This is a side by side comparison review of the Old Forester 1920 and 1910, both are part of their Whiskey Row series. Bourbon drinkers who enjoy spice and dark fruit will be fans of this release. Old Forester 1920 celebrates the Distillery history since 1920 was the year . 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. Buffalo Trace is more bright, vibrant, tropical, fruity, and herbal. In this blind tasting, I picked up a cornbread note and thought it to be too young to make my Top 5. Learn how your comment data is processed. Am looking forward to trying some of the others you listed. It has a highly complex taste, with everything from cotton candy and cayenne pepper to macadamia nuts and underripe blackberries showing up across the nose and palate. The mash bill here, made entirely of non-GMO grains, is 65 percent corn, 30 percent rye and 5 percent malted barley. Tasting notes include Heath Bar and leather on the nose, with cinnamon candies, roasted vanilla and rye coming through in the palate. Buy as much as you can as this price isnt going to last. I cover spirits, the drinks culture and business. 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. A 100-proof blend of 2017 and 2019 bourbons, Major's mix which is the first in Dread River's new Master Series has tasting notes of cherry, apples, oak and light vanilla. Its essentially a barrel finished bourbon, and that extra spice is a nice kick to an otherwise soft, wheated profile. Yes. The whiskey is NAS, but is believed to be four to eight years old. I'd say this is a bit of a draw on the nose. I usually find Makers Mark to be sweet. 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. In addition, Minnick is the editor-in-chief of Bourbon+ Magazine and host on the Spirits Network. Old Forester does a slightly better job filling it in comparison. It's not lacking in sweetness, with tasting notes of nougat, figs, dates and caramel corn. After a reasonable period, however, that flips for me. At 12 years, they become really nice sips, and out towards 20 years, they can still be outstanding whiskey. 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. This is typically a cornbread-laden favorite of mine. Maybe even one day I will get to try some Pappy!! It's a cask strength blend created by the blending masters at Barrell Craft Spirits and it is a doozy. Great mouth flavors. 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. The biggest surprise of the blind tasting since I had previously disliked it. Really young wheat whiskey(4-5 years and younger)can be harsh and almost astringent, while rye-based bourbons tend to have a spicy characteristic that offsets that at a younger age. Rate, Review and Discover spirits! Everything you ever wanted to know about Americas favorite brown spirit, including, of course, the best bottles you can actually buy. The spirit is one of those rare drinks that is loved by both bourbon enthusiasts and amateurs. Let me share a funny story. I admit I have gotten extremely lucky obtaining a few of these bottles. Lingering caramel, apple, cinnamon and oak. Nice article Bill. [CDATA[ Larceny Barrel Proof (A121, B521, C921) - T3. 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. 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 bespoke (and admittedly cool-looking) bottle became extremely famous and then extremely expensive in retail. I have always found a peanut butter note in this bourbon, and that can be incredibly enticing during a blind tasting. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Average Price: $40. But I feel very firm in the Top Five, and I was pleased to see three bottled-in-bond bourbons in the running. Cheap bourbon isnt always as bottom-shelf as it seems. That extra time is why the Single Barrel costs three times more than a regular old bottle of Wild Turkey. 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). At $30 per bottle, this is an outstanding value for an aged, over-proof, classic bourbon. Early Times had already won a blind tasting with me previously, having captured gold in theBourbon Pursuit blind BIB Showdown. This bourbon was the first Single Barrel expression sold in the modern era. Either way, I W Harper is a brand in transition and one well worth watching. #3 barrel char. // < ! Sazerac 18 typically demands the highest price in the Buffalo Antique Collection line. The mash bill is undisclosed, but is believed to be the same, or very close, to that of Old Fitzgerald and the Pappy expressions. It now goes on to compete for Best American Whiskey. Subscribe to his YouTube Channel to watch his Best American Whiskey taste off December 20. A slice of citrus arrives to lighten everything up on the short end. 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. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. 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. Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond won the taste for Best Everyday Bourbon. Thanks for a great article. This is what you drink when you need a break from barrel-proof juice. At $20 per bottle, this is a fantastic bourbon and an excellent introduction to wheated bourbons. This juice is hand-selected to be small batched to match a six-year-old age profile. Larceny is a wheated bourbon made from a blend of selected barrels made in honor of this legend. I assessed all nominations, validated them and tasted them live on YouTube to select my 2019 favorite for Best Everyday Bourbon. But that is why I taste blind: I dont want to be influenced by brand name. Elijah Craig Small Batch is layered in vanilla and often so soft on the palate. (Photo by Dixie D. Vereen/For The Washington Post via Getty Images). W L Weller, Special Reserve Bourbon, NAS, 45% ABV, is produced at the Buffalo Trace Distillery by Sazerac. But what are the best wheated bourbons out there? That works out to 1.75 barrels of bourbon per resident or over 500 bottles of whiskey per capita. Don't take Woodford Reserve's Double Oaked's ubiquity for mediocrity. There is also a 57% ABV (114 proof) version that is priced under $30. I am looking forward to trying Old Fitzgerald. The other is recipe E and is 75% corn, 20% rye, and 5% malted barley. Average Price: $26. Distiller Score: 84, This Kentucky straight bourbon is the entry-level bourbon for the brand. This one is more of a sipper. ABV: 40% In fact, ones named after a bourbon legend while the other has that legends visage on its label. For something around $30, you get an expertly blended whiskey aged a minimum of 8 years with notes of cherry, orange, almond toffee and oak and bottled at a casual 90 proof. This is a BETA experience. If you come across its charged, barrel-proof older sibling, be sure to pick up a bottle, too.. All of the Weller expressions share the same mash bill. ABV: 46% Though it shares DNA with other Heaven Hill bourbons like Evan Williams and Henry McKenna, Elijah Craig Small Batch is balanced, with extra maltiness. This is another classic bourbon with a distinctive caramel and vanilla aroma on the nose. It did not make my Top 6. Unfortunately, for Old Fo, I was not. Old Elk Single Barrel Wheated Bourbon . Charles is a 50-year veteran of the Kentucky distilling industry and his familys history is closely intertwined with Kentucky bourbon. 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. This Kentucky Straight Bourbon from Beam was formerly known as Jim Beam Double Aged. Craft bourbon's rep is tarnished by a few bad apples makes subpar whiskey. Old Forester is one of the oldest whisky houses in America (yes, they spell whisky without the "e"). Sour Mash: A fermentation technique used by almost all bourbon distillers that employs pre-fermented mash from a previous distilling in a new mash. Distillery: Heaven Hill Distillery, Louisville, KY No one cared about Early Times until Sazerac (Buffalo Trace Distillery) bought it from Brown-Forman (Jack Daniel's, Old Forester, Woodford Reserve). 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. This is another nutmeg-forward bourbon I thought could standout in blind competition. 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. These bargain bourbon brands can all be had for $25 or less, so make sure keep your home bar stocked! My favorite by far of the standard production you mentioned is Larceny. Very Old Barton, owned by the Sazerac Company, is produced in Bardstown, Kentucky. Distillery: Woodford Reserve 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. 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. Single Barrel: A bourbon made using single barrels, providing a higher range of variation in flavor and the chance at specific, unique characteristics. Distillery: Jim Beam, Clermont, KY (Beam Suntory) So the second way to look at it is really what this site is focused on- how it tastes. Its a fantastic bourbon, especially for the money, he says. A pioneering brand, it was originally released as an exclusively bottled 90 proof bourbon whisky. 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. With Distiller, youll always know whats in the bottle before you spend a cent. The finish is long, sweet, with maple syrup and brown sugar notes. Sometimes even exactly the same. But again, two for the price of one is a bargain. Old Forester was launched in 1870 by George Garvin Brown and named for Dr. William Forrester, who prescribed bourbon to his patients. Just bought a bottle of Larceny and the more I get into the bottle the more Iike it. On the palate, there is caramel, sweet cooked corn, almond pralines, along with vanilla, oak, spice and pepper notes. The result is that both the W L Weller Special Reserve and the Old Weller Antique Original 107 brand straight wheated bourbon whiskey often sell at three times or more of their list price. A touch of water brings out more sweetness. So, I added it. Egg nog spices kick this sip off. Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style Weller Antique 107 Blanton's Henry McKenna 10 Year Noah's Mill 1. Admittedly, the barrel seasoning makes all the difference between . Theres certainly less refinement at play. 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. Nice to see it make your list. You can get a lot of satisfaction out of that. It's a classic tasting bourbon with notes of oak, caramel and brown sugar. 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. But I worried its subtleties could get lost in a deep field, which this was. Distillery: Brown Forman Distillery in Shively, KY (Brown-Forman) ModernThirst's Comparison Reviews of Wheated Bourbons: 2020 ModernThirst. Old Forester 86 Proof Bourbon Review . Distillers Gin Guide: Styles to Know and Brands to Try. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Bernheim wheated whiskey a bit harsh imo. Buffalo Trace vs Old Forester 86 Comparison . It bears no age statement and is bottled at 92 proof. But this blind tasting was not its day. The whiskey is based on a mash bill of 62% corn, 28% rye and 10% malted barley. This is the Bottled-In-Bond version of Old Grand-Dad Bourbon, meaning it was all distilled in the same calendar year. It is bottled without an age statement at 80 proof. Average Price: $90. Additionally, BIB whiskey must be bottled at 50% ABV (100 proof). Weller, and to a lesser extent Old Fitzgerald, has been caught up in the cult frenzy that now surrounds Pappy Van Winkle. Roughly 1,000 are currently active. 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. We're breaking down the varieties of rum, from sugarcane to bottle. Average Price: $20. The whiskey inside Early Times' wicked affordable Bottled-in-Bond expression is Brown-Forman-made, though, and it has that sweet-and-smooth Basil Hayden's thing going on, just more a more solid boozy backbone with a recurring note of caramel corn throughout. Its got so much caramel, and a beautiful nutmeg note, Minnick says. The Bourbon After a pour I found my glass had a dark, rusty amber liquid. ABV: 40% The first is as a collectors item. Wilderness Trail does not make subpar whiskey. Distiller Score: 86. If you find it, buy it. Look, I know Jack says Tennessee whiskey on the label, but theres an argument made for it being bourbon. 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. 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. Perhaps thats why it was in the running to win it all. Old Forester Birthday Bourbon comes in at #3 on our list of overrated whiskeys. It went up for preorder in January 2023 with a retail price of $115. Youd think that would make it a shoe-in to win my blind tasting. 63 percent corn, 27 percent rye, ten percent malted barley. The bourbon is distilled under contract by various Kentucky distillers. Okay, this isnt exactly a huge price tag for a quality spirit. Its estimated that there are over 3,500 historic brands of bourbon in the United States. But if they arent regularly released with a wheated mash bill as a rule, theyre one-offs, and not on the list. A store near me does private barrel selections of OWA and they are outstanding. [CDATA[ 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. Hi Dave! Knob Creek 12 Year Price: ~$75 Proof: 100 Tasting Notes: Oak, vanilla, marshmallow Distillery: Jim Beam Theres a light, floral fruitiness upfront with a wisp of tobacco, flourishes of mint, and plenty of vanilla. 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. Bourbon, the Great American Spirit, is not as simple as one might think. In 2018, Luxco opened Lux Row Distillers in Bardstown, KY so expect the bourbon to be made there in the future. 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. ABV: 50.5% 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. Unfortunately, both also have that unpleasant metallic vodka-y alcohol taste, which I don't find in other bourbons. This was so complex, with a 20-second finish and layered in vanilla that it was easily the winner. There have been quite a few individual barrels of wheated bourbon released, or reportedly released over they ears. Fourth - Larceny With wheated bourbons riding a tidal wave named Pappy, Larceny flies under the radar.
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