Skip to main content

Scotch On A Budget: 4 Bottles Under $35

scotch on a budget
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Scotch is great, and a necessary part of anyone’s liquor cabinet, but sometimes, it can get too damn expensive. I’m not saying  to not drop a couple thousand on a bottle of scotch if you can—Gordon and MacPhail’s Mortlach 75, with its cool $30,000 price tag, comes to mind—but for a lot of us, that’s just not in the cards right now.

The scotches we’ve compiled below are great additions to your bar and they won’t break the bank. Check them all out and let us know which bottles you think should be on the list as well.

Recommended Videos

Best Scotch on a Budget

The Famous Grouse ($23) — Like it’s brother The Black Grouse, Famous Grouse is a great bang for your buck scotch. If you need scotch in a pinch and don’t want to spend too much, look for The Famous Grouse first.

Monkey Shoulder ($35) — This is perhaps the best scotch on this list for use in cocktails. Monkey Shoulder is versatile and its flavor blends well instead of overpowering other flavors in drinks.

Dewar’s 12 ($29.99) — A classic for any scotch drinker, Dewar’s 12 is a great starting point if you’re looking to build your collection with eminently drinkable whiskies. On its own or with a few drops of water, you can’t go wrong here.

Speyburn 10 ($30) — A gold medal winner in 2006, this scotch is medium-bodied and a perfect example of the Speyburn line. Expect a long finish on this one, which stands up to other scotches that have been aged much longer.

Sam Slaughter
Sam Slaughter was the Food and Drink Editor for The Manual. Born and raised in New Jersey, he’s called the South home for…
Can you microwave coffee? What you should know about proper reheating
Don't dump cold coffee just yet
Man drinking a cup of coffee

Imagine this: You've managed to make it out of bed, head downstairs, and patiently await a freshly brewed cup of coffee as you turn on your coffee maker. You take the first deliciously warm sip and place your mug down. Soon, your attention is quickly on the next thing on your to-do list, whether getting ready for work or unloading the dishwasher. Before you know it, an hour has passed, and you realize your warm cup of coffee is still sitting there, mostly full and cold. This common occurrence may leave you wondering: "Can you microwave coffee?"
Can you microwave coffee?

Instead of wasting a cup of cold coffee, you can reheat your room-temperature coffee in the microwave. However, if you've ever done this, you may notice that the coffee tastes different once reheated. Microwaving your coffee causes it to become more bitter, thanks to the natural acids within coffee. Chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, and quinic acid are all present when you initially brew your coffee. Yet, these compounds are released even more when you reheat your cup. In turn, you may be left with more bitter coffee than the original cup. If you can get past the slight changes in taste, your coffee is still safe to consume even after reheating.
How to reheat coffee in the microwave

Read more
Discover Rome’s best-kept secret with the Negroni Formidabile
A shot of Roman amaro adds an anise kick to the classic cocktail
Amaro Formidabile

On a recent trip to Rome, I discovered something wonderful. Not the stunning architecture or the beautiful art, or the incredible history of the Roman Forum -- though those are pretty great too -- but a new to me amaro called Amaro Formidabile. The amaro is handmade in Rome, using a long list of botanicals including cinchona, wormwood, gentian, kola nut, star anise, and more, and it has all the fruity sweetness of something like Montenegro, but with a solid bitter backbone more reminiscent of Fernet.

What I like best about it though is the strong punch of anise that rushes to the front, making it almost reminiscent of Ouzo, but without the harshness and with more fruity, floral flavors supporting in the background. The Romans love to drink this amaro simply: just chilled, or perhaps over ice, but sipped alone after a meal as a tasty digestif. It's a great way to see off a delicious, indulgent Roman meal of artichokes with pecorino romano, stuffed courgette flowers or fiori di zucca, then a big hearty bowl of cacio e pepe.

Read more
How to mix Mexico’s other spirit, Sotol, into fall cocktails
Learn how to use this Mexican spirit in fall-themed cocktails
sotol fall cocktails ez2a6539 scaled jpg

You know tequila, and in recent years if you're into drinks then you've likely come across mezcal too. But Mexico has more spirits to offer than just these two -- like Sotol, a distilled spirit made from succulent plants. Brands like Hacienda de Chihuahua Sotol are small family-owned operations which promote sustainability and biodiversity as part of the spirits-making process.

While Sotol is traditionally drunk neat, especially after a meal, it can also be used in cocktails and mixed drinks. While it is often used as an alternative to tequila in drinks like a margarita or as an alternative to white rum in drinks like a mojito, there are also cocktails designed to specifically complement its flavor profile.

Read more