# The best $30 bottle of whiskey **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** liquor-alcohol\ **Created:** [November 28, 2007, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-30-bottle-of-whiskey/428058 "2007-11-28T18:14:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-30-bottle-of-whiskey/428058/21 "2007-11-28T21:05:28Z")
[QUOTE=Stranger On A Train] I have yet to find a decent Scotch under $30. [/QUOTE] Have you tried any of Speyburn, Tamdhu or Glen Garioch? They’re all about $25 and good whiskies. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-30-bottle-of-whiskey/428058/22 "2007-11-28T21:19:34Z")
Always Jack Daniels. Otherwise Maker’s Mark. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-30-bottle-of-whiskey/428058/23 "2007-11-28T21:21:27Z")
[QUOTE=OneCentStamp] I was going to say this too. I’m not a bourbon fan myself (I prefer Scotch), but I don’t mind Maker’s at all. Someone here on the boards referred to it, saying it’s a bourbon you never have to apologize for. That sounds about right to me. It’s nice on the rocks, or with Coke or sour. [/QUOTE] It could have been [me](http://208.100.26.199/sdmb/showpost.php?p=8118911&postcount=41) who said it. So I’ll say it again - in the $30 range, Marker’s Mark bourbon and Famous Grouse scotch. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-30-bottle-of-whiskey/428058/24 "2007-11-28T21:23:34Z")
As a $30 alternative, how about two bottles of Sunny Brook and a bag of weed? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-30-bottle-of-whiskey/428058/25 "2007-11-28T21:24:53Z")
[QUOTE=gotpasswords] Maker’s Mark is my usual “go-to” bourbon for anyone old enough to have graduated past Jack Daniels. [/QUOTE] You don’t graduate past Jack Daniels, you may become too pretentious and snobby to drink it just cuz frat boys do, but Jack Daniels is still the best. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-30-bottle-of-whiskey/428058/26 "2007-11-28T21:26:05Z")
[QUOTE=OneCentStamp] As an alternative, how about two bottles of Sunny Brook and a bag of weed? 😃 [/QUOTE] If your bag of weed costs less than $ 30 for a gram it’s not worth smoking. ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-30-bottle-of-whiskey/428058/27 "2007-11-28T21:28:07Z")
I second Maker’s Mark and Knob Creek. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-30-bottle-of-whiskey/428058/28 "2007-11-28T21:28:40Z")
[QUOTE=mswas] If your bag of weed costs less than $ 30 for a gram it’s not worth smoking. [/QUOTE] And that means it’ll go _great_ with the two bottles of Sunny Brook! 😃😃 ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-30-bottle-of-whiskey/428058/29 "2007-11-28T21:30:15Z")
[QUOTE=mswas] If your bag of weed costs less than $ 30 for a gram it’s not worth smoking. [/QUOTE] But that breaks your $ 30 budget. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-30-bottle-of-whiskey/428058/30 "2007-11-28T23:09:13Z")
I can go with Knob Creek, or Maker’s Mark both are great whiskeys. I will toss one more name into the hat however. Try a bottle of [Jim Beam Black](http://www.jimbeam.com/beam/v5/products/black_label.aspx). Compared to the KC or MM it’s a bargain also. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-30-bottle-of-whiskey/428058/31 "2007-11-28T23:39:42Z")
I’d recommend a good single-malt Scotch, such as Glenlivet or Dalwhinnie. (So long since I’ve shopped for such, though, I don’t know if you can get a bottle for $30.) N.B.: Warn all your friends not to touch your Dalwhinnie! ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-30-bottle-of-whiskey/428058/32 "2007-11-28T23:45:20Z")
[QUOTE=mswas] You don’t graduate past Jack Daniels, you may become too pretentious and snobby to drink it just cuz frat boys do, but Jack Daniels is still the best. 😉 [/QUOTE] Before or after they pre-diluted it? 😛 JD is decent enough stuff, but when I said “graduated” I meant in the sense of “Self, I’ll be there’s other stuff out there worth trying!” much like people go from guzzling Bud to exploring the nuances of microbrews. As for “snobby” - there’s a big bottle of JD at home, right next to the big bottle of MM. ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-30-bottle-of-whiskey/428058/33 "2007-11-29T01:25:59Z")
[QUOTE=ultrafilter] If you’re looking for an inexpensive single malt scotch, try to find a 10 year-old Speyburn. [/QUOTE] On a whim, I hit the liquor store on the way home and picked up a bottle of this! It was $25! ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-30-bottle-of-whiskey/428058/34 "2007-11-29T01:47:10Z")
I came in to mention Woodford, just a great bourbon and the bottle is cool so you feel all special while your drinking it out of the paper bag on the corner (just me?). ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-30-bottle-of-whiskey/428058/35 "2007-11-29T01:55:43Z")
Jameson’s is good - mild, slightly sweet, bit of a vanilla flavor. I drink it neat or on the rocks, but it’s also good in Coke. Also - seconding the Black Label. Yah, there’s better scotch out there - but this is good stuff, and worth drinking. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-30-bottle-of-whiskey/428058/36 "2007-11-29T02:32:32Z")
I’m here to add my voice to the Maker’s Mark chorus. ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-30-bottle-of-whiskey/428058/37 "2007-11-29T03:12:27Z")
The $25 Spayburn is turning out to be quite good, despite the face that the cork snapped on me. ---
**Author:** ![oft\_wears\_hats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7993a0/32.png) [@oft\_wears\_hats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oft_wears_hats)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-30-bottle-of-whiskey/428058/38 "2007-11-29T03:54:37Z")
Note that I mainly drink Irish whiskey, and what follows are two of my recommendations within the sub-type. \*\*Tyrconnell \*\*is an excellent Irish whiskey. I consider it to be one of the more cost effective whiskies, in that it costs around $15 less than, say, Connemara, but is less than 33% not-as-tasty (if that made sense). A bit of a strong start, with a nice nutty, slightly sweet back. Since Black Bush has already been mentioned, I’ll point out its similarly-priced but sweeter cousin, **Bushmills 10 year**. Very smooth with a caramel back. An absolutely wonderful whiskey. So much so that I’m sitting here wondering why there isn’t any in my cabinet right now! For $30, if I want a smoother Irish whiskey, I go for Bushmills 10. If I want something a bit bolder, I go for Tyrconnell. Can’t go wrong with either. I don’t buy whiskey very often, but my last purchase (which was months ago), was Tyrconnell, partly because I enjoy it so, and partly because it’s a bit rare in my area (whereas the Bushmills 10 grows on trees), so when I see it at the store I have to suppress the impulse to purchase it for fear of it not being there the next time I visit. They’re both excellent. As a postscript, I will heartily recommend Connemara if you ever feel like splurging ($45-50 a bottle around here). Peppery, with a nice smoky smooth back. Best whiskey I’ve ever had, but then I’ve only ever had one bottle; it is on the expensive side. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-30-bottle-of-whiskey/428058/39 "2007-11-29T04:31:59Z")
[Bulliet!!](http://www.bulleitbourbon.com) Sweet and vanilla, sooo yummy. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-30-bottle-of-whiskey/428058/40 "2007-11-29T04:50:25Z")
[QUOTE=oft wears hats] For $30, if I want a smoother Irish whiskey, I go for Bushmills 10. If I want something a bit bolder, I go for Tyrconnell. Can’t go wrong with either. [/QUOTE] I think you’ll find that the Bushmills 10 Year Old is definitely above the US$30 mark. I was going to say the same about Tyrconnell but looking on the [BevMo.com](http://BevMo.com) site I see that they have it for US$29.99 as list price and actually have it on sale for US$26.99, which means I need to go tomorrow and see if they have any back in stock. In regards to your esthetic assessment of both whiskeys I am in full agreement, though the Tyrconnell is very much of different character than most Irish whiskeys, like a lighter Islay Scotch rather than the smoother, peat-less flavor of most Irish whiskeys. Good stuff, though, especially at the price. Stranger [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-30-bottle-of-whiskey/428058.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-30-bottle-of-whiskey/428058.md?page=3)