Best Bourbons for Thanksgiving

Need some bottle advice for Thanksgiving? Whether you are trying to figure out what bourbon you will share with your closest friends and family or which bourbon will best help drown them out we have your covered. For each category I will give you my choice and some alternates. Also I am going to keep this list realistic. Of course we all want to close the evening with a flight of Pappy, but that just isn’t happening for most of us.

First Drink – You have just walked in you are saying your hellos, checking out the appetizer spread, and it is time for the first drink of the day. This is the perfect time to go with a bold choice. A good barrel proofer will wake up your taste buds and get you into the groove so to speak. Since this is turkey day my choice here is Wild Turkey Rare Breed. Other good options for the first drink include Maker’s Mark Barrel Strength, Booker’s, or if you can get your hands on a bottle Elijah Craig Barrel Proof.

The Main Course – This is going to be the bourbon that you use for the better part of the day. You are going to want to go with something that is fairly affordable and is versatile. The choice here for me is Bulleit Bourbon. Bullet is among the most versatile bourbons you will find. It is a favorite of many bartenders for cocktails, and is a smooth sipper that won’t overpower your meal. Other options here are Buffalo Trace, Jim Beam Repeal Batch, and Evan Williams 1783.

The Nightcap – Here we are at the end of the evening, and it is time to move to something a little more significant to put the finishing touches on a great day. This is the time to pull out a bunker bottle if you have them if you don’t have those type of bottles to pull from my choice here is Jefferson’s Reserve Old Rum Cask Finish. It takes an already above average bourbon and finishes it in Gosling’s rum casks. It is a bourbon that you and those you choose to share it with won’t forget. Other choices here are Noah’s Mill, Belle Meade Cask Strength Reserve, Blanton’s, George Dickel Bottled in Bond.

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