Skip the Bottle Hunt: What Bourbon to Bring to Thanksgiving

Buying a bottle for Thanksgiving gets harder when you start trying to impress somebody. Suddenly, the bourbon you were happy drinking last weekend doesn’t seem good enough to bring to dinner.

I wouldn’t overthink it. A good bottle of Four Roses or Maker’s Mark is a perfectly respectable thing to show up with. Especially if you know the person opening it is going to enjoy it.

I’d choose from these four depending on who’s drinking. They’re regular retail expressions, with no particular vintage, batch or store pick required. Local selection will vary, but this shouldn’t turn into a bottle hunt.

Two are bourbon, one is Tennessee whiskey, and one is a rum-finished rye. All four give me a reason to bring them, although I wouldn’t give them to the same person.

Which bottle should you bring?

Four Roses Single Barrel: My first choice if I don’t know their preferences

Four Roses Single Barrel is where I’d start if all I knew was that the host liked bourbon.

In my Single Barrel review, the fruit and spice were what kept me interested. Cherry and citrus gave it some brightness, while baking spice, oak and leather added depth. The oak had a role without drying everything out. I scored that bottle 7.3/10.

That balance is why I like it for this job. There’s enough flavor for someone who spends time with their bourbon, but you aren’t asking them to appreciate an especially hot pour or a mouthful of dry oak.

Look for the original Four Roses Single Barrel at 100 proof. It uses the OBSV recipe. You don’t need a barrel-strength Private Selection or a particular store pick; the recipe code simply identifies the version I’m recommending. Four Roses now offers other Single Barrel recipes, so check for OBSV if you see several versions together.

The bottle in the photo wears the older label. You don’t need to find that packaging, either.

Single barrels will vary, but I’d be happy bringing this expression to dinner. It’s a good bourbon without requiring much explanation from the person handing it over.

Jack Daniel’s Bonded: For someone who already likes Jack

If the person you’re buying for drinks Jack Daniel’s, Bonded makes sense. You already know they like the basic profile. This gives them a chance to try it with a little more weight behind it.

My bottle of Bonded had banana nut bread on the nose, caramel and maple sweetness on the palate, and nuttiness with a little cinnamon. Graham cracker and vanilla carried into the finish. At 100 proof, it had enough flavor to hold my attention, even if it didn’t do much to surprise me.

I gave it 6.4/10. That’s worth keeping in mind: this is a recommendation for a Jack drinker, not my claim that Bonded is the most exciting whiskey on the shelf.

Sometimes familiar is exactly what you want. I also liked what it brought to a Jack and Coke, so I wouldn’t hesitate to buy it for someone who prefers their whiskey that way.

Look for Jack Daniel’s Bonded Tennessee Whiskey. Bonded Rye and Triple Mash are different bottles. There’s no special release to track down here.

Maker’s Mark Cask Strength: For the stronger pour after dinner

Maker’s Mark Cask Strength is what I’d bring if I knew the host liked a richer bourbon and didn’t mind some heat.

When I tasted it semi-blind against Weller Antique 107, the Maker’s finished ahead, 7.6 to 7.4. It was close, but I preferred the fuller mouthfeel and richer sweetness of the Maker’s.

Cinnamon-raisin toast, caramel candy and chocolate gave me plenty to like. Brown sugar and spice followed through the finish. The extra heat was noticeable, too. It wasn’t the gentler of the two pours, but that didn’t stop it from being my favorite.

That’s a useful result to remember when you’re buying a gift. I wouldn’t pass over Maker’s Cask Strength just because the person receiving it recognizes the label. There’s a lot of good bourbon under that red wax.

Buy the regular Maker’s Mark Cask Strength. You don’t need Maker’s 46 Cask Strength, a Private Selection or a Wood Finishing Series release. The proof changes by batch, and the score above belongs to the bottle I tasted. There’s no reason to chase that old batch for Thanksgiving.

This would be my pick for a pour once dinner is over, when there’s finally time to sit down and enjoy it.

Angel’s Envy Rum Cask Rye: For someone who likes it sweet

Angel’s Envy’s rum-finished rye is the most particular recommendation here. I’d want to know the person liked sweet whiskey before buying it for them.

The bottle I reviewed was heavy on maple, cinnamon cookies and tropical fruit, with a syrupy texture and baking spice on the finish. I gave it 8/10, but the sweetness could get cloying. At times, the rye underneath had a hard time making itself heard.

If somebody loves a dry, herbal rye, this probably isn’t the gift I’d choose. If they like a rich, sweet pour, those same qualities could be the reason they enjoy it.

I originally liked it as a summertime whiskey because of the tropical flavors. The maple and baking spice also make it an appealing option for after Thanksgiving dinner. That’s how I’d serve it for the holiday; I haven’t tested it alongside the pie.

Check that the label says Rye Whiskey Finished in Caribbean Rum Casks. Angel’s Envy also makes bourbon and a French-oak-finished rye. Those aren’t the bottle discussed here. The rum-finished rye is the regular expression you want, with no particular year required.

It has the highest score of these four, but I’d still buy the Four Roses for someone whose preferences I didn’t know. This much sweetness needs the right audience.

What I’d actually bring

For a host I didn’t know well, Four Roses Single Barrel, 100 proof, would be my choice. If I knew we shared a taste for richer, stronger bourbon, I’d bring Maker’s Mark Cask Strength.

Jack Daniel’s Bonded and Angel’s Envy Rum Cask Rye are the more specific gifts: one for the Jack drinker, the other for someone who enjoys that sweet, finished style.

These recommendations come from my earlier tastings, rather than a new comparison of all four. The scores explain what I thought of those bottles; they aren’t a ranking of what your host will like best.

Set a budget and buy the regular bottle. If your store doesn’t have it, I wouldn’t spend the week chasing it. A Thanksgiving pour should be something you’re looking forward to opening, not something you’re relieved to have finally found.

What bottle are you bringing to Thanksgiving this year?