Recommended "not too expensive" bourbons--and maybe other whisk(e)ys

[GrudgeBMT]

No love for Wild Turkey 101? I think it’s a great pour for the $28 price tag. Gobble, gobble!!😂

[Huskee]

I mentioned it in my bourbon picks above! It's great for the price and has that Wild Turkey kick that stands up well in cocktails I think.

[ecowper]

Wild Turkey 101 is a really solid choice for a Manhattan, in my experience

[Beteez]

The liter 101 rye is very solid for the price also.

[Skinsfan1311]

That's a loaded question!

.
All of the bottles, below, are a staple at our house and reasonably priced.

Bourbon

Wild Turkey 101
Old Grand Dad Bottled in Bond
Old Forester 100
Evan Williams Bottled in Bond
Evan Williams Black
Maker's Mark
Buffalo Trace
Knob Creek, (any of 'em, but the price is commensurate with the age statements)


Rye

Rittenhouse
Old Forester
Wild Turkey Rye
Redemption
High West
Woodford Reserve
Old Overholt
George Dickel

Wanna splurge just a little?

One of the best kept secrets out there is Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof. Just South of $70.00 a bottle, it's a fantastic barrel proof whiskey. It's unbelievably good. A splash of water opens it up beautifully

If you don't want to splurge, another "secret" is Wild Turkey Rare Breed. It's almost a steal and very reasonably priced for barrel proof whiskey.

There's a ton more, but you can't go wrong with any of these.

Good luck in your journey!

[latenight71]

Good luck finding it but Old Crow Reserve is good and cheap.

funny story on this - one of dad's old friends worked at a liquor store in the 1960s and he'd get kickbacks from the Old Crow distributor for selling a certain amount of product. toward the end of the month if he hadn't sold the necessary amount of Old Crow bourbon he'd bag a bottle of Old Crow and charge them for it no matter what bourbon or whiskey the customer asked for. rarely did the customers come back to complain because most of them just wanted a drink and shrugged it off as a mistake. After about a year or so of doing this he earned the nickname "Crow". I didn't learn his real name until I was 40.

[Skinsfan1311]

Since many options have already been mentioned here, I'll go with a few from Heaven Hill:

Mellow Corn

Fighting Cock

Larceny

I love MC! My bourbon geek friends laugh at me about it, but you can't beat its oily, corn-forward goodness. It's cheap too! It's a staple in our freezer and

[pknj]

If you want an intro into Irish, try Red Breast. Their basic 12 year old is fun for sipping, not too expensive for a very good whiskey, has some nice flavors, but you can throw it over ice, neat, mix it, throw it back, whatever. No snobbery with it, unlike some Scotch assumptions, but it is a really, really good Irish.

For cheap, bullet is mass produced by I think four roses and is usually $30 or so and is a good all purpose bourbon. I get annoyed at their marketing, but can't beat the price.

[JCBBQ]

Huskee Have you tried this? Just finished my first glass. Really good and for the price...OUTSTANDING! $32 in NJ is probably $27 anywhere else. Give it a go if you see it.

[JCBBQ]

Whoops. Helpful to have this 🙄

[Huskee]

Smoke Wagon is a unicorn around these parts, selling for HUGE prices on the secondary market. I bet it is good, and if you got it for that price you are very fortunate.

[Santamarina]

Wild Turkey 101 is our "house" bourbon. They also have some higher end brands - Kentucky Spirit and Rare Breed - that are outstanding...but also above your stated price range, though well worth every penny!

[Huskee]

Big fan here of Rare Breed Rye.

[Murdy]

For the money, I'm a big fan of Old Forester 100 proof, usually about $25, but it goes on sale from there semi-frequently. Woodford reserve from Costco, $54ish for 1.75 liters. And, Elijah Craig is another one I buy a lot.

Someone told me Basil Hayden is just Old Granddad dressed up in a new bottle, I haven't tried Old Granddad lately, but if you like Basil's it might be worth a shot.

[DeusDingo]

jim beam double oak

noble oak double oak

george dickel #12

knob creek 9 year

[IrondeQuer]

I was pleasantly surprised with those double oaked bottles. Not quite as good as the Woodford, but not bad for the price. I'm just about to crack a bottle of the 9-year Knob Creek.

[bep35]

I'll throw in a Canadian Whisky that I found to be pretty good. If you like Crown Royal, a cheaper alternative to consider is Costco's Kirkland Signature Blended Canadian Whisky. It runs $19.99 a bottle and has a nice smooth taste.

[grillinglousiana]

I Keep this around for guest and to cook with havent drink since i lost my wife...kinda afraid i will drift off into another place..

[Mr. Bones]

I gots me 6 outta 12...

[Huskee]

So sorry to hear about your wife. My wife and I enjoy cocktails and whiskey together, I can imagine the pain if I lost her and one day tried to make myself our favorite drink.

[grillinglousiana]

If one really would like to taste some of the finest whiskey around..and you are in New Orleans go to the Sazerac House ...1000 of bottles /tasting rooms/you may even get a sip of Pappy....Sazerac makes many many brands...Benson family are the owners of the Saints/Car Dealership s /Beer Company es..etc..Look it up really something just to tour

[grillinglousiana]

added a few new bottles..will have several friends over this weekend..some old service buddies..i also harvested my first tea leaves this week..made green and black tea..waiting to taste that this weekend also..plants are 4 years old here 5 of them..

[grillinglousiana]

picked the leaves..let wilt in sun ..hot humid here..about a hour..brought them inside and let them rest on a towell ,close to 7 hours..started to curle on edges..and put them on a cookie sheet..in oven about 20 minutes at 250...u make green/white/black tea all from the same plant..plus pretty white flowers

[Arsenlael]

grillinglousiana how is the tea growing/harvesting/preparing been going?

[grillinglousiana]

Doing great..I would post some pictures .for some reason I am having a hard time just logging on ,cannot post any photos at all..I may just cancel out ..very frustrating

[Joey877]

Been bored at work the last couple of days so I started posting here. I just so happen to have a fair amount of experience with bourbon and typically have at least 8-10 open bottles at a given time. The best bottle I have found under $25 is Cooper's Craft out of Tennessee (they also have a 100 proof barrel reserve for under $30 that is quite good, if a bit hot until the ice melts). Agree with everyone else on most of their recommendations, though I personally stay away from anything Maker's or Wild Turkey, and I do appreciate Angel's Envy (but I don't think it's worth the $50 they charge around here). If I'm spending $50 it'll be on Woodford Double Oaked and there is always a bottle of that on my liquor cart. While I have and continue to try all kinds of different bottles, my cart always has a bottle of:

Weller's Antique 107
Buffalo Trace
Cooper's Craft
Woodford Double Oak
Michter's
Four Roses Small Batch
Blanton's
Bulleit


(bold = first pour for sure)

[Huskee]

Woodford Double Oaked is special for sure. Have you been able to try Old Forester 1901 "Old Fine", or Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel? They are both double-oaked expressions of varying intensities.

[Joey877]

I have not tried the EC toasted, but I bet it’s good as I enjoy their small batch. I definitely appreciate the Old Fine. Also tried Brothers Bond hand sel cited batch tonight, and I’m a fan.

[Thunder77]

This one. I am not much of a bourbon drinker, but I like this one!

[Huskee]

Good call! It is one of my top 3 mid-tier-affordable ones ($25-35). The other two, for me, are Buffalo Trace and Four Roses Small Batch.