Category - Rye whiskey
My Dad Owns Hundreds of Whiskeys. His Top 5 Might Surprise You
When I was in high school, I never dared throw a house party when my parents went away. It wasn’t just that I was scared I might be caught; I was positive I’d be caught.
My dad is a big collector of whiskey, with over 400 bottles out in the open throughout my childhood home, commandeering bookshelves and spilling out from the corners of rooms.
Even worse than imagining my teenage friends stealing entire bottles of his precious alcohol was the thought that someone might take a few swigs from one then refill it with water, diluting whatever was in there. My dad would definitely taste the difference and be furious that the bottle was ruined.
Some of his whiskies are on the super affordable end, but others cost $2,000 to $3,000, like 10- and 15-year-old Pappy Van Winkle and a Macallan 21-year-old distilled in 1964. The risks of a house party were too great.
He’s been a collector since before I was born, crediting a 1986 trip to Scotland for awakening his whiskey-loving senses. Once he’s interested in something, the hobby develops into an obsession, and the dedicated research scientist by day becomes an avid connoisseur of whiskey, wine, cigars, pipes, pens, and watches by night.

Claudia Fisher
As I got older, I appreciated my dad’s collection. It implied knowledge and expertise, so I began consulting him on any and all spirits-related pursuits. When I need to buy a whiskey gift or beef up my personal collection, he’s my one and only call. We began to hold taste tests in our kitchen, comparing one distillery's different vintages or lining up regional comparisons. Whenever I travel abroad, he sends me a wishlist of rare whiskey to track down and bring back.

Claudia Fisher
Not only does he have 400 bottles in his personal collection, but he’s also sampled too many more to count. He’s gone on whiskey-dedicated trips with like-minded pals to Kentucky and Scotland. So how does a connoisseur like my dad narrow down his favorites?
“There are so many, it’s hard to choose," he told me. "There’s such a wide spectrum of flavors, it depends on the mood."
In the end, however, he decided that his top five are the bottles he tends to reach for first when he wants some whiskey.

Claudia Fisher
Laphroaig Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky Càirdeas

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When my dad visited Islay, he noticed that, in addition to maple syrup, there was a bottle of Laphroaig next to his pancakes—to "get your blood going before you have to go out in the cold," he says.
"Laphroaig makes many different bottlings of [its] whiskies. They vary by the number of years they’ve been stored in an oak barrel and also if the oak barrel held something in it before they put in the whisky," he says. "Every year they issue their Càirdeas, and in 2023, it was finished for the last part of its aging in barrels that [previously] had white port and Madeira, which would give the whisky a different flavoring on top of the peaty, smoky taste.”
Knappogue Castle Single Malt Irish Whiskey Aged 14 Years

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There's a lot of similarity between Irish whiskey and Scotch, my dad says. The biggest difference? Irish whiskey is usually distilled three times, whereas Scotch is distilled twice.
“So, the Irish whiskies are a little more delicate," he says. "People who don’t want a heavy flavor whiskey will like Irish whiskey. I particularly like the Knappogue because it’s a single malt, not a blend, so it’s the product of a single distillery using all barley for the grain. It was aged 14 years, which gives it a nice round smooth flavor that is always a pleasure to drink.”
Jack Daniel’s Bonded Tennessee Whiskey

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Jack Daniel's, one of the most popular whiskey brands in the world, produces many different variations of Tennessee whiskey. My dad's favorite is the bonded release.
To be considered bottled-in-bond, whiskey must be the product of one distillation season by one distiller at one distillery; aged in a federally bonded warehouse under U.S. government supervision for at least four years; and bottled at 100 proof, or 50 percent alcohol by volume.
"The Jack Daniel’s bottled-in-bond is distinctly different from the bottles of regular Jack Daniel’s that people are familiar with and that you see in any bar in any country in the world," my dad says. "It’s also a very good value besides being a top whiskey.”
Highland Park Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 18 Years

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“This is my favorite single malt whisky from Scotland—a full-flavored, very slightly peaty whisky," he says. "It’s a little pricier because it’s 18 years old, but Highland Park has versions that are aged for fewer years that cost less. They all have the same basic flavor profile and house style. Just like all oranges have something in common, all whiskies from the same producer tend to do too.”
Millstone Dutch Single Rye Whisky 10 Years Old

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Many whiskey drinkers associate rye whiskey with the U.S., as it has a long history here. But, according to my dad, a lot of the rye used in American whiskeys come from Europe, particularly Denmark.
"Millstone is part of the European tradition of making alcohol from rye, so it’s a very, very good 100-percent rye whisky that is now available in the United States," he says. “Rye is a little bit dryer in flavor and tangier than whiskies made from mostly corn."
Related: How to Drink Scotch Whisky: Experts Share Their Best Tips