Distillers' Masterpiece is an 18-year-old bourbon, beautifully packaged in a French-made decanter. Like Booker Noe's other whiskeys, it's got power and finesse to burn. There are actually two distillers involved in this product. The other is Frenchman Alain Royer, the palate behind A. de Fussigny cognacs. Royer lent his nosing expertise to help put a stamp of international savoir-faire on this native Bluegrass State thoroughbred.

OLD PORTRERO SINGLE MALT WHISKEY ($90)

Rye whiskey is an anachronism of sorts. Ryes produced by German and Scotch-Irish immigrants in Pennsylvania and Maryland were once widely appreciated, but ryes are few and far between these days. One made of 100 percent rye is, well, unique.

Fritz Maytag (his family is responsible for both the washing machine and the blue cheese of that name) is not afraid of anachronism. Reviving brewing techniques from the 19th century, he chose to make his Anchor Steam beer in an intentionally old-fashioned style. When
it came to making a whiskey, Maytag was determined to make it a tribute to the history of American distilling. Although it's relatively new to the market, Old Potrero, named for the San Francisco district where the Maytag's brewery-distillery is located, has become an instant classic. Like early American whiskeys, it's aged for months, not years. Old Potrero has a no-nonsense intensity on the palate, delivering layers of malt and spice and an unctuous finish.

WILD TURKEY RARE BREED ($35)

The Wild Turkey brand was created by a spirits manufacturer and importer in 1942, at a time when bourbon was booming, due to dwindling supplies of Scotch. But the distillery where this classic American whiskey is produced began its life in a remote area of north central Kentucky in 1869. The parent company is now Pernod Ricard (makers of the famous anisettes sold under those two names), but in spite of the French connection, Wild Turkey is still a purely American spirit.