I haven't gotten into Bourbon. Scotch Whisky though, that I like.

I usually have a few beers when i play but if inbdrinking hard stuff its usually whisky. Ive beem into bullet bourbon lately. Good price and is smooth.

A 1/4 glass of Marker's or Eagle Rare and a cube of ice makes the world go round. Haven't bothered with any special release stuff, should pick a few up though since it pretty much never goes bad.

I've tried a few bourbons, but I always come back to good ole Makers Mark. My drink of choice the last few years has been the Old Fashioned. Simple but delicious.

I've been into Bulleit. It's just a little cheaper than many and still pretty darn good.

Two great lower-priced bourbons are the regular Buffalo Trace and Henry McKenna 10 Year Bottled in Bond Straight Kentucky Bourbon.

Honestly, unless you're going for Pappy or some of the limited releases, there's no reason to spend more than $50 for regular issue bourbon (which is the price of Angel's Envy, one of the best bourbons at any price)

I never mix it, just one cube of ice, let it breath for a minute or 2 and slowly enjoy. Great for sipping on after a long day at work. I'm more of a wine drinker but every once in a while nothing beats a nice glass of bourbon.

I also always drink it straight.

Some of my go-to's
Economical:
Buffalo Trace
Tin Cup
Elijah Craig
Makers

A little more pricey:
Basil Hayden
Straight Edge
Angels Envy(tastes a lot like Hayden, but where I live, Envy is $10 more)
Breckenridge

One glass, two huge ice cubes, and I'm good to go for the night!

Wish I had pictures of my white water, it was part of a Jim Beam promotion, the cabinet had the JB art on the sides

Yup. No ice. I do use those frozen rocks though (soapstone?). I think that still counts as straight up.

Been drinking Noah's mill, willet, and angel's envy. All excellent. Haven't gone hunting for the rare stuff this thread is about. I was in Kentucky back in the spring and asked in a couple shops if there was anything rare/sought after I should pick up, but they didn't have anything. Sounds like maybe I was out of season.

tumblr_nazotxtV5e1swze9do2_1280 (resized).jpg

Makers Mark... The empty case also makes a great replacement topper

IMG_20160426_212529 (resized).jpg

I only like Glenfiddich brand.

I love a good whiskey rare or not. I usually only hunt down one rare bourbon. Love Basil Hayden as well even though it's not on the shelf at the moment.
IMG_7441 (resized).PNG

All of these are fine bourbons. Makers is my go to but if I want to really relax I go with Booker's straight and a Fuente Fuente Opus X. That is a manly combination.

I will also say that a fine whiskey is complimented greatly by a fine cigar, and vise versa.

Do you mean for a bottle or by the glass?
At Spears, adjacent to the Westin in Wheeling, I had a double of something that was close to fifty bucks the other day.

When you order woodford reserve at a restaurant you get screwed everytime. Good bourbon, not that for that price though.

Angel's envy is fantastic. Hard to find in the KC area.

Good topic! My current preferred beverage combo and style while playing pinball (the actual brands vary somewhat).

shot and a beer (resized).jpg

Pretty darn good price at Bevmo for the quality IMO. Last bottle of Woodford Reserve I got on sale for like $29 at Bevmo...

Regarding Old Rip Van Winkle...I've been lucky enough to do blind tastings of 20 year, 15 year, and the 10 year and every time I liked the 10 best which is the least expensive. I guess I mention that because cost does not mean you will like it more than a cheaper bottle. That's why I enjoy whiskey tasting events it allows for me to taste a wide variety to see what I prefer.

Two I found recently in my national parks vacation was Sugarhouse in SLC, and if smoke is your thing really dug the High West campfire. Peach Street, Laws, Leopolds, and still find time for Stranahans. Roughstock in Montana. Locally Ballast Devil Share is solid which is soon switching to Cutwater with the Constellation buyout of Ballast Pt. Malahat just released theirs and would love to find it.

None of these are that rare but straight from the source of craft distilleries.

Go neat or go home! Although a few droplets of water can be good for barrel strength pours. Lately I've been enjoying Stagg Jr. a lot.

BTW, the restaurant out front of the Expo hotel has a large selection of bourbons.

IMG_4297 (resized).JPG

IMG_4298 (resized).JPG

These are not all bourbons, but this is what I have sitting on top of the back bar right now. The two best tequilas in the world (Don Julio Real and Herrudura Seleccion Suprema), two awesome Lagavulin scotches, Johnny Blue, Yamasaki, some Bookers, some Makers, a really nice Bushmills, etc. All the rest of the booze is on rollouts down below.

Collecting tequilas is fun and the good ones taste more like a cognac or whiskey. I have some for the taste and some for the bottles. All in all, I have over 50 tequilas. They used to be relatively cheap but similar to bourbon, have become popular recently and the price has gone up.

IMG_0322 (resized).JPG

I've dumped way too much money on whiskey. Don't even get me started on wine.

Fortunately you can't drink a pinball machine so it always retains some value.

That said... a good whiskey pairs well with pinball. Too much beer and you're peeing all the time instead of playing.

Some of my faves are pictured. I like them peaty and over the top with an ice cube or two.

Also pleasantly surprised by Japanese whiskeys.

If you haven't tried them yet, anything by Compass Box is great. Their top end stuff is spectacular.

whiskey2 (resized).jpg
whiskey1 (resized).jpg

whiskey6 (resized).jpg
whiskey4 (resized).jpg
whiskey5 (resized).jpg
whiskey8 (resized).jpg
whiskey9 (resized).jpg
whiskey7 (resized).png

Liquor cabinet current state.

IMG_4344 (resized).JPG

The Yamazaki 18 yr is probably the best scotch I've ever had even though it's not technically a scotch. I always try to keep a bottle on hand, but since it's fairly pricey to drink all the time, the Highland Park 12 is more of my day-to-day scotch.

I drink ryes about as much as scotch though and my favorites are High West. I always keep a bottle of their Rendezvous Rye (the best) and Double Rye (everyday).

Don't really drink bourbons as much as the other two, but Bell Meade or Eagle Rare are my norms, though Angel's Envy is also a favorite.

All whiskey seems best to me straight, though sometimes i add a single smallish ice cube, particularly for bourbons. Tried various whiskey stones but none seem to work that well.

Hmm...this thread has reminded me how much stuff I'm out of stock on...

I don't drink a ton of bourbon, but my go to is Old Weller Antique. It is a very nice wheated bourbon. It is part of the Buffalo Trace Distillery and apparently uses the same recipe as PVW. In fact, the patriarch of PVW worked for Old Weller before setting out on his own. My drink of choice is wine, particularly cabernet. Don't get me started here.

Sean

This is a thread I can get behind. Gin was my go to for a long time. That has recently gone to scotch and bourbon. It's just so much less work to not have to mix with tonic.

I haven't gotten too far into bourbon yet, but when Costco sells a handle of Buffalo Trace for $30 it's hard to branch out. This bottle really should have lasted longer than it has...

My staple pin playing whiskey is Evan Williams, bottom shelf stuff, but smooth & I swear it's hangover free.

I built my own still a while back & hung out in the home distiller's sites for a while, they all agreed that Evan was by far the best affordable whiskey out there.

Pappy is overrated the btac could be found up north 10 yr ago but not now.So now I drink the 10 yr old Eagle Rare but not the 17 yr old.Other good single barrel like Blanton's or Fore Rose bourbon

A shot of Evans Williams (the house bourbon) chased with a draft PBR - mmm mmm Aunt Bee! A popular libation while playing pins at Shorty's in Seattle. Refreshing and inexpensive!
Can't necessarily agree with the no hangover benefit though. Then again, perhaps it was the PBR.

Added over 7 years ago: EDIT: Subsequent testing has shown it was the PBR. I now abstain from drinking it, even though I still enjoy my Pabst Can Crusher!

I have a large bourbon collection but my go to is Makers. Makers and pinball is a nightly event.

They need a pinball drinking game to play with friends. Like when you hit jackpot you drink, lock a ball drink ect.

I'm a Jack Daniels man myself.

JD (resized).jpg

Bourbon (although Jack is technically a whiskey) & coke - another fine libation!

I wouldn't call Evan Williams bottom shelf (maybe the standard bottle). I think the Evans Williams Single Barrel is excellent and a great value in this constant rising tide of Bourbon prices.

You know it HAD to be the PBR giving you problems.. that's why I make it a rule to "stay the course" & NEVER mix different alcohol types during a session. Only took me 57 years to figure that out, but I'm a slow learner.

Dammit, I gotta get me one of those mid-60's Williams drinking pins. (with the cool drink shelf on the front)

I mostly have Michigan whiskeys on my shelf. There's nothing like sipping and flipping. Here's my whiskey bar and the view from it. (Halloween in the barcade is in full effect)

IMG_0238 (resized).JPG

IMG_0240 (resized).JPG

Definitely a thread I can get behind too! Scored the 2016 OFBB yesterday. I've been chasing bourbon longer than I've been collecting pins-but it is all about the thrill of the hunt! Probably going to save this bottle for Thanksgiving or Christmas. May have to christen the next pin with it! Current daily drivers vary between Evan Williams BiB, Turkey 101, and Rittenhouse. Are you guys still seeing Old Weller Antique in the wild at retail?

KIMG0170 (resized).jpg

Sorry, I was on a list. Waiting for my BTAC lottery now. The hunt continues though.