Bulleit Manhattan Cocktail Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B+

One of the better things to come out of the Pandemic and its associated lockdowns were the rise of good pre-mixed, bottled or canned cocktails. Stop and consider that the mixology boom was well under way thirteen years ago, when we first reported on how that boom was sweeping rye whiskey from store shelves. Quality RTD products only started reaching the market in the last few years.

Bulleit has two bottled RTDs in their inventory: a bourbon-based Old Fashioned; and a Manhattan using rye whiskey. I zeroed in on the latter for two reasons. First and foremost, I make a pretty good Old Fashioned already, but can never drain a bottle of vermouth fast enough (before it goes off) to make doing home Manhattans worthwhile. Second, it is made with rye whiskey, not bourbon, as a proper Manhattan should be. In this case, that whiskey is Bulleit 95 Rye, sourced for many years through MGP’s 95% rye stock. It’s unclear if Bulleit is making rye whiskey at their Shelbyville distillery or not, but it is clear that if they are, that in-house production isn’t in any of the bottles yet.

The Cocktail
Simply put, this is what you want from an RTD cocktail: it hits all the right notes for a good, bar quality Manhattan. The Bulleit Rye, vermouth and bitters all speak up, and at 75 proof the concoction isn’t weak or watery. Chill in the refrigerator, add a cherry and its ready to go. If you like Manhattans (and have the same problem I do with making full use of the vermouth before it goes off), this is a good choice for keeping on hand at home.

The Price
A survey of online retailers shows the RTD Bulleit Manhattan Cocktail is available in 375ml for $13 to $16 and 750ml for $26 to $35.