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Bourbon for Old Fashioned

My favorite is Woodford Reserve. Its fantastic for the price. But Bulleit Rye is also great.

There's a new liquor out that a bar near me uses to make old fashions with and its AWESOME. (but pricey, to me at least). Try and find High West Campfire. Its a blend of bourbon, rye, and scotch. Its got a great smoky ness to it that goes really well with the other flavors in a typical old fashioned. I can't get enough of it right now.
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
I like Jim Beam Black in an oldfashioned. It's not too bad to sip, either. Evan Williams black label is my day to day mix it with coke bourbon and it has just the right roughness to cut through the mixer. I seldom drink the more expensive bourbons but of that type I prefer Woodford. Nice sipper. Bulleit Rye is great for a sazerac or a manhattan. Makers to me is in that class but sort of near the bottom, price wise, very versatile, middle of the road bourbon, and If I had to select one bourbon and only one bourbon, all things considered I would probably go with the Makers except when money is tight. Wild Turkey 101 I find a bit too fume-y for my taste, for sipping neat, but wow it mixes great in any bourbon fruit punch type drink and is excellent in a tall mint julep.

I travel a bit, being a seaman, and often I will find even fairly high class bars that do not have any bourbon at all, and I have to settle for Jack Daniels, which is close, but not exactly a bourbon. I don't feel too badly punished, when this happens, as Jack really is an outstanding whiskey with a vigorous character that is not easily overpowered. A shot of Jack and a beer back is a great way to start a good drinking session. Such is the power of the brand's worldwide marketing efforts that it is available pretty much anywhere in the world, so it is a good one to become well acquainted with.
 
I like Jim Beam Black in an oldfashioned. It's not too bad to sip, either. Evan Williams black label is my day to day mix it with coke bourbon and it has just the right roughness to cut through the mixer. I seldom drink the more expensive bourbons but of that type I prefer Woodford. Nice sipper. Bulleit Rye is great for a sazerac or a manhattan. Makers to me is in that class but sort of near the bottom, price wise, very versatile, middle of the road bourbon, and If I had to select one bourbon and only one bourbon, all things considered I would probably go with the Makers except when money is tight. Wild Turkey 101 I find a bit too fume-y for my taste, for sipping neat, but wow it mixes great in any bourbon fruit punch type drink and is excellent in a tall mint julep.

I travel a bit, being a seaman, and often I will find even fairly high class bars that do not have any bourbon at all, and I have to settle for Jack Daniels, which is close, but not exactly a bourbon. I don't feel too badly punished, when this happens, as Jack really is an outstanding whiskey with a vigorous character that is not easily overpowered. A shot of Jack and a beer back is a great way to start a good drinking session. Such is the power of the brand's worldwide marketing efforts that it is available pretty much anywhere in the world, so it is a good one to become well acquainted with.
Nice observations. I've just started trying Bulleit Rye and I like it a lot.
 
+1 Steve. No rocks from this quarter; I'm with you and consider EW Black to be about the best value around in bourbon. Granted it does not possess the depth or complexity of the some of the higher priced stuff, but hey, it's 15 bucks (or less outside of the control state of Oregon). For me, it touches all the bases for bourbon and shows considerably more character than just about any other bottom shelf spirit that I can think of. It makes a great Old Fashioned, and it's perfectly drinkable neat, provided you aren't in the mood to over think your whiskey. Plus, having some around will save you a lot of grief (and money) when the cousins come over and want bourbon and Coke :001_huh:.

I've only encountered Evan Williams once or twice, and don't recall much about my impressions, but do generally agree with this line of thought. Many taverns sell "premium" mixed drinks, with top-shelf spirits (or, at least those whose parent company spends a boat-load of money on advertising). More often than not, I can't tell the difference between the top-shelf offering mixed with _____, and a lesser cost, but still good-quality offering mixed with the same.

Sipping, that's a different story. But mixed? I wouldn't spend the extra money, as I believe any nuance(s) would be masked.

I would vote for Elijah Craig as hitting the sweet spot.
 
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