Best bourbon under $50?

[phylodog]

Picked up the three bottles today. The cabinet is happy.

 

[ISP 5353]

​^^^^^^^^^^Very Nice^^^^^^^^^^

 

[jbombelli]

Nice collection!

 

[Leadeye]

Nice grouping Phylo.

 

[dvd1955]

Wife gave me this for Christmas

I'm usually a “shot of boubon then a beer“ kinda guy, but this is too good for that.

 

[dvd1955]

I have a question for the bourbon afficianato's. Friend brought out some knob Creek, saying it's his favorite bourbon. Keep in mind he likes fruity beers, fireball whisky and the like. The knob Creek smelled like Maple syrup to me. Took a small taste and that's what it tasted like. He did not know how old it was. Can bourbon go bad?

 

[M67]

Picked up a Stagg Jr today for $45.99 (cheapest I'd ever seen it, only had 1 left), and got a couple bottles of 1792 Full Proof store pick yesterday for $44.99. Looking forward to trying the Full Proof.


Was given a bottle of Belle Meade Single Barrel Cask Strength and a Woodford Reserve Master's Collection Cherry Wood Smoked Barrel Edition (also KC 100 proof and another Stagg Jr.) for Christmas, the first 2 aren't under $50 but I've never seen them before. The Belle Meade is from Nashville, TN

I have a question for the bourbon afficianato's. Friend brought out some knob Creek, saying it's his favorite bourbon. Keep in mind he likes fruity beers, fireball whisky and the like. The knob Creek smelled like Maple syrup to me. Took a small taste and that's what it tasted like. He did not know how old it was. Can bourbon go bad?

Depends on how long it's been open and how much is in the bottle (air ratio) and how it was stored. Sometimes too companies have off batches or the corks go bad. Buffalo Trace to me has tasted inconsistent for 2 years (I know, blasphemy to some, but Eagle Rare is still awesome) and I wouldn't buy it unless it's cheap or single barrel, Elmer T Lee had some off batches, and I had a Knob Creek 120 proof that gave me a horrible migraine no matter how little I drank but it tasted fine (I can handle high proof single barrel and cask strength bourbons just fine, but that one was brutal)

Flat Boat is a Kentucky Liquor Barn private label, a bottle I was on tasted good initially but ended up tasting and smelling like bananas towards the very end and it got disgusting to me

Bourbon is different for different people, each person will taste different notes and flavors that others can't

 

[kirtar]

Is Belle Meade still being sourced from MGP?

 

[M67]

Is Belle Meade still being sourced from MGP?

From what I've found since I've received the bottle, yes it is. They want to start distilling their own juice but haven't yet and it's still sourced from MGP

 

[kirtar]

And of course there's nothing wrong with that unless they're taking huge effort to hide it (cough Templeton Rye). From what I've heard Belle Meade was pretty up front about it which is ok with me. Plus it's not like MGP's product is bad.

 

[jfed85]

I have a question for the bourbon afficianato's. Friend brought out some knob Creek, saying it's his favorite bourbon. Keep in mind he likes fruity beers, fireball whisky and the like. The knob Creek smelled like Maple syrup to me. Took a small taste and that's what it tasted like. He did not know how old it was. Can bourbon go bad?

Was it the maple Knob Creek?

Knob Creek Bourbon Small Batch Smoked Maple at www.budgetbottle.com

 

[Ballstater98]

I tried that once where it was not moving at the store so they dropped the price to move. $15, so why not? I had one glass and did not care for it. Gave it a second chance the next day. I tasted like I was eating a stack of pancakes with a ton of maple syrup chasing each bite with a shot. Too incredibly sweet for me. I gave the bottle away with a warning. That person (very frugal) didn't care for it either, but watered it down one glass a day until it was gone.

 

[Ballstater98]

https://www.bourbon.com/bourbons-we-loved-in-2017/

 

[melensdad]

Picked up 4 bottles today.

OLD 55 Barrel Proof, its an Indiana bourbon, distilled and aged in Newtown, IN. 116 Proof. Very limited production and very limited distribution, mainly because its such a small distillery. Not bad, not great. Honestly it is best toned down with some water or an ice cube. This is 2 to 3 year bourbon that has been aged in small barrels. I personally think small barrels are a gimmick and no substitute for actual age. This stuff is hot when you drink it straight, burns on the way down and the scent of alcohol overwhelms the nose. Drop a single cube of ice it in at it becomes a respectable drink.


Woodford Reserve Master Collection Cherry Cask Finished. These Master Collection bourbons have been hit and miss in the past. I've liked more than I've disliked but overall these are a gamble. Not tried it yet. Hoping for the best.


Jefferson's OCEAN Voyage 10 Cask Strength ... the second best OCEAN ever released. Voyage 2 was the best ever. Voyage 10 Cask Strength is awesome. This is my 2nd bottle, wanted to get another before it was gone. They are on Voyage 12 now so finding bottles of Voyage 10 Cask Strength is getting harder by the day. If you find one buy it and be happy to have it. I know of 1 bottle sitting at Lake Liquors in Cedar Lake. I saw none of them at Binny's in Oakbrook a week ago. This is just under $100 bottle, but since its a barrel proof offering a little bit goes a long way and that makes the price more attractive.


The Burnt Chair, priced at $49. This one is new to the market. Its from California. The same guy who did Slaughter House and Straight Edge is the guy behind this one. Slaughter House is amazing at under $40, in fact it would be a value at $80. The more expensive Straight Edge is not as good. Both are still available. So I have high hopes for The Burnt Chair.

 

[Ballstater98]

"The Gateway Bourbon"
The 15 Best Bourbons You Can Buy in 2018
https://gearpatrol.com/2017/12/22/best-bourbon-whiskey/?sf82763824=1#allaround2

 

[dvd1955]

Was it the maple Knob Creek?

Knob Creek Bourbon Small Batch Smoked Maple at www.budgetbottle.com

I'll try to get a pic of the bottle

 

[M67]

Enjoying some Heaven Hill Bottled in Bond tonight. Can only get it in KY but is awesome especially for the value. Took a price increase about 6 months ago to $12.99 a bottle and it beats a lot of $30-$45 bottles out there

 

[EPeter213]

Still going with Eagle Rare and Angels Envy for my top two. Almost shelled outfor a bottle of Jefferson’s Ocean 10 over the weekend, now I’m wishing I had. Iirc it was $69 at total wine and more across the new bridge.

 

[Clay]

Still going with Eagle Rare and Angels Envy for my top two. Almost shelled outfor a bottle of Jefferson’s Ocean 10 over the weekend, now I’m wishing I had. Iirc it was $69 at total wine and more across the new bridge.

$69 is a steal for Ocean 10!

 

[melensdad]

$69 is a steal for Ocean 10!

They mispriced it if it was $69 for Ocean 10. Ocean 10 is a CASK STRENGTH, can't recall the MSRP but it should have been $89 or $99? I've seen it at $109 and higher.

Regular Ocean is roughly $69-$79 depending on the store, at least in NW Indiana and the Chicago suburbs.

And Ocean 10 is better tasting than 9, 11 or 12, all of which cost less than 10.