After the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberries, green bean casserole, and Aunt Margie’s weird but mandatory Jell-O salad are consumed and the gravy-streaked plates are cleared, it’s time for the best moment of Thanksgiving Day: dessert.

And dessert, on this day, means pie.

And nothing goes better with pie than whiskey.

Because it’s Thanksgiving, that most American of holidays, we’re inclined to pour only American whiskey. But given that our nation is a melting pot of many peoples and cultures, we’ll include some international options as well.

(Of course, if you don’t feel like breaking out a specific bottle at this point in the meal, you can always stick with the extremely on-brand Wild Turkey.)

Pumpkin Pie

The favorite pie for Thanksgiving dessert, according to a YouGov poll. And, despite its ubiquity in coffee drinks and beers, very much a Thanksgiving-only flavor. (Be honest: Do you eat pumpkin pie at any other time of year?) With its rich creamy base and layers of spice, pumpkin pie complements the zippy herbal notes of young rye whiskey, yet is also enhanced by more mature rye flavors of dark chocolate and leathery oak.

Herbaceous Rye: FEW ($43)

A hefty 70 percent rye mashbill creates fresh, green notes of mint, dill, and celery seed, plus fragrant cedar and orange peel. For an extra layer of herbal goodness, try the Immortal Rye, proofed with oolong tea instead of water.

Middle-of-the-Road Rye: Sagamore Spirit Bottled-in-Bond ($72)

After years of contract-distilling at MGP, Sagamore Spirit has now transitioned to house-made rye, and it’s pleasantly balanced among orange, chocolate, oak, and herbal spice notes.

Mature Rye: Knob Creek 10-Year-Old ($60)

A heck of a lot more affordable and available than other ryes of the same age, with all the polished oak and cola notes you could want.

Global Rye: Amrut Rye ($160)

Better known for single malt, India’s Amrut shows that it’s every bit as adept with other grains. A tropical, bright rye that fizzes with zesty citrus.

Apple Pie

Practically synonymous with America, and a sweet reflection of the harvest. Apple pie often features cinnamon as its leading spice, but individual recipes showcase a broad diversity of flavor, from the traditional one topped with lattice crust to more outré options that feature bacon, jalapeños, and Snickers. Given that spectrum, American single malt, with its equally wide range of flavor profiles, can shine in a pairing. Don’t shy away from smoky options, which will nicely offset the sweetness.

Fruity American Single Malt: Westward Pinot Noir Cask ($90)

Naturally packed with fermentation-derived esters, this whiskey’s fruitiness is enhanced by its finish in Willamette Valley Pinot Noir casks from the likes of Dominio IV and Suzor.

Oak-Forward American Single Malt: Stranahan’s Original ($63)

One of the OG American single malts, always matured in new charred oak barrels for at least four years, making its profile as akin to bourbon as you’ll find among ASMs.

Smoky American Single Malt: Lost Lantern Flame ($100)

Technically this is a blend of two single malts, from Tucson’s Whiskey Del Bac and Santa Fe Spirits, both featuring grain smoked over mesquite—a truly American flavor.

Single Malt Scotch: Deanston Virgin Oak ($38)

A perennially underrated whisky matured in new oak casks, which impart honeyed toffee and vanilla sweetness on a waxy, lemon-bright base.

Pecan Pie

A popular choice in the South in particular, pecan pie is a classic match for bourbon. Both are sweet and nutty, and often enhanced by chocolate flavors. But there’s so much more potential in this pairing nowadays, as thousands of craft distilleries offer their own unique takes on America’s favorite whiskey. How about a bourbon that’s 100 percent corn? Or one finished in port casks?

Traditional Kentucky Bourbon: New Riff Bottled-in-Bond ($40)

A high-rye bourbon made with the sour mash method. It’s as oaky as any bourbon lover could wish but still surprisingly delicate, with stone fruit, black pepper, and hints of cedar.   

Unorthodox Craft Bourbon: Highwire Jimmy Red Bottled-in-Bond ($90)

Made from 100 percent Jimmy Red corn, an heirloom variety that this South Carolina distillery helped revive. Grain notes supersede those from the barrel, lending delicate fragrance and flavors of nutty muesli and milk chocolate.

Cask-Finished Bourbon: Angel’s Envy ($40)

A stint in port casks not only adds subtle red fruit flavors, but transforms the whiskey’s texture to a velvety softness.

Global Corn Whiskey: Nikka Coffey Grain ($55)

Made from mostly corn, with a small percentage of malted barley. It tastes nothing like a bourbon, but its creamy vanilla sweetness will be familiar—and, with pie, it’s as good as a dollop of whipped cream.

Wild Card Dessert

Maybe you’re one of the minority of Americans who doesn’t eat pie on Thanksgiving, instead opting for bread pudding, cake, ice cream, or—gasp—no dessert at all. We can’t pretend we understand your type, but we accept that it takes all kinds. Without knowing what form your meal’s last course will take, it’s hard to make a clear recommendation—but these are some of our favorite dessert whiskies. Let the tasting notes guide you.

Penderyn Madeira ($70)

This Welsh single malt starts off with a vibrant tropical fruit character, thanks to distillation in a unique Faraday still, and then gets further sweetened by a finish in Madeira casks.

Bernheim Barrel Proof ($70)

Wheat whiskey often gets no love. But this strapping example, packed with cherry cola, dark chocolate, vanilla pods, and leathery oak, shows why it should.

Red Snake Foursquare Rum Cask Finish ($159)

Be careful you don’t get a cavity from all the butterscotch, milk chocolate, and soft caramels in this 11-year-old single malt scotch from independent bottler Blackadder.

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