Fred Minnick Top 100 Whiskeys 2023: A Sip Above the Rest

Uncorking the Elixir of Excellence: Fred Minnick‘s Top 100 Whiskeys of 2023

Have you heard the fabulous news? Renowned spirits connoisseur and author Fred Minnick has released his annual symphony of spirits, the Top 100 Whiskeys of the year—and let me tell you, it’s a list that has whiskey lovers buzzing more than a hive in springtime!

The Prelude: A Livestream Event to Remember

Picture this: December 1st dawns and Fred, with the flourish of a seasoned maestro, unveils a list that is music to our taste buds. Unranked but highly anticipated, the spectacle is merely beginning. Fast forward to December 20th, and you could catch Fred—in a dramatic blind tasting performance—diligently sipping, savoring, and scoring all 100 whiskeys! It was all live for the world to see; if you were busy sipping your own dram and missed out, you could catch the replay on YouTube. The crescendo reached its peak when Buffalo Trace Prohibition: Old Stagg, 132.4 Proof was crowned the zenith of this year’s list!

A Dram for the Ranks: The Spirits That Impressed

It’s not just about bagging the top spot, though. The ballet of barrels had other star performers with standouts like Larceny, waltzing in with two entries in the top three—talk about stealing the show! Nashville Barrel Company leaped gracefully from last year’s No. 19 to this year’s No. 4, while Nelson Bros. Rye, aged a venerable 15 years, pirouetted its way to No. 5.

The Score: How Whiskeys Clinched Their Spot

This list isn’t thrown together willy-nilly. Oh no! It’s the March Madness of whiskey, a calculated dance of the finest spirits that survived the taste bud gauntlet. With over 800 American whiskeys tasted, the culling was rigorous and rooted in criteria as strict as a judge at a dance competition:

• Tasting period between November of the yesteryear and November of the present.
• Victors of the Blind Bourbon battles earn automatic bids.
• High Scores and Best in Show from San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the American Spirits Council of Tasters—yes, those get in too.
• A minimum of 500 bottles—a nod to consistency and dedication.
• And of course, they must have wowed Fred at some point during the year.

The Top Contenders: Whiskey Glory

Shall we lift the velvet curtain and behold the top ten champions of this year’s showdown? Absolutely! None of these bottles will be over the proof limit of our 20-word sentence, I promise.

– Buffalo Trace Prohibition: Old Stagg, 132.4 Proof, a bold dram reminiscent of a roaring twenties bash, it swaggers in with sheer strength and finesse.
– The delectable Larceny C923 126.4 and its sibling Larceny A123, 125.8 Proof both lay claim to the silver and bronze medals, deftly balancing potency with taste.
– Then there’s the Nashville Barrel Company Cask Batch, 123.7 Proof, with its harmonious melody of flavors that has whiskey enthusiasts singing its praises.
– Not to be forgotten, the Nelson Bros. 15 Year Rye, 108.4 Proof, matures like a fine tune played on an old fiddle, and certainly one to savor.

Toast to the victorious: Whiskey Royalty

Now, let’s raise our glasses in a toast to these liquid legends. If you have the spirit (and a deep enough pocketbook) to sample some of these formidable elixirs, it’s like sipping from the holy grail of distilled grains. But whether you indulge in these or savor your trusty standby, remember: It’s not just about the rankings or the name—it’s about the joy, the memories, and the symphony of flavors in each pour. Cheers to that! 🥃

Thus, as the final note of the grand Fred Minnick Top 100 Whiskeys 2023 livestream event fades into the amber-hued sunset of our whiskey glasses, we can’t help but feel the warmth of anticipation for the next round of blind tasting revelations. Until then, explore, taste, and be merry, for in the world of whiskey, every sip is a story and every bottle a journey. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some “research” to attend to—purely for educational purposes, of course!