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You must be 21 or over to enter this website. If you're not old enough to drink, then you're not old enough to read Breaking Bourbon.
Please read and drink responsibly.
Each year we taste and review hundreds of American whiskeys, which are predominantly bourbons but also include ryes, malts, finished whiskeys, and other classifications of American-made whiskeys. Our annual “Best Whiskeys of the Year” series features five categories: “Best American Single Malt, “Best American Whiskey,” “Best Rye,” “Best Finished,” and “Best Bourbon,” finally culminating with our overall #1 Whiskey of the Year.
Our Best Ryes of 2025 start with those ongoing releases or new ones released in 2025 and rated 3.5 barrels or higher, but are not based purely on our initial tasting and individual rating. Instead, we retaste and discuss this wide range of whiskeys extensively. We ask questions, such as is the whiskey exciting, memorable, unique, and most importantly, how does it compare to the rest of the field for the year?
We look for whiskeys that move us, and dig into whiskeys that may be off the beaten path. While availability and price are factors, they are not absolute. The intent is to highlight the whiskeys of the year that stand out the most to us, even if they might be difficult to obtain - and the reason we review hundreds of whiskeys each year spanning a wide price range and availability in order to inform readers of all budgets and experience levels. Ultimately, we must agree on which whiskeys make the list, and which do not - combining the diversity of our different palates.
Lost Lantern is an independent bottler, sourcing whiskeys from distilleries all over the country in an effort to “shine a light on the independent spirit.” Farmers’ Fields Rye is a blend of straight ryes from the four distilleries also featured as single barrel ryes within Lost Lantern’s Summer 2025 Estate Distillery Collection. The distillery ryes in the blend span from 3-8 years old, and come from a range of geographical locations throughout the United States, ranging from the far Southwest with Corbin Cash (Atwater, CA) and Frey Ranch (Fallon, NV), to the extreme north with Far North (Hallock, MN), and Whiskey Acres (DeKalb, IL), hailing from the Midwest.
There are fewer ryes than bourbons in the marketplace, and as a result, fewer ryes that really stand out as remarkable whiskeys. Farmers’ Fields Rye nails a high proof, rich rye flavor profile that balances distinctiveness with drinkability, and sweetness with spice. The blend is a good example of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts, as it’s better than the collective individual distillery offerings that are included in it. Lost Lantern 2025 Farmers’ Field Rye is a unique, full-flavored, high proof rye with an earthy undertone that highlights America’s burgeoning estate distilleries to remarkable results.
SRP: $100 / 750mL
WHERE TO BUY: SEELBACH’S
It’s been a great few years for high-aged rye lovers. As with all styles of whiskey, high-aged rye also comes in many shapes and sizes. For every MGP rye there are a number of craft producers now hitting the double digit age market. Beam’s ryes don’t get included in the rye conversation as much as they should. With Knob Creek Rye now featuring a 10 year age statement and Old Overholt continually increasing their age statement on an annual basis, Jim Beam Distillery rye is finally having its “She’s All That” moment - and nowhere is that more evident than Old Overholt Cask Strength 12 Year Rye.
Though the brand’s 10 year and 11 year releases were good in their own right, this year’s 12 year release reaches another level. This is thanks to a beautiful oak note that isn’t overpowering but adds a layer of rich oak sweetness to the rye’s spiciness that finds perfect harmony. Paired with delectable red fruit notes, the rye’s three-pronged flavor attack is in full effect. The age-old mantra that rye is better young may need a reappraisal, as Old Overholt Cask Strength 12 Year Rye is the brand’s best expression yet.
SRP: $110 / 750mL
WHERE TO BUY: WHISKEY LIBRARY
Starting in 2020, Pinhook set off with the ambitious goal of creating a small batch each year for a period of 8 or more years, all from a single set of 450 barrels that were distilled at Ross & Squibb Distillery (MGP) in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, at the same time. Each year brings about an additional year of aging to this barrel set and allows consumers to experience the slight nuances of how rye changes as it gains each extra year in the barrel. Pinhook Tiz Rye Time 9 Year is the sixth bottle in the brand’s vertical rye series and also blended from the lowest number of barrels used in a release for this series to date.
Displaying the sweet and fruity notes of a classic 95/5 rye along with a solid vein of spices, Tiz Rye Time 9 Year is a great place to start if you haven’t tried any from this vertical series yet. The rye produces everything you could want from a high rye mashbill and delivers rich flavors full of sweet and spice. Pinhook Tiz Rye Time Vertical Series 9 Year is the best release to date in the series, setting the bar high for the final releases over the coming years.
SRP: $93 / 750mL
WHERE TO BUY: SEELBACH’S
There is no other continually released rye brand on the market as celebrated and steeped in history as Sazerac 18 Year. As a result, the annual release of Sazerac 18 Year comes up against sky-high expectations. When the company’s steel tanked lot ran out in 2015, and subsequent release fell short of expectations, it's been a long road to regain lost prestige. But it finally appears that Sazerac 18 Year is back. Following in the excellent footsteps of last year’s release, the 2025 edition seems to further build on the previous one. Beautifully layered aged oak against a myriad of baking spices makes for an irresistible high-aged rye. Sazerac 18 Year is once again an elegant, balanced, and complex rye that no other rye can match in the same way.
SRP: $150 / 750mL
WHERE TO BUY: FROOTBAT
Walleye Run is a lesser-known whiskey brand from New Holland Spirits, the Michigan-based company known more for Dragon’s Milk beer and bourbon. It’s distilled using the company’s 100 year old Prohibition-era copper pot still, and made with a sweet mash as opposed to sour mash, fermented with brewers’ yeast, and pot distilled twice before barreling. For the company’s Double Barrel release, they took five barrels of their 100% malted rye whiskey that had been aged in char #3 barrels for 7 years and then finished them in toasted oak barrels. The result features everything that makes the standard Walleye Run release unique, and layers in a more noticeable amount of oak.
New Holland has become well known for their limited releases of Dragon’s Milk Origin Finished in Toasted Oak Barrels. As a result, they have a lot of experience finishing with toasted oak. But where Dragon’s Milk bourbons feature a wealth of fruit notes, Walleye Run ryes change them out for spicy notes. Combine this with the heavy malt notes, and with this release, more oak, and Walleye Run Double Barrel continues the company’s direction of treading its own course. It’s a wealth of flavor that can catch you off guard. Walleye Run Malted Rye Double Barrel is a uniquely flavorful and boldly spiced malted rye, elevated by toasted barrel finishing, offering a distinctive departure from typical rye profiles.
SRP: $80 / 750mL
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