Budget be damned, there’s great whiskey at every price point, and we’re here to prove that today.
While it’s true that many of the best whiskeys in the world hover at astronomical prices that are out of reach for the average consumer, rest assured that there’s still a ton of great whiskey to be found on the bottom shelf. In fact, many of these options can beat out whiskey four or five times the price!
So, as we kick off 2025 exploring the best whiskeys at every price point, today we’ll begin at the bottom of the totem pole to identify the whiskeys you should be buying that punch way above their cost and kick ass in spite of it.
These are the best whiskeys to buy under $20!
10. Ezra Brooks 99-Proof Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 49.5%
Average Price: $17
The Whiskey:
Ezra Brooks 99-Proof Straight Rye Whiskey follows the “barely legal” precedent set by much of today’s Kentucky rye whiskeys with a mash bill consisting of 51% rye, 45% corn, and 4% malt. This whiskey makes up one-third of Lux Row’s 99-Proof whiskey lineup, joined by a Kentucky Straight Bourbon and a Port Cask Finished Bourbon.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this whiskey has a minty, sweet backbone with oak, vanilla, and honey emanating out of the glass to greet the nose. Overall, it’s a straightforward and inviting array of aromas that draws you in for an initial sip.
Palate: Once this whiskey reaches your palate, its straightforward nature is fully revealed as the flavors of honey, mint, and vanilla capture your attention while faint hints of cocoa, black pepper, oak, and tobacco leaf dance along the edges of your tongue.
Finish: The brief finish showcases how buttery this whiskey is as it gently leaves your palate with the flavor of honeyed mint tea, oak, and black pepper spice before quickly receding and readying your tongue for a second sip.
Bottom Line:
This whiskey proves that simplicity isn’t to be shunned, as it delivers a well-developed albeit short list of flavors to be enjoyed. What matters most is that each of those flavors comes across as fairly rich for the proof point, making this a tasty sipping rye that has the viscousness to crank up the volume in cocktails as well.
9. Old Overholt Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $20
The Whiskey:
Old Overholt Rye is one of the most classic and iconic whiskey brands in America. With a legacy that dates back to 1810 when Abe Overholt assumed management of the Old Overton Farmstead, the contemporary version of this 4-year rye whiskey brand is owned and produced by world-famous Beam Distilling Co.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this rye is a bit restrained, but it beckons you to the rim of the glass with a whisper of orange peel, vanilla extract, rye spice, and red raisins. There’s also a touch of black pepper and youthful oak to be gleaned after a first pass.
Palate: On the palate, this whiskey continues to develop with black tea and baked green apples, joining the medley of vanilla extract, orange peel, and rye spice found on the nose. The mouthfeel is lean and sprightly, allowing the liquid to sashay over your tongue with ease, unveiling those light, sweet-leaning flavors.
Finish: The finish is brief and crescendoes in black pepper spice, walnuts, and an expressed orange peel.
Bottom Line:
Old Overholt isn’t typically deployed as a sipping whiskey, often used instead as a stellar mixer capable of punching through in a variety of cocktails. Taken on its own merits, however, it’s easy to see why this bottle stands so tall in mixed drinks, and though we’d recommend using it where it shines best, there are flavors here that you can appreciate when taken neat.
8. Larceny Bourbon
ABV: 56%
Average Price: $20
The Whiskey:
Larceny Wheated Bourbon gets its moniker thanks to a legend about a Treasury agent named John E. Fitzgerald, who was reputed to have “used his keys to the warehouses to pilfer bourbon from the finest barrels.” The crime earned him infamy and now acclaim as his name adorns the label of Heaven Hill’s most widely available wheated bourbon.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on Larceny bourbon is mellow and light with clover honey, some indistinct lemon zest, and vanilla coming across expressively. In the background, there’s a touch of smudging sage and sawdust.
Palate: The flavors in Larceny bourbon are surprisingly well-developed, as the gentler notes of vanilla, honey, and citrus really shine and complement the liquid’s lean texture and limited complexity. While it echoes the simplicity of earlier bourbons on this list, it also reflects a turning of the corner with regard to flavor development and depth.
Finish: The finish here is curt, as it fades pretty quickly, with honey, cereal grains, and a touch of white pepper providing the closing salvo.
Bottom Line:
Wheated bourbons are commonly regarded as far tamer and mellower than their rye-recipe counterparts, and that reputation is on full display with Larceny. As an easy-sipping and easily found wheated bourbon, Larceny is a rock-solid bourbon if you’re looking for something smooth.
7. Very Old Barton 100 Proof
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $16
The Whiskey:
Very Old Barton comes from the Barton 1792 Distillery and features expressions at 80, 86, 90, and 100 proof. Their 100-proof offering, the best of the bunch, has limited distribution in Kentucky and surrounding states.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: On the nose, this bourbon has banana bread, faint ripe cherry notes, butterscotch, and corn pudding. It’s a light, sweet, and harmonious blend of aromas that simply works.
Palate: Once you sip this bourbon, you’ll observe the aroma notes translating to the palate, with semi-sweet banana bread and butterscotch taking the fore while toasted corn and youthful oak round things out. The texture is unremarkable, but for a $20 bourbon, that’s to be expected, and it isn’t a bad thing.
Finish: The finish is succinct, with a bit of nuttiness joining the ripe cherries found on the nose, along with a touch of black pepper spice.
Bottom Line:
Very Old Barton’s 100-proof offering features an unassuming label that does little to distinguish among its various proof points, but for those who know, this top-of-the-line expression is fantastic bottom-shelf bourbon.
6. J.T.S. Brown Bottled In Bond Bourbon
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $16
The Whiskey:
J.T.S. Brown is named after John Thompson Street Brown, who founded the wholesale liquor company that would become Brown-Forman. It is currently offered at 80 and 100 proof, though it also featured an 86-proof version until at least the late 1980s.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this whiskey has a flourish of butterscotch and clove that make it stand out from the rest of Heaven Hill’s budget bottled-in-bond offerings. A touch of lemon zest and peanut butter are also evident.
Palate: On the palate, the butterscotch and peanut butter are out in full force, along with some vanilla cream, sweet oak, and white pepper. The flavors are impressively balanced, and despite this whiskey’s restrained mouthfeel, they appear to be well-defined on the palate.
Finish: The medium-length finish again highlights the fusion of peanut butter and vanilla with a gentle white pepper send-off.
Bottom Line:
It’s a crowded bunch when it comes to Heaven Hill’s bottom-shelf bottled-in-bond expressions, but J.T.S. Brown reliably outperforms the majority of them thanks to its well-managed balance and surprisingly stout depth of flavor. Like many of Heaven Hill’s most affordable options, it won’t wow you with its complexity but rather with its consistently great quality for an equally great price.
5. Benchmark Bonded Bourbon
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $19
The Whiskey:
Benchmark’s Bonded expression is yet another bottle in the revamped Benchmark lineup, which received a facelift and a line expansion in early 2023. For this Bonded offering, Benchmark follows the Bottled in Bond regulations, meaning that, among other things, this bourbon comes from a single distilling season and is bottled at 100 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on Benchmark Bonded has four distinct aromas: nutmeg, caramel, oak, and brown sugar. There are gradations to those aromas, with the nutmeg coming across as less-than-fresh, while the caramel and oak are more lively next to the subdued brown sugar note.
Palate: Once you take a sip of Benchmark Bonded, you’ll find that the nosing notes perfectly indicate what to expect. Again, those four distinct notes come through, and though they’re joined by a bit of black pepper and cereal notes, it’s the nutmeg, caramel, oak (with the addition of barrel char), and brown sugar that steal the show flavor-wise. The texture is stout, allowing the liquid to occupy the entire palate before ceding the reins to the finish.
Finish: On the finish, there’s more brown sugar, black pepper, and even a bit of mocha on each sip. The finish hangs around for a medium length, befitting its proof point, and offers a balanced climax to an overall very balanced bourbon.
Bottom Line:
As the sole bottled in bond expression in the Buffalo Trace portfolio outside of the E.H. Taylor lineup, this solid budget bottle exhibits the quality standard one can expect from the Buffalo Trace Distillery. For less than $20, you can find two different expressions from the Benchmark brand, but this is the one you should grab.
4. Old Bardstown Bottled in Bond Bourbon
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $20
The Whiskey:
Old Bardstown Bottled in Bond Bourbon is one of those IYKYK expressions from the Willett Distillery. It is sold exclusively in Kentucky on the bottom shelf of liquor stores. This bottled-in-bond offering is not to be confused with the 101-proof small-batch variant available nationwide.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: It begins with a really round butterscotch note with some intriguing menthol and tobacco leaf aromas that make you dig deeper in the glass to uncover additional layers of Brooks cherries, pecans, and vanilla extract.
Palate: Old Bardstown Bottled in Bond Bourbon is dense and full-bodied on the palate despite the proof, and it opens with sticky toffee and Brooks cherries while a touch of the menthol from the nose streaks up the middle of the tongue and introduces some dark chocolate at midpalate.
Finish: The moderate finish sees the blossoming of dark chocolate flavor with some fresh hazelnuts, caramel, and white pepper notes rounding things off.
Bottom Line:
This unassuming bottle packs a real wallop with a substantive mouthfeel and a dark, rich flavor profile that will have you double-checking your receipt to be sure you didn’t steal this bottle at roughly $20 USD. Rest assured, your receipt is right; hell, all is right with this bourbon in your glass.
3. Evan Williams Bottled in Bond Bourbon
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $20
The Whiskey:
Evan Williams Bottled in Bond is often named as one of if not the best bourbon under $20. Aged for at least four years, per the Bottled in Bond regulations, this 100-proof bourbon is almost as readily found around the country as Evan Williams “black label.”
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nosing notes open with honey, lemon zest, and a distinct peanut note on this bourbon. From there, the periphery aromas are faint — a touch of brown butter, apricots, and cumin, but otherwise nondescript.
Palate: In the mouth, those initial three notes make the most substantial impression, along with a piquant texture that slightly prickles the tongue and adds a bit of pop to the citrus flavors in the liquid. One thing I love about this whiskey is how balanced its flavors are, with none of them speaking over the others.
Finish: On the finish, you’ll find some black pepper spice and youthful oak that curtail the peanut and lemon zest flavors. The finish is short-to-medium, giving just enough room to make a satisfying impression on the palate before encouraging repeat sips.
Bottom Line:
Evan Williams’ Bottled in Bond Expression is a masterclass in delivering a high-quality, no-frills bourbon. At 100-proof, it can stand tall in cocktails, bringing an abundance of flavor to classics like an Old-Fashioned, but it has just enough depth to perform well on its own—making for a delicious, cost-friendly, everyday sipper.
2. Jim Beam Single Barrel Bourbon
ABV: 54%
Average Price: $20
The Whiskey:
Look, Jim Beam and affordable bourbon go together like America and apple pie. For this expression, they take their classic Jim Beam bourbon mash bill and make it available at a much higher 108-proof in single barrel form.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: On the nose, you get some of the characteristic nuttiness that Beam is known for, an enticing blend of hazelnut and peanut shell, while a bit of chocolate, oak, and mocha adds depth to the overall profile. There’s also plenty of caramel and a touch of clove rounding this one out.
Palate: With one sip, you can appreciate the classic Jim Beam profile in this bourbon. On the palate, it has that Cracker Jack box assortment of flavors from caramel corn to honey-roasted peanuts with a touch of graininess, graham cracker, and oak. The texture is a significant step up from both Jim Beam’s white and black labels, with a bit more oiliness, which makes this bourbon a pleasure to chew for a while.
Finish: The finish has a surprising touch of anise with black pepper, barrel char, and gobs of more gooey caramel waiting for you.
Bottom Line:
Considering its proof and overall quality, it should come as no surprise that Jim Beam Single Barrel Bourbon is one of the best value bottles in American whiskey. This seriously underrated pour combines the best elements of Jim Beam’s prolific bourbon with a budget-friendly bottle that you’ll want to buy again and again.
1. Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon
ABV: 50.5%
Average Price: $20
The Whiskey:
Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon is not only the most classic expression in the brand’s lineup, it’s one of the most iconic bourbons in America. Wild Turkey’s signature 101-proof designation was first formulated in the 1940s by Austin, Nichols & Co. executive Thomas McCarthy and it’s been a benchmark for high-quality, budget-friendly bourbon ever since.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this whiskey encapsulates what Wild Turkey is all about. There’s a lovely dusting of baking spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove resting atop stone fruits like stewed red apples, bruised peaches, and a faint dose of caramel and oak.
Palate: On the palate, Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon offers a familiar range of flavors, from apple chips, cinnamon bark, and oak to vanilla extract, nutmeg, and clove. The mouthfeel is intriguing, maintaining enough grip on the palate to heighten the impact of the various baking spices but enough give for the fruit-forward flavors to strut their stuff.
Finish: The finish is where black pepper flares up, along with a more forceful impression of the oak and clove notes. It’s a short-to-medium finish that pairs well with the flavor profile, giving the impression that this blend is perfectly proofed.
Bottom Line:
Wild Turkey 101 might conjure memories of crazy college nights for some people, but serious connoisseurs know that even with its rowdy reputation, this is one of the best-kept secrets in bourbon. With a robust, spice-heavy profile, Wild Turkey 101 is bold enough to liven up any party while offering the depth of flavor that makes it great to savor at length in quiet contemplation, too.
For less than $20, Wild Turkey 101 is the best whiskey money can buy.
