I'm going to retire soon and I thought I'd celebrate the occasion with some special whiskey, either Scotch, Bourbon, Irish or Canadian. Budget $150 max for 750ml. I was thinking maybe Johnnie Walker Blue. Lots of people say you can do just as well or better for less, but are rarely specific. Your recommendations?

Bookers

Woodford Reserve

I don't know anything about expensive Booze , but my fishing buddy always used to complain about having to buy Chivas Royal Salute whenever his father-in-law visited . I think it might be $25 to $50 above your budget though .

Redbreast Irish whiskey - I have never had anything better, up to and including Johnny Walker Blue which is a pretty special whiskey.
But we all have different tastes so my advice is to get something that you would like, after all it is your retirement.

drover

What type of whiskey do you normally enjoy?

Not trying to be a smartarse, but will help make recommendations. (Would hate to say go get a bottle of Octomore if you hate peat.)

Wherever youre retiring from, your buds at work should buy you that bottle.

That's how it works where I'm from.

Whatever you decide on, ease into that retirement and enjoy it.

What do you like?

If I just wanted a $150 bottle of booze I'd buy a bottle of Middletons before a bottle of Johnnie Blue. And I'm a scotch guy. You can do way better for less.

But if you have a preference of type of whisk(e)y I'd probably have a different recommendation.

If you like peated scotch I'd say Lagavulin Distiller's edition.

Blantons........................enjoy your retirement & Good Luck.

MM

Well, there's at least one thing we can agree on. Lol

Glenmorangie Cherry Cast single malt. Very light peat and around $80 a bottle. Add ice, a good cigar, and enjoy.

:: This Space Reserved For Mathman ::

This...

Make that 3 of us!!!

There’s so much to choose from you could go mad trying to decide. The balvenie portwood 21 year is in your price range. Course it all depends on the flavor profile you prefer.

Really great bourbon has become unobtanium.....for example anything by Pappy or 21 year old Elijah Craig. With a little searching you can usually find Blanton's or Elijah Craig which are wonderful bourbons.

I think it is easier to find great scotches than bourbons today. Two that I enjoy are 18 year old Talisker and for the peat lovers, 16 year old Lagavulin.

Regardless of the brand you choose, enjoy it in a proper glass:

https://www.amazon.com/Glencairn-Whisky-Glass-Set-4/dp/B003QX2JMA

Congrats on the retirement, pour your yourself some wonderful amber liquid and reflect on a job well done!

405wcf

Since you're thinking Johnnie Walker - find a local bar that has one of the Balvenies. Try that. People who sort of like Scotch but haven't tried a lot of it usually enjoy their whisky. You can get a nice one for under your budget.

https://www.thebalvenie.com

Another vote for Redbreast if you go Irish.
Balvenie Doublewood for scotch, its easy to find and reasonable priced, but lots of good single malt scotch choices out there.
For bourbon, Weller 12, Stagg jr or Pappy 15 if you can find it. Otherwise, Blantons or Eagle Rare.

My new favorite. Salted caramel crown royal. I was just given one as a gift.

Here's some you don't see everyday. And yes, the one's I've tried have been excellent! Good luck with your retirement!

http://penderyn.wales/

Was going to say Balvenie 14yr is a nice one. But then Mac84 has to bring up this 21yr portwood that've never tried, so...? So hope you try THAT one and report back.

Are you guys really buying J Walker Blue for $150 !!


Last time I priced it here a few years ago it was $250



At this rate pretty soon it’ll be cheaper to catch a flight to the lower 48 and drink than drink here at home 🤦🏼‍♂️

Lmao that was superb !

Lagavulin 16. In glasses like these:

https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/riedel-spey-double-old-fashioned-glasses/?cm_src=AutoRel

You can buy the bottle and four glasses for less than your budget, but I doubt you'll ever have a better whiskey.

That's what I had watching the midterm returns.

Lagavulin 16 used to be my daily scotch! Fantastic drink!

Recently tried Glen Fire and Cane. Also pretty solid.

TX whiskey is also solid, but you have to have access to one of the states it’s sold in.

Damn, my mouth is watering now. In the process of upgrading properties.......at this point I’m somewhere between mad dog 2020 and a pint of refurbished jack. I don’t think I’ve ever been sick on good whiskey, but I can still taste that mad dog 30 plus years later.
Cheers

WOW

JW Blue is WAYYY over rated in my opinion. To me, the best tasting JW (blended) is their 15 year old Green Label because one the the whiskys used is Talisker a favorite of mine and if you can find the 18 year that is my recommendation. Some folks mentioned Lagavulin and that is an EXCELLENT whisky, IF you like "peat" (I do).

Try a bottle of Malort..............you won't feel like retiring.

Agreed. JW Green is good and better than blue.


Lagavulin rocks, but given the budget, the Distiller’s Edition is a step or two above the 16 and worth the extra, especially lately.

Philistine

What distant planet are you from?

Missed that, then again, "Crown Royal" and whisky have nothing in common..

Sweetened Canadian Zippo fluid.

Walked into a liquor store the other day in a seedier part of town. I was amazed all the high dollar whiskys were on the shelf and those lovely fleece-satin bagged bottles of Crown Royal were either locked behind glass or behind the counter. ...

Lol...you may not like it, but I do. And considering the cost of some of those offered, it's a good thing.

it's all in good fun...

Yes it is. Some folks here are way too serious.

This in the 15 year Balvenie

Here's my advice:

Since "better" depends so much on individual tastes (just ask about who sells a better hamburger, for example) you can't really learn anything in a thread like this. So...take the first $50 and buy shots of several brands at a well-stocked bar. One per night. Two at most - to keep your tastebuds sober. That way, you get an idea of what YOU like best.

Then go buy a bottle.

Since Irish whiskey is on your list I'll be specific:

https://www.redbreastwhiskey.com/en-en/meet-the-family/redbreast-15-year-old-whiskey

I'm not sure I would have put that on the internet.

He can run for office now, all the horrible dirt is out there already.

Fo sho!

I'm going to have to try this.

Glenfiddich 20yr for a c note

Variations in individual taste are a good point, so let me give you an idea.

I'm not a fan of heavily flavored spirits. So while extremely peaty scotch or exaggerated flavors of any sort are not my thing. I consider artificially flavored spirits an abomination. I enjoy Woodford Reserve Double Oaked, Elijah Craig, Basil Hayden, Jefferson. I'm not a snob about blended whiskey, I'll gladly drink Chivas Regal and Crown Royal if that's what's on offer. I don't consider "smooth" to be a dirty word.

The Redbreast 15 and the Penderyn look very interesting.

Thanks for the recommendations and good wishes.

Redbreast 15 is on my favorite whisk(e)y short list, even the very short version.

TX...and save the $120 left over for hunting gear.

Enjoy retirement.

Smooth isn't a dirty word, but too many going for that description land on bland and/or thin.

If you can find this exact version, this one is an example of really smooth and really rich:

Basil Hayden is a bourbon that I enjoy.

$150 doesn't go nearly as far, up here !



Buy what you enjoy.

What is a bottle of that gonna cost me?

I can't tell you off the top of my head, it's been a few years since I bought any. The better part of a C-note I'm betting.

Redbreast 15 is nice, I like it better than 12, but 12 is darn good. Have not seen any 15 around here in awile.

Unless it has gone price crazy since I got mine a while back, the 12 is one of the better whiskey bargains out there.

Almost as bad as some cornbread posts in the cooking section.

Boyz were fixing ta be locked and loaded a few years back.

First time I've seen Jefferson's mentioned here at the 24HCF.

Likker store in Weston, WV carries it and remarked that's his best seller. At $127/750 I'm surprised.

http://jeffersonsbourbon.com/ocean-voyages/

Say, maybe there's a whiskEy named 6.5 Creedmoor (some blended rye crap of course) complete with a velvet purple bag. Serve over ice in a plastic red cup..

I retired with an old favorite that has stood the test of time. No need for any more fancy $hitt.

Please quit advertising Red Breast. I don't want a shortage for me! Next thing you know 1910 will be exposed! I think 1910 is more of a regional Northwest whiskey though. I was in an airport several years ago and went to an Irish Pub for lunch. Had several hour layover, so I told the bartender to give me a double shot of the best Irish Whiskey they had. That is how I discovered Red Breast.

Macallan 18 would be my pick..

Generally over priced, too much name recognition.

My favorite is Bookers. Woodford Reserve is great too.

Wife bought me a bottle of this when it first came out and was about $50 a bottle. Good stuff. Surprised it is so expensive now.

Who'd a thunk Bourbon would become hip and trendy and drive up the price?

It hasnt been mentioned yet, and it may not be popular for such an event if you're retiring from an american steel mill or car plant BUT... If you're asking for a high quality whisky but dont know what you want, I'd consider a blended japanese whisky. They are a very popular new 'thing' on the market and I've REALLY enjoyed them.
A through-and-through whisky drinker will NOT like them, they're mellow, and SMOOTH. not a ton of bite and wont make you snort. They are on the border of perfect for a interloping whisky drinker though.

If you like whiskey and have to ask recommendations for spending a buck and a half on a 750, it honestly won’t matter. Depending on which state is taxing it, once you get past $60 or $70 they’re all good and it just becomes a matter of individual taste. There are a lot of $35 whiskeys I enjoy. There probably aren’t any over $100 I’d turn down.

2.5 years ago I retired and had a shot of my special occasion Scotch..... From a bottle of "Famous Grouse" Scotch brought here direct from Scotland well over 10 years ago by a Scottish relative. Not the most expensive or famous Scotch but good for a special occasion nip or two. My paternal grand parents were both from Scotland so the decision was easy for me. That bottle is still about a quarter full and at that rate it should be around for another 5 years minimum.

I don't know if it is the same stuff, but you can get Famous Grouse here for a very reasonable price. I just bought a 1.75 L bottle for $40. It's labeled Bottled in Scotland, and it is my default Scotch. I pick up a bottle of an Islay brand once in a while for the peaty smokiness, but FG is my fallback.

Famous Grouse is a great deal for an "everyday" blended Scotch. A local grocery store had the 1.75 L bottle on sale for $28 and change a little while back, and yes some came home with me. For me it's at it's best with some club soda or spring water. Drinking whisky rather than sipping whiskey. Far better than it's competitors like Cutty Sark, J&B or Dewars.

If you can't laugh at yourself, you don't understand humor at all. I don't play a part when I post, this is me, deal with it.

And---- $150 worth of FG will make your special day last a lot longer. ;-{>8


Just took delivery of a couple of big jugs yeaterday.

Jack Daniels , Proof Barrel , Single Barrel
Kenneth

Opened this bottle for my good friend’s 50th birthday




Some Kentucky boys brought this out the last night of our Wyoming hunt with Bear Track, it was very good.

Totally agree. Who would ever want to water down excellent whiskey? Or for that matter dull their taste buds with smoke?

My son knows a lot more about liquor of all types than I. He says that Paddy is overpriced and that Colonel Taylor is better. I have both the Small Batch and Single Barrel. I can tell the difference, but like Buffalo Trace just as much.

Duh. You forgot the Coke.




I like single barrel Jack Daniels for Christmas time.

Not being able to smell and having a horrible sense of taste, I unfortunately cannot appreciate whiskey/bourbon, as it's just all firewater to me. Peat, oak...might as well be the guys doing the blending.

Anyhow, buddies were over one evening and I wanted to sear off some really bad cheap steak (london broil) on the grill for some fajitas, and so whipped up a marinate. It included a splash of some tasker or talisper or some such 25 yo crap scottish stuff my father in law left behind.

A friend of a friend got up in my face for tossing that firewater in with a crap piece of steak, and demanded that I only sip the rest of the almost full bottle. He was shortly thereafter uninvited to the cookout. IDGAF about that whisky but that London broil turned out ok!

That is the only whisky story I have.

Barterhouse. Fits the bill you can find it for the price. I like blanton's but Barterhouse is a carmelly version that is very good.

And... the pay off...

That is an extremely good price for FG. I bought it at this time last year in Scotland where it is only available in full liters, for $22 US and thought it a great deal. The bird is pretty cool too because it is the basis for so many old fly fishing patterns and the state bird of AK.

The black grouse is actually a bit better to my taste... significantly more peat and smoke.

Absolutely! Blanton’s single barrel is great!

You've bred?

OK, I will go off reservation. Bushmills 21. I like it. Too much.

This

Why not a nice mead instead?

lol

Autumnal? With a malty flavor?

I tend toward Jefferson's a bit too much actually but will say that Ocean's was forgettable.

My Daughter and son in law got me a bottle of Lagavulin 16 for my birthday.

It was the BEST scotch I've ever had!

They also got me a bottle of Laphroig cask strength for Fathers day.

It was very good also, but the Lagavulin 16 was a wee bit better.

What a WONDERFUL kids!

I bought myself a bottle of Laphorig when I retired 6 years ago.

Enjoy your retirement! And that fine jug you pick out!

Virgil B.

Get on a list or a few lists and get some Weller 12 or Blanton's. The stores should be receiving it now or next week...here anyway. I got on a drawing list yesterday at the store near Costco and the rumor is that they will have one bottle of Pappy's 23-yr old. But you have to be present to win. And you have to pay for it if you "win" it.

I like blackjack, don’t need no special occasion to drink some!

I agree , it's around 55.00 a bottle here. If you like Bourbon this is the one to get.

Hard to go wrong with any of the moderately or higher priced bourbons. There isn't nearly the variety in tastes in them compared to Scotch. I'm content with Trace as a daily drinker or even for special occasions, despite the fact I have many of the pricier bourbons mentioned in this thread. Special occasions merit the Lagavulin 16.

They also make "Very Small Batch" that's quite good and considerably cheaper.

If you can find it, another GREAT one is "A Midsummer Night's Dram" from High West...smoothest rye I've ever tasted.

Midsummer

Rye? This one is superb if you can get your hands on it:

OK there has been some talk about Jefferson here. I had to go to the big city and right across from where I was there was a big liquor store. Went in to get me a bottle of Rye and they had Jefferson Ocean in the glass cabinet. Right at a c-note for 750ML. They said they get one shipment a year and it sells out quickly. I passed. Is it that good or is it a sales pitch on being in a ship??

Pass on the Ocean.

Weller 12
Bento s Straight from the Barrel (Have to buy on a secondary market)
Makers Mark Private Select. (Need to buy at a store that bought a barrel but relatively easy to find)
Wild Turkey Decades

I really enjoyMidwinters Night, & EH Taylor that others mentioned

Sons 45th birthday coming up sat. After reading this thread, I pulled the trigger and picked up a bottle of Redbreast 12.....I hope it was worth the scratch, never paid that much for a bottle of anything in my life? We both enjoy Irish whiskey as well as others, just not the refined taste of you die hards, our benchmark has been Jamison's, or should I say my wallet limit, hope it's a good'un.

Great tasting whiskey from the gentleman and scholar, Hatari, who promptly pays up as he promises on the rare occasion he loses a bet, contrary to the low life losers who are supposedly highly intelligent lieberals (ha, what an oxymoron).

I was saving it for special occasions with friends but after giving it a try, i think i will save it for me, myself and I.

Thanks, Jeff.

That looks far too good for the likes of you. Enjoy!

You wanna bet?

Amazing, I can’t hardly stand Bookers, but really enjoy the woodford reserve, particularly their double oak casket or whatever it’s called.

Taste is an individual thing. Think Rocky gave some good advice to go to a bar try some different whiskeys and see what pleases your palate. Congrats on retirement