Best bourbon under $50?

[melensdad]

Cowboy hat maker Stetson introduced JOHN B STETSON BOURBON and I happened to find a bottle, with a free bourbon glass, at the local supermarket. I had seen a review of this bourbon a while back, listing it as a great new bourbon.

As for the bourbon, its a nice light amber in color, aged for 4 years. By law bourbon needs to be aged for 2 years, many brands are aged for 8 to 12 years, some rare few for much more. But the lighter amber color comes from the 4 years of aging rather than from a longer aging which imparts a somewhat darker color.

JOHN B STETSON is a 4 grain bourbon, which starts with at least 51% corn, then adds both Rye & Wheat as well as Barley. Most bourbons have a 3 grain mash bill, with either Rye or Wheat, but not both.

Taking it into the mouth the sweetness imparted by the wheat hits you first and then stays with you on the finish while the rye's spice is added to the finish so you get both sweet and spice at the end. If you like MAKERS MARK for its smoothness and sweetness and lack of spice then you will probably also like JOHN B STETSON for the same qualities but it has a little more spice to it. Its not overly complex and I'd put it as a good "mixer" bourbon or a nice modest priced sipping bourbon for "everyday" consumption. You won't be saving this bottle for those special occasions, its a bit to thin in flavor complexity and to simple for those special occasions where you want something like the Jefferson Ocean, or even the Jefferson Reserve.

When drinking it neat its also got some burn to it. But not too much, its more a belly warmer than a belly burner. And the mouth feel is smooth, with only a hint of alcohol tingle at the end.

As with many bourbons, when dropping an ice cube into it and letting it melt down a bit the bourbon tends to open up a bit. But this one also tends to become a bit hard around the edges after it opens up. I preferred it neat. It seems a bit smoother and a bit easier to drink neat. But the mouth tingle from the alcohol was gone after the slight dilution from the ice and the belly burn was almost gone after the ice too. Still, I preferred it straight up because it seemed to be smoother, even if a bit stronger.

Do I like it? Yes I do. Is it on my favorite list? Nope. It is easy to drink and at under $30 its a better value than something like the EVAN WILLIAMS 1783 because I think it offers a bit more. Its also a nice companion to your MAKERS MARK since it offers a somewhat different profile but not too different to be totally unfamiliar.

 

[melensdad]

SPRING MILL BOURBON from a small company in Indianapolis versus nationally distributed MAKERS MARK BOURBON tonight.

First off the color, the MAKERS MARK is a rich brownish amber color while the SPRING MILL is more of a golden amber.

As for aroma, the MAKERS is a milder smoother tone to the nose without much of a hint of spice while the SPRING MILL is much spicier in aroma and also more complex with hints of sweetness up front before the peppery spices hit you. Not that this should come as a surprise because the MAKERS is a wheated bourbon while the SPRING MILL aroma is pretty typical of a high rye bourbon.

Taking a first sip of each of these two provides flavors that mimic the aromas. The MAKERS MARK is smooth and a little sweet going in, smooth on the finish, with no spice and minimal burn. The SPRING MILL hits your tongue with a bit of sweetness up front but as it transitions to the finish at the back of your mouth there is spice that hits you with a bit of sharpness, followed up with some burn on the way down. These are very different bourbons, but then again MAKERS MARK is one of the few 'wheated' bourbons that is in common distribution and the SPRING MILL is a very typical rye bourbon and rye bourbons dominate the bourbon landscape.

Dropping in a single ice cube and letting them melt down a bit I pick up the glass of MAKERS MARK, swirl it around and notice that an ANT has dropped into the glass from the tree branches that hang over our patio furniture. DAMN. I fish it out with my finger and flick it away. I suppose the test is invalid unless an ant drops into the SPRING MILL glass too? So much for my scientific evaluations. Still I soldier on with the test, the ice cube in the MAKERS MARK is all but melted when I take my first sip. Its even smoother now up front, which hardly seems possible, but on the finish it seems a bit sharper with a hint of pepper.

Well no ant has fallen into the SPRING MILL but I sip it anyway. Its flavors have opened up a bit and are sharper on the tip of the tongue and at the finish, but despite being sharper they are also less harsh. So the water from the cube has mellowed out the harshness and yet has maintained but slightly tamed the peppery spices.

TWO VERY DIFFERENT BOURBONS in this test. Totally different profiles. Both are good bourbons. Personally I prefer the MAKERS MARK for its smoothness when its neat. Add an ice cube to each and both are good and I like both, not sure which I would choose with a bit of water/ice. I suppose my favorite would depend on the day, my mood and perhaps global warming, the situation in the Middle East and Wall Streets results of the day?

Overall I'll say that I like the MAKERS MARK better, because I think its the better bourbon neat. And I'll also say that I personally like smoother bourbons over spicier bourbons so my bias will be toward the MAKERS MARK. That said, the SPRING MILL has typically compared well against other bourbons I've tried. Its a good, not a great, bourbon. And SPRING MILL is very good over a bit of ice.

 

[singlestacksig]

Your ?Craft? Whiskey Is Probably From a Factory Distillery in Indiana - The Daily Beast

 

[melensdad]

Your ?Craft? Whiskey Is Probably From a Factory Distillery in Indiana - The Daily Beast

This is a "well known secret" in the bourbon industry. You will notice that many of my posts indicate that the product is an "Indiana bourbon . . . but finished in 'xxxx' state."

FWIW, I think the only real micro-distiller in Indiana may be Spring Mill in central Indiana.

And as for the factory bourbons/whiskies, etc from Lawarnceburg, many of them are actually produced specifically for a smaller company to their recipe. Some are very very good. Some are not.

 

[perry]

FWIW, I think the only real micro-distiller in Indiana may be Spring Mill in central Indiana..

Check the list the article linked


Sku's Recent Eats: The Complete List of American Whiskey Distilleries & Brands

I know right where Heartland Distillers is. Small, nondescript office building / strip mall. There's no distilling going on there but there is a new, small brewery a couple doors down.

 

[Brandon]

After speaking to several local liquor stores I found 2 that knew of Jeffersons Ocean, one said I could be placed on their list with no guess to when I may get a bottle. The other said he knows his order has no chance in being filled.

To the internet I went.. I found a couple of bottles. Some well north of 250-300. I also found one for about 150 shipped. To anyone who has had this, do you think this may be worth it seeing it is all but impossible to get local? I tend to collect and the low number production has me interested.

 

[melensdad]

Check the list the article linked


Sku's Recent Eats: The Complete List of American Whiskey Distilleries & Brands

I know right where Heartland Distillers is. Small, nondescript office building / strip mall. There's no distilling going on there but there is a new, small brewery a couple doors down.

But Spring Mill/Heartland Distillers is owned by Colglazier & Hobson Distilling Company.

Here is a link: The Distillery

Now I don't know if they distill their Bourbons, but they are obviously distilling something.

After speaking to several local liquor stores I found 2 that knew of Jeffersons Ocean, one said I could be placed on their list with no guess to when I may get a bottle. The other said he knows his order has no chance in being filled...

It is allocated. Only stores that do certain volumes can get it.

As for your question about 'worth' that I cannot answer but I will say its my favorite bourbon, bar none.

 

[Brandon]

But Spring Mill/Heartland Distillers is owned by Colglazier & Hobson Distilling Company.

Here is a link: The Distillery

Now I don't know if they distill their Bourbons, but they are obviously distilling something.




It is allocated. Only stores that do certain volumes can get it.

As for your question about 'worth' that I cannot answer but I will say its my favorite bourbon, bar none.

Well it appears my tastes and your reviews agree with each other on most examples. Now to rearrange my bottles to accommodate this one.

 

[melensdad]

Anyone notice that Bantons has gone up a little bit in price. Just creeping, not jumping. Saw it today at the store and it was at $49 about 6 months ago, then went to about $53, today I saw it on the shelf and it was $56.

Guess that means its no longer an option to put it in this thread.

 

[Clay]

Blantons? yeah last bottle I saw was $60.

 

[kickbacked]

Im not sure if its been mentioned but i have been buying a lot of four rose bourbon lately. Its extremely smooth, and if i get a little sauced the next morning is better than normal.

 

[sadclownwp]

I am going cheap tonight, I found a bottle of Evans Williams Apple Orchard, I don't even know if you can still call this bourbon anymore, but it is very delicious and smooth.

 

[melensdad]

Im not sure if its been mentioned but i have been buying a lot of four rose bourbon lately. Its extremely smooth, and if i get a little sauced the next morning is better than normal.

Which one? They make a bunch of different versions.

I am going cheap tonight, I found a bottle of Evans Williams Apple Orchard, I don't even know if you can still call this bourbon anymore, but it is very delicious and smooth.

Its one of their liqueurs. Bourbon blended with other stuff. I personally like WINTER JACK. Its Jack Daniels, blended with Apple Juice, and the bottle says serve it warm. Evan Williams makes one too, its sweeter than the Jack. Seems like the bourbon/whiskey makers are doing a lot more of that stuff over the past couple of years, along with flavored bourbons/whiskeys.

 

[melensdad]

JEFFERSON OCEAN is releasing another batch of OCEAN in October.

If you can't find it, it will be available again soon. Well not soon enough. But still not too far into the future.



Oh, I picked up 2 more bottles. Both over $50.

One is the Blantons, checked around and nobody up here has it for cheaper so I just paid $56 for a bottle of bourbon that is worth $49. But oh well.

Also got a bottle of $69 Col. E.H.Taylor Single Barrel bourbon. I've heard some really good things about this so I'm hoping its good.

 

[rockhopper46038]

There is a new champion in the >$50 category. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof. If you find it anywhere, please be so kind as to pick me up whatever is on the shelf that you don't want, and I'll gladly buy it from you and pay a finders fee. But it must be the Barrel Proof!

 

[melensdad]

Since I had 2 new bottles I figured I'd open both.

NOTE: Blantons seemingly cannot be had for under $50 anymore, at least not that I can find. And the Col. E.H. TAYLOR is in the $70 range. So tonight I'm not sticking with the spirit of the this thread.​

The Col. E.H.Taylor is only very slightly darker amber than the Blantons but they are both very similar in hue. I'd guess they are probably about the same age, at least based on the color.

As for the aroma, the TAYLOR is a 100 proof (50% alcohol) bourbon, so its a bit higher in alcohol than most of the brands, and your nose is hit with a sweet scent followed by the alcohol. You pick up some vanilla, and maybe a bit of oak too. But its first and second sweet then alcohol that hits your nose. Switching over to the BLANTONS and it could not be more different in aroma from the TAYLOR if you tried. BLANTONS smells of grains and is mild to the nose in most every way with a bit of sweetness at the end.

Taking the first sip of the BLANTONS and it goes in smooth but finishes with a mild spice, a mild burn in the belly and a mild tingle on the tongue. Nothing objectionable, easy to drink, nothing sharp or harsh. A second sip is a bit bigger and the sensations are repeated. The burn is a bit bigger, the mouth tingle on the finish a bit stronger, but only because the sip was bigger. Nothing is bad, nothing is outstanding. This is a really nice UNDER $50 bourbon, unfortunately it costs more than $50.

Bringing up the COL E.H. TAYLOR up for the first sip and it goes in smooth, it transitions to the back of the mouth and hits you with a dose of spice, it goes down without any burn and without any mouth tingle from the alcohol. Its a rare combination when higher alcohol produces no/less burn but it does happen and I like it that way, but that is not best way to judge a bourbon. Honestly I love the upfront sweetness but this bourbon's peppery spice hit at the back of the tongue is stronger than most and its not going to appeal to all bourbon drinkers.

Dropping a single cube of ice into each glass and allowing them to melt down a bit I picked up the TAYLOR first took a healthy sip. The spice at the back of the tongue is tamed considerably. Often a cube of ice will sharpen the flavors while dulling the burn but with the TAYLOR the peppery spice is dulled and tamed down and the burn remains absent. I really like this bourbon over a cube of ice.

Switching to the BLANTONS with the ice cube mostly melted and the burn and tingle both have been tamed, the flavors are still very mild but have been sharpened. Its a nice smooth drinking bourbon over ice. Its a mild flavored boubon with a bit of a burn when served neat.

VERDICT: I'm not a big fan of the BLANTONS. I don't much like it neat and it is very drinkable with a single ice cube. But very drinkable doesn't make it outstanding. Sure, its good. But I will choose the COL E.H. TAYLOR as tonights winner, by a reasonably large margin. For everything it is, and for what it omits, its a very good bourbon. I think a bourbon has to be tested a few times to make sure its really good, so I won't say this is among my favorites. Not yet. But I will say that the TAYLOR has the potential to end up in the favorites category.

There is a new champion in the >$50 category. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof. If you find it anywhere, please be so kind as to pick me up whatever is on the shelf that you don't want, and I'll gladly buy it from you and pay a finders fee. But it must be the Barrel Proof!

Hmmmmm . . . a searching I will go. For a bottle for myself. I think the Elijah Craig 12 is a pretty good bourbon and its well priced too. Now it has a brother that I need to try.

I'd like to compare it to BEER BARREL BOURBON, which has been named the #1 sub-$50 Bourbon by several INGO members in a taste test we performed at the NWI INGO Clubhouse.

 

[melensdad]

Just wanted to take a second look at the Col E.H. Taylor so tonight, while watching a rerun of SHARKNADO 2 with the family I poured about an ounce of the TAYLOR into a glass to sip on.

Tonight the aroma coming of the glass is the same sweet smell, followed by the whiff of alcohol.

Tonight the first sip went in just as smooth and just as sweet, it also transitioned into a bit more spice than I'd prefer as it hit the back of the tongue. So far, so good. Its a repeat of last night.

But unlike last evening I got some burn in the belly when it went down. There was still no mouth tingle from the alcohol, so that also mimics last nights trial.

I know that what you eat affects the flavors of you drink, my guess is that the burn is affected the same way? Last night we had grilled chicken, tonight I ate some scrambled eggs. So maybe that has something to do with the heat I am getting today in the belly? The second sip gives a little less fire in the belly.

Honestly no ice today, just trying this neat tonight. And mainly because I poured such a small sample. Yesterday I preferred this Col E.H. Taylor with a slightly melted cube better than drinking it neat. If I had a cube of ice I think today I'd second that opinion from yesterday. But tonight's small sample gives me enough reason to add this bourbon to my "favorites" list. One of these nights I'll compare it to the JEFFERSON'S RESERVE, if it passes that test then I may have to compare it to the champion of the bourbon hill, JEFFERSON'S OCEAN.

This IS very good bourbon.

 

[rockhopper46038]

Here's a few I found last night, combing various stores. Some unusual ones in there...http://Untitled by rockhopper46038, on Flickr

 

[7.62]

Since I had 2 new bottles I figured I'd open both.

NOTE: Blantons seemingly cannot be had for under $50 anymore, at least not that I can find. And the Col. E.H. TAYLOR is in the $70 range. So tonight I'm not sticking with the spirit of the this thread.​

The Col. E.H.Taylor is only very slightly darker amber than the Blantons but they are both very similar in hue. I'd guess they are probably about the same age, at least based on the color.

As for the aroma, the TAYLOR is a 100 proof (50% alcohol) bourbon, so its a bit higher in alcohol than most of the brands, and your nose is hit with a sweet scent followed by the alcohol. You pick up some vanilla, and maybe a bit of oak too. But its first and second sweet then alcohol that hits your nose. Switching over to the BLANTONS and it could not be more different in aroma from the TAYLOR if you tried. BLANTONS smells of grains and is mild to the nose in most every way with a bit of sweetness at the end.

Taking the first sip of the BLANTONS and it goes in smooth but finishes with a mild spice, a mild burn in the belly and a mild tingle on the tongue. Nothing objectionable, easy to drink, nothing sharp or harsh. A second sip is a bit bigger and the sensations are repeated. The burn is a bit bigger, the mouth tingle on the finish a bit stronger, but only because the sip was bigger. Nothing is bad, nothing is outstanding. This is a really nice UNDER $50 bourbon, unfortunately it costs more than $50.

Bringing up the COL E.H. TAYLOR up for the first sip and it goes in smooth, it transitions to the back of the mouth and hits you with a dose of spice, it goes down without any burn and without any mouth tingle from the alcohol. Its a rare combination when higher alcohol produces no/less burn but it does happen and I like it that way, but that is not best way to judge a bourbon. Honestly I love the upfront sweetness but this bourbon's peppery spice hit at the back of the tongue is stronger than most and its not going to appeal to all bourbon drinkers.

Dropping a single cube of ice into each glass and allowing them to melt down a bit I picked up the TAYLOR first took a healthy sip. The spice at the back of the tongue is tamed considerably. Often a cube of ice will sharpen the flavors while dulling the burn but with the TAYLOR the peppery spice is dulled and tamed down and the burn remains absent. I really like this bourbon over a cube of ice.

Switching to the BLANTONS with the ice cube mostly melted and the burn and tingle both have been tamed, the flavors are still very mild but have been sharpened. Its a nice smooth drinking bourbon over ice. Its a mild flavored boubon with a bit of a burn when served neat.

VERDICT: I'm not a big fan of the BLANTONS. I don't much like it neat and it is very drinkable with a single ice cube. But very drinkable doesn't make it outstanding. Sure, its good. But I will choose the COL E.H. TAYLOR as tonights winner, by a reasonably large margin. For everything it is, and for what it omits, its a very good bourbon. I think a bourbon has to be tested a few times to make sure its really good, so I won't say this is among my favorites. Not yet. But I will say that the TAYLOR has the potential to end up in the favorites category.







Hmmmmm . . . a searching I will go. For a bottle for myself. I think the Elijah Craig 12 is a pretty good bourbon and its well priced too. Now it has a brother that I need to try.

I'd like to compare it to BEER BARREL BOURBON, which has been named the #1 sub-$50 Bourbon by several INGO members in a taste test we performed at the NWI INGO Clubhouse.

Im im a huge fan of Blantons so maybe I will have to give that Taylor a try!

 

[melensdad]

I just bought the LAST BOTTLE of the Jefferson OCEAN Aged At Sea that is known to exist in NW Indiana


Also picked up a bottle of 4 Roses Single Barrel too. I've heard great things about that one, and its under $50 a bottle (under $40 actually) so I'll get around to testing that one at some point.