Getting Into the Spirits of this Holiday Season.

Is it a choice or a dilemma? They're all Maker's, but they're not all the same. Maker's Mark starts with the water--limestone-purified and sourced from a spring-fed lake right on the grounds of the distillery. Using soft red winter wheat to create a bourbon that finishes on the front of the tongue, the whisky is aged in new American oak barrels, which have been seasoned outdoors for a minimum of nine months. This removes the bitter tannins from the wood and enhances the vanilla flavor. This iconic original can be enjoyed by itself or in cocktails.

Putting a different spin on the drink, Maker's 46 comes about through an inventive finishing process. French oak staves are seared and then inserted into American oak barrels, and filled with fully mature Maker's Mark. The result is a more complex, very intense flavor with a deeper, richer copper tone. It is meant to be sipped neat or on the rocks.

Uncut, unfiltered, and unparalleled, Maker's Mark Cask Strength goes straight from barrel to bottle at 108 to 114 proof. The proof varies because Maker's Mark is handmade and, admittedly, that isn't an exact science. As water evaporates out of the barrels, the bourbon increases in strength and its proof is unknown until the barrels are opened. Cask Strength retains the signature front-of-the-palate flavors of Maker's Mark but amps them up to create something remarkable that shines through even in the most complex craft cocktails.

Ireland's oldest licensed distillery honors both tradition and innovation with its newest expression, Kilbeggan Single Grain Irish Whiskey. Made in a column still lined in copper--which adds a softness by removing impurities and bitter notes through the distillation process--Kilbeggan Single Grain is aged in ex-bourbon barrels and finished in a marriage of ex-bourbon and various fortified wine barrels. Interestingly, single-grain whiskey is not made with just one grain but, rather, in a single location using malted barley and at least one other grain, in this case, meticulously-sourced corn. The resultant Irish whiskey is versatile and smooth, ideal for cocktails, but with enough depth of flavor to be sipped neat.

Back in 1964, Congress declared bourbon "America's native spirit," and it's considered whiskey's "sweet" spot because it's made with corn. In fact, bourbon needs to be at least 51% com, and the only thing that can be added to it is water. Now, if you're looking for a touch more sweetness with your bourbon, Jim Beam...