Want to Drink Great Whiskey for Cheap? Check Out These Bars

If high-end, award-winning whiskey bars are the exception, then what's the rule? The best day-in, day-out place to enjoy whiskey is a dive bar. It’s not because I don’t respect the handful of spots with leather-bound spirits menus listing hundreds of bottles. They're just not readily accessible when you want to sit down for a no-reservation drink with a buddy.

Whiskey and dives are kindred spirits. They’re an aesthetic match, as dark bar tops and dim lights complement the gleam of brown...