Need some bourbon reccos for my dad's 75th birthday

[motion]

My pop's 75th is coming up this summer. Our family has rented a home in Crested Butte for the big party. He is a very casual drinker of Crown Royal whiskey, and enjoys scoring a deal on a large bottle from Costco a few times a year. I don't believe he's ever enjoyed a high end glass of bourbon, so I'd like to gift him with something special. I know absolutely nothing about bourbon, so I'm coming to you guys for help!

I really can't give him a very nice bottle in front of the family, because he might be pressured (or he might want to on his own) open and share the bottle with family on the spot. I'd rather him research the bottle and enjoy it privately when he's ready.

With that in mind, I've decided to gift him with 2 bottles - one for sharing on his birthday, and one for later.

I'm thinking around $100 for the lower end bourbon, and maybe $300-$400 for the higher end.

Can you guys point me in the right direction for both?

[DonDavis]

mmmm, bourbon. Lots of decent choices.
Woodford Reserve is nice. Maker's Mark ( not 46 ) is my favorite and has a cool bottle.

The Bourbon thread

[stomachmonkey]

How close are you to Sonora?

[GH85Carrera]

I have never been a fan of hard liquor. I prefer beer.

Last year at Porsche Parade we took a tour of the Maker's Mark distillery and the Jim Beam distillery. It was a bus tour!

Anyway I sat next to a guy that was a self proclaimed Bourbon expert and for sure he knew more about it than I did. I asked him what his favorite Bourbon was. He said it was Pappy Van Winkle. I had never heard of it.

Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 23yr | Old Rip Van Winkle

They gave us 4 samples to taste at Makers Mark.

[greglepore]

If you want to do something crazy, Pappy Van Winkle. You'll have to search online and pay a premium. Is it really as good as its rep? Probably not, but it has a halo factor. Its unobtainium is the desirable thing.

For the less expensive bottle, Booker's is a good choice. Around $60, and a really good whiskey.

Beware, with all of the higher end bourbons there are slimes selling empty bottles on ebay with uncut seals etc. With Pappy 23 going for many hundreds of bucks, there is ample incentive for fraud.

[jrj3rd]

Blanton's

[968rz]

Originally Posted by peteremsley

edit - Breckenridge distillery just came out with something award winning...

I actually tried some of this last time I was there and it's really good; nice taste and pretty smooth.

[motion]

Keep em coming! My dad is Irish, so I'd like to lean in that direction.

[MikeSid]

Keep in mind that Canadian, Kentucky, and Irish are all completely different.
The guy that drinks Crown, likes Canadian.
Are you sure that he like bourbon?

[motion]

Originally Posted by MikeSid

Keep in mind that Canadian, Kentucky, and Irish are all completely different.
The guy that drinks Crown, likes Canadian.
Are you sure that he like bourbon?

Oh hell. I thought bourbon was just a fancy name for whisky? I'm serious here.

[GH85Carrera]

From our tour I learned:

What Makes a Bourbon: A Cheat Sheet

Must be made in the United States.
Must contain 51 percent corn.
Must be aged in new oak charred barrels.
Must be distilled to no more than 160 proof and entered into the barrel at 125 proof.
Must be bottled at no less than 80 proof.
Must not contain any added flavoring, coloring or other additives.

(OK I googled that but I learned it on the Bourbon tours)

[Ayles]

Price does not equal quality. Lots of great bourbons under $50. No reason to spend simply for a name. There is lots of hype in bourbon these days.

I dont think you can beat Henry Mckenna 10yr bottled in bond. But it sounds like you are more interested spending on name rather than whats in the bottle.

[derek murray]

If your dad likes Crown Royal, then he'll really like this! Crown Royal Northern Harvest.

[MikeSid]

Bourbon is American Whiskey made in Bourbon County, Kentucky.
Other American whiskies like Jack Daniels are not considered bourbon because Jack is made in Tennessee. It's a bit like Champagne v. Sparkling wine in that respect, because a good American Whiskey is very similar to a good bourbon.

Irish Whiskey, Scotch Whisky and Canadian Whiskey are all different. Generally, Scotch (spelled without the e) has a peat flavor/aroma, Canadian is sweeter, and Irish is sweet but with a bit of wood/oak flavor/aroma. I don't get much oak from Canadian and no peat whatsoever.

Pendleton makes a good Canadian. But I'm sure there is a high end corporate Crown Royal equivalent.
Pappy is the Crystal of bourbon - and I mean that in both positive and negative respects.
Redbreast and Greenspot are good Irish.
Scotch is a subject unto itself and can be broken down to regions by coordinate degrees, minutes, and seconds.

[jrj3rd]

[QUOTE=MikeSid;9090407]Bourbon is American Whiskey made in Bourbon County, Kentucky.
Other American whiskies like Jack Daniels are not considered bourbon because Jack is made in Tennessee. It's a bit like Champagne v. Sparkling wine in that respect, because a good American Whiskey is very similar to a good bourbon.

Wrong, their is no locational requirement to be Bourbon, just corn focused, aged in charred new oak barrels. Jack is not bourbon because it is charcoal filtered...

See full requirements above

[FLYGEEZER]

all burbon is whiskey, all whiskey is not burbon.

[ckelly78z]

Bourbon doesn't really interest me, every sip I have ever taken makes me wrinkle my nose and ask "Who likes this stuff". I have been wanting to try some of the new fruit flavored Moonshine, but it probably also is like drinking turpentine, so I haven't yet.

Call me a lightweight, but I always go back to Bud Platinum, or Barcardi Rum.

[gatotom]

Well, I am a Crown Royal lover but if I had my way, I would drink Remy Martin Cognac

Blow the wad Remy Martin King Louis X111 Cognac only 2799.99 a bottle.

[gatotom]

at 75 your dad is a young guy....he is only 7 yrs older than myself.

[vash]

Motion.

there is a FANTASTIC bourbon coming out of Sonoma County. sonoma distilling company...yea..the name took little effort to come up with.

but the bourbon and RYE is great. not to expensive either. i think they grind the grain with a mill powered by a hand drill, which speaks to me.