Best bourbon under $50?

[melensdad]

Just for the record, no bourbon yesterday!

 

[cromus]

Really enjoying these reviews. Thanks for putting the time into each of the different bottles. Will have to pick a few new ones up next time I'm out!

 

[melensdad]

Paid my property tax bills today. Thankfully the tax reform has LOWERED my property taxes. So I have a little bet left over. Stopped off and bought 2 new bottles.

The Jim Beam is a limited run item. Probably won't get a chance to crack one open until Saturday.

 

[7.62]

Paid my property tax bills today. Thankfully the tax reform has LOWERED my property taxes. So I have a little bet left over. Stopped off and bought 2 new bottles.

The Jim Beam is a limited run item. Probably won't get a chance to crack one open until Saturday.

Mm mm Woodford

 

[JollyMon]

I do love my Blantons. I think its one of the better bourbons for the money.

 

[melensdad]

I do love my Blantons. I think its one of the better bourbons for the money.

I honestly have never tried it. I hear lots of good about it, but just as much bad (not here on INGO).

 

[melensdad]

Mm mm Woodford

Well I generally agree with you. Woodford Reserve does taste good if you like a very mild tasting bourbon, I think that mild flavor is its standout quality. It makes it easy to drink because there is nothing to offend. But that mild flavor also means there is little to remember about the brand. Still, it should be a 'standard' in your liquor cabinet. That said, I think it also has more 'alcohol burn' than it should. For something that is so mild to the taste, the Woodford Reserve is betrayed by a burn as it goes down.


Curiosity got the best of me. I'll say that I had a sip, literally just a sip or two of the new Jim Beam Signature Craft and it is peppery and spiced in the mouth but without much trace of burn or tingle in the mouth. By comparison to some of the other brands you will either love the spicy flavors or you will dislike the Signature Craft offering. Going down it is also smooth, much smoother than Woodford or many of the brands that I've tested in this thread. I'd honestly have to do a side-by-side test to see what is smoother on the way down with less alcohol burn, but I'd guess that this is in the top 3 bourbons with 'least burn'. But again, that is based on just a couple slight sips. Perhaps when I do a real test we'll find something a bit different.

 

[Collin]

Woodford is the go to, but Blanton's is a treat. It's probably pushing the $50 though.

 

[skydelta34]

Well I generally agree with you. Woodford Reserve does taste good if you like a very mild tasting bourbon, I think that mild flavor is its standout quality. It makes it easy to drink because there is nothing to offend. But that mild flavor also means there is little to remember about the brand. Still, it should be a 'standard' in your liquor cabinet. That said, I think it also has more 'alcohol burn' than it should. For something that is so mild to the taste, the Woodford Reserve is betrayed by a burn as it goes down.


Curiosity got the best of me. I'll say that I had a sip, literally just a sip or two of the new Jim Beam Signature Craft and it is peppery and spiced in the mouth but without much trace of burn or tingle in the mouth. By comparison to some of the other brands you will either love the spicy flavors or you will dislike the Signature Craft offering. Going down it is also smooth, much smoother than Woodford or many of the brands that I've tested in this thread. I'd honestly have to do a side-by-side test to see what is smoother on the way down with less alcohol burn, but I'd guess that this is in the top 3 bourbons with 'least burn'. But again, that is based on just a couple slight sips. Perhaps when I do a real test we'll find something a bit different.

Good choice on the Signature Craft. After having a taste last month while on the Jim Beam tour, I believe this is my new favorite Jim Beam product. You are correct that it is very smooth.

I also agree with you on the Woodford Reserve. There is nothing memorable to make it a great pour. Actually, I thought it had some off flavors that ruined the experience for me at a recent tasting. I hope to find something different when I tour the distillery in a few weeks.

 

[Brandon]

Less to no burn= eagle rare...

 

[PistolBob]

Best cheap bourbon is Jim Beam...any label.

Next is Rebel Yell...not sure you can find it here though, I buy mine in Alabamy.

Cheap nasty sourmash whisky? Old Crow...Evan Williams...and Buzzard

 

[7.62]

Good choice on the Signature Craft. After having a taste last month while on the Jim Beam tour, I believe this is my new favorite Jim Beam product. You are correct that it is very smooth.

I also agree with you on the Woodford Reserve. There is nothing memorable to make it a great pour. Actually, I thought it had some off flavors that ruined the experience for me at a recent tasting. I hope to find something different when I tour the distillery in a few weeks.

All the talk of about the JB signature craft made me go buy a bottle tonight! I also picked up a bottle of Breckenridge and bottle of Four Roses from the special "barrel program" I never heard of the program before but the guy at the liquor store said there are 10 different types that they sell and only do them on an exclusive basis with certain stores. This store carried 2 of the 10 that are out there.

 

[7.62]

I'm not any any way a review writer so I won't even try. But I just poured some breckenridge and it's definitely tasty! Well worth the money!

 

[indyk]

I see ya bought a fresh bottle of Woodford 7.62.

didnt see the Double oaked 2014 just bottled and released a few weeks ago? very very nice stuff.

This is my bottle of the month and its under 50$, a perfect recommendation!

 

[melensdad]

Guys this isn't/should be rocket science, this is just look/smell/taste and sensation.

Unlike professional reviews where they talk write stuff like: subtle hints of charred leather with the sweetness of late ripening bing cherry and other bull$#!+ that nobody really understands, this should be simple. Do you like it? Why do you like it? It it better straight or diluted?

I'm not any any way a review writer so I won't even try. But I just poured some breckenridge and it's definitely tasty! Well worth the money!

Stick with the BASICS:

• HOW DOES IT LOOK: Dark or light amber color? Clear or cloudy?
• HOW DOES IT SMELL: Sweet, sharp/spicy, overwhelming alcohol?
• TASTE & SENSATION: In the mouth does it change flavor from the front of the mouth to the back of the mouth? Does it make your mouth tingle like Listerine or is it smooth in your mouth? When it does down does it burn from alcohol or is it smooth? Does it burn when it hits your stomach?
• HOW DOES IT CHANGE WHEN DILUTED: Does adding a bit of water or ice change the flavor/tame the burn/alter the character?
• SUMMARY ~ DO YOU LIKE IT: Neat? Iced? Both ways?

I see ya bought a fresh bottle of Woodford 7.62.

didnt see the Double oaked 2014 just bottled and released a few weeks ago? very very nice stuff.
. . .

See the same questions above!

 

[melensdad]

Tonight I'm comparing a 'new' and an 'old' bourbon from my collection.

The JIM BEAM SIGNATURE CRAFT bourbon, which I purchases this past week, and the HUDSON BABY BOURBON which is the most expensive bourbon I've got in my comparison of bourbons that cost $50 per bottle or less; it has also been in a comparison test before. The BABY BOURBON cheats, because the bottle is only 375ml yet it costs about $42 for the tiny bottle. If this was a standard 750ml it would not qualify for this test because the bottle would be about $84, but …

As for color, the HUDSON BABY BOURBON is a little darker caramel color than the more golden amber of the JIM BEAM SIGNATURE CRAFT.

The aroma of both of these are very different from each other and both give off strong whiffs of alcohol when you swirl around your glass. The SIGNATURE CRAFT has the milder aroma and both offer a hint of sweetness to the nose.

Sipping the BABY BOURBON is pleasant. The flavor is fairly mild with very little tingle in the mouth from the alcohol. As the bourbon moves from the front to the back of the mouth the mild flavor changes to somewhat acerbic and it goes down the throat smooth. Its not until after you swallow and the bourbon goes down that it begins to burn. Its an odd sensation, it starts our mild and turns to fire.

JIM BEAM'S SIGNATURE CRAFT has a nice mild flavor with some hints of spice but not in a bad way. The flavor is far more consistent from the front of the mouth to the back and it goes down smooth, but then hits you with some burn. Not a lot of burn, but burn. And this is the first time I've sipped a bourbon that made me cough; I'll chalk that up as an oddity. Second sip is interrupted …. Misha my Akita decided to tip over my glass of BABY BOURBON. Damn her. Couldn't she have tipped over the cheap stuff!?!

So mess cleaned up and a new shot of Baby Boubon in the glass so now I'm back to the SIGNATURE CRAFT again and the experience is better this time. No cough. It tastes good, consistent, mild with a hint of spice, and it goes down smooth … but then you get hit with a burn after its down. Doesn't burn on the way down, its only after it settles in that the burn hits.

Back to the BABY BOURBON for its second sip and its the same experience as the first sip.

Drinking both of these neat, I'd give the nod to the SIGNATURE CRAFT from Jim Beam as the better sipping bourbon. Its smoother to drink and doesn't have that harshness or the change of flavor from front to back that you get from HUDSON'S BABE BOURBON.

So its on to the ice test. One cube of ice is dropped into each of the glasses. I let both rest for a minute and swirled them around to melt the ice a little bit. With the ice cube about half melted I pick up the SIGNATURE CRAFT and take a good size sip. Its become a bit harsher with the ice melted into it and the flavor is less smooth. The JIM BEAM SIGNATURE CRAFT bourbon is clearly a better sipping bourbon when served neat.

On to HUDSON'S BABY BOURBON and I take a nice sip. With the mostly melted ice cube, the flavor of this bourbon has evened out. Its nicer with the melted ice and the transition from the front to the back of the mouth is evened out. The BABY BOURBON is the better choice between the two for drinking over ice.

 

[Clay]

I've had a good couple of weeks.

Spent last week in Bowling Green, KY and sampled a few bourbons. Blantons was my favorite, Four Roses (both single barrel and Small Batch) were OK, but not as good as Blantons or Woodford.

This this past Wednesday we had our semi-annual volunteer fire dept dinner, and they stepped it up a notch and went to a pretty good place, with a great bourbon selection. after my normal woodford double on ice, I asked what they had and the bartender and I started talking bourbon. They had two I had never tried, 26 year old 'Old Blow Hard', and 20 year old Barterhouse. At the recommendation of the barkeep, I tried the 20 year old Barterhouse.

Good stuff! Pleasant aroma, good carmel color, and not to much mouth burn. It had a nice taste, and a sweet finish. Some burn down the throat, but nothing horrible, basically nice and smooth. I only drank it neat, because it was good that way and I didn't want to find out that it didn't work well with ice or water.

after my trip to KY, I've got my eye out for some Weller 12 year. I did a lot of talking with a guy in the area who loves his bourbon, and has actually had a few types of Pappy. He says both Pappy and the Weller 12 year are made at the Buffalo Trace distillery, both are made almost identical, and aged in the same barrels in the same racks. The Pappy taster gets first dibs on a barrel, the weller taster gets the next. He says its a great bourbon for the price, IF you can find it. Suppose to be around $40/bottle.

 

[melensdad]

OUCH! I'm sore.

Moved about 8 cubic yards of topsoil with the tractor, then leveled it by hand in two newly built raised beds. Each holding about 4 yards. I also loaded up, and unloaded and then carried a bunch 30(?) 5/4ths thick x 6" wide x 12' long deck boards. Those were what I used to make the raised beds. I have 6 more beds to build.
​

So now its time for a reward.

WOODFORD RESERVE, neat, in a small glass. Just about an ounce and a half.

It smells sweet and it tastes mild, its sad that it has such a strong alcohol burn while it goes down. The burn finished quickly, you don't feel much of it after its down, but you feel it going down. This is a good bourbon, but I honestly think there are better. The reputation of this bourbon is that its one of the better of the brands, but I personally tend to think its a bit over rated. The SPRING MILL from Indianapolis, for me, offers a better drinking experience. And the BEER BARREL from Holland, Michigan is better than the SPRING MILL.

Of course, the JOURNEYMAN is still the worst of the bunch, and WOODFORD RESERVE is far far superior to the JOURNEYMAN.

I'm looking for a use for the JOURNEYMAN, perhaps it will strip old varnish off of antique wood that needs refinishing, or maybe it can be used as a gun clear for copper fouling? Yes the JOURNEYMAN, in my opinion, is that bad. And while I don't favor the WOODFORD RESERVE, it is in a whole different category than JOURNEYMAN.

But clearly I don't hold the WOODFORD RESERVE in the same high regard that many bourbon drinks seem to do.



.

 

[skydelta34]

after my trip to KY, I've got my eye out for some Weller 12 year. I did a lot of talking with a guy in the area who loves his bourbon, and has actually had a few types of Pappy. He says both Pappy and the Weller 12 year are made at the Buffalo Trace distillery, both are made almost identical, and aged in the same barrels in the same racks. The Pappy taster gets first dibs on a barrel, the weller taster gets the next. He says its a great bourbon for the price, IF you can find it. Suppose to be around $40/bottle.

I have looked all over Indy for the same Weller. If you find a few bottles, let me know. My guess is it may be found in KY. I hear the rumor is that Buffalo Trace is reducing Weller production to have more juice for Van Winkle. You may try Larceny if you can find it.

 

[melensdad]

I'm trying to stick with the under $50 mark but my main goal is to find unusual small distilleries. I scored both with a bottle of Traverse City, Michigan Bourbon. I was heading to the fencing club and was running early, but forgot my keys to open the club, so I stopped at a liquor store that I have never "bourbon hunted" before when I saw this bottle. Picked it up for $32 so I met the under $50 qualification and its from a small batch distillery. This particular bottle is from Batch #3. They also had some bottles from Batch #5.

I'll probably crack it open this weekend, maybe Friday?