Best bottle of whiskey for around $50?

[jannodude]

MacGoogle knows: https://www.quora.com/Which-distill...Signature-20-year-Speyside-single-malt-scotch

As it is, Costco can not sell alcohol of any kind in Canada. I bet a study would show just this causes a statistical difference in liver disease between Canada/US. So envious

Thanks for the clarification. BTW, the Bowmore is good as well albeit on the “Smoky/Oaky side”.

 

[fatcat]

Jefferson's Reserve

 

[BigDaddyLH]

View attachment 519949
Thanks for the clarification. BTW, the Bowmore is good as well albeit on the “Smoky/Oaky side”.

Earlier I had said my faves were Islay malts and Bowmore is a good example. I remember Oddbins, then I lived in the UK, had a special bottling of Bowmore (15 years old I think) that was a revelation: a cloud of peat that suddenly gets cleaved by a bolt of seaweed, salt and iodine.

I allus say, malt whisky is civilisation in a glass.

 

[markeyd123]

I remember opening a bottle with a old cigar aficionado friend of mine. We said the same word at the same time.... can you guess what that was?

"Bandaids" Tastes like a used band aid. I'd drink it if I were trying to keep warm hunting deer in the winter though. no joke. Stuff keeps you warm for sure.

nice post!! Brought back good memories of drinking with a stellar economist.

I'm a speyside many myself; I've just about forgiven Scotland for voting not to break from England...

It's The Balvenie for me, Doublewood usually, Portwood if I can afford it.

royal lochnagar is a wonderful highland

Shieldaig is a wonderful 18 yr speyside to be had for about 50 bux

Balvenie has even more of a bandaid taste . . . I don't really get that from the Ardbeg. Either way that smell/taste is from the peat they burn to smoke the malt. A little off-putting at first, but kind of an acquired taste I grew to love.

 

[TeleFlorida]

I'd like to give a fairly nice bottle of whiskey to one of my best friends as a gift during this lead up to the holiday season.
I don't drink so I'm out of my depth.
I would like to spend around $50 and I'd like it to be fairly easily available. By that I mean I don't want to have to order it online.
If this helps, I have seen Crown Royal, Knob Creek, Makers Mark, Whiskey River and Jim Beam in his liquor cabinet.

Recommendations please.

For next year, try a bottle of Jack Single Barrel. Great with a few cubes or shots, especially after a few.

 

[ndcaster]

Pikesville Rye

 

[frankg11]

Ok so everyone says:

Maker's Mark
Woodford Reserve
Blantons
Jim Beam Black
add:

Buffalo Trace
George Dickel
Pappy Van Winkel
knob Creek
Basil Hayden

and:

If you want to have fun with your friend:

Check out Woodinville Whiskey and get him this:

http://www.woodinvillewhiskeyco.com/products/age-your-own-whiskey-kit/

P.S. I have on and it's been aging for a year!!! LOL

 

[scottser]

My god, does not one of you heathens drink a proper whiskey? A bottle of busmills black label please.

 

[frankg11]

I thought the op wanted U.S. not that funny stuff run through Peat Moss! (P.S. Love Irish whiskey and Scotch).

Lagavulin is my go to btw.

 

[Kriticaster]

For me Single malt scotch:

Laphraig
Oban
Talisker

Not necessarily in that order, and not necessarily spelled correctly either...

Blends are good too: gave my dad a 45(?) year old Chivas...

Bourbon is best done in a whisky sour...

Japanese whiskey is amazing (and expensive)

I find Irish bland...

Welsh is something interesting, but think it influenced Bourbon...

I don’t buy it so no idea about price... but there was an amazing blog that I used to read about good value whiskey... will try to remember it...

 

[Kriticaster]

Not to be heretic (I'm of Scottish heritage - and love scotch - and from the south - and love bourbon), but if you can find a good Japanese whiskey (Suntory is one brand, excellent if not the most esoteric) it might just blow your mind.
The level of craftsmanship is so high over there (sound familiar?) that the world has found out and there is a shortage.

Make it Suntory time

‘Your hand, crose your face’

 

[T-bone Ted]

Another vote for Jefferson Reserve or Jefferson Select. Elijah Craig is a bit cheaper and very fine as well.

 

[AndrewG]

My god, does not one of you heathens drink a proper whiskey? A bottle of busmills black label please.

Yep, there's nothing like a drop of the pure to keep your heart from sinking...

 

[Ex-riverman]

Irish for something different. There are top shelf Bushmills, Jameson, and others in that price range.

 

[AndrewG]

Irish for something different. There are top shelf Bushmills, Jameson, and others in that price range.

Yes indeed, and I have vague memories of a night spent drowning in the stuff in Tramore, Co. Waterford, many years ago. The girl was gorgeous too...at least I think so.

 

[6stringcowboy]

Glen Farclas is a good Highland malt for $50ish. If you like the iodine undertone of an Islay, Laphroaig is a great choice in that range.

 

[BigDaddyLH]

Yep, there's nothing like a drop of the pure to keep your heart from sinking...

Yes! If we're going to post appropriate music, there's an obvious choice for Canadian content...

 

[El Marin]

I'm partial to this on the cheap side

And this on the expensive side

 

[BigDaddyLH]

I'm partial to this on the cheap side

And this on the expensive side

You have excellent taste! Islay malts are civilisation in a wee dram.

 

[trapdoor2]

Drink is like tone. You like what you like...finding out what you like is a journey.

Back in the 1990's I spent two weeks in Scotland (lovely place) and was able to do quite a lot of tasting. Turned out that Highland malts are what my tastebuds like. Glenmorangie, esp. (all the various caskings, esp. the Quinta Ruban). While I loved the smell of the Islay malts...not for me.

I keep a very nice crystal (thistle theme, etc.) decanter with Laphroig 10 in it (from the bottle I bought in the duty free shop in the airport in Scotland back in the '90's). I use it on the unsuspecting wanna-be Scotch drinker who happens to visit. "Oh, you want to try an Islay? ...no problem, here!"

I tried an Irish (don't remember which, but the guy was a collector of odd Irish whiskies) once that tasted just like a piece of freshly broken flint smells. Oily and dry and, well, flinty. Really just odd.

I keep a bottle of Bushmills 16 in the liquor-locker for special occasions.