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Thursday, January 11, 2024

Which Budget Low Proof Bourbon Is Best?

 One of my favorite Bourbon Snob channels. What I like about them is they don't review only high-end allocated bourbons that you damned near can't find or afford, but budget bourbons as well, bourbons you can walk into almost any liquor store and find on the shelves.

VIDEO HERE  (22 minutes)

53 comments:

  1. Honestly. A Glen Livet 12 year is a hell of a good scotch

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    1. Bourbon ain’t Scotch!

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    2. I like Scotch too, but we're talking Bourbon here...

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    3. Glen Livet Purple is very good , but $$ a bit expensive here in Canada ... ( like $85) ... Have anyone tried Gibson ? , 12 yr , pretty damn good for a 12 yr at half that price ?? ( remember , I'm in communist Canada , so YMMV ) Canadian Club is good for sippin to , just don't use it for mixin , it will get lost in the flavour of the mix , but some might like that ... To each his own FREE choice , both are made in Ontario , Canada ... Keep on sippin , fishing , hunting and enjoying life , it's all we've got , might as well take advantage of every day you wake up still breathing , sry for the long post and Canadian perspective Kenny , been a LONG (15 yrs now ?? ) time fan of the blog , daily read , please keep it up and take good care of Miss Lisa , would be great to know if Redhead Libertarian is doing ok , if you could give us an update , I really miss her blog ... Used to be another daily read .

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  2. Try a Balviene doublewood. (I hope I spelled that correctly). A few bucks more, but almost heaven in a bottle.

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    1. Again, we're talking bourbon here.

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    2. doublewood

      Sometimes I just hate having such a vivid imagination..

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    3. The 12 yr. double-wood is outstanding. I have two on hand at the moment. Now go try their rum cask stuff. You can thank me later. So as to stay on topic, here’s another vote for Evan Williams.

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  3. I probably came close to dying once from a bottle of Old Crow and a bunch of Ativans.

    I woke up under a bush with a bleeding face from the branches digging into me. My "buddy" dropped me there because he couldn't wake me up...

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  4. Jamison for me. Then Jim Beam.

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  5. A retired Marine friend of mine recently turned me on to Blade and Bow bourbon. ~$50/bottle. Quite tasty stuff! My usual around the house breakfast bourbon is Jim Beam.

    Back in May I tasted some Still & Oak Hibernation Series (whatever that means...) made in Milwaukee. Hands down the tastiest bourbon that I have ever had. But it was a limited edition. :(

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    Replies
    1. Beam Extra Aged is the house bottle here, retails for $36 the handle. Much smoother than Beam Regular, but still economical.

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  6. Maybe a class on the difference between bourbon and scotch?

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    1. Bourbon is made from corn.

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    2. Scotch is made from the bones of uppity Irish.

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    3. As I understand it, the Scots eat oatmeal to save the wheat, barley, and rye for whisky.

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  7. I prefer Evan Williams a hell of a lot cheaper than jack daniels and it's 86 proof, Jack is 80 proof and woke....

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    1. Almost half the price too, without the harsh aftertaste

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    2. I'm with you, Bro.
      My friends always claimed that I'm tighter than the bark on a tree but I don't care. I like Evan Black Label regardless of the price.

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    3. Lately, Evan Williams Small Batch is my preferred bourbon. Taste and price meet at the sweet spot.

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    4. I like premium Bourbons as much as the next guy. (Maybe even more.)
      But it's hard to beat Evan Williams for the price.
      I can also recommend the brand's other offerings.

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    5. I hope they don't make a "pink" label, that's all I need, is a drink- pissed- off woman.....😮‍💨

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    6. Jack has been going down hill my entire drinking career. Used to be 90 proof, then 86, now 80. Bottles have been getting cheaper, too; I know ya don't drink the bottle but it's an indicator. Doesn't taste as good as it used to, either, and that's not just my palate.

      I suspect corporate profiteering and "value engineering."

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  8. Rebel Yell was good enough for my Dad, good enough for his Dad, good enough for me.

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    1. Rebel Yell turned me into a bourbon drinker as a teen. Keith Richard's drank it too. I wonder if that's what made him immortal?

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  9. Woodford Reserve is my go to but I'm also partial to Wild Turkey and Makers Mark. Good stuff. Seems like you got a couple people that don't know Bourbon from Scotch.

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    1. Part of my Christmas present from my youngest son was a Woodford. So…very…good.

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    2. I'd put Woodford up against just about any bottle worth twice the price. I get pissed when my wife uses it instead of the cheap shit to make her bourbon sours. Don't think I'd ever confuse it with my Glenfiddich or Aberfeldy 12's.

      Dano

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  10. The featured Early Times is my go-to for consumption bourbon. I keep a bottle of something nice, a bottle of Scotch for good news, but my everyday drink is Early Times with a dash of bitters. Your everyday walk-in-the-door, pour-a-dram-to-shake-the-dust-off drink. Way back in College Days, I learned that budget Bourbon is better than the other alternatives, and making it a double won't cause you second thoughts come payday.

    -8notch

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  11. One of these days I've got to try some Rye.

    Yeah, yeah. I know. We're talking Bourbon here.

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    1. Rye is damn good, and I'm happy to see it making a comeback. When I was a pup all we had was Jim Beam Rye (yellow label) and Old Overholt (inexpensive but tasty). There are lots of options now but some of them seem like an experiment in "how unpleasant can we make this?", much like the overhopped IPA arms race.

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    2. It was Matt Dillion in Dodge City that turned me on to Rye. That's what he drinks in the Long Branch.

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  12. Ezra Brooks.
    Evan Williams.
    For higher proof, George Dickel

    Those all meet my price to taste ratio threshold.

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    1. George Dickel isn't bourbon, it's a Tennessee whiskey. It plainly says that on the label in great big letters: George Dickel Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey.

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    2. George Dickel is the Rye I want to try.

      Yeah, yeah. I know. We're talking Bourbon here.

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    3. I’m liking that Ezra Brooks myself… if I’m feeling extra special I buy the EB single barrel.

      VC

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  13. Bourbon is whiskey, however not all whiskey is bourbon. Only whiskey, made in Bourbon county is bourbon. Irish whiskey, from Ireland, and scotch, are NOT bourbon! Canadien whiskey, is flavored vodka.

    Tom762

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    1. Bourbon can be made anywhere as long as the rules of making bourbon are followed. There are whiskeys made that, for example, follow all the rules of bourbon making except they bottle at a greater proof than allowed. They are then called whiskey but may taste like fine bourbon.

      I recently was introduced to a cognac that could not be sold as a cognac because it was "finished" for a few months in bourbon barrels. The Frogs can't allow that. I am a big fan of cognac and that bourbon finished one was excellent but not technically a cognac. Rules are rules.

      Last but not least, in accordance with the topic of this thread, if you ever happen upon a bottle of "Old Tub" bourbon, grab a few. Something like $18, can't remember the maker but its one of the large distillers, and for missing it is quite good and a great value. Won't kill you to drink straight if its all you have either.

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    2. Vodka has more flavor than Canadian "whisky."

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  14. Get to the point. I really don't care about you and your friend Janice sipping Sangria on Ibiza planning your next Vac-A on Minorca.

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  15. Wisers a great Canadian Rye, better than Crown Royal, Canadian Club great mixed with ginger ale equal portions one ice cube, Makers Mark my fave Bourbon, but my Dad was Tullamore Dew Irish, and the latest The Irishman Single Malt 17 year reserve is outstanding Irish Whiskey as is Writers TearsCopper Pot. Remember lads, whiskey comes from the Irish Uisghe Bah, which means Water of Life. The Moonshiners of Kentucky were all ☘️. Just saying.

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    1. Crown, Wiser's and CC is what we Canadians use to spike our Coke or ginger ale since they ain't worth a shit to drink straight. Gretzky's hootch comes pretty close.

      Dano

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  16. The homemade kind. Nowadays they are private corn based biofuels research facilities. Calling something a "still' would just be bacwards and ignorant.

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  17. Funny no one rolls their own made from sweet feed...

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  18. makers mark is my favorite Burbon

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  19. Old Forester 100 proof - you can get a 1.75L jug for under $50. Tastes decent enough with a little ice. My strategy for saving money is to have one or two glasses of the higher end stuff, then switch to the Old Forester to save money.

    In similar fashion, Wild Turkey 101 can also be bought in the large jug for a reasonable price. Same process, shot or two of the good stuff, switch to Wild Turkey 101 and wake up on the patio furniture the next morning with the dog licking your face.

    Makers Mark is a good all-arounder that you can find anywhere. Makers Mark Winter Wheat (101 proof) is the bomb - one of my all-time favorites. Unfortunately you can't always find it.

    Knob Creek isn't bad. There's a few others, but generally I'm going spend $40 to $60 on something it better be good.

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  20. Evan Williams white label/bottled in bond is a sleeper that can't be beat. IMO

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  21. So many stupid comments about everything NOT bourbon.

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  22. Wild Turkey Longbranch.

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  23. And charred barrels providing taste and color originated in the French Cognac and wine industry, which was also ☘️ From what’s called the Wild Geese, the Gaelic Catholic Aristocracy That left Ireland for France and Spain after the battle of Kinsale, 1604??, and started the French wine industry we know today. Eg Hennessy. Just sayin☘️🇨🇦🥍

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