I am taking over management of a higher end fly fishing lodge outside Missoula, Montana on May 1.

Beer, wine and cocktails are included and we feature a nicely stocked liquor cabinet. I am looking for suggestions on what to stock as "house brands" and what to keep on hand for mixers, etc.
I want the selection to fit the location, so I am currently not planning on having rum, tequila or any tropical fruity stuff. I know what I like on most things but need to make sure it will be good for a variety of tastes.

My list so far:
Liquor:
Vodka- Titos or??
Bourbon- need choice for cocktails and a $35-65/bottle for straight pour.
Rye- Lot 40 for cocktails
Gin- Beefeater or Tanqueray and Hendricks
Scotch- Dewars or Famous Grouse for mixing. Need a $35-65 single malt with broad appeal.
Campari
Absinthe

Mixers:
Fever Tree Tonic
Soda Water
Ginger Beer
Sweet Vermouth-Dolin
Dry Vermouth- Dolin
From Scratch Sour Mix
Simple Syrup
Angostura Bitters
Orange Bitters
Peychaud's Bitters
Limes, lemons, oranges
Cherries
Olives

What else?

EH Taylor, 4Roses Single barrel, Stagg Jr would be three solid picks that span a good crowd in that price range

Balvenie Doublewood would be a great Scotch to stock. But it's price is pretty wide. Should be able to find it below 65 at most places though.

Tequila - Dos Lunas Silver and Maestro Dobel Reposado - both good for sippin'
El Ultimo Agave Reposado and/or Milagro Silver for mixing/Margaritas

Bourbon - Evan Williams Single Barrel, Buffalo Trace, both in the $25 range
More regional - Wyoming Whiskey - good stuff - around $35
Buffalo Trace and Wyoming Whiskey would give you that western flair just from the brand names

Mixers - add Agave Nectar (Madhava brand Raw Organic is the best)
add Triple Sec for those who like Tequila/Margaritas
Lime Juice for Margaritas or Margarita Mix

add Pearl Onions

My favorite scotch is aberlour 12, about $50 a bottle. For something like this I'd probably lean more towards glenlivet 12. Good product, wide appeal and reasonable cost for what you get.

For vodka I'd go with Titos like you're thinking.

Bourbon, there are so many ways to go. I'd lean towards well known ones. Makers mark, woodford, knob creek, etc. Jim beam for mixer bourbon maybe.

Bulleit Rye AND Bourbon are a mainstay in our home bar. It's a nice night cap after the kiddos go to bed.

I like Glenlivet "founders reserve" is bad for the price. Not their best work, but for a general scotch it's decent.

For the gin, if you want something from Texas then get Dripping springs shipped up there. Distilled in Dripping springs. About same price as tanquerary and better than beefeater. And have Hendricks available.

Not sure on the price per bottle, but Austin Reserve Gin is really damn good. It's a more floral gin that Hendricks or Tanqueray.

For semi-local, check out the High West Distellery whiskeys (out of Park City, UT).

For a mixing tequila, El Jimador is cheap but very good.

For rum, Flor de Cana 4 year Extra Seco is great for daiquiris (the real thing, not that frozen crap), mojitos, and even a rum and coke. For a sipper, El Dorado 15 or Ron Zacapa 23 are good.

Vodka- stick with Tito's. Can't go wrong

I'll comment on scotch since that's what i drink the most of. Dewars is an ok blended scotch.
As far as single malts, i would break it into a balanced/ sherry scotch and a peated. i second the rec for aberlour 12 yr. other scotches in that range/ flavor profile/ quality would be Edradour or Glenmorangie
For a peated single malt, Laphroig 10 year is awesome and $40/bottle

BQ75 said:

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Wine? Cocktails?

Didn't realize fly fishermen were such pansies!

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Probably for their wives that go shopping in town all day while the boys fish.


+1 on buffalo trace. My favorite by far.

Please no on tito's....that stuff is like gasoline

Keep the cheap stuff out, and hide the good bourbon. I used to take some higher end bourbons on hunting and fishing trips, and everybody would start mixing it with Coke Zero. Now I take a flask and keep the good stuff to myself.

Honestly, I would just get a couple bottles of Four Roses Single Barrel, and when they go empty just refill them with 4R Yellow Label or Wild Turkey 101. Guarantee nobody will know the difference.

Hmm... but OP states clearly that this IS a higher end lodge.
When I go to high end quail lodges, a bottle of cheap stuff makes me feel like I overpaid for what I'm getting. I like the recommendations of Four Roses yellow label for a mixer bourbon because it's also just fine as a straight pour. The Evan Williams Single Barrel looks good on the shelf, also tastes good and doesn't break the bank. Get a Makers Mark Cask Strength, Makers 46, Buffalo Trace or Booker's for another straight pour bottle. I love Four Roses Single Barrel, but you want to show some variety in brands.

I also chose these bottles based on what you should be able to regularly find and replenish in Montana.

Or, or...
Put out a bottle of Garrison Bros filled with Jim Beam White Label, and report back with your findings.

aad03 said:

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Or, or...
Put out a bottle of Garrison Bros filled with Jim Beam White Label, and report back with your findings.

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Straight outta undergrad with this one. Makers bottle filled with Sunny Brook.

Cstrickland05 said:

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aad03 said:

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Or, or...
Put out a bottle of Garrison Bros filled with Jim Beam White Label, and report back with your findings.

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Probably the best reviewed bottle of Garrison ever


In my experience when people try to get cute with fancy beers and liquors, most of it doesn't get touched or is wasted because most people just want a silver bullet or jack Daniels or crown royal.

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I'm willing to dispose of all the leftover or expired "fancy" liquors.

BQ75 said:

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Wine? Cocktails?

Didn't realize fly fishermen were such pansies!

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Surely you're not suggesting James Bond, a noted Martini drinker, is a pansy? What about Manhattan drinkers? Or those southern gentlemen who prefer a Sazarac?

With rum you will want both a white and a dark. This will allow to make a few basic cocktails. I'd go with Plantation 3 Star for the white and Dark for the....dark.... If you want fancy dark get the Plantation Pineapple rum, Then Some aged rums for sipping. Be able to make at least a Mai Tai it a rum old fashioned.

Someone else mentioned having Crown available, that's a good call, it's sweeter than bourbon. Makers for your mixing bourbon. Then for sipping bourbon it's wide open. Knob Creek is a solid bet and easily obtainable. I'd have some single barrel 4 roses around. But you can go so many different directions.

Also have some Rye, Rittenhouse 100 proof is solid. Need to be able to make a good Manhattan.

Also depends on how many bottles you want to display and serve. I'd say at least 2 vodkas, 2 gins, 2 or 3 rye, 4 tequilas (cover the range of ages), 5 or 6 rums and 6 or so Bourbons. Plus backup bottles for each and easy to restock between weekends. Plus mixers, bitters, syrups and garnishes.

Also pick a well stocked store and buy only from them. No Costco ***** Over time you'll get to know the owner and then may get access to some allocated stuff. May not be expensive but hard to get, Blanton's, Rock Hill Farm, Elmer T Lee are all usually under $65...if you can find them. Then theres the whales. Keep those under lock and key.

DubFalls said:

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I'd still have rum and tequila available, just in case. You don't want to frustrate a client by not having the style of liquor they want available.

Have you thought about having some local/Montana liquors available? Provided they are good, that could be a nice way to provide a unique alcohol experience.

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This.

Rum isn't a fruity drink, if it is, you are drinking the cheap stuff that has to be mixed to make it palatable. There are a whole lot of really, really, really good sipping rums out there. Best thing is that they are usually fairly readily available and most won't cost you a first born child like bourbon will either.

Same can be said for tequila - if you think Patron or Cuervo is what tequila is, then you haven't broadened your horizons much. I was never a fan of tequila growing up because of that mentality, but as a grown up I have found that good tequila is not even close to the rubbing alcohol most people drink. Some very good tequilas otu there that are great for sipping and enjoying versus shooting because you have to.

Guessing you'll have guests whose staple scotch is either Johnny Walker Black or Glenlivet 12. Both easy drinking and good price point. Recommend having something by Macallan available (easy to restock) and maybe some Stranahans...because it's wonderful

While Tito's has its place I hate it, Svedka is what I buy 1.75s of

oh, and Bombay Sapphire is my G&T gin

I'm with Cstrickland here. Don't put too much thought into your liquor selection. 99% of folks don't know, much less care, about what makes a better whiskey. Just put out some Jack and some Crown so they can wet their whistle.

schmellba99 said:

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aad03 said:

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I'm with Cstrickland here. Don't put too much thought into your liquor selection. 99% of folks don't know, much less care, about what makes a better whiskey. Just put out some Jack and some Crown so they can wet their whistle.

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FFFFFFF that noise. If I go to a higher end place, whether it be a lodge or steakhouse or bar, I'm expecting the ability to have something more than what I can go to any liquor store and buy off the shelf.

Given what the bourbon market has become, and what the scotch market has been for years, and what the rum and tequila markets are morphing into - the idea that throwing jack and crown up is sufficient at what is billed as an upscale place is just stupid.

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Eh. I love high end drinks, but if this is a place focused on fishing then they need less than if they are trying to be a bar.

powerbelly said:

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schmellba99 said:

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aad03 said:

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I'm with Cstrickland here. Don't put too much thought into your liquor selection. 99% of folks don't know, much less care, about what makes a better whiskey. Just put out some Jack and some Crown so they can wet their whistle.

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FFFFFFF that noise. If I go to a higher end place, whether it be a lodge or steakhouse or bar, I'm expecting the ability to have something more than what I can go to any liquor store and buy off the shelf.

Given what the bourbon market has become, and what the scotch market has been for years, and what the rum and tequila markets are morphing into - the idea that throwing jack and crown up is sufficient at what is billed as an upscale place is just stupid.

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Eh. I love high end drinks, but if this is a place focused on fishing then they need less than if they are trying to be a bar.

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Disagree completely. Hunting or fishing, doesn't matter - if I'm going to a nice lodge in the mountains, I want to enjoy my evenings with a very nice drink looking at the views. I'm not going there to drink a run of the mill Jack Daniels that I can get anywhere or a coors light that i can buy at the corner store at home.

schmellba99 said:

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I'm going to a nice lodge in the mountains, I want to enjoy my evenings with a very nice drink looking at the views.

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That sure sounds nicer than a Tuesday morning at work.

Let's go.

schmellba99 said:

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powerbelly said:

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schmellba99 said:

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aad03 said:

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I'm with Cstrickland here. Don't put too much thought into your liquor selection. 99% of folks don't know, much less care, about what makes a better whiskey. Just put out some Jack and some Crown so they can wet their whistle.

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FFFFFFF that noise. If I go to a higher end place, whether it be a lodge or steakhouse or bar, I'm expecting the ability to have something more than what I can go to any liquor store and buy off the shelf.

Given what the bourbon market has become, and what the scotch market has been for years, and what the rum and tequila markets are morphing into - the idea that throwing jack and crown up is sufficient at what is billed as an upscale place is just stupid.

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Eh. I love high end drinks, but if this is a place focused on fishing then they need less than if they are trying to be a bar.

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Disagree completely. Hunting or fishing, doesn't matter - if I'm going to a nice lodge in the mountains, I want to enjoy my evenings with a very nice drink looking at the views. I'm not going there to drink a run of the mill Jack Daniels that I can get anywhere or a coors light that i can buy at the corner store at home.

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I wasnt saying he shouldn't stock any high end stuff, but that he should focus on more well known stuff, unless you want to see 90% of all the guests mixing that high end bourbon with coke or taking a sip of some fruity pebble beer with an ironic label and pouring out the rest.

I'm sure a high end Lodge is going to have a bartender. This doesn't sound like a fishing shack on a frozen lake.