There’s a lot of value in drinking a “smooth” bourbon. For one, it goes down easy — who doesn’t want that? Moreover, smooth whiskey draws you back for more. Let’s be honest, something that burns and feels like chewing on the inside of a barrel is a very acquired taste. Yes, barrel-proof and cask-strength bourbons can challenge your palate and expand your overall sensory perceptions. But it’s the easy-going, everyday, feel-good bourbon whiskeys that most of us go back to again and again.
That’s why I’m conducting yet another blind taste test of smooth bourbons to find the best one for your everyday easy-sipping bourbon enjoyment. For this blind tasting, I am looking at a narrow-ish panel of bourbons. I’m keeping the whiskeys under $100 and accessible (that means you generally should be able to find these whiskeys). Of the 20 bourbons I picked for this blind, the majority fell in the $30-$70 range. So we’re talking about bourbons that range from single barrels, bottled in bonds, limited editions, small batches, and classic standards. Jim Beam is in here. So are Weller, Bulleit, Four Roses, Eagle Rare, and Wild Turkey.
After all, some of the most beloved bourbons on the shelf today are beloved because they’re fun to drink … more than once. That makes our lineup today the following smooth bourbons under $100:
- Four Roses Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Jefferson’s Very Small Batch Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys
- Rebel Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Single Barrel
- Green River Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Bulleit Bourbon Frontier Whiskey 10 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Weller The Original Wheated Bourbon Antique 107 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Gentleman’s Cut Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Ezra Brooks Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Single Barrel
- Brother’s Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey Original Cask Strength
- Hirsch The Bivouac Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Traverse City Whiskey Co. Sherry Barrel Finished Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Heaven’s Door Revival Tennessee Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Michter’s US*1 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Eagle Rare Aged 10 Years Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Chattanooga Whiskey Bottled In Bond Fall 2018 Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Henry McKenna Single Barrel Aged 10 Years Bottled-In-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 12 Years
- George Dickel Bottled in Bond Tennessee Whisky Aged 13 Years
- Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series Bottled-in-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
After I blindly tasted these bourbons, I ranked them according to taste and smoothness. When it comes to what is “smooth,” I was looking at silkiness, lusciousness, and depth. Smooth means that the rough edges have been sanded down without losing the soul of the bourbon in the process. That means that we’re mostly dealing with whiskeys in the 90-100 proof range with a few single-barrel cask-strength bottles thrown in for good measure. Maybe one will sneak into the top of the ranking.
Let’s dive in and find out!
Part 1 — The Smooth Bourbon Blind Tasting
Taste 1
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Soft and sweet apple and cherry woods greet with a good dose of sour red berries dusted with brown winter spices, especially clove and nutmeg.
Palate: The palate leans into soft and salted caramel with a hint of those berries underneath while the spices get woodier and a thin line of green sweetgrass sneaks in.
Finish: The finish is silky and boils down to blackberry jam with a good dose of winter spice, old wood, and a hint of vanilla tobacco.
Initial Thoughts:
This is solid bourbon with great depth. It’s also very easygoing.
Taste 2
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens pretty thin with hints of caramel, vanilla pods, and maybe a touch of leather and oak with a mild berry vibe.
Palate: The palate is subtle. There are notes of classic bourbon caramel and vanilla countered by a hint of stewed apple, buttery toffee, and maybe a hint of nutmeg.
Finish: The end stays pretty mild but does build to a nice finish full of classic bourbon notes.
Initial Thoughts:
This is a very mild whiskey. It’s not bad but it needs more depth and body.
Taste 3
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Pecan waffles, pancake syrup, and blueberries drive the nose with a hint of toasted marshmallow and old oak.
Palate: Those blueberries drive the palate toward honeyed Graham Crackers with a sense of almost floral honey, wet brown sugar, and old boot leather.
Finish: That honey amps up through the finish with the leather as cedar kindling and dry tobacco round out the hot finish with a sense of chili peppers stewed in brown sugar syrup with cinnamon and clove.
Initial Thoughts:
This is nice but very woody and hot on the end. So it’s smooth to a point.
Taste 4
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a hint of dry cornmeal on the nose with clear and rich butterscotch (which feels a little young) alongside vanilla pudding cups, wet brown sugar, and a hint of an old leather jacket.
Palate: The taste holds onto that leather note as a foundation and builds layers of sticky toffee pudding with vanilla buttercream, a handful of roasted almonds, and a thick buttery toffee sauce tying it all together.
Finish: The finish is green with a big note of fresh mint that leads back to the leather with a whisper of dark fruit leather and Red Hots.
Initial Thoughts:
This is a solid bourbon. I don’t know if I’d call it smooth — there’s a fair amount of grain at play. But it feels good going down and doesn’t burn at all.
Taste 5
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a lot going on with butter and spicy stewed apples, kindling, Christmas cakes full of nuts and dried fruit, and a hint of savory herbs all pinging through your nose.
Palate: The palate brings about soft vanilla with plenty of butter toffee, sourdough crust, more winter spice, cedar bark, and a hint of dried roses.
Finish: The finish is short and hits on the barkier aspects of the woody spice and vanilla with a hint of sharp orange zest and old oak.
Initial Thoughts:
This is pretty nice too but a little average overall.
Taste 6
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a lovely sense of vanilla pods and orange blossom with a hint of old saddle leather and cedar bark next to wild sage, cinnamon and caramel apple fritters, and salted black licorice with a bundle of holiday spices and barks tied up with burnt orange and pine.
Palate: The palate is lush with a cream soda float with malted vanilla ice cream cut with cherries, dark chocolate chips, and espresso flakes next to cinnamon cherry bark tobacco on the mid-palate.
Finish: The end dives toward a thick braid of cedar bark, sage, and blackberry tobacco with a thin line of sweetgrass and vanilla pods woven in there.
Initial Thoughts:
This has serious depth, a nice balanced heat, and really feels lush.
Taste 7
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Rich vanilla and salted caramel dance with dried red chili and old saddle leather on the nose with a hint of winter spice, malted vanilla, and chocolate-covered espresso beans.
Palate: The taste opens with honeyed doughnuts next to cinnamon apple cider, eggnog, and more of that salted caramel with a buttery underbelly cut with dark chocolate.
Finish: The end stays soft and supple with a hint of old oak, leather tobacco pouches, and winter spice cake covered in hard dark chocolate with a hint of salt.
Initial Thoughts:
This is pretty damn good too. It’s also pretty easygoing while offering good depth.
Taste 8
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Orange creamsicles and nut cake drive the nose with a soft vanilla malt shake, honey cookies, and touches of cinnamon powder.
Palate: That cinnamon and nut cake pop on the palate as dark chocolate oranges and gingerbread drive the taste toward spiced cake and hot chocolate.
Finish: That spice starts to mount on the finish with a hot end that’s very woody and spicy with an almost bitter dark chocolate vibe.
Initial Thoughts:
This is smooth until it’s not. That end is a lot.
Taste 9
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with a balance of old leather boots and freshly cracked black pepper next to a hint of walnut shell, vanilla pod, and orange zest.
Palate: The palate leans into what feels like star fruit as orange marmalade, salted butter, and fresh honey drip over rye bread crusts.
Finish: The end comes with a good dose of peppery spice and old leather as those walnuts and orange combine with a handful of dried fruit and a dusting of winter spices on the warm finish.
Initial Thoughts:
This balances its heat with the depth of the profile very nicely. I’m guessing this is cask strength, but it doesn’t overpower you with ABVs at all. Still, that’s me. I can see this being bolder to a passive bourbon drinker.
Taste 10
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with a sense of sweet vanilla next to apricot jam cut with nutmeg and allspice, a hint of apple pie, and some dry straw baled up with thick twine.
Palate: The palate opens with sweet creamed honey inside dark chocolate bonbons with a dash of salt and sweet cinnamon next to a scone covered in that apricoty jam with a dollop of brandy butter.
Finish: The end warms slightly with the cinnamon and allspice toward peach tobacco rolled with old cedar bark and loaded into an old leather pouch for safekeeping.
Initial Thoughts:
This is really nice and very balanced. It’s just warm, like a hug and a cold winter’s morning.
Taste 11
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is lighter but leans into rum raisin and caramel with a hint of Cherry Dr. Pepper and cinnamon toast.
Palate: There’s a good amount of cinnamon and vanilla on the palate with a touch of walnut bread with plenty of butteriness, clove, and anise.
Finish: The end hints at apple cinnamon tobacco and vanilla beans but ends very lightly.
Initial Thoughts:
This is tasty but feels kind of bready. I like it though.
Taste 12
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Rich vanilla and caramel lead the nose toward crafty sweet grain porridge, old firewood, and a mild sense of chocolate malt milkshakes just kissed with winter spice.
Palate: That winter spice amps up through the palate with a sweet sense of eggnog and cinnamon toast with a hint of toffee and earthiness tied back to the old firewood on the nose.
Finish: That woodiness drives the warm finish with plenty of spice accented by creamy cinnamon honey.
Initial Thoughts:
This is a little all over the place — it doesn’t feel like it knows where to be woody and creamy — but ultimately kind of smooth by the end.
Taste 13
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this is very fruity with a mix of bruised peach, red berries (almost like in a cream soda), and apple wood next to a plate of waffles with brown butter and a good pour of maple syrup that leads to a hint of cotton candy.
Palate: The sweetness ebbs on the palate as vanilla frosting leads to grilled peaches with a crack of black pepper next to singed marshmallows.
Finish: The end is plummy and full of rich toffee next to a dash of cedar bark and vanilla tobacco.
Initial Thoughts:
This is good classic bourbon whiskey.
Taste 14
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Old leather boots, orange pudding, oily sage, old oak staves, and rich buttery toffee pop on the nose with a sense of mulled wine spices and soft plum pudding.
Palate: Marzipan covered in dark chocolate opens the palate as floral honey and ripe cherry lead to a winter cake vibe full of raisins, dark spices, and toffee sauce.
Finish: The end has a balance of all things winter treats as the marzipan returns and the winter spice amp up alongside a hint of spicy cherry tobacco and old cedar.
Initial Thoughts:
This is like drinking silk. The finest silk that caresses your whole body. This is great.
Taste 15
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Cinnamon, butter brown sugar, walnut, and raisins meld on the nose with some vanilla to create a moist oatmeal cookie next to buckwheat pancakes griddled in brown butter and topped with apple butter, and maybe some apricot jam with a dash of nutmeg, dark chocolate shavings, and creamy vanilla whipped cream.
Palate: The palate leans into cherry hand pies and vanilla wafers with a counter of dried wild sage, orchard tree bark, and meaty dates.
Finish: The end has a sharp turn into dried red chili pepper cut with pipe tobacco, dark chocolate bars, cedar bark, burnt orange, and lime leaves with this whisper of cinnamon cookies at the very end.
Initial Thoughts:
Wow, there’s a lot going on here and it’s all very tasty. There are no rough edges but it’s a little hard to focus it in this setting. Regardless, this is a tasty pour of whiskey.
Taste 16
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is as bold as it is classic with a spice matrix brimming with cinnamon, clove, star anise, cardamom, and nutmeg next to dry cedar kindling, black-tea-soaked dates, rum-raisin, and tart dried cranberry tobacco.
Palate: The vanilla creates a lush underbelly as old boot leather mingles with marzipan, orange blossoms, and creamy dark chocolate flaked with salt.
Finish: The end is softly warm with a sense of that marzipan covered in lightly spiced dark chocolate next to old tobacco braided with old wicker and dry cedar bark.
Initial Thoughts:
This is also just freaking excellent. The balance! The depth! The soft smoothness! This and Taste 15 are neck and neck.
Taste 17
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens slightly tannic with rich orange zest and vanilla cream next to woody winter spice, fresh mint, and wet cedar with a hint of gingerbread and burnt cherry.
Palate: The palate hits on soft vanilla white cake with a salted caramel drizzle and burnt orange zest vibe next to apple/pear tobacco leaves dipped in toffee and almond.
Finish: The end has a sour cherry sensation that leads to wintery woody spices, cedar bark, and old cellar beams with a lush vanilla pod and cherry stem finish.
Initial Thoughts:
This is fine classic bourbon. There’s good depth but it feels kind of average overall.
Taste 18
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with clear notes of dark rum-soaked cherry, bitter yet creamy dark chocolate, winter spices, a twinge of a sourdough sugar doughnut, and a hint of menthol.
Palate: The palate leans into a red berry crumble — brown sugar, butter, and spice — with a hint of dried chili flake, salted caramels covered in dark chocolate, and a spicy/sweet note that leads toward a wet cattail stem and soft brandied cherries dipped in silky dark chocolate sauce.
Finish: The very end holds onto that sweetness and layers in a final note of pecan shells and maple candy.
Initial Thoughts:
This is another one that just nails the balance of depth and warmth with a great bourbon body. This is the good stuff.
Taste 19
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Sour cherries, maple syrup, and pecan waffles mingle with dried apple chips, old leather boots, and winter spice with a hint of vanilla wafers on the nose.
Palate: The taste leans toward spicy apple pie filling with walnuts, plenty of cinnamon, and some raisins before malted vanilla milkshakes, blueberry cotton candy, and dark chocolate milk arrive on the mid-palate and lead toward a moist oatmeal cookie dipped in salted caramel.
Finish: The end has a dry woody spiciness with star anise, cinnamon, and allspice mingling with marzipan and cherry/cinnamon tobacco.
Initial Thoughts:
This is very nice but I don’t know if I’d call it “smooth”…? I’d slot this as a “dry whiskey” first, which 100% has its place.
Taste 20
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose draws you in with a sense of orange Jolly Ranchers, powdered cacao, and stewed peaches with classic bourbon vanilla and an oaky vibe.
Palate: The palate is a mix of apricot jam, pear cores, and red berries with a mix of spiced orange candy tobacco wrapped around dry wicker and cedar bark.
Finish: The end leans into the sweet and spiced orange while the tobacco slowly fades through sweet caramel and vanilla buttercream toward a silky finish.
Initial Thoughts:
This is good too but feels a tad more like something you mix cocktails with than anything else.
Part 2 — The Smooth Bourbon Ranking
20. Jefferson’s Very Small Batch Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys — Taste 2
ABV: 41.5%
Average Price: $27
The Whiskey:
This is a sourced bourbon from around Kentucky. The age, mash, and vital details are undisclosed. What we do know is that the team at Jefferson’s spends a lot of time tinkering with their barrels to create accessible and affordable bourbons.
Bottom Line:
This was just too thin on the nose, palate, and finish. That said, this is very easy to drink neat. But there just wasn’t enough “there” there to call it smooth. I’d use this for highballs or just skip it for now.
19. Ezra Brooks Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Single Barrel — Taste 8
ABV: 60%
Average Price: $58
The Whiskey:
This new limited edition single-barrel Ezra Brooks is a classic bourbon. The whiskey is aged for at least five years before it’s charcoal filtered, batched, and then bottled at cask strength.
Bottom Line:
This was perfectly funcational bourbon and will make a great cocktail.
18. Rebel Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Single Barrel — Taste 3
ABV: 60%
Average Price: $53
The Whiskey:
This is Lux Row’s classic wheated bourbon recipe from 1849. The mash is made with 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley before it’s distilled and then left to mature for at least four years. Once aged, the whiskey barrels are batched and then bottled as-is at cask strength.
Bottom Line:
This is good bourbon that feels perfect for mixing up your favorite whiskey-forward cocktail.
17. Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series Bottled-in-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 20
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $49
The Whiskey:
This brand-new release from Bardstown Bourbon Company is 100% their own whiskey. The juice is made from a wheated bourbon mash bill — 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley — down in Bardstown, Kentucky. The whiskey spends about six years mellowing before it’s just kissed with local water and bottled at 100 proof.
Bottom Line:
Not to sound like a broken record, but this is a very solid classic bourbon that’ll shine brightly in a cocktail. I think if you pour this over a rock or two, you’ll get a nice smoothness with this one.
16. Heaven’s Door Revival Tennessee Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 12
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $54
The Whiskey:
This new re-design of Heaven’s Door Tennessee Bourbon is a minimum of six years old. Those barrels are left in single-story rickhouses in Tennessee where cool air dominates and you never get the extremely high temps of crow’s nests on high floors. Once just right, the barrels are batched, the whiskey is proofed, and the bourbon is bottled.
Bottom Line:
This was good classic stuff. Again though, this felt more like a cocktail base than a smooth sipper. This had a tad more depth so I can see it working over ice as a sipper very easily.
15. George Dickel Bottled in Bond Tennessee Whisky Aged 13 Years — Taste 19
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $43
The Whisky:
Nicole Austin has been killing it with these bottled-in-bond releases from George Dickel. This release is a whiskey that was warehoused in the fall of 2008. 13 years later, this juice was bottled at 100 proof (as per the bottled-in-bond law) and left to rest. This fall, new releases of that Tennessee juice were sent out to much acclaim.
Bottom Line:
This is where we get into whiskeys that feel like they’ll be nice smooth sippers over ice.
14. Traverse City Whiskey Co. Sherry Barrel Finished Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 11
ABV: 47.5%
Average Price: $59
The Whiskey:
This is classic award-winning Traverse City high-rye bourbon that’s re-barrelled in sherry casks for a final rest. Those sherry casks were then blended, proofed with local Michigan water, and bottled.
Bottom Line:
This has a nice sherried depth that elevates it beyond average. Still, I think this will drink better over some ice to get that creamy smoothness.
13. Green River Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 4
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $38
The Whiskey:
Green River Distillery has been pumping out contract distilled juice for a while. In the spring of 2022, they finally released their much anticipated Green River Bourbon to much hoopla. The bourbon is a blend of five years and older barrels of bourbon made from a mash bill of 70% corn, 21% winter rye, and 9% malted two-row and six-row barley.
Bottom Line:
This is nice and smooth and very classic with a hint of crafty edge. It’s dynamic but feels like a cocktail base or on the rocks whiskey more than anything else.
12. Bulleit Bourbon Frontier Whiskey 10 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 5
ABV: 45.6%
Average Price: $45
The Whiskey:
This is classic (sourced) Bulleit Bourbon that’s aged up to 10 years before it’s blended and bottled. The barrels are hand-selected to really amplify those classic “Bulleit” flavors that make this brand so damn accessible (and beloved) in the first place.
Bottom Line:
This is some good whiskey. It’s classic and that’s it. Pour it over some ice and have a good time.
11. Brother’s Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey Original Cask Strength — Taste 9
ABV: 57.9%
Average Price: $80
The Whiskey:
The newest release from Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley is an evolution of their brand. The whiskey in the bottle is a blend of three bourbons (all MGP of Indiana) which create a four-grain bourbon with a mash bill of 65% corn, 22% rye, and wheat and barley mixed for the final 13%. That blend was then bottled as-is.
Bottom Line:
This is a nicely balanced whiskey that I really want to make a Manhattan or old fashioned with.
10. Henry McKenna Single Barrel Aged 10 Years Bottled-In-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 17
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $69
The Whiskey:
This very affordable offering from Heaven Hill is hard to beat at its price. The juice utilizes a touch of rye in the mash bill and is then aged for ten long years in a bonded rickhouse. The best barrels are chosen by hand and the whiskey is bottled with just a touch of water to bring it down to bottled-in-bond proof.
Bottom Line:
Again, this is classic bourbon and that’s it. Drink it when you’re looking for good old-school Kentucky bourbon vibes.
9. Michter’s US*1 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 13
ABV: 45.7%
Average Price: $46
The Whiskey:
Michter’s really means the phrase “small batch” here. The tank they use to marry their hand-selected eight-year-old bourbons can only hold 20 barrels, so that’s how many go into each small-batch bottling. The blended juice is then proofed with Kentucky’s famously soft limestone water and bottled.
Bottom Line:
This felt like the most approachable whiskey on the list. It wasn’t overwrought or overly deep. It was just right for pouring over ice or into your favorite whiskey cocktail.
8. Chattanooga Whiskey Bottled In Bond Fall 2018 Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 15
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $53
The Whisky:
The latest seasonal drop from Tennessee’s Chattanooga Whiskey is another great. The whiskey is a blend of four of their mash bills. 30% comes from mash bill SB091, which is a mix of yellow corn, malted rye, caramel malted barley, and honey malted barley. Another 30% comes from mash bill B002, which has yellow corn, hardwood smoked malted barley (smoked with beech, mesquite, apple, or cherry), caramel malted barley, caramel malted, and honey malted barley. The next 20% is mash bill B005, which is yellow corn, malted wheat, oak smoked malted wheat, and caramel malted wheat. And the last 20% is from mash bill R18098, which is yellow corn, pale malted barley, naked malted oats, double roasted caramel malted barley, peated malted barley, cherrywood smoked malted barley, chocolate malt, and de-husked chocolate malt.
Bottom Line:
This had so much going on and it somehow works. This over ice would be a creamy smooth bomb of a whiskey.
7. Gentleman’s Cut Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 7
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $79
The Whiskey:
This brand-new bourbon from NBA superstar Steph Curry is a classic Kentucky bourbon done right. The whiskey is made with a mash of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. After distillation, it’s left to age for five to seven years before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Bottom Line:
This is just really good bourbon and super easy to drink, even neat. It didn’t “wow” but it didn’t need to. This is a very come-as-you-are bourbon pour that’ll satisfy.
6. Four Roses Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 1
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $27
The Whiskey:
Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon is a blend of four whiskeys. The blend is split evenly between the high and low-rye bourbons with a focus on “slight spice” and “rich fruit” yeasts — that means OBSK, OESK, OBSO, and OESO Four Roses recipes are in the mix. After six to seven years of aging, the whiskey is blended, cut with soft Kentucky water, and bottled.
Bottom Line:
This had a very nice depth that went beyond the average or classic. It was also super easy to drink neat. This is smooth bourbon.
5. Hirsch The Bivouac Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 10
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $40
The Whiskey:
Pronounced “be-voo-ak,” this whiskey celebrates the take-it-easy and travel-light ideal of many travelers in Northern California and the wider Pacific Northwest. The actual juice is sourced from Bardstown, Kentucky, and blended from two bourbons. 95% of the blend is a pretty standard 74% corn, 18% rye, and 8% malted barley whiskey. The other 5% of the blend is a high-malt bourbon that’s aged for eight years.
Bottom Line:
This was smooth plus that little more I was looking for. It’s a good, deep, and fun whiskey that I want more of.
4. Weller The Original Wheated Bourbon Antique 107 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 6
ABV: 53.5%
Average Price: $50
The Whiskey:
This is a non-age-statement bourbon that’s called “Old Weller Antique” (OWA) by those who love the old-school vibes of the expression’s previous iteration. The ripple with this expression is the higher proof. The barrels are vatted and barely proofed down to 107-proof before bottling (the entry proof is 114).
Bottom Line:
Okay, this is where we get into splitting hairs territory. This is excellent and goes down so easily. This is a winner. If I had to split said hair, I want to drink this in a smooth AF cocktail more than neat. But that’s just me.
3. Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 12 Years — Taste 18
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $69
The Whiskey:
This is the classic Beam whiskey. The juice is left alone in the Beam warehouses in Clermont, Kentucky, for 12 long years. The barrels are chosen according to a specific taste and mingled to create this aged expression with a drop or two of that soft Kentucky limestone water.
Bottom Line:
This is excellent whiskey. Drink it however you like to drink your whiskey.
2. Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 16
ABV: 50.5%
Average Price: $78
The Whiskey:
Bourbon legend Jimmy Russell hand selects eight to nine-year-old barrels from his Wild Turkey warehouses for their individual taste and quality. Those barrels are then cut down ever-so-slightly to 101 proof and bottled with their barrel number and warehouse location.
Bottom Line:
This was close. I loved this pour. It’s deep, incredibly luscious, and had a nice Kentucky hug at the end. And the only reason it’s second instead of first is that warm end, which might be a lot warmer to a novice drinker than, say, me. Otherwise, this is a perfect pour of bourbon.
1. Eagle Rare Aged 10 Years Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 14
ABV: 45%
Buy Here: $51
The Whiskey:
This might be one of the most beloved (and still accessible) bottles from Buffalo Trace. This whiskey is made from their very low rye mash bill. The hot juice is then matured for at least 10 years in various parts of the warehouse. The final mix comes down to barrels that hit just the right notes to make them “Eagle Rare.” Finally, this one is proofed down to a fairly low 90 proof.
Bottom Line:
This had everything. It was lush, smooth, deep, quintessential, and drank like a dream. This is the epitome of great smooth bourbon with real depth.
Part 3 — Final Thoughts on the Smooth Bourbon Tasting
I’m going to cut to the chase here. The top two bourbons are the ones you want.
If you’re accustomed to a little bit of that warm Kentucky hug on your whiskey, then go with the Wild Turkey. If you’re not into that touch of warmth, then go with Eagle Rare. It’s that simple since they both are perfect pours.
