Best bourbon under $50?

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  • sadclownwp

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    Jan 6, 2010
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    I'm drinking Makers 46 right now. I do so love this bourbon with a single ice cube and waiting about 3 minutes before I take my first sip. Is it the best... no, but it sure is tasty and never disappoints.
     

    melensdad

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    Apr 2, 2008
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    Well I will NOT be reviewing this bourbon in this thread.

    But I scored a very rare bottle of JEFFERSON OCEAN, cost was $79. More expensive than I believe it should have been based on prices I've seen on the internet, I think the bottle is priced about $5 to $8 too high. But it is very rare, very small batch, very unique. Most liquor stores can't get this, the bottles are allocated. One of the stores in my county got 6 bottles . . . they would only sell me 1.

    There were 62 barrels of roughly 8 year old bourbon that were put onto a ship and sent around the world. Normal bourbon is aged in barrels that sit in a warehouse for years without movement. These did that. Jefferson sourced 62 barrels of bourbon aged 6-8 years and then put them on a container ship for another 6 months where the barrels sloshed, rocked and rolled with the waves across the oceans visiting a total of 31 ports and making their way across the equator four times. The theory is that this constant movement of the liquid in the barrels ages (matures) the whiskey faster because more of the liquid is in contact with the wood more often.

    But as it is too expensive for the BEST BOURBON UNDER $50 thread, I won't be reviewing it in this thread.

    I will tell you, it smells awesome!

    1_zpsae7c8f63.jpg
     

    melensdad

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    I think I have seen a bottle of this around here. Now if I can remember which store it was and if they still have it.

    If you can find it, buy it. Those 62 casks were all bottled up and shipped. There is no more.

    They may, or may not, do this again in the future. Even if they do it will taste different. The storage conditions at sea will change the flavor as air temperature, salt air, and sea conditions will all be different.
     

    melensdad

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    OH MY GOODNESS OH MY GOODNESS we have a battle tonight. The TITANS are battling the GODS with this match up.

    Now I admit that I'm breaking with the tradition of this thread since these 2 bourbons are over $50. One by a little and one by a pretty wide margin. So since the JEFFERSON OCEAN is way over the $50 limit, see the link in the post above this one, to my individual review of the brand.

    JEFFERSON RESERVE versus JEFFERSON OCEAN.

    Both of these bourbons hover at/near the top of my favorite list just about every single day, both are awesome, the RESERVE is a bargain at about $55 and the OCEAN is a bargain at roughly $80, albeit it a more expensive bargain.

    It should be noted that the folks behind JEFFERSON don't actually distill their bourbons, they buy them and then blend, continue to age, or otherwise alter them in some way. And they are masters at doing so.

    Upon first sniff, the OCEAN hints at briny and savory complexity without any alcohol harshness on the nose. RESERVE does give off some alcohol but is also complex to the nose with a mixture of flavors.

    Sipping the OCEAN is a treat, it goes in sweet and savory at the front, you do pick up hints of salt. But it finishes off peppery at the back of the mouth and goes down smoothly with a warming glow, not a burn, at the bottom. Its just so damn good.

    Tipping back the RESERVE and it too is something to savor. A bit less savory at the front, not quite the complexity of the OCEAN, add in a slight bit of mouth tingle on the finish with a peppery finish and a bit more of a hint of burn. Its just so darn good.

    Clearly I have a favorite between these two bourbon when drinking them neat and its name is OCEAN.

    There was a bit more bourbon in each glass after my 'neat' sampling than normal so I dropped slightly larger ice cubes into each than I normally do, trying to keep the proportions consistent. Letting the ice cubes in each glass melt a bit I picked up the JEFFERSON OCEAN first and the peppery flavors became more noticeable and moved up front. Switching to the JEFFERSON RESERVE and it has smoothed out a bit more with the addition of the melting ice cube.

    Damn these are both good.

    TITANS versus GODS. The RESERVE is clearly the lesser drink, the Titan in this fight, but its not lesser by much and the price is about half of that of the OCEAN so its clearly the value pick. The OCEAN is an astonishing good bourbon and is worth every penny of the nearly $85 (with tax) I paid for the bottle, heck I may go and try to get another bottle if they will sell it to me.


    VERDICT of this showdown:
    UNDECIDED​
    Or maybe too good to decide and I just need to drink more of these 2 bourbons.
    A lot more.
    Often.
    Even if in moderation.
     
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    melensdad

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    Well, after sleeping on it last night I have come to a decision about the battle royale between JEFFERSON RESERVE and JEFFERSON OCEAN

    The answer is that OCEAN is the more serious bourbon, best when drinking alone by a fire pit and contemplating the world, searching the skies for an elusive comet or planet or with a good buddy and discussing some life changing event, perhaps a celebration or even a toast to a departed loved one. Its too special for most times. Its a serious drink, maybe even a somber drink, but its not one for parties where people may not appreciate its subtle flavors and its certainly waisted if used as a mixer.

    The RESERVE is great when you are all alone, but probably would be better to celebrate with a group of friends, perhaps the last night at fish camp, or a toast to a graduate, even to a wedding, when you are with a groups of people. Use it as a 'mixer' and you will get someone to tell you that you are an idiot, but it would probably make a hell of a Whiskey Sour, or an Old Fashioned. Just don't mess it up with fruits and froth.
     

    melensdad

    Grandmaster
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    18   1   0
    Apr 2, 2008
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    Tomorrow I'm getting a bottle of TEMPERANCE TRADER Barrel Strength Bourbon. Its a 'high rye' bourbon and, being a barrel strength, its also high alcohol so it may need to be diluted a bit to be drinkable neat. Its also an Indiana bourbon, distilled in Lawrenceburg, but then shipped to Portland, Oregon's Bull Run Distilling Company for finishing, it is a fairly common practice for bourbons to be sourced and bought, then aged, altered or blended under another brand name. Probably one of the very best known is Jefferson, which sells some astounding bourbons.

    High rye tends to be a bit more peppery than wheated bourbons, which tend to be a bit sweeter and, or mellower. Makers Mark is probably the best known of the wheated bourbons and Pappy Van Winkle, arguably the best bourbon available is a whetted bourbon. But generally rye bourbons are more common than wheated bourbons.
     

    JettaKnight

    Я з Україною
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    Oct 13, 2010
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    I've been intentionally avoiding this thread...
    ...can't...
    ...resist...

    Ugh. Now I have to go and scour this for gems to add to my bar. I was at the store and had to just go with Knob Creek because I didn't know any better.


    Hey guys, what about Gin?
     

    melensdad

    Grandmaster
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    18   1   0
    Apr 2, 2008
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    I've been intentionally avoiding this thread...
    ...can't...
    ...resist...

    Ugh. Now I have to go and scour this for gems to add to my bar. I was at the store and had to just go with Knob Creek because I didn't know any better.


    Hey guys, what about Gin?
    I do enjoy a nice Gin & Tonic on a hot summer day.

    But back to bourbon, there is nothing wrong with Knob Creek. I generally have been trying to stick with smaller brands, and then occasionally comparing them to some of the major brands just to keep some perspective. That is also why I've stayed away from Makers Mark, Jim Beam Black, etc etc.

    The one bourbon that I have avoided is REBEL YELL. While it is a 'wheated bourbon' and while I tend to favor the wheated varieties because they are less peppery, it has a reputation as being a thin, weak, more of a "rebel whimper" than a yell.
     

    melensdad

    Grandmaster
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    18   1   0
    Apr 2, 2008
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    Several INGO members joined me, along with a few others and we tried out several bourbons last week. One was a new bourbon, the other two have been tested/reviewed in this thread in the past:

    TEMPERANCE TRADERS, distilled in Indiana, finished in Portland, OR.
    JOURNEYMAN, distilled in Indiana, finished in Three Oaks, MI.
    JEFFERSON RESERVE, origins unknown.

    First off it was a universal belief among all those who tried all 3 bourbons that the JOURNEYMAN bourbon is harsh. Some people were kind and said it was drinkable, but that was about the highest compliment. Basically it was not well received by anyone and nobody actually thought it was good, or even marginal.

    TEMPERANCE TRADERS was generally considered to be very good. This bourbon had not been previously reviewed. It is a "barrel proof" bourbon so each shipment will be a slightly different proof, and that proof will be noted on the bottles. Generally "barrel proof" bourbons will be between 110 and 120 proof.

    I think 1 person chose TEMPERANCE TRADERS as the best of the 3 bourbons, if that person didn't consider it the best, he certainly was very complimentary of the brand. But overall, everyone liked it, nobody disliked it. Despite it being a much higher proof, it was not harsh, nor did it have substantial alcohol aroma, nor did it have substantial alcohol burn. People noted tones of almond, vanilla and caramel in the flavor. People noted it was sweet at the front and that it didn't finish harsh or overly spicy. It is a "high rye" with 25% rye in the mash, but didn't have the high spice that many find in high rye blends, possibly because its also 65% corn? It was honestly a very smooth bourbon that, despite being over 110 proof, could be sipped neat. Adding a few drops of water tamed down anything that anyone found objectionable (and there wasn't much to find objectionable). So letting a single ice cube melt a bit would be advised to anyone who might choose to mellow it. At $39.99 a bottle it is certainly priced very nicely for what it delivers.

    JEFFERSON RESERVE was very well received by everyone and with 1 possible exception it was the clear choice of all the testers as their bourbon of choice in this test.


    ---------------------- and then -------------------​


    A few days after the above testing I flew down to New Orleans for the weekend, stayed at the Windsor Court Hotel (I highly recommend this hotel if you go to NOLA).

    If you stay on the club level floors they provide a complimentary bar. Among many other things, they stocked 3 bourbons: Makers Mark, Jim Beam (white) and Jack Daniels (which is legally a bourbon by definition). I'm not a fan of Beam white label and JD, while technically a bourbon, is a bit harsh to my taste.

    So while I was down there I was drinking free Makers Mark bourbon. Really hard to complain about Makers Mark. Reasonably priced and easy to drink. Its a "wheated" bourbon, as I mentioned previously and that cuts down the peppery sharpness that is found in the "rye" bourbons. All bourbons have no less than 51% corn, but after that the second ingredient is typically either rye or wheat. Makers Mark is the most common wheated bourbon, Jim Beam is probably the most common with rye bourbon.
     
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    melensdad

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    WOODFORD RESERVE versus MAKERS MARK

    I'm not generally a big fan of the major brand bourbons but they didn't get to be big sellers by producing junk and honestly some of them are pretty darn good, despite the fact that I'd prefer to find a micro-distiller who crafts their products in small batches. Still, it makes sense, in a thread like this to throw up a couple big brands and see what they are, how they compare. And with these 2 brands we are comparing apples to oranges because they are very different bourbons.


    WOODFORD RESERVE hits your nose with a punch of vanilla, some spice, some oak and a bit of alcohol, its complex to the nose and gives you, what you hope, is a prelude of what is to come. With the MAKERS MARK the aroma is more of alcohol than anything else, it overpowers the background aromas; it contains none of the complexity of the WOODFORD RESERVE since the alcohol just overwhelms. Based on aroma alone, the clear choice would be the WOODRFORD RESERVER, it simply smells wonderful.

    But when it comes to flavors, the MAKERS MARK scores with nice soft tones. Its a little sweet on the front and when it finishes it stays smooth. There is a little burn on the way down but not much, and the burn is gone before it hits your belly. Straight up the MAKERS MARK is a bourbon that has some upfront sweetness and is mellow enough for drinking straight up in the evenings.

    Switching over to the WOODFORD RESERVE and its a much different type of bourbon, rougher around the edges, with some strong oak flavor on the finish that can be somewhat acerbic. This is a drink that finishes strong and bold. Its not as sweet at the front, its got a mild burn going down but, as with MAKERS MARK its not a strong burn.

    Adding a single cube of ice to each and letting both melt down a little bit I pick up the MAKERS MARK first. Not that it needed to tame down, but the melted cube certainly eliminated the mild burn as it went down. But while the burn was all but gone, it seemed to pick up a little sharpness and peppery spice at the back of the mouth on the finish. What was a great easy to drink bourbon is even easier to drink on the rocks (or in this case, with just a single cube).

    Switching to the WOODFORD RESERVE and the melted ice cube, the finish has less oak but still seems acerbic and spicy and the mild burn remains. I don't think the ice tamed this drink, it may have altered it, but its not tamed down any.

    WINNER of this match up is easy. Its MAKERS MARK. I think its better straight up and I think its better with ice. So no split decision, no hard choices. I'm not saying the WOODFORD RESERVE is a bad bourbon, its not, but its not a bourbon that that I'm particularly fond of nor is it to my tastes, which tend to favor a smoother softer bourbon. If you like WOODFORD RESERVE then you probably also like JACK DANIELS. I'm not a JACK fan either.
     

    sadclownwp

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    That Temperance Trader was very delicious, that may make it into my bar along side the Beer Barrel Bourbon and the Makers 46.
     

    melensdad

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    That Temperance Trader was very delicious, that may make it into my bar along side the Beer Barrel Bourbon and the Makers 46.

    I don't have any of the MAKERS 46 in my cabinet. One of these days I'll stumble across it and try it. I think its interesting that so many brands have so many variations of their product but MAKERS MARK had resisted that for more than 5 full decades, and only recently added the "46" to their line. So they have only 2 Makers Mark brands.

    From what I've been able to learn, the original Makers Mark and the 46 are identical bourbons from identical mash . . . but the finish of the 46 is different. They take it out of the barrels, blend it, and then insert a bunch of oak in the barrels, pour the bourbon back into the barrels and finish it for a few more months with that extra oak. Its not unlike the process that Angels Envy and Beer Barrel use. They both re-cask their bourbon after aging in oak, but they do a few months of extra age in Sherry and Beer barrels respectively. In the case of "46" they stay ture/pure to the charred oak casks.
     

    melensdad

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    Been sipping on a bottle of BUFFALO TRACE BOURBON lately. It had me puzzled about its mashbill because up front it is on the sweet size while the finish offers some spice. And its pretty smooth, with a bit of burn going down. I wondered if it was a "wheated" bourbon based on the sweetness and smoothness, but the spice betrays that. So I did a bit of research and Buffalo Trace doesn't release the mashbill but some experts have theorized it as a LOW RYE (less than 10% rye) bourbon mash, and that makes a lot of sense.

    The aroma is very nice, hints of vanilla come through. The color is a nice medium/dark amber.

    Drinking it neat, on the tongue it goes in sweet and smooth with spice on the finish and some burn on the way down. The burn is not too harsh, but its definitely there and its one you feel going down but not so much at the bottom. I get no mouth tingle from this 90 proof bourbon either. This is a fairly easy to drink bourbon and I can see why its become so popular.

    Adding a cube of ice and letting it melt down a bit the BUFFALO TRACE becomes a sharp flavored bourbon, and rather than taming down it seems to highten all the tastes and even highten the burn. What was smooth is no longer smooth, what was mellow is no longer mellow. I'm not saying its bad, that would be a misinterpretation, it is simply sharp and sharp flavors can be good. With the exception of the burn, which is also enhanced, the sharp flavors are actually pretty interesting.

    This is priced about $22 a bottle, CVS recently had it on sale for just under $20. Its a bargain at either price.
     

    Brandon

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    It is a gift shop only tasting right now. Or they say some bartenders get to try it. Head down south in the fall and you can try it.
    Become an ambassador, get your name on a barrel and wait a few years. You get a call to come down and bottle/dip a few bottles out of the barrel that had your name on it.
    I will be doing this in October, been waiting since 2007.
     

    perry

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    My barrel is ready this fall. I asked if they were doing those single barrel and was told no changes are being made. You just get a bottle from a batch that had your barrel. Maybe they will make changes later. Your barrel can't be far behind mine. Maybe next spring?
     

    Brandon

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    October is what the last email said. I swore when they signed us up back in '07 they said it would be specifically from the barrel your name was on.
     
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