Game Day Drams Under $30

Baseball, hockey, basketball, football or whichever sport you favor, whiskey pairs well with them all! Here are our top American whiskey recommendations all under $30!
Apr 03, 2018
  • 10
    82
    Sweet
    This is a Kentucky straight bourbon and is the entry-level bourbon for the brand. Four Roses has two separate mash bills they can use for their bourbons. One is labeled recipe "B" and is 60% corn, 35% rye, and 5% malted barley. The other is recipe "E" and is 75% corn, 20% rye, and 5% malted barley. Both mash bills are utilized for this bottling. Additionally, Four Roses uses up to five different yeast strains for their bourbons. All are used here. Over time, the Yellow Label bottle has changed with the label losing the yellow color. Beginning in spring 2018, the name for this product is simply "Four Roses Bourbon".
  • 9
    83
    Sweet
    The former George T. Stagg distillery was renamed Buffalo Trace when Sazerac took over ownership in 1999. Master Distiller Elmer T. Lee came out of retirement for the creation of the Buffalo Trace Bourbon which was released later that same year. This is the flagship bourbon from the distillery and is comprised of a low-rye traditional mash bill. It is bottled without an age statement at 90 proof.
  • 8
    82
    Spicy & Vanilla
    Redemption High-Rye Bourbon aims at creating a youthful hybrid whiskey between bourbon and rye. It is distilled and aged in Indiana at Midwest Grain Products (MGP) with an especially unique mash bill of 60% Corn, 36% rye, and 4% barley malt. It is aged at least 1 year in new charred American oak before being bottled at 92 proof. Note: Updated packaging as of November 2016.
  • 7
    84
    Rich & Spicy
    Aged on average 6 to 8 years this replacement for the Turkey 80 was brought about for a couple of reasons. It has an ever so slight higher proof and a different blend for the 'mixology' crowd and some speculate that it was a way for Jimmy's son Eddie Russell to make his statement on the company. Aged using new American oak barrels with an "alligator char" (char no. 4). Formerly known as Wild Turkey 81, a package redesign and straightforward name change to Wild Turkey Kentucky Straight Bourbon occurred in 2016.
  • 6
    85
    Fruity & Vanilla
    Old No. 7 (sometimes referred to as Black Label or just Jack) is made from a mash bill of 80% corn, 12% barley, and 8% rye. Limestone-filtered water and a starter mash (aka sour mash) from previous batches are added for fermentation to allow for consistency. After a six-day fermentation, the mash is distilled to 140 proof. The new-make whiskey is then charcoal-mellowed through 10 feet of maple charcoal prior to aging. Aged at least four years in new, charred American oak barrels which the distillery makes itself.
  • 5
    86
    Spicy & Vanilla
    That's right, folks, a Bonded version of Old Overholt. Distilled in one season, at one distillery, and bottled at 100 proof. This straight rye whiskey is aged for four years in new, charred American oak. Product launched in February 2018 with availability limited to the US.
  • 4
    88
    Sweet & Rich
    Larceny Small Batch is a brand extension of Heaven Hill's Old Fitzgerald line. According to their story, back in the day, John E. Fitzgerald used his privilege of holding the keys to Pappy Van Winkle's bonded warehouse, where the Old Fitzgerald bourbons were kept, to steal the best casks for himself. These became known as the "Fitzgerald Barrels." Larceny is a wheated straight bourbon made from a blend of selected barrels made in honor of this legend. It bears no-age statement and is bottled at 92 proof.
  • 3
    88
    Rich & Spicy
    The name Old Forester was allegedly chosen in honor of a doctor named Forrester, who regularly prescribed the bourbon to his patients at a time when it was still sold in pharmacies "for medicinal purposes." However, the signature for which this bourbon gets its name and which is displayed on each bottle, is the founder of the brand, George Garvin Brown. This is made in both 86 and 100 proof versions.
  • 2
    83
    Vanilla & Rich
    George Dickel No. 12 is made from a mash bill of 84% corn, 8% rye, and 8% barley. Of course, as this is a Tennessee whisky (their spelling), it does go through the Lincoln County process of filtering through sugar maple charcoal. However, instead of the whisky being continuously dripped through a large vat of charcoal like Jack Daniel's, Dickel distillate is placed in a vat along with the charcoal and allowed to sit for a few days before it is drained. Aged for an unspecified amount of time in new, charred American oak before bottling at 90 proof.
  • 1
    90
    Vanilla & Floral
    "Bottled in Bond" used to be a code for "the good stuff." Bonded whiskey is subject to regulation and production rules above and beyond those that normally govern the production of whiskey. Aged at least four years, with a higher proof, and in strictly controlled warehouses, this bottle is a return to a classic expression of whiskey.