I’m looking for a recommendation for a bottle of whiskey that I can keep around the house for guests. I already have a good bottle of scotch so I’m looking for bourbon. Is there something out there that would be a good, or at least decent, tasting sipping whiskey while also not being considered sacrilege if someone were to mix it with a can of Coke? Can this be done for $50 a bottle?

Thanks,

Dan

edit: typos

This message has been edited. Last edited by: KBobAries, September 27, 2021 11:06 AM

My votes are Wild Turkey, Bulliet, Buffalo Trace.

Buffalo Trace is pretty good for the price, if you can find it. It’s usually gone the same day it hits the shelf around here.

I also don’t think you can go wrong with Woodford Reserve.

I sometimes sip mixing bourbon but I never mix sipping bourbon. Why "improve" the flavor of a taste you already like?

Jim Beam Black.

Or even Old Grand Dad Bottled in Bond or if you can find it Early Times Bottled in Bond.

Absolutely it can be done.

Big fan of the Buffalo Trace offerings.

For me, Buffalo Trace is a good all around bottle to have on hand.

Eagle Rare is much harder to find around here, but for me is a very good bourbon at a very reasonable price, if you can find it in the store. ER is age stated as 10 years.

Hard to go wrong with Wild Turkey, Bulleit and Woodford Reserve offerings. Lots to choose from, sub $50.00

I have recently discovered Ancient Ancient Age 10, which is a bargain priced offering from BT. This is one I can drink neat, over ice or mixed, and not be disappointed. In Ohio, when you find it, it costs $15.00 for a liter and $25.00 for a 1.75 L. IIRC, they claim 36 months age statement.

Good Luck, I believe there are a number of great offerings for you to consider.

Makers 46 would fit the bill.

Knob Creek, 1792, Elijah Craig, Jim Beam Black label. All of these will do what you desire. The first 3 are at the upper end of the price range.

Buffalo Trace is usually a pretty safe bet.

Though my favorite sipping Bourbon is now New Holland Artisan Spirits Beer Barrel Bourbon.

Even better: New Holland's Beer Barrel Rye.

For the purpose you’re describing, try Larceny. It’s smooth enough to sip, and at its price point, you won’t cry if someone mixes it with coke.

If you're going to mix it with something with as strong a taste as Coke I don't think it matters much what you get. Go with the cheapest out there.

Buffalo Trace

Along with Buffalo Trace and Elijah Craig, add Woodford Reserve Double Oaked to your list (sipping purposes, not mixing). Shoot...for mixing, you can get something as cheap as Old Charter. For something a little more upscale for mixing, go with regular Crown Royal. It's not bad for sipping, either...

ETA:
And to answer your actual question, which I believe is, "Are sipping whiskeys and mixing whiskeys mutually exclusive?" The answer is a resounding NO...

I wouldn't dream of allowing my sipping bourbons to be used as mixers. However, the guys who suggest Makers as an "almost good enough to sip" are pretty much on the Mark (get it?) If you're going to let guests mix it with Coke, I'd suggest that the quality of the cola is more important than the quality of the bourbon. In that case. you might as well stock a bottle of Beam or some other bottom shelf brand. At least these have enough "bite" to contend with the sugar.

Now, I sincerely hope you aren't so hard up for funds or bar space that you couldn't have more than one bottle in reserve, not the worst thing in the world.

I'm partial to Elijah Craig when I don't want to pay the freight for the super premium brands (which are often not as tasty, and a lot harder to find.)

quote:

Originally posted by MRBTX:
Jim Beam Black.

This.

You can't go wrong with Crown either.

For a mixer bourbon, go with regular Jim Beam. For a sipping whiskey, Woodford Reserve. Ah the joys of living in Kentucky where we don’t have a shortage of whiskeys.

Wild Turkey 101 is the .30-06 of liquor to me.

They could not be more mutually exclusive, and that goes for all distilled spirits. If you mix what you're drinking with something else (except maybe a drop of branch), it's because you don't actually like what you're drinking.

In answer to your question, a qualified “yes.” In other words, I buy whiskeys that I savor when drinking, but I always have at least one whiskey on hand that others would probably consider “mixing whiskey” because it’s relatively inexpensive (i.e. the aforementioned, Wild Turkey 101), that I’m very content to sit and sip neat. I guess that puts me in opposition to Il Cattivo.