Uisge Beatha Whisky prices compared
On this page

GuideBudget, occasion and gifting

Best whisky for an Old Fashioned: bourbon, rye and proof

How to choose a whisky for an Old Fashioned: mash bills, rye spice against sugar, wheated softness and dilution, with in-stock bottles and live UK prices.

Written by

Published Updated

An Old Fashioned is whisky, sugar, bitters and ice, so the drink is mostly whisky and the bottle you choose decides it. Bourbon must be made from at least 51% corn and aged in new charred oak, which gives a sweeter, rounder drink; rye whiskey must be at least 51% rye, which gives a drier, spicier one. Because stirring with ice and syrup dilutes the spirit, a whisky bottled at 43% to 50% ABV keeps its structure better than one at 40%.

What the drink needs from its whisky

There are three variables: mash bill, proof and oak.

High-rye bourbon picks

Woodford Reserve: £35.50 at Master of Malt. A 43.2% ABV Kentucky straight bourbon with 18% rye in the mash bill, enough for a gentle spice against the sugar.

Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon 70cl: £33.50 at Master of Malt. A 45% ABV Kentucky bourbon blended from high-rye and low-rye mash bills, so it balances sweetness and spice in one bottle.

Buffalo Trace Bourbon 70cl: £23.99 at Master of Malt. A Kentucky straight bourbon from the distillery of the same name in Frankfort, made with rye as the secondary grain after the corn; the distillery does not publish the proportions. The UK bottling is 40% ABV, so it makes a lighter Old Fashioned than the higher-strength picks on this page.

Wheated bourbon picks

Maker’s Mark Bourbon: £35.00 at The Whisky Shop. A 45% ABV Kentucky bourbon made with wheat instead of rye as its second grain, for a softer, sweeter Old Fashioned.

Maker’s Mark 46: £34.95 at Hard To Find Whisky. The 47% ABV version of Maker’s Mark, finished with French oak staves, which adds a little more structure to the same wheated profile.

Straight rye picks

Rittenhouse Rye ‘Bottled in Bond’ 100 Proof: £35.90 at Master of Malt. A 50% ABV straight rye at 51% rye in the mash bill, the drier, spicier classic. “Bottled in bond” is a US legal term: one distillery, one distilling season, at least four years in a bonded warehouse and bottled at 100 proof.

Sazerac Rye 6 Year Old: currently unavailable. A 45% ABV straight rye, aged six years.

For the classic build, and for the other whisky cocktails, see our best whisky for cocktails guide.

How we chose: check date and coverage

The picks come from the brief’s facts pack, matched to bottles with a current in-stock offer from the UK retailers we check: Master of Malt, Milroy’s of Soho, The Bottle Club, VIP Bottles and Whisky-Online, in our catalogue check of 23 to 28 October 2026. Prices and stock change; the live price on each bottle page is current, and the retailer’s checkout price is the one that counts. Read how we compare prices.

Where to go next

Questions

What is the difference between using bourbon and rye in an Old Fashioned?
Bourbon must contain at least 51% corn in its mash bill, which gives sweeter notes of caramel and vanilla that sit well with the sugar and bitters. Rye whiskey must contain at least 51% rye grain, which gives a drier, peppery character that cuts through the sweetness. Whiskipedia on mash bills.
Why do bartenders recommend higher-strength whisky for an Old Fashioned?
An Old Fashioned is stirred with ice and sweetened with syrup, and both add water to the drink. A whisky bottled at 45% to 50% ABV holds its flavour better under that chilling and dilution than one bottled at the 40% minimum.

About the author

John Fegan

· Editor

Hailing from the land of haggis and deep-fried Mars bars, John was always going to find his way to whisky. He has run Uisge Beatha since 2015 and Whiskipedia.com since 2020.