In this livestream, we (Matt & Gio) do our annual Top 5 American Whiskeys—but this time we make it painful in the best way: blind. We each brought our five highest-rated U.S. whiskeys we reviewed in 2025, poured them for each other, and then went through the full “no fast-forward” experience: nosing, tasting, re-tasting, and arguing with ourselves while the rankings kept shifting. We’re big on higher-proof bottles, so yeah… most of these are up there, and we let them air out a bit before locking anything in. On my side, my lineup was Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit, Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond 7-Year, Redwood Empire Pipe Dream Cask Strength, Andalusia Striker Texas Single Malt, and Elijah Craig Barrel Proof A125. Gio’s list was Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit, Old Fitzgerald BiB 7-Year, Maker’s Mark FAE-01 (we re-reviewed it and it still slapped), Knob Creek 9-Year Single Barrel Reserve, and Old Overholt Bottled-in-Bond Rye. The big takeaway: our noses were all over the place (we got everything from “forest floor” to “cinnamon bomb” to “burnt popcorn / Mexican street corn”), but the taste is what decided it. And for once, our #1 rated bottles actually won the blind—Gio’s Maker’s Mark FAE-01 and my Elijah Craig Barrel Proof A125.