

Investors prefer limited edition and vintage whiskeys for the highest return on investment because their rarity and scarcity drive up their value. That's what makes the prices of rare Macallan Scotch whisky or Van Winkle Bourbon so damn high. Name brands produce great quality whiskey, but you must consider quantity (the supply) before investing. It's not enough for whiskey to just have desirable traits it must also be exclusive and highly sought after. These three traits determine the flavor and quality of fine whiskey, but the label plays a crucial role in how your whiskey investment performs. A single corporation will often own several whiskey brands that each produce a variety of single-grain and blended varieties.Įvery fine whiskey is characterized by the grain blend, the species of wood of the cask, and how long the whisky cask was aged. Her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Eating Well, The Wall Street Journal, SevenFifty Daily, VinePair, Wine Enthusiast, Travel & Leisure, and more.Before you buy whisky casks or even a rare bottle, you should be as familiar with whiskey types as you are with whiskey brands. You shouldn’t have problem having it your way: with ice, neat, or mixing it with sodas or in other cocktails.”īetsy Andrews is a freelance journalist specializing in food and drink, travel, and the environment, and has been writing about wine and spirits for two decades. “You cannot ask for great complexity, but it has to be well-balanced and versatile. “An inexpensive whiskey needs to do the job of the every day,” says Desoblin.

:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__liquor__2019__01__17091405__Its-Time-to-Pay-Attention-to-Mexican-Whiskey-corn-720x480-inline-ace08939346e464c88fdb10844e3ff47.jpg)
Even at under $30, a whiskey should have elegance. Harsh and off-flavors, and too much burn, are signs of spirit that wasn’t distilled or aged with care. It’s made with the same mash bill, or grain recipe, as its tonier cousin, Basil Hayden, but it’s a fraction of the price for a higher ABV.Ī well-made whiskey will go down easy. Some are quite reasonable and nearly as delicious as the higher end. Kentucky, especially, has distilleries that put out many bottles at a range of prices. What to Look For Entry-level Bottles by Storied Producers Or they’re a brand that has a much bigger production run than a more expensive whiskey. They take up less room in pricey barrels and warehouses. The whiskeys in this article are not made differently than more expensive ones. Is cheaper whiskey made differently? What makes it less expensive? Younger whiskeys tend to be less complex and intense. Each of these grain recipes has its own flavor. If it’s corn-based, it’s probably bourbon. the grain recipe that gets fermented and distilled to make the spirit.

Irish whiskey is from Ireland, Canadian whiskey from Canada. Scotch comes from Scotland and only Scotland. For one thing, there’s where a whiskey is made. There are many things that differentiate whiskeys. If you’re a fan of sweet, caramelly flavors, go for bourbons like Old Bardstown (view it at Drizly) or Evan Williams Single Barrel (view it at Caskers).įAQs What differentiates whiskeys from one another? If you’re looking for a spicy, savory spirit, rye-heavy whiskeys like Alberta Rye Whisky Dark Batch (view it at Drizly) and Rittenhouse (view it at ) are your sips. Read on for the best affordable whiskeys you can get right now, based on industry input. It’s almost a prerequisite that it can be enhanced by ice and water and also a good base for cocktails." “What you expect from such whiskey is you could be both sipping and mixing. “Distilleries have realized that they need to put forward an affordable entry-level, and a variety of them,” says Flavien Desoblin, owner of New York’s The Brandy Library and Copper and Oak. These less costly bottles are just more numerous their production runs are larger. There are plenty of great, everyday bottles for your home, and some of them come from producers of those pricey collectibles. All that storage space and coopered wood can be expensive, and collectors can drive prices up on older bottles.īut not all whiskeys cost a small fortune. Storied whiskeys rest in barrels stacked in rickhouses for many years. Whiskey, wherever it’s produced, is made out of fermented grain and aged in wood.
