The 12 Best Whiskies for a Hot Toddy

Celebrate National Hot Toddy Day on January 11th with these top whiskey brands from around the world that are perfect for this drink!

The Hot Toddy is a mixture of hot water, whiskey, honey, and fresh lemon juice. Use a dash of cinnamon, cloves, or ginger for added health benefits. This classic has always been thought to be a cure-all—It’s definitely a spirited throat-soother in our book. And the good news is any whiskey will do! Here are a few of our favs.

Sagamore Spirit Rye

With a thoughtful approach to crafting a classic Maryland-style rye whiskey, Sagamore Spirit Rye Whiskey is a blend of two straight rye mash bills, aged 4 to 6 years in high-char American oak barrels. The first is a high-rye, which adds notes of cinnamon and clove, and the second, a low-rye, contributes notes of caramel, honey, and citrus peel. These notes are perfect in a Hot Toddy. You can’t go wrong with warmed-up rye whiskey to add various spicy and delicious flavors.

Sagamore Hot Toddy

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Sagamore Spirit Rye
• 3 oz. boiling water
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 3/4 oz. honey simple syrup
• half cinnamon stick
• Lemon wedge (for garnish)

Preparation: Boil water with the cinnamon stick in it. Pour boiling water, rye, lemon juice, and honey syrup into a mug. Garnish with lemon wedge.

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Dewar’s Japanese Smooth

Dewar’s brings together Scotland and Japan for an amazing flavor experience highlighting a distinctive and harmonious blend of cinnamon, sandalwood, and floral notes. Dewar’s Japanese Smooth is an 8-year-old Blended Scotch Whisky finished in Japanese (Mizunara) Oak Casks and is the fourth in an innovative cask series line-up. This rich and full-bodied whisky brings a unique flavor to a Hot Toddy because warming the whiskey brings out a variety of different and unique notes only found in Japanese whisky.

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Speyburn

Founded by John Hopkins, Speyburn Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky was first distilled on December 15, 1897. Nestled in the hills of the largest cluster of distilleries in the world in Speyside, the distillery was built from carved stone taken from the River Spey. The first Hot Toddy recipes dates to the 1600s with the whisky most likely a Scotch whisky. So if you are looking for an authentic Hot Toddy experience, this is the way to go.

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Windsor Canadian

This light, delicately flavored whisky distilled in Canada is made from cereal grains grown near Calgary, Alberta and aged in the dry, mile-high Canadian Rocky Mountains. With a fruity aroma and peppery spices, combined with a caramel and dry vanilla finish, Windsor’s high-rye notes mix a masterful Hot Toddy. For a slightly different take, substitute Windsor Canadian with Windsor Black Cherry!

Windsor Canadian Hot Toddy

Ingredients:

• 2 parts Windsor Canadian Whisky
• 1 1/2 parts honey
• 3 parts boiling water
• Lemon slice

Preparation: Pour honey in warmed cup. Add Windsor and then water. Stir until honey is completely dissolved. Garnish each cup with a lemon slice and serve.

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The Glenlivet

The Glenlivet flagship expression, The Glenlivet 12 is aged for 12 years in a combination of European and American oak barrels. The whiskey has prominent notes of clover honey, vanilla beans, citrus zest, spice, and a smooth fruity flavor that brings all the flavors of a Hot Toddy together famously.

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Mossburn

Mossburn Speyside Scotch Whisky Signature Cask range of whiskies showcase the typical characters of Scotland’s regional malts. First aged in American Oak prior to their initial blending, and then matured for a second period in our specially coopered custom-made Mossburn Casks. A bold and smoky malt whiskey, mellowed and layered oak-spice finish.

Mossburn Hot Toddy

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Mossburn Speyside Scotch Whisky
• 1 1/2 oz.  Barenjager Honey Liqueur
• Hot Tea
• Orange and Cloves (optional)

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Catoctin Creek

“Catoctin Creek is the Virginia Rye Whisky, which means it is made from Virginia grain, mashed and fermented in a traditional manner, pot-stilled in a batch process, and then aged in new oak barrels in our Virginia climate.  What you get is a smooth, delicious rye whisky made the way it would have been made in the 17 and 1800s,” says Scott Harris, co-founder with wife Becky, of his local Virginia distillery. Sounds like a quick and easy way to make a comforting Hot Toddy.

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Bruichladdich

Believe it or not, there are a few distilleries on the Scottish Island of Islay that do not produce peated and smoky whiskies. Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie made using 100 percent Scottish barley, is an un-peated single malt whisky that carries flavors of butterscotch, wintry spices, and buttery caramel. The finish is warming, fruity, and slightly spicy and a wonderful ingredient mixed and sipped in a Hot Toddy.

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Bastille 1789 Whisky

Distinctly French, Bastille 1789 is hand crafted with raw grain and malted barley grown in Northeast France, aged in Limousin oak which previously held Sauternes and Cognac, and has a light spicy aroma with hints of fresh apricots, ginger, and chocolate. The sweet flavors, with touches of vanilla and citrus, give a delicate roundness that makes the ultimate Hot Toddy.

French Hot Toddy 1789

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. BASTILLE 1789 whisky
• 1 tsp. honey
• 1 slice of lemon

Preparation: Brew a cup of your favorite tea and add ingredients.

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Old Pulteney

Traditionally crafted since 1826 on the most northerly shores of Scotland where the North Sea meets the Caithness fishing port of Wick, home to Old Pulteney Whisky, the maritime malt. The sweet, fruity and malty flavor pairs well with a Hot Toddy, but its salty edge really makes it a stand-out.

Old Pulteney Salted Honey Hot Toddy

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 oz. Old Pulteney 12 Year Old Highland Single Malt Whisky
• 3/4 oz. Salted Hot Toddy Syrup*
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 3 1/2 oz. black breakfast tea

Preparation: Add the hot tea to a mug with Old Pulteney, the salted hot toddy syrup and lemon juice. Stir and enjoy.

*Salted Hot Toddy Syrup

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 oz. honey
• 2 – 3 slices ginger
• 1 lemon peel
• tbsp. peppercorns

Preparation: To make the syrup, add the honey to a pot and heat it up. Watch for it to bubble and begin to go dark in color as the sugars caramelize. While the honey is heating up, make a cup of black tea. When the honey is on the dark side, add the tea along with the ginger slices, lemon peel and a tbsp of peppercorns. Simmer for about 20 minutes to allow the flavors to marry, then remove from the heat and strain. While cooling, add a pinch of salt to taste.

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Ole Smoky Apple Pie

Capturing the same delicious combination of flavors of American apple pie with the wholesome goodness of apple juice, cinnamon, and other nostalgic spices. Ole Smoky Apple Pie Hot Toddy will conjure up warming memories of comforting apple pie on a cold winter’s night.

Ole Smoky Apple Pie Hot Toddy

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Ole Smoky Apple Pie Moonshine
• 3 oz. spiced tea
• 1/4 part honey

Preparation: Mix ingredients well while warm. Garnish with a fresh lemon wedge.

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Hooten Young

Crafted to help whiskey lovers slow down and appreciate the little things in life—like bonding with family, friends and paying homage to those who are no longer with us. Rare distillation and barrel aging processes with over a decade of rest produce notes of maple, vanilla, and its dessert-like flavor profile will turn this whiskey into your new favorite Hot Toddy ingredient.