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We put the Old Fashioned to the test by tasting bottled RTDs, pre-batched bar styles, and homemade builds to see where convenience truly holds up. We dig into history, ingredients, proof, and technique, then land on what we’d actually buy again and what we’d rather fix with our own bitters and syrup.
• why the Old Fashioned stays the gold standard cocktail
• whether higher proof RTDs taste closer to a true Old Fashioned
• bitters that change everything, especially black walnut bitters
• sweeteners that work best, from agave to barrel-aged maple syrup
• the Yellowstone ready-to-serve pour and how citrus zest shifts balance
• Penelope bottled Old Fashioneds and why the black walnut stands out
• Prohibition’s influence on muddled fruit and soda habits
• the Wisconsin Old Fashioned style and the brandy versus bourbon debate
• why barrel-aged Old Fashioneds feel more integrated and smooth
• glassware and ice choices that improve texture and dilution
• how sugar makes Old Fashioneds hit harder than neat whiskey
• the bacon fat washed Old Fashioned build and why it works
• our final ranking, including why Handy and Schiller holds up best
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The Old Fashioned looks simple until you start comparing what’s in the glass. We line up homemade builds, bottled ready-to-drink Old Fashioneds, and bar-style barrel-aged batches to answer a real question for bourbon fans: is the classic Old Fashioned still king, or have RTD cocktails finally gotten good enough to keep stocked year-round?

CT joins us as our resident mixologist and we get hands-on with what actually changes the drink: proof, dilution, bitters, sweeteners, citrus, cherries, ice, and even the weight of the rocks glass. We taste through popular options and talk straight about what works and what tastes like “every bad bar Old Fashioned,” including how to rescue an orange-heavy pour with lemon zest, or rebalance sweetness by cutting syrup and leaning into rye whiskey or higher proof bourbon.

We also dig into Old Fashioned history, from the 1806 cocktail definition to Prohibition-era muddled fruit, plus the Wisconsin Old Fashioned tradition with soda. Then we go full experiment mode with barrel-aged flavor, smoking tools, and a showstopper: a bacon fat washed Old Fashioned built with black walnut bitters, a touch of chocolate bitters, and barrel-aged maple syrup.

If you love bourbon cocktails, bitters, and practical home bartending tips, you’ll want this one. Subscribe, share the episode with a whiskey friend, leave a review, and tell us your go-to Old Fashioned build: classic, Wisconsin-style, or something weird that somehow works?

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