The 10 best whiskey brands you need to try, according to 2 renowned experts

Although distilleries and tasting rooms are closed to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic, many whiskey makers are offering local delivery options, such as Mountain Laurel Spirits that make Dad's Hat Pennsylvania Rye Whiskey and Kings County Distillery in New York.

"It's a really important time to support local craft distillery," said Greene. "These are businesses in your community, and the people who are making sanitizer for first responders. Go online and find five different craft distillers that are nearby you, and buy from them. These distillers will survive based on local consumers supporting them."

"With a higher proof whiskey, I recommend adding an ice cube or splash of water," said Reigler. It's a popular myth that this ruins the bourbon, she said, but it actually releases more aromatics because it takes away some of the heat.

"Before the internet, I wrote about how Booker Noe drank his bourbon with with a splash of Evian water," Reigler said of the legendary master distiller of Jim Beam. "People were in uproar, but that's the way he drank it."

She also cites Mike Veach, a fellow bourbon historian, who drinks what she said he calls "book bourbons."

"He adds an ice cube to his bourbon and lets it sit. He takes the first sip, reads a chapter of a book, then tries another sip, and so on. This allows an evolution of flavors, to see how the bourbon opens up when it is aerated," said Reigler.

Reigler recommends J. Henry & Sons Distillery as a reliable choice for a variety of whiskey options. They are a family-owned farm located in Wisconsin, and use a unique "4-grain mash bill" for all of their bourbons made up of "60% Red Heirloom Corn, 14% Heirloom Winter Wheat, 14% Heirloom Spooner Rye, and 12% Malted barley."

"Many bourbons are over 70% corn, then filled in with rye, wheat, or malted barley," said Reigler. Given J. Henry & Sons' slightly lower corn content, she said these bourbons have a pleasant sweetness that is well balanced by the nutty wheat and spicy rye.

This is a small batch, straight (i.e., aged a minimum of three years) bourbon from Willett Distillery. "It's 101 proof, has a strong brown sugar note, very smooth drinking, and makes a fabulous Old Fashioned," said Reigler. Willett Distillery also describes this bourbon as having hints of "sour apple, vanilla, and oak."

Westland Distillery in Seattle, Washington, also makes a single malt whiskey that Reigler recommends. It's a unique five-malt barley mix consisting of Westland's original Washington Select Pale Malt, Munich Malt, Extra Special Malt, Pale Chocolate Malt, and Brown Malt.

This Single Malt is also a peated whiskey, meaning the malt is dried and smoked over a peat fire. It's flavor profile is described by the distillery as "smoldering moss, flamed orange peel, roasted plantains, campfire, iodine, roasted pistachios, and green herbs."

Colkagen American Single Malt is produced by Santa Fe Spirits in New Mexico. "It's a single malt whiskey that's made from a 100% barley mash, and is smoked using mesquite wood," Reiger said, which gives it a smooth, nutty flavor profile.

Another distillery that Reigler recommends for rye is Catoctin Creek, located in Virginia.

"Rye is generally a bit spicier and more herbal than bourbon," Reigler explained. "Think of the scent of rye grass or caraway seeds. They have a peppery character, and some also have a lot of caramel."

Kentucky distillery Old Forester makes both rye and bourbon whiskey. The original Old Forester is one of Reigler's favorites for making cocktails. "They started making this in 1870, and it's very characteristic," Reigler told Business Insider, "It has caramel notes, and fruity hints of banana and citrus."

Reigler also recommends the 1910 expression, a newer release, which she explained is "aged in a second barrel that is charred to the point that it would fall apart, if not for the iron bands. It's really smokey, with a lovely chocolate note."