What's the BEST Bourbon for $20?
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- Опубліковано 26 чер 2024
- Today we're asking the BIG questions, what's the BEST bourbon for $20?? We asked our Patreon to vote and Leandro blind tastes to find out.
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00:00 You're missing out on Patreon
00:38 What are we doing?
01:16 Let the test commence
03:42 Top 3?
06:03 Picking the worst
07:12 The reveal
10:56 Don't forget the garnish
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Recipe - Навчання та стиль
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If you do this for $20-30, throw in the Evan Williams since it got first in this one. Would be interesting to see if it beats anything in the higher price bracket.
I'm here for it
I'd like to throw in Elijah Craig. I've seen the 94 proof here in the Bay Area in the low to mid $20 range and It's become a staple in my bar.
the plan is to do 20-30, 30-40 and then some larger spread and in the end do a blind taste of all the winners
@@TheEducatedBarfly I like the idea bringing the winner already into the next competition. That's gonna be awesome
@@pinoyriot15 while I completely agree, I typically see it in the 30 or 35 dollar range around me, wonder if similar is the case for Barfly
Evan Williams BIB makes sense in this price bracket, but the real win is Wild Turkey 101 at $23.
Agreed. Wild Turkey 101 is my go-to cocktail bourbon.
$20?! God, I wish I could get those prices here. In Australia a bottle of Wild Turkey (700ml) is ~$50 AUD ($33.33 USD).
It's $32 USD in Canada and we're right next door! It's our government that reams us, not distance.
Yeah Old Forester in my liquor store is over $20 USD 😢
haha yup, Edmonton AB. a 750ML bottle of Makers Mark is $46 i believe
yeah, pretty much the same here
Yup, over in NZ I'm thinking, NZD$20 for a pour at a pub 😂
This was great! Would love to see this with other spirits (tequila, scotch (maybe like $30-$50 on this one), etc.)
Love this format. Well done. Please do another!
More are coming :)
That was interesting. In addition to just tasting neat, I’ll be interested to hear your thoughts on best tasting bourbons and ryes (not considering cost) for various cocktails.
This was really fun. I don't have the palette to discern differences in spirits directly. I'd love to see the follow up!
These would be REALLY tough. Very impressed with his pallet
Benchmark should be on the list
People didn’t vote for it.
Posting before watching. Lets go Old Grandad!
Post watch. Boo.
Good show
I wonder if he got a bad batch of OGD. At leat in my area, we will get a case of bad bottles that don't taste very good, but the next case will be back to the good quality stuff. It has made my bourbon group wonder (while sipping on a glass) if they sometimes have a substitute blending the batches, or if he was sick and couldn't taste properly.
A major grocery store in my area is currently blowing out the Evan Williams BIB for $12.49 per bottle. Why, I don't know, but I bought a couple. Besides the "blowout sale" it's always a reasonable price and I always enjoy it.
I can get Wild Turkey 101 for $21. Doesn't meet the criteria for this contest, but it's my daily sipper of choice.
Wild Turkey 101 is great
Looking forward to the next tier!
Love you diving into whiskey more as a whiskey nut myself!
Old Forester is easily the most popular in Louisville, KY! Come to town and order an Old Fo', every bartender will know exactly what you mean. The only question might be, "86 or 100?"
Got hammered on Ancient Age in the mid 80s at my summer job..with the boss!
I bought an $11.99 bottle of Old Grand Dad 80 just this weekend and we were all quite impressed … for $12
I love four roses for my budget bourbon. 1.75 for like $40
As someone who uses Evan BIB as my standard bottle at home, I'm jazzed to see this. Also love Turkey 101 for a very small step up in price, but the white label Evan in a handle is just too good a value to ever pass up.
I very much prefer the 100 proof Old Grand-Dad over the 80 proof, and even like the 100 proof over the $28 114 proof Old Grand-Dad. Many like the cheaper 80 proof for mixed drinks.
The 100 is way better than the 80. Way more flavour, and way better balance.
Old Grandad represeeeeeeent!
Great video. My go to under $20 bourbon is Jim Beam Black.
To be honest, bourbon has such a constricted flavour profile and consistent quality regulations that I'm not surprised Leandro can't tell much of a difference between them here. Two scotches or mezcals can taste like they're from different planets due to cask influence or varietals, but bourbon at its base is majority corn plus new American oak, the flavours are going to be caramel, vanilla, apple, wood spice, cherry, corn more or less. And this isn't entirely a knock, that narrowness and strict definition means it's absolutely delicious even at the cheaper price points: I'd much rather enjoy a cheap bourbon than just about any cheap example of another spirit out there.
Great showdown video! What would you choose for best $20 and under bourbon for mixing? Same ranking?
To me the difference between Turkey 81 and Turkey 101 is so big it's crazy. I'd call it almost an entirely different palate
Industry favorite that doesn't get mentioned enough is Mellow Corn! Straight corn whiskey is delicious
I’d probably go for the Wild Turkey although I am a high. End scotch and good rye fan!! In Vancouver, all of Canada, none of these would be $20. $35 and up before taxes! Great video! Do love Rare Breed and Wild Turkey isn’t too bad. I need spice in Boyrbon! Not a huge fan of the spirit overall. A neat single malt scotch has become my jam! Cheers!
My order
1. Evan william bottled in bond
2.wild turkey
3. Old forester 86
4.old grand dad
5. Four roses
6. Ancient age
If it was wt 101 ($22) that wouldve taken first since it has multiple times in the past.
My go to for under $20 for the longest was Ezra Brooks, but apparently they discontinued it because I haven't seen it anywhere in over a year now. 😢
Evan Williams BIB is my mixer of choice, but Buffalo Trace (cliche) is my "everday" sipper. Then again, I drink whiskey neat (or iced) rarely. I'm more into Scotch for such pursuits.
Can you do this for rum also?
Four Roses is very polarizing. It comes across as pretty sweet. Some people really like it, others not. I'm not a big fan of it, but I understand those that do. I lean heavily towards the more cinnamon taste, which leans towards the Wild Turkey flavor profiles.
This guy, by the way, has a very good pallet to identify some of these so quickly.
I was also surprised that got #2 over the old forrester. I’d agree that the WT101 is probably the best bang for buck middle ground for just a little more than the EVBIB. Never had the FR 40 but the SBBF is one of my all time favorite whiskeys period.
@@RKramer105 WT101 is solid and great value for the money. If you find it, try Early Times Bottled in Bond. A little cheaper than WT101 and even better!
I used to laugh at these taste tests. Tried it out and yup you can distinguish between bottles. Depending on what cocktail I'm mixing, that determines what spirit I use.
If you can get JW Dant BIB it's a total steal at $15@750ml. Awesome sipper and a great mixer.
Ah, the suspense was real. The mind games were top-notch, Marius. Well done
I'd be curious where 'regular' evan Williams 86 would rank in this test.
Minor feedback: I would love for viewers if you did the numbering right-to-left for you. But, actually, maybe do letters, A-F. That way when you eliminate you're comparing B and D and the position isn't as important. I can keep track, but it does break the flow a little bit.
(If you really wanted to, you could get transparency markers or stickies and label the glasses to keep things straight.)
Enjoyable watch regardless! :)
Evan Williams BIB ftw?
I’d love to see a version of this with those bourbons in cocktails to see how much difference there is… And not just a old-fashioned? Obviously, something like a paper plane, etc. with Amaro and citrus
I once tried the four roses and it was really sweet, way sweeter than most bourbon that I tried idk it was a long time ago maybe if I try again I'll think differently. Btw here evan Williams bib cost the equivalent of 40 dollars.
Just made this choice a couple days ago for a new bottle, wish the video had been out. Went with Old Forester 100
Forrester 100 is solid!
Ancient age preferred is also under $20 and is a step up. Would still be cheaper than any of the other bottles like $14 or $15 in my area of CA
Four Roses is my well bourbon and work and fairly underrated in my opinion.
Very Old Barton 100 Proof is in my opinion one of the best budget buys you can ever find in bourbon.
Would be worth seeing these in cocktails. I have four roses and EW BiB and I found the EW tremendously better in a paper plane. That might just be the proof but I’d be curious to know what you think. Maybe even taking the 1 and 6 ranked or the 1 and 4 ranked to make it more fair to see if the rankings carry through to cocktails
Oh, yeah, let's go.
It would be interesting to see your thoughts on which would be best for cocktails and if you think one might be better for say an old fashioned and another better for a manhatten, or even a reverse manhatten.
Technically, they all would be good for cocktails, depending on what you’re looking to highlight in the drink. Remember, a good balanced cocktail is the sum of its parts; not just one single ingredient. Each of these bourbons have their own characteristics that can be enhanced/tamped down with sweeteners, bitters, fruit, and/or citrus. After doing this professionally for twenty years, I’m a firm believer that there is no “best” version of bourbon/vodka/tequila/gin/rum/etc. for any specific cocktail. It all comes down to your tastes and what you want to bring out in the finished drink.
Also, a good rule of thumb: never waste expensive/high-end spirits on a mixed drink with more than three ingredients. You’re just flushing money down the toilet, since you won’t really be tasting the special characteristics of that spirit in the final drink. That means don’t waste reposado or añejo tequila on a margarita. You won’t be gaining much by using these. A decently-priced blanco, like Espolón does the job perfectly.
Of course, the best Bourbon is the Bourbon you like best. But like you said, it's a good reassurance that there's quality at lower prices and in a sluggish economy it's good to know that we can still enjoy good liquor.
Yep. Well said!
It’s not a bourbon but my go-to is Mellow Corn. I use that almost always unless a) I think the flavor of something specific works better b) it would be a different drink because I’m using whiskey and not bourbon whiskey.
20 bucks for a bottle of Evan Williams is cheap. Here in Finland it's 42€ (45$) a 0,7L bottle.
I personally like Rittenhouse Bottled in Bond as my cheaper end whiskey, but it’s just outside the range for this video at normally 25-30$. It’s a great mixer for whiskey cocktails.
It’s also a rye and this video is bourbon but we will do a rye one soon enough
Grabbed Old Grand Dad 100 Proof Bonded for $21 the other day.
Curious if in the $20-$30 range video if there will be a quality comparison between the winning bottle in that video with the EW BIB to see if you think the difference in quality justifies the cost difference. Great video as always!
yes, there will be a comparison $ for $, but not in the next video, we have a few price brackets to get through first
Old Grand Dad is all about the bottled in bond or 114. They're not much more than the basic but a big jump in quality.
Funny because I’d never buy Evan Williams normally. I’ll have to try it out.
I would have mellow corn, and wild turkey 101 in there.
Evan Williams BIB is one of the best values in all of whiskey.
Evan Williams B.I.B. Is equivalent of $50 here in the U.K.!!!!
If you do this again you should grab Benchmark and Rebel Yell.
Meanwhile, here in Norway, you can't get anything for under $20 at the liquor store 😆
If you are going to use it for mixing, save yourself some $$ and use Mellow Corn for bourbon/whiskey.
Mellow corn isn’t bourbon, it’s corn whiskey
This is funny. I bought a bottle of that Old Grandad back in 2019 based on your recommendation in your "workhorse spirits" video, missing that you had said over-proof. I REALLY don't like it, even in cocktails. I'm glad to hear now that this was not one of your recommendations.
Yeah the 80 proof isn’t great you gotta get the bonded or the 114
@TheEducatedBarfly Think I'll stick with Buffalo Trace. I do have the Old Forester as well. And the Evan Williams.
I did find it odd because you and I have very similar palates for the most part. I'm glad that was the explanation.
OGD 114 for the win.
Even Williams is such a good deal.
Surprised Four Roses didn’t win! The Wild Turkey 101 is definitely the superior bottle (rivalling rare breed when considering cost).
101 is in too high a price range to be in this video
Evan Williams is my favorite swill....
Bulleit is a great mixer and sipper!
Oof, Bulleit is controversial. The owner of the company did some…questionable..things with/to his daughter 😬
Man I wish four roses was in the $20 class in this part of the US. Pretty sure it's $28 at my usual place.
Anyway it'd be cool to see the same treatment for ryes (but you'd probably have to kick the price range upwards by $5 or so)
I’ll definitely do Ryes at some point
Ew B.I.B is my go-to in cocktails. I can get a 1.75 for 32 bucks, good flavor and has the proof to stand up.
Of those choices? Evan Williams Bonded
For $3 more dollars I'd grab Very Old Barton 👍🏽
Very old Barton was on the list for patrons to vote on and didn’t get enough votes :( I should do a best of the losers video, Barton is great!
Jim beam
Funny thing. I'd been drinking Four Roses for several years as a general purpose bourbon. My mom saw me pouring one and told me that's what her grandpa (my great grandpa) drank. Don't know if tastes are genetic but its an interesting coincidence.
During your Grandfathers time Four Roses 🌹 was the best selling #1 whiskey 🥃 coincidence I think not.
Also during your great grandfathers time it was a different whiskey than what we have today
@@DanDaWhiskeyMan82 by definition, yes, it IS a coincidence, two things happening the same way but not caused the same way. Anyway, while Four Roses may have been the #1 bestseller, I doubt that was true in SE Indiana where most of my family is from. The old Seagram's plant still stands in Lawrenceburg, built in 1857, and several of my ancestors worked there in the past. Seagram's whiskey isn't bourbon, but the locals were somewhat brand-loyal because of it being distilled nearby with many of the population working there. Seagram's has since left but the plant buildings remain and are owned by a company that makes small batch liquors. Again, a coincidence that Four Roses is/was distilled in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky and my family lived near Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and both towns have a history of whiskey distilling.
I wonder if you got a bad bottle of Old Granddad. My local group has notced that they will occasionally get the blend wrong and it tastes like a completely different, lower grade bourbon
8:18 "that is without a doubt elven-- evle-- evan williams bonded bourbon" lmaoooo
All the whiskey hitting at once lol
I realized after buying a bottle of four roses yellow label and a buffalo trace that there is literally no difference for me in taste in a cocktail and the buffalo costs twice as much. From that point on i decided i won't spend extra money on "higher quality booze" unless there is a difference in proof.
Buffalo trace and four roses cost about the same unless your store is overcharging you.
@@LeatherDaddy97 No they are not in Central Europe...
@@Tomigumibumi ah well that would explain it. Both are about $25 here
evan BIB is amazing
No Ezra Brooks?!?! 90 proof and around $15 for 750ml. I'm shocked and chagrined at this significant over sight.
Patrons voted on the list
You should do budget-ish (under $30) 100 proof-ish bourbons. Bottled in bonds and Wild Turkey 101. Probably more fair to compare whiskeys of the same general proof-point.
The next installment will be picks 20-30 then 30-40 then I’ll do 50-60 and then over 100
Crazy how wild turkey 101 was not used and the 81 was. Guess prices are different there.
Wild Turkey 101 isn’t in the price range it’s over 20 bucks. Also these picks were selected by our patrons who voted on a list of 14 selections
So that’s a Marius!
Wild Turkey 101 is surprisingly great for what it is.
100%. Out of the price range for this taste test, but it's really only a few bucks more. Buying the 101 over the regular is a no brainer. That bottle gets a LOT of play here. Even from people that come over claiming they hate it. I quickly change their minds. 😂
There will be more taste tests in higher price ranges but the 101 will go up against more worthy bourbons. The 101 would have blown most of these others out of the water (not the Evan Williams BIB tho) it’s more interesting to see bourbons compete against real competition
@TheEducatedBarfly gotta put a bottle of that EW on the shelf now.
EWBiB followed closely by OGDBonded
Now do all 6 in a cocktail
Is "Ancient Age" what used to be called "Early Times"? I really liked that one, used to get it really cheap here in Mexico then it suddenly disappeared
No, Ancient Age is Buffalo Trace. Early Times was Brown-Foreman now Sazerac owns it.
@@andrettski8686 thanks for the answer! I miss it, not much Bourbon selection here in Mexico. At least I still can get Old Forester
@@R_Rod Old Forester is probably my favorite distilled juice
@@andrettski8686 it's become my favorite too, I'm lucky I can get it here in Mexico relatively cheap and readily available, otherwise it's only overpriced Jack Daniel's, Jim Beam or Bulleit and most of the time Old Forester is cheaper since no one knows it
Tasting wise, the higher proof really should have been kept for later, no? When you get that 100 proof right up front, it does blow out your palette. On Whiskey Tribe tastings, it seems like they generally go with the heaviest later.
Not when its blind
I blind tasted everything so had no idea what I was tasting first until after I tasted it
Oh, no, I get that. I'm just saying, Marius maybe should have left it for a little later in the tasting, as opposed to putting it right up front. It would be interesting to see what your perception of the lower proof whiskey otherwise would have been.
I like tx but it’s about $40
No plastic bottles 😆or is that more a vodka thing
Where's the Dant?
Why do the Old Grand Dad 80 and not the bonded? Price? OGD Bonded is my absolute favorite old fashioned.
Bonded is around 24 bucks so didn’t meet the criteria for the tasting must be 20 bucks tops (before taxes)
@@TheEducatedBarfly Gotcha! I thought so. It's kinda surprising to me still how different the 80 vs 100 bottles are. I would think it's the same stuff, just proofed down. But it's got a whole different flavor profile. Reminds me of Apple Jack! The bonded is 🔥, but the generic label is trash.
Old Crow!
It would have been more fair to put Evan Williams black label against all the others. Of course the highest proof beat all these. 🥃
The picks were voted on by our patrons and Evan Williams Black Label got no votes. That said this is about which is the best in the price range so the BIB met the criteria
@@TheEducatedBarfly nice. Good watch regardless
Buffalo Trace is more than $20? Anyway, that was very interesting and I definitely need to try the cheaper Evan Williams and Four Roses offerings.
Msrp is 26
@@LeatherDaddy97 In the UK, Old Grand-Dad and the standard Wild Turkey aren't available (Wild Turkey 101 is), and Buffalo Trace is cheaper than Evan Williams, Four Roses, and Old Forester
@@davidbeckett1565 tbf, the buffalo trace in the uk is different from the one here. But in america, a 1.75 of evan williams is $20 and a 750 of buffalo trace is 26.
@@LeatherDaddy97 Different how?
@@davidbeckett1565 uk buffalo trace is 40% and in america its 45% abv
The fact WT101 isn't in this list...
it's over $20 here, but it is in the next video
Pffft, no Old Crow? How about Jim Beam Black? C'mon
All the picks were voted on by our patrons from a list of 14 different bottles with Old Crow and Jim beam both represented
old grandad bonded would be right next to the evan williams bonded
OGD used to be 19.99 but now retails around 23 bucks so it’s out since it’s over 20. You can find Evan Williams for 16 still
@@TheEducatedBarfly I didn't know that. I can still find it for $19 but I am in the midwest. You are doing the lords work; subscribed.
Why not half the price and use simple Jim Beam?
6 1.5 once pours.... Good luck
Luck
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I have a question that I'd really like to know the answer to. Here in the UK, if you go back 30 years ago right to the present day there are brands of spirit that have always been available from any drinks store. The likes of Gordon's gin, bombay sapphire, famous grouse, bacardi. These are your household name brands on the UK and there are so many other options but I see you guys using them in many cocktail videos from many channels on UA-cam. However, here in the UK those same 'household name' American whiskeys are Jack Daniels and Jim Beam but nobody ever mixes with them, puts them in comparison lists or talks about them. Why? Are they bad? Over priced? Poor to mix with? Because outside of America, these are the brands you can always find in any store that sells booze and it's the brand we think of first when we think American whisky. What's up with that?
It’s not that those whiskies aren’t quality, it’s that there’s just a lot more variety to be had and most of those creators are American so tend to focus on smaller brands that’s it
@@TheEducatedBarfly thank you, I wondered if that was it. I totally understand that you're going to use what's available in your specific market and if you can support the little guy for around the same price where you are then absolutely do that. I think it might come across as misrepresentative here overseas however because the bottles you use regularly aren't comparable in price the way they are domestically for you usually. Of course, I'm not saying this is you guy's fault. But we see our European stalwarts used alongside fancier bottles which gives us confidence that we can produce quality cocktails with the stuff we can get hold of comparratively cheaply and from anywhere with a booze licence but the total lack of representation for your biggest brands of American whiskeys is just more apparent I think because of it. Thanks again for clarifying 😀
No Buffalo Trace?
Buffalo Trace is just outside the price range at 23 bucks a bottle. Got a follow up video on bourbons 21-30 coming soon
Is buffalo trace more than $20?
Yeah it’s like 26
🙌🏻 good nose