The bourbon world is absolutely exploding with options for excellent, easy-sipping.
That said, the category of affordable bourbon is in an odd space with delicious bottles over $30 swelling while the sub-$20 range is slowly shrinking. Let’s state it plainly: finding great, cheap bourbon is getting harder and harder. That’s precisely why we put together this list for you this Bourbon Heritage Month so you can explore the absolute best-tasting bourbons without breaking the bank.
Most of these bottles are readily available in pretty much any liquor store in the country, and though their prices will vary depending on where you’re located, you can also reliably expect to pay right around $20 for each of them. Best of all? Each and every one of them is delicious and will leave you pleased with the quality-to-cost calculus.
Are we all set?
Here are the absolute best-tasting bourbons under $20, ranked for 2024!
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- We Blind Tasted & Ranked The Best 10-Year Old Bourbons For 2024
- Here Are The 50 Best Bottles To Try For Bourbon Heritage Month, 2024
- We Power Ranked The Best Barrel Proof Bourbons Of 2024
- The Absolute Best Tasting Bourbons Under $50, Ranked For 2024
- The Best Whiskeys We Tasted At The 2024 Kentucky Bourbon Festival
10. Old Forester 86
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $20
The Whiskey:
While it features a spruce label, in line with the rest of Old Forester’s packaging, Old Forester 86-proof has a history that dates back to 1959 when consumers were thirsty for a lighter style of whiskey, well-suited for inclusion in cocktails.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose has a bit of graham cracker, youthful oak, and cocktail cherries, with the volume of each aroma turned down. The overall impression is light and approachable.
Palate: On the palate, all of the nosing notes come alive with a bit more vibrancy and are joined by a vanilla splash. With regards to the mouthfeel, this is a thin whiskey. Still, the texture isn’t overly watery or unpleasant, as it’s just substantive enough for the flavors to develop before washing out and transitioning to the finish.
Finish: On the finish, there’s a bit of oak, honey, and bright red cherry, but it’s quite brief so you’ll find yourself reaching for a second sip rather than savoring your first.
Bottom Line:
There are outlines of a really flavorful bourbon here, so it’s easy to see why Old Forester originally introduced this expression in the late 1950s to ingratiate themselves with the growing cocktail culture. However, if you’re looking for a neat-sipper, this bourbon will do the trick in a pinch, thanks to its assortment of easy-going flavors.
9. Four Roses Bourbon
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $19
The Whiskey:
Four Roses Bourbon, the oft-overlooked entry-level offering from Four Roses features a blend of all ten recipes that the distillery is famous for. Little known fact: Four Roses regularly utilizes slightly older bourbon in these blends, which is part of the reason they eschew an age statement. It’s also part of the reason that this remarkably consistent expression is so damn good.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on Four Roses Bourbon begins with a touch of honeysuckle, the floral aspect of rosewater, and stone fruits like white peach and Golden Delicious apples.
Palate: On the palate, this whiskey is surprisingly spry, as the lean mouthfeel allows notes of black tea, white peach, and honey to coast over your tongue. A touch of vanilla and black pepper spice can be found as each sip transitions from midpalate to the finish, which adds a bit of nuance to the generally light flavor profile.
Finish: On the finish is where the sweet notes make their final stamp, with honey and vanilla leading the way as this pour succinctly falls off the palate.
Bottom Line:
Four Roses Bourbon is one of the best easy-going bourbons that money can buy, and it’s one I regularly keep on hand for the hotter summer months. While it’s a fairly straightforward whiskey when enjoyed neat, follow this tip for summer sipping: pop it in the freezer and pour heartily when you need a refreshing drink that’s a tad bit stronger than water.
8. Fighting Cock Bourbon
ABV:51.5%
Average Price: $18
The Whiskey:
Fighting Cock Bourbon was formerly a formidable bottom-shelf offering that sported a 6-year age statement and proudly flew under the radar. These days, the expression is produced sans an age statement from a mash bill of 75% corn, 12% rye, and 13% malted barley. Fun fact: it’s said that this bourbon was created as a direct competitor to Wild Turkey 101, thus the fowl name and atypical proof point.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Fighting Cock bourbon kicks things off with a bit of baking spice, with nutmeg and black pepper powder hitting the nose at first before some dilute honey and peanut shells come wafting out of the glass.
Palate: Once on the palate, the initial impression of the nosing notes is reversed, with the flavor of peanuts leading the way while some washed-out caramel and vanilla extract follow closely behind before the gentle baking spice notes arrive. The mouthfeel is disappointingly thin, which serves as a disservice to the limited layers of flavor, but the flavors themselves are simple but harmonious.
Finish: The finish closes with black pepper and the addition of nutmeg, along with a sweet honey kiss, before it fades away with short-to-medium length.
Bottom Line:
While “kickin’ chicken’s” branding might be all about emulation, the whiskey itself is a simple yet fairly unique bottom-shelf offering. What Fighting Cock lacks in complexity, it makes up for with a nutty, crowd-pleasing flavor profile that brings enough heat to make it a standout.
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
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.
