If We Had A Benjamin To Spend On American Whiskey, Here's What We'd Buy

By Melissa McEwen in Food on Apr 28, 2015 7:50PM

While I was at the Bourbon Classic in February I met the guys over at the blog Modern Thirst and recently they invited me and a slew of other people to share what kind of American whiskey we'd buy for $100.

I agonized over my choices for quite some time, but realized I could just tell you what I did actually buy for $100 after getting back from that trip. Even if it makes me a bit of a hypocrite. You see, one of the things I bought was a limited edition, which I tend to roll my eyes at.

Being a food writer, fancy schmancy limited bourbons were among the first bourbons I tried. And like most casual drinkers, I didn't have the palate to appreciate them at first. They just tasted good. I didn't know how good in comparison to the rest until I tried a lot more different bourbons throughout the value range.

But I think at this point I can appreciate the $70 Four Roses Single Barrel Private Selection OBSV pick from Lush (1412 W. Chicago Ave. location still has it, but call ahead), a present I bought for myself for finishing a project at my day job. It's a beast of a bourbon at barrel proof (112.2 proof!), so it will last me awhile. It's heavily floral with a heady body and notes of black tea and sherry — perfect for sipping neat with just a tiny splash of water.

And given that unlike many limited bourbons, it's priced at around market value at the store, you don't have to scrounge through Craigslist to pick up a bottle. If you have managed to become a serious bourbon fan, any of the Four Roses OE recipes is worth owning.

But if you are new to bourbon I'd suggest picking up a few more common baseline brands before picking up something like the limited Four Roses. Some of the other posts have good suggestions like Knob Creek Single Barrel or Old Grand-Dad Bottled in Bond.

The second whiskey I bought was the spicy Bulleit Rye, which I've been familiar with for awhile from various cocktail bars. As fellow Bourbon Classic-r Darren Monroe wrote, it's a great one for classic cocktails like Manhattans and it's reasonably priced.

So what would you buy if you had $100 to spend on American whiskey?