Whisky / Whiskey / Bourbon

Personally, Makers Mark 46 over Eagle 12 in the £50 range

Second for Jack Daniels Single Barrel. Woodford Reserve and standard Makers Mark should be your go-to bottle.

Agreed on the Makers 46 - it really is excellent

Went to the Deanston distillery a few years back (cool place, powered by the river next to the building).

Finally got around to opening the bottle of distillery exclusive 15 years aged, very tasty, would recommend.

Any particular recommendations for a £20 Bourbon for old fashioneds/boulevardiers, or should I just get whatever's on offer at Tesco (so Maker's Mark/Woodford I guess)?

Your guess is correct. Wild Turkey Rye would also be an excellent alternative - Old Fashioneds and Boulevardiers are originually for Rye not Bourbon. All still very tasty though.

I've not had it recently but the Lidl one used to be good for the price.

Yep, I really like the distillery as well. The 12 is great, very fresh spirit lead whisky, some of the older bottlings are very different though and a bit sweet for me but they're really well made and if you're a big fan of dessert flavours in scotch it's definitely one to check out.

Old fashioneds were originally any old spirit and a sugar cube to disguise the bath tub flavour. I quite like one with johnnie walker black label.

Well. That's me buying some campari and vermouth.

Yeah, I've got some Bulleit Rye that works quite nicely, but it's coming to an end, and I wanted to grab something cheap for over Christmas.

Thank you all for the recommendations.

Makers 46 is ordered, in the mean time ive picked up woodford reserve from the supermarket for christmas. First taste and its pretty good, a bit of ice makes it.

Hmm. More of a Kentucky bourbon origin and no mention of the bath tub flavour although given the introduction of sweeter ingredients in the 30s (prohibition era) you may have a point.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_fashioned_(cocktail)

I just meant rough booze by bath tub flavour, a common way to drink was to add sugar and bitters to a rough moonshine spirit to make it drinkable and older people used to still order drinks that way (even though the quality of spirits, especially whiskey, had improved) . It was just refined and turned in to a cocktail, hence the name 'old fashioned'.

Well that's what I've always known the story to be anyway :)

Ah. Bath-tub is always a term I associated with home made booze during prohibition. "Bath-tub gin" in particular where it was actually made in people's bath tubs.

Hmmm. I now need to go down a rabbit hole of idioms. Back later....

Apparently people used their bath tub, because the kitchen taps were too low.

Picked my own name out the hat for the family secret Santa... been looking for an excuse to buy this for a few weeks...

Plan is to hide it till my 40th in 2024...

Also picked up a bottle of old Poulteny 12 as a Christmas tipple!

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I've not seen this Bourbon before so I thought I'd give it a go. £24 from a local bottle shop.

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Woodford Reserve currently £20 @ Sainsburys.

Had a small Bowmore 12 last night.
Reckon I will do most of a bottle on Christmas Day, its my new favourite Islay.

Will put a 15 on my birthday list and hope for the best.

I was looking for more Bourbon, got this instead for cheap (in Mozzers). £23 instead of £32 i think.

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I enjoyed a bottle of this, it was recommended on here a few months back.

I like the Bowmore, not sure if the 15 would beat the 12, though it’s been a while.

I love Bowmore 15 but not at all keen on the 12. The sherry cask makes it.

@dubtap

There you go then.
I didn’t care for the extra sweetness of the 15.