Fred Minnick this week unveiled on his YouTube channel his three most disappointing American whiskeys of 2025 — with a big surprise at No. 1.

And the common denominator in all three? Alcohol-forward flavors.

He started with Larceny A125 Barrel Strength. Minnick started by saying, “Larceny has been on a tear for my palate in the last, like, five years. … This just isn’t the year for them.”

He said the flavor of this year’s A125 was that of “grass and alcohol put into a blender and somebody added sugar to it or something. It was awful for my palate.”

He said while it’s disappointing, it’s still drinkable, although perhaps best enjoyed in a cocktail.

At No. 2 came Yellowstone 6 Year Old Small Batch Bourbon. “The flavors did not come through after the alcohol,” Minnick said.

“I love Yellowstone,” he continued. “They’ve been in my Top 100 before. … I love that distillery, I love the people. But the whiskey this year, that 6 Year Small Batch, did not hit it for me.”

And the worst whiskey Fred has tasted all year? Woodford Reserve Single Malt Limited Edition.

“Woodford Reserve has a good history of putting out good limited edition whiskey,” he said. “Going back to the alcohol note — I do not want to taste high concentrations of alcohol. I get it — I’m tasting alcohol for a living. But, I’m not wanting to drink turpentine. … You don’t want to taste those kinds of flavors. So if you have those kinds of notes in any kind of whiskey, just move on.”

Fred also announced a new format for his annual Top 100 whiskeys of the year, with more details to follow. The full video is below.

(Photo above via felix_w/Pixabay)