Buffalo Trace used to be my go-to bourbon. Now it's New Holland Artisan Distilleries Beer Barrel Bourbon.

But my go-to whiskey is now the above distillery's Beer Barrel Rye

Either is incredibly smooth. Everybody to whom I've introduced them has loved them. Some have preferred the bourbon, some the rye.

Blantons or Woodford Reserve

Never liked Buffalo trace. I get a distinct pine taste I don’t like.

Blantons is good.

It’s not a bourbon but Jack Daniels single barrel is very good.

Knob Creek across the board is great but the single barrel is very good.

Makers Mark trips lots of folks triggers but it’s not my thing.

Pappy Van Winkles is good if you can find it.

Lots of solid options.

quote:

Originally posted by berto:
....
For ~$30 Eagle Rare, McKenna 10yr, Elijah Craig small batch are good bottles.

For under $70 consider Stagg Jr, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, Blanton’s, Booker’s.

...

Wild Turkey Decades or Master’s Keep are both under $150 and come will pretty presentation cases. They’re very good but a touch overpriced though that makes them the perfect gift bottle because people don’t like to spend the money on themselves.

These are all allocated, hard to find bottles in the Dallas/Ft Worth area. Everyone of them is a solid gift for a serious bourbon drinker. My favorites are Blanton's and Stags Jr. off berto's list.

You can forget a lot of these suggestions in VA.

You will not find Elmer T Lee, Blanton's, Willett, Stagg, Jr, E.H. Taylors, Pappy, or Elijah Craig Barrel Proof. These are either allocated or lottery.

We almost never get any Weller either, but there is currently lottery running for 4 different Wellers you could enter, but it will take a while to have the bourbon in hand, at least 3-4 weeks. Go to VA abc website, > products > limited availability. If you manage to win a William Larue Weller, you want to keep that one. Trust me.

You've got some solid recommendations, including 4 Roses. There is a very nice hand picked single barrel selection out there, specifically barrel #5 a favorite OBSV selection that I will recommend highly for less than $45.00.

I recently tried Garrison Brothers Cowboy bourbon and really liked it.

https://www.totalwine.com/spir...userLon=-119.8155925

I always sort of looked at 4 Roses as kind of lower end, not horrible but bland. No disrespect as I of course have NOOOOOO taste, breeding or business telling folks about the intricacies of bourbon. It just was always kinda meh to me.

I like the 4 Roses small batch, the regular not so much.

Never made any one mad by giving a bottle of Makers Mark 46.

quote:

Originally posted by cslinger:
I always sort of looked at 4 Roses as kind of lower end, not horrible but bland. No disrespect as I of course have NOOOOOO taste, breeding or business telling folks about the intricacies of bourbon. It just was always kinda meh to me.

That hasn't been an accurate representation of them for many years now. The basic "yellow" is good, as is the Small Batch, and their Single Barrel expressions.

quote:

It's not a bourbon but Jack Daniels single barrel is very good

It is, though. There is no such thing as Tennessee Whiskey, strictly speaking. The rules for Bourbon don't require that it be labeled as such, so out of some sense of state pride and clever marketing the fine folks in Tennessee invented a new way to describe it. Regular JD is nothing but a basic 4-year Bourbon, and is the most popular selling whiskey in the world.

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Bookers. It's around $65-70 and it's amazing.
I like Basil Hayden's & Bakers but Bookers is my all time favorite.






Of course if you can get it in your area, Willett is nice as well.

I thought that technically for it to be bourbon it has to come form Bourbon, County KY as well as be made the correct way.

Yes JD is for all intents and purposes bourbon I just didn’t think it could be called so.

I may have to give 4 Roses another try.

Chris

For a gift it is always the thought that counts.
Excellent and availble bourbons (at least arounf here) include:
Blantons
Basil Hayden
Bookers (very high proof)
Knob Creek Single Barrel (very high proof)
Willets (the bourbon is good, the bottle is awesome)


I love 4 Roses single barrel, but dont generally gift it. Some folk remember the dark days when it was rot gut.

There are a couple that I like from the A. Smith Bowman Distillery in Fredricksburg, VA

Bowman Brothers small batch and John J. Bowman single barrel is pretty good.

quote:

Originally posted by 46and2:

quote:

Originally posted by cslinger:
I always sort of looked at 4 Roses as kind of lower end, not horrible but bland. No disrespect as I of course have NOOOOOO taste, breeding or business telling folks about the intricacies of bourbon. It just was always kinda meh to me.

That's hasn't been an accurate representation of them for many years now. The basic "yellow" is good, as is the Small Batch, and their Single Barrel expressions.

quote:

It's not a bourbon but Jack Daniels single barrel is very good

It is, though. There is no such thing as Tennessee Whiskey, strictly speaking. The rules for Bourbon don't require that it be labeled as such, so out of some sense of state pride and clever marketing the fine folks in Tennessee invented a new way to describe it. Regular JD is nothing but a basic 4-year Bourbon, and is the most popular selling whiskey in the world.

Jack Daniels IS indeed a bourbon (+50% corn in the mash bill and aged in NEW oak barrels). But only bourbons that are made in Tennessee AND charcoal filtered can be called TENNESSEE Whiskeys. The charcoal filtering process is the unique difference. Thus, there is such a thing as TENNESSEE Whiskey And the TENNESSEE legislature says so.....

Jack Daniels in Lynchburg and George Dickle down the road at Cascade Hollow are the two primary purveyors of TENNESSEE Whisk(e)y.

You might also try Clyde Mays Alabama Style Straight Bourbon (white label). Good stuff. Infused with a nose and taste of apples.

Michters Unblended American Whiskey is also very nice (it’s not a bourbon though because it is aged in used barrels).

Angles Envy

Four Roses Single Barrel

Jack Single Barrel

George Dickle Barrel Select

Heaven Hill

Elijah Craig

Maybe check this out before you buy....TOP TEN MOST UNIQUE AND INTERESTING BOURBONS

https://youtu.be/-0cWKEuXMwU

In the VA ABC

Woodford Reserve Double Oaked
Elijah Craig 12 year old
Bookers

Buy a fifth for sure. Might cost $55 for a mid-priced bottle. Shelves are organized from top to bottom with the most expensive at the top.

To legally to be bourbon gotta be made in the u.s., of 51% corn mash, aged 2 years in white oak barrels. It also has to meet certain proof points before putting into the barrel.

Therefore JD is technically bourbon. JDs single barrels are hit or miss for me so i stopped buying them. Some really good. Others a bit off.

I really enjoy Angel's Envy and it is pretty reasonably priced.

quote:

Originally posted by cslinger:
I thought that technically for it to be bourbon it has to come form Bourbon, County KY as well as be made the correct way.

Yes JD is for all intents and purposes bourbon I just didn’t think it could be called so.

I may have to give 4 Roses another try.

Chris

Not true, and I believe that the name actually come from Bourbon st. in NOLA., not the county in KY. BTW, in the 1800's Bourbon County was about 1/3 of the state, if i'm remembering correctly.

Woodford Reserve Double Oaked is my go-to sipping bourbon, but it is sweet which is a personnel preference.

I also really like Knob Creek Rye.

quote:

Bourbon Street

...has nothing to do with what is or isn't Bourbon.

quote:

Angel's Envy

...is not Bourbon.

It used to be Bourbon / is made from Bourbon, before they moved it to Ruby Port Casks and aged it again, which then breaks the rules for what Bourbon is. Same goes for the Black Cherry and Honey and other variations by Beam and other companies.

quote:

I thought that technically for it to be bourbon it has to come form Bourbon, County KY as well as be made the correct way.

Yes JD is for all intents and purposes bourbon I just didn’t think it could be called so

It's a common misconception that Bourbon must come from Kentucky, much less a particular county; it only has to be made in America. Granted, about 95% of all Bourbon does indeed come from Kentucky, but it carries no legal weight / isn't a requirement.

As for the so-called Lincoln County Process (Jack's Charcoal Filtering), just about all Bourbon is also poured through charcoal activated filters when it comes out of the barrels. Booker's is unfiltered, and maybe Stagg and Handy and WLWeller, but the rest are filtered like Jack...

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