Honey and fruit mix with a clear peppery rye note next to a slight hint of oak, apple, and more vanilla. Head on over to Distiller, or download the app for iOS and Android today! I had always found an over-oaked note here. On the nose, the whiskey offers sweet caramel and candied cherries, along with a persistent oak note in the background. But this victory goes to the sister product of Henry McKenna 10-year-old, which won Best Whisky and Best Bourbon at San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and will compete against McKenna for my Best American Whiskey December 20. Many of these regional brands were ones gobbled up by the big distillers in the consolidation that followed Prohibition in the US or they are expressions that were left out of the marketing campaigns that created the big national brands. Distiller Score: 82. As it turns out, it came in my top 10. It can be a blend of multiple straight bourbon whiskeys as long as they're all produced in the same state. Flavor is smooth and a bit musty, with hints of vanilla, banana, cinnamon and a dash of charred oak spice providing a bitter note. ABV: 40% Thats because Barrell is, at this moment, the best blender of American whiskey there is (they have the trophy case to prove it). This is a classic bourbon thats been around for a long time. If you want craft bourbon, we love New Riff's dedication to Bottled-in-Bond whiskey-making and rich flavor profiles. The finish is long, honey sweet, with cinnamon and maple syrup notes. Its price, proof and age suggest it could be your next home bar staple. Average Price: $26. Retail - $80; Secondary - $250; Old Forester 117 Series High Angel's Share or Warehouse K (375ml) - T3. Lingering caramel, apple, cinnamon and oak. The notes kind of just linger. Theres a bit more of a pine woodiness on the palate of this one next to the toffee, spice, orange, and vanilla thats more pushed into the background. Old Forester released the "Whiskey Row" line in late 2014 to celebrate the distillery's history. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. I W Harper was widely popular in the 1950s and 60s, and was exported to more than 100 countries around the world. Distiller Score: 88. The juice starts its time in a new charred oak barrel (as it should) before its dumped into a second charred oak barrel that's been more deeply toasted. 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. Its mellow balance helped by the prominent caramel notes of its wheated mash bill doesnt overpower meaty flavors. Early Times Bottled-in-Bond was a contender for Best Everyday Bourbon. The finish is rich and powerful, with classic bourbon notes of sweet caramel, dried fruit, vanilla, cinnamon and pepper, with a slight but persistent bitter note on the end. The whiskey carries no age statement but is believed to be a blend of whiskeys between four and 20 years old. 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. No, this isnt as complex as Old Fitzgerald. It didnt make the cut for the finals. Its a good, inexpensive, wheated everyday sipper.. I like it. Old Forester packs a banana note that I thought could dominate the competition if I happened to be in a banana mood.. Buy a case. Evan Williams White Label Bottled in Bond Bourbon is produced with a mash bill of 78% corn, 10% rye and 12% malt. These became known as the Fitzgerald Barrels. Larceny is a wheated bourbon made from a blend of selected barrels made in honor of this legend. Sour mash and bottled-in-bond, non-distiller-producers and high-ryes. The name Old Forester was allegedly chosen in honor of a doctor named Forrester, who regularly prescribed the bourbon to his patients at a time when it was still sold in pharmacies for medicinal purposes. However, the signature for which this bourbon gets its name and which is displayed on each bottle, is the founder of the brand, George Garvin Brown. Limited edition and long-aged bourbons go as quickly as they hit the shelves. ABV: 50.5% Type above and press Enter to search. Futile efforts to obtain any of the 2nd list has been a waste of time. Old Grand-Dad Bonded Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, NAS, 50% ABV, was the nickname of a distiller named Basil Hayden. After 20 years, they, too, begin to deteriorate- and they do it quickly. No need to wait for a special occasion, these are great for any day of the week. It was a great taste but will never pay that much for it again. The result is bottled at 93 proof. Very Old Barton, owned by the Sazerac Company, is produced in Bardstown, Kentucky. If you're making drinks, we prefer the light and spicy Four Roses bourbon. It's our best overall bourbon not by way of life-altering tasting notes which include marmalade, honey and maple but by stuffing the stat sheet in a way no other bourbon can. The Controversy Explained, Love Buffalo Trace Bourbon? Makes it easy to see why some newbies often cant tell the difference between some of these bourbons, right? Old Forester 1870's name refers to the year that Brown-Forman founder George Garvin Brown began batching whiskey from three different distilleries (Atherton in Bardstown, Mattingly in Marion and Mellwood in Louisville) to ensure a consistent product. Try it on the rocks. So no Jim Beam Soft Red Wheat, none of the individual Willett bottlings, none of the Michters 10 year bottlings that were(or were reported to be) wheaters, and none of the Buffalo Trace Single Oak or experimental releases that were wheated. Were just sayin. If Evan Williams were to sell this whiskey to someone else, that brand would mark it up to $40, and people would be happy buying it, Minnick says. and all are worth seeking out. Basil Haydens is a well-crafted bourbon thats pulled from specific barrels, blended, cut down to proof, and small-batch bottled under the watchful eyes of Jim Beams masters. I drink so much Makers with BBQ, he says. By continuing to browse our website, you agree to first-party and third-party cookies being stored on your device. Unfortunately, both also have that unpleasant metallic vodka-y alcohol taste, which I don't find in other bourbons. Last I heard it was going for about three thousand a bottle if you could find it. I realize you wrote this article a few years back, however it is still relevant. Distiller.com uses cookies that are essential for us to operate the website and that are helpful for us to improve the services. Nice, easy-drinking proof? 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? Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, KY (Sazerac Company) But the truth is, in a pinch, this is a great sipper. This is a simple bourbon thats cut from the same mash and pulled from the same rickhouses as everyones beloved Blantons one of the more sought after and awarded bourbons in modern times. Will be looking to sample some others on your list particularly the Makers Cask Strength. With tasting notes that include butterscotch, toffee, caramel and honey, this is one for the sweet tooths. ABV: 46.5% Its more complex than regular FR, but still drinks easy. Theyve also led the way in transparency. Non-Distiller Producers (NDP): Companies that purchase their whiskey from someone else rather than making it themselves. For instance, Jim Beam, Bakers, Knob Creek, Old Crow, and Old Taylor all have the exact same mash bill (75/13/12 corn/rye/barley), barrel char (level #4), and barreling proof (125 proof). I dont collect, so secondary value is so worthless a determination to me that I couldnt even tell you a ballpark value of most bottles. And its a bartenders dream for its mixability. If God gave birth to a bourbon child, this is what it would taste like, Minnick says. And in Division Two we have Old Forester Signature 100 proof up against Wild Turkey 101. Sometimes even exactly the same. At 12 years, they become really nice sips, and out towards 20 years, they can still be outstanding whiskey. Some expressions have a characteristic leather aroma, although this is not true of all of the bottlings. The sip edges into orange zest territory with dark spices accentuated by nice toffee sweetness and a dusting of dark cacao powder when water is added. McKenna has a classic bourbon nose of caramel, vanilla and charred oak. There can be no doubt that a certain 3-word labelhas greatly influenced bourbon and bourbon demand over the past decade. It is based on a mash bill of 77% corn, 10% rye and 13% malted barley. At a minimum, bourbon must be 80 proof (or 40 percent alcohol), with its mash never allowed to exceed 160 proof (or 80 percent alcohol). // < ! The label launched with just two bourbons in its portfolio: the two-year Colonel James B. Beam and the more premium Jacobs Well. Small Batch: A subjective term signaling a bourbon made using a select number of barrels or recipes in a blended bottling. Distiller Score: 86. So its whiskey, at a great proof point of 86 and an age that Minnick says is roughly five-and-a-half years old, goes for less than $20. First released in 2021, Dickel 8-Year Bourbon is the company's first official foray into bourbon whiskey, and it's a value-driven powerhouse. But it goes into the barrel a 114 proof instead of 125 proof. The toffee and oak mingle in the end as it slowly dissipates. Old Forester 1897 Bottled in Bond Bourbon Classification: Straight Bourbon Company: Brown-Forman Distillery: Brown-Forman Shively Distillery Released: September 2015 Proof: 100 Age: NAS Mashbill: 72% Corn, 18% Rye, 10% Malted Barley Color: Medium-dark Amber MSRP: $50 (2015) Official Website Buy Old Forester 1897 Bottled in Bond Bourbon at Frootbat Larceny becomes grand larceny when the property taken exceeds a certain value as defined by each state. On the palate, there is caramel, sweet cooked corn, almond pralines, along with vanilla, oak, spice and pepper notes. Average Price: $90. Thats not to say some of those werent fantastic. Its just that one of them was in the right spot in the rickhouse and deemed tasty enough not to be blended with other barrels. All of this isnt to say that drinking a Wild Turkey 81 is the same as drinking a Russells Reserve Single Barrel. Look, this is a damn nice dram. Either way, I W Harper is a brand in transition and one well worth watching. On the nose, there is caramel, cooked corn sweetness and pralines (think almond roca candy), along with plenty of cinnamon and clove spice. Tasting notes include monkey bread aroma and Texas-style Dublin Dr. Pepper, making for one interesting palate. Old Forester 86 Proof Bourbon Review . Flavor Profile: Vanilla & Sweet It is bottled at 92 proof. Unfortunately, the surging popularity of bourbon has made most any wheater over 6 years old nearly impossible to find. 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. ABV: 43% On the flip side, expensive bourbon isnt always as refined as it seems. Last year, I tasted a dozen bourbons that were widely available and selected Ezra Brooks 7-year-old Cask Strength. This bourbon over-delivers for its price and continues to be one of the best value picks on the market. You may opt-out by. Notwithstanding the number of bourbon brands, however, and the veritable explosion in craft producers, now close to 2,000 operating distilleries, over 95% of all of the bourbon made in the United States is produced by 13 large distilleries owned by eight major beverage companies. Wild Turkey is known to barrel its whiskey at a lower entry-proof, meaning the product is a lower proof as it comes off the still prior to maturing. The finish is short-lived, with caramel and oak to it with very little to no warmth. In my early review days, I wanted to compare anything and everything that seemed similar. Im not ranking single barrel releases, or one-time releases. Here are my rankings the Best Wheated Bourbons in each category. The finish is long, sweet, with maple syrup and brown sugar notes. Russells Reserve Bourbon, 10 YO, 45% ABV, is produced by Wild Turkey. This is what you drink when you need a break from barrel-proof juice. Distiller Score: 84. Dont drink and drive. High Rye: A bourbon with a higher than normal percentage of mash bill made up of rye (as opposed to using more corn, wheat, or barley, the other main grains used in bourbon mash). Distillery: Brown Forman Distillery in Shively, KY (Brown-Forman) On the nose, there is a creamy sweetness, along with cinnamon, vanilla and a little bit of charred wood. Now, thanks to rising whiskey prices and a consistently strong product, the brand shortened to OGD by fans has a cult following. Although it is more expensive at $88 per bottle, it is a far better value than the $30 NAS version. Recently have gotten into bourbons. He attended the University of Kentucky in the mid to late 1990s. Pappy Van Winkles impossible-to-find wheated bourbon has become such a hype monster that other wheated bourbons from Buffalo Traces portfolio have seen their own popularity skyrocket due to their proximity. Redwood Empire Bottled in Bond Rye . Okay, this isnt exactly a huge price tag for a quality spirit. The 1920 is a crowd favorite on r/bourbon and for a good reason. That brand was owned for a while by Julian P Pappy Van Winkle, and is considered the inspiration for the Pappy Van Winkle bourbon. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Old Forester 100 proof. Maker's Mark Cask Strength vs Weller Full Proof . Theres a sense of sweet yet slightly bitter tea next to rye spice and a flutter of fresh mint. Flavor Profile: Sweet The taste is sweet and spicy with a hint of herbaceousness. The McKenna distillery was established in 1855, founded by the noted Irish immigrant distiller. He is married with two daughters, and lives in east Louisville. 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. Distillery: Jim Beam, Clermont, KY (Beam Suntory) It is 115 proof and reminiscent of the style of bourbon distilled by the brand during the prohibition era. It did not make my Top 6. Fortunately, we can still fall back on some tried and true value bourbons. 68 percent corn, 20 percent wheat, 12 percent malted barley. Old Elk Single Barrel Wheated Bourbon . Theres no way around it, Wild Turkey 101 is great for the money. The 15 YO, and possibly the NAS version, are distilled at the Bernheim distillery, now owned by Heaven Hill, and matured in the Stitzel-Weller warehouses in Shively, Kentucky. This is an excellent mixing bourbon to have on hand. ABV: 43% He has conducted various bourbon and whiskey tastings in cities across the country, and consulted for multiple national labels. Wheated Bourbon Throwdown: Larceny vs. W.L. Flavor Profile: Rich & Full Bodied It is aged at least 4 years in a bonded warehouse and is bottled at 100 proof in a trademark square, white label bottle. I bought two. This Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey bears no age statement and is bottled at 90 proof. Finish: Medium length and warm. But it was not in the cards. Plum, pear, cocoa and vanilla are among the tasting notes here. Larceny is a wheated bourbon made from a blend of selected barrels made in honor of this legend. That lower entry proof lends to more flavor from the mash bill (corn, rye and malted barley). The original Stitzel-Weller mash bill was 75% corn, 20% wheat and 5% malted barley. Early Times had already won a blind tasting with me previously, having captured gold in theBourbon Pursuit blind BIB Showdown. Larceny and Maker's Mark can be viewed as offshoot descendants of that distillery due to the connections the labels have with those original three or connections the distillers had with the principal players in that distillery. Instead, it was allowed to rest until it hit a point the distillers wanted to hit and then bottled as is. Old Forester was launched in 1870 by George Garvin Brown and named for Dr. William Forrester, who prescribed bourbon to his patients. Lots of rye spices mingle with sweet vanilla on the palate here. The holy grail of bourbon brands announced its annual slate of whiskeys in October 2022, and the release includes a total of five bourbons along with a rye. It doesn't sport a fancy age statement, but neither do most Old Forester brands. Old Forester is one of the oldest whisky houses in America (yes, they spell whisky without the "e"). Don't take Woodford Reserve's Double Oaked's ubiquity for mediocrity. You can get two of these for the price of one Woodford. After a reasonable period, however, that flips for me. Its important to note that this was just one taste off, and I am one taster. There are obvious exceptions, most related to older rye based bourbons that are bottled at a higher proof such as George T. Stagg. If you get a chance to visit Loretto, pick up a bottle of the Makers 46 Cask Strength sometime. But what are the best wheated bourbons out there? 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. Both are somewhat fruity, but express it differently. The titular old grand-dad here is the one and only Basil Hayden. Theres more of sweetness at play with toffee and vanilla up top.
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