If you remember y original review of American XXX Born you know I wasn’t a huge fan. American XXX Born scored a whopping 1 out of 100. When your drinking it neat or on the rocks this bourbon burns and I figured that I might be better off using this whiskey to clean guns and carburetors.
So why did I make a Manhattan out of a whiskey that got a score of 1?
The main reason is my wife. She yells at me that I have too many bottles in the cabinets, and doesn’t understand why I buy new bottles when I have thirty or forty in the “bar”. This is why I’ve been trying to drink some of my less than stellar bottles in the form of Manhattans, because Vermouth does wonders for crappy bourbon.
I figured I’d give American XXX Born a shot, and if it was horrible in a Manhattan, I’d pour it out to make room for something better.
I used my normal to 2 to 1 ratio and took a sip, expecting my mouth and throat to burn, ready to pout the bottle down my kitchen sink. I hesitated, letting the sip flow over the back of my tongue before I swallowed it, quite surprised that I wasn’t already being driven to pour the bottle out.
When mixed into a Manhattan, American XXX Born gets a huge jump in score. I know you may look at this and say, what? It only got a 35, but that is a massive 34 point increase from where it was starting.
Am i going to buy another bottle? Hell no. But I will drink the rest of this one so I don’t feel like I just pissed the money away.
Pros
Let’s see, what can we do with American XXX Bourbon?
- Saves the money you spent on a bottle that isn’t fit to drink neat/on the rocks.
- Makes a cheap bourbon at least drinkable when mixed into a Manhattan.
Cons:
- Still has a little funky aftertaste on the back of the tongue.
- Makes me think about cheap alcohol I drank at college parties.
| Bottle | Score | Price | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manhattan - Basil Hayden's & Dom Benedictine | 95 | $55 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Manhattan - Balcones | 91 | $55 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Manhattan - Blade And Bow | 90 | $55 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Manhattan - Basil Hayden's | 88 | $35 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Old Fashioned On The Rocks Knob Creek | 83 | $13 / 750ml | Old Fashioned |
| Manhattan - Fistful of Bourbon | 80 | $40 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Manhattan - Four Roses Small Batch | 76 | $30 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Manhattan - Legent | 75 | $35 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Manhattan-Death's Door | 74 | $40 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Manhattan - Wild Turkey | 73 | $35 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Manhattan - Bulleit Bourbon | 69 | $28 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Manhattan - Dogfish Head Alternate Takes | 69 | $55/ 750ml | Manhattan |
| Manhattan - Knob Creek Small Batch | 69 | $30 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Manhattan - Elija Craig Small Batch | 66 | $27 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Manhattan - Redemption Bourbon | 53 | $30 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Manhattan Stillhouse | 50 | $25 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Manhattan Agitator | 49 | $30 / 750ml | Manhattan |
| Manhattan - American XXX Born | 35 | $26 / 750ml | Manhattan |
