6 Popular Trader Joe's Whiskeys, Ranked

When considering where to shop for new spirits, Trader Joe's probably doesn't come to mind immediately. The grocery giant's name isn't exactly synonymous with alcohol, and though many flock to its aisles for Trader Joe's affordable wine selection, the brand's liquor is harder to come by. Due primarily to laws surrounding liquor licensing, only certain states have Trader Joe's locations that sell liquor: Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Washington, and Wisconsin.

If you're lucky enough to live near a location that offers liquor, you've probably noticed that Trader Joe's carries several popular name-brand spirits as well as bottles under its own label. When I went to a Washington location to check out the liquor selection, options were numerous, and I was greeted with three whole sections of shelves that stocked both familiar bottles as well as some that were new to me. To suss out the brand's own selection, I decided to sample and rank six of its whiskey and bourbon bottles based on overall flavor complexity and smoothness. While I wouldn't call myself a whiskey aficionado, I am a fan of the spirit and found that Trader Joe's offered an interesting range of whiskeys that could suit a variety of palates. As with everything else, whisk(e)y is subjective — the opinions below are solely my own and, given the relatively affordable price point of the bottles I tried (the most expensive of which was about $30), I think they all merit a tasting to see which best suits your whiskey preferences. 

I definitely didn't hate Trader Joe's Blended Scotch Whisky, but it was far from my favorite on this list, and I won't be tempted to drink it neat anytime soon. This bottle underwent a three-year maturation period in oak casks, and the company brands it as being "smooth and mellow." Personally, I thought it was anything but, which is part of the reason this earns a last-place spot — had the bottle instead called it something like bold and spicy, at least my taste buds wouldn't have been quite so shocked. 

This bottle definitely had the least smooth finish of everything I tried, and it left quite a burn in my throat at the end of the sip. As far as the nose, it boasted a pretty heavy maple scent, only slightly cut by some spiced notes. The beginning of the sip had me tasting some subtle, sweet, honeyed notes, but these were overtaken pretty quickly by a sharp and spicy appeal as the sip went on. It took me a few tries to appreciate this bottle because of how hard-hitting it is. If you want something super potent, this could be your drink, though I don't see many being tempted to sip it neat — however, it could definitely hold its own in a mixed drink. 

I expected more from Trader Joe's Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky, which underwent an eight-year aging process in oak casks. The back of the bottle made some bold claims, saying it would have "a slight sweetness with toffee notes and a floral elegance ... aroma of caramel, dried apricots, vanilla, and light cinnamon spice leading to a smooth, oaky finish." Ultimately, I had a hard time deciding where to place this on my list, and it ended up getting the number five spot for its lack of remarkability.

This scotch really just didn't have much to brag about, and I thought the label claimed more than the bottle delivered. I got hints of caramel and vanilla on the nose, and had to really search to find any hint of cinnamon — dried apricots seemed wholly absent, and I smelled nothing fruity to speak of. It tasted fine, with spiced notes leading off the sip before toffee came in behind. The finish was also unremarkable, and rather than giving me anything to talk about, it kind of just ... faded away. The scotch isn't bad, but ultimately, I docked a few points because I felt the bottle talked it up more than it deserved. 

Trader Joe's Irish Whiskey is triple-distilled and matured in oak casks. When researching the bottle before tasting it, I found some speculating that the bottle is made by Jameson. I can't confirm that information, but it's worth mentioning. I couldn't find many reviews of this bottle, but the ones I found weren't very positive ... so, maybe I'm in the minority who would place it above the Speyside. 

I got some buttery notes on the nose, cut by vanilla with very slight floral hints. Upon tasting it, I found it pretty smooth to swallow, though it came up my nose at the end of the sip. It's warm, light, and floral on the palate with a short finish, and I wasn't at all overwhelmed or turned off by it. While I won't tell consumers to rush to the store for this one, I'd call Trader Joe's a pretty good affordable Irish whiskey, though definitely not the best on the market. But for the $15.99 I paid for it, it was far from a bad bottle. 

Here's my hot take that will make whiskey connoisseurs mad — I've seen online that experts loathe this bottle, but honestly, I disagree (though you can certainly take my opinion as a casual whiskey drinker with a grain of salt). Trader Joe's Tennessee Bourbon Whiskey takes bourbon and filters it through sugar maple charcoal prior to being aged. This can mellow out the whiskey, making it less forward than the average bourbon.

This bottle was very smooth on the nose, with gentle smoky maple and vanilla notes. It smelled subtler than most of the other whiskeys on this list, but I wouldn't say it was lacking in flavor — rather, it was just smoother and noticeably sweeter than the other bottles I tried. However, I found notes of smoke, brown sugar, and vanilla throughout the sip, and it had a relatively long finish. I found this to be a bright and flavorful whiskey that I'd easily drink neat. If you want to make homemade bourbon balls, this wouldn't be a bad bourbon to utilize. 

Trader Joe's Kentucky Bourbon Straight Whiskey appears to get incredibly polarizing reviews from online consumers. I'm solidly in the "pro" camp for this bourbon, which cost me $16.99 and came in an attractively minimalistic bottle (which, yes, I do definitely care about). I saw some consumers say that they certainly weren't mad about it for the price, but that if you want a more upscale bourbon, you might as well shell out the extra few bucks for a bottle of Buffalo Trace. 

This bottle had a higher proof than every other bottle on this list (90 as opposed to 80), though I wouldn't have been able to tell in a blind taste test. It was more floral on the nose than the other bottles I tried, and was warmed by hints of brown sugar and vanilla. I got honey and floral notes throughout the incredibly smooth sip, and it was mildly sweet with a pretty long finish and an ever-so-slight fruitiness at the end. I could easily sip on this solo, but I also think this would be a particularly good spirit to use in a hot buttered cocktail. 

Though Trader Joe's Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky (aged 10 years) easily made the top of my list, I feel compelled to say a couple of things after doing some more digging on the bottle. Past consumer reviews note a significantly cheaper price than what I paid — generally mentioning something in the $18-$20 range, where I paid $29.99 for this one — and they tend to say that it's a fine whisky for the price, though nothing noteworthy. I can see where they're coming from, and that's something to take into consideration if you're thinking of buying this bottle. It's unlikely to blow you away.

That said, I, the casual consumer, still enjoyed what it had to offer. I got some buttery toffee notes on the nose with very slight floral hints floating above it. When tasting it, I found a pleasurable balance — the bottle was robust and flavorful but still smooth, with toffee and vanilla notes throughout the beginning and middle of the sip. It has a pretty sweet and juicy finish without the burn that accompanied my bottom-most choice. It's a fine bottle to be sure, but whether you want to shell out nearly $30 (before tax) on this one is wholly up to you.

To rank each of these whiskeys, I had a friend over to do an impromptu tasting of the bottles selected by myself and the Tasting Table editorial team. We sipped each neat and took into account the nose, how smooth and long the finish was, and other tasting notes we encountered throughout. My friend and I had roughly the same opinions on the whiskeys as a whole, and we each preferred whiskeys with a smooth, relatively short finish that boasted slightly sweet, oaky, vanilla notes throughout. 

The whiskeys ranked at the bottom of my list had a burn at the end of the sip that didn't lend itself to an easy finish. While I'd use these for mixing purposes (in fact, I made a pretty good whiskey sour using my last-place scotch), I wouldn't be tempted to drink them neat. The few at the top of my list offered a flavorful journey throughout the sip with a smooth finish to boot, and very little burn to speak of.