Best bourbon under $50?

[Ballstater98]

Top 75
The Top Bourbon Bars in America - The Bourbon Review

 

[jsharmon7]

I apologize for my sins in advance, but my local Walmart just reconfigured the liquor aisle. I found an excellent selection of bourbons and whiskeys, including my new bottles of Templeton Rye and Elijah Craig Small Batch. Good to see mainstream is catching on so I can find a better selection. It's still no liquor store, but it saves me a trip depending on what I'm looking to buy.

 

[danielocean03]

I apologize for my sins in advance, but my local Walmart just reconfigured the liquor aisle. I found an excellent selection of bourbons and whiskeys, including my new bottles of Templeton Rye and Elijah Craig Small Batch. Good to see mainstream is catching on so I can find a better selection. It's still no liquor store, but it saves me a trip depending on what I'm looking to buy.

The Elijah Craig 12 is some good bang for the buck bourbon.

 

[Brandon]

Not a $50 or under bottle, but I received a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue today as a birthday gift. Not sure when I will open it, it may stay on the shelf and look good for a while.

 

[danielocean03]

Not a $50 or under bottle, but I received a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue today as a birthday gift. Not sure when I will open it, it may stay on the shelf and look good for a while.

I've had the pleasure of sampling that scotch (not bourbon either! ) and it's very good. Enjoy it in good health!

 

[melensdad]

Got stuck in a traffic jam due to an accident. I happened to be right in front of a liquor store. Stopped in and picked up some supplies for our July 4th celebrations and saw this bottle. $36. Limited release 1/4 cask signature Beam Signature. Might crack the bottle open tonight, just to insure quality.

 

[jblomenberg16]

I usually slow down on bourbon in the summer time as I switch over more to beer. But seeing all of these good bourbon's posted has me thinking about picking a bottle up this weekend.

BTW, when I'm in India, the default is Johnny Black. They LOVE the stuff over there. Its not bad, and better than the less expensive red label. Seems that in my limited experience with scotch that you come up pretty quickly on the cost / quality curve with bourbon, but that curve is a bit slower with scotch, meaning that a really good scotch would typically be a bit more expensive than a similar quality bourbon. Could just be my limited experience though.

 

[melensdad]

Broke the seal, on the Jim Beam Signature Craft Quarter Cask and poured just a little bit into a glass.

Nice caramel color, on the nose you get hit with powerful whiff of alcohol and it overwhelms everything else. This is only an 86 Proof pour so I'm not sure why it has such a strong alcohol presence. There is probably a hint of vanilla coming through, but it is a distant secondary aroma.

On the tongue it is pleasant, mildly sweet, very little change from front to back of the mouth, very little tingle on the lips, no peppery bite at all. There is a mild burn on a lingering finish.

Its a good $36 bottle, but there is really nothing outstanding. Not a great $36 bottle. Not sure that the 1/4 Cask finishing really offered up anything special. This is an easy to drink smooth bourbon, no need to try to tame it down with a cube of ice, its not hot (but it is warm) on the finish, its not overly bold in flavors, in fact, like with the non-descript aroma the flavors, to my taste are also reasonably undistinguishable.

Best, and probably worst, I can say about Jim Beam Signature Craft Quarter Cask Finished Bourbon is that it is fine. Just fine. Like when your wife asks how she looks in "this dress" and you reply "fine" it is that sort of fine.

. . .

BTW, when I'm in India, the default is Johnny Black. They LOVE the stuff over there. Its not bad, and better than the less expensive red label. Seems that in my limited experience with scotch that you come up pretty quickly on the cost / quality curve with bourbon, but that curve is a bit slower with scotch, meaning that a really good scotch would typically be a bit more expensive than a similar quality bourbon. Could just be my limited experience though.

Got back from England & Wales about 6 weeks ago and the default bourbon over there is Jack Daniels, of course rabid JD fans claim it is Tennessee Whiskey and not, I mean NOT, bourbon. But it is legally bourbon, whether they like it or not. JD is everywhere over there. Oddly enough, so is Southern Comfort.

 

[jblomenberg16]

So all this talk about bourbon convinced me to pick something up. I'm normally a Maker's Mark guy, so decided to try the Maker's 46.



Not too bad. Has a little more pep to it than regular Makers. Definitely better after its had a chance to sit in the glass with a few ice cubes. I didn't let it sit before I took the first sip...and it definitely had a pretty warm burn too it (didn't help I burnt my tongue and the roof of my mouth on a slice of pizza tonight). I let it sit for about 5 minutes and it was much smoother. Can't say its really all that much better than standard MM, but it isn't too bad, and is something different.

 

[melensdad]

Broke the seal, on the Jim Beam Signature Craft Quarter Cask and poured just a little bit into a glass.

Nice caramel color, on the nose you get hit with powerful whiff of alcohol and it overwhelms everything else...

Its a good $36 bottle, but there is really nothing outstanding. Not a great $36 bottle. Not sure that the 1/4 Cask finishing really offered up anything special...

Best, and probably worst, I can say about Jim Beam Signature Craft Quarter Cask Finished Bourbon is that it is fine. Just fine. Like when your wife asks how she looks in "this dress" and you reply "fine" it is that sort of fine...

One of the internet bourbon forums gave the recommendation of pouring this bourbon into a glass and letting it 'air' for 15 to 20 minutes to 'open up the flavors' so I tried that last night.

Didn't work.

In fact I think it made it worse.

As I said before, this bourbon is 'fine' but for $36 its not worth the $$ when, for about $10 less you can buy bourbons that are just as good or perhaps even better (think Makers Mark, Eagle Rare 10, Larceny, etc). Or for the same amount of money you can get a bottle of BEER BARREL BOURBON from New Holland Brewing, which is second aged in their Dragon's Milk Beer barrels and is just as easy to drink but offers up some better aromas and flavors and more complexity.

Take a pass on this offering of the Jim Bean Signature Craft Quarter Cask from their 'Signature Craft' premium bourbon series. Some of their other "Signature Craft" offerings are very good and worth the mid-$30's price tag. But this one is disappointing compared to those other offerings. I'm not saying its bad. I'm just saying that, for roughly $10 less, you can buy better.

 

[aclark]

I found this post pretty interesting. I agree with what a lot of Chuck says especially about being able to find brands and labels in the $20-40 range that are as good if not better than their more expensive counterparts.
The Chuck Cowdery Blog: I Don't Always Pay For Bourbon, But When I Do I Buy These

 

[Brandon]

I love Eagle Rare. Maybe more so than my Makers Mark

 

[melensdad]

I love Eagle Rare. Maybe more so than my Makers Mark

Blasphemy

 

[danielocean03]

I like Eagle Rare more than Maker's Mark also. Just personal preference, I like a little less rye in my mashbill.

 

[melensdad]

I like Eagle Rare more than Maker's Mark also. Just personal preference, I like a little less rye in my mashbill.

Huh?

Makers doesn't use Rye in their mash. They substitute Wheat. Wheat is sweeter and doesn't present the peppery spice that Rye provides.

Eagle Rare has Rye.

 

[Brandon]

I would give Eagle Rare 1 point more than I would Makers Mark. That said, I will stock both.

 

[melensdad]

Watched a movie last night (not good enough to mention the name) while sipping on a short glass of HIGH WEST 'American Prairie Reserve' and this is the original American Prairie, not the new batch. This is some very good juice.

If anyone finds it, it has a picture of a Grouse on the label. The new batch, which is a slightly different flavor, has an antelope on thee label. The Grouse version is excellent.

 

[Ballstater98]

Anyone been to Sable?
The Top Bourbon Bars in America: Midwest Region - The Bourbon Review

 

[danielocean03]

Huh?

Makers doesn't use Rye in their mash. They substitute Wheat. Wheat is sweeter and doesn't present the peppery spice that Rye provides.

Eagle Rare has Rye.

Good to know, I pick up on very little spice with the Eagle Rare, quite a bit more with Makers. Typically spicier bourbons (to me) have had rye, I would've bet anything Makers did also. Thanks for the info!

 

[Brandon]

To lazy to start a scotch thread so here is what I picked up at Costco the other day, looks like it is a once and done order for them according to the price tag. (this doesn't fall under the $50 criteria either )