NFT: What's your favorite bourbon?

A great shelf bourbon is Old Forester. Great flavor for the money.

Irish Whisky and Scotch are not bourbon....

Anything by Buffalo Trace is great - and impossible to find.

Bottles you can actually find that are great bourbons:
Wild Turkey Rare Breed
Jack Daniels Single Barrel Barrel Proof (Bonded is good too)
Old Forester 1910 and 1920
Makers Cask Strength and Store Picks are good
Redwood Empire makes good bourbon
Supposedly the new Jim Beam 7 year black label is excellent for the price (haven't had it yet)

Harder to find but findable:
Track down some Elijah Craig Barrel Proof
If you can find a John J Bowman single barrel - that's it.

The good thing about bourbon is even cheap bourbon is pretty good (Wild Turkey 101, Makers, Old Grand Dad Bonded/114, Evan Williams Bonded/Single Barrel).

I bought a few bottles of Buffalo Trace that way, and some other things that weren't always available locally - EH Taylor small batch as an example. Their prices are fairly reasonable.

Anyways to answer your question, there are multiple categories.
"Daily" drinker - Buffalo Trace or Woodford Reserve
Cocktail mixer - Old-Grandad Bonded
"Special" Occasions - currently on-hand I have Widow Jane Decadence and EH Taylor Small Batch

As for Irish Whiskey - current preference is Bushmills Black Bush

And if you're into double oak / toasted (like the Woodford - which is good), Elijah Craig toasted is good, Penelope toasted is nice, Old Forester 1910 is great - and if you can find a Peerless Double Oaked...fantastic, you'll pay for it, but fantastic. The Woodford double oaked is a great bottle always.

To find a bottle just won't happen Anymore. And I'm. Not buying it inthe after market.

I really like Basil Hayed as good mid priced choice. Michters makes a crew good ones too. Woodford Reseve is a other good one. Last one is Angels Envy. A ton of great mid range priced ones out there. Love Wellers but foot lick finding that

Funny part of this is one of my best friends lives 20 minutes from Buffalo Trace and was there this morning. Even at the distillery they sometime dont have any Buffalo Trace

probably easier to start a thread on Bourbons that aren’t good or aren’t worth the price. A recent disappointment was Bibb and Tucker’s flagship bourbon. Thought it it way overpriced and not all that good.

bourbons have the same variation as scotches do (for example).

What I mean is if you buy some shitty scotch and compare it with a high end single malt (from the same region) the difference is obvious.

When I drink high $$$ bourbons I don't notice the same pronounced gap in quality.

Besides many of the higher priced bourbons - Blantons, Angels Envy, Weller, etc. used to be $30/$40 per bottle and ubiquitous before they changed the production and allocation driving up the price. AFAIK the bourbon has not changed.

There are differences to be clear, but not as pronounced making the high $$$ bourbons IMO not worth the money.

Lastly, practically every mass produced bourbon is traced up to like 6 companies.

Sazerac owns Weller, Van Winkle, Buffalo Trace, Blantons, EH Taylor, Eagle Rare, Stagg, 1792, Bowman, and more.

Bean Suntory owns Jim Beam, Makers Mark, Knob Creek, Basil Haydens, Bookers, Old Grand dad, and more.


There is a couple more big ones.


Anyway, I do like Blantons, at this price, hard to justify it. I'd rather wait for Angels Envy to be available in the $45 range like I can sometimes find it or just buy something cheap and blindfolded most people wouldn't know the difference.

It’s a great brand, but their blue label American whiskey is something special. Sipping bourbon more than mixing - it’s a fine breakfast whiskey for something like, say, tailgating or it’s a great night time/sleep aid.

is Redemption. Don't see it in bars much.

reaching for Four Roses Single Barrel most of the time of late. I like Woodford as well. Heaven Hill BiB is pretty good too. On the value side, Evan Williams BiB is your best bet.

I recently found a restaurant that gets a bottle of Blantons once in a while. I had it for the first time recently and really enjoyed it.

As mentioned most Buffalo Trace stuff is good but allocated/hard to find. Eagle Rare is hard to find and usually marked up around NYC. EH Taylor is very good too. Was able to find a bottle of Stagg Jr. around fathers day. I need to bring the proof down a bit but its good stuff. Not worth what I paid for it but at least I can say I had it once.

Larceny Barrel Proof I really like too but throw an ice cube in it. The one I have is 124 proof.

In comment 16548618 pjcas18 said:

Quote:

bourbons have the same variation as scotches do (for example). What I mean is if you buy some shitty scotch and compare it with a high end single malt (from the same region) the difference is obvious. When I drink high $$$ bourbons I don't notice the same pronounced gap in quality. Besides many of the higher priced bourbons - Blantons, Angels Envy, Weller, etc. used to be $30/$40 per bottle and ubiquitous before they changed the production and allocation driving up the price. AFAIK the bourbon has not changed. There are differences to be clear, but not as pronounced making the high $$$ bourbons IMO not worth the money. Lastly, practically every mass produced bourbon is traced up to like 6 companies. Sazerac owns Weller, Van Winkle, Buffalo Trace, Blantons, EH Taylor, Eagle Rare, Stagg, 1792, Bowman, and more. Bean Suntory owns Jim Beam, Makers Mark, Knob Creek, Basil Haydens, Bookers, Old Grand dad, and more. There is a couple more big ones. Anyway, I do like Blantons, at this price, hard to justify it. I'd rather wait for Angels Envy to be available in the $45 range like I can sometimes find it or just buy something cheap and blindfolded most people wouldn't know the difference.

Bingo.

is Michters 10 year Rye. Head and shoulders above anything that I’ve had to date. If you are out and see it on the menu, it’s worth trying a pour. It’s next to impossible to find in stores.

i generally make by way through whichever 1.75l are around $ $50 and that has basically been my experience. its not my favorite but i think i saw knob creek in the $40's at costco a couple weeks ago which is hard to beat. i've recently gone through a couple jeffersons and would recommend. but i cant think of too many ive tried in that range where id say differently.

In comment 16548618 pjcas18 said:

Quote:

bourbons have the same variation as scotches do (for example). What I mean is if you buy some shitty scotch and compare it with a high end single malt (from the same region) the difference is obvious. When I drink high $$$ bourbons I don't notice the same pronounced gap in quality. Besides many of the higher priced bourbons - Blantons, Angels Envy, Weller, etc. used to be $30/$40 per bottle and ubiquitous before they changed the production and allocation driving up the price. AFAIK the bourbon has not changed. There are differences to be clear, but not as pronounced making the high $$$ bourbons IMO not worth the money. Lastly, practically every mass produced bourbon is traced up to like 6 companies. Sazerac owns Weller, Van Winkle, Buffalo Trace, Blantons, EH Taylor, Eagle Rare, Stagg, 1792, Bowman, and more. Bean Suntory owns Jim Beam, Makers Mark, Knob Creek, Basil Haydens, Bookers, Old Grand dad, and more. There is a couple more big ones. Anyway, I do like Blantons, at this price, hard to justify it. I'd rather wait for Angels Envy to be available in the $45 range like I can sometimes find it or just buy something cheap and blindfolded most people wouldn't know the difference.

The issue iw Bourbons IMO is that due to demand. What should be mid priced becomes high priced so as you mention the difference is not as noticeable. My first bottle of Blanton’s it was 45 bucks lol. Wellers was cheap the. As soon as people saw it was the same mash as Pappy the same.

There are a ton of good $40-60 bourbons. The issue is taste is very individual. So what one person loves an other likes something else. Great to try the very popular ones but I do agree the dangerous to just assume a big price tag will mean a big jump in quality

Four Roses Small Batch is my favorite value bourbon.

I like Knob Creek(9yr) in cocktails and to sip. 100 proof.

Some of the Pinhook bottles are interesting if you want to branch out.

Hillrock (from upstate NY) is spendy but really good.

In comment 16548658 Eric on Li said:

Quote:

i generally make by way through whichever 1.75l are around $ $50 and that has basically been my experience. its not my favorite but i think i saw knob creek in the $40's at costco a couple weeks ago which is hard to beat. i've recently gone through a couple jeffersons and would recommend. but i cant think of too many ive tried in that range where id say differently.

Me too, unless it's true crap I enjoy most Bourbon and Rye that I've tried. That said, I do like focusing on small distilleries for home stuff now... SONO 14/20 is a fave. I like the stuff from Litchfield distillery. Also Mad River from Vermont has some really interesting whiskeys. Also My daughter's boyfriend is a bartender and turned me on to Uncle Nearest. Really good bang fer buck Whiskeys.

In comment 16548618 pjcas18 said:

Quote:

bourbons have the same variation as scotches do (for example). What I mean is if you buy some shitty scotch and compare it with a high end single malt (from the same region) the difference is obvious. When I drink high $$$ bourbons I don't notice the same pronounced gap in quality. Besides many of the higher priced bourbons - Blantons, Angels Envy, Weller, etc. used to be $30/$40 per bottle and ubiquitous before they changed the production and allocation driving up the price. AFAIK the bourbon has not changed. There are differences to be clear, but not as pronounced making the high $$$ bourbons IMO not worth the money. Lastly, practically every mass produced bourbon is traced up to like 6 companies. Sazerac owns Weller, Van Winkle, Buffalo Trace, Blantons, EH Taylor, Eagle Rare, Stagg, 1792, Bowman, and more. Bean Suntory owns Jim Beam, Makers Mark, Knob Creek, Basil Haydens, Bookers, Old Grand dad, and more. There is a couple more big ones. Anyway, I do like Blantons, at this price, hard to justify it. I'd rather wait for Angels Envy to be available in the $45 range like I can sometimes find it or just buy something cheap and blindfolded most people wouldn't know the difference.

This is so true, bourbon is limited by the 51% corn and new oak barrel requirements. Bourbon is still relatively inexpensive compared to scotch but then again good scotch blows bourbon out of the water.

it's a dark over cask 70 ABV shoulders raised and prepared mentally for the shock as you pour it down. And of note my own mash bill.

a nice collection of bourbons. In the Buffalo Trace family I prefer Eagle Rare over Blantons. Weller full proof is my favorite in the Weller line but like all other BT family allocations, it’s impossible to find at MSRP.

I love 1792 full proof. It’s a delicious high proof at a great price point around $50.

In comment 16548673 jamalduff123 said:

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Four Roses Small Batch is my favorite value bourbon. I like Knob Creek(9yr) in cocktails and to sip. 100 proof. Some of the Pinhook bottles are interesting if you want to branch out. Hillrock (from upstate NY) is spendy but really good.

+1 for Four Roses.

Makers Mark 46 is a good high wheat bourbon. Some say it has a similar flavor profile to Van Winkle, but I never had Van Winkle so wouldn’t know.

or happy hour. Keep several bottles of Blantons on hand for special occasions and holidays as it is my personal favorite.

I also like Knob Creek, Jeffersons, Elijah Craig. Currently working on Wolcott bib which is pretty good.

Is fantastic for the price point and not impossible to find

Love Woodford for the price point as well

.

finished in maple wood. So dang good. Normally a gin guy. The Mrs loves it and also Woodford is the standard in our house.
Link - ( New Window )

I’ll reach for Michter’s, for a nice bourbon, Angel’s Envy.

...Tennessee bourbon.

is about all you need

I agree with Pjas above. I like bourbon and rarely find one I dont like especially after the 1st drink. I dont find much difference between higher priced and moderately priced bourbon except the shape of the bottle and fancy marketing. I’ve read that with vodka taste tests, people rarely identified what they thought they were drinking. Have there been any bourbon taste tests?

In comment 16548780 Samiam said:

Quote:

I agree with Pjas above. I like bourbon and rarely find one I dont like especially after the 1st drink. I dont find much difference between higher priced and moderately priced bourbon except the shape of the bottle and fancy marketing. I’ve read that with vodka taste tests, people rarely identified what they thought they were drinking. Have there been any bourbon taste tests?

Anyone who claims that there are no differences/undetectable differences in Bourbon has the tongue of an ass.

Some that I have read good things about and can get here in PA (Angels Envy, Widow Jane, Old Forester, Elijah Craig, etc). Thanks for the recommendations, need to be stocked up for this upcoming season :)

Blanton's and Jefferson for Manhattans Makers Mark.

In comment 16548611 ilikethenygiants said:

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Irish Whisky and Scotch are not bourbon.... Anything by Buffalo Trace is great - and impossible to find. Bottles you can actually find that are great bourbons: Wild Turkey Rare Breed Jack Daniels Single Barrel Barrel Proof (Bonded is good too) Old Forester 1910 and 1920 Makers Cask Strength and Store Picks are good Redwood Empire makes good bourbon Supposedly the new Jim Beam 7 year black label is excellent for the price (haven't had it yet) Harder to find but findable: Track down some Elijah Craig Barrel Proof If you can find a John J Bowman single barrel - that's it. The good thing about bourbon is even cheap bourbon is pretty good (Wild Turkey 101, Makers, Old Grand Dad Bonded/114, Evan Williams Bonded/Single Barrel).

Great list. IMO the JD Barrel Proof is the best value in whiskey right now.
I'd like to add Jack Daniel's Triple Mash Bottled In Bond (might not be a bourbon). Around here in NJ it's under $40, and Russell's Reserve 10 Year, my favorite everyday drinker.