I really enjoy the Buffalo Trace - it's a decent sipper, and makes great Manhattans.
How about top 5 Bourbons under $25.00?
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I really enjoy the Buffalo Trace - it's a decent sipper, and makes great Manhattans.
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- #42
I'm pretty new to the world of Bourbon, so I took this thread as a chance to pick up a bottle or tow for the right price. With the stupid laws here in Ohio, half of the stuff mentioned wasn't available. Knob Creek was ~30, so I nixed that one. In the store, all I could remember was one being a "reserve".
I saw a bottle of Russel's Reserve 90 proof 10yo for 26 and decided to get it. When I got home, and saw Austin Nicolas on the label, I realized it was basically just Wild Turkey. I rather like it. Its a little smoother than WT. I'm a little disappointed I didn't get to try a brand I haven't had before though.
Has anyone had this one? Whats your take? I guess I'm just looking for validation.
Russel's Reserve is a Wild Turkey product and it is a great product. Far better IMO than standard WT101. It's a "Master" blend of the superior barrels of WT or something like that. If you look at their website it explains way better than I could. It's great stuff but not in the $25 dollar range unfortunately. Try the Russel's Reserve Rye too. I love it and it may be the best readily available Rye on the market..
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- #43
I love many of Buffalo Trace's products but I don't really like the Buffalo Trace "brand" of bourbon. It's got an oily flavor and feel that's just not my thing. If I'm gonna make a Manhattan I'm gonna use a Rye and 99% of the time it's gonna be Sazerac Rye which is a Buffalo Trace product.
I had never tried Southern Comfort, but I remember the name from my youth. While in the exchange once with my USMC son, I saw a massive (1.75L) bottle of it for $24.99, so I thought what the heck.
It wasn't so great, so it sat on the shelf for awhile. Back around New Years, the allergies got to going and I ended up with the creeping crud and hacking cough.
I remembered the SC, so I dug it out and stuck it in the freezer. Man, did it ever do the job on that cough! I'd take a nip or two before bed and it really helped... and I began appreciating the taste a bit more, too. But then again, even Jager would probably have worked on the cough... but I can't stand it.
It wasn't so great, so it sat on the shelf for awhile. Back around New Years, the allergies got to going and I ended up with the creeping crud and hacking cough.
I remembered the SC, so I dug it out and stuck it in the freezer. Man, did it ever do the job on that cough! I'd take a nip or two before bed and it really helped... and I began appreciating the taste a bit more, too. But then again, even Jager would probably have worked on the cough... but I can't stand it.
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- #45
I had a terrible experience with that stuff in high school now I can't stand the smell. It's very sweet and mixes well with Dr. Pepper...Too well...
I don't know if these are under $25 as I rarely buy liquor, but:
George Dickel #12, tempered very lightly with branch water.
Cabin Still, which for years was underrated and inexpensive. I believe it has been "discovered" now, so it's priced higher
Old Ezra (Brooks), another nice surprise
Wild Turkey 90 proof, I prefer it to the 100 proof
Old Crow, but not straight or with branch. Makes a great bourbon & coke.
A bit off the topic, but since we're discussing "under $25" liquor, I'd suggest Cruzan's Black Strap Rum. Don't let the ridiculously low price fool you, I'd far rather have it than Meyer's Planter's Punch, and it's one of the few rums that I enjoy straight and untempered. It's just a matter of time until it's discovered, too, and the price will double. Come to think of it, I believe I just contributed to that happening.
George Dickel #12, tempered very lightly with branch water.
Cabin Still, which for years was underrated and inexpensive. I believe it has been "discovered" now, so it's priced higher
Old Ezra (Brooks), another nice surprise
Wild Turkey 90 proof, I prefer it to the 100 proof
Old Crow, but not straight or with branch. Makes a great bourbon & coke.
A bit off the topic, but since we're discussing "under $25" liquor, I'd suggest Cruzan's Black Strap Rum. Don't let the ridiculously low price fool you, I'd far rather have it than Meyer's Planter's Punch, and it's one of the few rums that I enjoy straight and untempered. It's just a matter of time until it's discovered, too, and the price will double. Come to think of it, I believe I just contributed to that happening.
You do know that they're the same whiskey, right?
I went to a seminar at last year's Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans, and the Heaven Hill guy explained that the Evan Williams family of whiskies and the Elijah Craig family are all from the same mash bills and still runs, but that the defining characteristic is the age of the barrels, and where in the rick house they are aged.
In other words, coming out of the still, any given barrel might end up in cheap Evan Williams, or might end up as Elijah Craig 18, depending on where and how long it's aged.
The really cool part was trying the samples of the Heaven Hill whiskies as they went up in age, and also trying the Glemorangie samples- they had white dog straight out of the still, aged in old bourbon casks, and even a experimental version of scotch aged in new bourbon casks (was very bourbon-like). We also tried the different aged scotches as well.
As for my favorite $25 or under bourbon... I like Elijah Craig 12 (it is under $25, right?), Bulleit and Jim Beam Black in that price range.
And Gaston, you drink Cruzan blackstrap straight? You must like molasses!
I'm more partial to aged older rums like Ron Zacapa Matusalem (duh; $50/bottle) or Mt. Gay Sugarcane Brandy (good stuff).
They may be the same mash bill, but they are NOT the same bourbon whiskeys. The position in the racks and the aging absolutely impact what is in the bottle. That's what makes bourbon so fun, is that the same "white lightening" put in different barrels, placed in different positions in the rick house, and aged for different periods create at TOTALLY different bourbon.
In my opinion, the Elijah Craig 18 is quite nice, too! A lot of work goes into that particular bottling.
YMMV.
I have to second the nod to Russel's Reserve 6 year Rye - it's a fantastic buy right at the $25 mark... the review in this forum is actually what convinced me to give it a try along with switching to a safety razor... so props for that.
I was also surprised at an unplanned tasting of the Jack Daniels "Green Label" last night - takes the gunpowder/syrup out of standard Black Label for $3-5 LESS a bottle. Pleasant if somewhat unremarkable as a sipping whiskey on a budget that you can find just about anywhere. Having toured the lower shelves of the liquor store whiskey pantheon in my youth it's certainly a cut above most bottles in the sub $15-$20 range.
Pendletons (Canadian) is also a favorite - blended and trending to the carmel/sweet end of the spectrum as I characterize most Canuk whiskey with a more complex flavor and clean finish that made it great for sipping.
Woodford Reserve is my mainstick, but under $25.00, try Jim Beam
Distiller's Series.
Distiller's Series.
Ok, here's the deal...
My ex-girlfriend from Kentucky got all the males in my immediate family a bottle of Woodford Reserve as a Christmas gift a couple of years back.
My brother, the lawyer, who gets in the area of one smabillion bottles of booze for Christmas every year since becoming a lawyer called me a couple of weeks later...
He says, this Woodford Reserve stuff, it's amazing. I went to the local liquor store to get it, and they said it would be a special order, I'd have to buy a case. I said, OK.
As I was filling out the order form, about halfway through, I stopped and asked the owner, Am I being crazy? I mean, a case of this stuff costs hundreds of dollars, do you have other stuff here as good?
The owner tipped down his glasses at my brother and said, "Son, I named my dog Woodford."
It's that good. Seriously.
Cheers, yall.
Boomer
My ex-girlfriend from Kentucky got all the males in my immediate family a bottle of Woodford Reserve as a Christmas gift a couple of years back.
My brother, the lawyer, who gets in the area of one smabillion bottles of booze for Christmas every year since becoming a lawyer called me a couple of weeks later...
He says, this Woodford Reserve stuff, it's amazing. I went to the local liquor store to get it, and they said it would be a special order, I'd have to buy a case. I said, OK.
As I was filling out the order form, about halfway through, I stopped and asked the owner, Am I being crazy? I mean, a case of this stuff costs hundreds of dollars, do you have other stuff here as good?
The owner tipped down his glasses at my brother and said, "Son, I named my dog Woodford."
It's that good. Seriously.
Cheers, yall.
Boomer
oldgrandad 114 is my all time favorite also. not sure about a top 5 but knob creek and Elijah craig always in the liquor cabinet. id have to ponder awhile to come up with a 4th and 5th to those for bourbons. not a bourbon but always like to keep a bottle of sazerac rye onhand also.
I see this thread died about four years ago. It was resurrected yesterday. Bourbon has really caught on in those four intervening years and the prices show it. I think Evan is right and $35 is the price point now.
Anyway, at that price point, Markers Mark is my choice. Cliche I know but I like it. Above $35 and I could go on and on.
Anyway, at that price point, Markers Mark is my choice. Cliche I know but I like it. Above $35 and I could go on and on.
I guess it depends where you live. Here in Ohio, you can get excellent Bourbon for $25 or so. Four Roses Small Batch is about $28 here. You all really should seek out Evan WIlliams BIB (white label). To me its every bit as good as the others I mentioned, but at $16, a real steal. It is difficult to find, there is only one store in my metro area (500,000 pop.) that carries it.
I get Elmer T when available, but it is closer to $40 here.
Very Old Barton Bottled in Bond. Around 25 bucks for a 1.75 liter handle in my neck of the woods.
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