Best bourbon under $50?

[melensdad]

For whatever it is worth, if anyone wants to spend more than $50 for a bottle of bourbon, there will be a new release of Jefferson's OCEAN Aged at Sea bourbon released sometime in October of this year. Price has not been set yet. Price of the prior batch had an MSRP of $79.95 per bottle, but it often sold for double that price on the internet. My local store had it at MSRP, but they were only allocated 6 bottles.

 

[melensdad]

For tonight's movie night I've got a short glass of FOUR ROSES SINGLE BARREL bourbon that I've been hearing some great things about. There are a few different types of Four Roses bourbons on the market, this is the SINGLE BARREL version. Its about $38 a bottle so its not on the cheap end of the Sub-$50 bourbons, but nor is it too pricy. This is a 100-proof bourbon whiskey so its a bit higher in alcohol than many others, which by law must be at least 80-proof and I think the majority of bourbons are right about 80. I also have a short glass of my favorite JEFFERSONS OCEAN Aged at Sea bourbon for my comparison. Its probably not fair to do that to the FOUR ROSES. But I really like the OCEAN bourbon and if I was to pour out 1 glass before this test it would not be the OCEAN! So on with the comparison.

Both of these bourbons are a nice rich medium amber. If one is darker than the other then its the FOUR ROSES that might be very slightly deeper in color. There is no indication of age on the bottle or the hang tag. There is an indication on the hang tag that this is LESS THAN 10 YEARS OLD, but not sure if its 2, 4, 6, 8 etc years old.

To the nose, the FOUR ROSES hits you with a bit of sweetness, perhaps a touch of honey and only subtle undertones of alcohol actually are sensed by your snout. There is something else in there, not sure what I pick up, but its a really pleasant bourbon aroma.

The first sip from the glass and it goes into your mouth with a nice mellow and sweet smoothness. I think the touch of honey in the aroma is also sensed on the tongue. But got a very long finish to it with a lasting tingle on your lips and a lingering burn in the belly. You feel this bourbon going down, you feel it in your mouth with the tingle after the swallow, and then it simmers in the belly. Now if that is not something you like then there are some good points. The flavor with that hint of honey and a bit of spice on the back of the mouth before all the tingling and burning start, is actually a nice mellow flavor with a nice taste to it.

I shifted over the the JEFFERSONS OCEAN and, by comparison, WOW, just WOW, this stuff is so good. So damn good. With that said, I'm going to end the comparison. The OCEAN costs more than twice as much as the FOUR ROSES SINGLE BARREL and its just not fair to compare these bourbons. I'll save the rest of the OCEAN for after I finish my testing of the FOUR ROSES.

I dropped a single cube of ice into the FOUR ROSES SINGLE BARREL and let it melt down quite a bit. Taking a sip with about 2/3rds of the single cube melted and the mouth tingle is about 70% gone, the burn in the belly is reduced to a modest simmer that stays with you but it doesn't burn on the way down. While the mouth tingle is mostly gone, its still lingers for quite a long time. Unlike some other bourbons where the flavors become sharper with a little bit of water this bourbon this one retains its nice mellow semi-sweet flavor with its hint of honey.

I'm not sure that I really enjoy this bourbon neat.

And I'm not sure I really enjoy it with ice.

Its got a mellow flavor but its also got plenty of heat to it with all that lingering tingle on the lips and that burn in the belly that continues to simmer away. Its got a very long finish that I do not enjoy, if the burn in the belly was shorter, if the tingle on the lips waned faster . . . I'm not one to enjoy the burn that FOUR ROSES SINGLE BARREL delivers but I do enjoy the flavor. My bet is that this would make a great "mixer" because its going to stand up to flavors that are added to make the mixed drink of your choice. Might be one of the better choices for an Old Fashioned because of its stout body.

Now that I'm done with the test of the FOUR ROSES its time to switch to something that I really enjoy. The OCEAN has been written about in the past so I don't need to rewrite what I've already written so I'm just going to sit back and enjoy.

 

[sadclownwp]

I stopped by Strack and Van Til's tonight and picked up some sugar cubes and some bitters. It is an Old Fashioned kind of night. I can't decide if I want to use the last of my Angels Envy or bust out some Buffalo Trace.

 

[melensdad]

For an Old Fashioned I'd use the Buffalo Trace. JMO

 

[sadclownwp]

For an Old Fashioned I'd use the Buffalo Trace. JMO

I'm sorry, but the correct answer is: Make one with each.

 

[melensdad]

I'm sorry, but the correct answer is: Make one with each.

Well that seems like a reasonable answer. While you do that I'm going to keeping taking sips and keep enjoying the Jefferson OCEAN.

Neat, of course.

BTW, when I make an Old Fashioned I just use a bit of simple syrup instead of a sugar cube. Its easier. Give a job to a lazy man, he'll figure out the easy way to get it done. I also use a couple dashes of Blood Orange Bitters (not regular Orange bitters, the Blood Orange bitters is sweeter) instead of muddling an orange slice.

 

[sadclownwp]

Well that seems like a reasonable answer. While you do that I'm going to keeping taking sips and keep enjoying the Jefferson OCEAN.

Neat, of course.

BTW, when I make an Old Fashioned I just use a bit of simple syrup instead of a sugar cube. Its easier. Give a job to a lazy man, he'll figure out the easy way to get it done. I also use a couple dashes of Blood Orange Bitters (not regular Orange bitters, the Blood Orange bitters is sweeter) instead of muddling an orange slice.

That actually sounds fantastic

 

[rockhopper46038]

Try a Gomme syrup in place of simple next time. And the best Old Fashioned is a Sazerac!

 

[rockhopper46038]

W. L. Weller is good.

BourbonEnthusiast.com ? Bourbon Reviews ? W L Weller 12 yr

I'd buy all that I could find under $50, but that's tough up in Indy.

Tried the Spring Mill tonight and didn't find it to my taste, but I'm glad to keep it around for tastings with friends. It's actually distilled down at MGP in Lawrenceburg, although the patent company does distill some other spirits right up in Fishers.

 

[Brandon]

Has anyone tried Black Saddle Bourbon? It was just a tick over 50, but I think I will add it to the collection this Friday...

 

[melensdad]

Just purchased 3 bottles of bourbon over the internet. Never did that before. But I've wanted to try a couple of these and haven't been able to find them. One was an impulse buy. Anything over $50 is something that I consider to be a fairly expensive bottle and all 3 of these fit that category. All 3 of these were on sale, the "sale" price is the price I have listed below:


Bookers Small Batch Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey $58.99 (from Jim Beam Co, Kentucky)

Aged for six to eight years and bottled at a robust ~130 proof, this bourbon earned a 90-95 point rating from Wine Enthusiast and is a three-time Double Gold medalist at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.​

Few Bourbon Whiskey Signature Edition $62.99 (tiny batch distillery located in Evanston, IL)

Autographed by the master distiller, this bottle of bourbon earned a score of 93 points from the Beverage Testing Institute.​

OYO Bourbon Whiskey $51.99 (small batch "4 grain" bourbon from Ohio)

Made in the heart of the Ohio River Valley, each of these award-winning whiskies is crafted by a fourth-generation master distiller.​

 

[melensdad]

For whatever it is worth, and clearly these are just MY personal opinions, but the bourbons that are NOT GOOD enough to drink straight, and now relegated to being used as "mixers" or served to people that I simply don't like are (in no particular order):

• TRAVERSE CITY BOURBON (This is an "OK" bourbon, just not good enough, and also not to be confused with Grand Traverse Bourbon)
• EVAN WILLIAMS 1783 (not a bad bourbon but just not good enough given other options available)
• JOURNEYMAN (I still consider this to be the WORST bourbon that I've ever tried)
• STETSON (its OK, not great, just not good enough)
• TOWN BRANCH (another bourbon that is easily passable, but nothing special)
• WILLETTS POT STILL (just can't really like it, but it has an awesome bottle)
• BLANTONS (not a bad drink, but not worthy of the cost of the bottle. Its a good under $50 bourbon that costs over $50, so pass on it. And since its over $50 it should be automatically disqualified from this thread)
  

I see no reason to really have these bourbons in my cabinet. Many people love Blantons so that one may be kept around for guests who don't know any better? Ditto, to a lesser extent, with WILLETS. But honestly NONE of the bourbons in the above list need ever grace your liquor cabinet.

My choice for "best bang for the buck" bourbon, and a damn good bourbon in its own right, is probably MAKERS MARK

 

[daemon2525]

I'm going to have to go with Makers as well. I like the sweetness.

 

[melensdad]

Here is my list of UNDECIDED bourbons. Some of these are very good NEAT but not so great on ice. Some are too hot to drink straight but are wonderful over ice. In no particular order.

• ELIJAH CRAIG 12 (Probably the best overall on this list, drinkable both neat and over ice)
• HUDSON BABY BOURBON (This is $40 for a 375ml bottle, so technically too expensive for this test)
• JIM BEAM 'SIGNATURE CRAFT' (best tamed down over ice)
• SPRING MILL (this is probably NEAR the bottom of the "middle" list of bourbons, better than those on the previous list, but not outstanding)
• EVAN WILLIAMS 'SINGLE BARREL VINTAGE' (very nice over ice, not so much neat, too hot)
• RIDGEMONT RESERVE 1792, this is pretty good, really can't complain about it.
• WOODFORD RESERVE (I'm not a fan, I don't know why so many are fans. Its decent, but its AT the bottom of this list, barely got onto this list. In fact it probably should be relegated to the MIXER status.)
• JACK DANIEL'S SINGLE BARREL (Kinda harsh, but for Jack lovers its probably among the best)
• FOUR ROSES SINGLE BARREL (A recent addition to my cabinet, not a big fan, barely better than WOODFORD RESERVE, not as good as SPRING MILL)

Honestly I'd be hard pressed to pick any of these bourbons over MAKERS MARK. Some are better than MM over ice. Some are better than MM neat. But overall MAKERS MARK is a wonderful low priced bourbon that can stand up to any of the bourbons on this list of "middle" bourbons.

Again, just stating the OBVIOUS, this is my list of my opinions. My opinion is worth exactly what you paid for it. If you think I'm wrong I will not argue with you. If you think I'm correct I'll send you a genuine $3 bill for your efforts.

 

[melensdad]

For my BEST of the BOURBONS list, and I have excluded those that are way over $50 and therefore disqualified, but I'll include a few that we've talked about that still be too expensive for this list. I think every bourbon on this list is a very good bourbon. IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER.

• BRECKENRIDGE BOURBON, under $50 and ranked as one of the best in the world by many reviews
• COL. E.H. TAYLOR SINGLE BARREL, about $60 and excellent. Cask strength so a little goes a long way.
• JEFFERSON'S RESERVE, priced about $53, its one of my favorites on my favorites list, its excellent. My go to mid-priced bourbon. One everyone should try.
• TEMPERANCE TRADERS, this is a cask strength high proof bourbon, interesting too. Under $40 per bottle, its interesting enough to have in your cabinet, maybe not an everyday bourbon.
• JEFFERSON OCEAN Aged At Sea, MSRP = $79.95 but often found for $150/bottle, its among the best bourbons in the world and my current favorite of any bourbon at any price, also way too expensive for this thread! But it is just an astounding, easy to drink, exceptionally tasting bourbon that is made in VERY TINY quantities, if you find it you should buy it.
• MAKERS MARK, I honestly think this is the bourbon by which all others should be judged. Low price is just a bonus. Everyone should have this in their collection.
• BUFFALO TRACE, a darn good honest value in bourbons, almost as good a value as MAKERS MARK, almost as good, but different.

SPECIAL MENTIONS:

ANGELS ENVY (about $53 to $60/bottle) and BEER BARREL (under $40/bottle) are interesting but I've separated them from the rest. Both are great over ice. Both great neat. Both are real bourbon, but both are "second barrel aged" after their regular aging. ANGELS ENVY is finished off in PORT WINE barrels. BEER BARREL is finished off in, you guessed it, BEER barrels, specifically New Holland Brewing's Dragon's Milk barrels. I really like both. But my personal choice between the two is BEER BARREL​

If I could only choose 3 bourbons for the rest of my life, I'd grab some BEER BARREL, some JEFFERSON's RESERVE and some JEFFERSON'S OCEAN Aged At Sea.

If I could only choose 1 bourbon for the rest of my life, and if it had to be under $50, I'd probably pick Makers Mark.

 

[melensdad]

Has anyone seen any OLD FORESTER BIRTHDAY on the store shelves yet?

Rumor has it that this year's release is out.

They release it once each year, typically in September/October. Its always a hard to find bourbon. Typically in the $40-$60 price range, depending on the age, quantity, etc of the release.

 

[melensdad]

Picture of the 3 new bottles, all were on sale, but all are over $50, even on sale.

Distiller autographed my bottle of FEW. Its from batch 5 and is bottle #87. This is the first of these 3 new bottles that I'm breaking into to try out.

FEW is a very aeromatic bourbon, your nose is hit with the sweet scents of vanilla and honey as well as a pretty stiff hit of alcohol. Bottled at 93 proof its a bit more alcohol than in the standard 80 proof bottles, but I'm not sure that the higher alchohol content can be blamed for the hit to your nose because there are other bourbons in this range that don't hit your nose with such a stiff whiff of alcohol. That said, its not an unpleasant aroma because the heavy scent of sweetness balances the alcohol nicely.

The color of FEW bourbon is a beautifully dark rich amber, not sure how long this has been aged, the color would have you believe its an older bourbon but the distiller is a reasonable newcomer who distills and ages his bourbons in Evanston, IL so I suspect its young, in the 2 to 4 year range, but aged in a very deeply charred barrel.

First sip is sweet up front, transitioning back to some fairly mild spice, and goes down very smoothly. It seems sort of uneventful but then just when you think its over, the mouth tingle starts up and the warmth hits your belly. Both have a delayed reaction. Neither is harsh. You want to come back for more. Second sip, repeat of the first. But the finish is even longer, it sticks with you and its good. Sip number 3 and the mouth tingle and the warmth in the belly seem to have mellowed down a bit, perhaps because they have been 'seasoned' by the first two sips? You do feel the belly warmth, hard to call it a burn, for a long time after its down. It sticks with you but is no unpleasant or harsh. Its warmth, not burn. I like this bourbon neat.

Dropping in a cube of ice and letting it melt down a bit the first thing you notice is that the aroma is no longer as strong when you bring the glass up to your nose. You pick up the sweetness but not the alcohol scent. The ice definitely mellows this in some ways, the mouth tingle is now absent, the belly warmth is tamed down, but you pick up some added sharpness in the spice at the back of the mouth. The finish is not as long as when sipped neat. I think its sweet flavor is watered down a bit too much when served over ice but if you like a bit of sharpness to your bourbon then this might be a good choice over ice.

I'd have to say I rank FEW Bourbon fairly high on my list. Especially neat. A bit less so over ice. Its also not a cheap bourbon. For the price I'd say its not as good a value as Jefferson's Reserve, which is about $53 a bottle. Still, if you stumble upon a bottle and are looking for a premium VERY SMALL or TINY batch, then give a bottle of FEW Bourbon a try. It's a very good, but perhaps not a great, bourbon. Me, I'm pretty much tired of the $20 to $40 bourbons, with the possible exceptions of Makers Mark and a very very few select others.

 

[melensdad]

Interesting article from Mens Journal, about distilleries you can trust. FEW is one of those => America's Best Craft Whiskey Distilleries - MensJournal.com

They also mention WIDOW JANE, which is on my bucket list.

 

[Brandon]

Having a hard time seeing what proof your bottle of Bookers is...
One a visit to Jim Beam, we had a sample of 128.x proof. They told us there was a batch of 130.x. On our return trip home, I was able to find a bottle of the 130.x batch:

.

 

[melensdad]

BOOKERS is bottled at 'cask strength' and every cask is slightly different so each batch that is bottled is going to be slightly different in strength. A cask is 55 gallons, but some evaporates, and bottles are 750ml, which is roughly 24 ounces. A gallon is 128 ounces. So whatever number of gallons are left in a cask, after evaporation, divided by roughly 24oz per bottle, is going to yield the number of bottles in the run at that specific proof. Then the next cask is going to yield another run, at a slightly different proof.

My BOOKERS is Batch C07-B-7 and is 130.8 Proof