Distilled: Ten Bottles Worth Gifting

Plus: A two-ingredient old-fashioned; Edward Lee’s favorite new bourbons

Here’s a fun gift idea: If you have any Four Roses fans in your life, you might just be able to buy the entire distillery. Kirin Holdings, the current owner, is reportedly looking to sell the brand—for a mere billion dollars. But if that’s a skosh out of range, this week we’ve got a gift guide of bottles that run the gamut from very reasonable stocking stuffers and under-the-radar finds to a few luxury splurges. As contributing editor Wayne Curtis writes, “Exceptional bottles exist at virtually every price point,” so there’s something for everyone here. We also catch up with former NHL player and bourbon fan Aaron Ward, and chef Edward Lee shares what new brands he’s sipping. And while it’s hard to beat the classic old-fashioned, this two-ingredient variation is as simple as they come, with a bit of Sicilian flair.

From standout everyday sippers to statement pours, these ten bottles at a range of price points cover all the bourbon fans on your list.

The three-time Stanley Cup champ and former Carolina Hurricanes player on finding home in the South—and a passion for bourbon.

Edward Lee is a Korean American chef and author celebrated for blending Southern cooking with international flavors in deeply personal ways. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he’s lived and run restaurants in Louisville since the early 2000s and last year published the book Bourbon Land. “As a chef, Kentucky resident, and an author of a bourbon cookbook,” Lee says, “I feel like it’s my duty to know everything about bourbon.”

“I’ve always considered myself a classic bourbon drinker with brands from Four Roses to Heaven Hill to Beam. But lately, I’ve been resisting my old-man urge to denounce the new and I’m drinking all the shiny new labels. And I’m glad because there are some gems out there, showing a new path that is boldness, albeit expensive, over tradition.

“Three that come to mind: Blue Run Bourbon—an unapologetically luxury bourbon that will have you reaching for your ascot. It is refined, savory, and velvety. I got introduced to Blackwood Distilling Co. through its outstanding rye whiskey, which makes an awesome Manhattan. But its bourbon is smoky, deep, nostalgic, and worth the search. Bill Binder [of Binder’s Stash Whiskey] is an eccentric entertainer who is releasing really small batch bourbons. They are pretty pricey, but if you can get your hands on a bottle, you won’t regret it. He knows how to find the best barrels at a time when a lot of bourbon has become watered-down. So embrace the new and the unknown, because it’s an exciting road.”

—Wayne Curtis, G&G contributing editor

No sugar or bitters? No problem. Try this twist on the classic that couldn’t be simpler.

The latest from the James B. Beam Distilling Co., Knob Creek 21 Year is also the oldest ever from the two-hundred-plus-year-old distillery. Bottled at 100 proof, the blend of hand-selected barrels delivers darkly sweet and complex flavors without being overwhelmed by oak.

Jack Daniel’s ventures into Hazmat territory with its annual Single Barrel Special Release: Tanyard Hill Rye. Bottles range from 130.2 to 148.8 proof, with all barrels aged in Barrelhouse 1 atop Tanyard Hill (next to the famed Coy Hill). Expect a dark mahogany color with notes of stone fruit, cooked cherries, and wintergreen.

George Washington’s Distillery at Mount Vernon has released an eight-year-old rye to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Washington assuming command of the Continental Army. Distilled using traditional eighteenth-century methods, Commander-in-Chief Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey is available at Mount Vernon and for shipment within Virginia and D.C.

A great gift for brown water fans, The Whiskey Bible, by James Beard Award–winning spirits writer Noah Rothbaum, is a six-hundred-plus-page guide to styles worldwide. From bourbon to Scotch to Japanese whisky, it distills decades of history and knowledge into one approachable resource.

Distillers and other artisans from the Bluegrass State’s Southern region take the spotlight at the Southern Kentucky Distillers Craft Festival (November 15) in Bowling Green, with a portion of proceeds benefiting veterans nonprofit the Semper Grati Project.

Get into the spirit of the roaring ’20s—with sips from today’s top Tennessee distillers—at the Bootleggers Bash, a whiskey and culinary festival (November 15) in Chattanooga hosted by the Tennessee Whiskey Trail.

For sale: one iconic distillery, established 1888. According to a report from the Financial Times, Japan’s Kirin Holdings is seeking a buyer for Four Roses, which it acquired in 2002. Price tag: $1 billion.

—Tom Wilmes, G&G contributor