Good, Inexpensive Whiskey

Love whiskey, but don’t want to blow a whole week’s paycheck on a bottle? Us either! You might love Scotch, Irish whiskey, Canadian whiskey, or bourbon. Whatever your favorite, we’ve got the best selections that absolutely won’t send you into bankruptcy.

We scoured our local shelves and dug deep to find the best picks. Even better: we’re pretty sure you can easily find these on most liquor store shelves. Is there another low-cost option you know about? Share the love in the comments!

Best Overall: Old Grand Dad Bourbon Whiskey

• Cost: $12
• Proof: 80, 100, 114
• Type: Bourbon, Rye
• Mash: 63% corn, 27% rye, 10% malted barley
• Owner: Beam Suntory
• Website: www.beamdistilling.com

Old Grand Dad is a standard bourbon with a twist: it has a higher percentage of rye than most other bourbons. The result if a very peppery, spicy bourbon with hints of vanilla, caramel, and dried fruit. If you are looking for a sipping whiskey, try to find the 114-proof bottle. The 80 proof is great for mixing in an Old Fashioned. Old Grand Dad is owned by Beam Suntory, which is the parent company of Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Knob Creek, and Suntory (Japanese) Whisky.

Best Irish Whiskey: 2 Gingers Blended Irish Whiskey

• Cost: $20
• Proof: 80
• Type: Irish Whiskey
• Mash: 100% malted barley + grain whiskey
• Owner: Beam Suntory (again)
• Website: www.2gingerswhiskey.com

This Irish whiskey is light and thin; it’s a terrific choice for someone new to drinking whiskey. The 2 Gingers are distilled twice and aged for four years. The result is a slight caramel and vanilla flavor, with a tingle of honey and citrus. Unlike many other whiskeys, this spirit brings forth flavors of green apple, apricot, and lemon zest. This is a terrific choice in a Whiskey and Ginger mixed drink.

Best Single Malt Scotch: Glenfiddich 12 year

• Cost: $40
• Proof: 80
• Type: Single Malt Scotch Whiskey
• Mash: Malted barley
• Owner: Glenfiddich
• Website: www.glenfiddich.com

This award-winning single malt Scotch whisky is the gold standard for entry-level scotches. It’s the best-selling single malt on the planet.  Glenfiddich is creamy with a long, smooth, and mellow finish. It has a distinctive fruity feel that develops into butterscotch, cream, and subtle oak. This whisky is aged in ex-bourbon and sherry casks to develop that rich, ever-evolving character. Yes, this whisky is about $10-20 more than other whiskies on the list. But it’s well worth the extra money and is considered by most experts to be the BEST whisky for a budget-conscious shopper. Best served in a Glencairn Scotch whisky glass.

Best Blended Scotch: Famous Grouse Blended Scotch

• Cost: $28
• Proof: 80
• Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
• Mash:  A blend
• Owner: The Edrington Group
• Website: www.thefamousgrouse.com/en

This whisky is quite sweet up front, with notes of vanilla custard and crème brulée. It has woody undertones, and as the whisky evolves, it brings forth flavors of caramel, toffee, and malt. The Famous Grouse Blended Scotch is an excellent choice for mixing in a mixed drink. It’s not the best choice for sipping neat. This whisky is owned by the Edrington Group, which also owns The Macallan, Highland Park, and other brands.

Best Canadian: Alberta Rye Whisky Dark Batch

• Cost: $27
• Proof: 90
• Type: Rye Whisky
• Mash: 91% Rye; 9% Bourbon; 1% Sherry
• Owner: Beam Suntory
• Website:  www.albertarye.com

We’re getting incestuous here. This whiskey is made in part from Old Grand-Dad bourbon, plus 100 percent rye whiskey from Canada, and just a dash of sherry from Spain. The result is a very dark, mahogany whiskey, with a buttery, smooth taste. There is a strong pepper note from the rye, along with sweet notes from the sherry. It’s really, really flavorful—maybe too much, for some people. It makes an excellent leading ingredient in a number of mixed drinks.  This is an excellent whiskey for decanting.

Best Japanese: Suntory Toki Japanese Whisky

• Cost: $26
• Proof: 86
• Type: Blended whiskey
• Mash: A blend
• Owner: Beam Suntory
• Website:  https://whisky.suntory.com/en

Yes, this is another Beam Suntory whisky. (And no, they didn’t pay us to put a bunch of their labels on this blog post!) The Suntory Whisky Toki is a lightly golden whisky that is taken as a blend from three distilleries: Yamazaki, Hakushu, and Chita. The Suntory has surprising notes of peppermint and thyme intermingled with grapefruit and green grapes. It’s a full whisky finish when the vanilla, white pepper, and ginger notes linger. If you’ve never tried Japanese whisky, this is an excellent choice to start with! It’s light and refreshing compared to heavier whiskies.

Best Rye: Bulleit Rye

• Cost: $35
• Proof: 90
• Type: Rye
• Mash: 95% rye, 5% malted barley
• Owner: Diageo
• Website: www.bulleit.com/whiskeys/bulleit-rye

Bulleit Rye is a mainstay on liquor store shelves, and you’ve probably already tried it if you’re reading this article. It’s a solid choice, well-priced, and consistent in quality. It’s a great whiskey to use to judge other whiskeys against, whether they are better or worse than this one. This whiskey is dark in color, with rich, oaky aromas. It’s smooth, with strong hints of vanilla, honey, and spice. It has those surprising green apple notes, mingled with caramel.

Best Bourbon: Old Forester 86 Proof

• Cost: $19
• Proof: 86
• Type: Bourbon
• Mash: 72% corn, 18% rye, 10% malted barley
• Owner: Brown Forman
• Website:  www.oldforester.com/products/old-forester-86-proof

This heavy whiskey has a strong floral character, reminiscent of tobacco leaves and vanilla. It is woodsy, with oak and pine flavors that come through from the aging process, followed by corn and rye character. It has spicy, vanilla, and orange notes. This is an excellent choice to be made into an Old Fashioned. And the price is such that you won’t have a heart attack if someone adds a splash of soda. Definitely an excellent choice to enjoy with a cigar.

Best For Mixing: Four Roses Kentucky Straight Bourbon

• Cost: $20
• Proof: 80
• Type: Bourbon
• Mash: 75% corn, 20% rye, 5% malted barley
• Owner: Kirin Brewing Company
• Website:  https://fourrosesbourbon.com

Four Roses start off strong, with a good bourbon-y aroma. It smells like browned butter and creamy caramel, which for a bourbon lover is a lot like the feeling of coming home to a big, warm hug from dad. This bourbon has a nice balance of sweetness, with the flavor of apples, licorice, vanilla, pineapple, roasted oak, and toasted grains. It’s a bit chewy, with the flavor sticking around in your mouth. This is a good, balanced, inoffensive choice for your shelf. Check out the brand’s website for a list of excellent recipes featuring this bourbon.