By Brian Freedman,Contributor
Copyright forbes
With whiskey, as with wine, there is a widespread assumption that older typically means better. That, of course, is not the case: Just because a particular expression has spent an extended period of time in barrel or bottle doesn’t necessarily mean it’s superior.
When it comes to whiskey in particular, there is often a point of diminishing returns in terms of aging in wood: Expressions that spend too long in barrel—or that don’t bring together the right spirit with the right wood, all mingling in the right environment—can become drying, tannic, and unbalanced, defined more by their aging vessel than by the character of the spirit itself.
It’s important to keep in mind, however, that not all age-statements are the same; so many factors contribute to the final character of a whiskey that it’s impossible to speak in broad terms. The mash bill, the proof at which a spirit is barreled and bottled, the source and toasting or charring of the wood itself, the climate in which the barrel-aging occurs: All of these and more impact the dram in your glass.
Barrel-aging conditions, for example, are particularly illustrative: A top-quality single malt Scotch whisky, for example, is exposed to notably different temperature and humidity than a great bourbon that’s resting in an oak barrel in Kentucky. This is one of the reasons why a 12-year age statement for single malt is easy to find, whereas a bourbon of equivalent age is far less common: The interaction of liquid and wood tends to be slower in Scotland’s more northerly climate than it is in Kentucky’s.
And, of course, there are plenty of relatively youthful iterations of whiskey around the world that are more than worth your time and money. The intersection of age and enjoyment exists on a continuum, not on a definable point. I’ll be writing about younger whiskeys and whiskies here shortly.
That having been said, the pleasures whiskeys that have been aged with care and consideration for an extended period of time can be tremendous and, in the best cases, profound. They offer not just unique and often layered expressions of how the passage of time manifests itself in a spirit, but they also, in a more philosophical sense, can serve as snapshots of years past—opportunities to commune with a different era.
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The five below, listed alphabetically, embody exactly that in different yet exceptionally profound ways.
Four Roses 2025 Limited Edition Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Every year, Four Roses releases this much-awaited expression, and it’s always fascinating to see what Master Distiller Brent Elliott has created. This newest iteration doesn’t disappoint, bringing together three lots of 13-year-old bourbon (OBSV, OBSK, and OESV, for those who have taken the more than worthwhile dive into the fascinating world of mash-bill-and-yeast-strain combinations that the brand is built on) alongside 19-year OESV. Whether or not those letters mean anything to you, the result is the same: A whiskey that threads the needle between cask-strength power and incredible elegance, with carob, coffee beans, and tobacco leaf alongside brandied cherries, grilled apricots, and a finishing note of kirsch-filled chocolate and chamomile.
The Four Roses 2025 Limited Edition Small Batch is a delicious, intricate addition to the line of annual releases.
Courtesy of Four Roses
Glengoyne White Oak 24 Year Old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Membrillo and cinnamon, sandalwood and leather, cigar humidor and dried stone fruit: This is a whisky of layers and complexity in abundance. With air, hints of orange oil and bergamot emerge, as do nods in the direction of honeyed sesame, loamy earth, and cafe mocha, all joined by sweet pralines and more of that fruit that kicked things off. This is proof that almost quarter-century whisky can retain a sense of freshness alongside its gorgeous maturity.
The Glengoyne White Oak 24 Year Old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky shows remarkable freshness alongside its more mature character.
Courtesy of Glengoyne
Heaven Hill Master Distillers Unity Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
The complexity of this 27-barrel blend is incredible, bringing together 34-, 14-, 8-, and 6-year bourbons with immense harmony. Mashed peanuts enrobed in caramel, pipe tobacco, clover honey, and stone fruit dance with a complex dusting of holiday-season spice and cedar, all of it lingering with layered length through the honeyed, minutes-long finish. This whiskey was crafted to commemorate the opening the Heaven Hill Springs Distillery, and includes liquid from the last barrel remaining of the 1991 whiskey made by Parker Beam (the other whiskeys were distilled at the Bernheim Distillery by Beam, Denny Potter, and current Master Distiller Conor O’Driscoll). Its respect for the past and ingrained optimism for the future are clear in every sip.
The Heaven Hill Master Distillers Unity Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey looks to the past and the future with verve and depth.
Courtesy of Heaven Hill
Russell’s Reserve 13-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This Spring 2025 release is powerful and incredibly complex, showcasing everything that Russell’s Reserve does so brilliantly. It coats the palate with toffee pudding, honeyed figs, dates, pecan pralines, and sweet, deeply warming spice that resolves with a note of cracked peppercorn through a finish whose plush generosity hums with a quiet undercurrent of savoriness. At 123.8 proof, this is a powerful whiskey, but the balance it maintains from the nose through the last, lingering notes of the beautiful finish, is nothing short of remarkable.
The Russell’s Reserve 13-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is powerful and complex with a long, lingering finish.
Courtesy of Russell’s Reserve
Tamdhu 43 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
The first expression from Tamdhu’s Dedication Collection, which trains a spotlight on some of the rarest liquids from the iconic brand, this is a fitting start for the range of sherry cask-aged whiskies. It’s a deeply profound, mahogany-toned dram, with aromas that are somehow both impossibly rich and transportingly elegant. Roasty notes of torrefaction bring to mind cacao nibs and espresso beans, and these are joined by caramelized orange peels and apple and pear fritters, both spiced with cinnamon, clove, and bergamot. On the palate, this unfolds with orange zest, carob, well-aged cigar tobacco, and Chinese five-spice powder. It’s a rich, wonderfully complicated symphony of flavors and textures. And while only 100 bottles are available, and finding one may be challenging, this serves as a reminder of how the best well-aged whiskies are not just uniquely delicious, but soulful, too.
The Tamdhu 43 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky is impossibly rich and transportingly elegant.
CHRIS LOMAS PHOTOGRAPHY
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