Death’s Door Whiskey scored 68/100 as a sipper, but at $40 a bottle for me (Northeast United States) there are better options for two twenties – so I was curious how it would do as a Manhattan. If I wanted to buy a Sipper only had $40 I would go with Smooth Ambler Contradiction Whiskey. If I was looking for an Irish Whiskey in that price range I’d go with a bottle of Dubliner Bourbon Cask Finished Irish Whiskey
The good news is that a bit of vermouth did take off the rough edges of this Death’s Door whiskey. I used my normal mix of two parts bourbon to one part vermouth. Shake with ice and then poor into a Lowball YETI Rambler so it doesn’t sweat or get warm in your hand.
The Score – Death’s Door Manhattan
The bad news is that Death’s Door only saw a small bump when made into a Manhattan. It scores 74/100, making it Sip Worthy, but at the lower end of the scale. The problem is that it started out at a 68 as a Sipper, so this is a tiny step forward in taste.
If I’m going to spend close to $40 for a bottle to make Manhattan’s with I’m going to go with a Basil Hayden’s Manhattan.
| Bottle | Score | Price | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basil Hayden’s Manhattan | 95 | $30 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Balcones Lineage Manhattan | 92 | $40 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Blade And Bow Manhattan | 90 | $50 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| On The Rocks Knob Creek Old Fashioned | 83 | $15 / 350ml | Old Fashioned |
| Fistful of Bourbon Manhattan | 80 | $40 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Death’s Door Manhattan | 74 | $40 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Wild Turkey Manhattan | 73 | $30 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Knob Creek Small Batch Manhattan | 69 | $30 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Maker’s Mark Manhattan | 65 | $30 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Redemption Bourbon Manhattan | 53 | $30 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Stillhouse Black Bourbon Manhattan | 50 | $20 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Agitator Kentucky Bourbon Manhattan | 49 | $35 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Breaker Manhattan | 35 | $55 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| American XXX Born Bourbon Whiskey Manhattan | 35 | $25 / 750ml | Manhattan |
