16 Best Bourbons To Use In Your Old Fashioned

Ordering an old fashioned is a bold statement –– in a way, you're telling the bartender you're sophisticated yet want a cocktail that packs a punch. The whiskey, bitters, sugar, traces of orange, and maraschino cherries dance together in a glass. The outcome is sweet yet the bourbon keeps the cocktail honest. The old fashioned is a classic for a reason –– yet the one question everyone wants to know is ... what bourbon should you choose when ordering Don Draper's favorite drink?

Although an old fashioned is a simple (yet, at the same time, complicated) drink to make –– getting the mixture just right takes a talented mixologist to concoct. For better or worse, the best old fashioned tends to be accompanied by a large, single ice cube, although even this step in the old fashioned making process is subjective.

Nevertheless, finding the right bourbon for an old fashioned is a never-ending liquid journey. You crave a whiskey that doesn't have too much bite, yet you still desire to know it's there –– not everyone likes an extremely sweet old fashioned. In an attempt to put this dilemma to rest, here are the best bourbons to use in your next old fashioned.

Bulleit Bourbon Whiskey is the liquid gift that keeps on giving. After all, Bulleit Bourbon is, according to bulleit.com, "inspired by the whiskey pioneered by Augustus Bulleit over 150 years ago." Due to "its unique blend of rye, corn, and barley malt, along with special strains of yeast and pure Kentucky limestone-filtered water," this Bourbon was made for an old fashioned –– yet it's the perfect standalone if you want to enjoy its natural flavors by itself, and many avid whiskey drinkers do.

As with most highly-regarded bourbons, Bulleit Bourbon has a clean and smooth finish. The description of the tasting notes alone will have you counting down the hours until 5-o-clock: "Medium amber in color, with gentle spiciness and sweet oak aromas. Mid-palate is smooth, with tones of maple, oak, and nutmeg. Finish is long, dry and satiny with a light toffee flavor."

Even though many people welcome the crushed sugar cube, bitters, and added sweetness from the orange peel and cherries, Bulleit Bourbon Whiskey is packed with a burst of flavors that can stand alone by themselves. It's a bourbon's bourbon. And it's bourbons like this one that has whiskey connoisseurs debating an old fashioned's existence.

Coming back to a more affordable bourbon, Elijah Craig Small Batch will make your next old fashioned sing. Described as Elijah Craig's signature Small Batch (via elijahcraig.com), its "distinctive warm spice & subtle smoke flavor" can be credited to "Level 3 charred oak barrels." When it comes to whiskey, it's seemingly all about the barrel. Concocted by Elijah Craig, the aroma is "Delightfully complex with notes of vanilla bean, sweet fruit, and fresh mint." The taste is described as "Smooth and warm; pleasantly woody with accents of spice, smoke, and nutmeg." The finish is characterized as "Long, sweet, and slightly toasty." Need we say more?

As with all good bourbons, Elijah Craig Small Batch is perfect for an old fashioned as it goes down smooth and tastes good enough to have on its own. Needless to say, the other ingredients of an old fashioned would be lucky to have Elijah Craig Small Batch part of its recipe.

Yet another Four Roses favorite, the Four Roses Small Batch is a well-balanced small batch. For all it's worth, the proof (90) is turned down on the Small Batch when compared to the Single Barrel from Four Roses, and it's aged for six to seven years, at minimum, if you're concerned about those types of things.

Four Roses' description of this bourbon will have whiskey drinkers pleased: "Four original Bourbon recipes have been expertly selected by our Master Distiller at the peak of maturation to create this very mellow and perfectly balanced Bourbon." The nose consists of "Mellow spice, rich fruit, hints of sweet oak and caramel." The palate can be described as "Mellow, ripened red berries, dried spice, well-balanced, rich." The finish is "Soft, smooth and pleasantly long."

Picking which is better between Four Roses Single Barrel and Small Batch depends on the drinker, yet both are delightful straight up, on the rocks, or mixed in a mainstay cocktail, such as, say ... an old fashioned.

Raising the price, Knob Creek Bourbon is 100 proof and brings it in all the right ways. Knob Creek describes the 9-year-aged bourbon whiskey as "Rich, sweet, woody, full-bodied, almost fruity."  While that's convincing enough by itself, here's more proof of this bourbon's worth a pour: the small-batch bourbon whiskey is "An unflinching balance of deep, pre-Prohibition-style bourbon with a robust oak taste, complemented with hints of smooth vanilla and layered caramel." Vanilla and caramel in a bourbon? Yes, please!

Mixing those flavors with bitters, sugar, cherries, and a hint of orange is, without a doubt, a perfect match. There are many bourbons on the market, and you could certainly do a lot worse than Knob Creek –– yet at its price point, you'd have to go on a ghost hunt to find a better-tasting bourbon. Knob Creek Small Batch is –– get ready for the bourbon music to grace your ears –– a full-bodied tasting bourbon, and is the company's flagship bottle of Knob Creek for a reason.

Maker's Mark is an ideal old fashioned ingredient. The bourbon is delicious and it's also not too steep in the price department. Pound for pound, it's a world-champ in any class.

"Never bitter or sharp, Maker's Mark® is made with soft red winter wheat, instead of the usual rye, for a one-of-a-kind, full-flavored bourbon that's easy to drink," the Maker's Mark website entails. Every barrel is rotated by hand and it's aged by taste rather than time. As Maker's Mark fans have come to know and love, each bottle is hand-dipped in red wax, giving this bourbon an elegant feel –– even before uncorking it.

Maker's Mark describes the aroma as "Woody oak, caramel, vanilla and wheat prevail in the nose." The taste is "Sweet and balanced with caramel, vanilla and fruity essences." You can, of course, expect a smooth finish. What's not to like? If you're new to bourbon whiskey, then Maker's Mark Bourbon is a good place to start, whether you're making an old fashioned cocktail or sipping it out of a glass of its own making.

Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is a popular option for a reason: it's a great value at its price point. Like all great bourbons, Woodford Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey has a storied past and the distillery itself is now a national historic landmark. It's comprised of more than 200 flavor notes, "from bold grain and wood, to sweet aromatics, spice, and fruit & floral notes."

The website describes the nose as "Heavy with rich dried fruit, hints of mint and oranges covered with a dusting of cocoa. Faint vanilla and tobacco spice." The taste is characterized as "Rich, chewy, rounded and smooth, with complex citrus, cinnamon and cocoa. Toffee, caramel, chocolate and spice notes abound." Drinkers can expect a smooth and "almost creamy" sip at first that's followed by a "warm satisfying tail." Mmm.

Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is a phenomenal bourbon. While different bourbons are going to make different people's taste buds tango, it's best to try out various bourbon whiskeys to see what you fancy.

Old Forester 100 might not come with a top-shelf price (if you will), but don't let that fool you –– it's an ideal bourbon for an old fashioned. The Old Forester website's description of this 100-proof bourbon is reason enough to order and sip: "A favorite of bartenders, 100 proof honors the legacy of founder George Garvin Brown, who put his signature on every bottle. And this bourbon is definitely one he would be proud to have his name on today."

Old Forester 100 is, according to the Old Forester website, "Handpicked from select barrels," and is described as a "rich [and] complex bourbon" with a spicy and robust flavor. They state that the aroma has notes of "Strong, sweet coffee," chocolate, butterscotch, and "a hint of liquorice," which we feel pairs perfectly with the flavors of an old fashioned. The taste features "apple and other sweet fruit" flavors, spices like cloves and nutmeg, and "toasted oak." The finish? "Sweet and light." Need they say more?

Larceny Small Batch is, as the Larceny Bourbon website explains, "Made with wheat instead of rye as the secondary grain." The result? A smooth and desirable finish with a unique flavor compared to other bourbons.

The bourbon is a pleasant "bright new copper" color with an aroma featuring "fresh bread and toffee, with a note of butterscotch." The taste can be characterized as "Buttery caramel and honeyed notes, with a rich mouthfeel," and the finish is "Long, gently sweet and savory."

There are countless bourbons to choose from on the shelves, whether you venture to a bar, speakeasy, or the store, yet Larceny Small Batch is a smooth choice, especially if you intend to use its contents to create –– and then sip on –– the magnificent and mysterious old fashioned cocktail.