2019 Whiskey Gift Guide – 6 under $60 You Can Actually Find
Shopping for people on the holidays can be a stressful experience. How do you find out what to get your loved one for the holidays without tipping them off? Well, if you’re currently reading this article, we think you know whiskey is a pretty safe option. A lot of these whiskey gift guides have been full of great pours, but, unfortunately, ones you’d be really hard pressed to actually find on a local shelf. We figured you’d take a different approach.
Below you’ll find 6 whiskies under $60 you should be able to find on your local liquor shelf with a little bit of searching in no particular order.
Michter’s American Unblended Whiskey
Michter’s American Unblended Whiskey is a product from an incredible company with a unique approach to the whiskey game. They are incredibly proud of their product.
They bottle their whiskey at a lower proof with more water to work through the wood of their barrels. This means they lower the yield of their barrels specifically to give their customer quality over quantity.
This particular bottle is pulled right when their master distiller believes the barrel to be practically perfect in every way. For an average price of $42.99, it makes a great stocking-stuffer.
Evan Williams Single Barrel
Evan Williams opened in Kentucky on the banks of the Ohio River in 1783. To this day, they are a key producer of Whiskey. Their Single Barrel release is a monument to the fact that quality doesn’t always mean an empty wallet.
For around $25, you’ll get a nice bite full of caramel, baking spices, dried orange, apple, honey, and toasted oak.
We think that, for the price, this is definitely a bottle you’ll want your loved one to have on the shelf. If for no other reason than for you to sneak a taste for yourself every now and again.
Maker’s Cask Strength
Maker’s Mark is truly a unique producer of whiskey. They are one of the last bastions of the “do-it-yourself” American frontier. They still dip each of their bottles by hand, use 100+ year old printing presses to make their labels, and own the spring from which every drop of their water is sourced. There’s a lot of pride and heritage that comes behind each of their bottles.
This bourbon is not for the feint of heart, clocking in at 110+ proof (though we usually like them hot). However, with that pour comes a lovely bouquet of flavors. Sweet, savory, and spicy are the name of the game with this straight bourbon whiskey.
This bottle will only run you around $54, which we think is a solid price for a solid and tasty pour.
Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit
Traced all the way back to 1869, Wild Turkey’s distillery is absolutely drop-dead beautiful. The scenery is incredible, and their visitor center stands as a monument to the pride they put behind their products.
Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit Single Barrel is one of those products that is a distillation of that pride and heritage.
This single barrel expression of Wild Turkey is the priciest of the selections we have on the list, coming in at an average price of $58.99. However, you’re getting a good and solid pour. Single barrels fluctuate in flavor profile from barrel to barrel, but we’ve found most pours to have great notes of vanilla and almond.
Four Roses Single Barrel
Four roses is a great distillery with a great heritage. Sales started in the mid 1960s, and were eventually moved overseas to capture the market outside the US as the world’s taste for bourbon grew. It was eventually brought back in the late 1900s for our consumption.
The four roses single barrel is a wonderful staple for any bourbon lover’s collection. Coming in at 100 proof, this pour is a nice and delicate balance between the bold heat of a well-proofed pour, and subtle and mellow flavors that lie sweet on the palate.
This pour will only run you about $31 a bottle.
Eagle Rare
This was a tough pick for us considering the name of the blog. However, outside of major metropolitan areas, we’ve found it’s not an incredibly hard bottle to come by. If you know a collector, they most likely have a few bottles they’d be willing to part with at cost.
Eagle Rare is a well known and well loved bourbon from the Buffalo Trace line. They are a company legendary for their bourbon and also for how difficult and exclusive many of their products are. However, Eagle Rare seems to be one of the easier ones to find after their main Buffalo Trace bourbon.
Any collector would be tickled pink to receive a bottle of Eagle Rare to display on their shelf. If you can find it or pull a string or two, this bourbon should only run you around $35.
Greg Sinadinos started his spirits journey writing a whiskey periodical for Fine Tobacco NYC Magazine. He began answering review requests under a social media page he named “Whiskey Culture,” which quickly merged with Greg’s passion for connecting with others and his interest in history.
Today, Greg travels the country not just looking for great whiskey, but also exploring the history and individuals that the whiskey community is founded upon. He has authored “Whiskey History From Around The World” and is the host of “The Rickhouse” web series.
