We’re living in the middle of one of the greatest bourbon booms in all of history. We’re not quite back to the hay day of pre-Prohibition — when there was a still on damn near every other corner around the country — but… we’re getting there. And that means there’s a literal shit-ton — the official metric for measuring bottles on shelves — of bourbon in stores these days. Every price point is covered from under $10 for a plastic bottle of mostly neutral grain spirit blended with a drop of bourbon to the cheap but good stuff under $50 to the bottles behind the glass that’ll set you back a mortgage payment. Plus everything in between.
The middle is what I’m concerned with today. The cheap but good stuff under $50 is the prime slice of the bourbon pie. These are the bottles that are 1) affordable, 2) taste really f*cking good, and 3) you might actually be able to find at your local whiskey store.
For the ranking, I’m going on the depth of the flavor profile. The bottom 10 (numbers 20-11) are all very good-tasting whiskeys but lean a little more towards mixing up great cocktails. The top 10 (10-1) are all killers. You can sip them, pour them over some rocks, or mix up a rad cocktail with any of them and you’ll be set.
Sound good? Let’s dive in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
- We Put A Whole Bunch Of Bourbons To A Giant Blind Test And Discovered Some Absolute Gems
- The Affordable Vs Expensive Blind Bourbon Bottle Battle
- We Blind Tasted Classic Bourbons And Were Shocked By The Winner
- The Best-Known Basic Bottles Of Bourbon, Blind Tasted And Ranked
- The Single Best Bottle Of Whiskey From Each Of The 50 States
20. Kirkland Signature Small Batch by Barton 1792 Master Distillers Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Batch no. 1124
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $19 (1 liter)
The Whiskey:
This is the entry point to Costco’s new lineup of Kentucky Bourbons (along with a Bottled-in-Bond and Single Barrel release). The whiskey in the bottle is from Sazerac’s Barton 1792 Distillery in Bardstown with a mash bill of 74 percent corn, 18 percent rye, and eight percent barley. That juice is left to age for four to five years before being blended, proofed, and bottled for Costco.
Tasting Notes:
Apple and pear open the nose up toward peach taffy with a hint of black licorice ropes, old leather, sweet winter spices, and a whisper of Nutella. The palate lets the vanilla linger while a sweet and mild Red Hot vibe mixes with classic cherry cola, dried sweetgrass, salted caramel candies, and apricot jam on a Southern biscuit with a drop of fresh honey and butter. The end stays pretty classic with a sense of spiced cherry tobacco, rich vanilla, and a few old oak staves.
Bottom Line:
This is a great place to start. This small batch expression has some serious pedigree while also delivering a serious flavor profile. This is an exceptional deal especially if you’re looking for a great and cheap way to practice your cocktail mixing skills.
19. Puncher’s Chance Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $32
The Whiskey:
This is a celebrity-owned bourbon from UFC’s Bruce Buffer. The juice in the bottle is a blend of four to six-year-old bourbons from Kentucky that are touched with a little proofing water after blending.
Tasting Notes:
This has a slightly tannic nose (think old, red-wine-soaked oak) with woody vanilla, nutmeg, and a lush vibe. The palate mixes up the sweet vanilla with sweet yet sharp spice, some dark chocolate, and a hint of orange zest. The end combines everything into a lush finish that highlights old oak, soft nutmeg, and a soft orange-chocolate vibe with a hint of clove and anise.
Bottom Line:
This has grown on me over the past couple of months. It’s straightforward but also has real nuance. While I tend to keep this for mixing quality old fashioneds, it works on the rocks too or even in a nice and fizzy highball.
18. 1792 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 46.85%
Average Price: $28
The Whiskey:
This whiskey from Barton 1792 Distillery is a no-age-statement release made in “small batches.” The mash is unknown but Sazerac does mention that it’s a “high rye” mash bill, which could be exactly the same as Kirkland Signature Small Batch — or not. The juice is batched from select barrels and then proofed down and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
This opens a little woody with cherrywood next to a hint of sour apple that develops into sour mash grains (kind of like walking into a distillery) that are all cut by caramel and vanilla notes with a cherry vibe that goes from sweet to spicy enough to feel like Cherry Coke. Moving onto the palate, there’s a clear “classic” bourbon vibe with rich caramel and smooth vanilla that hits a spicy heat on the mid-palate.
Bottom Line:
This is a little step up from the Costco bottle above (both of which come from the same place). I’d argue that while this is primarily a bourbon for mixing cocktails, it’ll work in a punch as a quick sipper or really high-quality shooter.
17. Jefferson’s Very Small Batch
ABV: 41.5%
Average Price: $25
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.
Tasting Notes:
This opens pretty thin with hints of caramel, vanilla pods, and maybe a touch of leather and oak with a mild berry vibe. The palate is either subtle or thin … I can’t decide. There are notes of classic bourbon caramel and vanilla countered by a hint of stewed apple, buttery toffee, and maybe a hint of nutmeg. The end stays pretty mild but does build to a nice finish full of classic bourbon notes.
Bottom Line:
This is good and straightforward. That said, it’s a little on the lighter side, which makes it great for building a cocktail.
16. J.T.S. Brown Bottled In Bond
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $13
The Whiskey:
This is a quality whiskey from Heaven Hill’s expansive bourbon mash bill (78% corn, 12% malted barley, and 10% rye). That means this is the same base juice as Elijah Craig, Evan Williams, several Parker’s Heritages, and Henry McKenna. It’s a bottled-in-bond, meaning it’s from similar stock to their iconic Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond, amongst others on this very list.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a clear sense of cream soda cut with cherry syrup next to Hot Tamales cinnamon spiciness, dry leather gloves, caramel chews, and a hint of a Graham Cracker crust for a pie. The palate opens with a rush of classic cherry-vanilla creaminess next to plenty of nutmeg and cinnamon toast with a hint of woody pipe tobacco. The end has a note of creamy eggnog with a woody cinnamon stick dipped into cherry syrup and rolled up in an old tobacco leaf.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the best deals on this list. The price is so low (especially if you can get it in the Ohio Valley) while delivering a really solid profile. It’s also a workhorse. You can shoot it, mix it, or just sip it over some rocks.
15. Elijah Craig Small Batch
ABV: 47%
Average Price: $30
The Whiskey:
This is Elijah Craig’s entry-point bottle. The mash is corn-focused, with more malted barley than rye (12% and 10% respectively). Originally, this was branded as a 12-year-old whiskey. The brand decided to move away from that labeling and started blending younger whiskeys to create this label.
Tasting Notes:
Classic bourbon notes greet you with a clear focus on vanilla, caramel, oak, orchard fruit, and a touch of fresh mint. The palate holds onto those flavors while adding in mild Christmas spices with a touch of oak and tobacco. The end is short, simple, and will leave you with a warm Kentucky hug.
Bottom Line:
This is a quintessential small batch bourbon. It’s pretty easy to get with a nice flavor profile that screams classic bourbon. You can’t beat this in an old fashioned or mixed into some creamy eggnog.
14. Benchmark Small Batch
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $19
The Whiskey:
This is a standard “small batch” from Buffalo Trace’s budget brand, Benchmark. There’s not a whole lot of information on what this is exactly when it comes to the mash bill or aging. The “batch” could be 20 barrels or 200. The bourbon is cut down to 90-proof before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
This opens with a clear sense of old boot leather, wet wicker with a hint of mold, floral honey, and dried chili-infused cherry crumble with a scoop of malted vanilla ice cream with just a speck of dark chocolate and salt. The palate is classic bourbon with sweet cinnamon, dark cherry, eggnog creaminess, and a hint of toffee mocha lattes. The end has a hint of butter cornbread next to rum-raisin, vanilla white cake, and cherry-bark tobacco stems in an old cedar box.
Bottom Line:
This is where things start taking a notch up. This is a very affordable whiskey that has a great and deep flavor profile that has true balance. On the rocks or in a cocktail, you cannot go wrong with this one.
13. Weller Special Release
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $24
The Whiskey:
Buffalo Trace doesn’t publish any of their mash bills. Educated guesses put the wheat percentage of these mash bills at around 16 to 18%, which is pretty average. The age of the barrels on this blend is also unknown as well. Overall, we know this is a classic wheated bourbon, and … that’s about it.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a tannic sense of old oak next to sweet cherries, vanilla cookies, and that Buffalo Trace leathery vibe with a hint of spiced tobacco lurking underneath. The palate has a creamy texture kind of like malted vanilla ice cream over a hot apple pie cut with brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and walnuts next to Frosted Raisin Bran with a hint of candied cherry root beer. The end takes that sweet cherry and apple and layers it into a light tobacco leaf with a mild sense of old musty barrel warehouses.
Bottom Line:
Yes, this will be harder to find if you’re not in a region with a big allocation. But this is a great entry-point expression into both Weller and wheated bourbons in general. Plus, you can make a hell of a cocktail with this whiskey.
12. Hirsch “The Bivouac”
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.
Tasting Notes:
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. 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. 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.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice, classic bourbon with a few extra bells and whistles. It is a very easy sipper that also creates a great base for cocktails.
11. Knob Creek Small Batch Aged 9 Years
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $46 (one-liter)
The Whiskey:
This is Jim Beam’s small batch entry point into the wider world of Knob Creek. The juice is the low-rye mash aged for nine years in new oak in Beam’s vast warehouses. The right barrels are then mingled and cut down to 100 proof before being bottled in new, wavy bottles.
Tasting Notes:
The nose on this feels classic with a bold sense of rich vanilla pods, cinnamon sharpness, buttered and salted popcorn, and a good dose of cherry syrup with a hint of cotton candy. The palate mixes almond, orange, and vanilla into a cinnamon sticky bun with a hint of sour cherry soda that leads to a nice Kentucky hug on the mid-palate. That warm hug fades toward black cherry root beer, old leather boots, porch wicker, and a sense of dried cherry/cinnamon tobacco packed into an old pine box.
Bottom Line:
This is another stone-cold classic bourbon. The flavor profile on this one is probably what you dream of when you think “bourbon” with all that cherry, vanilla, spice, and woodiness. This is another one that bridges the world of easy sipper and great cocktail base as well.
10. Legent
ABV: 47%
Average Price: $47
The Whiskey:
This bottle from Beam Suntory marries Kentucky Bourbon, California wine, and Japanese whisky blending in one bottle. Legent is classic Kentucky bourbon made by bourbon legend Fred Noe at Beam that’s finished in both French oak that held red wine and Spanish sherry casks. The juice is then blended by whisky-blending legend Shinji Fukuyo.
Tasting Notes:
Sticky toffee pudding with a hint of sour grapes, sweet red berries, old oak staves, vanilla husks, and salted toffee all mingle on the nose. The palate has an almost bitter cinnamon and cherry bark vibe that smooths out toward creamy nutmeg-heavy eggnog with a hint of clove next to dried cedar bark and raisins. The end mixes wild berry jam with a sense of buttermilk biscuits, brown butter, sultanas, dates, and winter cake spices as old wine-soaked oak staves add a gentle woodiness to the finish.
Bottom Line:
Now, we’re getting into the unique stuff. This whiskey has a subtlety to it that helps elevate it beyond classic bourbon to something a little more special. This also makes one hell of a Manhattan … if you get tired of slow sipping it on a rock that is.
9. George Dickel Tennessee Bottled in Bond Whisky Fall 2008 Aged 13 Years
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.
Tasting Notes:
Another classic nose! Maple syrup on buttery pecan waffles leads toward apple chips, old leather, and a mix of winter spices and sour cherry vanilla wafers. The palate leans into an apple pie with plenty of nuts, spices, and raisins next to malted vanilla milkshakes, blueberry cotton candy, and a hint of dark chocolate milk powder. The end has a hint of dry anise mixed with cherry and brown sugar with a slight nuttiness leading toward a cherry-cinnamon tobacco finish.
Bottom Line:
This is just good whiskey. It wins huge award after huge award and stays a low, low price under $50. That’s commendable alone. The fact that you also get a unique buttery flavor profile with true depth is a great bonus.
8. Kirkland Signature Bottled-In-Bond by Barton 1792 Master Distillers Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $24 (1-liter bottle)
The Whiskey:
This whiskey was sourced for Costco’s Kirkland Signature brand from the famed Barton 1792 warehouses by Sazerac. The juice is made from a base of 74% corn, 18% rye, and 8% barley. The barrels were aged for at least four years per “bottled in bond” regulations before they were blended and proofed down for this special release.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a clear sense of old leather gloves next to brandy-soaked cherries covered in dark chocolate, creamy honey, and eggnog spices with a hint of sour mulled wine next to pecan waffles, brown butter, and maple syrup. The palate has a big cherry moment that fades into fresh pears and winter spices — cinnamon, allspice, star anise, black licorice — before hitting a soft woody wicker note with a hint of wild sage. The end lets the cherry and pear shine as old musty cellar beams and old red bricks with a hint of pear tobacco rolled with cedar bark.
Bottom Line:
This is another excellent whiskey from Costco. This also squarely falls in the easy sipper/great cocktail base category. It rises into the top 10 thanks to having great balance and nuance as a classic bourbon.
7. Evan Williams Single Barrel
ABV: 43.3%
Average Price: $25
The Whiskey:
This is Heaven Hill’s hand-selected single barrel Evan Williams expression. The juice is from a single barrel, labeled with its distillation year, proofed just above 86, and bottled as is.
Tasting Notes:
This has a really nice nose full of woody cherry, salted caramel with a tart apple edge, and a soft leatheriness. The palate feels and tastes “classic” with notes of wintry spices (eggnog especially) with a lush creaminess supported by soft vanilla, a hint of orange zest, and plenty of spicy cherry tobacco. The end is supple with a hint of tart apple tobacco with a light caramel candy finish.
Bottom Line:
This is a great single barrel whiskey. It’s also very affordable for something that’s truly special from Heaven Hill. I like this over a few rocks at the end of the day. It’s not taxing while still delivering great flavor.
6. Jack Daniel’s Bonded
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $42
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is from Jack’s bonded warehouse. The mash of 80% corn, 12% barley, and 8% rye is twice distilled before it’s run through Jack’s very long Lincoln County process of sugar maple charcoal filtration. The spirit then goes into the barrel for at least four years — per bonded law — before it’s batched, cut down with that Jack Daniel’s limestone cave water, and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Yellow sheet cake with vanilla frosting leads the way on the nose with dry cherry candy, new leather jackets, sweet fir bark, and a hint of orange tobacco. The palate is full of still-warm apple fritters with plenty of winter spice and a sugar glaze that hits a moment of nutmeg-rich creamy eggnog. The mid-palate veers away from all of that with a sweet white grits vibe with brown sugar and butter that’s topped with stewed cinnamon apples and a raisin or two. The finish mellows toward a Cherry Hostess Pie stored in a cedar box with a leaf or two of sticky pipe tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is a winner from Jack Daniel’s. The higher proof really helps amp up the subtler flavors in a good ol’ Jack whiskey. I like this over a couple of rocks with a dash of bitters to brighten it up a bit. Or just in an old fashioned.
5. Eagle Rare 10
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $49
The Whiskey:
This might be one of the most beloved (and still accessible) bottles from Buffalo Trace. This juice is made from their very low rye mash bill. The whiskey is then matured for at least ten 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.
Tasting Notes:
Old leather boots, burnt orange rinds, oily sage, old oak staves, and buttery toffee round out the nose. 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. 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.
Bottom Line:
This is the perfect, classic bourbon to have over one huge rock in a glass. It’s subtle, flavorful, and delivers pure bourbon flavors.
4. Wild Turkey Rare Breed Barrel Proof
ABV: 58.4%
Average Price: $49
The Whiskey:
This is the mountaintop of what Wild Turkey can achieve. This is a blend of the best barrels that are married and bottled untouched. That means no filtering and no cutting with water. This is a classic bourbon with nowhere to hide.
Tasting Notes:
This opens like a dessert table during the holidays with crème brûlée next to a big sticky toffee pudding with orange zest sprinkled over the top next to a bushel of fresh mint. The palate hits an early note of pine resin as the orange kicks up towards a bold wintry spice, soft vanilla cream, and a hint of honeyed cherry tobacco. The end keeps the winter spices front and center as a lush pound cake feeling leads to soft notes of cherry-spiced tobacco leaves folded into an old cedar box with a whisper of old vanilla pods lurking in the background.
Bottom Line:
We’re into splitting hairs territory with this ranking. This isn’t that much better than Eagle Rare above, just a little spicier and sharper. Great when you’re looking for a pick-me-up on the palate.
3. Michter’s US*1 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 45.7%
Average Price: $40
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.
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with a hint of ripe peach next to maple syrup, vanilla pancakes, and a hint of cotton candy. The palate leans into the vanilla cakes as the stonefruit takes on a grilled vibe next to peppery spice, fatty cream, and a touch of singed marshmallow. The finish leans into wintry spices as the stonefruit almost becomes smoked while toffee and vanilla cake counterpoint everything. The end has a nice layer of old cedar next to maple/vanilla tobacco leaves.
Bottom Line:
This is another quintessential bourbon. The flavor profile is classic. It works as well as a sipper as it does as a cocktail bourbon. And you cannot beat that price for a quality bourbon like this.
2. Jim Beam Single Barrel
ABV: 54%
Average Price: $24
The Whiskey:
Jim Beam’s single-barrel bottlings are pulled from single barrels that hit just the right spot of taste, texture, and drinkability, according to the master distillers at Beam. That means this juice is pulled from less than 1% of all barrels in Beam’s warehouses, making this an exceptional bottle at a bafflingly affordable price.
Tasting Notes:
You’re greeted with vanilla pound cake drizzled with salted caramel, mulled wine spices, and a cherry hand pie with powdered sugar icing that’s just touched with dark chocolate and maybe some broom bristles and corn husks. The taste leans into floral honey cut with orange oils next to sticky toffee pudding and cherry tobacco packed into an old leather pouch. There’s a hint of coconut cream pie next to woody winter spices on the finish with a touch more of that cherry tobacco married to salted dark chocolate all layered with dry sweetgrass and cedar bark.
Bottom Line:
This has no business being as good as it is at this price point. This works really well as an easy, everyday sipper. Plus, you should be able to find it on every shelf.
1. Kirkland Signature Single Barrel by Barton 1792 Master Distillers
ABV: 60%
Average Price: $32 (1-liter bottle)
The Whiskey:
This Costco release is sourced from Sazerac’s other Kentucky distillery, Barton 1792 Distillery down in Bardstown, Kentucky. The whiskey in the bottle is very likely the same distillate/barrels as 1792 Full Proof. However, this is proofed down a tiny bit below that at 120 proof instead of 125 proof, adding some nuance to this release.
Tasting Notes:
This is a classic nose full of salted caramel next to dried red chili, Mounds bars, mulled wine spices, and creamy vanilla malt milkshakes with a cherry on top. The palate really leans into the sour mulled wine focusing on star anise, cardamom, allspice, cinnamon, and maybe even some cumin next o brown sugar clumps, creamy eggnog, and a cherry-dark chocolate tobacco vibe with a slightly woody edge. The end into the spiciness and wood with a hint of black potting soil, firewood bark, and warm cinnamon in a cherry-apple hot buttered rum cider.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the best bourbons at this price point but also a great single barrel overall. It’s versatile and deep while still being approachable and kind of light-hearted. Overall, you can use this as a neat sipper or a great cocktail base or however you want to.
It’s good no matter what and the absolute best value in all of the bourbon-verse.
