The 8 Best Bourbons to Mix into an Old Fashioned
By Christopher Osburn
As part of our Whiskey Around the World annual content series, we bring you eight bourbons to try in your next Old Fashioned.
In the pantheon of classic cocktails, there aren’t many more beloved than the old fashioned. While the drink is traditionally made with whiskey (rye or bourbon), sugar, Angostura bitters, and a splash of water, it’s the kind of drink bartenders and mixologists enjoy experimenting with because of its versatility. Change out the Angostura bitters for some walnut bitters or add a complementary ingredient or two and you’ve taken the drink to another level.
And while experimenting with this drink is all well and good, it’s not an Old Fashioned without the whiskey. Choosing the right whiskey can make or break your drink. It’s a very alcohol-driven drink and using a lesser whiskey as its base is a quick way to ruin the whole experience.
Luckily for you, we’re in the business of cocktails. That’s why today we’re going to guarantee that your home bar cart or liquor cabinet is fully stocked with the best possible whiskeys to use as a base for a traditional Old Fashioned.
And while some drinkers prefer rye whiskey, we’re all about the bourbon. Keep scrolling to see eight of our favorite bourbons, each perfect to mix with to create a swoon-worthy, flavorful Old Fashioned you’ll want to sip with friends and family all year long.
Widow Jane 10-Year Bourbon
Widow Jane’s flagship expression is its 10-year-old bourbon. This marriage of sourced bourbons was created in Brooklyn in batches of only five barrels at a time. It’s non-chill filtered and proofed using mineral water from the nearby Rosendale Mines. It’s a great whiskey for an old fashioned because of its complex, balanced palate of maple candy, dried cherries, vanilla, toffee, and charred oak.
Wild Turkey Rare Breed Bourbon
If you’re not using Wild Turkey Rare Breed as a base for your old fashioned already, what are you waiting for? This popular barrel-proof bourbon is a blend of six, eight, and twelve-year-old bourbons. It’s known for its aromas of almond cookies, honey, dried fruits, and cracked black pepper, and a palate of vanilla, candied nuts, oak, and warm, gentle spices.
Redemption High Rye Bourbon
If you aren’t using a rye whiskey for the base for your old fashioned, a nice replacement is a high-rye bourbon like Redemption High Rye Bourbon. This high-proof bourbon (92 proof) has a mash bill featuring 36% rye. The result is a complex, flavorful, spicy whiskey with notes of vanilla beans, toffee candy, oak, licorice, dried fruits, and spicy, peppery rye at the finish.
Bib & Tucker 6 Year Bourbon
If you want to venture outside of Kentucky (even just a state away) to try a well-made, small-batch bourbon, we suggest Bib & Tucker 6-Year for your old fashioned. Matured for a minimum of six years on charred American oak barrels, this award-winning whiskey is well-known for its rich, bold nose of vanilla, dried fruits, and oak and a palate of candied pecans, butterscotch candy, vanilla beans, charred wood, and gentle wintry spices.
Still Austin Straight Bourbon
If you didn’t know it already, Texas has quietly become one of the best states for bourbon fans. And while Balcones and Garrison Brothers get all the press, Still Austin is crafting award-winning whiskeys in Austin. Its Flagship expression is Still Austin Straight Bourbon. Made with a mash bill of 70% chef-grade corn, 25% rye, and 5% barley, it’s known for its flavors of toffee, candied almonds, dried fruits, cinnamon, and light spices.
FEW Straight Bourbon
If you’re looking for a bold, high-proof bourbon to use as the base for an old fashioned, look no further than FEW Straight Bourbon. At 46.5%, this award-winning, high-rye bourbon carried a nose of dried cherries, vanilla, and oak. Sipping it reveals a symphony of sweet corn, honey, vanilla beans, charred wood, and gentle, peppery rye. It’s a younger whiskey at around four years old, but bold enough to stand up to the other old fashioned ingredients.
Woodinville Straight Bourbon
Another state that’s cranking out its fair share of award-winning bourbons is Washington. One of the best is Woodinville Straight Bourbon. This award-winning, small-batch bourbon is made with a mash bill of corn, rye, and barley, all grown at a family farm in Washington state. It’s known for its flavors of caramelized sugar, vanilla beans, dark chocolate, maple syrup, and oaky wood.
Elijah Craig Small Batch
According to some, Elijah Craig invented bourbon whiskey when the former Baptist minister decided to try aging his corn whiskey in charred oak barrels. Whether or not that story is actually true is up for debate. We do know that he has a whiskey line in his name and the flagship expression is Elijah Craig Small Batch, a bourbon known for its flavors of caramel, honey, vanilla, oak, and spices that’s well-suited for mixing into an old fashioned.
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