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Whiskey, Scotch or Bourbon question.

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    Whiskey, Scotch or Bourbon question.

    I do not drink whiskey, scotch or bourbon.

    I have no idea what the difference between the three are (and I don’t think I care).

    We will be having people over for the holidays on multiple occasions.

    I would like to buy one bottle of something to have in the house to offer to our company. I do not want to spend more than $30.

    Is there something out their universally liked by whiskey, scotch, bourbon drinkers I can get and not look like a uninformed nube for offering it.

    The little research I did lead me to Maker's Mark. Will this be OK or is there a better choice.

    Thanks for any input.

    Steve

    #2
    Personally I'd go with Crown Royal Black or Crown Royal Northern Tradition or any other good Canadian rye whiskey.
    And for that matter doesn't have to a Canadian rye whiskey could be American made, I'm not familiar with most American rye distillers.
    This way you could be, kinda, maybe striking right between the tastes of a Bourbon or Scotch drinker.
    Face it in this case your never going to please every one with this choice, but since your buying its your choice.

    Comment


    • Beefchop
      Beefchop commented
      Editing a comment
      Crown Royal is a real crowd pleaser and you won't go wrong offering this to whiskey fans. I think Canadian whiskeys are underrated overall. Especially for cocktails.

    #3
    Maker's is fine. Bulleit is also good. FYI, whisky/whiskey is the general term for rye, bourbon, Scotch, etc. Makers is a bourbon so if someone is super particular about wanting a Scotch... but hey, it's your house. I'd get Maker's. Crown Royal is also a fine choice.

    Comment


    • Mr. Bones
      Mr. Bones commented
      Editing a comment
      Maker's is a Go-To, fer shure.
      Leave us not ferget Beam Black, or Knob Creek, as well...

    • Attjack
      Attjack commented
      Editing a comment
      Buffalo Trace > Bulleit > Maker's Mark

      IMO

    • klflowers
      klflowers commented
      Editing a comment
      What Attjack said

    #4
    Makers or Crown,,,,,
    either one you would be good to go,,,

    Comment


      #5
      Great question that I also have been pondering. Where do Jack Daniels and Jamison’s Irish Whiskey fall in the whiskey spectrum?

      Comment


      • smokin fool
        smokin fool commented
        Editing a comment
        Ingredients used and finishing in differently prepared oaken kegs would be the major answer to your question.
        JD uses corn in its recipe where as Cdn whiskeys recipes are mainly rye grains.
        Irish whiskeys I really don't know too much about but can't fall very far from this tree.
        All are whiskeys in the end.

      • rickgregory
        rickgregory commented
        Editing a comment
        lol @attjack...

        Here's a good overview of the various styles: https://www.thespruceeats.com/basic-...whiskey-759256

        Basically the influences on a whiskey are the grain type(s) used, the preparation of the malt and the barrel aging. I mean, there's more but those are the basic influences.

      • Sid P
        Sid P commented
        Editing a comment
        rickgregory Thank you, that link was very informative.

      #6
      Scotch and bourbon are whiskies. No, there is nothing universally liked. Some like Scotch while others do not for instance.

      For a $30 Scotch you could get Speyburn. For bourbon Eagle Rare would be a good choice at that price point.

      Comment


        #7
        I'll cast a vote here for Jamison's as a good "taste-neutral" whiskey. It really is quite good, isn't expensive, and due to it's relatively mild flavor, shouldn't offend the sensibilities of anyone who fancies a drop.

        Comment


          #8
          buffalo trace is a really good product for the price. as mentioned above scotch and bourbon are pretty different. but hey, its your house, you get to put a bottle on the table and people get to be thankful and appreciate it.

          Comment


            #9
            I think I'll be the black sheep here. Although Makers Mark is a fine all around bourbon choice, I have recently found that cognac is an almost better choice. Cognac has a fruitier taste. And in my opinion can be used interchangeably with bourbon. Straight, old fashions, mint jullip, .. The only down side is it can not be had for $30 a bottle. Henesey vsop is a good choice in cognac, but there are many many more.
            Last edited by lostclusters; December 12, 2021, 03:11 PM.

            Comment


            • Attjack
              Attjack commented
              Editing a comment
              You can certainly find brandy for under $30.

            #10
            Buffalo Trace if you can find it - it's unobtanium here, but if I go to TX, I can get it by the case. Thanks to our local gov't, argh.

            For an all-around, I'd suggest Elijah Craig. Great straight, neat, on the rocks, mixed, etc. Can't be beat and is a reasonable price point.

            Four Roses would be 3rd, though suprisingly Evan Williams Single Barrel is quite good also, smooth and easy to drink, great for mixing, also. Matter of fact, I think I'd pick that over the Four Roses.

            Comment


            • mnavarre
              mnavarre commented
              Editing a comment
              My go to everyday mixin' whisky is just plain old Evan Williams. Inexpensive,& makes a nice drink. Benchmark from Buffalo Trace is another tasty & inexpensive Bourbon.

            #11
            Like the song says, offer them "one bourbon, one scotch and one beer"

            (by then it won’t matter any longer)

            Comment


            • Attjack
              Attjack commented
              Editing a comment
              Pfft. Lightweight

            • Troutman
              Troutman commented
              Editing a comment
              No that’s to whet their whistle. Once over the initial taste give them the cheap stuff. Trust me I’m an old party barista, give them a lot and keep it cheap!! Besides if the cheap bastards can’t bring their own they ain’t getting my 30 yo stuff !!’

            • Beefchop
              Beefchop commented
              Editing a comment
              It worked for George Thorogood!

            #12
            Woodford Reserve is another good choice.

            Comment


              #13
              Knob Creek and Buffalo Trace are my top two inexpensive bourbons.

              Comment


                #14
                Monkey Shoulder is excellent

                I thought they were all Whiskeys just depends on where it was made and the grain it was made from.

                Whiskey (or whisky) can be any of a variety of distilled liquors that are made from a fermented mash of cereal grains and aged in wooden containers, which are usually constructed of oak. Commonly used grains are corn, barley malt, rye, and wheat.

                Scotch is a whisky (no e) that gets its distinctive smoky flavor from the process in which it is made: the grain, primarily barley, is malted and then heated over a peat fire. A whisky cannot be called Scotch unless it is entirely produced and bottled in Scotland.

                Bourbon, a whiskey that was first produced in Kentucky, U.S., uses at least 51 percent mash from corn in its production. It also uses a sour mash process — that is, the mash is fermented with yeast and includes a portion from a mash that has already been fermented. U.S. regulations specify that in order for a whiskey to be called bourbon, it must be made in the United States.

                And rye whiskey? It’s a whiskey that uses a rye mash or a rye and malt mash. In the United States, regulations stipulate that the mash must be at least 51 percent rye in order for it to be called rye whiskey. In Canada, regulations do not specify a minimum percentage of rye.

                Flavor-wise, Scotch is smoky, bourbon is sweet, and rye is more astringent than the two others, making it particularly suitable to cocktails.

                Comment


                • Old Glory
                  Old Glory commented
                  Editing a comment
                  DogFaced PonySoldier you are right. It was just a generalization. Monkey shoulder is a Scotch but is not at all smokey. I'm not a big fan of heavy smoke on my scotch. Much prefer smooth Irish like Red Breast.
                  Last edited by Old Glory; December 13, 2021, 06:20 AM.

                • DogFaced PonySoldier
                  DogFaced PonySoldier commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Correct, Monkey Shoulder is a blend, and I believe it contains my beloved Balvenie in it. Maybe even Doublewood. I don't know for sure, but it's one of the better blended Scotches, if you ask me. Damned single malts are getting out of my pricerange these days.

                • fzxdoc
                  fzxdoc commented
                  Editing a comment
                  This is a good in a nutshell or, more aptly, in a shot glass description. It's hard to simplify when there are so many nuances to the various libations. You did well.

                  Kathryn

                #15
                For my money at the price point, I'd probably focus on bourbon. Lots of great ones you can get, including many small production bourbons that are really quite good. I'm just starting to get into bourbons and whiskeys myself (I've historically been a craft beer drinker) and have found flaviar.com helpful for ideas.
                Last edited by Bumby; December 12, 2021, 04:04 PM.

                Comment


                • Attjack
                  Attjack commented
                  Editing a comment
                  There's also distiller.com

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