Tis the season, or should we say seasons? This time of year, two types of people become overly excited. Those who have the same amount of holiday cheer as Buddy the Elf, and those longing to find the most recent Buffalo Trace Antique Collection (BTAC) release or any other allocated bourbon from a number of distilleries.
We know it can be intimidating, and even difficult, to choose the perfect Christmas gift for your whiskey loving friends and family. Thus, the Whiskey Consensus 12 bottles for Christmas List was created to assist you with your last-minute seasonal purchases. The bottles below are some of our favorites. Each bottle in this list is accompanied by the Whiskey Consensus rating and insights about these bottles from the Whiskey Consensus Reviewers.
12 Bottles For The Holidays
Whiskey Consensus curated holiday whiskey bottle buying guide.
The history of Jack Daniel’s whiskey makes this spirit intriguing. The nose is sweet with an overwhelming banana note. This whiskey has a thin mouth feel accompanied by corn, oak, and banana notes. The bitter finish seems uncharacteristic when considering the sweet nose. Overall, the availability, price, and popularity make this Tennessee Whiskey worth keeping on the bar, if only to make a Jack & Coke for your whiskey loving friends. (Shields, 2019)
This 15-year-old whiskey certainly has a nose that lives up to its age statement. I could have sniffed it for hours, especially during the wintertime after coming in from skiing or messing around in the snow. That being said, the palate just reinforces the point that just because a whiskey has a high age statement, it doesn’t mean that it has great flavor. I wish the palate would have been a little more complex and would not have left such unpleasant flavors on the finish. I do not believe that I would go out of my way to try and find this bourbon, and I know that I can definitely find better for the price point. (Youst, 2019).
George Dickel Bottled in Bond has good body and a pleasant richness; however, the drying chalky quality is difficult to ignore. Possibly thirteen years in the barrel was just too much for this whisky. For being 100 proof, it certainly seems higher in ABV than it actually is, on both the nose and palate. The flavor profile was definitely on the “more interesting” side of things, which was actually a pleasant surprise and enjoyable. At the end of the day this product seems to have been priced in-line with the quality of whisky inside the bottle. It’s definitely enjoyable at the suggested retail price of $35, which is quite a bargain for a whisky bearing a 13-year age statement. This is likely a “love it or hate it” bottle, so take the $35 gamble and see if it’s something you enjoy! (Evans, 2019).
Is Wild Turkey 101 a complex symphony of smell and taste? No. Is it a quality pour that I always have available in my liquor cabinet? Hell yes! I believe Wild Turkey 101 sets out to be the “working man’s” pour and it does a great job at that, but what really impresses me is that is has enough substance to be enjoyed on the enthusiast level. (Eric, 2019)
With Eagle Rare being mostly a single barrel project there is natural going to a little more variation than batches of Buffalo Trace bourbon, but it is worth giving a try considering it still has its 10yr age statement (although a little hidden on the back label) at an affordable price. The little guaranteed extra aging over the standard Buffalo Trace provides some welcome depth and nuance. (Eric, 2018)
I’m to the point in my whiskey voyage that I do not pay much attention to “Best Of” lists and never really have, but in this case the Whiskey Consensus (see what I did there). Is spot on and if you are beginning to dabble in bourbon or are looking for a good daily sipper give this a try, but if you can’t find it don’t fret there are plenty of other bourbons that offer a comparable experience. (Eric, 2019)
It is nice to see the current Wild Turkey renaissance thanks to blogs like RareBird101.com, because there is still great whiskey being produced from the distillery such as the quality bourbon bargain of Wild Turkey 101 and the fantastic Russell’s Reserve Single Barrels that have been popping up recently. With those two mentioned products, Rare Breed finds itself in a peculiar situation of being a hotter version of WT101 and less complex than the non-chill filtered RR single barrels. (Eric, 2019)
While being in the vein of their other offerings, the E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch is a notch above Buffalo Trace’s core offerings of Buffalo Trace and Eagle Rare. The bump in proof allows for a surprising transition of flavors throughout the experience. My only grip is that for $40 for a Bottled in Bond bourbon I would like to see a bump in age with an age statement beyond the minimum 4yrs required for BiB. (Eric, 2018)
For $30, this is a fantastic bourbon. It has a unique combination of flavors while still maintaining the true essence of bourbon. I would recommend picking up a bottle either to sip neat to use in a cocktail! This offering is versatile and fits great into the Four Roses line of products. (Stiers, 2019)
Chattanooga Whiskey created something special when they hand-crafted the first Tennessee High Malt Whiskey. The flavors are complex, delicious, and will have you drinking more than intended. This straight bourbon whiskey will be favored by those who enjoy lingering heat and sweet malted barley. The nose is enticing, the palate is complex, the flavors are bold, and this Tennessee High Malt Whiskey is delicious. (Shields, 2019)
I must tip my hat to the people at Bardstown Bourbon Company for the transparency of what’s in this blend. Where some blenders would have went the NAS route due to the five-year component of the blend, the Bardstown Bourbon Company embraced what was used to create this very good blend and respect the consumers’ intelligence enough to provide a complete breakdown of every bourbon in the Discovery Series #1. If you’d like purchase a bottle for yourself, it can be purchased online at Seelbach’s. (Eric, 2019)
Oh boy, this one really surprised me! I was expecting an unbaked bread dough palate that seems to be prevalent in most young wheat whiskey and wheated bourbons. This on the other hand is a decadent confectionery pastry in a glass with enough backbone to keep even experienced whiskey enthusiasts engaged throughout the dram. If this bottle of Old Elk Straight Wheat Whiskey is a representation of things to come from Old Elk, they’ve sure got our attention! (Eric, 2019)
