Spend enough time around bars and bartenders and you'll probably chat about their good whiskey preferences. The well, the nickname given to the place where bartenders keep easy-to-reach bottles so they can make quick cocktails or whiskey on the rocks to please the masses, is a reliable source when discussing good cheap whiskey. This isn't an issue that galvanizes the $50-per-glass bourbon crowd or the fancy cocktail herd. But if you're a Jack-and-Coke kind of drinker or a no-nonsense, shot-and-a-beer type of person, this has probably affected you at some point.
Exactly what the cheapest whiskey is varies by store, bar, and even state. Cheap whiskeys abound these days, and even more so if you're living on the $50-per-bottle maximum that some aficionados have set as the department's limit. But $50 isn't cheap. When bartenders go to the well, their limit approaches $20 per bottle.
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A few years ago, on a late-winter Friday afternoon in downtown Los Angeles, I had the opportunity to chat with Dave Fernie, general manager of Bar Clacson (now known as Chatterbox). A former bartender and all-rounder behind the bar, Fernie is also the creator of two now-shuttered classic Los Angeles speakeasys, Honeycut and The Walker Inn. We started talking about which whiskey he would declare king of the well.
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It's not the first time he's faced the age-old question, and there are plenty of options. Jim Beam, Jack Daniel's, and Evan Williams do a great job for about $20. If you're looking for export there's always Johnnie Walker, Jameson, Bushmills or Crown Royal. The fireball, the peach—that and the apple—these are out of the question; So whiskeys need to be versatile. Each time he was tasked with selecting wells for new bars, he gave the owners a taste test by blindly trying cheap whiskeys. Evan Williams has ascended to the throne many times.
Chris Hatler
Evan Williams is cheaper than Jack, Jim and pretty much all bottom-shelf American whiskeys. And it has an above-average ABV at 86 proof. Despite the high proof and low price, Evan still delivers those vanilla and oak notes on the nose and palate. The finish continues without the burn you expect from a bottom-shelf drink. It is a product of pedigree; Evan Williams traces his ownership to Bardstown, Kentucky-based Heaven Hill; Elijah Craig is the distillery behind Mellow Corn, Larceny, Old Fitzgerald, Rittenhouse and many more favorites.
While Evan Williams might not be your choice when mixing an old-fashioned or complex bourbon cocktail, it mixes well with Coke or, even better, makes a perfect partner with a cold can of Coors Banquet or Pabst Blue Ribbon. For the cost conscious, Evan should be kept in mind.
I spent enough time sipping drinks at the bar to know what I wanted. After all, I am a drinks writer and before that a music journalist; two jobs known for free booze and low pay. The small, sweaty, cigarette-smoke-choked venues where local bands perform on the ground level aren't exactly known for their bourbon selection or craft cocktail expertise, but they know how to satisfy the crowds most nights. They satisfied me with Evan Williams. And next time you need a good drink, cheap bourbon will be there to help you get rid of any ear-splitting opener on stage.
Evan Williams Bourbon
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