Is there a good $50 bottle of bourbon?
- Thread starter sigp220.45
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CAJUNLAWYER
Member
No. Sorry but you asked. 
Jack Daniel's, while a fine whiskey, cannot be considered a bourbon, as it is distilled in Tennessee, not Kentucky.
My personal favorite bourbon is Rebel Yell, distilled and bottled in Kentucky. None finer at any price. Take it from a Kentucky Colonel.
John
My personal favorite bourbon is Rebel Yell, distilled and bottled in Kentucky. None finer at any price. Take it from a Kentucky Colonel.
John
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Sagamore Spirits has a variety of price points and whiskeys. I've enjoyed them. High West Whiskey is another brand I like. Interesting bottles so nice as a gift too.
OP
sigp220.45
US Veteran
Tiny Bubbles Liquor had the Four Roses on the counter for 49.95. Done deal.
Thanks for all the input!!
Thanks for all the input!!
nice pick...
CAJUNLAWYER
Member
How can one NOT buy from a liquor store named Tiny Bubbles??
Jeffersons Reserve is also a good choice
You did get the single barrel, not the small batch, right? The small batch isn't quite as smooth but it's decent.
Chubbo
Member
Yes!
Good inexpensive bourbon.
My requirements for good bourbon; High alcohol content, and smoothness. We drinkers like to fool ourselves, about why we drink alcoholic beverages, and our ability to judge fine booze.
My answer to the question asked is; There are many good bourbons available at $50., and even less.
I'll give my candid opinion of this matter; The prime objective of drinking alcoholic beverages is to cheer us up, and make us feel better. Smoothness is a bonus.
Inexpensive bourbons that I enjoy are Makers Mark, Evan Williams, Jim Beam, and My favorite bourbon Wild Turkey 101. It was recommended by a dear family friend,
Chubbo
Good inexpensive bourbon.
My requirements for good bourbon; High alcohol content, and smoothness. We drinkers like to fool ourselves, about why we drink alcoholic beverages, and our ability to judge fine booze.
My answer to the question asked is; There are many good bourbons available at $50., and even less.
I'll give my candid opinion of this matter; The prime objective of drinking alcoholic beverages is to cheer us up, and make us feel better. Smoothness is a bonus.
Inexpensive bourbons that I enjoy are Makers Mark, Evan Williams, Jim Beam, and My favorite bourbon Wild Turkey 101. It was recommended by a dear family friend,
Chubbo
Bill Bates
Member
Good old William Evans is my go to, normal day bourbon. It's easy drinking and affordable. Sure, I have better stuff in the cabinet but when I just want to kick back and have drink while enjoying a cigar William Evan's Black Label or White Label Bottle in Bond will do just fine.
AZ Buckshot Bill
Member
Good old William Evans is my go to, normal day bourbon. It's easy drinking and affordable. Sure, I have better stuff in the cabinet but when I just want to kick back and have drink while enjoying a cigar William Evan's Black Label or White Label Bottle in Bond will do just fine.
^ This! Bill is IMO 100% correct about "EW" as I like to call it. Sure, there are other bourbons that are very, very good, and individual tastes differ. And that's fine.
[Kinda like a Ford and Chevrolet!]
But for a great tasting 86 proof bourbon that-at least in my neck of the woods- is VERY reasonably priced [$ 16.29/ 1.75 l.] I don't think you can buy a better tasting value in bourbon.
Buckshot Bill
Way back in my ski bum days in Crested Butte was a gal named Bubbles. Not Tiny Bubbles, mind you. Those were the days
There was also Texas Jane, but that is a different story. Of course, I had to go and marry plain old Anne, which would go down as the worst mistake of my life if not for the fantastic daughter we had together.
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NFrameFred
Member
This /\ /\ /\
I am amazed at the pretentiousness among the "connoisseurs" of my acquaintance in turning up their noses at all but their private choices in such as bourbons.
As in most things in personal taste, choices are subjective. People have different palettes and what tastes good to you may not taste the same to me.
One 'expert' who would drink nothing else but his favorite brand was pranked by his buddy who took an "inferior" brand he would never deign to drink and switched it with contents of the bottle the 'expert' had brought. Several of us looked on in amusement as he poured at least two drinks and consumed them and when baited, commented how great his bourbon was to the exclusion of what everyone else was drinking.
When we started laughing and the joker came clean about what he'd done, the 'expert' took a sniff and another sip and exclaimed "You're right ! this is (Brand X)!" (like he could now tell the difference). No doubt some can tell difference in widely divergent brands, but few of us are that discriminating with a lot of similar brands.
There are differences that cater to personal taste or what you've grown used to but very little 'rotgut' these days since the market buried the blends and brands that couldn't compete when the drinkable brands stabilized at a price where the "cheap stuff" wasn't worth even the lower prices it sold for.
The major differences are the amount of advertising and 'mystique' generated by preference of TV/movie characters and the reputation the product can attain. Leroy Jethro Gibbs did more for Maker's Mark nationally than anything the brand had been able to do before (and I like Maker's - just making a point). Bulleit and some boutique brands like that now command prices that some don't consider worth the difference but some swear by it. Personal preferences . . . .
I like good Rye, but since it became 'fashionable' amongst certain 'hipster' crowds the prices have gone up dramatically. It fell under the radar for a long time and was a very affordable counterpart as the bourbons continually rose in price. Not so much anymore . . .
Dunno if anyone else thinks this is "good" or not, but this is my go to at home. Runs about ~ $22 a bottle (as of a few months ago, anyway):
Re whether or not the average guy can taste the difference between a high end liquor and a lower priced one, I think if he knows it is a taste test — "Which one of these three shot glasses has the good stuff?" — most people can tell. (Based on my trying that test with some pals when I was in my twenties.) But if I am buying to drink at home, the higher priced stuff just isn't worth it to me. Might buy a shot or two if out for a fancy dinner... sorta more for the ambiance/entertainment than anything else, I suppose.
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I used to drink single malt whisky almost exclusively. I love the smoky, peaty experience. Laphroaig or Lagavullin on a cold, wet Northwest night is wonderful.
But then whisky prices went into the stratosphere. So I branched out. I learned that I enjoy bourbon as much or more than whisky. My favorite is Bulleit. For me, it's a tossup whether their bourbon or rye is the best. I solve that by keeping a bottle of both on the shelf. Next up are Buffalo Trace and Larceny.
Bourbon (or whisky) neat. Maybe with a splash of water. Friends don't let friends use ice cubes! Or Coke !!
To the OP: There are so many tastes and bourbons that it's tough to pick one out for a gift. I think your best bet is Buffalo Trace. I've never met anyone that didn't like it. Can't say that about some of the other more rambunctious bourbons.
But then whisky prices went into the stratosphere. So I branched out. I learned that I enjoy bourbon as much or more than whisky. My favorite is Bulleit. For me, it's a tossup whether their bourbon or rye is the best. I solve that by keeping a bottle of both on the shelf. Next up are Buffalo Trace and Larceny.
Bourbon (or whisky) neat. Maybe with a splash of water. Friends don't let friends use ice cubes! Or Coke !!
To the OP: There are so many tastes and bourbons that it's tough to pick one out for a gift. I think your best bet is Buffalo Trace. I've never met anyone that didn't like it. Can't say that about some of the other more rambunctious bourbons.
doublesharp
Member
I grew up around a lot of hard drinkers from a dry county in s central Kentucky, Pulaski Co. Other than bootleggers the closest booze was in Lancaster, about 60 miles of bad road. The preferred method of drinking was sitting around a kitchen table with a shot glass and a pitcher of ice water - the bourbon of choice for those frugal farmers was Ancient Age and would buy a case a trip.
AA was still my go to when I put the plug in the jug near 25 years ago. Prior to that I'd have said for $50 give me 5 bottles of Ancient Age.
AA was still my go to when I put the plug in the jug near 25 years ago. Prior to that I'd have said for $50 give me 5 bottles of Ancient Age.
Ancient Age used to also make Ancient Ancient Age. It was my go to for a number of years. It appears to no longer be around.
Blanton's is a decent bourbon at regular retail. I refuse to pay the marked up price for it.
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