Looking to upgrade from Basil Hayden

BH is my current sipping whiskey but I'm feeling promiscuous

Willing to spend up to $100/ bottle

Relatively new to the whisky world however I know one thing for sure----not a scotch fan.

Help!

 

My husband and my son even more so love whiskey. My son’s favorite is Knob Creek and Bulliet. My husband likes Texas Ranger. Makers Mark is always around too. I may be mixing up bourbons and whiskeys because to me they are all the same.- blasphemy right?

The Garrison brothers distillery is close to us. My son has some hate on them. He swears it tastes like old dirty socks among other things. I know lots of guys who really like it. To my palate all I taste is the burn with any straight alcohol.

 

With a 100 per bottle budget, the sky is nearly the limit.

On the cheaper side I enjoy Elijah Craig small batch. Runs about $25 in normal areas.

Going a bit higher than that, I really enjoy Blantons but it can be semi-rare and the price is creeping toward $70 in my area. Elmer is another fantastic but semi rare bourbon in that price range.

McKenna 10 year is a great $30-35 bottle.

Sorry I can't put together a cleaner post, but the topic can be endless lol. I would recommend staying under $50 if you are trying new things, high dollar bourbon usually isn't bad, but the rate of return diminishes quickly.

 

If you have High West available near you, it’d be worth a try:
https://www.highwest.com

Of course, you should wait until you turn 21 to give it a shot.

 

4 roses small batch. So I’ve heard.

 

Topic can be endless AND tastes vary. I'd say Hudson Baby and Four Roses small batch are my favorites. My husband doesn't like Four Roses so much (I can't remember if it's too floral or too sweet/caramely for him). You need to taste a bunch, preferably side by side.

 

Some suggestions ... Michters.and McKenna are quite good and around the $50 range. I also like Straight Edge and Angels Envy. If you want to splurge, IW Harper 15 year is good but around $90 I think. I also like Joseph Magnus which is also pricey. Michters, angels envy and straight edge are on the sweeter side, whereas Magnus is on the spicy side. IW Harper 15 year and McKenna have lots of flavors. By the way, I also like Smoke Wagon ... Vegas distillery.

 

Husband adds - we did a blind tasting of numbered shot glasses side by side to see what we *really liked (yeah, we buy a bunch of bourbon - we'll drink it all, if we don't love it neat, we'll just use it in cocktails). That can be quite the $ outlay, so try in a bar if you can (if you don't have to drive and have a place that has a good selection!) We live in an ABC state so we often buy bourbon when we travel, to try varieties that aren't on our state list. Or options that don't have wide distribution. We haven't done the Bourbon Trail yet but it's on the list! (my mom and her husband did it a couple years ago...)

 

Dont grow up it's a trap!

 

Informative TY

 

I'm not averse to sweeter whisky, TY

 

The two top four roses is a solid suggestion, but the absolute best bourbon I've had is michter ten year. Only once (well I ordered it twice) and I bought it by the shot so no idea on the bottle price, but it changed my expectations of what bourbon could be. I'm thinking it's not a coincidence that I see it as the favorite go to drink for the characters on the television show Billions.

 

Hmm, we have a michters rye that we enjoy (I just decided to have a glass of 1792 -Ridgemont Reserve. Oops, finished the bottle ..) I'll have to look for the aged bourbon...

 

1792 great for the money. Full disclosure: I normally drink Evan Williams Black Label, but I drink a lot of bourbon. Currently enjoying a bulleit rye sazerac at the local twin peaks, on special for prohibition repeal week.

 

Hubster here - In the cabinet there currently reside: Wild Turkey 101, Wild Turkey Rare Breed (cask strength), 4 Roses Yellow, Elijah Craig Small Batch, Jack Daniels Sinatra, Pappy 10, Belle Meade Cognac Finish, Sherry Finish and Madeira Finish, Jim Beam Regular, Repeal and Devil's Cut, Old Bardstown, Evan Williams Bonded and about 10 ryes. The one we buy handles of is Wild Turkey 101. You can pick up 2 1.75l bottles and get change from your hundy.

Listen to Hoya. Get a DD, find a bar with a decent selection, pick an off hour and go sample. Take notes and a wingman that knows whiskey.

 

By best do you mean no aftertaste/burning or the flavor. Also is it appropriate to drink pinkies up, thx.

 

Oooh! Wilderness Trail Sweet Mash. I know, I know...the sweet mash apart sounds weird. But I'm a Jefferson's Reserve man through and through, and my local joint said, "Hey, we got an open bottle of this new stuff, how about a sip?"

Now I'm a Wilderness Trail Sweet Mash man through and through.

 

Both. Flavor and smoothness. And yes, but only ironically.

 

Your quite the bourbon connisuer Mr Ardee, what's your #1 go to

 

Turkey 101. We go through that stuff quickly. Second place would be Evan Williams Bonded. Make sure you get the white label 100 proof. The regular black label stuff is drain cleaner.

But I'm always interested in trying stuff I haven't had before. I love threads like this one - they give you leads on new booze!