Sifting through the barrage of new whiskey releases can be more trouble than it’s worth, because even well-researched bottles can turn out to be not quite what you want. I’m here to help (just like last month). I've done the sifting for you, and I've got six new whiskies with notably different and interesting characteristics that are well worth your time. They come from as far afield as India and as close to home as Kentucky. Three are single malts, one’s a rye, another a bourbon, and the last is a curious combination of both bourbon and rye under a familiar name.

Green River 1885 Kentucky Straight Bourbon ($22)

What's astonishing about this bourbon isn't that it's four years old and from one of Kentucky's largest—yet also surprisingly under-the-radar—craft distilleries. It's the price, which is the lowest I've seen for straight whiskey that's not from one of the mega-producers like Beam or Brown-Forman. And that's the price for a liter; were it sized down to a standard 750 mL bottle, it'd be even cheaper. Green River's stated goal with this release is to target bars and restaurants by offering a cocktail-friendly bourbon—friendly toward both flavors and budgets. There are few other competitors that can meet the same benchmarks, and none from the craft world. Green River just threw down a mighty big gauntlet.

Knob Creek Bourbon x Rye Blend ($45)

Freddie Noe, the eighth generation of the Jim Beam distilling dynasty, initially made his mark with a series of creative blends under the Little Book banner. So perhaps it should come as no surprise that Knob Creek, one of Beam’s more widely known brands, is launching a limited-edition blend of its two flagships: 30 percent 9-year-old bourbon and 70 percent 7-year-old rye. Knob Creek is one of my go-tos for both bourbon and rye, and I’m willing to bet this 56.5% ABV whiskey, at a price below $50, will not disappoint.

Elijah Craig Toasted Rye ($55)

For American whiskey, toasting a barrel before charring it is nothing new. But in recent years many distillers have emphasized that initial step to heighten sweet and smoky flavors in their bourbon and rye. Elijah Craig launched a toasted-barrel bourbon in 2020 that has proven popular, so naturally parent company Heaven Hill is following it up with a rye. Both whiskies are fully matured in the usual new charred oak first, before the finishing period in custom-toasted and charred barrels. I’m not a huge fan of the toasted barrel flavor profile myself, but I liked Elijah’s take on it with bourbon, and have high expectations for the rye.

Cedar Ridge The QuintEssential: Untitled Cigar Malt Project ($100)

This craft distillery outsells Maker’s Mark in its home state of Iowa, and in recent years has gone from strength to strength, hitting hard in not just bourbon and rye, but American single malt as well. That’s what this whiskey is: a combination of peated and unpeated single malts, aged in the distillery’s used bourbon barrels and finished in everything from amontillado sherry and ruby port to a madeira-inspired wine made at Cedar Ridge’s companion winery. Cigar whiskies have been a thing since long before producers like Dalmore and Jos. A. Magnus released smoke-specific bottlings, but they’re usually designed to pair with cigars. This one, with its use of peated malt, should actually highlight subtle smoke and tobacco notes—a nice twist, especially at cask strength (57.45 percent ABV).

Bhakta Spirits 2012 Indian Single Malt ($149)

India has low-key made some of the world’s best single malt for decades. But it’s rare to find one that’s 10 years old. Given the intense maturation conditions of the tropical climate in much of the country, casks simply lose too much liquid to evaporation—so that there’s next to nothing left to bottle, and what is left is often very low in alcohol. This single malt, made by Ocean King Distillers in Goa, somehow defies the odds. It spent a decade in first-fill bourbon, ex-Islay, and "recharged" (shaved and re-charred) bourbon barrels in the coastal Indian state before making the long journey to Vermont for a 4-month finish in Armagnac casks, and is bottled at a strapping 56.9 percent ABV.

Laphroaig Elements 2.0 ($165)

The second release in a series of limited editions meant to showcase experiments at one of Islay’s oldest distilleries, this 59.6 percent ABV single malt underwent a 115-hour fermentation—more than double Laphroaig’s usual 55 hours. The extended fermentation was also aerated, an old-school technique that helps to create more fruity esters in the wash and, ultimately, the spirit. Of course, it’s still got the familiar, iodine-rich heavy peat Laphroaig fans love. Ardbeg did something similar a few years ago with Fermutation, and the fruit-and-peat interplay worked well. In that case, though, the extended fermentation stretched for three weeks, so I don’t expect this Laphroaig to taste that similar.