This was a weird year for spirits, wine and beer. Despite 2025 giving us plenty of reasons to drink something strong, many opted for non-alcoholic beverages instead. Craft beer sales were down by 5%, according to a mid-year survey conducted by the Brewers Association. Meanwhile, the whiskey market’s struggles have been significant enough that Jim Beam will halt production at its flagship facility for all of 2026. At the same time, tariffs and the threat of tariffs made 2025 a difficult year for many tequila and mezcal producers, despite agave spirits continuing to increase in popularity.

This special group was culled from hundreds sampled over the past year—thoroughly spread out, of course. Looking back, it’s been quite a journey. Selections range from single-cask bourbons to a cheeky mezcal that uses Chinese five-spice roast duck to make pechuga, a style that typically involves hanging a piece of raw chicken breast in the still during distillation.

Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is so 2010s*. (*Unless you’re a well-funded, knowledgeable buyer of back vintages, in which case, they – alongside Champagne, Grand Cru red Burgundy and Second Growth Bordeaux – are selling gangbusters.)

Gin can be a puzzling liquor, with many cocktail enthusiasts having a love-hate relationship with it. Some find it piney and resinous, others find it overly perfumed and cloying. In contrast, others find it tastes like a medicine cabinet. Gin begins like vodka as a neutral grain spirit from wheat, corn, grapes, or anything you can ferment into alcohol. It’s then infused with a mix of botanicals, including the always-present, herbaceous juniper berries, giving it a distinct woodsy, earthy, pine tree quality (in addition to other florals, herbs, spices, teas, and other aromatics).

Featuring a mash bill of estate-grown Bloody Butcher corn, heirloom white corn and heirloom blue corn (with malted rye and malted barley), the fourth edition of Jeptha Creed’s patriotic bourbon offers a unique, slightly nutty take on America’s spirit, with hints of caramel, popcorn, cloves, red berries, nutmeg, cinnamon and baking spices. A portion of the proceeds from Red, White and Blue will be donated to the non-profit organization Paws of War. You can read our interview with the mother-daughter team behind Jeptha Creed here. 

The tree is up. The table is set. Friends and family are on their way, or maybe you’re headed to a loved one’s house to dig into a big, indulgent, celebratory meal.