I always keep a handle around the apartment as it’s perfect for testing out cocktail recipes. But the “Bottled in Bond” (there’s that word again) hits the sweet spot for both price and taste, dominated by spicy rye notes with a corn syrupy finish. A dirt cheap line of bourbons owned by Beam Suntory, its traditional 80 proof is fine, and the 114 barrel-proof is nifty. Not to worry though, because pros know “OGD” is the original gangsta.
It’ll easily be the cheapest pour available. Its cap isn’t a nice cork, but instead street-cone orange and plastic. If you go to high-end bars that have massive leather-bound menus and row after row of brown spirits, you’ll notice one bottle sticks out like a sore thumb. Others: Old Crow Reserve, Old Fitzgerald Prime, Old Overholt, Very Old Barton Bottled in Bond, probably anything with “Old” in the name $20: Old Grand-Dad Bonded Unfortunately, it can be a tad tricky to find-there are constant rumors it’s been pulled from the market-as Heaven Hill seems more content pushing its Evan Williams and Elijah Craig lines. But not Old Heaven Hill, which must be the cheapest bonded bourbon on earth, making it one of the best deals in all of spirits. Most cheaper offerings you’ll see are a watered-down 80 proof and lacking in flavor. The tl dr verison: Bottled-in-bond whiskeys are 100 proof. It refers to laws set forth in 1897 that are intricate enough to merit a 700-word Wikipedia entry. “Bottled in Bond” is a term you should come to know and love when you’re being thrifty. 8 can be hard to find itself, no matter how low on the shelf you check. At this price point you won’t fare much better, mainly because you can’t find many other bourbons so cheap. A rye- heavy bourbon-though not a true rye, per se-the whiskey’s ABV is as low as legally possible, but still flavorful enough: a strong caramel note with just enough vanilla to let you know it was kept in barrels for a few years. If I were transported back to being a broke 22-year-old dipsomaniac once again, what would I be drinking? Benchmark Old No. (Rest assured, everything from this point on will be a 750 mL.) (Photo: ) $10: Benchmark Old No. You could drink worse than Macallan 12 while flying through the air. Thus, the only thing you’ll be able to get for a five-spot is an airline-sized bottle, a “miniature” as those in the industry call them.
Thankfully, my discretionary income has risen, so revisiting this old friend for the first time in a decade, I was shocked to see he’d grown up…to a retail price of $15.99! In fact, even plastic-bottle rotgut whiskey is pricy nowdays. Long known as “The Official Drink of the Kentucky Derby,” it hit the spot-and I hit Mario’s Discount Liquors every Friday to replenish my stash. Luckily, my corner store had fifths of Early Times for $4.99. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the budget to match. $5: The Macallan 12 Years Old (airplane bottle)Įven when I was 22, I had a taste for bourbon-fueled binge-drinking. * I will use “whiskey” with an “e” at all times, no matter whether that is technically correct, so don’t be an annoying pedant. (Sorry Canadians, you won’t see any of your stuff on this list, so spend your loonies elsewhere.) All the best of the best, dollar-for-dollar. In the following list you’ll see ryes, Irish whiskeys, Japanese whiskeys, Scotches, and even one weirdo hybrid*. You won’t be able to saunter into your local BevMo! and nab everything in one awesome Supermarket Sweep-style booze run, but with a little effort and cash, you’ll be able to track down most of these bad boys.īut why should we limit it to bourbon? There are all sorts of whiskeys worth buying nowadays, and many offer better value since they don’t have cult-bourbon’s cachet. For the sake of this exercise, we’re going to ignore those white whales-the bourbons you can only score if you camp out, win store lotteries, or “know a guy.” There will be a few tricky picks on this list. Sure, Old Rip Van Winkle might be the best with a MSRP of $40-but good luck finding it on shelves, and good luck finding it anywhere for less than $200. The question is simple: If person X has Y dollars, what would be the best bottle he could reasonably purchase? Reasonably is a critical word. When people find out I write about intoxicants for a living, I get asked lots of questions-the most prominent one being, “Really, they pay you for that?” But lately, I’m continually getting asked what bourbons to buy, whether people want to drink it, flip it, or simply show off their #bourbonporn on Instagram.
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