This affordable whiskey was just voted the best whiskey of 2019

I’ve always been a big golf guy, but more recently, I’ve also become a big whiskey guy. Maybe that means what I actually am is a big Scotland guy, which makes sense given my general Britishness.

But anyway, taking an interest in whiskey means you’re always on the hunt for good whiskeys. And because the golf course is such a wonderful place to enjoy a nice dram, my ears always perk up when I find a nice bottle that won’t cost an arm and a leg, and therefore won’t make me feel bad if I want to throw some of it in a flask for a round with friends. That’s why I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that Whisky Advocate named a $36 bottle of Dickel the best whiskey of 2019.

It fits all the criteria for a good in-round whiskey, with tasting notes ranging from peanut, caramel apple, and orange marmalade, according to the magazine:

The mouthwatering peanut aromas evoke memories of cracking open a school lunchbox while the palate delivers abundant fruit: orange marmalade and caramel apple. Fine bitter-sweet balance suggests burnt sugar, Mexican chocolate, chocolate-covered almonds, and toffee. Indeed, sweet nuts, like French burnt peanuts, candied pralines, and marron glacé, seem to be the common thread here, lending this a consistent chord from initial nose through the drying, pleasantly spiced finish.

It’s aged 13 years and it’s technically not a bourbon, it’s a Tennessee Whiskey, which means the makers filter the spirit through charcoal before putting it in a barrel for added flavor. It’s also “bottled-in-bond,” which means the same distiller who distilled the whisky is the one who extracted it from the barrel. A couple of fun facts to tell your golf buddies the next time you debut one of these bottles on the course.