1y ago

Americans - I Need Help Choosing A Bourbon

I've got a mate whos a big fan of Bourbon. He's tried all the standard brands like Buffalo Trace, JD, Jim Beam and Wild Turkey.

I want to get him a bottle for Xmas of something he might not have tried before, something I can say was recommended by Americans as a good bourbon. Doesn't need to be some weird flavour like Red Stag, just old fashioned American bourbon that maybe flies under the radar in other countries.

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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.
- This was going to be my suggestion, it's such a delicious bourbon.

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?

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.
- Oh! Have they fixed their supplying issues? I haven't had a drink in a while, but for years they were having trouble keeping stock in most stores because they had a distillery fire and had to run with what they had stored. Even after that, any time I'd find a place that would get some, they'd only be able to get a single case in and it would be sold out within a day or 2. I basically had to get lucky and happen to stop by the same day they got it in, but before they stocked the shelves. It was probably solid 5-6 years of never seeing it on a shelf and only getting it if I asked for it and they go it from the back.
  
  I'm not sure. That's the first I've heard of a fire. It's pretty easy to find in my area, but I can't speak for the rest of the country. I have noticed the price go up some in recent years, but I assumed it was from popularity and just general inflation.

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.
  
  I got one of their limited runs from a buddy about two years ago. I can't really say it was better than the standard. A little "hotter", even, swish which isn't something I tend to prefer.

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.

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.

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
- BBQ sauce is just smokey ketchup, so go with the brand made with the best ketchup.

It’s not “fancy,” but Old Granddad’s Bottled In Bond is delicious. It’s just a very good, rye heavy bourbon.
- That's my standard, but it can be a bit hard to find
  
  I’ve noticed that; I don’t know why, but recently the stores by me only have it every third time I go.

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
- Their single barrel rye is great as well. Good intro to rye for someone that likes bourbon

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!
  
  Sold in 2014
  Good to know I went on my first toured before they got bought out.
  Recently went on a tour and didn't think that much had changed tho.
  I like to buy from vineyards and distilleries I've been to. But conglomerates are buying everything up :/

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!
  
  For sure! Though at the end of my drinking it was Ten High Kentucky as that’s all I could afford with the amount I was drinking.

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.

Widow Jane

Why are you asking americans ?
Why not ask people from other countries to expand your options
Could always have something from another country imported as its for a special occasio
- Why are you asking americans ?
  Well, call me old fashioned but as my friend is a fan of American bourbon, I thought asking American's what American bourbon they recommended might be the best idea.

this one https://distiller.com/spirits/dry-fly-washington-bourbon-101

64 comments