Walking down the whiskey aisle to pick out the perfect bottle of bourbon for whatever the evening ahead entails can be quite overwhelming at times. We’ve never had this many options available to us in the bourbon & rye aisle with new products seemingly being introduced almost weekly (I say that full well knowing the original American whiskey boom was well before my time, but for the sake of this article, we’ll stick to modern day times). With the bourbon craze in full swing (*cough cough* Pappy Van Winkle), and a plethora of whiskies to choose from, now is as good a time as ever to dive into the world of good bourbon. Now don’t get caught up thinking that only the elusive or expensive bourbon is great whiskey. There are plenty of easily attainable bottles that are excellent choices and I’m here to help steer you in the right direction when pondering the options at your local shop….. without breaking the bank. The first question you have to ask yourself is, “What is the purpose of this purchase?” Are you on your way to a party where this will be shared with all – even those you don’t know? Are you heading to a small gathering of friends to watch the game? Are you hosting and planning to make cocktails that evening? or are you simply looking for a great addition to your home bar? Let’s first take a look at what I like to call the party bourbons. These are the bottles you can bring to a party, set up on the counter, and let people do with it as they choose - all the while knowing you still have a quality bourbon to sip on the rest of the night – that is unless other party goers discover how delicious it is and kill it early. These are also typically found under $20-25 and in most liquor stores nationwide.
Evan Williams Black Label – Surprisingly smooth with very little alcohol burn for a sub $15 dollar bottle.Four Roses Yellow Label – It has that classy feel without the classy price – oh and it tastes pretty damn good too.Fighting Cock – Not only does it have one of the best labels on the shelf, but it’s excellent bourbon that can hold its own in a cocktail or pair well with just a few cubes of ice.Old Forester Signature – It’s the longest running bourbon on the market. If it’s been around for almost 150 years, you know they must be doing something right, so don’t ask questions and just pick it up and give it a try.Wild Turkey 101 – One of my favorite all-purpose bourbons on the market today. Neat, on the rocks, in a cocktail, in a bourbon slushy at the pool…. you name it and it does it.OK…so what if it’s a smaller gathering and you want to bring something tasty to impress your friends, but also keep it under $30 (cheaper than 3 old fashioneds at a decent bar I might add).
1792 Small Batch – Extremely smooth, but done so without lacking flavor and complexity on the tail end.Evan Williams Single Barrel – Because this is a single barrel, the taste can vary slightly, but in my experience, that is a very rare occurrence and still always an excellent pour.Russel’s Reserve 10yr – A 10 year-old bourbon for less than $35? Yes, please! Another quality product from Wild Turkey Distillery.Four Roses Small Batch – Consistently delicious juice in a show-stopping bottle design.Now everybody loves a good cocktail at a restaurant, so why can’t we recreate those same delicious cocktails at home? Most of the time it’s because they use ridiculously specific bitters or simple syrup that the average person is never going to buy or make for their home bar. The one thing you can prioritize though is the quality of bourbon that goes into your cocktail. It doesn’t have to be expensive or fancy, it just has to taste good and hold up well in your drink. This is why I like to use BIB (Bottled-In-Bond) bourbons for my cocktails at home. That means they are all 100 proof and aged at least 4 years, which I find to be the sweet spot when stirring in tons of ice and ingredients. That doesn’t mean I exclude non-BIB bourbons in the mixing glass either though.
Evan Williams White Label BIB – Probably the best bang for your buck on the market today. This one is also great for parties if you’re looking for something with a little more kick than the black label and only a couple dollars more.Old Grand Dad Bonded – My go-to for an Old Fashioned. The spicy notes from the high rye mashbill make this a perfect mixer without losing its flavor to the ice.Wild Turkey 101 – This is the second appearance on this guide, but the delicious high-rye mashbill is just too good to leave off the cocktails list.Knob Creek Small Batch – Although I think it’s just alright on its own, I think it’s excellent in the mixing glass. Some of my favorite cocktails at bars use knob creek as its base.Finally, let’s take a look at some bottles that belong front and center on your home bar. Think of these bottles as long term investments. Remember: Just because it’s opened, does not mean it’ll go bad. I often compare it to nice bottles of wine. That one bottle of wine might last a night or two, but after that the flavor diminishes significantly, whereas this one bottle of bourbon can last a year or two of celebratory pours after the big win, a promotion, a birth of a child, etc without losing it’s great taste.
Four Roses Single Barrel – A consistently delicious crowd pleaser in both flavor and appearance.Maker’s 46 – An incredibly smooth sipper that can be attributed to its wheated mashbill – the same category of bourbon that the wheated Pappy Van Winkle falls into (of course that’s only in the sense that they both use more wheat than rye in the distilling process.)Eagle Rare – A little harder to find sometimes, but well worth it when you do. This was one of the first “good” bourbons I fell in love with early on and it still doesn’t disappoint to this day.Any bottle you pick up from a distillery – Whether it be from the bourbon trail in Kentucky or another distillery you visited in America, sometimes the best whiskey is the whiskey with story behind it.One thing you’ll notice that’s common among this list is the location of the distilleries - Kentucky. Although several other states produce excellent bourbon that I love, Kentucky is where it all started, and because this is a beginner’s guide to buying bourbon, I felt it was only right to start the journey there.
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