No matter your experience creating cocktails, make a flawless old-fashioned start by choosing the proper whiskey. Selecting one with depth and complexity elevates it from just another drink to an adventure!
Finding a fantastic bourbon can be arduous, so here are a few helpful hints to ensure you select an exceptional bottle for old-fashioned.
Cavehill
Cavehill was Rabbit Hole Distillery’s inaugural four-grain bourbon to gain recognition, making an excellent first introduction to its distillery. Produced in small batches using no more than 15 barrels at any time, its low entry proof makes it perfect for cocktails such as old fashioned. Its flavor profile is balanced and harmonious, pairing well with bitters and sugar as part of an old-fashioned. Aromatics range from rose petals and caramel corn scents through milk chocolate, butterscotch, and sweet black cherry flavors before finishing smoothly with honey to cinnamon notes that last through until their smooth finish lingers long enough.
Cavehill Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky, where generations of whiskey makers are interred, inspired the name for this bourbon. It pays homage to those pioneers who laid the foundation for modern distilling techniques and practices. Aging takes place for at least four years in toasted and charred oak barrels before being non-chill filtered and bottled at proof 95 proof for easy drinking pleasure.
Gold award winner of the 2021 John Barleycorn Awards, this bourbon makes a superb addition to any cocktail. It has a sweet-tart profile with notes of freshly cut grass. The finish lingers long with tropical fruit flavors and thick cream, making this robust bourbon drinkable at lower proof levels and perfect for pairing with bitters or sugars.
Heigold
Heigold Bourbon is ideal for creating classic Old Fashioned cocktails, thanks to its low entry proof and sweet, fruity taste. Additionally, Heigold pairs beautifully with bitters and fruit flavors in any old-fashioned recipe – plus, its light gold hue makes for easy drinking pleasure! Distilled and bottled by Rabbit Hole Distillery from high rye double malt whiskey, never chilled, filtered, and aged in toasted and charred oak barrels, make Heigold one of the best options on the market!
Heigold Bourbon is named in honor of Christian Heigold, a German immigrant who settled in Louisville during the mid-19th century and built an elegant manor decorated with stone renditions of American heroes and national symbols of patriotism. Christian’s story of using his skills for good inspires Rabbit Hole distillery, which opened its doors in 2012 but is now majority owned by spirits giant Pernod Ricard.
Heigold bottles currently come from an unspecified distillery; once distillate from their Louisville distillery is available, this will be replaced with it. This medium-bodied bourbon has rich butterscotch, apricot, and cinnamon notes with an elegant mint finish for an ideal drinking experience.
Heigold makes an excellent old-fashioned whiskey due to its creamy, sweet character. It is also cheaper than Eagle Rare, Buffalo Trace, and Four Roses Single Barrel varieties.
Dareringer
Rabbit Hole Distillery’s high-rye double malt bourbon, explicitly designed to make classic Old Fashioned cocktails, features an intense flavor profile, making it the ideal accompaniment for an old-fashioned. With its smooth finish and distinct sweetness, its sweet notes balance beautifully against any sugar content of an Old Fashioned cocktail; its subtle bite adds just enough bitterness for an orange twist or simple maraschino cherry bitterness. Kaveh Zamanian named this bourbon after his wife, Kaveh Zamanian, who personifies her elegance and charm, hence its name!
This sherry-cask finished bourbon comprises 68% corn, 18% wheat, and 14% barley mash bills. It boasts a delicate nose characterized by subtle notes of sherry sheen that’s hard to crack. At the same time, its fruity flavor includes root beer, licorice, brown sugar, gingerbread, and vanilla cream for an incredible fruitiness and vanilla cream on the finish.
Dareringer Bourbon is a premier choice for making classic cocktails like an old-fashioned whiskey sour and Manhattan. With its robust flavors and sophisticated qualities, Dareringer remains popular among bourbon enthusiasts worldwide.
Whether you’re searching for an old-fashioned or simply trying something new, this list will assist in selecting your ideal pour. Each bourbon on this list has unique flavors to complement any cocktail, so try these bottles – you won’t be disappointed! Whether your preference lies with classic Heigold or more exotic Makers, there will surely be one on here that fits right in!
Four Roses Single Barrel
Four Roses Single Barrel is an ideal bourbon for those who prefer lighter, fruitier whiskey in their old-fashioned. Crafted using wheat mash bill for crispiness in each sip and with floral flavors and smooth finishes complimenting an old-fashioned drinker’s palate – plus, it’s readily available and budget-friendly.
Robert Krueger, head bartender for JF Restaurants, notes that wheat-based bourbons such as Four Roses “add an extra dimension to cocktails.” Their fresh, herbaceous notes complement old-fashioned perfectly, while their citrus aromas enhance them further.
Four Roses Bourbon Distillery operates out of Lawrenceburg and Cox’s Creek in Kentucky. Their award-winning bourbons have garnered numerous accolades and have made waves throughout the restaurant and hospitality industries.
One of their most acclaimed bourbons, Eagle Rare 10, has been aged for at least ten years and is highly recommended as an affordable high-end bourbon with bold flavors that stand up well when mixed with ice cubes, bitters, and sugar in an old-fashioned cocktail.
Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon is another acceptable option: a medium-bodied whiskey featuring flavors like ripe figs and orange peel. Bottled at 115 proof, its ideal flavor profile for old-fashioned makes this non-chill filtered product especially suitable. Unfortunately, it often sells out quickly in bars but can still be purchased online.
Old Forester
When crafting the ideal old-fashioned, bourbon plays an essential role. A superior bottle will highlight the flavors of simple syrup and bitters while remaining smooth for optimal drinking experiences with ice and garnish. An Old Fashioned is a timeless cocktail that requires only minutes to create!
When selecting the ideal bourbon for an old-fashioned, it is crucial to consider the taste, alcohol by volume (ABV), price, and availability. Reading reviews about each bourbon and how it pairs with other beverages will also help you choose which bottle will work best with your drink. This will enable you to choose one which best complements the tastes and needs of your next cocktail experience.
Bourbons with complex flavors may be too pricey to consider for making old-fashioned; however, some affordable varieties make an excellent option for this classic cocktail. These bourbons include:
Eagle Rare 10-Year Bourbon Although this bourbon may not have as many complex characteristics as others, it remains highly affordable and makes an exceptional old-fashioned cocktail. Eagle Rare may be hard to come by depending on where you live; if it can be found, it’s well worth searching out!
Heigold Bourbon
Heigold bourbon is an exceptional choice for creating classic old-fashioned, thanks to its low alcohol by volume (ABV) content and delicious smooth taste. Pairing well with simple syrup and Angostura bitters, Heigold makes the ideal old-fashioned accompaniment.
Smoke Wagon Small Batch Bourbon is an ideal high-rye bourbon to add to an old-fashioned one. Though this bourbon doesn’t come cheap, whiskey enthusiasts will certainly find its value worth paying for.