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The 8 Best Whiskies from Breweries to Drink on St. Patrick’s Day (2025)
Water of life!
Photography courtesy of Rogue Ales and Spirits
Top Stories:
Considered the water of life, whiskey (whisky) has become one of the most popular spirits in America and worldwide.
So much so that even breweries are collaborating on or distilling their own versions nowadays.
We don’t traditionally cover spirits a ton, but we feel breweries making spirits is an intriguing proposition. And one not covered too often.
Overall, the American whiskey industry faced some headwinds last year. The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) reports that American whiskey sales fell 1.8% last year to $5.2 billion total market.
A feared “bourbon bubble” seems to be already here, if not on the horizon. Craft distilleries or products produced at breweries must be more unique and compelling to vie with a crowded shelf space. Does this sound familiar? We’ve seen the same trends happening in craft beer for years.
Plus, this question looms over current spirit producers: Will newly proposed American tariffs on imported goods from Canada and Mexico threaten the second and third top U.S. spirits export markets, respectively?
But enough of you, Debbie Downer. We’re here to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, so what better way to honor this time-tested tipple than by raising a glass of this strong, stiff spirit, especially if it’s from a brewery?
Whether you like whiskey neat, on the rocks (ice), with a splash of water, or mixed into a cocktail, here are our favorite unique whiskeys to unwind with at the end of the day (or turn up with during this holiday—the choice is yours!)
What Exactly Is Whiskey? And How Is It Different From Bourbon?
Photography courtesy of Adam Jaime | Unsplash
All bourbons are whiskey, but not all whiskies are bourbon.
Whiskey includes grain, water, and yeast, but it’s the first ingredient that genuinely differentiates the two liquors.
For instance, American rye whiskey must include fifty-one percent rye, while bourbon must have a mash bill of fifty-one percent corn.
Producers generally distill whiskey—such as Irish and Canadian varieties—primarily in used bourbon barrels for at least three years.
Conversely, bourbon ages in new, charred American white oak barrels for at least two years.
The process starts the same for whiskey and bourbon: adding milled grains into hot water cooked in a mash tun (similar to beer, too, right!?). From there, the sugar-rich liquid goes into a fermentation tank called a washback, where yeast is added to eat the sugar and convert it into alcohol—this becomes the wash, aka distiller’s beer. To distill the alcohol, the wash gets heated. Essentially, since alcohol boils at a lower temperature than water, the alcohol will become vapor, rising into the neck of the still before being cooled and morphing back into liquid.
Depending on how many times you distill, you’ll get a higher alcohol content. After that first run, most spirits reach around 60-70% ABV.
The alcohol content is essential because bourbon, for example, can only go into a barrel at less than 125 proof (62% ABV).
On the other hand, most whiskies need to be at least 80 proof (40% ABV). Distillers achieve this by adding water to the wash before barreling.
The History of Whiskey
According to the Distilled Spirits Council, the original history of whiskey can be traced back thousands of years to the medieval monks of Scotland and Ireland, with evidence of stills on Scottish farms since the mid-1500s.
In fact, the name whiskey derives from a Gaelic word uisgebaugh (pronounced WEEZ-ga-bochh), which means “water of life.”
In America, whiskey origins are murkier. An influx of Scottish-Irish immigrants in the 1700s, settling in parts of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and North and South Carolina, is said to have brought their distilling traditions to the U.S. In these states, settlers and farmers brewed whiskey as a rye-based product, primarily for themselves.
But as whiskey became more popular, the American government levied the first-ever tax on a domestic product to try and make money to recoup debt incurred during the Revolutionary War. Met with incredible resistance, the “whiskey tax” led to what became known as The Whiskey Rebellion, a public, violent uprising in opposition to the levies. Although the protests were squashed in 1794, political opposition continued until Congress repealed the whiskey tax in 1802.
By then, whiskey production had suffered, leading to lower-quality products. The Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897 enacted a set of standards for the composition and age of whiskey.
And while Prohibition obviously put a massive dent in whiskey production in the early 1900s, post-Prohibition saw a resurgence of American whiskey brands. And today, we’re seeing breweries get in on the game, too.
Hop Culture’s 8 Best Whiskies From Breweries to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day
Fat Pug American Malt Whiskey – Maplewood Brewery and Distillery
Chicago, IL
Photography courtesy of Maplewood Brewing & Distilling
Proof/ABV: 90 (44.5% ABV)
The Story: Maplewood uniquely opened as both a brewery and a distillery in 2014. Since the beginning, the one-of-a-kind operation in Chicago, IL, has been making not only award-winning beer, but spirits too—often playing off each other. Taking notes from the brewery’s signature Fat Pug Oatmeal Stout, the Fat Pug American Malt Whiskey intriguingly carries these audacious cocoa-like notes courtesy of the grain bill, which has dark crystal, dark Munich, chocolate malt, and roasted malt. Aged in New American white oak, this whiskey gets some nice light char and buttery notes from the barrel. The list of awards this whiskey has won is almost too long to list here, but a few that stand out include the 2024 ADI International Spirits Competition Double Gold Medal, 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition Gold Medal, and 2021 US Open Whiskey & Spirits Competition Gold Medal.
Tasting Notes: Cocoa, chocolate, light char
Wake Robin Small Batch Bourbon – Trillium
Canton, MA
Proof/ABV: 92 (46% ABV)
The Story: Last year, the iconic, hype-hazy brewery Trillium made a bold move, releasing its line of spirits. The move from the New England-based brewery seemed like a telling trend. If Trillium moves into spirits, would other breweries follow suit soon? A little more time will probably tell, but it’s hard for us to not try a small-batch bourbon from one of the most iconic breweries in the country, right? Wake Robin Small Batch Bourbon features a blend of straight bourbon whiskey ranging in age from a minimum of four to up to seven years. The award-winning mash bill consists of three grists with varying percentages of corn, rye, and malted barley. Considered Trillium’s cornerstone of New England whiskey, this bourbon is hard to pass up.
Tasting Notes: Honey, stone fruit, baking spices, molasses, raspberry, brown sugar, toffee drizzled chocolate bundt cake, clove
Bubblegumhead Bottled in Bond Straight Malt Whiskey – 3 Floyds
Munster, IN
Photography courtesy of 3 Floyds Brewing
Proof/ABV: 100 (50% ABV)
The Story: At 100 proof, this one might blow your head (or at least pop your bubble), so drinkers beware. Almost like a big…much bigger brother to 3 Floyds’ iconic American wheat ale, Gumballhead, Bubblegumhead distills from the same wheat for a high-octane whiskey that’s an explosion of flavor. The brewery suggests that you’ll find notes of vanilla, marshmallow, honey, toffee caramel, and warming spices all through one luxuriously smooth sip. A testament to Gumballhead’s legacy, Bubblegumhead will surely make the same stamp on spirits.
Tasting Notes: Vanilla, marshmallow, honey, toffee, caramel, warming spices
Alternate Takes: Volume 4 – Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Milton, DE
Photography courtesy of Dogfish Head Craft Ales
Proof/ABV: 83 (43% ABV)
The Story: Dogfish Head Founder Sam Calagione started getting into spirits and distilling after visiting a scrap metal yard. He found a stainless steel piece of equipment that he bought and MacGyver-ed into a 150-gallon pot still.
The brewery takes the same innovative, culinary-based approach to distilling as it does to brewing. Alternate Takes: Volume 4, part of a series exploring the possibilities of whiskey, starts with Dogfish Head’s American Single Malt Whiskey and finishes in seventy-four percent Samuel Adams Utopias barrels and twenty-six percent Oloroso Sherry barrels.
This whiskey beautifully combines the confluence of beer and whiskey into one bottle.
It’s also worth trying the third version of this series—Alternate Takes: Volume 3—an award-winning whiskey finished in apple brandy and apple cider barrels.
Tasting Notes: Dried fruit, cedar wood, nuts, dark cherry, fine port
Dead Guy Whiskey Stout Cask Finish – Rogue Ales and Spirits
Portland, OR
Photography courtesy of Rogue Ales and Spirits
Proof/ABV: 97 (48.5% ABV)
The Story: Here’s a fun fact: When Rogue started distilling in 2003, it was one of America’s first independent craft distilleries. Spending one year in one-hundred percent coopered in-house barrels and two years in stout-saturated American oak barrels, Dead Guy Whiskey Stout Cask Finish is a three-year-old American single-malt whiskey. The aging in stout barrels gives this whiskey its perplexing character with flavors you’d often find in a stout—roasty, toasty, chocolatey coffee. This audacious whiskey perfectly encapsulates what can happen when brewers start making spirits.
Tasting Notes: Spice, citrus, coffee, roast, chocolate
Original Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey – New Holland Spirits
Holland, MI
Photography courtesy of @dragonsmilkofficial
Proof/ABV: 95 (47.5% ABV)
The Story: A branch of New Holland Brewing, New Holland Spirits launched in 2005. The brewery/distillery’s small-batch bourbon whiskey is distilled on a Prohibition-era pot still and aged in charred American white oak barrels. The process creates an exceptionally uniquely flavored whiskey that has won awards nationwide, including a double gold from the New York International Spirits Competition, a gold from The American Distilling Institute, and a silver from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Tasting Notes: Stone fruit, vanilla wafer, pastries, and citrus
Mr. BlueSky Whiskey – Griffin Claw Brewing Company
Birmingham, MI
Photography courtesy of Griffin Claw Brewing Co.
Proof/ABV: 80 (40% ABV)
The Story: When Griffin Claw opened in 2013, they didn’t just create a 50-bbl brewhouse; they built space for a distillery too.
“We wanted to make sure our customers had options because not everybody drinks beer,” says Scott LePage, managing partner at Griffin Claw, whose dad, Norm LePage, started the original business.
To build the distillery, Griffin Claw flew up experts from Kentucky to show them how to store bourbon and rye and brew it in true fashion.
This meant leveraging a Meura mash filter, which improves brewing efficiencies and has an added benefit for spirits.
A unique Belgian piece of equipment used to distill, the Meura mash filter allows Griffin Claw to run 100% rye.
“Most ryes are not 100% rye, so ours is really special,” says LePage.
As far as LePage knows, at the time, they were the first craft brewery in America to own this specialized equipment. Macrobreweries such as MillerCoors owned one, too, but not smaller craft operations, although more craft breweries nowadays do own one.
“I remember when ours was completed because they custom-made it for us; they didn’t want to sell it to us at that point because they saw the market behind it,” says LePage.
But the extra work paid dividends.
Today, Griffin Claw makes all sorts of spirits, including this unique whiskey.
Distilled from one of the brewery’s most popular beers, an American wheat ale named Mr. BlueSky, Mr. BlueSky Whiskey rests in lightly charred white oak barrels for over four years.
You get a golden whiskey great for sipping straight up, drinking on the rocks, or adding to cocktails.
Tasting Notes: Citrus, vanilla, coriander, and grapefruit
7YR Kentucky Single Malt Whiskey – Town Branch
Lexington, KY
Photography courtesy of @townbranchbourbon
Proof/ABV: 87 (42.5% ABV)
The Story: Part of Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co, the only brewery and distillery on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, Town Branch, is an award-winning distillery making great beer and spirits.
All are on display in the brewery and distillery’s seven-year-aged single-malt whiskey. Incredibly, Town Branch upcycles its barrels four times—using it for Town Branch Bourbon before aging the brewery’s Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale in those same barrels, before reusing them once more for the 7YR Kentucky Single Malt Whiskey (and then using them once more overseas for Irish whiskeys at Pearse Lyons Distillery in Dublin).
The 100 percent malted barley mash ages for a minimum of seven years in those post-Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale barrels.
The proof is in the barrel, with this whiskey picking up a bevy of awards since it was first released in 2019. For instance, gold from the Beverage Testing Institute in 2021, a double gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2020, and a double gold at the North American Bourbon and Whiskey Competition in 2019, among others.
Tasting Notes: Molasses, vanilla, brown sugar, and nutmeg
