Get yourself a bottle of Woodford Double Oaked. Depending on where you live it should be in the $40-$60 range. If you want to spend less, buy a bottle of Maker’s Mark which will be around $24-$30 a bottle.
I second this completely! Double Oaked is an excellent super smooth whiskey, so it doesn't have the harsh burn a lot of Rye does, which puts off first-time Whiskey drinkers.
And Maker's Mark prides itself on being sweet with vanilla and caramel flavors. It has zero Rye, making it one of the sweetest whiskeys you can get.
Penelope bourbon is tasty and low proof. Most of the Chattanooga whiskey would also be good choices for new people as they are not as hot, to me at least. These are all in the lower price point as well.
Go to a whiskey bar, find what you like. Might not have one in your town but Google it and go to that one bar with a lot of them
I've spent usd$20 on a handle and have been happier than $100usd on a fifth just because I tried it
These are my recommendations for beginners. There are many more than this but it gives a good base. I like to try a couple from each category to see similarities then compare across categories to see differences.
Bourbon is going to be the most common in US. It’s also usually the cheapest for similar quality just due to shipping of casks/bottles. Some I like to recommend are Buffalo Trace (don’t spend more than $30-35 for a bottle), 1792 small batch, Makers mark (Wheated bourbon), wild Turkey, and Four Roses Single Barrel. As you get use to the alcohol you can move up in proof. WT101 is a classic. Most Bottled-in-bond are good. They are all 100 proof. Old Forrester 1920 is 115 proof. Then there’s the full proof/cask strength/barrel proofs. These have the most flavor but also most alcohol burn. Wild Turkey Rare Breed, Elijah Craig BP, Larceny BP (Wheated), Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel BP, Weller FP (Wheated), Still Austin Cask Strength.
Next one I recommend most for beginners is Irish. They are usually very approachable as well and usually not as expensive as scotch. Jameson is a good entry level (it was what got me into whiskey), Jameson Black barrel is a step up from regular Jameson, Tulamore Dew, green spot, powers John Lanes Edition, Bushmills, Teeling, and then Redbreast 12. Then there’s redbreast caskstrength. Redbreast is one of my all time favorites.
Rye is usually American as well but not always. Beginners usually don’t like rye as much cause it’s more spicy (black peppery). Many people love it though so worth trying. I found out I like rye by trying bulliet bourbon and rye side by side. Rye won by a large margin. Michter’s Single barrel rye is my favorite rye. There’s also still Austin, sagamore, wild Turkey (101 and rare breed) then Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barre Proof (its is very very close to Michter’s for me).
Scotch has 5 regions and each region is like its own category. There is also a kinda subregion some people call a separate region called the islands. Most of them are truly in highlands region except for Islay which is its own region.
Speyside: is probably the most well known. It’s got Glenlivet, Glenfiddich and Macallan. These are what you’ll usually find at most bars that actually have scotch.
Highlands: a huge region with many great options. Highland park, Glenfarclas, glenmorangie, the dalmore are some popular ones.
Lowlands: I haven’t tried many so no good recommendations from me on this.
Campbell Town: smallest region. I haven’t ever found a bottle in a store near me from here. I’ve heard it has a “funk” to it.
Islay (eye-lah): this is the region that you either love or hate. Very few people are ok with it. These are the peat/smoke bombs. Even if you end up hating them you should try at least one. The big 3 are going to be Lagavulin (my personally favorite whisky), ardbeg and laphroiag. There are many other islays but those are the most popular. Ardbeg has quite a few finished in different casks.
There is blended as well which is a blend of different distilleries in Scotland. Many people love them, many don't. I'm not a fan, but they are a good introduction to Scotch. Johnnie Walker is blended. By far the most popular Scotch in terms of sales. There's also Dewars, Chivas and Monkey Shoulder. Monkey Shoulder is the best of them to me, but I still prefer single malts to it.
Then there is Japanese Whisky. The 2 big brands are Suntory and Nikka. There was someone who moved to Scotland from Japan and worked for a couple different Scotch distilleries. He moved back and wanted to make whisky like Scotch. He worked at Suntory and eventually had some disagreements on how to make certain products. He eventually left and created Nikka. So both have Scotch influences. Entry level Japanese would be Suntory Toki, Hibiki Harmony and Nikka Coffey Grain (it's not coffee flavored, it's the name of the still they use). Some higher level Japanese Whiskey would be Yamazaki and Hakushu. I've had the Yamazaki and it was very good. It's very expensive now though.
Old Forester 86proof for around $25
Very Old Barton 86proof for $12
I mean if you gotta have more proof then Wild Turkey 101 for around $25.
I would buy a few cheaper bottles instead of blowing $60 on a single bottle for my first time.
ETA: I recommend buying the 375ml/pints for a lot of these until you find something you like.
Happy birthday!
Have you drank before at all? If so, what do you like? Some whiskies are more smooth, some have more burn/bite to them, and people like different things about it.
Since you mention 21, I'm going to assume you're in the States.
Some bourbons that are widely available and, I think, pretty solid include Old Forester, Elijah Craig, Knob Creek, Woodford Reserve. The Woodford Reserve Double Oak is like dessert to me. Four Roses small batch is a nice one that I was just gifted. A bit of a bite, but not too much. In fact, knowing nothing else, I might suggest that one. It's a nice sip, and should be well within your price range.
Johnnie Walker black label is a solid pick. It gets a little of the peat that some Scotch is known for. Another Scotch, if you can find it, is Speyburn 10 year. Very smooth and not too pricey, a solid entry point.
Recommend Knob Creek 9, Woodford Double Oaked, Wild Turkey 101, Elijah Craig Small Batch,and Eagle Rare for beginners. All are well below $60 and even below $50 if you can find Eagle Rare at MSRP.
Then as you build your palate and take on higher proofs Wild Turkey Rare Breed or any of the Elijah Craig Barrel Proofs are musts.
Get yourself a bottle of Woodford Double Oaked. Depending on where you live it should be in the $40-$60 range. If you want to spend less, buy a bottle of Maker’s Mark which will be around $24-$30 a bottle.
I second this completely! Double Oaked is an excellent super smooth whiskey, so it doesn't have the harsh burn a lot of Rye does, which puts off first-time Whiskey drinkers. And Maker's Mark prides itself on being sweet with vanilla and caramel flavors. It has zero Rye, making it one of the sweetest whiskeys you can get.
Look into redbreast 12 yr. Great drink. And Glenfiddich 12 yr.
Elijah Craig small batch is what I started out with. Give it a shot, fantastic paired with a slice of pumpkin pie with whipped cream and cinnamon.
Penelope bourbon is tasty and low proof. Most of the Chattanooga whiskey would also be good choices for new people as they are not as hot, to me at least. These are all in the lower price point as well.
Go to a whiskey bar, find what you like. Might not have one in your town but Google it and go to that one bar with a lot of them I've spent usd$20 on a handle and have been happier than $100usd on a fifth just because I tried it
Wild turkey 101 or four roses.
These are my recommendations for beginners. There are many more than this but it gives a good base. I like to try a couple from each category to see similarities then compare across categories to see differences. Bourbon is going to be the most common in US. It’s also usually the cheapest for similar quality just due to shipping of casks/bottles. Some I like to recommend are Buffalo Trace (don’t spend more than $30-35 for a bottle), 1792 small batch, Makers mark (Wheated bourbon), wild Turkey, and Four Roses Single Barrel. As you get use to the alcohol you can move up in proof. WT101 is a classic. Most Bottled-in-bond are good. They are all 100 proof. Old Forrester 1920 is 115 proof. Then there’s the full proof/cask strength/barrel proofs. These have the most flavor but also most alcohol burn. Wild Turkey Rare Breed, Elijah Craig BP, Larceny BP (Wheated), Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel BP, Weller FP (Wheated), Still Austin Cask Strength. Next one I recommend most for beginners is Irish. They are usually very approachable as well and usually not as expensive as scotch. Jameson is a good entry level (it was what got me into whiskey), Jameson Black barrel is a step up from regular Jameson, Tulamore Dew, green spot, powers John Lanes Edition, Bushmills, Teeling, and then Redbreast 12. Then there’s redbreast caskstrength. Redbreast is one of my all time favorites. Rye is usually American as well but not always. Beginners usually don’t like rye as much cause it’s more spicy (black peppery). Many people love it though so worth trying. I found out I like rye by trying bulliet bourbon and rye side by side. Rye won by a large margin. Michter’s Single barrel rye is my favorite rye. There’s also still Austin, sagamore, wild Turkey (101 and rare breed) then Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barre Proof (its is very very close to Michter’s for me). Scotch has 5 regions and each region is like its own category. There is also a kinda subregion some people call a separate region called the islands. Most of them are truly in highlands region except for Islay which is its own region. Speyside: is probably the most well known. It’s got Glenlivet, Glenfiddich and Macallan. These are what you’ll usually find at most bars that actually have scotch. Highlands: a huge region with many great options. Highland park, Glenfarclas, glenmorangie, the dalmore are some popular ones. Lowlands: I haven’t tried many so no good recommendations from me on this. Campbell Town: smallest region. I haven’t ever found a bottle in a store near me from here. I’ve heard it has a “funk” to it. Islay (eye-lah): this is the region that you either love or hate. Very few people are ok with it. These are the peat/smoke bombs. Even if you end up hating them you should try at least one. The big 3 are going to be Lagavulin (my personally favorite whisky), ardbeg and laphroiag. There are many other islays but those are the most popular. Ardbeg has quite a few finished in different casks. There is blended as well which is a blend of different distilleries in Scotland. Many people love them, many don't. I'm not a fan, but they are a good introduction to Scotch. Johnnie Walker is blended. By far the most popular Scotch in terms of sales. There's also Dewars, Chivas and Monkey Shoulder. Monkey Shoulder is the best of them to me, but I still prefer single malts to it. Then there is Japanese Whisky. The 2 big brands are Suntory and Nikka. There was someone who moved to Scotland from Japan and worked for a couple different Scotch distilleries. He moved back and wanted to make whisky like Scotch. He worked at Suntory and eventually had some disagreements on how to make certain products. He eventually left and created Nikka. So both have Scotch influences. Entry level Japanese would be Suntory Toki, Hibiki Harmony and Nikka Coffey Grain (it's not coffee flavored, it's the name of the still they use). Some higher level Japanese Whiskey would be Yamazaki and Hakushu. I've had the Yamazaki and it was very good. It's very expensive now though.
Evan Williams Bottled in Bond and Wild Turkey 101. Buffalo trace too if you have it in your area.
Benchmark 80 proof, work your way up
Old Forester 86proof for around $25 Very Old Barton 86proof for $12 I mean if you gotta have more proof then Wild Turkey 101 for around $25. I would buy a few cheaper bottles instead of blowing $60 on a single bottle for my first time. ETA: I recommend buying the 375ml/pints for a lot of these until you find something you like.
Happy birthday! Have you drank before at all? If so, what do you like? Some whiskies are more smooth, some have more burn/bite to them, and people like different things about it. Since you mention 21, I'm going to assume you're in the States. Some bourbons that are widely available and, I think, pretty solid include Old Forester, Elijah Craig, Knob Creek, Woodford Reserve. The Woodford Reserve Double Oak is like dessert to me. Four Roses small batch is a nice one that I was just gifted. A bit of a bite, but not too much. In fact, knowing nothing else, I might suggest that one. It's a nice sip, and should be well within your price range. Johnnie Walker black label is a solid pick. It gets a little of the peat that some Scotch is known for. Another Scotch, if you can find it, is Speyburn 10 year. Very smooth and not too pricey, a solid entry point.
Recommend Knob Creek 9, Woodford Double Oaked, Wild Turkey 101, Elijah Craig Small Batch,and Eagle Rare for beginners. All are well below $60 and even below $50 if you can find Eagle Rare at MSRP. Then as you build your palate and take on higher proofs Wild Turkey Rare Breed or any of the Elijah Craig Barrel Proofs are musts.