from a mash bill containing at least 51% corn, aged in new charred oak containers, distilled at no more than 160 proof, entered into the barrel at no more than 125 proof, and bottled at a minimum of 80 proof. No flavoring or coloring may be added. Straight Bourbon Bourbon that has been aged for at least two years and contains no added flavors or colors. If it is less than four years old, an age statement is required. Age Statement T