Christmas Gifts for Bourbon Lovers
The holiday season is a great time for bourbon and there are plenty of ways to enjoy it. It can be used to fortify egg nog, make bourbon balls or cocktails or by itself to ward off the winter chill. Here are a few suggestions the bourbon lover on your Christmas list would like to find under the tree this year.
With Pappy Van Winkle being extremely expensive and almost impossible to find, treat your bourbon lover with the whiskey that serves as Pappy’s foundation. Handpicked “honey barrels” of W.L. Weller are selected for the additional aging required for the Van Winkle line of bourbons. It’s a quality bourbon with a bargain price tag too.
The folks at Heaven Hill make a lot of fine bourbons and this one is one of the best. One of the first long aged small batch bourbons to hit the market, it remains popular simply because of its complex flavor profile and very reasonable price.
Still the standard when it comes to a manly kind of bourbon, Wild Turkey also just happens to be one of the best tasting bourbons on the market.
Wild Turkey 101 Rye
I know, this article is supposed to be about bourbon but, Wild Turkey really kicks it up a notch with this spicy release and what bourbon lover doesn’t like a change of pace every once in a while. Rye whiskey also tends to be a better main ingredient in cocktails too.
Master distiller Jim Rutledge keeps coming up with fantastic bourbons made from myriad yeast strains and mash bills and the Small Batch is one of his best. If you want to make your bourbon lover extra happy, this is the way to do it. Be sure and deliver this one in person so you might get a sample yourself.
Made through an extra aging process involving lightly toasted barrels Woodford Reserve Double Oaked takes on a completely different flavor profile that that of Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select. If you can’t find the Double Oaked version your bourbon lover would be more than happy with the Distiller’s Select version.
Knob Creek
Knob Creek is a full throttle high octane release from the Jim Beam distillery. Whatever you do, don’t let your bourbon lover use this one as a cocktail ingredient. The cascade of flavors and the long finish makes it necessary to enjoy it neat or with a few drops of spring water.
