Minnick accumulated his Top 100 through tastings at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the American Spirits Council of Tasters, Minnick’s Blind Bourbon Live events and his own personal tastings. See the full list: /1/ranked-top-100-american-whiskeys-for-2022/

William LaRue Weller (BTAC), 124.7, $99 (Kentucky)

Jack Daniel’s Small Batch Coy Hill, 153.2, $55 (Kentucky)ġ. Stagg (formerly Stagg Jr.), 131, $99 (Kentucky)Ħ. Four Roses LE Small Batch, 109, $179.99 (Kentucky)ħ. Old Ezra 7 Year Full Proof Rye, 114, $79.99 (Kentucky)Ĩ. Boulder Spirits Colorado Straight Bourbon 5 Year, 122, $52 (Colorado)ĩ. Pacific Coast Spirits American Single Malt Cask Strength, 114, $90 (California)ġ0. Bardstown Bourbon Company Discovery Batch 9, 112.5, $139.99 (Kentucky)ġ1. Doc Swinson’s Tawny Port Finish Bourbon, 114.9, $79.99 (Washington)ġ3. Sweetens Cove Speyside Finish, 114, $200 (Tennessee)ġ4. Nashville Barrel Straight Bourbon, 121.2 (Tennessee)ġ8.

Smooth Ambler – Contradiction Rye, 105, $39.99 (West Virginia)Ģ0. Rabbit Hole Nevallier 16-year finished in French Oak, 115.8, $895 (Kentucky)Ģ2. “In addition, the blend of straight category (when straight bourbon is blended from multiple states or distilleries) is beginning to takeover liquor store shelves and their success in my list shows how good they are.”Ģ5. But now with the innovation happening across the country and specialized whiskey making on small scale, craft distillers can compete at the highest level,” Minnick noted. “When I started covering whiskey two decades ago, a brand like Colorado-based Bourbon Spirits would have never had a shot against the larger Kentucky and Tennessee distillers. Covering the bourbon industry for 16 years, Minnick’s list reflects the trends of American whiskey with the growth of craft whiskeys and the blossoming category of blend of straights. World-renowned spirits critic and best-selling author Fred Minnick unveiled his Top 100 American Whiskey rankings yesterday and a Blue Blood bourbon - William LaRue Weller from the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection - took the top spot with a limited edition Jack Daniel’s finishing a close second.ĭeemed a leader in the bourbon and spirits industry by The TODAY Show, Men’s Health, Forbes and many others, Minnick blind tasted on his YouTube channel (12.20) and revealed the full rankings the following day.

Fred minnick bourbon