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VinePair reports that 10 bartenders recommended whiskey bottles for Old Fashioneds, Manhattans, Whiskey Sours and cocktails of their choice. Their picks vary by drink and personal taste, with several favoring higher-proof bottles to retain whiskey character alongside other ingredients.
VinePair has published recommendations from 10 bartenders on the whiskey bottles they use for Old Fashioneds, Manhattans, Whiskey Sours and a cocktail of their choice. The picks show how spirit style and proof can shape a mixed drink, but the recommendations are individual preferences, not a ranked or tested consensus.
The bartenders’ choices vary by cocktail. For an Old Fashioned, Brandon Judd of Camel Club in Lexington, Kentucky, recommends Old Bardstown Bottled-in-Bond, a 100-proof bourbon he says can stand up to demerara syrup and bitters. Toby Maloney, co-author of The Classic Cocktail Sessions and owner of The Elbow Room in Vancouver, Washington, also favors a 100-proof bourbon: Old Forester Signature. He says the drink’s flavor changes as its ice melts, making a whiskey with a strong presence useful throughout a slow sip.
For Manhattans, Judd and Maloney both name Rittenhouse Bottled-in-Bond Rye. Judd points to rye’s spice as a counterpoint to sweet vermouth, while Maloney says the whiskey can hold its own alongside a full-bodied vermouth. Ricky Dolinsky, beverage director at Dandelion and Keepers in New York City, instead recommends Old Grand-Dad 114, citing its high proof and high-rye mash bill.
The sour recommendations also differ: Judd selects Elijah Craig Small Batch, while Dolinsky chooses Yellowstone Bourbon 86. Maloney names Wild Turkey 101 Rye, saying he likes a higher-proof whiskey in egg-white sours that need a longer shake. For other cocktails, Judd names Old Forester 100 Proof Rye for a Boulevardier; Maloney suggests Copper & Kings Straight Bourbon finished in American apple brandy barrels for a Ward Eight; and Dolinsky picks Old Forester 86 Proof for a Paper Plane.
How Whiskey Changes the Cocktail
The recommendations offer readers a practical way to match a bottle to a drink’s other ingredients, rather than treating one whiskey as a universal choice. Rye’s spice, bourbon’s sweetness and a whiskey’s proof can affect whether its flavor remains apparent beside vermouth, citrus, bitters or bitter liqueurs.
The guidance also makes clear that preferences differ even for the same cocktail. The bartenders do not agree on a single ideal Whiskey Sour bottle, and the source presents no blind tasting, shared scoring method or overall winner. Readers can use the suggestions as starting points, then adjust for taste, availability and budget.
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Recommendations Across Four Drinks
VinePair’s report asks bartenders to name bottles for three established whiskey cocktails—the Old Fashioned, Manhattan and Whiskey Sour—and a wildcard drink of each bartender’s choice. The report describes the responses as varying in proof, style and mash bill, reflecting personal preference rather than a fixed formula.
The source says whiskey has a long role in mixed drinks and identifies the Old Fashioned as widely considered the world’s first cocktail. The article’s focus, however, is narrower: selecting specific bottles for cocktails. The recommendations supplied here include examples from three of the 10 bartenders named in the report; the provided source material ends partway through another bartender’s entry.
“The last sip should still have a defined whiskey presence, so a big personality is key.”
— Toby Maloney, co-author of The Classic Cocktail Sessions and owner of The Elbow Room
What the Recommendations Do Not Establish
The source presents bartenders’ personal selections, but it does not report a controlled comparison, tasting scores or a consensus ranking. It is not clear from the supplied material how the 10 bartenders were selected, whether every recommendation was tested by VinePair, or how prices and local availability factored into their choices.
The source excerpt also cuts off during a further bartender’s entry. The recommendations detailed above therefore do not represent the full set of 10 responses. No date of publication is included in the supplied material.
How Readers Can Use the Picks
Readers can use the bottles as bartender-sourced starting points when choosing whiskey for these cocktails, while keeping in mind that the suggestions reflect individual taste. For a more complete account of all 10 bartenders’ choices, consult the full VinePair report; its omitted recommendations and any later updates are not included in the supplied excerpt.
The source does not announce a follow-up tasting or additional testing. Until more information is provided, the key takeaway remains that the best-fit bottle depends on the drink and the drinker, not on a single definitive ranking.
Key Questions
Which whiskey do the bartenders recommend for a Manhattan?
Rittenhouse Bottled-in-Bond Rye is recommended by Brandon Judd and Toby Maloney. Ricky Dolinsky recommends Old Grand-Dad 114.
Is there one agreed-upon whiskey for a Whiskey Sour?
No. The bartenders named different bottles: Elijah Craig Small Batch, Yellowstone Bourbon 86 and Wild Turkey 101 Rye.
Why do some bartenders choose higher-proof whiskey?
In their explanations, higher-proof whiskey can retain a noticeable spirit character alongside ingredients such as syrup, vermouth, bitters or citrus. That is a matter of their stated preference, not a finding from a controlled test in the report.
Did VinePair name one best whiskey overall?
No. The report presents individual recommendations for particular cocktails, not an overall winner or a ranked list.
Source: vinepair.com
