Did Santa bring you enough whiskey? If not, hopefully he brought you cash so you can buy more.

Even though the gift-giving season, when new releases come thick and fast, is behind us, there are still fresh bottles to get excited about—like a tequila-finished blended rye and a special Japanese whisky that includes some very old stock.

Or how about single pot still Irish whiskey finished in marsala casks? A high-octane bourbon from Beam that celebrates a rival distiller? A whiskey finished with wood from a nearly extinct native tree?

All that and more, below. Happy 2025!

New Whiskey - January 2025

Good Deeds Whiskey Batch #2 ($95)

A 45% ABV blend of straight rye from WhistlePig and bourbon from Black Button, which follows an inaugural blended malt that came out in 2021. Just like that release, this one will support the STEPUP Foundation, which provides internships and mentorship to members of underrepresented groups in the spirits industry. All the whiskey and materials were donated, which means that 100 percent of the sales can go directly to the foundation.

Booker’s 2024-04 “Jimmy’s Batch” ($100)

There are four Booker’s batches each year, and usually their rollouts aren’t news. This one, though, is worth paying attention to. It honors Jimmy Russell, the longest-serving master distiller in Kentucky and—I do not say this lightly—a true bourbon legend. Despite spending his entire career at Wild Turkey, ostensibly a rival of Beam, Russell was close friends with brand namesake Booker Noe and remains beloved as a “second father” to Noe’s son, seventh-generation master distiller Fred Noe. A nice match for the 8-year-old bourbon Wild Turkey released in honor of Russell’s 70^th anniversary.

Fuji 50^th Anniversary ($500)

Although its whisky has only been available in the U.S. for a few years, Fuji Gotemba Distillery is actually more than 50 years old, having opened in 1973. This anniversary whisky blends single malts ranging in age from 12 to 50 years, including some from the distillery’s first runs, with a maturation program that included bourbon, oloroso, red wine, and beer casks. It’s not cheap, but I’d feel confident paying the asking price: every Fuji whisky I’ve tasted—even the inexpensive ones—has been excellent.

High West The Noble Share ($175)

Tequila barrel finishes have become A Thing in recent years, especially if the whiskey’s parent company also happens to own a tequila brand—as is the case with High West, whose sibling is Casa Noble. This 52% ABV blend of ryes (some MGP, some made at High West) is mostly finished in Casa Noble añejo barrels for six months, with a small portion finished in amburana casks for a shorter period of time. I don’t personally like amburana, or that price, but I’m enough of a High West fan to keep an open mind.

The Obscure Distillery Rites of Fall Rye ($150)

A totally unique whiskey that was not aged in new charred oak, as required for American rye, but chestnut wood. And not in chestnut, but on it. The whiskey was made in Ohio, but then underwent an alternative aging process at Obscure’s Los Angeles location that uses pieces of chestnut wood to impart flavor. Sales support the American Chestnut Foundation, which aims to restore the native tree species, which was devastated by blight a century ago.

Drumshanbo Marsala Cask ($80)

From one of the best new distilleries in Ireland comes a cask-finished version of its single pot still whiskey. It’s bottled at a gentle 43% ABV, but should have a full, creamy mouthfeel thanks to the inclusion of oats in the grain bill. Marsala isn’t a common finishing cask, and it will be fun to taste how the nutty wine imparts itself on the spicy, delicate whiskey.