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Some great options in this thread but I can’t believe nobody has mentioned Blanton’s.
The bottle makes it feel like more of a gift, and the taste is sublime.
Blanton's is very good at MSRP, but it's hard to find at a good price and the second hand market value is pretty high.
No one can afford it.
yeah that one's hard to get. Gotta go camp out at their factory sometimes and they limit you to once every 6 months!!
Blantons is so unique, lots of collectability with the different horse/jockey poses on the cap.
Are you telling me I shouldn’t have tossed out the complete set of tops?
Well, they will sell you just the tops now but whatever that msrp is would be about what they're worth.
Thanks to everyone who suggested something. I've settled on a bottle of Angel's Envy.
I'm late to the game but I just wanted to say that that is a solid choice.
Basil Hayden, Woodford Reserve, Knob Creek, Angel's Envy, Old Grandad, Bulleit are all great choices.
Basil Hayden or Woodford would definitely be my first choice though.
A +1 for Woodford Reserve and Knob Creek, especially Woodford's nicer offerings. Those are great choices.
I'm going to disagree on the Basil Hayden and the Bulleit. I wouldn't recommend them to a bourbon enthusiast (or to anyone really). Bulleit in particular I think doesn't really offer a lot of the classic bourbon experience that someone who is into bourbon might get excited about. To me, it drinks quite hot and is pretty thin.
Knob creek is my go to as well
Huge fan of Basil Hayden
These are all my very last choices except the Woodford, knob creek rye or single barrel 120 proof.
The rest of these taste like household cleaner.
Woodford makes a Manhattan bottled that is stellar iirc though.
Woodford Reserve is my go-to. It's not hard to find, it has a reliable taste being a blended bourbon, and is generally well regarded. They are a big sponsor of the Kentucky Derby, so it's got some cachet across the luxury brand spectrum. However, my grandpa worked for Brown-Forman his whole life so it has an emotional connection for me and makes me a little biased.
Weller Special Reserve (green label) is pretty easy to find these days, about $50 a bottle and considered by some to be one of the more accessible PVW-adjacent bourbons.
I'll add Booker's to this list, if your friend enjoys sour mash flavor profiles like Jim Beam/Jack Daniels. It's pricier, maybe over $100 now, and a bit harder to find.
Woodford's Double Oaked may be my favorite.
Angel's Envy is one of my favorites. Runs about $45 here in the states and is relatively easy to find. I'm not sure if they export though.
I'm going to recommend Old Forester 1910. A lot of people prefer the 1920, which is a bit pricier, and I can see why they might, but I actually prefer the 1910. It's complex enough to think about but easy enough to just enjoy. It's got some classic sweet bourbon flavors (people usually describe the flavor as deserty: molasses, vanilla, etc.), and a wonderfully luxurious mouthfeel that's very bourbon and sticks around for a long time.
Love Old Forester! It has the same mash bill that goes in to the blend of Woodford Reserve, both being made by Brown Forman. I enter every year to win a bottle of their birthday bourbon, haven't had any luck yet.
I'm a fan of Elijah Craig, personally. I'm not a drinker, but that's my go-to when I decide I want a drink
To me it's the best value for price bourbon I've found, and it's very good. I haven't tried very many of their higher end or limited offerings though.
Maker's Mark is pretty popular and they have a few price tiers.
Don't get the base bottle! Go 96 trust me!
Also a great looking bottle with the red wax.
Some good recommendations in this thread. You should give the following a try.
- Woodford Reserve Wheated. It's very smooth and I think it's the best value for money you can get. This is my personal favorite right now
- Michters Small Batch. Good and robust flavor
- Weller. If you can find it, but you probably won't.
- Angels Envy is very good and smooth
- Four Roses Small Batch
- Penelope Toasted is alright. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't wow value for the price. It's a good bourbon though
- 1792 is good.
- Rabbit Hole is good
- Blade and Bow is good
I'll second Four Roses, it's delicious stuff.
Elijah Craig. 94 proof. First company to age in Oak barrels. Around here 750ml goes for around 25-30 so it won't blow ur bank
I just got done living in KY for about 5 years, the one I like for a reasonable price was Basil Hayden, I think it's from the Jim beam distillery but it's not too expensive and it's nice and smooth. But there are literally thousands of different bourbon and even one distillery group might have several brand names, like the owners of Jim beam actually makes old grandad, makers mark, and knob creek as well
Jim Beam does make a ton of other brands as the biggest distillery, but Maker's Mark has their own distillery. They are owned by Beam Suntory though, but they still have their own distillery, aging warehouses, etc. that you can tour. You even get to dip your own bottle into the red wax - I still have mine!
It’s not “fancy,” but Old Granddad’s Bottled In Bond is delicious. It’s just a very good, rye heavy bourbon.
Stubb’s Hickory Bourbon BBQ Sauce
It’s all high fructose corn syrup
Is there anything more American than that?
Gotta be pendatic here, Stubb's is sugar free
You’re absolutely right I was thinking of sweet baby rays bbq sauce
BBQ sauce is just smokey ketchup, so go with the brand made with the best ketchup.
Back when I was a drinker (7 years sober now) my drink of choice was whiskey in general, bourbon in particular.
That said, the best whiskey I ever had was a bottle of Yamazaki 12 year single malt. I got it as a gift when they just entered the US market and picked up a second bottle for ~$45 at the time. Highly recommended to any whiskey drinker.
Those bottles now run north of $150, so you're better off being sober in more ways than one!
Have you thought about giving him a rye whisky? It is still a very American style of whisky. It might be a neat treat to have something just a little different.
What's your budget? If your friend is into bourbon then most everything here he's probably tried. To get a unique gift bottle will cost a bit more, depending where you are.
Crazy that no one has recommended Costco's in-house Bourbon. It's very hard to get unless you know when it's in stock, because it sells out in like a week, but at some places (DC for example) you don't even need a membership to buy liquor. It's a REALLY good Bourbon for the price. It's a little stronger and sweeter than many bourbons in my estimation, without much bite.
My buddy is a huge Bourbon snob, we did the trail for his bachelor party, and he had a few bourbon bars set up at his wedding. It was one of the five he chose to have at his wedding, and the decision was not made on cost. He's the one that introduced me to it, and it's basically all I buy now, unless I'm getting something cheap for bourbon and gingers or some other mixed drink.
It's a cheap option and often overlooked, but my go to has been Jim Beam Devil's Cut for years now.
Smokewagon Uncut and Unfiltered is Very Good pick it up if you can find it.