Old Fashioned at Home: The Best Bourbons to Use
An Old Fashioned is one of those cocktails that sounds simple to make until you finally decide to make one at a party and someone takes a sip, pauses, and says “interesting,” but not as a compliment!
While the recipe for Old Fashioned is not complicated, as it simply consists of bourbon, sugar cube or simple syrup, Angostura bitters, a big ice cube, and an orange peel, it is what you actually put in the glass that matters the most. Every element of the Old Fashioned exists to help frame the whiskey and bring out its true essence. This means that if you reach for the wrong bottle, then you are likely to ruin the whole drink for you and everyone else.
Thankfully, this guide was written to teach anyone who wants to make a great Old Fashioned at home for an enjoyable experience. Trust me, the bourbon you choose to use matters more than any other decision you will make.
This guide informs you on the best bourbons to choose and how to build a worthy Old Fashioned.
What Makes a Bourbon the Best Choice for an Old Fashioned?
Before I let you in on the secret of the best bourbons for making an Old Fashioned, I need to help you understand what the cocktail actually requires.
An Old Fashioned makes use of bitters and a small amount of sweetener to complement the whiskey, not to necessarily complete it. This means that you need to pick a bourbon with enough distinct character to carry the drink. In fact, it is safe to say that a bourbon is the heart of any Old Fashioned cocktail.
Therefore, picking a whiskey that is too light or overly neutral is likely to make your cocktail taste flat. Conversely, a whiskey that is too harsh or imbalanced will amplify the rough edges of your drink as it sits in a glass, with a heavy cube melting slowly into it.
Here Is What Tends to Work
You should choose bourbons with a higher rye content in the mash bill (this helps with spice and structure), then bourbons in the 90 to 110 proof range are strong enough to hold up to dilution, and last but not least, are bottles with a clear flavor identity, such as caramel-forward, fruit-forward, or oak-forward drinks.
Bourbons to Avoid
To maintain the integrity of your Old Fashioned, you should avoid very young bourbons with thin texture, as well as flavored bourbons, or anything bottled at 80 proof, as they tend to lean more watery than those with higher proof.
The Best Bourbons for an Old Fashioned at Home
Below are some of the best bourbons for making a very mean Old Fashioned:
Blanton’s Single Barrel
Blaton’s Single Barrel is one of the most recognized bourbon bottles in the world, and trust us when we say, it’s for good reason. At 93 proof, this bourbon sits in a comfortable zone for cocktails, as it is present enough to cut through bitters and dilution, but not so aggressive that it overshadows the subtler notes.
The flavor profile consists of a buttery caramel, orange zest, charred oak, and a long toffee finish. It is this orange note that makes the Blanton’s Single Barrel particularly useful in an Old Fashioned. This orange flavor also makes an orange peel garnish taste more like a natural extension of what you already have in your glass, rather than just another decorative afterthought.
Since every bottle comes from a single barrel, you can always expect to taste a distinct quality and individual character in every cup of Old Fashioned that you make.
If you want to make a premium Old Fashioned at home that guests will remember for a long time, then the Blanton’s Single Barrel is the bottle you should reach for.
Sam Houston Small Batch Reserve
Sam Houston Small Batch Reserve is a 108-proof Kentucky straight bourbon with a taste profile built for spirit-forward cocktails. This beautiful bourbon leads with a warm oak and caramel smell, then on the palate, you get a taste of roasted grain, vanilla, and baking spice, followed by a full-bodied mouthfeel that holds its own as the ice cube does its slow work in your cocktail.
The magic of this bourbon lies in its 108 proof, as this gives it enough backbone to ensure that dilution does not flatten the drink. Instead, as the glass opens up, what you get is a more rounded, approachable version of the same flavors you started out with. This kind of stable character is what you want from a bourbon in an Old Fashioned.
This bottle is recommended for people who want something a bit more assertive in the glass, and who know their way around a jigger.
Woodinville Private Select Single Barrel (The Barrel Tap Exclusive)
For all of you who consider yourself the “home bartender” who want something that’s genuinely rare, the Woodinville Private Select Single Barrel selected by The Barrel Tap is worth serious consideration. This incredible bourbon is bottled at 118.92 proof barrel strength and was personally signed by co-founder Orlin Sorensen. The Woodinville Private Select is also a Washington state bourbon with a 72% corn, 22% rye, and 6% malted barley mash bill.
It is this rye percentage that gives it the kind of spice and structure that works beautifully when sugar and bitters are put in the mix. You can expect a smell of rich oak, caramel, and vanilla with a subtle lingering of fruit. In terms of taste, it provides a profile of brown sugar, baking spice, and dried fruit with dense waves of toasted oak.
And yes, the 118.92 proof that it carries is quite high, but that’s actually a feature. This means you only need to use slightly less bourbon by volume than you normally would (about 1.5 oz instead of 2 oz), and let the ice do the rest. What you get is a cocktail with a remarkable level of depth and warmth that a standard-proof bottle simply cannot replicate.
Barrell Bourbon New Year 2026 Limited Edition
If you are more into making Old Fashioned cocktails that start conversations, then the Barrell Bourbon New Year 2026 is a bourbon that gives your audience something to think about. The Barrell Bourbon New Year 2026 is a blended bourbon that pulls its bourbon source from seven states, typically aged between 5 and 16 years, and bottled at 110.3 proof cask strength.
The truth is, the flavor profile of this bourbon is a bit unusual, as it features a mixture of stone fruit, tart apple, Meyer lemon, oatmeal, pumpkin bread, clove, and molasses sweetness. In an Old Fashioned, that fruit-forward complexity translates into a cocktail that feels layered and exploratory, instead of a one-dimensional party sip.
Something to note when choosing the Barrell Bourbon New Year 2026 is that, with a blend this complex, you should try to keep your Old Fashioned build simple. A single sugar cube, two dashes of Angostura, and a clean orange peel should do the trick. Simply let the whiskey do the work, and please DON’T muddle the orange when using this bourbon; you will only regret it afterward.
Build Your Home Bar
The difference between a bar that looks good and a home bar that actually gets used comes down to the bottles on the shelf. The bourbons above are more than cocktail ingredients; they are essentially sipping whiskeys in their own right, and this means you are not just buying bottles for one recipe and leaving them to gather dust.
No! What you are acquiring are bottles of whiskey that can make your night of drinking a pleasurable one on their own.
Browse the full bourbon selection at The Barrel Tap and find the bottle that fits your palate and your intentions for the night. Don’t worry, the Old Fashioned will take care of itself from there.
