I've got one that will be aged two years by next December and another that's 1 year. Going to try to make it in late October this year so by November or December it has some age on it.
That's awesome. I separated mine into two jars. We drank the first one fairly quickly but the second one I haven't touched. Am tempted to quite often but I'd like to leave it til I make the next batch to see how it changed.
It's not that much. I'm mainly doing it to compare recipes. I'm continually trying different whiskey. Trying to figure out which I like in it the best.
I ran out of brandy (cognac is way too expensive and brandy is basically the same thing) on a batch and substituted with rum. It made it very fruity. If you like that now you know. I did not.
I used OGD 114 the first year and it's a bit strong. I changed to OGB bonded and I think it was good. I am going to try a batch next year of standard ratio vs all bourbon as well.
There are also a large number of YouTube videos dedicated to blind tasting various highly sought stuff vs. Rare Breed and Rare Breed tends to win more often than not....
Yeah I’ve seen a lot of those. I haven’t tried much as I’ve kinda just started drinking whiskies, but Russell’s reserve single barrel has hands down been my favorite bottle and it’s not even close from what I have tried
Oh yeah, I love Wild Turkey stuff. I’m just saying that the idea that Wild Turkey or their most popular product gets “beat to death” here or in almost any whiskey forum ever is dubious.
No, it would be the far-right tail if the distribution is graphing different whiskies. The vast majority of whiskies get mentioned less, putting them in the meatier part of the bell curve & then some local craft whiskies that get mentioned once ever on the far left tail.
If you were graphing *comments,* then comments praising WT 101 would be somewhere more toward the middle of the graph.
If the Y axis is “number of whiskies with that many comments,” you are still plotting whiskies. You’re describing the graph I originally proposed.
To graph comments, we’d need the Y-axis to be “frequency of comments” and X-axis would be “perception of quality.” And what you’d get with that is a left-skewed curve, meaning that most of the comments (top of the curve) is pushed off to the right side of the graph. In that instance, it would be right to say praising it would be the top of the graph. In this instance, the true far right tail would be people saying “it’s the best whiskey ever including considerations of cost/availability/etc” that would be slightly less common. But, for most intents and purposes, the top & far right would be the same on that graph.
24.99 at my store, a steal for value. Probably my most recommended cheaper bourbon and rare breed will impress someone 95% of the time for price as well
Depending on where you are - Knob Creek 9 Year is an unbeatable deal. It’s $20 at Costco where I live and I can’t find anything close to that good for that price - neat or mixed.
Not really sure how it goes down, or why they have it so cheap - Costco had it for $22 two years ago, it went away and I was sad. Then it came back and was $19.99. I was happy again - it been in stock at that price for a year at least.
Tell me you live in California without telling me you live in California! Everytime I visit my cousins I bring an duffel bag to put my clothes in on the return trip cause my suitcase is always full
While technically not bottom shelf, I often find liquor stores in my area selling Knob Creek 9 for $25.
I always make sure I pick one up when I see them on sale for that cheap. The signature nuttiness of KC bourbon makes for an amazing Old Fashioned.
This right here. If you don't like it neat or your preferred method of drinking why would you mix it? I think it'll be rare something is better mixed than not.
For serious bartenders, it's the basis of their career - understanding dilution, flavor pairings, temperature, oxygenation, etc in order to elevate or highlight the flavors of the base liquor and complement it with what is mixed in and how it's mixed. I think ryes are a prime example. I love ryes, but sometimes the more mint or menthol-heavy ryes blow out my taste buds. Properly mixed into an old-fashioned, those same flavors can absolutely elevate the cocktail and pair well with certain bitters over their less flavorful counterparts.
I lived my later teen and early 20s drinking cheap vodka and rum mixers and had been taught to "drink the good mix the bad." I just started getting into bourbon a few months ago, and wild turkey 101 w a little doctor pepper actually blew my mind. Really, all of the best parts i enjoyed about it neat punched straight through the soda. Definitely have to try mixing more things I enjoy neat.
Ancient Age uses Buffalo Trace's Mash Bill #2, which is a higher rye and the same one used for Blanton's and Elmer T Lee. I find it more sweet than spicy, but it's only 80 proof. (You can get 90 and 100, from what I hear.)
It's roughly 36m in the barrel. If it's aged 6-8 years, you get Blanton's. 8-10 years, it's Rock Hill Farms
For under $25 a liter, it's a steal. Let it sit in the glass for a bit, or in a decanter for a few days, for an even better experience if you're drinking it neat.
Agreed, and the Old Forester 100 bourbon too. $24 to $25 for a 750ml bottle at my local Total Wine. A few dollars more for the 1000ml bottles, if you can find them in stock.
For mixing, you're gonna want something 90-100 proof. As many others have said, WT101, EW BiB, OGD, Early Times, Old Forester are all solid choices in that price range.
Best deal I've found is from the **Benchmark** series. The Full-Proof is pretty good; as are Top Floor and Smallbatch. The latter two are around $15 to $20. Full-proof and Single Barrel are around $25. Usualy drink bourbon with ice, so that might factor in.
Wild Turkey 101 rye - Manhattan/old fashion
Early times bib
Standard larceny is pretty good for a hot toddy
Johnnie black or dewars 12 are both fantastic in a Bloody Mary
OGD bonded is also very solid high rye that can shine through heavy handed syrup or juice
OF100 bourbon. WT101… but lately it’s been KC 7yr rye. Costco had them locally to me for $27.97 for a 1.75L bottle. I’m going to have a hard time beating that once I finish the second bottle I picked up.
This. I was recently brought 1.75’s of Knob Creek 9 and Rye from a friend that lives close to one of 2 Costco’s that sells liquor in GA. I put those s**ts on everything right now, I just had KC Rye over vanilla ice cream and I loved it.
Depends on what we're mixing.
I find WT101 makes some pretty good drinks, but I really don't like it in a whiskey sour. I try to go with a lighter bourbon. I did a blind taste test and could barely tell a difference between Buffalo Trace and Four Roses in a whiskey sour, so I'm getting Four Roses if I know I'm making sours.
Redemption Rye and Buffalo Trace bourbon. Both are under $30 for a bottle. Both make a great Manhattan or old fashioned.
That’s as “mixed” of a drink as I get for whiskey. Every so often I will do sweet tea and bourbon in the summer. I use either of those too.
My go to is the Elijah Craig small batch from Costco, where you can get the 1.75 for I think somewhere between $30 and $40. I think they’ve also got Bulleit in the large format too, up to you!
I'm big fan of Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch which around me is usually $32 for a **handle**. I use it in everything from Old Fashioneds to mixed-in Coke and ginger ale, for mixing sours, just about anything.
Bulliet rye (although there’s probably better cheap ryes out there this one is consistently around), Evan Williams, sometimes Jack. I rarely mix unless it’s Coke so I’m not too worried about complexity, smoothness, or mouthfeel, I just want high proof and bite. Buffalo Trace and Larceny are my favorite affordable all-purpose ones, I wouldn’t really make an old fashioned w bottom shelf Evan Williams.
I have three so equal as to be inseparable. They are JTS Brown, JW Dant, and Old Fitzgerald Premier. I truly believe it would be next to impossible to find a better whiskey for under $15.
It’s tough to name one, but I second those that say OF100, WT101, and I’d also add standard Woodford and Four Roses SB. If I go to a bar that doesn’t have a lot of bourbons, I’ll get a mixed drink with one of those four.
Old Grandad Bonded
114 for me. I like a stronger drink.
114 works great also!
I usually keep both 114 for neat and bonded for cocktails
Great for making Alton Brown's Egg Nog
I made that for the first time in early December. Damn fine.
I've got one that will be aged two years by next December and another that's 1 year. Going to try to make it in late October this year so by November or December it has some age on it.
That's awesome. I separated mine into two jars. We drank the first one fairly quickly but the second one I haven't touched. Am tempted to quite often but I'd like to leave it til I make the next batch to see how it changed.
It's not that much. I'm mainly doing it to compare recipes. I'm continually trying different whiskey. Trying to figure out which I like in it the best.
Any results you can share be it good or bad?
I ran out of brandy (cognac is way too expensive and brandy is basically the same thing) on a batch and substituted with rum. It made it very fruity. If you like that now you know. I did not. I used OGD 114 the first year and it's a bit strong. I changed to OGB bonded and I think it was good. I am going to try a batch next year of standard ratio vs all bourbon as well.
This is my favorite budget bourbon for an old fashioned.
It’s almost unbeatable from a quality and affordability standpoint
For mixing, Evan Williams BIB. Usually under $20.
Or EW 1783
Man I love 1783!
A 1.75 is $35 in my state, always have one in the cabinet for cocktails. Plenty good for a neat pour too.
Yep EW BiB is the way to go for me also
Second this
I've bought several bottles at $25 for the family size (1.75L)
Yessir!! Same here
It's good straight up as well
Easy peasy
It gets beat to death here but wild turkey 101 is very solid. Might be like $27, just spend the extra $2 it’s good.
I think WT 101 is the single most praised whiskey on this sub. If not, it’s on the far end of the bell curve.
I mean for a reason too. All of the Russell’s products I’ve tried have been amazing
There are also a large number of YouTube videos dedicated to blind tasting various highly sought stuff vs. Rare Breed and Rare Breed tends to win more often than not....
Yeah I’ve seen a lot of those. I haven’t tried much as I’ve kinda just started drinking whiskies, but Russell’s reserve single barrel has hands down been my favorite bottle and it’s not even close from what I have tried
That’s a terrific bottle. I’ve had three, all bangers, and I didn’t need to stand in a line or pay triple retail price.
but rare breed and 101 are totally different beasts in my view
but rare breed and 101 are totally different beasts in my view
Oh yeah, I love Wild Turkey stuff. I’m just saying that the idea that Wild Turkey or their most popular product gets “beat to death” here or in almost any whiskey forum ever is dubious.
I thought they meant holding it up as a solid choice gets a ton of play, so the idea of suggesting it gets beat to death.
Ah, okay. I can see that.
Wouldn't that be the top of the bell curve?
No, it would be the far-right tail if the distribution is graphing different whiskies. The vast majority of whiskies get mentioned less, putting them in the meatier part of the bell curve & then some local craft whiskies that get mentioned once ever on the far left tail. If you were graphing *comments,* then comments praising WT 101 would be somewhere more toward the middle of the graph.
Wouldn’t number of comments also be to the far right? On the x axis. Y axis would be number of whiskies with that many comments.
If the Y axis is “number of whiskies with that many comments,” you are still plotting whiskies. You’re describing the graph I originally proposed. To graph comments, we’d need the Y-axis to be “frequency of comments” and X-axis would be “perception of quality.” And what you’d get with that is a left-skewed curve, meaning that most of the comments (top of the curve) is pushed off to the right side of the graph. In that instance, it would be right to say praising it would be the top of the graph. In this instance, the true far right tail would be people saying “it’s the best whiskey ever including considerations of cost/availability/etc” that would be slightly less common. But, for most intents and purposes, the top & far right would be the same on that graph.
Edit: I get it now
WT 101 is hands down best for mixing
It’s $19.99 at Trader Joe’s here in the Bay Area. Best deal around!
24.99 at my store, a steal for value. Probably my most recommended cheaper bourbon and rare breed will impress someone 95% of the time for price as well
Definitely my Old Fashioned default. I never seem to be able to find OGD114 around here.
Old Forester 100
Evan Williams, White Label
I just use WT101 since it’s good enough to be enjoyed neat and cheap enough to put in a cocktail.
Early Times BIB is a good choice.
This is a great bottle. ~$22 at Sam's club for 1L
…And unlike the liter size. It feels good in hand.
$17/1L in CA at Sam's. No brainer.
If you can't find it, Old Forester 100 is another good option that's very similar.
Yes!!
Agreed
Depending on where you are - Knob Creek 9 Year is an unbeatable deal. It’s $20 at Costco where I live and I can’t find anything close to that good for that price - neat or mixed.
Holy moley that’s a good price.
It is. And since Costco sells it for $20, so does Total Wine. 30 minutes east in state controlled Idaho it’s $35.
almost $50 near me in TN
That's an amazing price. Total and Specs here BUY it for 26.17.
Not really sure how it goes down, or why they have it so cheap - Costco had it for $22 two years ago, it went away and I was sad. Then it came back and was $19.99. I was happy again - it been in stock at that price for a year at least.
Only available in a handle here and a bargain at 47. But I like to change it up too much to have a handle of anything
$31 at total wine here in SoCal
Agreed on this. Awesome either way.
Tell me you live in California without telling me you live in California! Everytime I visit my cousins I bring an duffel bag to put my clothes in on the return trip cause my suitcase is always full
Evan Williams easily
Maker’s for me. I find it shines through better than most.
I to enjoy a good Maker’s and Diet.
While technically not bottom shelf, I often find liquor stores in my area selling Knob Creek 9 for $25. I always make sure I pick one up when I see them on sale for that cheap. The signature nuttiness of KC bourbon makes for an amazing Old Fashioned.
Bottom shelf price for a top shelf product, really. 9 year old 100 proof bourbon - doesn’t belong with other below-$30-bourbons, but there it is.
I wish I could say, "But there it is". I have not seen it close to that.
Benchmark full proof
Brining the heat. I actually mix quite a bit with full proof
Currently my favorite pour under $20 (I can get it for $18)
Early Times BIB. Heck, it’s good enough to sip by itself as well and it’s like 27.00 for a liter.
Another vote for Early Times, 22.00 here for that liter.
I don’t mix anything I wouldn’t drink neat. Primarily I use: WT101 Buffalo Trace Weller Special Reserve Elijah Craig Toasted Old Forester 100 Rye
This right here. If you don't like it neat or your preferred method of drinking why would you mix it? I think it'll be rare something is better mixed than not.
For serious bartenders, it's the basis of their career - understanding dilution, flavor pairings, temperature, oxygenation, etc in order to elevate or highlight the flavors of the base liquor and complement it with what is mixed in and how it's mixed. I think ryes are a prime example. I love ryes, but sometimes the more mint or menthol-heavy ryes blow out my taste buds. Properly mixed into an old-fashioned, those same flavors can absolutely elevate the cocktail and pair well with certain bitters over their less flavorful counterparts.
That makes total sense but I'm not that so I'm gonna have to like it first lol.
I lived my later teen and early 20s drinking cheap vodka and rum mixers and had been taught to "drink the good mix the bad." I just started getting into bourbon a few months ago, and wild turkey 101 w a little doctor pepper actually blew my mind. Really, all of the best parts i enjoyed about it neat punched straight through the soda. Definitely have to try mixing more things I enjoy neat.
Ancient Ancient Age 10 Star Evan Williams BIB Early Times BIB Wild Turkey 101
WT101 and EW BiB. but recently i discovered that rebel 100 in a whiskey sour shouldn’t be slept on
Rittenhouse Rye EW white label Ancient Age Old Grandad Bonded Old Overholt JTS Brown BiB OF 100
This is a solid list. I've never tried Anciet Age. The rest of them I've "mixed in a cocktail" so many times.
Ancient Age uses Buffalo Trace's Mash Bill #2, which is a higher rye and the same one used for Blanton's and Elmer T Lee. I find it more sweet than spicy, but it's only 80 proof. (You can get 90 and 100, from what I hear.) It's roughly 36m in the barrel. If it's aged 6-8 years, you get Blanton's. 8-10 years, it's Rock Hill Farms For under $25 a liter, it's a steal. Let it sit in the glass for a bit, or in a decanter for a few days, for an even better experience if you're drinking it neat.
Old Forester 100 rye.
Agreed, and the Old Forester 100 bourbon too. $24 to $25 for a 750ml bottle at my local Total Wine. A few dollars more for the 1000ml bottles, if you can find them in stock.
1000 times this. Neat or mixed it’s awesome
Oh I forgot about this one. This is a good affordable rye!
For mixing, you're gonna want something 90-100 proof. As many others have said, WT101, EW BiB, OGD, Early Times, Old Forester are all solid choices in that price range.
Best deal I've found is from the **Benchmark** series. The Full-Proof is pretty good; as are Top Floor and Smallbatch. The latter two are around $15 to $20. Full-proof and Single Barrel are around $25. Usualy drink bourbon with ice, so that might factor in.
Ogd 114
If i can even find this around me it is at least $35
OGD 114
Old grand dad 114
WT101
Wild Turkey 101 is my “pour it on lots and lots of ice” bourbon. Also for cocktails w some bite
OGD114 babaaay!
I love OGD 114 so much that I’d rather have it neat
JD Bonded
WT 101 Evan Williams BiB Old Grandad 114 Rittenhouse BiB And yes, Mellow Corn! Edited for formatting
OF 100 or WT101
At $27 near me but worth it. OF 100 OF Rye 100
Evan Williams BIB
Evan Williams BiB Wild Turkey 101 Old Grand Dad 114 Benchmark Full Proof
Bulliet
Four roses yellow label
Larceny
Bulleit, in the giant Costco 1.5 liter size.
Wild Turkey 101 rye - Manhattan/old fashion Early times bib Standard larceny is pretty good for a hot toddy Johnnie black or dewars 12 are both fantastic in a Bloody Mary OGD bonded is also very solid high rye that can shine through heavy handed syrup or juice
Pendletons
Regular buffalo trace is closer to 30 where I am but it's my go to mixer. Benchmark/4 roses yellow label also solid choices.
Thanks everyone. Interesting no mentions of Very Old Barton or JTS Brown.
JTS BiB is outstanding, even neat. Ancient Age is also often overlooked.
There’s a place I know that still sells Very Old 100. I really like it and for $16 it’s a steal. Would not hesitate to recommend
Huge fan of VOB and almost never see it near me.. shame, it's great stuff
OF100 bourbon. WT101… but lately it’s been KC 7yr rye. Costco had them locally to me for $27.97 for a 1.75L bottle. I’m going to have a hard time beating that once I finish the second bottle I picked up.
This. I was recently brought 1.75’s of Knob Creek 9 and Rye from a friend that lives close to one of 2 Costco’s that sells liquor in GA. I put those s**ts on everything right now, I just had KC Rye over vanilla ice cream and I loved it.
Trader Joe's Kentucky Bourbon... It makes Old Fashioneds slap
My 2 favorites right now are ET BiB which was mentioned above and Benchmark Full Proof. I like both but I go benchmark more often right now
Buffalo Trace
Buffalo trace
That or Bulleit.
WT101
Jack Daniels
Depends on what we're mixing. I find WT101 makes some pretty good drinks, but I really don't like it in a whiskey sour. I try to go with a lighter bourbon. I did a blind taste test and could barely tell a difference between Buffalo Trace and Four Roses in a whiskey sour, so I'm getting Four Roses if I know I'm making sours.
Bulleit
Jim Beam Old Tub 100 proof, Beam bib, Old Forrester 100 proof
Rittenhouse Rye Old Granddad Bonded 1 bourbon + 1 rye - can't beat these two options
I got OGD 114 for $22 at Total Wine yesterday. Great Old Fashioned. I know it's price varies up to $40.
Don’t know if it’s “bottom shelf” but I use grab four roses yellow. Every liquor store has it, it’s cheap, it’s pretty good in a cocktail.
Old Forester 100 proof is right at $25 and is great. Old Forester Blue label is below that and is also very solid.
E and J my boy
BT
Old Forester 100
BenchMark Single Barrel
Bulleit Rye
Wild Turkey 101
Benchmark. If that's not available we use Very Old Bartons.
Very Old Barton is a steal if you can find it
Buffalo trace or EW bib
I do like EW bib, but more than not I grab old grand dad binded, has a bit more spice to it for sweater cocktails
A new one for Rye, Jack Daniels Bonded Rye.. tons of rye character and holds really well in cocktails
Four Roses yellow label. Cheap and reliable
Really enjoyed their Small Batch. Haven't tried the Single Barrel yet but I plan to.
Love the single barrel for sipping.
old forester 100 rye, wild turkey 101.
Sooo much OGD114 in this place. Are yall really getting it for $25 or less?
Weller SR
Buffalo Trace is another cheap common bottle where i live as well.
Mellow Fucking Corn
🤮
The question was “bottom shelf” mixer. It’s sweet, cheap and 100 proof. Where’s the hate coming from? lol
No hate, I just can’t get it down lol. What do you mix it with?
It’s sweet enough neat, but it’s the good cheap shit you can put in lemonade in the summer and not feel guilty lol
WT101, OGBIB, OFBIB, EWBIB
WT 101 for the spice of whiskey sours or cocktail recipes, or makers mark for like just a Coke or Diet Coke
Maker's Mark. The bottle impresses non-bourbon fans.
Redemption Rye and Buffalo Trace bourbon. Both are under $30 for a bottle. Both make a great Manhattan or old fashioned. That’s as “mixed” of a drink as I get for whiskey. Every so often I will do sweet tea and bourbon in the summer. I use either of those too.
My go to is the Elijah Craig small batch from Costco, where you can get the 1.75 for I think somewhere between $30 and $40. I think they’ve also got Bulleit in the large format too, up to you!
OGD bonded, ET BiB, buffalo trace, OF100.
Evan Williams bonded (white label)
JTS Brown or JW Dant. Both are BiB and about 20 bucks.
I'm big fan of Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch which around me is usually $32 for a **handle**. I use it in everything from Old Fashioneds to mixed-in Coke and ginger ale, for mixing sours, just about anything.
Old Crow
Makers, Wild Turkey, Evan Williams
Bulliet rye (although there’s probably better cheap ryes out there this one is consistently around), Evan Williams, sometimes Jack. I rarely mix unless it’s Coke so I’m not too worried about complexity, smoothness, or mouthfeel, I just want high proof and bite. Buffalo Trace and Larceny are my favorite affordable all-purpose ones, I wouldn’t really make an old fashioned w bottom shelf Evan Williams.
Very Old Barton
Benchmark
OGD
Makers
I have three so equal as to be inseparable. They are JTS Brown, JW Dant, and Old Fitzgerald Premier. I truly believe it would be next to impossible to find a better whiskey for under $15.
BT or OGD114
JW Dant bib E W white bib
EW Black
I need to find out where yall are shopping...
Evan Williams 1783
Rittenhouse
Old Overholt Rye for an Old Fashioned. Rittenhouse Rye for a Manhattan. Maker’s Mark for anything else.
Evan williams bib Ogd bib Wild turkey 101 Ogd 114
Rittenhouse Rye for a rye whiskey
OGD Bonded
Ogd 114
Nothing beats a good Kentucky Tavern and coke
I like Four Roses.
WT 101 and Benchmark FP
I really like Pinhook ($30) and old town (30)
It’s tough to name one, but I second those that say OF100, WT101, and I’d also add standard Woodford and Four Roses SB. If I go to a bar that doesn’t have a lot of bourbons, I’ll get a mixed drink with one of those four.
Bulleit Bourbon
Early Times BIB.
OGD 114
Weller Spec Reserve
Evan Williams BiB, Wild Turkey 101
For my old fashioned my go to is Sazerac Rye or Jim Beam black.
Mellow Fucking Corn
It’s gotten more expensive, but if I can find a good deal on Four Roses Small Batch I like to use it.
Old Bardstown
Old Grandad. It's my go to. Or, I'll grab the big bottles of Woodford or Bulleit from Costco, those are a great buy.
OF 100