Gifting from Afar? The Best Whiskeys to Order Online Right Now

Knob Creek’s new-to-this-year 12-year-old juice is extra-aged, premium bourbon that is available in any liquor store worth its salt. This is to say it falls squarely in realm of whiskeys you can have sent to anyone, anywhere. Bonus points if they like peanuts; this whiskey inside this bottle is a peanut-flavored ICBM.

Available in 750s and 375s, Woodford Reserve’s Double Oaked line is one of the most widely respected low-proof whiskeys available (making it uniquely suited for newer bourbon drinkers). The whiskey ages in a standard 52-gallon oak barrel for years before its dumped into a new barrel that’s been toasted and charred. The result tastes something like a slightly burnt marshmallow.  

Named after Nathan “Nearest” Green, the slave who taught Jack Daniel how to make whiskey, Uncle Nearest is America’s fastest-growing whiskey label. And while the whiskey inside — a delightful 100 proof blend of 8- to 14-year-old hooch — stands up on its own, what Fawn Weaver’s brand stands for is far more important.

I contend that this is, and has been, one of the best widely available bourbons in America. Reviewers widely considered it a steal at the price. Take whiskey author Fred Minnick’s word for it: “I’m going through a bottle a month. The notes kind of just linger. You can have five different notes hitting at once. I believe that to be the definition of nuance.”

Known as “oogie” in the scotch world, Ardbeg’s hard-to-pronounce whisky is named after the loch which the distillery sources its water from. The whisky inside is a blended cask strength scotch made up of whisky matured in ex-bourbon casks and sherry butts. It’s malty, smoky, fatty and absolutely wicked with a little ice. 

A cliché gift? Sure, there’s not much arguing that. Lagavulin’s most famous expression carries a cultural clout few scotches do stateside — partially (primarily?) due to the adoration of Nick Offerman’s Parks and Recreation character, Ron Swanson, who has a deep passion for it.  

Long live the king. What was once the whisk(e)y finds itself feeling a bit grandfatherly, but for those who haven’t tried it (or those who have, really) it is a special treat and time capsule to the earlier days of the worldwide whiskey boom. 

The Macallan’s 15-year-old Double Cask expression is a technical whisky. A blend of spirit aged in American and European oak — each seasoned differently — that winds up tasting something like a spicy bread pudding. 

One of the best new whiskeys in recent memory, Brent Elliot and Four Roses’ Small Batch Select is a finesse flavor flamethrower of a bourbon. If you don’t gift it, get it for yourself. 

This whiskey is 10 years old, 100 proof and 100 percent rye. That’s a strange makeup for such a popular spirit. Go sit on a porch somewhere and sip neat.

High West is a weird distillery and this is a weird whiskey. A blend of very young and very old rye whiskey is cut to 92 proof and bottled up. The first few sips — dominated by the young whiskey — are haymakers, but the older whiskey takes hold on the long, full finish. 

It should be said that, like all Japanese whisky, this bottle may not be absolutely everywhere, but it’s as close as most Japanese whiskey gets. Made at Nikka’s Yoichi Distillery in the country’s northernmost Hokkaido island, it’s higher in proof and fuller in flavor than most Japanese whiskies, making it perfectly suited for the American whiskey palate, which craves more proof and bigger flavors than any other. 

For bourbon lovers, this is the crown jewel of regularly released Heaven Hill bourbon. The whiskey is so elegant that, despite some absurdly high proof points (we’ve seen bottles reach nearly 140 proof), it remains potent but drinkable served neat. 

Twelve-year-old Irish whiskey aged in American bourbon barrels, Spanish sherry casks and Spanish Malaga casks (a fortified red wine). Bready, spicy, rich, fruity. 

The most available of Suntory’s sipping whiskies, Hibiki Japanese Harmony represents the best qualities of Japanese whisky for (usually) less than $100.  

There aren’t many people who don’t like Maker’s, but few have tried it at full strength.