The Top Whiskeys for Highball Cocktails Under $35

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".

Crown Royal was created in 1939 for the impending month long royal tour of Canada by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. At the time, it was the first time a ruling monarch had visited Canada. Judging by the hundreds of thousands who turned up, the trip was a huge success. Crown Royal is a blend of 50 different whiskies of varying grains and oak casks, all distilled at the Gimli distillery in Manitoba and taken from their vast inventory of over a million barrels.

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.

Dewar's was started by John Dewar Sr, a wine & spirits merchant, but the company really got going by his sons, John Alexander and Tommy. Dewar's White Label is comprised of over 40 different malt and grain whiskies and was created by their first Master Blender, A. J. Cameron in 1899.

Tullamore D.E.W. Original is a blended Irish whiskey comprised of single malt, grain, and pot still whiskey. It's triple distilled and aged in three types of casks: refill barrels, ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. D.E.W. are the initials of a Mr. Daniel E. Williams, a gentleman that worked for Tullamore back in the late 1880's. He made his way up the ranks from shoveling barley to Distillery Manager to owner. He stamped his initials on the bottles as a sign of quality and they have remained since.

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.

The Famous Grouse got its start just as most blended Scotch whiskies got started--by wine & spirits merchants. They would create their own blend to sell to their customers and the most popular ones have withstood the test of time. Famous Grouse was created by Matthew Gloag in 1896 and the bottle still bears his signature. The Edrington Group owns this brand now, along with Highland Park and The Macallan.

Launching February 2019, Old Forester Rye is the first new mash bill for the brand in 150 years. It is inspired by a historic recipe for Normandy Rye, a brand acquired by Brown-Forman in 1940. It has a mash bill of 65% rye, 20% malted barley, and 15% corn -- a fairly higher amount of malted barley than is typically seen in a rye. This Kentucky Straight Rye is bottled at 100 proof.

Bushmills Black Bush is aged for 7-11 years, primarily in oloroso sherry casks with some ex-bourbon barrels in the mix. This Irish blend also includes a very high single malt whiskey percentage for a blended whiskey at 80%. Bottled at 80 proof. (SRP $31.99)

The Bulleit label, revived by Tom Bulleit, was first produced for friends and family by Augustus Bulleit in the early 1800s. While Augustus never sold his product, Tom (working with Four Roses) first started producing his version of this "Frontier Whiskey" around 1987. With a mash bill of 68% corn, 28% rye, 4% malted barley, this is a high-rye Kentucky straight bourbon. Bottled at 90 proof.

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.

Maker's Mark Bourbon is a wheated bourbon made with a mash bill recipe of 70% locally-grown corn, 16% red winter wheat, and 14% malted barley. This recipe was created by Bill Samuels, Sr. who baked bread with different grains to settle on his mash bill rather than trial and error with distillation. His wife, Margie Samuels, is responsible for the shape of the bottle, the signature label, and the red wax topper. Maker's Mark is aged in char #3 new American oak barrels for 6-7 years. It is bottled at 90 proof.