(Part 2) Top products from r/bourbon

Are you looking for help in finding that perfect present for your whisky-loving friend/business partner/SO/potential SO/etc. this holiday season? Well look no further, r/bourbon is here with a helpful holiday guide to the rescue with ideas for whisky, accessories, and books!
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Top Suggestions

Generally well-received and recommended for gifts across /r/bourbon.

Name | Avg Rating | Price range| Notes |
:-----------|:----------:|:----------: |:-----------|
W.L. Weller Special Reserve | 85 |$18-22| Sweet, mellow wheated bourbon.
Rittenhouse Rye 100 | 86 |$19-24| Spicy Rye. Enjoy straight or mix in manhattans
Evan Williams Single Barrel | 86 |$23-28| Great all-around, easy drinking single barrel at a great price.
Four Roses Small Batch | 86 |$23-28| Light and approachable. A good step up for Bulleit Bourbon lovers
Four Roses Single Barrel | 89 |$40-50 | A spicier, more intense bourbon from a beloved distiller
Blanton's Original Single Barrel | 87 |$50-60 | Probably r/bourbon's most recommended bottle. Smooth flavor with a long finish and comes in a fancy bottle too!
High West Campfire | 88 | $50-55 | A unique blend of bourbon, rye and smokey scotch.
John J. Bowman Single Barrel | 89 | $50 | A delicious fruity, balanced bourbon that's not on many aficionados' radar.
Whistle Pig 10 Straight Rye | 88 | $65 |

*****

Pappy & other fancy bottles

The upper end of bourbon can get really tricky. Firstly, the best limited edition bottles most often get snatched up before they hit the shelves then get resold at a huge markup. We don't recommend going down that route because of inflated prices, disappointing bottles and underhanded dealings. Secondly, most $60+ bourbons worth recommending are bottled at high proof which provide a rich, flavorful experience but the extra burn can overwhelm some drinkers.

Barrel/High Proofers

A higher proof generally brings a deeper, more intense flavors at accessible prices which many here cherish. However, these bourbons often have a more ethanol burn which can turn off some casual drinkers.

Name | Avg Rating | Price range| Notes |
:-----------|:----------:|:----------: |:-----------|
Old Grandad 114 | 87 | $20-25 | Crisp, tangy, oaky
Booker's Small Batch | 90 |$50-60| Hot peanuty, yeasty yumminess
Maker's Mark Cask Strength | 89 |$50-60| A huge improvement over the standard Makers with deeper, more complex flavor.
Four Roses Private Selection | 89 | $55-70 | Smaller shops will sometimes choose, bottle then sell a barrel. These selections tend to be distinctive and tasty

Scotch Whisky

Scotch actually has a much broader selection at higher levels. If they're open to scotch, be sure to check out /r/scotch's gift guide as well.

There’s also a wide range of Whisky Accessories!

(Links are for reference, you can probably find them cheaper if you do a little research)

• Glencairns – The traditional scotch glass – fairly inexpensive, you can find these in store for cheaper or just buy them off Amazon
  
• Canadian Glencairns - A little bigger than their Scottish cousins, fun for a change of pace
  
• Copitas - The quintessential nosing glass. Some people like it, some don’t…
  
• Old Fashioned – You probably know what these are, just make sure you get ones with a nice heavy base
  
• Water Jugs add a little water to your whisky, but not terribly important
  
• If he/she enjoys ice in their whisky: Ice Molds - but most of us don't use them so buy with care.
  
  

  Books
  

  
  You need something to do while enjoying a dram!
  
  

• Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible
  
• The World Atlas of Whisky
  
  
  
  
  

  I have no idea what they will like, and I’m afraid that I’ll buy them a bottle that they’ll hate, what do I do? ###
  

  
  

• Another option is r/scotchswap – It’s a community of whisky drinkers who swap samples of whisky between each other. Some of them are willing to swap a bunch of samples for a full bottle. Post in there if you’re interested in this sort of thing and see if anyone is willing to swap with you
  
  
  

  This is all really good information, but I’d like some more personalized advice…
  

  
  

• Post the details in this thread, and one of the friendly r/bourbon whisky enthusiasts will be along shortly to provide some recommendations.
  
  ***
  
  A lot of credit goes to /u/Father_Boddingtons and the guide he wrote for /r/scotch. Much of his guide was copied here. Thanks!

I would not normally mention this, but because your title could be interpreted as meaning that you are considering distilling whiskey, an expensive licensing and approval process is needed to legally distill it, which would make it cheaper to just buy it at a store.

That being said, if you are interested in information on the specifics of how alcohols can be distilled, there are some excellent books out on the subject. They have detailed plans for different kinds of stills, many specific recipes for whiskeys and other distilled spirits.

Search Amazon with the keywords alcohol distillation, for example.

I got a great book on this for Christmas a few years back called "Moonshine". It's about $8. Here's an Amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/Moonshine-Drinking-Historical-Knee-Slappers-Recoverin/dp/1579906486/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1303878234&sr=1-1

I think it is a great, fun introduction, and I really enjoyed it, but reading it, it sounds like distillation is a lot of trouble, cost, would take up a whole lot of time, will require a decent amount of space set aside to do it in, and has a certain amount of health danger to it as well, so you need to be aware of all those things going into it and be OK with them.

I also want to quote one sentence from it for you. "Without inspection and proper approvals, you are not permitted to make any amount for personal use. Not one drop."

Starting with making beer or wine from scratch might be a good place to start. No licensing required, either.

Edit: I've only read this one book on the subject, so if I've got any of it wrong, please feel free to correct me and elaborate.

check out some documentaries while you're at it. Modern Marvels did 2 episodes about distilling, and also did an episode about whiskey where they visited the Jim Beam distillery, it was very interesting. You might as well watch the one about beer too. Here's a link to the MM episode guide

Also check out Three Sheets on Hulu. it's more of a drinking culture show but Zane visits other countries and explores not only the culture but the national drinks as well. I spent a few weeks watching all the episodes and they are really good. I learned quite a bit from this guy. He's a bit goofy and can be hard to watch at times but i thoroughly enjoyed the show.

If you're interesting in Moonshine at all check out this book: Moonshine! i used it for a project i did for college about moonshine and it was a good read into the history of the drink as well as how to make it and how to make a still. very cool book. There are also some good documentaries that the history channel did about moonshine culture and backwoods brewing as well.

Yeah bourbon and Vanilla is a great combination. Higher proof and lower rye works well IMO. I think something like Old Weller Antique would be perfect. Split open a few vanilla beans into a bottle of OWA, and then pour it into these bottles from Amazon for a great gift

Definitely pick up some Glencairn glasses. The glass really helps you get the nose just right, plus it looks dope.


In terms of a best bourbon under $100, there's a lot of choices, but I think a lot of people around here will recommend Four Roses Single Barrel and/or Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (if you can find it) as fantastic bourbons that won't kill your wallet.

I purchased these whiskey stones a few months ago. I've actually been pretty happy with them.

Here's the thing: I prefer my bourbon a little chilled, but not cold. I think that ice-cold whiskey masks all the subtleties of the flavor, but slightly chilled, it really brings something out. Now, all my bourbons are room temperature, and I don't like ice, because I don't want the taste watered down... so the stones are a nice solution.

Everyone is correct here that stone is a bad conductor of heat, but that's sort of the point. I drop three stones into my glass, give it 30 seconds or so, and my bourbon is just slightly chilled down. Perfect.

Also, the soapstone frankly looks pretty badass, IMHO.

It was a gift, but they are sold on Amazon and the official glencairn site. It is called a cut crystal glencairn. Wonderful glass, great weight, though a little pricey.


https://www.amazon.com/Glencairn-Crystal-Whisky-Tasting-Glass/dp/B016YJ0SA2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1542042696&sr=8-1&keywords=crystal+cut+glencairn

As others said, you want a single large cube or sphere. Silicone molds make it easy, although by default they'll come out cloudy and not clear like you'd get in a fancy cocktail bar. This technique works great for clear ice and is even better with death star molds

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Amazon Smile Link: Schott Zwiesel


|Country|Link|
|:-----------|:------------|
|Canada|amazon.ca|




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check amazon, here's the first hit when I searched for decanter. Just try & get one with a tight fitting stopper. Or you can possibly macguyver something to get a tight seal & prevent air exposure. But for mixers, you really need something fancy & decorative? Guess I understand the impulse to class up the joint


Another good idea, buy a bottle of Bulleit, then when you're done drinking it remove the label & use it to hold other whiskey, bottle is great

In case anybody was wondering, the chart is from this book. I was recently given a copy as a gift and it's been a pretty good read so far.

I've ordered these in the past. Take your time, it's the holidays, busiest time of the year. Glad to help, and I look forward to the swap.

2 great books!

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1612123015/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501820866&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=tasting+whiskey&dpPl=1&dpID=51nfRA8yIaL&ref=plSrch



https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0760351724/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501820905&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=fred+minnick&dpPl=1&dpID=61AcooO-E0L&ref=plSrch

No worries, I don't use a Crystal Decanter. When I first started looking for a decanter, I discovered all of the lead concerns. Thankfully I found a lead-free, non crystal, glass decanter. It looks great, and it was really cheap. I can vouch for its quality, and thankfully it has gotten even cheaper in the last few years (was $40 when i bought it)

Bormioli Rocco Selecta Decanter

Bormioli Ice Container

Get some Wineskins. They're bubble-wrapped bottle-shaped bags that seal on the bottom. The seal would supposedly prevent leaks but I've never in all my travels (with a lot of bottles) lost a bottle in a Wineskin, though I'm sure it can happen... I have lost bottles wrapped in clothes since clothes shift and bottles smack against each other and break. At like $2 per Wineskin, it's well worth the money. I've had 4 or 5 bottles in a suitcase that way. At the very least, if you do decide to wrap them in clothes, I'd tape them in so they're not gonna slip out of the padding.

I don't have the norlan, but I really like these:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002ACOQ4C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_lrGIBb623H6HN

People seem to like these as well, I see them mentioned on other forums: Libbey Craft Spirits Whiskey Glasses, Set of 4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PKLVWH4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_f0qwCbKBH87A9

Note, you probably want to take all that tracking garbage off the end of your Amazon links. It's enough to list:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0993298605/

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1845339428/

For beginners, I would also recommend Tasting Whiskey:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1612123015

I actually use a water dropper like this, starting with 2 drops or so and adding more as needed. You'd be surprised how much a couple of drops change the whiskey.

I enjoyed the heck out of this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Kings-County-Distillery-Guide-Moonshining/dp/1419709909

Schott Zwiesel has some really nice rocks glasses

The bottles themselves are these: (Pack of 12) 2 oz. Clear Boston Round with Black Poly Cone Cap (20/400) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072HNRNGK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_tizJBb2R8Y8AY

But see https://speak-easy.club which has nothing to do with Reddit

Second question: How much do you want to spend? I can point you to a bottle of AH Hirsch 16 year for $1200. It's not worth 1/10 that, but I highly doubt your friend has tried it!

http://www.amazon.com/Bourbon-Reserve-Straight-Distilled-ebook/dp/B008076O6E

amazon has real glencairns, $27 for 6.

https://www.amazon.com/Glencairn-Crystal-Whiskey-Glass-Set/dp/B00HZTA9SW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1482960440&sr=8-2&keywords=bellemain+whiskey+glass

there used to be a cheaper bellemain one that was $20 for 6 but those appear to be gone.

https://www.amazon.com/Spiegelau-Special-Glasses-Snifter-Premium/dp/B013074KHS

Bourbon: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of an American Whiskey

https://www.amazon.com/Pack-Clear-Boston-Round-Black/dp/B072HNRNGK/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2J59L8T5PU6BQ&keywords=2+oz+boston+round+glass+bottle&qid=1565484446&s=gateway&sprefix=2+oz+Boston%2Caps%2C164&sr=8-3

https://www.amazon.com/LabStock-LB165-2-Boston-Round-Bottles/dp/B01JL61KNE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1504457500&sr=8-1&keywords=boston+rounds

when i went to buffalo trace distillery, they had these for sale

http://www.amazon.com/Teroforma-1220-Whisky-Stones/dp/B002GZX2DE

http://www.amazon.com/Wine-Skin-WineSkin-Bag-2-Pack/dp/B0033C6FOM#

These are a little more expensive but these are the ones I use... they also sells reusable ones. If you look at your local wine shop they may sell them too. I know total wine in va sells them.

http://www.amazon.com/Bormioli-Rocco-Fiaschetta-Glass-Pocket/dp/B0001UZOE6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427144099&sr=8-1&keywords=glass+flask

http://www.amazon.com/Bormioli-Rocco-389130MBB321990-Pocket-Flask/dp/B003R0GU0E/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1427144099&sr=8-3&keywords=glass+flask

http://www.amazon.com/Clear-Glass-Woozy-Bottles-12/dp/B00LYWDK00/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1427144142&sr=8-3&keywords=woozy+bottle

Here, i couldn't find singles but you can get a set of 4 of the Spiegelaus for around $55:

https://www.amazon.com/Spiegelau-Special-Glasses-Snifter-Premium/dp/B013074KHS/ref=pd_sbs_79_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B013074KHS&pd_rd_r=95YZB4KNHNTD6ANE3842&pd_rd_w=0GYY6&pd_rd_wg=EFnIu&psc=1&refRID=95YZB4KNHNTD6ANE3842

I have a set of these: http://smile.amazon.com/Libbey-56614-4-Piece-Perfect-9-8-Ounce/dp/B00PKLVWH4

http://www.amazon.com/Bormioli-Rocco-389130MBB321990-Pocket-Flask/dp/B003R0GU0E/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1421188452&sr=8-3&keywords=glass+flask

http://www.amazon.com/Glencairn-Whisky-Glass-Set-Gift/dp/B00L9LX3K8/ref=sr_1_2?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1457639650&sr=1-2&keywords=glencairn

Here ya go bud

https://www.amazon.ca/Glencairn-Whisky-Glass-Set-Gift/dp/B00L9LX3K8/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=whiskey+glasses&qid=1571938252&sr=8-6

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008076O6E

Especially if it's this globe of ice...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00JG0CV9S/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483585082&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=Death+Star+mold&dpPl=1&dpID=4162DBzlJbL&ref=plSrch

I actually don't really like bourbon out of a Glencairn. For scotch it's the only way to go, but I drink my bourbons out of a tumbler similar to this

The Glencairn Cut Crystal Whisky Tasting Glass https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016YJ0SA2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_-1hnDbT0GV9NP