My First and Probably Only Bourbon Gift Guide But Life is Weird So You Never Know!
By popular request. Who knew so many of you were bourbon drinkers!
After an offhanded joke on Instagram stories wondering whether the end of a long, arduous day called for wine or bourbon, I was kind of amazed that every single person who responded voted for bourbon. And it wasn’t even an official poll! Just a wildly diverse array of people who have very strong opinions about adult beverages.
So much chatter went on in my comments, I decided to put together a dedicated bourbon gift guide, as a fun break from all the other gift guides I write for a living.
Bourbon is having a moment, and by a moment, I mean about four decades. But hey, it’s never too late to find something new to enjoy.
Bonus: When you gift a bottle of bourbon, it will last a lot longer than a bottle of wine at the same price, making it a thoughtful gift for a host or hostess, or holiday visits with anyone who drinks.
Honestly, I am not a big liquor drinker myself; I certainly never ordered a bourbon in my life until I met my partner Jon ten years ago.
I would call him a connoisseur—however when I asked him just now if he would call himself a connoisseur, he said, “I think that’s a bit much. I’m just someone who likes bourbon.”
Look, he can have conversations about fermentation and vanilla and oak barrels and aging and char levels, and we have like seven different shapes and sizes of ice cubes in our freezer at any given time, so as far as I’m concerned, he is connoisseur-enough to be able to create this guide with me.)
And by “with me,” I mean that without him, this guide would be hilariously bad.
With that, I present:
My First and Probably Only Bourbon Gift Guide But Life is Weird So You Never Know!
I’ve linked to Drizly, which is like the GrubHub of liquor delivery and lets you compare prices. You can also support your local independent purveyor of fine bourbons, and in fact you should.
Speaking of support — there are no affiliate links or ads in my Substack, and I would love to keep it that way if I can. If you enjoy my content, and are able to upgrade to a paid subscription, that would be an amazing holiday gift for both of us!
A Bourbon to Bring to Someone’s House When You Don’t Know What They Like But Know They Drink Bourbon:
Maker’s Mark: The entry-level craft bourbon. No one will turn down Maker’s.
A Bourbon to Bring to Someone’s House When You Have a Little More to Spend
Basil Hayden Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey: A little more refined, and a solid choice for those who drink their bourbon neat or on the rocks.
A Bourbon to Bring to Someone’s House That You’re Hoping They’ll Open While You’re There So You Can Have Some Too
Four Roses Small Batch Select: Crafted from six of their 10 distinct bourbon recipes, it’s smooth, sweet, and still under $50. Just know that etiquette dictates that if you bring a bottle to someone’s home, they are not obliged to open it when you are there and don’t nudge them.
A Bourbon You Can Still Taste In Refined Mixed Drinks Because We’re Not In College and We’re Not Drinking Pina Coladas Here
Woodford Reserve: Slightly sweet, making it easily mixable. For something simple, I’m a fan of a Ginger + Bourbon using Fever Tree Ginger Beer.
Buffalo Trace: Great price for an 8-year aged bourbon, which is a favorite with my cousin Ryan, and Jon tells me it makes a very decent Manhattan. In fact, pair with a bottle of affordable sweet vermouth like Carpano Antica, plus some bitters and a jar of maraschino cherries, and you’ve got a thoughtful DIY Manhattan gift bag.
A Bourbon to Impress Your Father-in-Law
Woodford Reserve Double Oaked: Jon shared this bourbon with my dad and he is still talking about it. Thus, the category name. (Yes, women will like it too, this is not a gender thing don’t yell at me.)
A Bourbon for the Drinker Who Loves to Display Their Bottles
Blanton’s Single Barrel: If they’re fussy enough to know to order with “a few drops of water” versus “a splash of water” this excellent, smooth Bourbon will score big points. Plus the bottle is exquisite — and ideally under $200. (Wow, do some places mark it up!)
A Bourbon for the Iconoclast Bourbon Aficionado Who Wants to Research Everything About It Then Drop Little Factoids During Cocktail Party Banter
Booker’s: Small-batch bourbon from the folks who literally invented small-batch bourbon. Each batch tells a different story and a very detailed one at that.
For example, Booker’s Storyteller Batch (2023-24) describes the barrel storage as 26% from the 6th floor of 7-story warehouse Z, 14% from the 6th floor of 9-story warehouse H, 25% from the 5th floor of 9-story warehouse G, and 35% from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse 3. Take that, wine snobs.
A Bourbon for Someone Who’d Like to Venture Out of Kentucky Bourbons Just for Fun
Widow Jane 10 Year Straight Bourbon: The small-batch, well-crafted, and surprisingly affordable bourbon is made in Red Hook, Brooklyn and is a favorite of locals, including us. And every liquor store in Brooklyn.
A Bourbon For Pro-Democracy People to Save Until November, 2024, Pending Favorable Election Results
Maker’s Mark 46 Cask Strength: 46. Get it? Hope we all do.
A Bourbon For Toasting the End of a Very Very Good Year— or a Very Very Bad One
Guest recommendations from my high-end bourbon-loving friend Adam Jacob Miller
EH Taylor Single Barrel or more affordably, EH Taylor Small Batch: ”Simply delicious. While a bit of an alcohol aroma at first pour, it smooths out nicely.”
Stagg Jr.: “Barrel proof - very strong, but not as intense as the high proof might indicate. But intense, because 132.6 proof is no joke. For context, Makers Mark is 90 proof.”
If you live by the adage “don’t save the good stuff because who knows what tomorrow will bring” — and it’s in your budget — by all means, enjoy. I bet you deserve it.
What did I miss? What absolutely deserves to make this list? By all means, impress us with your bourbon know-how!
Important Note: Don’t assume that every adult drinks; plenty don’t, for all kinds of reasons, all of them valid, and there are plenty of festive non-alcoholic elixirs that make nice gifts beyond sparkling cider.
Stay tuned: Tomorrow (hopefully!) I’m going to share my favorite last-minute gift ideas for all the Type B holiday gift shoppers like myself who always swear to get it done early this time, but never really do.
Not a bourbon, but bourbon adjacent - I like Stranahan‘s Colorado Whiskey which my Colorado cousins insisted that I would like, even though I said I didn’t like brown liquor, and they were right. That led me to the Casamigos Añejo which is also not bourbon, but very similar flavor profile as the Stranahan‘s and makes me feel like a badass when I buy it.
Love me some Woodford Reserve!
My fave bourbon mixed drink I make at home is a good boozy 100 proof like Old Grandad, with fresh orange and lemon juices and rosemary simple syrup. Wiskey sour vibes, but w rosemary. Cheers! 🥃