Calling on bourbon drinkers

[Scuba]

A good friend of ours has recently gotten into bourbon as his liquor of choice. I don't know his brand preference. For Christmas we were thinking of getting him a bourbon related gift. What do you think is best:
- A bottle of high end bourbon that he wouldn't normally buy for himself
- A bottle of his regular bourbon
- A sampler of several smaller bottles of bourbon so he can try different ones
- A club that we could fund for a few months and he could cancel or continue as desired. The club would ship samples monthly, but samples would include other whiskeys and/or spirits as I can't find a "bourbon only" club.
- Some other idea I haven't thought of?

 

[Huston55]

I used to live near the Bourbon Trail and, well, it seemed ‘mandatory’ to try different bourbons. . I’m by no means an expert but, I do know what brands I like. My favorite is Woodford Reserve.

However, for your friend, I think the sampler or club ideas are the best since he’s new to Bourbon & likely still deciding what he likes. Tell him he can send his rejects to me; I’ll happily send him my address.

 

[Alan]

I’m a single malt person but the same principle applies. While I have 2 or 3 favorites that I buy myself I love it when I am bought a selection, or something different or unusual that I have not tried before.

 

[Winemaker]

Check to see if there are any local distilleries that make a bourbon. Many great craft whiskeys for a reasonably price, and a local story to match. It may even involve a day trip, and that's an additional present for you!

 

[DrRoy]

One of the sampler options seems good to me.

 

[pj.mask]

They make alcohol advent calendars that are fun to try - depends how much you want to spend though (and if they ship spirits in your state)

 

[cooch96]

+1 on the sampler. Dangerous getting a bottle of extra expensive stuff. What if he doesn’t care for it?
I’m not a big bourbon guy, but Woodford Reserve is what I keep on hand.

 

[Koogie]

Bourbon, eh ?

If you want to spend a goodly amount, buy him a very nice bottle he wouldn't buy himself. Everyone appreciates luxury items they don't have to buy themselves !

Otherwise, I agree with Alan. My FIL bought me a sampler pack of bourbons once.. they were a pack of about 4 bottles of about 6 ounces each as I recall. It was the first time I had tried Buffalo Trace, which has ended up being one of my more preferred makes.

Good luck. Just don't blow the budget by buying yourself a lot at the same time.. I know I would...

 

[Midpack]

Bourbon, eh ?

If you want to spend a goodly amount, buy him a very nice bottle he wouldn't buy himself. Everyone appreciates luxury items they don't have to buy themselves !

+1. I’m a bourbon drinker and I’d rather have a ‘nice bottle I might not buy myself.’ *** My favorites are Basil Hayden and Eagle Rare, I buy them occasionally. And I’d like to try Maker’s 46.

But the best approach might be to find out what his favorite bourbon is, and buy a higher level bourbon from the same distiller (e.g. if he drinks Maker’s Mark, buy Maker’s 46).

*** I wouldn’t recommend this with single malt scotch, they’re too varied (rich smoky/peaty vs light/delicate). Not that bourbons are all alike by any means, just less varied.

 

[SumDay]

DH is a Gentleman Jack guy. Prefers it to even the Sinatra bottle.


One of our larger local liquor chains carries little (airplane sized) bottles of many different spirits. Maybe get him a regular sized bottle of something of your choosing, and then make a sampler basket of the little bottles.


And then throw in some foo-foo ice cube trays. Apparently it's all about the ice. DH makes his with distilled water (OC much?)


glacio Ice Cube Trays Silicone Combo (Set of 2), Sphere Ice Ball Maker with Lid & Large Square Molds, Reusable and BPA Free
by glacio
Link: http://a.co/8ZrnhDK

 

[MuirWannabe]

I’m leaving for the Bourbon Trail in just a few days. It’s my own version of a bourbon sampler [emoji16].

I’d recommend the single bottle of nice bourbon. Recommendation is Blanton’s single barrel. You can get it in a nice package but should start trying to locate it. It can be difficult to obtain. May have to reserve it at your local liquor store. But.....it’s very good.

Muir

 

[Music Lover]

How about a set of quality glasses instead?

 

[Scuba]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I was all ready to buy the advent calendar until I put it in my cart and shipping was $80. Just didn't seem like a good value.

A local boutique liquor store told me yesterday that the nicer bourbons don't come in sample sizes. He said there were several half bottles in the $20 range and suggested a selection of those. I'm going to look and also will try to find out his current favorite brand.

I'm a wine drinker and the reason I'm hesitant to splurge on one nice bottle is fear he won't like it. I'd rather have a $40 bottle of Pinot Noir than a $100 bottle of Cab, for example. But if I can find out his favorite brand, I like the idea of buying an upscale bottle of a similar style.

 

[Winemaker]

I’m leaving for the Bourbon Trail in just a few days. It’s my own version of a bourbon sampler [emoji16].

I’d recommend the single bottle of nice bourbon. Recommendation is Blanton’s single barrel. You can get it in a nice package but should start trying to locate it. It can be difficult to obtain. May have to reserve it at your local liquor store. But.....it’s very good.

Muir

You can get Blanton's at the Buffalo Trace distillery, DW and I watched them hand bottle some last April. It is not ON the official Bourbon Trail but it really is. Please do go to the Four Roses distillery; it was rotgut while a part of Seagram's, but I was really impressed with their products in April 2016.

As a winemaker, I use different yeasts to ferment the same variety of grape in separate batches, then blend them together to add depth and complexity of flavors. Four Roses does this now with their bourbons, which I believe the havey 8 different varieties for sale.

After enjoying Woodford Reserve for years, I was disappointed with them after our visit. A lot of marketing and hype.
I enjoy the flavor that the French oak adds to the Maker'46. I became a Maker's Ambassador years ago, I have my name on a barrel, and I get an annual gift every Christmas.
I, too, also enjoy the Eagle Rare and Blanton's. I'm also never far from a bottle of Laphroaig during the winter months.

 

[Scuba]

I found out his favorite is Woodford Reserve. Any suggestions on something similar but more of a splurge?

 

[Spudd]

My husband is into bourbon and I posed him this question. He suggested Angel's Envy.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

It all depends if you drink it neat or with a mixer. Honestly, I really only like Bourbon and diet Coke, so anything will do. I find JD to medicinal tasting, I much prefer Regular Jim Beam or Jim Beam Black. both reasonably priced.

 

[Spudd]

My husband is into bourbon and I posed him this question. He suggested Angel's Envy, if you want something that's not Woodford Reserve.

He says Woodford Reserve also makes some more upscale ones themselves, like a double-oaked one, so maybe something like that would be an option too.

 

[Midpack]

I'd go with Woodford Reserve Double Oaked ($60) or one of the Master's Collection ($90 and up) since it's a brand he already approves of OR Basil Hayden (around $35 vs $30 for Woodford Reserve). Or pick one that's more than Woodford Reserve's $30 (whatever your budget is) staying in the upper left quadrant of charts below. He might like something completely different, but it would be a crapshoot for you to try that, not a good idea for a gift IMHO.

 

[gerntz]

I've been into bourbon 50 years now - since first college football game. Settled on Maker's 30 years ago & see no reason to change - or stop. Go thru a 1.75L every 2-3 months. Costco has the best price, like $45-46.

 

[MuirWannabe]

It all depends if you drink it neat or with a mixer. Honestly, I really only like Bourbon and diet Coke, so anything will do. I find JD to medicinal tasting, I much prefer Regular Jim Beam or Jim Beam Black. both reasonably priced.

JD is whiskey...not bourbon. And, it’s from Tennessee [emoji32]

 

[Ready2Go]

+1 on Basil Hayden. Excellent.

 

[Scuba]

I'd go with Woodford Reserve Double Oaked ($60) or one of the Master's Collection ($90 and up) since it's a brand he already approves of OR Basil Hayden (around $35 vs $30 for Woodford Reserve). Or pick one that's more than Woodford Reserve's $30 (whatever your budget is) staying in the upper left quadrant of charts below. He might like something completely different, but it would be a crapshoot for you to try that, not a good idea for a gift IMHO.

Awesome chart, thank you very much!!

 

[bltkmt]

- A bottle of high end bourbon that he wouldn't normally buy for himself

I drink (too much) bourbon and this would be my choice.

 

[RunningBum]

+1 to the high end bottle. It's what I'd like. I agree with the storekeeper who said the better ones don't generally come in the airplane size. Wild Turkey Rare Breed is about the best I've found of those.


I'm a big bourbon fan and have done the Bourbon Trail twice. Well, more like one and a half times. All great info here. The Woodford Double Oak is a great suggestion since he's already a Woodford fan. As midpack says, bourbons aren't all that different from each other so I wouldn't fear going to something different. My favorite high end bourbons are Blantons, Angel's Envy, Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit, Rock Hill Farms, and Jefferson's Reserve. Jefferson's Aged at Sea is a good conversation piece, sometimes harder to find but I've seen it in stock lately. If you really wanted to go all out, look for Pappy Van Winkle but it's hard to find and very pricy.


btw, that Advent calendar thing is a neat idea but they have some pretty run of the mill whiskeys, including some scotches, Canadians, and blends. Not at all worth it IMO.