Toasting to Perfection: The Best Whiskies of 2021 (And What Still Holds Up)

2021 was the year the whiskey world got serious about premium again. After the disruption of 2020, distillers came back with limited releases, older-age-stated bottles, and a wave of small-batch bourbons that reshaped what the top of Toronto shelves looked like. Five years on, most of the bottles we highlighted in 2021 are still worth pouring — some more than others. This is a look back at the whiskey picks that defined 2021, and which have aged well.

The whiskey world in 2021 was defined by three shifts: American bourbon prices climbing hard (Buffalo Trace, Blanton's, Weller — all became allocated), Scotch expanding beyond peat with more sherry-cask releases, and Canadian rye finally getting the international respect it always deserved. If you built a home bar in 2021, the bottles you chose then still work now.

The Best Bourbons of 2021 (and today)

Buffalo Trace was the everyday king in 2021 — around $45 at LCBO, always drinkable, one of the best bourbon values on any shelf in North America. Five years later, it's still the best bourbon under $50 you can find in Ontario, though allocation has made it harder to grab consistently. If you see it, buy it.

Bulleit Bourbon was the other 2021 sweet spot — high-rye mashbill, spicy-forward, great in cocktails, priced around $40. It's still the reliable pick for anyone building an Old Fashioned or Manhattan setup at home. The 10-year Bulleit release was harder to find but worth the hunt.

Woodford Reserve stayed the go-to gift bourbon — polished, safe, always tasting like a good bourbon should. Not exciting, but reliable. Same as it is in 2026.

The Scotch Highlights

The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 became the accessible sherry-cask Scotch of 2021 — a bottle that made single-malt approachable for anyone stepping up from a blend. Still the recommendation five years later. Around $85 at LCBO, pours like something twice the price.

Glenmorangie The Original 10 stayed the entry-level single-malt of choice — light, floral, gentle enough for a whiskey newcomer, complex enough that experienced drinkers still poured it. In 2021 it was around $70. Same today.

For blends, Johnnie Walker Black Label held its position as the world's most-consumed premium blend. It's 12-year-old, it's consistent, it works in a highball or neat. Nothing about that has changed.

Canadian Whisky's Big Year

2021 was the year Canadian whisky started getting the recognition it always deserved outside Canada. Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye — the bottle that won World Whisky of the Year in 2016 — hit peak popularity, and every Toronto liquor cabinet had one. Crown Royal Deluxe was the everyday version. Both still hold up in 2026.

J.P. Wiser's Deluxe was the value pick — Canadian, smooth, priced right around $30. It's still what every Toronto bartender pours when someone asks for a rye and coke. Same in 2021 as today.

The Rye Wave

Bulleit Rye continued its takeover as the go-to cocktail rye of the moment. Rittenhouse Rye Bottled-in-Bond was the bartender's pick for Manhattans and Old Fashioneds — 100 proof, spicy, cheap enough to actually mix. Both bottles are still standard in any serious home bar.

Sazerac Rye — the New Orleans classic — was harder to find at LCBO in 2021 and remains so today. If you see it, buy two.

What Aged Well vs What Didn't

Some 2021 hype bottles turned out to be short-lived. The limited-edition whiskies that got flipped for absurd secondary market prices — Pappy Van Winkle, Weller Antique, Blanton's Gold — remained allocated and became more about status than actual drinking. If you paid $500+ for those in 2021, you got status. If you paid $50 for Buffalo Trace instead, you got a better daily pour.

The everyday workhorse bottles are what genuinely aged well: Buffalo Trace, Bulleit, Woodford, Crown Royal, Wiser's, Balvenie 12, Glenmorangie 10. Simple, reliable, still the right answer in 2026.

Building the 2026 Bar From a 2021 List

If you're stocking a home whiskey bar today, the 2021 template still works: one bottle of a solid bourbon (Buffalo Trace or Bulleit), one Scotch (Balvenie 12 or Glenmorangie 10), one Canadian rye (Crown Royal or Wiser's), and one specialty rye for cocktails (Bulleit Rye or Rittenhouse). Four bottles cover 90% of what any Toronto guest will ask for.

How the Whiskey Market Has Changed Since 2021

Five years of hindsight makes the shifts obvious. American bourbon prices have climbed 25-40% on average, driven by ongoing allocation and international demand. Scotch has held prices more steadily but shifted toward sherry-cask expressions across the whole category. Canadian whisky prices stayed low — Crown Royal, Wiser's, and Alberta Premium all still hit the same price points they did five years ago, which is a genuine value story.

Craft whiskey — the small-batch Ontario and Quebec distilleries that were young projects in 2021 — has matured meaningfully. Still Waters, Forty Creek, Yukon Distillery are now producing bottles that hold their own against imported premium whisky. If you built a 2021 bar without any craft Canadian, adding a bottle or two in 2026 is worth the shelf space.

The one thing that hasn't changed: the base recipes for great cocktails. An Old Fashioned made with Buffalo Trace in 2021 tastes the same as one made today. A Manhattan built on Bulleit Rye and Carpano Antica hasn't shifted. The bottles you learned to love five years ago still do exactly what you loved them for.

J&J Alcohol Delivery brings whiskey — bourbon, Scotch, rye, and Canadian — same-day across Toronto, Mississauga, Vaughan, Brampton, and the rest of the GTA. Call (437) 328-0030 or order online. One bottle or a full whiskey shelf — 30-60 minute delivery either way.