Huge bourban, rye, and scotch fan. Good beer and wine have their place as well, but truly I'm a whiskey man. Outside of the occasional Manhattan, I take all of the following neat. Always willing to try something new if the bartender knows what they're doing though.
Bourbons
Knob Creek Single Barrel(120 proof be careful) - The first sip may be rough, but after that it's delicious. If it's a little too much to handle have it made as a Manhattan and that should do the trick.
Buffalo Trace - Dirt cheap and great to boot. Great for your flask whisky or out and about.
Ryes
Templeton - From Iowa and a little hard to find. Becoming more popular at whiskey establishments that pride themselves on their selection. Allegedly
Al Capone's drink of choice. Smooth.
Wild Turkey - Not at all like it's rougher bourbon stablemate. Delicious and does the trick quicker than most others.
Scotchs
Either Glenfiddich 12 or Glenlivet 12 - For scotch on a budget either one of these is quite decent. The 18s are very reasonably priced and tasty as well as a significant step up.
Macallan 18 - At 25 a drink I don't do it often, however when I do it's well worth it. Now and again you may find it at a buck a year, which is an absolute steal.
With the exception of the Macallan 18 all of the above are quite reasonably priced at a bar or as a bottle for home use.
With all that said, my current job site is isn't in the most urbane of environments so my overall drink of choice based on years of stats...
Jack on the Rocks. Can't be beat when there's nothing better...
Bourbons
Knob Creek Single Barrel(120 proof be careful) - The first sip may be rough, but after that it's delicious. If it's a little too much to handle have it made as a Manhattan and that should do the trick.
Buffalo Trace - Dirt cheap and great to boot. Great for your flask whisky or out and about.
Ryes
Templeton - From Iowa and a little hard to find. Becoming more popular at whiskey establishments that pride themselves on their selection. Allegedly
Al Capone's drink of choice. Smooth.
Wild Turkey - Not at all like it's rougher bourbon stablemate. Delicious and does the trick quicker than most others.
Scotchs
Either Glenfiddich 12 or Glenlivet 12 - For scotch on a budget either one of these is quite decent. The 18s are very reasonably priced and tasty as well as a significant step up.
Macallan 18 - At 25 a drink I don't do it often, however when I do it's well worth it. Now and again you may find it at a buck a year, which is an absolute steal.
With the exception of the Macallan 18 all of the above are quite reasonably priced at a bar or as a bottle for home use.
With all that said, my current job site is isn't in the most urbane of environments so my overall drink of choice based on years of stats...
Jack on the Rocks. Can't be beat when there's nothing better...