Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Theses are the 9 best whiskies under $25 to enjoy in 2023

You can get some quality whiskey without breaking the bank. Here are the brands to look out for and stock your home bar with.

Whisky is a galaxy full of delicious landing spits and still undiscovered frontiers. Sure, you can shell out an arm and a leg for the stuff, especially if you’re a collector or hunting for a rare release. But there’s much to enjoy on the bottom shelf too, in the sub-$25 per bottle department.

The best budget whiskey brands are attractive not only because they don’t put a huge dent in our bank accounts, but they cover the entire spectrum of the stuff. Turns out, you can get some decent rye, bourbon, Canadian whisky, and more for $25 or less. These are excellent options for home consumption and do well enough to be enjoyed both neat or in something like a Manhattan.

Related Videos
A whiskey shot cheers.
George Rudy/Getty Images

Before we dive in, you may need a refresher on how to drink whiskey. Once you’ve reeducated yourself, ready your glasses and prepare to be blown away but just how good these offerings are, despite the reasonably price tags. Here are some of the best options for the most frugal of sippers.

Best Bourbon

Evan Williams Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

evan williams

Evan Williams shows up on lists like this all of the time, and deservedly so. Drop an ice cube or two in and you’re set. The flavor profile is what you expect in a bourbon — vanilla, caramel, oak — and you don’t need to add much (if anything) to make it drinkable.

Mellow Corn Whiskey

Mellow Corn Whiskey

This one is not a bourbon but rather a corn whiskey, and therefore the bourbon category is still the closest place to put this budget whiskey. Mellow Corn is made with 81% corn and is the only bottled-in-bond corn whiskey on the market. It’s a light whiskey, so you can expect the corn flavor to come roaring through, with notes of oak and vanilla as well.

Old Forester Classic Bourbon

A bottle of Old Forester bourbon.

This bourbon has been a go-to for some time among bartenders looking for a lower-shelf whiskey that really delivers. It’s vibrant enough to enjoy on its own and just as good in all of the whiskey cocktail staple cocktails. Cool fact: The brand’s origin dates back to 1870, when it was sold by a pharmaceutical salesman.

Four Roses Bourbon

four roses bourbon

For a long time (over 50 years), Four Roses didn’t make bourbon. Instead, the brand produced a blended whiskey that, if you ask someone who has had it (this writer included), they will tell you is pretty bad. Thankfully in 2002, Four Roses got back to its roots and began making bourbon again.

Best Rye Whiskey

Old Overholt Rye

old

This is, according to most, the best budget rye you can find. Used in countless bars, Old Overholt is everything you want in a rye without having to shell out too much. Black pepper and other spice notes make for a flavorful, somewhat intense whiskey that goes perfectly in pretty much any rye cocktail you can think of.

Wild Turkey Rye

 wild turkey

A bit rarer than Old Overholt, but well worth it if you happen upon it on the shelf, Wild Turkey’s 81 Rye is sweet on the front before displaying the characteristic rye spice notes. A little lower in alcohol than other spirits on this list (this 81 proof rye clocks in at 40.55% ABV), it still packs a flavorful punch, bolstered by Alligator Char in the barrels, which imparts a little smokiness to the liquid. And if you feel like dishing out a little bit more for a rye, here are the best options under $50.

Best Scotch Whisky

Famous Grouse Blended Scotch Whisky

A blended Scotch whisky, Famous Grouse is a solid option when you are looking for a blend on a budget. Sourcing single malt whiskies from The Macallan and Highland Park (both of which are owned by Edrington, which also owns Famous Grouse), the whisky has citrus and fruit notes that lead into a medium, clean finish.

Best Canadian Whisky

Canadian Club Reserve (Aged 9 Years)

Because of Prohibition, it was only in the last few decades that bourbons overtook Canadian whiskies as the top seller in the United States. I kid you not. While Americans were cleaning out their bathtubs to cook up some gin and finding spots in the mountains to set up their stills, Canadian whisky makers were chugging away, growing every year. Canadian Club Reserve is full of sweet toffee and oak notes, a result of a longer aging process than the brand’s other expressions. Better for cocktails than straight, it’s a formidable Canadian whisky for the price.

Best RTD Whiskey

Slow and Low Rock and Rye

Slow & Low Rock & Rye.

For those who like something a little sweeter, it’s hard to go wrong with Slow and Low. While technically an RTD cocktail, the whiskey element is so pronounced with thought it was worth including. Yes, the honey, citrus, and bitters enhance things but it’s the underlying spirit that’s doing the heavy lifting and coming in nice and even, not to mention inexpensive. Fans of straightforward Old Fashions will love this offering.

Editors' Recommendations

The 7 best CBD-infused drinks we tried in 2023
These tasty CBD-infused drinks will have you feeling calmer in no time
Cans o RisEau cbd drinks.

Cannabidiol, or CBD, has been hot for a while now, making its way into everything from CBD teas to a variety of CBD coffee brands. If you're wondering "what is CBD?" — it's a naturally occurring compound present in cannabis plants. According to the World Health Organization, it's not addictive, has a solid safety profile, and won't get you high. In clinical trials, it's been effective in the treatment of epilepsy and shows promise in treating a number of other conditions.

In addition to CBD-infused water, tea, soda, and seltzer, another growing trend is CBD-infused nonalcoholic spirits and cocktails. The adult beverage market is flooded with CBD products promising to help you relax, sleep, destress, and mellow out, all without the hangover you'd get from booze (CBD is considered a controlled substance and can't be legally added to booze, at least not yet). We've rounded up a few of our favorite CBD-infused drinks below, from CBD cocktails to CBD water, so you can work your relaxation into your daily routine no matter where you are.

Read more
Here’s how to make a margarita, according to top bartenders
The only margarita recipes you'll ever need
margarita tequila cocktail lime strainer

The best margaritas do not grow on trees, nor do they show up in a can (although there are some tasty canned drinks these days). No, the tastiest version of the tequila classic is made fresh, with love and care and some wisdom from a couple of top bartenders.

It's a balancing act, for sure, but when it's dialed-in, the margarita is one of the best and most refreshing cocktails ever devised. The classic mix of agave spirit, lime, salt, and a touch of sweetness is great alone or with any number of dishes, especially within Mexican cuisine (the nation where the drink was born).

Read more
Bubbly? Full-bodied and red? Zesty and white? Your favorite wine types, explained
All the primary types of wine (and everything you need to know about them)
Glasses of different kinds of wine

Trying to understand everything about wine all at once is an impossible endeavor. Wine is a beautifully complicated, ever-changing quiddity, and even the most decorated and prestigious wine experts in the world often find themselves confounded by its constant little surprises.
That isn't to say that, if you care to, you shouldn't become educated on the subject of wine. It's a hobby and a passion that's tremendously fun to pursue, and there's much to learn on the matter.
If you find yourself in the beginning stages of your wine education, just as in everything, you'll want to start with the basics. It's possible that up until now, you haven't put much thought into the several different kinds of wine there are, except for, say, red and white. But while there are obviously exceptions within every hard and fast rule, for the most part, wine can be broken down into roughly nine categories. Here we'll take a minute to break those categories down, explain what they mean, which wines fall into them, and, our favorite - how to drink those wines.

Sparkling wine

Read more