The Best Spirits to Stock for the Holidays

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 12 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.

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Related: 50 Best Whiskeys in the World

Best Bourbon

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 Woodford Reserve Double Oaked is the perfect middle ground of affordability, availability, and taste.

Best Scotch Whisky

While we didn't forget the classics, our best Scotch picks of the year will surprise even veteran whisky sippers. Our best overall choice, Ardbeg 10, is full and rich, with big peaty flavor.

Best Tequila

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 best tequilas, including our favorite: Tequila G4 Reposado.

Best Rye Whiskey

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 Old Overholt Extra Aged Cask Strength 11-Year, our overall preferred bottle, completes that goal on its own.

Best Cheap Whiskey

Searching for a compromise between your wallet and your palate? Then Buffalo Trace is your Goldilocks whiskey. But in case you're thirsty for more variety, our round-up features many additional best cheap whiskeys.

Best Bourbon for an Old Fashioned

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, Russell's Reserve 10.

Best Whiskey Bars

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

You've had Jameson, of course. But have you ever tried Redbreast 12 Tawny Port Cask Edition, 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

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: Crown Royal Reserve 12

Best Japanese Whisky

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

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, Tequila G4 Reposado, is straight up delicious.

Best Gins

Herbaceous, botanical gins are refreshing and versatile, so we made sure our favorites were emblematic of the category. Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Dry Gin, a unique spirit made in Germany, is our number one option to sip on the rocks or mix into gin-and-tonics, gimlets, or Tom Collins.

Related: 25 Best Alcohol Gifts to Make the Holidays More Spirited

How We Chose the Best Spirits for 2025

Men's Journal contributors 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.

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 2025 Men's Journal Spirits Awards are authoritative, trustworthy, and downright exciting to explore.

Related: How to Drink Whiskey Neat