Whisky

Lynchburg, Tennessee · United States

Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 1 Ltr

We stock it because it is number two in the state and a shop without it reads as incomplete rather than curated, and because the charcoal step is a real difference that the label never explains.

1000 mL40.0%31.6 std

Clermont, Kentucky · United States

Jim Beam White Label Kentucky Straight Bourbon 1 Ltr

We stock it because it is the bourbon most often asked for by name in New South Wales, and because the strength on the Australian bottle is lower than most people assume - which is worth knowing before you compare the price to a duty free one.

1000 mL37.0%29.2 std

Clermont, Kentucky · United States

Jim Beam White Label Kentucky Straight Bourbon 700 ml

We stock it because it is the bourbon most often asked for by name in New South Wales, and because the strength on the Australian bottle is lower than most people assume - which is worth knowing before you compare the price to a duty free one.

700 mL37.0%20.4 std

Loretto, Kentucky · United States

Maker's Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon

We stock it because it is the highest-ranked bourbon in the state that is bought for what is in the bottle rather than for the price on the shelf, and because the wheated mash bill is the clearest single difference anyone can taste in this category.

700 mL40.0%22.1 std

Lynchburg, Tennessee · United States

Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey

We stock it because it is in the state's top twenty-five and it is what a great many people mean when they ask for something sweeter, and because saying plainly that it is a liqueur is more useful than pretending it is whiskey.

700 mL35.0%19.3 std

Shelbyville, Kentucky · United States

Bulleit Bourbon Frontier Whiskey

We stock it because rye is the other lever a bourbon distiller can pull and this is the clearest example of it on the shelf, sitting directly opposite the wheated Maker's Mark.

700 mL45.0%24.9 std

Lawrenceburg, Kentucky · United States

Wild Turkey 81 Bourbon Whiskey 700mL

We stock it because someone building bourbon and cola for a party should not have to buy the 101, and because it is the honest cheaper answer from a distillery we already believe in.

700 mL40.5%22.4 std

Lynchburg, Tennessee · United States

Jack Daniel's Old No. 7

We stock it because it is number two in the state and a shop without it reads as incomplete rather than curated, and because the charcoal step is a real difference that the label never explains.

700 mL40.0%22.1 std

Versailles, Kentucky · United States

Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select

We stock it because it is the one mainstream bourbon whose production method is genuinely different from its neighbours, and because it is the bottle most often poured at a wedding that wanted to spend a bit more.

700 mL43.2%23.9 std

Frankfort, Kentucky · United States

Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon

We stock it because it is the bourbon that bartenders name when asked what to buy at this price, and because the distillery behind it is the reason half the craft bourbon on anyone's wish list exists.

700 mL45.0%24.9 std

Clermont, Kentucky · United States

Jim Beam Black Label

We stock it because it answers the question the White Label raises - what the same bourbon tastes like with more time and more alcohol in it - for about six dollars more.

700 mL40.0%22.1 std

Lynchburg, Tennessee · United States

Gentleman Jack Tennessee Whiskey 700mL

We stock it because it is the step up a Jack Daniel's drinker actually takes, and because the second filtration is the whole product rather than a marketing line.

700 mL40.0%22.1 std

Frankfort, Kentucky · United States

Benchmark Old No. 8 Bourbon

We stock it because it is the least expensive bottle on this shelf that comes out of a distillery worth naming, which is a better argument for a cheap bourbon than any of the bulk-blended ones make.

700 mL40.0%22.1 std

Lawrenceburg, Kentucky · United States

Wild Turkey 101

We stock it because it is the cheapest way on this shelf to taste what bourbon is like before the water goes in, and because in a cocktail it is the only one here that does not disappear.

700 mL50.5%27.9 std

Kentucky, USA · United States

Sheep Dog Peanut Butter Whiskey 700ml

We stock it because it is number seven in ALM's national whiskey segment with 4.06% share, up from eighth last year. Flavoured whiskey outsells plenty of things that get taken more seriously.

700 mL30.0%17.0 std

Yamazaki, Hakushu & Chita · Japan

Hibiki Japanese Harmony 700ml

We stock it because it is the bottle we hand anyone who says they do not like whisky. Soft, lightly floral, with no smoke and no heat to argue with. The 24-faceted decanter does not hurt when it is going to someone as a gift.

700 mL43.0%23.7 std

Speyside · Scotland

The Glenlivet 12 Year Old Double Oak Single Malt Whisky

We stock it because it is the other half of a conversation that starts with Glenfiddich. Two distilleries, the same region, and genuinely different answers to the same question.

700 mL40.0%22.1 std

Melbourne, Victoria

Starward Two-Fold Double Grain Whisky

We stock it because it is the most drinkable Australian whisky at the price, and because the red wine cask is a genuinely Australian idea rather than an imported one.

700 mL40.0%22.1 std

Tasmania

Lark Devil's Storm No. 183 Single Malt Australian Whisky

We stock it because Australian single malt is now taken seriously internationally and Tasmania is its centre. Lark is the origin story, and a whisky range without it is missing the beginning.

700 mL42.0%23.2 std

Cork · Ireland

Jameson Stout Edition Irish Whiskey

We stock it because it is genuinely different rather than differently packaged, and because it converts people who thought they had Jameson worked out.

700 mL40.0%22.1 std

Speyside · Scotland

Glenfiddich 18 Year Old Small Batch Single Malt Whisky

We stock it because it is what the 12 grows into, and the two side by side make the case for age statements better than any marketing does.

700 mL48.0%26.5 std

Scotland · Scotland

Johnnie Walker Double Black Blended Scotch Whisky

Black Label with the peat turned up - more smoke, more charred cask, and noticeably more assertive than its sibling. We stock both because Double Black is not simply the better one. It is the version for someone who already likes smoke, and Black Label is the version for everyone else at the same table.

700 mL40.0%22.1 std

Isle of Skye · Scotland

Talisker Skye Single Malt Whisky

We stock it as the entry point to the distillery for someone who is curious about maritime whisky but not yet sure they want the full weather.

700 mL45.8%25.3 std

Speyside · Scotland

Monkey Shoulder Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

We stock it because it is built for mixing and honest about it. If you are making a whisky sour or a highball, a bottle designed for the job beats sacrificing something that was not.

700 mL40.0%22.1 std

Rampur, Uttar Pradesh · India

Rampur Double Cask Indian Single Malt Whisky

We stock it because Indian single malt is the most interesting thing happening in whisky at the moment, and Rampur is one of the reasons why.

700 mL45.0%24.9 std

Speyside · Scotland

Royal Salute 21 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky

We stock it for exactly that. It is not an everyday bottle and does not pretend to be, and when someone needs a gift that carries weight without needing explanation, this is the one.

700 mL40.0%22.1 std

Highland · Scotland

Dimple 12 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky

We stock it because it is a familiar sight to a lot of people and it still drinks well. Some bottles earn their place through recognition rather than novelty.

700 mL40.0%22.1 std

Cork · Ireland

Jameson IPA Edition Irish Whiskey

We stock it alongside the Stout because the pair make an unusually clear demonstration of what a cask finish actually does. Buy both and taste them next to the standard bottle.

700 mL40.0%22.1 std

Speyside · Scotland

Chivas Regal 12 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky

We stock it because people ask for it, and we would rather you got it from us than made a second trip. Consistency is a genuine virtue in a blend, and this is one of the ones that delivers it.

700 mL40.0%22.1 std

Japan · Japan

Nikka From The Barrel Japanese Whisky

We stock it because it is the Japanese whisky we recommend most often, and because the strength means it holds up in a highball instead of disappearing.

500 mL51.4%20.3 std

Islands · Scotland

Johnnie Walker 18 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky

We stock it because it makes the case for blending as a craft rather than a compromise. If someone believes blends are what you drink when you cannot afford malt, this is the bottle that changes their mind.

700 mL40.0%22.1 std

Scotland · Scotland

Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Year Old

We stock it because it is the most useful whisky most households can own, and because a blend that does three jobs well is worth more than a malt that does one.

700 mL40.0%22.1 std

Bangalore · India

Amrut Fusion Single Malt Whisky

We stock it because it was the bottle that forced people to stop treating Indian whisky as a novelty, and because it still tastes like nothing else in the cabinet.

700 mL50.0%27.6 std

Miyagikyo, Sendai · Japan

Nikka Miyagikyo Single Malt Whisky

We stock it because Japanese single malt beyond Suntory is worth knowing, and Miyagikyo is the most immediately likeable place to start.

700 mL45.0%24.9 std

Speyside · Scotland

Aberlour A'bunadh Single Malt Whisky

We stock it because it is the most honest whisky in the Speyside section. Add water to taste - at this strength that is not a suggestion, it is part of the drink. Check the batch number; they are not the same.

700 mL61.2%33.8 std

Speyside · Scotland

Chivas Regal 18 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky

We stock it because it is the blended Scotch we are most comfortable recommending as a present. It arrives looking like an occasion and tastes like one.

700 mL40.0%22.1 std

Islay · Scotland

Laphroaig Oak Select Single Malt Whisky

We stock it beside the 10 because it answers a real question. Someone who admires what Laphroaig does but finds the 10 too uncompromising has somewhere to go, and it is the same distillery rather than a substitute.

700 mL40.0%22.1 std

Speyside · Scotland

Glenfiddich 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky

We stock it because it is where a great many people start, and starting somewhere reliable matters more than starting somewhere fashionable. If you are buying a first bottle of single malt, this one will not embarrass you.

700 mL40.0%22.1 std

Cork · Ireland

Jameson Black Barrel Irish Whiskey

We stock it because it is the step up from the green bottle that people actually notice. If Jameson is already the house pour, this is the one worth trading up to before spending considerably more.

700 mL40.0%22.1 std

Speyside · Scotland

BenRiach The Original Ten Single Malt Whisky

We stock it because it delivers more complexity than a ten year old Speyside usually manages, and because BenRiach are one of the distilleries doing genuinely interesting work without charging for the reputation.

700 mL43.0%23.7 std

Speyside · Scotland

Aberlour 12 Year Old Double Cask Matured

We stock it because it is the bottle we would hand to someone stepping past blends for the first time, and it does not punish the decision.

700 mL40.0%22.1 std

Speyside · Scotland

Aberlour 14 Year Old Double Cask Matured

Two more years than the 12, in the same double-cask arrangement, and the difference is in the weight rather than the flavour - more sherry, a longer finish, less of the youthful sharpness. We stock both because the step between them is easy to taste, and comparing them is a better education in what age does to whisky than any amount of reading.

700 mL40.0%22.1 std

Tasmania

Lark Classic Cask Single Malt Whisky

We stock it because Australian whisky has a short history and Lark wrote most of it.

500 mL43.0%17.0 std

Sydney, New South Wales

Archie Rose Single Malt Whisky

We stock it because it is made an hour from where we deliver, and because the multi-malt approach produces something that tastes deliberately built rather than merely aged.

700 mL40.0%22.1 std

Isle of Skye · Scotland

Talisker 10 Year Old Single Malt Whisky

Made on Skye rather than Islay, and the difference shows: the smoke is drier, and there is a pepper note on the finish that Talisker drinkers recognise instantly. We stock the 10 because it is the age statement in the range, and an age statement on a maritime malt earns its keep. It is peated whisky with the volume set at conversation rather than shouting.

700 mL45.8%25.3 std

Islay · Scotland

Lagavulin 16 Year Old Single Malt Whisky

We stock it because it is the bottle that settles arguments about what peat means. If someone wants to understand the style rather than sample around it, this is where we send them.

700 mL43.0%23.7 std

Haryana · India

Indri Trini Single Malt Whisky

We stock it because Indian single malt has stopped being a curiosity, and this is the bottle that makes the argument without needing an explanation.

700 mL46.0%25.4 std

Yamazaki, Osaka · Japan

Yamazaki 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky

We stock it because it is the clearest way to understand what Japanese single malt actually does differently, and because it rewards drinking slowly rather than analysing.

700 mL43.0%23.7 std