BourbonEnthusiast.com

Hi guys. I'm fairly newbish (comparatively) to the bourbon community, but I have loved bourbon for quite some time. I guess you could say I'm "self taught" and started out with crap like Evan Williams black, Jack Daniels, Jim Beam white, and have slowly moved my way up the ladder and right now my go to's are Bulleit and Maker's Mark... Both of which I find very tasty. Right now I'm wanting to expand my horizons and move out to some new brands and hopefully better quality. I don't want to drop $60 a bottle sadly, but I'm looking for what you guys would recommend as AT LEAST on par with the Bulleit/Makers Mark and hopefully better for a reasonable price. Basically what would you guys recommend know that those two are my quality floor.

First..... none of the bourbons you listed are crap. Inexpensive? Considering what one "can" pay... sure. They are decent pours, none the less. If you like the Bulleit, give Four Roses Small Batch and Single Barrel a try. Old Grand Dad Bonded and114 are also quality pours for considerably under $60.00. Lets see..... Wild Turkey 101 and Rare Breed are also very good pours for under what you want to pay. I'm sure a few of the guys/gals will offer a few more. Enjoy the experience!

Evan Williams single barrel, Rowan's Creek and Four Roses small batch would be excellent choices. Closer in profile to the Bulliet and Makers you like would be Four Roses single barrel and Wild Turkey kentucky spirit. Knob Creek single barrel is an excellent choice as well and drinks much, much easier than it's 120 proof would suggest.

One thing that helped me out was finding a reviewer or forum members that have similar tastes.

I've been hearing the 4 roses and Evan Williams single barrel a lot. May have to add them to my next shopping day.

Today was a quick stop by Total Wine and grabbed the Elijah Craig small batch which I REALLY liked. fully bodied and robust. very nice and spicy after glow. Another one was Black Ridge small batch. I tasted it and it's a nice mild bourbon. Nothing too fancy, but for $30 for the bottle it was still well worth it.

I really wanted old Grand Dad 100 bonded (been reading good stuff about it) but they only carry the 80 and the 114 (which I've heard is a bit hot)


I know basil Haydens is touted by many of the more popular bars, but I haven't imbibed yet. How's that on the list?

I really wanted to try the Elmer T and the WL Weller 12 year, but those are supposedly only coming in October late so I'll have to wait

Basil Hayden is just expensive watered down Old Grandad. Good luck scoring Elmer T and Weller 12.

See if you can find Evan Williams White label bottled in bond, its a 100 proof version of the black label, for a few bucks more, I think it's better.

Only Jack Daniel is Jack Daniels and I agree with you that it is good. The Gentlemen Jack or their single barrel are worth a try though. I currently own a bottle of JD single barrel proof that is 133 proof, and its nice, but has to be cut with water and enjoyed in small quantities, it set me back $60 bucks.

Anything from Four Roses should be in the same group as Bulleit. Like the one poster said, Old Granddad in the 114 proof or the BIB are great for the money in the high rye class. I like the Basil Hayden just fine, but it is a little pricey. Basil Hayden is an easy drinker, good neat or with a cube.

When it comes to Makers Mark, Larceny is a good wheat bourbon that is easy to find. The Makers 46 variant is also nice and available. I can't get any of the Weller line around here, but if you see it, you should grab a bottle.

You should also try Wild Turkey 101. I consider it a stalwart of the mid-shelf and a great point of comparison and conversation.

I will chime in and agree that Wild Turkey 101, Makers Mark and Bulleit are fine and in my cabinet. I have tried Gentleman jack and , while better than the regular JD, it does not compare those I just mentioned. A "save your ducets" choice would be Buffalo Trace. Another surprise is that if you have access to Costco, try their Kirkland brand of bourbon. I bought it on a lark and was pleased with it. Four Roses and Elijah Craig are both highly recommended by many though I just haven't gotten to them yet.. Hope you enjoy your tastings and remember. "Your the one that has to drink it so drink what you like not what your told"

Hi i'm a new entry in this forum. i found a Rawley's mill kentucky straight bourbon whiskey distilled in kentucky by Monogram co. calif. u.s.a..
who can tell me more about this?

Thanks
Marco

I am a fan of the whiskies that Chris Morris makes at Brown Forman. To me they have their own particular (peculiar?) flavor. Sometimes, on a whim, I put just a skosh of Bernheim Wheat Whiskey in them to soften their acridity a wee bit.

I'm new here but thought I'd chime in. First, nothing wrong with a little Evan Williams just because something is on the lower shelf doesn't necessarily make it bad. However, you're not doing too bad with the Makers or Bulleit. My local bar up the street has a somewhat limited selection and so Bulleit tends to be my goto there. However, my advice to newbies is usually just to try a different one every time you go to the store or bar. Everyone has a little different taste. I almost always have some Buffalo Trace in my library but right now I've got some Four Roses Small Batch and a little Makers as well. That way I've got a spectrum when people come over Makers is wheatier, Four Roses is higher on the Rye side and Buffalo Trace is in the middle. Gives new people comparisons when they come over.

Redbeard wrote:I will chime in and agree that Wild Turkey 101, Makers Mark and Bulleit are fine and in my cabinet. I have tried Gentleman jack and , while better than the regular JD, it does not compare those I just mentioned. A "save your ducets" choice would be Buffalo Trace. Another surprise is that if you have access to Costco, try their Kirkland brand of bourbon. I bought it on a lark and was pleased with it. Four Roses and Elijah Craig are both highly recommended by many though I just haven't gotten to them yet.. Hope you enjoy your tastings and remember. "Your the one that has to drink it so drink what you like not what your told"

Jack Daniels offerings are bit odd. I like the old #7 and Gentlemen Jack but they have to be iced super cold. Jack has that fake banana flavoring that I like, but there's a "chemically" finish that is a bit unpleasant if your not use to it. I can see where this is a love it or hate it proposition. I also think most of it winds up in Coke and not in the enthusiast's rock glass.

Try out anything bonded, with some water and no ice. Bonded whisky is the best kept secret in American spirits, IMHO, especially when you factor in the money. There are only about 20 of them out there, and sometimes you have to special order them. That said, it's well worth it. If you're ever out at the store and wondering what you should get, if you see a new bonded you haven't tried before snag that up.

Elijah Craig 12 was great. I say was because the stuff has gone down hill, and now they've removed the "12" from the label which means it's probably de minimum age-wise. Man, if you can get a bottle that's about 3 or 4 years old though, that will really show you what a bourbon can be at the age point.

Wild turkey 101 is also a great choice- a very interesting take on bourbon, very savory and unsweet. I like it a lot as a change of pace.

You should be aware that a lot of the new "craft" whisky's, regardless of where they profess to be bottled at, are actually made at Midwest Grain Products in Indiana. The fluff on the packaging is just for marketing. Not that some of them aren't good, but just be aware that there's a huge difference between distiller and bottler. At least with bourbons you know they're made in Kentucky, and with bonded you even know a bit more than that.

X

after a year I just wanted to update the thread. I've expanded my horizons considerably (at least by my standards) and have really really enjoyed the journey.

right now my "mixer" bourbon has moved from Bulleit to Wild Turkey 101 (I find it a bit more complex and wilder than the old frontier stuff). I don't sip it anymore as I've turned just a little bit snobbish for my sipping.

I took the advice form here and got a good handful of bourbons to try and got a new one every month for the last year (I'm not rich, so I try to not have a daily sipper, but something I use as a treat)

each number below marks a month (sometimes I skipped one cuz my wife lost her job during the year and we had to cut back)

1. Elijah Craig Small batch. Honestly, really nice pour compared to bulleit. I was excepting something smoother, but it's much spicier and more vibrant, which I took as a negative at first, but then appreciated more as my flavor palate expanded

2. Black Ridge Bourbon - Recommendation from the guy at total wine. Complete dissapointment. Such a weak pour for $30... seems like the only info on it online is that the total wine employees push it on people . Probably a house brand or something they get a kick back from

3. Four Rose small batch - LOVED this one

4. Four Roses Single barrel. Probably my favorite out of the batch.

5. Jefferson Reserve Groth (I got this as a gift, as I normally don't splurge on $70 bottles), REALLY smooth, REALLY nice, kind of like the effect the aging in wine barrels had on it.

6. Jefferson Reserve regular ... Excellent pour, up there with the Four Roses SiB

7 skipped

8. skipped

9. skipped

10. Henry McKenna 10 year BIB.... REALLY good, kind of half way between the Four roses SMB adn SiB

11. Evan Williams SiB, really damn good, from what I GATHER it's much more like the Elijah Craig 12 year, before Elijah Craig morphed into the SmB

12. Four Roses again, I adore this stuff.


now. I DO have a question. I keep seeing online forums saying that "the single greatest hidden secret is OGD 100 bonded... it tastes like a $40-$50 bottle!".... now I'm naturally suspicious of claims like that, but since I really love the Four Roses SmB and SiB, and OGD is supposed to be a high rye bourbon too, would I be pleased with it? or is it just another "$20 bottle, just like most of the others". I have no problem now drinking less and spending $40 a bottle (which is what McKenna, Four Roses SiB, and Jefferson's Reserve cost around here), but if I can get a great pour for a steal I'm always open to not being a price snob... just didn't want to "downgrade" from what I've become accustomed to if you know what I mean.

That's up to you to decide if it's just another $20 bottle or not. Put it this way.... if you like a high rye bourbon, you really can't go wrong for 20 bucks. It's popular for a reason. I probably drink more OGD Bonded than anything else.