Best bourbon under $50?

[Poncho53]

Rowans Creek is a very solid choice. Might not be all that readily available in certain parts though.

 

[melensdad]

Rowans Creek is a very solid choice. Might not be all that readily available in certain parts though.

I believe that Rowan's Creek is the exact same juice as Noah's Mill, but Noah's Mill is "barrel proof" strength while Rowan's Creek was brougth down to bottling strength with water. The Noah's Mill is the better choice, and it can be diluted down to become Rowan's Creek. Noah's Mill has some really great flavors too.

 

[melensdad]

-1F outside with -30F windchills so we had to figure out a way to warm up at the cigar lounge. 3FloydsFan brought in a bottle of A Midwinter Nights Dram . . . a rye finished in Port Barrels.

 

[sadclownwp]

-1F outside with -30F windchills so we had to figure out a way to warm up at the cigar lounge. 3FloydsFan brought in a bottle of A Midwinter Nights Dram . . . a rye finished in Port Barrels.

You have peaked my interest, tell us about it.

 

[melensdad]

You have peaked my interest, tell us about it.

It is very interesting in that Rye Whiskeys are typically spicy, but since it is aged in Port wine barrels, and since Port typically a savory but sweet wine, the rye picks up some of the complexity and sweetness from the Port barrels and still has some of the spice characteristics of Rye.

It is a limited edition release from High West Spirits of Park City, Utah. Their offerings have been pretty highly touted amoung the whiskey reviewers. This was released for the winter season but is very difficult to find. Dale found it at Binny's in Illinois. I've been looking all over Lake County for this to no avail, even the shops that stock several different varieties of High West were unaware/unable to get this for me on a special order basis.

4 of us tried it. 3 of us liked it. The 1 who didn't like it admitted that he doesn't like ANY sort of whiskey.

If you find it, buy it. When it is gone, it is all gone. But it is NOT cheap, and some stores charge above MSRP.

 

[melensdad]

Heavy drinking day today. Had about 3/4th of an ounce of the rye in the previous post this morning. Now I have about 2.5 ounces of bourbon sitting next to me.

Both of the below bourbons are under $50 per 750ml bottle, so both are in the affordable category.

Bourbon #1 is Knob Creek 100 proof Small Batch and I don't recall the price but I think it was about $40 and bourbon #2 is Knob Creek 120 proof Single Barrel which is marked with a silver label proclaiming that it was specially picked by Booker Noe himself. OK. Whatever. Anyway, it was priced at $48.99, just inside the 'affordability' category of under $50.

Both are aged 9 years.

To my eye, the 120 proof Single Barrel has a little darker tint to it, but both are a nice rich dark amber.

To my nose the 120 proof hits you like a baseball bat with the scent of alcohol, once you get past that you pick up some butterscotch and vanilla. But it takes a moment to get past that alcohol. The 100 proof, by contrast, doesn't hit you with the alcohol but rather you get some vanilla, and maybe some spices that hit your nose.

Picking up the 100 proof and taking a sip you get some very nice sweetness followed by spice at the back of the mouth. When it goes down you have a very long warm finish, you get some tingling of mouth and some belly warmth that lingers. Its not a hot burn, but it is a warmth that stays with you and it really has a bit of a delayed reaction. Switching to the 120 proof I found a sweeter and easier to drink bourbon that also has a long, but delayed finish, and a hotter finish. The burn was not the most intense I've sampled, but it was more of a belly burn than a belly warmth. Despite that I enjoyed the flavor in my mouth a lot, very sweet up front and yet not as typically spicy in the back of the mouth. It has more of a sweet to savory transition which seemed to also coat the mouth with a rich coating. It tasted so good I went back for a second sip, the initial impressions were repeated. If I stopped this comparison here I would simply throw away the bottle of 100 proof and keep the 120 as the clear winner. I'm not a fan of the heat on the finish of the 120 proof Single Barrel, but everything else about it is just so darn good. In the spirit of fairness I went back to the 100 proof and it was a repeat of my eariler impressions, its just not quite as good as the 120.

On to the ice. . .

Small cubes added to each glass and allowed to melt a bit.

The 100 proof Small Batch, with ice, is very good stuff. The finish is shorter and considerable more tame, the spices are sharpened and the up front sweet flavor is maintained.

The 120 proof Single Barrel, with ice, loses some of its sweetness and some of its richness, but is also tamed down on the finish to something that is manageable. Its easier to drink with a single cube but its, in some ways, less enjoyable too.

Pick your poison, both are very good. I'd have to give the nod to the 120 proof Knob Creek Single Barrel but with the caveat that you need to expect a moderately hot finish.

 

[melensdad]

Stopped into my local shop tonight, was not looking for these, was actually looking for Makers Mark Cask Strength. Still looking for that one.

The Parker's Heritage is (I believe) the 7th edition, this one dedicated to finding a cure for A.L.S. and is named Promise of Hope. Expensive, but has gotten quite a few good reviews. The other is a bottle of semi-rare STAGG JR. Its a barrel proof bourbon, and known for really bold flavors. Never had it. I'm game to try anything.

Neither are in the Under $50 price range.

 

[danielocean03]

I picked up a couple of bottles of the Stagg Jr. while I was hunting Stagg and Pappy a month or two ago. Every bit as bold as George T. and then some, plenty of heat.

 

[melensdad]

I was warned about the heat in the STAGG JR and just figured that its a drink that is not typically sipped neat.

 

[danielocean03]

I was warned about the heat in the STAGG JR and just figured that its a drink that is not typically sipped neat.

I've tried it neat and on the rocks and have to say that Stagg Jr. is a bourbon best enjoyed with ice. It's delicious, but it needs the ice to melt a bit to cut through the burn and help open up the flavor. On it's own merits it's a fine bourbon, but side-by-side with "senior", it lacks that syrupy viscosity and depth of flavor you get from George T.

 

[melensdad]

Bourbon Brothers review of Jefferson's Ocean, Voyage 3 on YouTube:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VC4poxh3Vkk
[video]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VC4poxh3Vkk[/video]

 

[OneBadV8]

Anyone mention Red Breast in here yet? It's just under $60, and from the same distillery as Jameson (Ok, Irish Whiskey instead of a bourbon). It's very smooth, I've even had people that didn't like whiskey say they like it.

 

[phylodog]

I haven't read through the entire thread so I'll apologize if it's been covered already. Picked up a bottle of Kirkland's Small Batchl today and for $21 it's a pretty nice pour.

 

[Brandon]

Bought a second bottle of Jefferson's ocean v3. Opened this bottle and was impressed with the small drink I had of it neat. Think I will keep this bottle around for special occasions.

 

[Brandon]

I haven't read through the entire thread so I'll apologize if it's been covered already. Picked up a bottle of Kirkland's Small Batchl today and for $21 it's a pretty nice pour.

Interesting google result :What's in a name?: The story behind Costco's private label 'Kirkland' bourbon - Insider Louisville

 

[aclark]

Don't remember where the bourbon comes from but the scotch is macallan the vodka is goose I think and the gin is Bombay. This is all from memory so I could be wrong but they are all produced by big names.

I'm not saying its the same juice, but the same producer.

 

[Brandon]

Glad we cleared that up?

 

[Ballstater98]

Maker's Mark, Blanton's, Woodford, Knob Creek, Four Roses...in that order. Consideration: I'm not a rye guy.

 

[phylodog]

Interesting google result :What's in a name?: The story behind Costco's private label 'Kirkland' bourbon - Insider Louisville

I told my wife when I bought it that it most likely started life in Lawrenceburg, IN. There's a whole lot of that going on these days.

 

[bradmedic04]

I told my wife when I bought it that it most likely started life in Lawrenceburg, IN. There's a whole lot of that going on these days.

Strikes me as odd that they'd have their own bourbon, but it probably shouldn't. I think they're still the biggest wine seller in the world.