Best bourbon under $50?

[melensdad]

Tonight I'm trying the TRAVERSE CITY bourbon and comparing it to the highly acclaimed BRECKINRIDGE bourbon.

The colors of these two bourbons are virtually identical. A light amber. No hint of cloudiness, just a light golden color.

Comparing the aromas, the Traverse City is very pleasantly sweet to the nose and defies any simple description. The Breckinridge is milder on the nose, slightly less sweet to the smell and offer only hints of alcohol.

The Traverse City is pleasantly mild in flavor with absolutely no alcohol tingle in the mouth, its smooth on the front of the tongue and it moves back the mouth while remaining fairly smooth. Going down there is only a mild hint of an alcohol burn, barely enough to notice. I don't notice any real complexity but its easy to drink and easy to enjoy.

Apparently ranked as one of the top bourbons, the Breckinridge is harsher than the Traverse City and has a more pronounced burn on the way down. First sip to first sip, I'd have to give the nod to the Traverse City as the better tasting of the two. A second sip of the Breckinridge mimics the first, nice flavor but slightly harsh with some alcohol burn on the way down. A final sip of the Traverse City neat, and while it is pleasant, it also seems to be simple and singular compared to the more complex but harsher Breckinridge.

A single ice cube has been added to each glass.

Now with a half melted ice cube, the Traverse City picks up a hint of spice and the flavor seems a bit more complex. Its still very smooth and still very easy to drink and enjoy.

Switching to the Breckinridge, this bourbon also opens up with some spice but also becomes more mild and easier to drink. The alcohol burn nearly vanishes and the back of the tongue finish is pleasantly peppery.

Switching back again to the Traverse City and the ice cube is now gone and the drink has become a very good, very easy to drink bourbon that I like very much. I'd like to compare this bourbon to the Beer Barrel Bourbon, a bourbon that I'd put on/near the top of my personal list.

Finishing off the last of the Breckinridge and I'd say its very good with some ice, melted. Its a complex flavor that defies description but I could write a bunch of crap that sounds good but is really just pretentious gibberish, mentioning Thai chili, steamed green tea and hints of leathery oak. Its none of that. But is really is pretty darn good, especially on ice.

Now to finish off the Traverse City, its good. Nice and easy to drink. Its good neat, its good over ice. Not sure which I prefer over all, I'd say that the Breckinridge really becomes better with ice, and that means really really good. The Traverse City is just easy. Easy to describe as simpler and easier to drink.




I've not looked back at my prior Breckinridge review, but I have to wonder if the food I've eaten tonight somehow affects the taste of the bourbons I try. Just as food can affect the flavor of a cigar many hours after finishing the food, I wonder if it does the same with bourbons.

 

[Clay]

Picked up a small bottle of Elijah Craig 12 year at the recommendation of the store owner. No blantons, no weller, this this was something I've never had so here goes. 94 proof. Details to follow

Ok, so far mixed feelings. Color is the normal medium carmel color. It has GREAT smell. Nice and sweet, with out to much alcohol smell.

First few sips were neat. It has decent flavor, but not my favorite taste so far. I still prefer Blantons. No mouth burn to speak of , and it will burn down the back of your throat for a good long time. Not a bad burn, just a nice slow burn. It does go down very smooth, the slow burn seems to come later, ie it has a delay.

Next I tried it with one ice cube. This seems to make it taste a little better, maybe cutting down the alcohol content a bit. Same slow burn on the back end. Again no mouth burn.

Last edit: yup, over ice is the way to go. Nice and smooth!

First cube melted so I added 2 more. Its really going down smooth now. So as of right now it seems to need the ice, at least for me.

 

[sadclownwp]

You guys all need to try Angels Envy. Bourbon aged in port barrels. It is quite delicious. Melensdad, I'll try to bring a bottle to the clubhouse this coming thursday, perhaps a review is in order.

 

[Clay]

I thought about it when I was at the liquor store. Might have to grab a bottle tomorrow

 

[sadclownwp]

I'm a huge fan of Makers Mark, Buffalo Trace, Bookers, and Knob Creek, but there is something very special about Angels Envy. It is just different enough to really stand out.

 

[rkwhyte2]

Just finishing up a bottle of Blanton's and I must say it has been tasty. Picked up a bottle of Jefferson Reserve last night and once I kick this head cold I'm going to give it a go. Sucks not being able to smell anything and of course my taste is diminished also. The upside to the cold is that I still have an ounce or two of the Blanton's left. Hope to do a review of the JR once I feel better.

 

[melensdad]

You guys all need to try Angels Envy. Bourbon aged in port barrels. It is quite delicious. Melensdad, I'll try to bring a bottle to the clubhouse this coming thursday, perhaps a review is in order.

Sweet!

 

[Hogwylde]

OP, you are asking the wrong question. There is no such thing as a good bourbon.....under or over $50. You might as well drink Hoppe's #5, I'm sure it's less than $50.

 

[melensdad]

You guys all need to try Angels Envy. Bourbon aged in port barrels. It is quite delicious. Melensdad, I'll try to bring a bottle to the clubhouse this coming thursday, perhaps a review is in order.

I may just bring in my bottle of Beer Barrel Bourbon so we can do a simple comparison. Beer Barrel is an Indiana bourbon that is finish aged in beer barrels from Dragon's Milk Beer in New Holland, Michigan.

Might be fun to do a comparison review of the two different bourbons.

 

[Clay]

OP, you are asking the wrong question. There is no such thing as a good bourbon.....under or over $50. You might as well drink Hoppe's #5, I'm sure it's less than $50.

I can say the same thing about that swill called beer. Isn't that what they give to babies in Germany?

 

[rkwhyte2]

I can say the same thing about that swill called beer. Isn't that what they give to babies in Germany?

To each their own but what I get out of this statement is that you have never had real beer. Quality beer is a thing of beauty and a true taste experience.

 

[Clay]

I've had real beer. Hell I was in germany last year and had good beer.... but its still not bourbon

 

[melensdad]

Attended a fancy wedding with open bar last night up in Chicago's Lincoln Park area. Jim Beam white label was their only bourbon. Asked for a glass. Bartender served me 3 shots over ice. The only downside was that the ice was crushed ice, it melted fast and totally diluted the bourbon. First third of the glass, before the ice had melted too far, was good enough. But by the time it got about 1/2 melted it was too diluted to bother to drink. What a waste.

 

[melensdad]

Spent the day moving stone, dirt, and building more of the monumental garden that the lovely Mrs_Bob asked for as her Mother's Day gift. Its a series of raised beds, with crushed limestone paths between the beds. So now my body is sore, I'm sitting in a big leather chair relaxing and I'm going to reward myself with another bourbon comparison.
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Tonight its the battle of the big boys. JIM BEAM'S Signature Craft -vs- JACK DANIEL'S Single Barrel. Yes I know that Jack Daniels is a "Tennessee Whiskey" but it also, by definition, qualifies as a bourbon.

Both are a dark rich amber in color, not light or golden but more brown. The shades of the two are nearly identical, I'd say that Jack Daniel's is only slightly darker.

Neither offers a sweet smell, and both offer up the smell of alcohol. The Jack Daniels offers up some spice in its aroma while the Jim Beam doesn't really seem to offer up too much!

The first sip of the Jim Beam Signature Craft left a little tingle on the lips but a smooth mellow flavor on my tongue and a slight burn only after swallowing and it hit bottom. The second sip was identical to the first, with the identical mild burn in the belly.

Shifting over to the Jack Daniels Single Barrel and my mouth was immediately assaulted with a harshness that did not exist in Beam's offering. Its just not a good drink. It burns on the way down and in the belly, its harsh in the mouth, it leaves an unpleasant tingle on the lips and inside of the mouth afterwards.

Back over to the Jim Beam Signature Craft for a final sip before adding ice and its definitely the easier of the two to drink.

So now dropping a single cube of ice into each glass.

The single cube is now about half melted into each of these bourbons. The Jim Beam Signature Craft mellows out a bit and the flavor is still fairly mild. The taste is good, not really sweet, but offers up a hint of sweetness and the burn, while still present has mellowed out a little bit and still only exists when the drink hits bottom. While the flavor is fairly mild, there does seem to be an elevation in something spicy on the tongue. The JIM BEAM Signature Craft is a pretty easy to drink bourbon with some nice flavors and is only hampered by the modest burn in the belly.

Switching over to the Jack Daniels Single Barrel and even after the dilution from the mostly melted ice cube its still a harsh flavored drink that smacks your mouth, its got more than a hint of spice, but the tingling in the mouth and the burn in the belly have diminished considerably with the addition of the melting ice cube. I definitely like the Jack Daniels better after the ice is melted into the drink but that is not to say that I really like this drink. I can say that I really don't like it. Its simply not worth whatever I paid for it. Its a bit better than my least favorite, the Journeyman Bourbon, that one is simply bad. This offering from Jack Daniels, despite its premium price, premium bottle and "Single Barrel" designation, it is just not very good.

Between the JIM BEAM "Signature Craft" and the JACK DANIELS Single Barrel I'd easily choose the Jim Beam product.

For whatever it might be worth, I'm suffering from a slight acid integestion this evening, so the burn in my belly from the alcohol may be more severe than on some other day.​

 

[rkwhyte2]

Okay well I may have spoiled myself with the Blanton's but here is my review of the Jefferson Reserve I picked up about 4 days ago.

Light amber in color with a distinct alcohol smell. When I puffed into the glass a little the alcohol fumes rose up and kinda tickled my eyes. Not in a bad way. First sip tingles the lips. I get a burn on the tongue from front to back and an overall spice but once it gets to my throat all was good. I did this several times with the same result so for me at least this isn't good neat. Added a splash of chilled water and everything changed. With the addition of the water the burn is gone and so is the lip tingle and while I can still taste a hint of spice it is quite enjoyable. Overall I find this an nice bourbon but not great (of course like I said I spoiled myself).

 

[melensdad]

Nice review of the Jefferson Reserve. I've looked at that one several times. They make a few different grades, one of the more expensive grades has been named as one of the best bourbons by a few different bourbon review articles.

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EDIT: ADDED THE FOLLOWING:

Thanks guys. I plain on bringing some of this.

Who is driving us all home?

Anyone want to come to the NWI INGO Clubhouse on Thursday for a Bourbon comparison test? Probably about noon?

Sadclownwp and I are going to be there. He is bringing Angel's Envy and I am bringing Beer Barrel. Both are unique in that after traditional aging in charred white oak casks, both are re-casked. The Angels Envy is re-casked in barrels from Port wine and the Beer Barrel is re-casked in barrels that formerly held Dragon's Milk Beer.

Lonehoosier is going to show up too! He's bringing a bottle too.

Bring something if you come.

Oh, for those who don't know, the NWI INGO Clubhouse is the 1101 Cigar Lounge in Schererville, on US30.​

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[rkwhyte2]

Nice review of the Jefferson Reserve. I've looked at that one several times. They make a few different grades, one of the more expensive grades has been named as one of the best bourbons by a few different bourbon review articles.


Thank you sir coming from you I consider that high praise.

 

[lonehoosier]

Nice review of the Jefferson Reserve. I've looked at that one several times. They make a few different grades, one of the more expensive grades has been named as one of the best bourbons by a few different bourbon review articles.

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EDIT: ADDED THE FOLLOWING:



Anyone want to come to the NWI INGO Clubhouse on Thursday for a Bourbon comparison test? Probably about noon?

Sadclownwp and I are going to be there. He is bringing Angel's Envy and I am bringing Beer Barrel. Both are unique in that after traditional aging in charred white oak casks, both are re-casked. The Angels Envy is re-casked in barrels from Port wine and the Beer Barrel is re-casked in barrels that formerly held Dragon's Milk Beer.

Lonehoosier is going to show up too! He's bringing a bottle too.

Bring something if you come.

Oh, for those who don't know, the NWI INGO Clubhouse is the 1101 Cigar Lounge in Schererville, on US30.​

 

[melensdad]

OK just my take on these 4 bourbons...

RIDGEMONT RESERVE 1792 is a really nice, really smooth bourbon. The aroma picks up some oak and maybe some vanilla and is sweet. It has plenty of aroma too. The color is a rich amber, bordering on a brown amber. There is a definite tingle all through the mouth but its not a harsh tingle and there is no burn at all in the mouth, and no burn going down either. You notice a little bit of heat at the bottom, but not enough that I'd call it a burn.

The GENTLEMAN JACK, in comparison to the R.R.1792 has very little aroma in the glass, I had Sadclownwp take a couple deep inhales and he agreed that the aroma is very light. The color is also a bit lighter than the R.R.1792 as well, its more of a golden amber. In the mouth the JACK is harsher, it has a light tingle but it stays with you, especially on the back end of your mouth and has a mild burn on the way down. Even a minute after swallowing the drink your mouth is still feeling some of the tingle.

ANGLES ENVY and BEER BARREL are similar in that both are smoother and mildly sweeter. I prefer the BEER BARREL both neat and over ice, when compared to the ANGLES ENVY, but that is not to say that the ANGLES ENVY is not good. Its very good, very smooth, hints of sweetness and no burn.

 

[Andy219]

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