Published:
Readtime: 15 min
The Lowdown:
This annual round-up of the year's best drink releases has been assembled by our team of experts. From Scotch and whisky to beer and tequila, here are the top drinks of 2024.
Every product is carefully selected by our editors and experts. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more. For more information on how we test products, click here.
The products selected in this list help form Man of Many’s Top 100 Products of 2024. The comprehensive guide details the very best in Tech, Fashion, Automotive, Home & Living, Watches, Drinks and Outdoors, as chosen by our expert team of reviewers and editors.
Welcome to our annual round-up of the year’s best drink releases, assembled by our team of experts. It’s a tough job sampling some of the world’s best spirits, wines, and beers, but someone has to do it! As for 2024, one might call it a classic year in that it saw worthy additions to all the sub-categories we’ve come to know and love. Ultra-aged whiskies? Check. Celebrity-endorsed lines? Check. Limited-edition releases in collectible packaging? Check. And so on and so on. With a new year right around the corner, one can do no wrong by picking up any of the following drinks and then raising a toast as we head into 2025. Cheers, mates!
Best Drink Releases of 2024
Our list of the best drink releases of 2024 includes the following.
- Best Australian Whisky: Sullivans Cove 24-Year-Old American Oak Second-Fill Barrel
- Best Scotch Whisky: Benriach 1966 Cask Aged 50 Years
- Best Non-Alcoholic Drink: Heaps Normal Third IPA
- Best Wine: 2024 Penfolds Collection
- Best Beer: Chuck & Sons West Coast Heritage IPA
Now that we’ve rounded up our favourites, let’s check out the full list.
2024 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection
For anyone who loves American whiskey, the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection needs no introduction. Released once a year in limited supply, it features five cask-strength expressions of considerable age and complexity. Each one comes in a tall and unmistakable bottle that’s guaranteed to draw attention when you find it sitting on the top shelf of your favourite bar. You ask how much they’re charging for a dram and then politely decline before moving on to something more affordable. Maybe one day, you tell yourself…
Should you decide to splurge, you’ll rarely be disappointed, as these whiskeys pack an unforgettable wallop. The names stay the same from year to year—George T. Stagg, Thomas H. Handy, Sazerac, William Larue Weller, and Eagle Rare—but don’t take that to mean you’re getting the same flavour profile with each annual release. For example, this year’s Eagle Rare 17-Year-Old Bourbon contains whisky with an average age of 19 years and three months, making it the oldest-aged Eagle Rare to date.
As if five of the planet’s most coveted whiskeys weren’t enough, Buffalo Trace also releases their legendary Van Winkle collection every year. We were invited to Sydney’s Baxter Inn for a tasting of Pappy Van Winkle 15-Year Old and Eagle Rare 17-Year-Old Bourbon back in June, and we’re still licking our lips all these months later. In our fuller coverage, you’ll find a rundown of all the venues in Australia that offered these rare whiskeys by the dram. Here’s hoping they have a drop or two left.
Sullivans Cove 24-Year-Old American Oak Second-Fill Barrel (HH0004)
Next stop on the rare whisky train? Tasmania’s own Sullivan’s Cove and their 24-Year-Old American Oak Second-Fill Barrel (HH0004), a single-cask release that now holds the record for Australia’s oldest-ever whisky. From the extra time in American oak comes a flavour profile that our Editor-in-Chief Nick Hall calls “decadent” and “savoury,” with “floral and syrupy-sweet notes on the nose, giving way to an aromatic base of gingerbread, sweetened red bean paste and true cinnamon.”
If you know anything about our local spirits scene, you know that a rare release like this one couldn’t come from a better place. Since launching in 1994, Sullivans Cove has helped nurture Tasmania’s whisky industry at large, both domestically and abroad. They continue to rack up all kinds of major accolades, including six recent awards at the 2024 World Whiskies Awards in London.
The $2,500 AUD price tag of 24-Year-Old American Oak Second-Fill Barrel (HH0004) seems like a bargain if you ask us. This one was limited to 335 bottles and available exclusively to the distillery’s mailing list subscribers through an online ballot. Keep doing Australia proud, Sullivans Cove!
2024 Penfolds Collection
Can you believe that Penfolds has been with us since 1844? The preeminent Aussie winemaker celebrates this 180-year milestone with the release of The Penfolds Collection 2024. According to Man of Many writer Rob Edwards, the latest offering “sees the beloved label expand its scope while maintaining the singular devotion to world-beating wines that has made Penfolds synonymous with the humble grape’s highest calling.”
Indeed, no one respects their grapes quite like Penfolds, as evidenced by coveted releases such as the immortal Grange. Speaking of which, 2020 Grange makes up one of 18 Aussie wines to be included in the new collection (which features 25 wines overall). Another is the 2022 Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon, a full-bodied and immensely drinkable vino that perfectly encapsulates the Penfolds “house style.” There’s also a Bin 180 Coonawarra Cabernet Shiraz 2021, released in honour of the 180-year anniversary.
Penfolds has connections all over the world and their latest drop is so much more than a local affair. To produce certain wines for the collection, grapes were sourced from respective vineyards in China, France, and California. Rounding out the celebration is a limited-edition art piece from Aussie artisan Andrew Bartlett, which enwraps rare 3L jeroboam Bin 180 bottles in wooden panels (sourced from French oak barrels). Happy 180th, Penfolds!
Starward Botrytis Cask
No one has done more than Starward to put Australia’s thriving whisky scene on the world map. Already known for crafty cask maturation, the distillery gets even more experimental with their limited-edition releases. Previous exclusives such as Ginger Beer Cask and Pedro Ximénez Cask remain enduring cult classics and this year brought us another triumph in the form of Botrytis Cask.
For the stunning sipper, Starward drew upon a Medieval winemaking tradition, whereby a grape fungus known as Botrytis (aka ‘noble rot’) is purposefully cultivated to produce a sweeter wine. The whisky was matured in casks that held this very same wine and the results are nothing short of decadent. A sweet nose of dried apricots and marmalade is followed by “nuanced notes of orange blossom, marzipan and apricot Danish.” This release is as unique as it sounds so score a bottle while you still can.
Moët & Chandon’s Collection Impériale Création No. 1
While we’re celebrating milestones, let’s direct our attention to the champagne house of Moët & Chandon. Hailing from France’s Champagne region since the 1740s, the label commemorates 280 years of success with the release of Collection Impériale Création No. 1. This exquisite bubbly assembles seven vintages—each one aged through a different maturation process—and tastes like luxury in liquid form.
Described by Moët & Chandon as “a sensory journey for the palate,” Collection Impériale Création No. 1 “tantalises the senses with an aromatic sweetness that embraces its creamy and delicate effervescence.” There’s also a “freshness and bitters on the palate, while the finish exudes lingering notes of smoke and liquorice.”
Collection Impériale Création No. 1 is a commemorative release in more ways than one. Not only does it honour the 280-year anniversary, but it was crafted as a tribute to the label’s original founder Claude Moët. It’s also the first in a new Collection Impériale series, which will continue to reap the power of exceptional vintages as it progresses. And to that, we raise our glass.
Hibiki 40 Year Old
Ultra-aged whisky has emerged as a popular sub-category over the last few years, and 2024 continued the trend. Japan’s own Hibiki joined the action with the release of their oldest blended whisky to date. It married premium expressions from superlative distilleries such as Yamazaki, Hakushu, and Chita, with every source whisky being aged for a minimum of 40 years. The result is a “decadent and innovative layering of unprecedented aroma and mellowness that sets a new standard for Japanese whisky.”
It was Suntory Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo who oversaw the meticulous creation of Hibiki 40-Year-Old and he selected only the finest liquid. The profile is a masterclass of aroma and flavour, opening on a nose of Japanese loquat, dry lemon peel, and clove. Following that is a palate of acacia honey and dry fig and then a fragrant finish of spicy cinnamon and Mizunara oak.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a special release without a special presentation. For that, Hibiki enlisted renowned Japanese washi artist Eriko Horiki for a handcrafted label on the signature box. The bottle design itself is likewise luxurious, being forged from crystal glass with 30 intricate facets. The cost of this bad boy? $75,000 AUD, naturally.
Benriach 1966 Cask Aged 50 Years
The folks at Hibiki were thinking 40 years was a supremely long time when Benriach said, “Hold my dram.” That is, the Speyside distillery recently debuted a 50-year whisky, representing their ‘oldest and rarest’ expression to date. It was drawn from a solitary barrel, in which the liquid was first laid to rest back in 1966.
Benriach’s limited release “is a journey through history dating from 21 September 1966, where the one exceptional bourbon cask, 2383, was handpicked for its exquisite character,” said the distillery’s Master Blender Dr Rachel Barrie. She went on to add that the “expression marks a pinnacle in the brand’s history.”
Only 37 bottles of Benriach 1966 Cask Aged 50 Years were made available, each one presented in a collectible box and priced at $48,000 AUD. This is about as one-of-a-kind as whisky gets so we can only wonder how much sealed bottles will be worth down the road…not that we’d stop you from opening one to see what it actually tastes like. Call us over for a dram if you do, will you?
Heaps Normal Third IPA
Non-alcoholic beermaker Heaps Normal had themselves quite a year in 2024. In addition to their various beverage releases, they launched an in-house music label for emerging artists who have struggled to find representation elsewhere. It might seem like something out of left field until you remember that this is a brand that wears their passions and ethical values as badges of honour.
Then there’s the non-alcoholic beer itself, which happens to be some of the best of its kind. Third IPA became a personal favourite this year in its blend of amber colour and citrus-pine flavour with a crisp, dry finish. Sometimes you want great taste minus the hangover and Heaps Normal delivers that and more with this release and plenty of others as well.
Hennessy Limited Editions by LeBron James
Always ahead of the competition, LeBron James arrives uncharacteristically late to the celebrity spirits game. Nevertheless, Hennessy Limited Editions by LeBron James is a release worth waiting for. It finds the NBA champion teaming up with the historic French producer for two limited-edition cognacs, presumably the first in an ongoing series.
This latest collaboration has strong synergistic vibes. Not only does it unify two masters of their respective domains, but it helps cement Hennessy’s brand partnership with the NBA at large. The inaugural cognacs are a Very Special (VS) and a Very Superior Old Pale (VSOP) and both come with collectible packaging. Long live the kings, baby.
Chuck & Son’s West Coast Heritage IPA
Are you tasting your beer correctly? It seems like a simple enough question, but the answer is more involved than one might expect. Writer Ben McKimm learned as much the fun way after visiting Sydney brewery Chuck & Sons for a sit down with industry legend Chuck Hahn, aka the “godfather of Australian brewing.”
You can scope our adjoining coverage to learn how to taste beer properly, but in the meantime, allow us to present one of our favourite discoveries. It draws inspiration from American West Coast IPAs (hence the name) and offers a perfect fusion of hoppiness and maltiness. Chuck Hahn considers it a personal masterpiece and Ben was inclined to agree. Pick up a case to decide for yourself.
Glenglassaugh Portsoy
Originally founded in 1875, Scotch whisky distillery Glenglassaugh shut down production in 1986 and then rose from the ashes in 2008. They recently relaunched their core portfolio with the introduction of three single malts, including this one. The only peated whisky in the range, it’s matured in a combination of bourbon, sherry, and port casks. Drinkers can expect an outstanding balance between sweet, smoky, and savoury notes in every sip. Highly recommended.
The Macallan TIME : SPACE Collection
Whisky distillery The Macallan celebrated their 200-year journey across time and space with a mega-rare collection by the name of…well…TIME : SPACE. It features two extremely limited expressions—TIME : SPACE and TIME : SPACE MASTERY—the former of which blends a single cask of their oldest whisky to date (at 84 years) with a single cask of their acclaimed 2018 vintage.
For TIME : SPACE MASTERY, meanwhile, the distillery put everything they’ve learned over the last two centuries into one exceptional release. Both whiskies are housed in circular and absolutely unique bottle designs because that’s just how The Macallan rolls these days!
LARK Fresh IPA Cask
This limited edition release from Lark took home Australia’s Best Single Malt at the 2024 World Whiskies Awards. For its creation, the Tasmanian distillery seasoned their casks with four different IPAs, each one supplied by New Zealand’s Garage Project. As a result of the unique cask maturation, Lark’s rich and creamy whisky takes on a tropical edge with hints of lychee and banana bread at the finish. Throw in an artistic label design and you have yourself a distinctive and exclusive single malt in every possible way.
Angel’s Envy Triple Oak
For Man of Many’s Rob Edwards, one of the year’s highlights was sitting down for a chat with Angel’s Envy Master Distiller Owen Martin. The American distillery helped usher in the modern bourbon boom, after all, and they continue to churn out an exceptional flagship product. Fans of the label know all about their port wine barrel finishing, but what happens when you age their whiskey in a combination of Hungarian, Chinkapin, and French Oak Barrels?
Triple Oak, that’s what. Crafted by Owen himself, it represents the first new addition to the distillery’s Signature Series lineup in over a decade. The ambitious maturation program yields a truly versatile sipper, which imparts notes of chocolate, caramel, vanilla, baking spice, oak, cinnamon, and coffee to balanced perfection. Order yourself a dram or a whole bottle—you won’t be disappointed.
How Man of Many Chose the Best Drink Releases of 2024
To arrive at this list, the Man of Many team went through hours of rigorous testing, implementation, and analysis before culling it down to the very best. Over the last 12 months, we’ve worked on curated products that push boundaries and pioneer new fronts, across the automotive, fashion, lifestyle, and technology verticals. Sure, we love getting the latest single malt or piece of kit in our hands, but being able to point out the benefits and shortfalls objectively is at the heart of what we do.
As a result, the Top 100 Products is primarily comprised of products we’ve tested in-house and have used extensively first-hand. While there are a few exceptions to this rule, generally due to scarcity and availability, we made note of the cultural significance surrounding each product when we were unable to review it personally.
More Man of Many 100 Stories
Want to know what else made the Man of Many 100 list? Check out all of our coverage for this year, including developments in cars, fashion, tech, and alcohol.
