One of the best new whiskeys of recent memory, Stellum is a more affordable Barrell Bourbon. It's a robust whiskey that pulls off the wheated softness without becoming weak and spineless. It was a great taste but will never pay that much for it again. 46% ABV, is a small batch bourbon assembled from 200 barrels or less, handpicked by Heaven Hills master distiller. The finish is medium length, sweet and spicy, with notes of dried stone fruit, vanilla and caramel, along with spice notes of nutmeg, clove and allspice. I drink bourbon. Along with Old Overholt Rye, Old Grand-Dad falls under The Olds family of whiskeys released by Jim Beam. The taste is sweet and spicy with a hint of herbaceousness. [CDATA[ 2) Sazerac 18 Year Straight Rye This is going to be a controversial choice, but let's talk this through. Medley also makes a 12 YO expression bottled at 43.4% ABV, which is outstanding. This no-age statement bourbon replaces the Black Label 8 Year. San Francisco World Spirits Competition a few years ago, The 25 Best Whiskies to Try Before You Die, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. ABV: 40% 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. Lingering caramel, apple, cinnamon and oak. If you want craft bourbon, we love New Riff's dedication to Bottled-in-Bond whiskey-making and rich flavor profiles. 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. Evan William's Black Label is hard to beat for the money. Larceny Bourbon is a decent sipping bourbon. ABV: 40% Russells Reserve Bourbon, 10 YO, 45% ABV, is produced by Wild Turkey. Buy as much as you can as this price isnt going to last. Maker's Mark Cask Strength vs Weller Full Proof . Look, I know Jack says Tennessee whiskey on the label, but theres an argument made for it being bourbon. We asked whiskey personality and author Fred Minnick to uncover which bottles of bourbon lining the shelves are actually worthy of your bar cart. Lets Talk Fermentation and Distillation! Ninety-nine percent of Dickel products are officially Tennessee Whisky, not bourbon. Bernheim wheated whiskey a bit harsh imo. Egg nog spices kick this sip off. Production started on Ezra Brooks around the 1950s by the Medley Distillery. I got that message twice this week from readers, and thats not a rarity. Its price, proof and age suggest it could be your next home bar staple. This is strikingly similar to Woodford on the nose with the same vanilla, tobacco, mint, and floral fruit. Roughly 1,000 are currently active. 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. Its so fucking amazing., Have Apple's AirPods Max? After being somewhat underwhelmed by Blantons and Basil Hayden, Ibe come to the conclusion that my tastes lean towards the Wheated bourbons. That brand was owned for a while by Julian P Pappy Van Winkle, and is considered the inspiration for the Pappy Van Winkle bourbon. Old Forester 100 proof. #4 barrel char. Maybe even one day I will get to try some Pappy!! Sounds like a pretty good reason the move to Kentucky. With Distiller, youll always know whats in the bottle before you spend a cent. Jeffersons has released a few wheaters in their Presidential Select lineupthat were great, as did Parkers Heritage. Theyve also led the way in transparency. At the very least, this experiment is a good way to see how much luck and refinement go into making expensive bourbons worth the price when you can quite literally compare them to the cheaper expressions of the exact same juice. Head to Head Comparison: Old Forester 100 vs Wild Turkey 101 I like to do head to head comparisons because I feel like it brings out the nuances of each bourbon. Its a fantastic bourbon, especially for the money, he says. Retail - $80; Secondary - $250; Old Forester 117 Series High Angel's Share or Warehouse K (375ml) - T3. The Controversy Explained, Love Buffalo Trace Bourbon? 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 is the more dark, banana-y, oaky, apple-y and earthy bourbon. Retail - $55; Secondary - $90+ Evan Williams 23 Year Old Bourbon - T2. Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, KY (Sazerac Company) ABV: 50% Wheat as the secondary grain provides a bit of a subtle, yet noticeable contrast to the traditional rye component of standard bourbons. Both mash bills are utilized for this bottling. 2020 ModernThirst. While I think the standard version is fine, Ive had two private barrel selections that were great. Vanilla and toffee are present with a sense of the wheat. For 2022, the rugged western whiskey is a blend of 8- and 9-year-old barrels from the distillery and clocks in at a whopping 134.8 proof. Flavor Profile: Rich & Spicy Here are my rankings the Best Wheated Bourbons in each category. That leaves lots of expressions of excellent bourbon, many made by those same national producers, which are available only on a regional basis or have limited distribution. Still, its not the cheapest expression you can get from Brown-Forman. . The mash bill used contains: 72% corn, 18% rye, 10% malted barley. The juice is really crafted as an entry point to Woodfords wider line that showcases their aging and blending prowess. And THAT I can provide some help on. At $20 per bottle, this is a fantastic bourbon and an excellent introduction to wheated bourbons. His bourbon incorporated a large percentage of rye, giving the whiskey a spicy and powerful flavor. The biggest surprise of the blind tasting since I had previously disliked it. Thats because Barrell is, at this moment, the best blender of American whiskey there is (they have the trophy case to prove it). 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. Were just sayin. ABV: 45.2% They can range from okay to excellent.. Old Forester packs a banana note that I thought could dominate the competition if I happened to be in a banana mood. 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. The 1920 is a crowd favorite on r/bourbon and for a good reason. McKenna has a classic bourbon nose of caramel, vanilla and charred oak. Thats nuts in todays whiskey world. You can have five different notes hitting at once. Though it shares DNA with other Heaven Hill bourbons like Evan Williams and Henry McKenna, Elijah Craig Small Batch is balanced, with extra maltiness. Here's the rub. If you're making drinks, we prefer the light and spicy Four Roses bourbon. Beginning in spring 2018, the name for this product is simply Four Roses Bourbon., ABV: 40% If you get a chance to visit Loretto, pick up a bottle of the Makers 46 Cask Strength sometime. There is some alcohol burn, especially on the 114-proof version, along with sweet honey notes, candied citrus zest, brown sugar and that cooked tropical fruits. ABV: 43% Simply put, Minnick knows bourbon better than almost anyone in America. In 2018, Luxco opened Lux Row Distillers in Bardstown, KY so expect the bourbon to be made there in the future. It now goes on to compete for Best American Whiskey. Looking for something on the cheap? There can be no doubt that a certain 3-word labelhas greatly influenced bourbon and bourbon demand over the past decade. Nice to see it make your list. At a retail price of under $50, however, it is an outstanding value, although very difficult to find. Additionally, Four Roses uses up to five different yeast strains for its bourbons, and all are used here. The spirit is one of those rare drinks that is loved by both bourbon enthusiasts and amateurs. This high percentage makes the whiskey sweet and complex, a great choice for those looking for something inexpensive but rich with flavor. It's also the first brand. Average Price: $12. The original Stitzel-Weller mash bill was 75% corn, 20% wheat and 5% malted barley. Sometimes even exactly the same. 63 percent corn, 27 percent rye, ten percent malted barley. Makes it easy to see why some newbies often cant tell the difference between some of these bourbons, right? This spirit seems to drink higher than 104 proof due to overwhelming spice. 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. Additionally, BIB whiskey must be bottled at 50% ABV (100 proof). 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). Once everyday, easy-to-find [+] brands are now allocated and outside of the consumer's reach. Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, KY (Sazerac Company) As Bourbon Heritage Month rolls on, were taking a look at some expensive bottles of bourbon to see if we can find some cheaper bourbon counterparts from the exact same mash bill, barrel char, and barrel proof. Its a good, inexpensive, wheated everyday sipper.. The sour mash prevents wild yeast from entering the mash and causing infections. Old Forester Signature 100 Proof Purchase Info: $24.99 for a 750 mL bottle, Total Wine, Burnsville, MN Details: 50% ABV. Yes, Ancient Age is the same mash bill, barrel, and barrel proof as Blantons. This juice is. image via via modernthirst.com One of the few universally praised non-macro whiskey makers in the U.S., its 6-year-old offering is Bottled-in-Bond, sweet mash bourbon with flavor that suggests the "6" on the label is a typo this bourbon tastes significantly older. My personal opinion is a little different. Old Grand-Dad Bonded Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, NAS, 50% ABV, was the nickname of a distiller named Basil Hayden. It is a top selling bourbon in Japan. Its bottled at 115 proof for this distillery, thats the perfect proof, Minnick says. He has also been published on Liquor.com. But those whiskeys are cut from the exact same distillation. But what are the best wheated bourbons out there? I like some of the new Makers Private Select picks even more, but theyre single barrel private picks, so I didnt include them on the list. This is a smooth, almost delicate whiskey, and makes an excellent sipper. The Main Differences Between Larceny Bourbon vs Maker's Mark The main differences between Larceny Bourbon vs Maker's Mark are: Larceny's distiller is Heaven Hill, whereas Maker's Mark is Beam Suntory. They all use a similar mash bill, andsome reportedly even use yeast strains derived from the original Stitzel-Weller batch. Its more complex than regular FR, but still drinks easy. Similar to the straight version, it is smoother, with a little more citrus on the nose and palate and a little dried peach on the finish. For instance, in New York, property valued at over $1,000 is considered grand larceny. Larceny is based on a mash bill of 68% corn, 20% wheat and 12% malted barley. But its so much cheaper that who cares? So, I added it. Fortunately, we can still fall back on some tried and true value bourbons. Old Forester Birthday Bourbon comes in at #3 on our list of overrated whiskeys. Honey and fruit mix with a clear peppery rye note next to a slight hint of oak, apple, and more vanilla. This is another nutmeg-forward bourbon I thought could standout in blind competition. I usually find Makers Mark to be sweet. On the nose, there is a distinctive sweetness, along with ripe apple, caramel and a little vanilla. Early Times had already won a blind tasting with me previously, having captured gold in theBourbon Pursuit blind BIB Showdown. This is similar to the various Pappy expressions. By continuing to browse our website, you agree to first-party and third-party cookies being stored on your device. Going in, I didnt give this much of a chance for my palate. You can get two of these for the price of one Woodford. Its a little smoother and feels softer on the palate. Foundation For Advancing Alcohol Responsibility. I recently did a blind taste test comparing some Wheaters and surprisingly rated Makers 46 as my top pick among Makers Mark, Larceny, Old Weller Antique, and Bernheim (a pure wheat whiskey). Old Forester is one of the oldest whisky houses in America (yes, they spell whisky without the "e"). The juice is a throwback to Colonel Blanton who expanded the distillery in the 20th century and used to handpick barrels for his personal stash in warehouse H. The bottle in-and-of-itself has become a collectors item with the small horse on each cork varying slightly. 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. The finish is long, honey sweet, with cinnamon and maple syrup notes. Distillery: Heaven Hill Distillery, Louisville, KY And in Division Two we have Old Forester Signature 100 proof up against Wild Turkey 101. In 2017, Jim Beams Old Grand-Dad line of whiskeys was nearly axed. Theres more of sweetness at play with toffee and vanilla up top. Ive tasted vw 10 @$45 for a dbl in savannah. Best I ever had was a couple weeks ago in a Chicago speakeasy the Office. Henry McKenna Single Barrel, 10 YO, 50% ABV, is bottled by the Heaven Hill distillery. (Photo by Dixie D. Vereen/For The Washington Post via Getty Images). They were right. Theyll tell you everything there is to know about their whiskey they dont hide the mash bill, the distillation proof. No, this isnt as complex as Old Fitzgerald. [CDATA[ For the uninitiated, wheat used as a secondary grain was really pioneered at the old Stitzel-Weller distillery in Louisville, birthplace of the Weller lineup, the Van Winkle lineup, and the Old Fitzgerald Lineup. Of course, its pretty good, too. That lower entry proof lends to more flavor from the mash bill (corn, rye and malted barley). If I tasted this flight again, theres a very good chance Id have different results. Wheated: A bourbon with a higher than normal percentage of mash bill made up of wheat (the main grain remains corn). There have been quite a few individual barrels of wheated bourbon released, or reportedly released over they ears. At times our old standbys can be tough to findand when we do, they are triple the standard price. Additionally, it was aged at least 4 years under government supervision, and it is bottled at 50% ABV. With no effort and normal market prices, I can have Makers, Larceny, and OWA. I have a couple of them in my bunker. The Bourbon After a pour I found my glass had a dark, rusty amber liquid. It has a suggested MSRP of $150, and Reserve Bar is your best bet for snagging a bottle.Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon: Every year for the past eight years, Texas-based distillery Garrison Brothers has released their fan-favorite Cowboy Bourbon: an uncut and unfiltered straight bourbon thats produced in limited numbers. If you're looking for the best value in bourbon, just get this. Our inclusions in this guide are based on real-world testing and firsthand expert feedback, but there are a few new and upcoming bourbons we haven't had a chance to try yet that still warranted a mention. About 10 to 12 years ago, Total Wine opened a store in Clearwater Florida. If you are interested in exploring the lesser known brands however, and in the process learning a little more about the lore and history of classic bourbon brands, then this list is a good place to start. We relied on one of the most-esteemed bourbon experts in America, Fred Minnick. Larceny, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, NAS. (Read the recap.). Press Esc to cancel. Larceny is a bourbon produced by the Heaven Hill distillery made from a mash bill that is 20 percent wheat. This tends to produce spicier flavors in the bourbon. If you find it, buy it. The barrels that go into each batch are aged anywhere from 6 to 10 years. ABV: 45% I W Harper was widely popular in the 1950s and 60s, and was exported to more than 100 countries around the world. Bourbon drinkers who enjoy spice and dark fruit will be fans of this release. Don't drink and drive. While it has an MSRP of just $40 (and costing half that much just a couple of years ago), its become one of the industrys hottest bottles more recently, and these days market prices hover around $300. Larceny and Makers 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. No need to wait for a special occasion, these are great for any day of the week. Weller Special Reserve, 12 Year Wheated Bourbon Blind Tasting: Weller 12 vs. Old Fitz 12 vs. Van Winkle 12, Four Gate Whiskey Announces Release 15.1, 15.2, & 15.3: The Bluegrass Trilogy, Old Forester 21st Release of Annual Birthday Bourbon, Press Release: Old Foresters Next Release in the 117 SeriesFeatures a Blend of Barrels Aged Solely in Warehouse K, William Larue Weller (Buffalo Trace Antique Collection), Rebel Yell Single Barrel 10 Year (added October 2016). Please be responsible. The whiskey has already won an impressive array of awards. It is aged at least 4 years in a bonded warehouse and is bottled at 100 proof in a trademark square, white label bottle. The label launched with just two bourbons in its portfolio: the two-year Colonel James B. Beam and the more premium Jacobs Well. Pappy Van Winkle, in his infinite wisdom, allegedly chose wheat in his recipe because he felt is matured more quickly, and bourbon could be moved to market at a younger age. Distiller Score: 82. Its excellent. On the nose, Larceny is sweet, offering fruit notes of peach and apricot along with candied citrus zest, and cinnamon. Hardins Creek Jacobs Well: In summer 2022, bourbon legend Jim Beam launched a new high-end label called Hardins Creek. It is a wheated whiskey, that shares a common DNA with Old Fitzgerald and the Pappy wheated bourbons. The first Black blender at a major distillery, Major previously made waves as the Whiskey Blender at Bulleit. Whats really frustrating is that living in KY just an hour or so from all these distillers you can hardly find some of these choices, and theyre ridiculously expensive if you do. I do not covet, nor feel compelled to obtain something that is nearly unobtainable for the challenge. Rebel Yell has been a registered brand since 1936, although the recipe for the bourbon dates back to 1849. This bourbon won Whisky Advocates whiskey of the year, and Minnick was on the tasting panel. This whiskey is much better known then the expressions cited above. While there's no age statement on the bottle, it's believed that Double Oaked is aged for at least six years. Average Price: $20. Had a $45 shot of PVW 23 a few years back in Louisville and wasnt blown away for the price. But this blind tasting was not its day. Here we go.. Theres a clear sense of bourbon vanilla next to creamy corn and plenty of honey sweetness. This is such a dynamic whiskey, Minnick says. The 15 YO version is similar but far richer and complex. Redwood Empire Bottled in Bond Rye . Learn how your comment data is processed. I almost included Bernheim Wheat Whiskey in this list, since even though its a wheat whiskey, it taste a LOT like a wheated bourbon due to its high corn content. The whiskey sells for around $25. My favorite by far of the standard production you mentioned is Larceny. Id certainly make a few changes here and there. In the case of Old Forester, it comes from the recipe used by distiller Brown-Forman during the prohibition era when the government ordered them to keep their doors open to make bourbon "for medicinal purposes." It's 115 proof with vanilla, nuts, and seasoned oak that has a bulky belly which shows its exceptional age. You can get a lot of satisfaction out of that. It's a classic tasting bourbon with notes of oak, caramel and brown sugar. Production is limited to 8,600 bottles nationwide, and it sells for $250.Pappy Van Winkle 2022 Lineup: No list of the best bourbons is complete without a mention of Pappy Van Winkle. Admittedly, the barrel seasoning makes all the difference between . Price Range: $20 to $30. Early Times Bottled-in-Bond was a contender for Best Everyday Bourbon. Head on over to Distiller, or download the app for iOS and Android today! Theres certainly less refinement at play. Buffalo Trace is more bright, vibrant, tropical, fruity, and herbal. I was more akin to the standard Makers than 46. 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. In the past decade, good brands went from available to allocated and from $15 to $40. Had a shot in Kentucky a few years back when it was introduced. Distiller Score: 86. Distillery: Heaven Hill Distillery, Louisville, KY It is bottled at 92 proof. It's full of flavor and has a bit of an oaky kick to it that pairs well with the sweetness. [CDATA[ Average Price: $20. His son, Eddie Russell, took over as Wild Turkeys Master Distiller in 2015, after 35 years with the company. So, we switched Eagle Rare to its sister brand, Buffalo Trace, which always warms up my palate in the winter. Tasting notes include Heath Bar and leather on the nose, with cinnamon candies, roasted vanilla and rye coming through in the palate. Still, theyre a lot closer to being the same thing than any amount of advertising would lead you to believe. In fact, ones named after a bourbon legend while the other has that legends visage on its label. Its really a question we get very often: What are the Best Wheated Bourbons? The notes kind of just linger. Tasting notes include monkey bread aroma and Texas-style Dublin Dr. Pepper, making for one interesting palate. 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. In a whiskey market that's become increasingly fragmented and allocated, Knob Creek's classic small batch bourbon distinguishes itself. It bears no age statement and is bottled at 92 proof. These are two of my favorite daily drinkers both coming in at roughly the same proof, roughly the same price, and both readily available from respected distilleries. This is typically a cornbread-laden favorite of mine. Old Forester with darker banana, apple, and cherry, while Buffalo Trace with brighter, vibrant, and tropical peach, cherry, and pineapple. The palate carries that spice into peppery territory with hints of oak, vanilla, tart apples, and honey. 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. Perhaps thats why it was in the running to win it all. It's not lacking in sweetness, with tasting notes of nougat, figs, dates and caramel corn. Bourbon is a type of whiskey that needs to meet a few criteria to officially be called "bourbon." He has conducted various bourbon and whiskey tastings in cities across the country, and consulted for multiple national labels. It didnt make the cut for the finals. Other states have much lower thresholds, however, some considering anything over $400 to be grand larceny. Hence, I find the 20 year Van Winkle offering to be a truly fine bourbon, while the 23 year is a mess in the bottle. This treasure from Buffalo Traces Antique collection does its namesake a service, representing some of the worlds best wheated bourbon, a style Weller himself pioneered. 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. The finish is short-lived, with caramel and oak to it with very little to no warmth. For this reason, I started selecting a Best Everyday Bourbon. He has written multiple books on bourbon, has served as a judge at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the World Whiskey Awards, is the founder of Bourbon+ magazine, was the former lead American whiskey reviewer at Whiskey Advocate, hosts The Fred Minnick Show podcast (about bourbon) and is the Bourbon Authority for the Kentucky Derby Museum. This is the Bottled-In-Bond version of Old Grand-Dad Bourbon, meaning it was all distilled in the same calendar year. Old Forester Single Barrel Rye Whiskey (Barrel Proof) - T3. On the palate, there is a distinctive honey sweetness accompanied by cinnamon and nutmeg. Hes pictured on the bottle. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. The bourbon is believed to be approximately 6 YO. It's probably a mixture of under-valued and underrated but Larceny is excellent bourbon for close to $25. Try These Whiskeys, The Complete Buying Guide to Buffalo Trace Whiskey, The Most Exciting New Bourbon and Whiskeys of 2022, Another Female Whiskey Blender Has Gone Solo, Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style Bourbon, Barrell Craft Spirits 15 Year Old Bourbon. This Kentucky Straight Bourbon from Beam was formerly known as Jim Beam Double Aged. ABV: 40% Theres a clear taste of the honey, vanilla, and toffee carrying the sip towards a very subdued spice and oak. This bourbon over-delivers for its price and continues to be one of the best value picks on the market. Distiller Score: 84, This Kentucky straight bourbon is the entry-level bourbon for the brand. The whiskey is produced by Brown-Forman. Overpowering taste and smell of alcohol. Makers Mark could double their price and people would still buy it by the case. Rate, Review and Discover spirits! Let me share a funny story. But I feel very firm in the Top Five, and I was pleased to see three bottled-in-bond bourbons in the running. With intense flavors of dark fruit, cocoa, and vanilla, this Cabernet Sauvignon offers a smooth and balanced taste with a long, lingeri. The finish has a velvet texture that helps it fade fairly slowly while staying warm. Its got so much flavor to it, so much complexity its just brilliant whiskey., Are we including bottles that are impossible to find? Minnick asks. Larceny is 45% alcohol by volume, whereas Maker's Mark has 45%. Larceny Barrel Proof A122 Bourbon . This is a departure from the classic Jim Beam mash we mentioned in the lede. I drink so much Makers with BBQ, he says. Corn on the nose and lots of classic notes of vanilla, toffee, and caramel up top. The finish is long, sweet, with maple syrup and brown sugar notes. It doesn't sport a fancy age statement, but neither do most Old Forester brands. On the palate, the whiskey has a cooked corn sweetness, with notes of honey, dried peach, tropical fruit, vanilla, caramel and burnt sugar, along with some faint strawberry notes. For our money, the best do-it-all bourbon is Knob Creek's 9-year-old Small Batch offering. Proof: 100. We're breaking down the varieties of rum, from sugarcane to bottle. He is a native of Louisville, KY in the heart of Bourbon Country. This mash bill leans more heavily into the rye, creating a solid base for two very closely related bourbons. Wheres the thirsty modern man, farmer or otherwise, to begin? Despite the increasing demand (and price) for much-hyped bottles, bourbon is an every-person drink. ABV: 50.5% Its also the recipe Pappy Van Winkle bought during prohibition. There are obvious exceptions, most related to older rye based bourbons that are bottled at a higher proof such as George T. Stagg. I assessed all nominations, validated them and tasted them live on YouTube to select my 2019 favorite for Best Everyday Bourbon. The toffee and oak mingle in the end as it slowly dissipates. Distiller Score: 84. W L Weller, Special Reserve Bourbon, NAS, 45% ABV, is produced at the Buffalo Trace Distillery by Sazerac. This one is more of a sipper. Its relatively low-corn mashbill (only 63 percent) is also unique, utilizing a staggering amount of rye and malted barley, creating a spicy bourbon ideal for drinking on the rocks or in a cocktail. Its not. Four Rosess upgrade over its standard offering blends 180 barrels of four different recipes per bottling. All the Makers versions, and Larceny should sate your wheater crave. 1870 Original Batch is also blended by Marianne Barnes, the protg of Brown-Forman's master Produced by a respected distiller (Wild Turkey)? Elijah Craig Small Batch is layered in vanilla and often so soft on the palate. Flavor Profile: Sweet & Rich The McKenna distillery was established in 1855, founded by the noted Irish immigrant distiller. The brand was resurrected by Diageo in 2015 as both a NAS and a 15 YO version. Today, Evan Williams Bourbon is distilled only blocks from the site of his original distillery. In fact, a lot of bourbons are cut from the exact same mash bills (grain recipes), barrels, and even proofs when they start aging. Distiller Score: 80. Because its not a hype whiskey, doesnt have a famous name and isnt a limited release, it doesnt get talked about but I challenge you to find a bourbon with this much firepower at the price point.