This is a NAS Straight bourbon, so it is at least four years old. Bottled and sealed, his signature guaranteed quality. Four Roses has two separate mash bills it uses for its bourbons. Its also killer if you want to make a $20 Manhattan. Both mash bills are utilized for this bottling. This 100 proof bottling is also bottled-in-bond. Average Price: $26. Below are 8 brands of bourbon that retail for less than $50, many are under $30, that represent excellent values and that you have probably never heard of. Try it on the rocks. For instance, in New York, property valued at over $1,000 is considered grand larceny. In my early review days, I wanted to compare anything and everything that seemed similar. Milk & Honey Distillery: Single Malt Made in Tel Aviv, Discussing the advantages and challenges of producing whisky in Israel. There is no shortage of good bourbon available today, although prices keep rising and will likely continue to do so for the foreseeable future. They can range from okay to excellent.. No one cared about Early Times until Sazerac (Buffalo Trace Distillery) bought it from Brown-Forman (Jack Daniel's, Old Forester, Woodford Reserve). On the palate, the Old Forester 86 has a decent body showing a medium texture. Whether it's the softer flavor imparted by the sweet mash (the vast majority of modern bourbon is sour mashed) or the distiller's proprietary "infusion mashing" process or something else entirely, the result is a wicked, wicked pour. Cocktail Queries: 10 Great Alternatives to Hyped, Sought-After - Paste It was very, very nice bourbon, he says, wistfully. The Russel Reserve Single Barrel has a similar aroma and flavor profile. Larceny Bourbon Review - The Whiskey Jug Booker's 25th (Probably gets some subconscious points from knowing it was a one-time release) Now, Top 5 that are fairly available (or sufficiently bunkered): 1. Four Rosess upgrade over its standard offering blends 180 barrels of four different recipes per bottling. Bourbon vs Whiskey vs Whisky - Old Forester The exact mash bill is kept a secret but word on the street is that its a fairly low-rye mash bill with 12 to 15 percent rye. Here are my rankings the Best Wheated Bourbons in each category. On the palate, there are pralines (candied pecans), orange zest, along with caramel, maple syrup, some mint and spice notes of cinnamon and clove. #3 barrel char. You can have five different notes hitting at once. Evan Williams Bottled in Bond Indeed, some bourbon historians believe that Pappy began as barrel selections of Old Fitzgerald, and was later chosen from hand-picked barrels of W L Weller. This is all about the sweetness.. Elijah Craig Small Batch is layered in vanilla and often so soft on the palate. Larceny is a wheated bourbon made from a blend of selected barrels made in honor of this legend. The toffee and oak mingle in the end as it slowly dissipates. There are plenty of expressions of excellent bourbon priced under $50 from the national brands. Price Range: $20 to $30. At times our old standbys can be tough to findand when we do, they are triple the standard price. Yes. It made my Top 5. On the nose, Larceny is sweet, offering fruit notes of peach and apricot along with candied citrus zest, and cinnamon. Old Forester packs a banana note that I thought could dominate the competition if I happened to be in a banana mood.. I like it. Here's the rub. As with all Pappy releases, the actual price youll pay for a bottle will likely be significantly more, but in a welcome change of pace, the yields were higher in 2022 than in previous years, so more bottles were available than usual. Larceny is a small batch bourbon (100 barrels or less) of barrels from the middle three floors of the aging warehouse. Get This Headphone Stand, Complete Guide to Buying Boots This Season, You've Never Heard of 2022's Most-Awarded Whiskey, Tasting WhistlePig's New 21-Year-Old Single Malt, The Best New Whiskey Releases of 2023 (So Far), Psst, Pappy Van Winkle Is Doubling Production, How to Build Your Own Bottle of Whiskey Online, Is Fireball Whiskey? Don't tell your bourbon-drinking friends, but Russell's spicy-caramel-and-vanilla-tasting Reserve 10-year-old bourbon is one of the best values in the bourbon world. #4 barrel char. Sour Mash: A fermentation technique used by almost all bourbon distillers that employs pre-fermented mash from a previous distilling in a new mash. Weller Special reserve has much in common with its more famous cousins, but sells, at least officially, at an average price of around $30a fraction of the cost of the Pappy expressions. // < ! Average Price: $45. Its more complex than regular FR, but still drinks easy. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Fred Minnick is a longtime American whiskey writer and author of multiple bourbon books. But if they arent regularly released with a wheated mash bill as a rule, theyre one-offs, and not on the list. This is the exact same juice thats just aged a little less. Its a little smoother and feels softer on the palate. While Eagle Rare made it through the nomination stage, when it come to buy at the retailer, Westport Whiskey & Wine did not have it. Additionally, Four Roses uses up to five different yeast strains for its bourbons, and all are used here. Futile efforts to obtain any of the 2nd list has been a waste of time. ModernThirst's Comparison Reviews of Wheated Bourbons: 2020 ModernThirst. Roughly 1,000 are currently active. To learn more about responsible consumption, please visit, Sign up for the Distiller Newsletter for new bottle & feature updates, Ezra Brooks Kentucky Straight Bourbon 90 Proof, Very Old Barton 100 Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon, Evan Williams White Label Bottled in Bond Bourbon. We're breaking down the varieties of rum, from sugarcane to bottle. The mash bill consists of 72% corn, 18% rye and 10% malted barley. I had always found an over-oaked note here. The result is bottled at 93 proof. Distiller Score: 86. Learn how your comment data is processed. The mash bill consists of 75% corn, 13% rye and 12% malted barley. He is married with two daughters, and lives in east Louisville. But those whiskeys are cut from the exact same distillation. Recently have gotten into bourbons. It's got a good amount of heat on account of being 117 proof, but you'll still be able to make out classic bourbon tasting notes like caramel, brown sugar, vanilla and oak. On the nose, there is caramel, cooked corn sweetness and pralines (think almond roca candy), along with plenty of cinnamon and clove spice. Best I ever had was a couple weeks ago in a Chicago speakeasy the Office. The marrying of the corn with the Christmas-y spices helps usher in a long, warming, and satisfying end that embraces you in a classic Kentucky hug.. In terms of proof and age, I would say they're very close (certainly not over 5 years old). This tends to produce spicier flavors in the bourbon. But it was not in the cards. Honey and fruit mix with a clear peppery rye note next to a slight hint of oak, apple, and more vanilla. Note: the portfolio for Rebel Yell all received a makeover with updated labels in April 2019. The 2021 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon is bold, spicy, and fruit forward. It didnt make the cut for the finals. Produced by a respected distiller (Wild Turkey)? That extra time is why the Single Barrel costs three times more than a regular old bottle of Wild Turkey. The finish is long, caramel-sweet, with a lingering cinnamon and a cooked cereal note. The whiskey sells for around $25. Maker's Mark Cask . This bespoke (and admittedly cool-looking) bottle became extremely famous and then extremely expensive in retail. I W Harper was widely popular in the 1950s and 60s, and was exported to more than 100 countries around the world. Going in, I didnt give this much of a chance for my palate. Makers Mark could double their price and people would still buy it by the case. On the palate, there is caramel, sweet cooked corn, almond pralines, along with vanilla, oak, spice and pepper notes. On the palate, there is sweetness, candied orange zest, semisweet chocolate, along with cinnamon and cloves. Will be looking to sample some others on your list particularly the Makers Cask Strength. [CDATA[ amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_enable_interest_ads = "true"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "modernthirstc-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "auto"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "a605ff51e1453cfa02de68c264fd03bc"; amzn_assoc_emphasize_categories = "284507"; amzn_assoc_fallback_mode = {"type":"search","value":"Whiskey"}; amzn_assoc_default_category = "All"; // ]]> Bill is the Co-Founder, Editor-in Chief, and official Bourbon-o-Phile for ModernThirst.com, and Founder and Chief Blending Officer for Four Gate Whiskey Company. According to their story, back in the day, John E. Fitzgerald used his privilege of holding the keys to Pappy Van Winkles bonded warehouse, where the Old Fitzgerald bourbons were kept, to steal the best casks for himself. Ive tasted vw 10 @$45 for a dbl in savannah. Ive always found a bright nutmeg note, which can really stand out in blind tastings. Its a fantastic bourbon, especially for the money, he says. On the palate, there is a distinctive honey sweetness accompanied by cinnamon and nutmeg. A leather note emerges and lingers at the end. Hey Bill, what are the best wheated bourbons I can buy?. Our tester found that the 12-year is a little rough around the edges neat it is meant to be an affordable bourbon, after all but dropping in an ice cube really opens up its sweet wheat side. Hes pictured on the bottle. Eight Exceptional Bourbon Values That You Have Probably Never Heard Of The bourbon is believed to be approximately 6 YO. Bourbon with an age statement and available at barrel strength for a good price? (Photo by Dixie D. Vereen/For The Washington Post via Getty Images), Celebrate Bottled In Bond Bourbon, The Spirit That Saved American Whiskey, March Is B Corp Month, Here Are 8 Alcohol Brands You Might Not Realize Are Certified, Top Burgundy Wine Producer Talks About Amazing Value Wines That Often Get Overlooked, Whiskey Of The Week: Michters Celebration Sour Mash Is The Ultimate Event Pour, Whisky Review: 50 Year Old Glenfarclas, Bowmore, Cardrona, And More, Hendricks Gin Debuts Flora Adora As New Limited Release, Thinking About Black Wine Business Beyond Black History Month, Whisky Review: Compass Box, Benriach, Tobermory, And More. Old Forester The 117 Series 1910 Extra Old Bourbon Review The mash bill is undisclosed, but is believed to be the same, or very close, to that of Old Fitzgerald and the Pappy expressions. Old Forester 86 Proof Bourbon Review . One of the comparisons I did was a side-by-side review of two Bottled-in-Bond bottlings: Old Forester's 1897 BiB versus Old Grand Dad BiB. Entry proof unknown. The label launched with just two bourbons in its portfolio: the two-year Colonel James B. Beam and the more premium Jacobs Well. Ive had or have everything on the easy list. Old Forester is richer, so it's less prevalent in this comparison, but it's definitely still there on its own without Jack Daniel's to cover it up. Great mouth flavors. In 1870, George Garvin Brown, founder of Old Forester, created the first bottled bourbon. Ive been drinking bourbon for 50 years and liked your article on wheated bourbons. You may or may not see these bottles show up in a more official form in a future version of this guide once we've tried them ourselves. They find themselves waiting in line and participating in lotteries for the likes of Weller Antique, which once collected dust on the shelf. Old Forester Signature Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, NAS, 50% ABV, is the oldest bourbon brand in the US and the first bourbon to be sold in bottle. Thanks for a great article. If you get a chance to visit Loretto, pick up a bottle of the Makers 46 Cask Strength sometime. It doesn't sport a fancy age statement, but neither do most Old Forester brands. Maybe I should have bought two cases. Very Old Barton, owned by the Sazerac Company, is produced in Bardstown, Kentucky. On the nose, there are faint notes of vanilla, and cooked corn, along with some caramel and oak notes. The juice is the same stuff that goes into Woodford, although this entry is blended with different barrels for an end product thats a great, basic bourbon at a great price. He has also been published on Liquor.com. The notes kind of just linger. Old Grand-Dad is based on the high-rye bourbon recipe made famous by Basil Hayden its his picture on the bottle. So, we switched Eagle Rare to its sister brand, Buffalo Trace, which always warms up my palate in the winter. The finish is long, creamy smooth and sweet, with a persistent caramel and brown sugar note and a lingering note of bitterness at the end.