Bourbon Pro's - step inside if you will...

[BriggsBBQ]

Not trying to switch it up but in the world of Tequila there are two I have had that stand out. One is Corralejo 99,000 horas. Very smooth good luck finding it. The other is Diamante Maestro tequila. All of Maestro is good but the Diamante stands out among their stuff.

[Attjack]

If you want to try an affordable bourbon try Buffalo Trace. If you like it Smokey then smoke it with Maple.

[DeusDingo]

Jim Beam Double Oak is my current flavor. about half the price of woodford reserve double oak but definitely not half the quality

[jacmac422]

A little sweet for me and not quite bourbon but Pendleton whiskey is a great way to get into whiskey for new comers.
personally Woodfords, Blantons, Angles Envy are usually my go to's

[ColonialDawg]

EH Taylor Small Batch is excellent.
I’ll second Four Roses Single Barrel
Henry McKenna Single Barrel is another excellent bourbon that won’t break the bank.
And while not a bourbon, it’s a close cousin - High West Double Rye. Probably one of the best rye whiskey’s I have tasted.

[nickgutnick]

Sipping on 2 fingers of Eagle rare with one ice cube. Like drinking candy.

[Huskee]

I had to stop by here to express my love of a newfound (to me) inexpensive whiskey that now has a permanent place in my cabinet. George Dickel.

Dickel is a Tennessee Whisky which means that it's not "bourbon" in that it's charcoal filtered before barreling, similar to Jack Daniels, but IMO wayyyy better.

In my local store, George Dickel comes in both a #8 (black label) and a #12 (white label). This is not an age statement, not 8 yrs & 12yrs, but merely a 'model number' if you will. The #8 is smoother and great, the #12 is a little higher proof and therefore bit more bite and great.

I was wary, but I am now a big fan. Gave wife a blind taste test and she loved it before she even knew what it was. Non-bias blind taste tests are where it's at! Dickel is even cheaper than Buffalo Trace by a buck or two.



On a different note, I poured 4 bottles of Buffalo Trace into my 3L barrel last night to age. I will test at monthly intervals, shooting for 3 or 4 months. Maybe 5 or 6, not sure, but I have time to decide I guess. My little 1L barrel (which aged some Weller) now has gin in it, as of about Nov 15th. Gonna give it 1-2 months. Barrel-aged gin is the bomb if you've never tried it!

[Buck Flicks]

I was browsing barrels on Amazon last night, kind of planning out how I would use one... and I thought rum aged in a bourbon barrel would probably be pretty delicious.

[Huskee]

Buck Flicks I have gin aging in a used whiskey barrel right now, it's pretty darn good. If you like rum then yes! (I don't care for white rum myself)

[Buck Flicks]

I don't mind gin, but I think aging it in a bourbon barrel might take away from what I like about it... the herbal/astringent notes. So refreshing with tonic and lime.

[au4stree]

Anything that has the Maker's Mark(MM) name has never steered me wrong (their private select label is worth every penny and then some). But I'll repeat what others have mentioned. Buffalo Trace, eagle rare, Blanton's and Woodford rye are all good. I recently acquired some Japanese whisky and have been impressed, they lend themselves to scoth-like notes. I will say that my cabinet ALWAYS has a bottle of MM or Buffalo Trace in it.

[Mr. Bones]

Heartily Agree on all points!

I will say that my cabinet ALWAYS has a bottle of MM or Buffalo Trace in it.

Mine too. ALWAYS. Knob Creek, as well. Always kept stocked; everything else kinda comes an goes...

[Huskee]

I love Japanese whiskey, I agree it's pretty much Scotch.

[texastweeter]

which JW Green was it? The orignal formula they quit making back in 2011, or the new stuff? The new stuff is pretty good, but cant hold a candle to the orignal green. If you like that flavor profile, try Peat Monster by Compass Box. Very similar.Green is the only JW worth a hoot (it is the only vatted or pure malt they make) IMO. Occasionally if i want a Scotch and ginger, Ill grab a bottle of black to not waste my single malt TheMacAllan 18. For a smooth Tennesee whisky experience, try George Dickel and Jack Daniels in each of their single barrel product. I keep 5 bottles at hand at all times The MacAllan 18, JW green (orignal botting), Jack Daniels single barrel, George Dickel single barrel, and Plantation X0 20th rum.

[xaugievike]

new stuff for sure - new to this side of the liquor store...so just trying to expand the horizons.

[texastweeter]

xaugievike give the Peat Monster a try if you want something closer to the orignal Green. Even better.

[Huskee]

I love the new Green, it's my favorite JW, best bang for the buck IMO. Drinkable, unlike red & black (IMO), but affordable unlike Blue (IMO).

[awfurman4]

Look for Rabbit Hole aged in sherry casks. Expensive but amazing (about $75-$90 a bottle depending on where you find it)! Also, you should be able to find it in Chicago, it’s not available yet in all states. If you don’t want to spend that much on a bottle then really any of the Four Roses I like, also Angels Envy.

[Huskee]

I'll watch for that, I LOVE LOVE LOVE sherried Scotches, they are my favorite. I have high hopes for this! I was let down with Angel's Envy though, I do not taste any of the port finish at all, wife & I both think it's an overhyped mediocre bourbon (don't hate me).

[texastweeter]

Huskee try Glen Morangie La Santa then.

[Huskee]

texastweeter that and The Balvenie Doublewood are my go-tos, great stuff.

[accuseal]

Russell's Reserve. Even better if made into an Old fashioned, my new favorite winter drink.

[Buck Flicks]

Hmmm... I'd echo the recommendations of Woodford Reserve, Gentleman Jack or Makers Mark for good smoov bourbon. You're not going to get something like Scotch in a bourbon, but you're going to get some great complex flavors of vanilla, caramel, butterscotch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a bit of oak... not smoky like Scotch, but still a bit of woody goodness.

I say GJ and MM because you will be able to find them at any liquor store. A lot of the others recommended here (while outstanding pours and great recommendations) like Eagle Rare, Angels Envy, Blantons, etc are difficult to find because they're snatched up off the shelf almost as soon as they hit it. Like literally seconds from box to cart. Bourbon sharks line up outside liquor store doors on delivery days to grab the latest "allocated" bottles. You won't have that issue with Gentleman Jack, Woodford Reserve, or Maker's Mark.

If you like Maker's, and don't mind spending a little extra cash for a similar but much better bourbon, Maker's Mark 46 is outstanding and quite a bit smoother and just a touch sweeter than regular Maker's.

If you can find them, I recommend any of the Weller bourbons - they're known as "wheated" bourbons, they use wheat instead of rye as the 3rd grain after corn and malted barley. This makes for a smoother and sweeter bourbon. But it loses some spicy notes that you get from bourbons that use rye in the mash bill.

[ecowper]

I drink single malt Scotch straight and I drink bourbon and rye mixed, so bear that in mind. As a minimum, I mix bourbon/rye with a bit of club soda. If the burn of those whiskeys bugs you, try going about 2/3 whiskey, 1/3 club soda, and some ice. Might just change your mind :-)

Scotch - my go to is Lagavulin 16. There is always a bottle of that in my whiskey cabinet.

Rye - my go to is Templeton, but I also like Woodford, Knob Creek, and Bulleit

Bourbon - my go to is actually Costco's Kirkland label, but I also like Woodford and Maker's.

My personal favorite drink is an Old Fashioned, which will definitely smooth out that rye/bourbon burn, but still be plenty potent:

My mix for an Old Fashioned

1 tsp simple syrup
1 tsp club soda
3" orange peel
1 luxardo cherry
4.5 oz (3 jiggers) of quality rye (or bourbon if you insist on corn/sweet flavor)

mix simple syrup and club soda in an old fashioned glass, add a single large ice cube. Add the cherry and orange peel, pour whiskey over top of the ice, then stir lightly. Enjoy!

[Murdy]

I thought I was going to be the first one to bring up the Kirkland Bourbon, it is excellent, and the price is certainly right. In fact, I think it is my second favorite after Woodford (anything higher end than Woodford is outside my experience). I recently picked up a bottle of Old Forrester after reading a review and really like it, it is a little smokier than Woodford.

[Buck Flicks]

Yes... love a good Old Fashioned.

I just learned about Kirkland spirits. All of them are higher end spirits, bought in bulk, and relabled. Kirkland's bourbon is apparently either Jack Daniels or Dickel, as it's labeled "Tennessee Bourbon" ... which leaves most other distilleries out of the equation. It used to be from "Clear Spring" which is a Buffalo Trace subsidiary.

[ecowper]

Kirkland’s bourbon is quite nice and a great price point. Really hard to beat.

[Murdy]

Some bourbons run more toward a rye, they have to have a certain amount of rye in them before they have to be labeled rye, but you can still taste it before this point. If I recall correctly, Bulleit Bourbon has a taste toward a rye. So, if you don't like/want rye, keep this in mind when picking out a bourbon.

[barelfly]

Based on this thread, I picked up a new (to me) bottle today. Going to try Elijah craig. It was the regular bottle, so $27 compared to the barrel select that ran $40 something I think. Next purchase I’ll have to give EH Taylor a go.

I also saw the GD 8/12 bottle and almost went with it. I have tried some other GD and liked it as well as one other sour mash but I don’t remember which.

But will be nice to try a new one again. Always enjoy reading what others like, especially when palettes are similar to what I enjoy.

Thanks everyone!