What's your go-to bottom shelf whisky?

[ErkRusselReserve]

This is really good for the price. The best low end scotch I have found. No spirit caramel, which is a big plus for me (although that can make for some amazing mouthfeel if you can ignore the taint of it). Non Chill filtered too. The best bang for the buck.

All the Deanstons have been good to great in my book.

 

[ErkRusselReserve]

My favorite would have to be Heaven Hill, it's a pretty solid bourbon for what it is.

View attachment 1709327

I rarely drink though so I can usually afford to purchase some of the finer stuff. I've still got bottles I bought years ago that aren't yet at half.

That is a pretty good pour, tastes like Jim Beam w/o the yeast funk. Easy drinking too. If you have the higher proof or older bottles, they are actually quite collectible.

 

[Doc4]

There always seems to be at least one shelf lower down than I can reach. I suppose if I am ever desperate for paint thinner ...

 

[Legion]

Clan MacGregor in the big green plastic bottle. $18 for 1.75 litre.

If that was available here there would be dead winos littering the sidewalk all over the place.

 

[Quaznoid]

Bettom shelf - Johnnie Walker Red Label
My regular daily driver, the one I drink the most - Glenfiddich 12 (I don't think it's bottom shelf, but it's not top shelf either)

Johnnie Walker Red, Churchill’s Scotch, is not anywhere near bottom shelf. I consider it a rare treat to drink that great whiskey.

 

[cvixx]

Buffalo Trace is my bourbon of choice but in a pinch Ten High.

That is one hell of a pinch!

 

[cvixx]

Canadian Hunter or Hunter Rye for me. Easy drinking!

 

[DrStrange]

Clan MacGregor in the big green plastic bottle. $18 for 1.75 litre.

For myself,
any Scotch in a 1.75 liter plastic bottle.

 

[MHBru]

The only whiskey I drink is boubon and I drink it straight with ice. I have no "bottom shelf" as drinking that stuff straight is not enjoyable. Lowest I'll go is usually Woodford Reserve.

 

[Empire straights]

Does bottom shelf mean bad, or cheap? I don't drink whiskey anymore really but nobody should drink bad whiskey. For cheap id run down somebody with a still that's still warm.

 

[ErkRusselReserve]

Johnnie Walker Red, Churchill’s Scotch, is not anywhere near bottom shelf. I consider it a rare treat to drink that great whiskey.

Red these days is a far cry from what is once was. Easy drinking though, so it has that.

 

[ErkRusselReserve]

Does bottom shelf mean bad, or cheap? I don't drink whiskey anymore really but nobody should drink bad whiskey. For cheap id run down somebody with a still that's still warm.

Bottom shelf is cheap, but there are some gems in there.

 

[ErkRusselReserve]

The only whiskey I drink is boubon and I drink it straight with ice. I have no "bottom shelf" as drinking that stuff straight is not enjoyable. Lowest I'll go is usually Woodford Reserve.

At one time Woodford was top shelf, and is still very medium up. If you drink on the rocks, give Evan Williams Bottled in Bond a go. The ice cuts down on the proof burn, and there are lots of nice flavors in there.

 

[ErkRusselReserve]

Here's another tip. If you find something cheap that you like, but it has too much of a sharp edge, bottle condition it for a few years. The slow oxidation will even our some rough corners. This works best with glass bottles with plastic caps. Buy a case or two and put it way in dark cool place and grab a bottle every once in while.

It worked amazingly well with a case of Evan Williams Bottled in Bond.

 

[Whisky]

At one time Woodford was top shelf, and is still very medium up. If you drink on the rocks, give Evan Williams Bottled in Bond a go. The ice cuts down on the proof burn, and there are lots of nice flavors in there.

I’m not a huge fan of what “plain” Woodford has become. Double Oaked is still pretty darned good though.

 

[Lockback]

Here's another tip. If you find something cheap that you like, but it has too much of a sharp edge, bottle condition it for a few years. The slow oxidation will even our some rough corners. This works best with glass bottles with plastic caps. Buy a case or two and put it way in dark cool place and grab a bottle every once in while.

It worked amazingly well with a case of Evan Williams Bottled in Bond.

Funny you would mention Evan Williams Bottled In Bond.
That's what I'm drinking tonight.

 

[ErkRusselReserve]

I’m not a huge fan of what “plain” Woodford has become. Double Oaked is still pretty darned good though.

It is very smooth and easy drinking. Some folks call that bland and lacking character. The Double Oak probably is nice medium ground. Haven't had that myself. But neither bottle has a place on a bottom shelf list.

 

[Tanuki]

Dickel Rye

There are a few basic affordables in this thread. True bottom shelf around this neck of the woods would be branded Monarch or HRD.

 

[ErkRusselReserve]

Another option would be to spice up a lower cost bottle with a shot or two of something more potent.


For example:


Fill up the neck of a Beam white with OGD 114.

The same with Benchmark 8 and Old Forester 100.

Old School- the same with Old Crow and Wild Turkey.


Really out there- add a shot of peated scotch to any bourbon. Gives it a very long lasting finish. Better on cold and dark nights.

 

[Columbo]

I can’t quite call it “bottom shelf”, but when on the road and not wanting to spend more for better, I never had a problem with Dewars White Label. On the rocks or with a splash of water, depending on the season. Never harsh or hot. A few bartenders would quietly mention that it’s what they tossed back at the end of a shift.

I drink very little anymore these days, so maybe the blends have changed since then.