The Best Spirits to Sip, Mix, and Savor
Is there anything more exciting than pointing to the top shelf at a bar and accidentally discovering your new favorite Scotch? How about fishing a dusty bottle out of the back of your liquor cabinet only to find it's your delicious new go-to for Negronis? Yes, the world of booze is an adventure waiting to begin—and the Men's Journal Spirits Awards is your treasure map. Across 20 categories, we selected the very best bottles (and top bars that serve them) to celebrate any occasion, whether a holiday party, date night, camping trip—or just 5 p.m. on a Thursday afternoon.
Related: 50 Best Whiskeys in the World
Why You Should Trust Us
As distilleries bottle new celebrity tequilas every week and unveil their oldest bourbon yet for the second time this month, it becomes harder and harder for enthusiasts to keep up.
Men's Journal has covered spirits since our inception in 1992. Our editors and writers boast decades of experience in the booze business. We taste, test, savor, and review every last sip of the best (and worst) beers, wines, whiskeys, gins, tequilas, and everything in between—all to serve our audience with informed takes and refined opinions.
While our writers and editors are experts in their own right, they also interviewed bartenders, restaurant owners, liquor distributors, contest judges, and other thought leaders in the industry. As a result, the 2023 Men's Journal Spirits Awards are authoritative, trustworthy, and downright exciting to explore.
How We Chose the Best Spirits of 2023
Our writers worked with experts to determine what criteria to judge each subcategory of liquor.
For example, when selecting our favorite tequilas, writer Brad Japhe asked the following questions: "Does the liquid in question express itself in a natural and compelling way? Does the agave at its core act as the star of the show? Is it something that drinks well on its own—sans mixers—pleasing to both the nose and the tongue? If we answer yes to most of those questions, it’s a tequila we’ll surely remember. If we answer yes to all of them, then it’s a tequila we won’t ever forget."
Our writers asked similar questions across every article, getting to the very heart of the spirits they researched for dozens of hours. The results are highly curated lists of bottles that stand above their competitors in multiple characteristics. We can't wait for you to dig in.
Best Bourbon
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Chances are, if you're reading Men's Journal, you like bourbon. Well, we like bourbon too—a lot. Our best bourbons round-up is a what's-what of all the best brown liquor made in the U.S. It's hard to pick a favorite, but William Larue Weller tops our list.
Best Scotch Whisky
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While we didn't forget the classics, our best Scotch picks of the year will surprise even veteran whisky sippers. Our best overall choice, Glenfarclas 25 Year Old, is full and rich, with big sherry and smoky oak flavors.
Best Tequila
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Tequila is the fastest growing liquor category in the U.S., meaning there's no shortage of selection on the shelves of your local liquor store. To help you hear through the noise, we selected the 24 best tequilas, including our favorite: Fortaleza Still Strength.
Best Rye Whiskey
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Rye whiskey is wonderful, but because bourbon and Scotch hog the spotlight, it doesn't get its due. Our list of the best rye whiskey aims to put the spirit back on the map. And Knob Creek Rye, our overall preferred bottle, completes that goal on its own.
Best Cheap Whiskey
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Searching for a compromise between your wallet and your palate? Then Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is your Goldilocks whiskey. But in case you're thirsty for more variety, our round-up features 14 additional best cheap whiskeys.
Best Bourbon for an Old Fashioned
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Ah, yes. The perennial whiskey cocktail that sets good bars apart from bad bars. If you're keen on honing your cocktail-making skills at home, snag a prime bottle of whiskey for an old fashioned—namely, Old Grand Dad 114.
Best Whiskey Bars
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Sometimes drinks taste better at a cozy watering hole. Some like 'em divey, while others like 'em fancy, so our list of the best whiskey bars in America features the perfect spot for every drinker. But if you've only got enough PTO for one trip, head to our nation's capital to experience Jack Rose Dining Saloon in all its whiskey-packed glory.
More Spirits We Love
Best Irish Whiskey
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You've had Jameson, of course. But have you ever tried Redbreast 12 Single Pot Still, our best overall Irish whiskey? If not, you should. Because even though Scotland and the U.S. try to steal the show from the Emerald Isle at times, our best Irish whiskey round-up proves that the category is worth sipping.
Best Canadian Whisky
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Canadian whisky contains the same ingredients as bourbon—corn, wheat, and rye—but Canadian distillers mash, ferment, and distill the grains separately. They then blend the matured whiskeys into one, creating a wholly unique flavor. If you only try one bottle, get our favorite: Canadian Club 15-Year-Old Sherry Cask Invitation Series.
Best Japanese Whisky
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The rarest Japanese whiskies may be harder to find than the best bourbons or Irish whiskeys. But our best overall Japanese whiskey, Yamazaki 12-Year, is mercifully plentiful (for now). It's smooth and sweet, featuring notes of red berries, dried apricots, and a touch of mizunara oak spice.
Best Sipping Tequila
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Forget the margarita mix. A good sipping tequila deserves to fly solo in your glass. Our top pick of the Men's Journal Spirits Awards, El Tequileño Reposado Rare, is the perfect middle ground between the best añejo and reposado tequilas on the market.
Best Vodka for a Martini
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Break out your highball glass for our list of the 13 finest vodkas for martinis. Even folks who don't love vodka, such as Amir Babayoff, bar director at Ophelia Rooftop Lounge, enjoy our top pick, Absolut Elyx. “On the palate, it feels full body, smooth and silky, with nutty, bready, buttery notes," he says. "It finishes with a mellow spice note yet is clean and balanced. I still find it versatile and you can use it anywhere from a martini to a tiki drink.”
Best Dark Rum
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Although Goslings owns the trademark to Dark 'n' Stormy, a classic rum cocktail, all the choices on our list of the best dark rum mix well with ginger beer. Ron Abuelo Centuria is our top selection, offering aromas of citrus, pecan, and cocoa, while the palate finds apricot and tropical fruit that leads into a balanced, oaky finish.
Best Gin Brands
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Herbaceous, botanical gins are refreshing and versatile, so we made sure our favorites were emblematic of the category. Sipsmith, a London dry gin actually made in London, is our number one option to sip on the rocks or mix into gin-and-tonics, gimlets, or Tom Collins.
Best Bottles to Backpack
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Picture this: You and your buddies hiked all day, set up camp, lit a fire, and are ready to unwind before zipping up the tent for the night. What better time for a few warming sips of whiskey? Our favorite backpacking bottles are compact and rugged, perfect for hauling anywhere in the great outdoors. Tincup Adventure Pack is a must-buy, as the 350ml double-walled, stainless steel blue bottle comes with a tin cup top that doubles as the perfect sipper.
Best Tequila for a Margarita
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Whether you prefer complex and bold, or refreshing and bright, we picked the best tequila for margaritas (and included a delicious recipe mixed up by Julio Bermejo of Tommy's Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco, CA). Looking for the perfect bottle? Go for Tequila Ocho Plata.
Best Innovative Spirits
Every year, there are hundreds of new spirits releases. We gathered the most interesting bottles released this year to help the adventurous drinker narrow down their journey. If you only buy one, make sure it's Empirical Symphony 6. Though called gin-like, it's an entirely unique drink.
Best Non-Alcoholic Spirits
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Anyone can enjoy a nice virgin cocktail that stands up to its boozy peers thanks to an influx of new, non-alcoholic spirits. If you like negronis or spritzes but want to hold the alcohol, The Pathfinder Hemp & Root, is the bottle you want.
Best Backcountry Bars
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We scoured backwoods, gateway towns, and desert outposts to find those secret watering holes that'll quench your thirst for adventure and a great drink all at once. Every single backcountry bar is worth a stop, in our opinion. But Cochecton Fire Station, situated in a nowhere town in New York state, stands above the rest.
Related: 25 Best Alcohol Gifts to Make the Holidays More Spirited