Old Forester 1920, Rare Breed, Russell's Reserve, Knob Creek - Best $60 Bourbon?
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- Опубліковано 27 вер 2024
- Is Old Forester 1920 the best $60 bourbon? With reports coming in that it's getting harder to find, we're taste testing some competitors in the 115-proof range. Today, we'll blind taste 4 fantastic bourbons: Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style Bourbon, Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve 9 Year Bourbon, Wild Turkey Rare Breed Barrel Proof Bourbon, and Wild Turkey Russell's Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon. Will you be ask shocked as we were at the results?
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I’m a newbie and have all four. I’ll have to try a blind taste. My favorite is 1920 before a blind test.
Great job as always!!!🎉
All four of those are good choices in that $50 to $60 range. Regarding Russel's Reserve SB, I tend to choose a Russel's store pick at a higher price. A couple of other favorites of mine in that price range would be Belle Meade Reserve and Four Roses Small Batch Select. Enjoyed the video - good format. Cheers
We love the Belle Meade Reserve so much. We'll definitely put that bottle in one of these blinds soon.
Did you guys raid my bar? I keep these 4 bottles in stock at all times!! My preference among the four changes on a daily basis. Sometimes I feel the Rare Breed is little too sweet, sometimes the Knob Creek comes on strong. Sometimes the Knob Creek's punch is just what the doctor ordered. Probably, if I had to pick one, the Russell's Reserve is my consistent favorite with the OF1920 nipping at its heels. Top to bottom, I'd rank them: RRSB, OF1920, KC, WTRB. Great video, you two!
These are four of my favorites. Will always have these. Hard to pick the best. Love them all. Great video. Thanks.
1920
Is my go to bourbon.
Norman just wants to interact doesn’t he? Gotta love the kitty!
m
So for combined rankings, 1920 wins again. Not going to complain with that result. Fun.
I love all four of these. I actually don't know which one I would prefer blind. I lean towards the Russells.
Just picked up the channel -SUBBED!
Love watching y’all and giving your great evals. Keep up the good work. Y’all make a great team! Keeping it real! Thanks
Can't believe I never came across this vid till now, it just popped up in my algorithm. Great blind.
I have several Russell’s single barrels and every one from warehouse F has a very nutty profile that comes across very Beam like. Great video! Would be interesting to see the 1920 up against a proofed down Jack Daniels barrel proof
That's a good tip on Warehouse F. It sounds like you're not the only one who would like to see some JD in the mix. We'll add it to the flight next time!
Really good picks for this blind. I’m getting into bourbon and really enjoying my journey. I want to start exploring outside of just the budget category and these 4 are all on my short list, so great choices! One other that’s sort of in this category that I really enjoyed is Four Roses Small Batch Select. It’s slightly lower proof but non-chill filtered and delicious. Would love to see how that compares to some of these.
I agree that Knob Creek 9 yr. does seem a little more "bitey" than other whiskies in the same proof range. Imo that's a good thing because it makes it stand out.
Thanks for the 5 drops of water tip. It was nice to see you do a video on a couple of whiskeys that are available in my area. The RB and Knob Creek are available but hard to find. Looking forward to the border opening up a bit more so I can go USA whiskey shopping.
Great stuff guys! Blinds are always so much fun and really tell it how it is, atleast at that time. Great video as always! Cheers 🥃
Thanks Scott! We're doing more and more blinds because they seem to highlight flavors we might otherwise miss. Cheers!
Great blind tasting, I love the 1920 followed by the Rate Breed. You guys rock!!!
Thanks Nicholas!
@@TheBourbonVan Love your channel and all your reviews, keep up the great work!
Nicholas in Florida
Great match up!!!
Gonna have to pour this line-up next weekend. Only problem is our two Knob Creek 120p are absolute beasts. One store pick and a whiskey-tuber pick and we realy love them. Great video!
We scooped up a store pick of the KC at 120 proof and it's one of our favorite bottles. It's crazy how good those picks can be.
I finally found an old forester 100 - man so good. I know this comment is late but enjoying your bur shoot outs and doing my best to find some of these bottles here in
Southern New Mexico!
This was a fun one. And they are relatively easy to find on shelves for everyone to give this a go for themselves
Glad you enjoyed it, Javier! Cheers.
Nice blind - never had a Russell’s single barrel that was not a store pick - all the picks have been outstanding! But these are excellent good pours!
I feel like I need to buy a different bottle of 1920. It doesn’t wow me like WT does (either Rare Breed or RR). Knob Creek is great. It can come on a little hot, but still is fantastic. When it comes to any bourbon at any price, it is hard to beat these 4 bottles.
Smoke Wagon is about $15 over the $60 price point. But its availability is spotty. In the end, I can’t think of any other bottles in this price range that I don’t feel guilty about drinking because of availability. Maybe 4 Roses Small Batch Select.
Norman loves the camera! 😂
I got a fantastic Russell's single barrel about a month ago. Really wish I had known how good it was going to be at the time and bought several more.
I love your reviews, can’t find Russell’s or rare breed here but I did find one bottle of knob creek single barrel reserve. It’s soo good
"I somehow drank the entire glass already"... Julie describes my life.
I've just been getting into Knob Creek and I really enjoy it. I haven't had the 120 proof yet, though, but I stared at a bottle for a long time today. I think I might need to go grab it.
It's a recurring theme.
@@TheBourbonVan IDK why but it makes me happy.
Pretty much can't go wrong with any of those bottles...but I would guess Russels and Knob Creek would top my list (but hey, who knows when it's blind). Nice job!
I need to drink more Old Forrester. I love 100 Proof and 1870, need to drink more of their product.
Loved the video, cheers🥃
Another great option is the Belle Meade Reserve. If you are throwing harder to find in, Smoke Wagon Uncut/Unfiltered is another awesome choice
These are great recommendations. We'll definitely include these in future blinds that include 1920. Those would match up well.
Great tasting! I've tried this at home at came out very close to Phil's results with RB on top. I generally prefer 1910 to 1920, though.
1910 is such a great bottle.
1915 ftw!!!
My biggest issue with the Rare Breed is the big loose cork they use. Maybe tighten up the bottle quality a bit. I wouldn't hate a synthetic cork either.
I wish everybody would just switch to a synthetic cork.
how about you stop flipping the bottle upside down then? and get a life!
These 4 are all very good whiskeys at great prices!
Blinds are great! Thanks for doing this one, as I'm starting to appreciate higher proofs more. Just recently finished my 1920 and its on my list to buy another one. Have to say one of the things that keeps me from running out and buying OF, RB is that they are readily available....like everywhere I go in the midwest. I think I have a bit of FOMO when it comes to looking at whats available so I keep looking beyond them. Cheers!
It's easy to overlook the easy-to-find bottles! Rare Breed is truly a great bourbon and a great value. Each of these bottles has a permanent place on our shelf.
Very hard to beat 1920. So solid
Nice going, guys. I'm with Julie on this one. Although I've never had the Russel's Res. If it's anything like my Russel's Private Barrel store pick I might change my order : )~
This whole flight is personal preference and mood. Some days you want sweetness and easy drinking whiskey, sometimes you want brash and spicy. Either way, no bad bourbons here!
Great show, you did great
Thanks Paul!
Great video guys. Russell's is a great pour, but like you found here, some of the SiBs just don’t do so well in blinds. OF1920, KC, and RB are awesome bottles for around 60, I'd swap out the Russell's and see how a MM Private select or WoodFinishing does in there. Cheers 🍻
Great call. We are curious to know how one of the FAE bottles will hold up. We were concerned the flavor would be too obvious and give itself away, but it really doesn't matter if we're judging on complexity, flavor, and satisfaction anyhow. We'll give it a go next time!
Another great video!
Thanks Eric!
Wow RR SiB 4th place. It's so good
I enjoyed this blind a lot, as usual. Thanks, Phil & Julie.
You must have a much better shop near you. My shop on the coast NEVER gets Knob Creek or Russell's Reserve Single Barrels, and only recently got Rare Breed. Living in Oregon can be frustrating, and many products can't be shipped here. Argh!
Cheers.
We've popped into a few of those stores on the coast and the lack of options is frustrating. We're fortunate to have a couple really great stores in Bend.
Your 4 choices here are some of my favorites. The 1920 tops my list. However you asked what’s our favorite in the $60 range (115 ish proof). My choice is Belle Meade Reserve at 108.3 proof. I love the complexity but just the caramels alone has me sold.
We're definitely going to include that Belle Meade Reserve in future matchups in this price and proof range. We love that bottle too.
Noticed you included BMR in your top 5 bourbons to have around the house!!
@@stevemarks1176 BMR is absolutely fantastic. We just had to buy another bottle because Julie keeps drinking it all!
The cat should seriously be a staple or at least have a dedicated weekly appearance. Adorable
I’m having a real problem with my fruit today! Priceless. Needs to be a Tee-Shirt
We've all been there!
I'm going to have to revisit the 1920 now that I've had it open for a while, would not have picked it against any of the others you had based on my mental notes. Increasingly big fan of Rare Breed though.
Always have Rare Breed and Knob Creek on hand. Prefer 1910 to 1920. Also usually have Makers Mark 46 on hand. Plenty of great on shelf bourbons...no need to chase allocated stuff !!
So many great available bottles. You're totally right, Bill.
I'd have to go with Rare Breed followed by 1920. RB is just so chewy and cinnamonny! (If that wasn't a word, it is now.)
Loved this matchup and you guys are knocking it out of the park! Now I have to go get a bottle of OF1920. I have a OF1910 that I'm having trouble making friends with.
Larceny Barrel Proof count? Opened my first one the other day and pleasantly surprised. Still got some HH nut but we’ll balanced and punchy. It’s the C921.
Good call, Gregory. We have the B520 and the C920. We'll throw them in the ring next time around. Cheers!
Great video, maybe makers mark fae 01?
We love the idea of adding a Maker's product into the next blind. Cheers!
Russell's Single Barrel varies quite a bit from barrel to barrel. Rare Breed is more consistent. I've had bottle of Single Barrel that weren't as good as Rare Breed, and others that blew it out of the water. I still take a risk with it because it never really disappoints me.
All great stuff but I still prefer old Forester 1910
Old Forester 1920 By far is the best for me then Rare Breed
I suspect that this video was just and excuse to drink four pours of really tasty whiskey. I just happen to have all four of those, so I may have to do a blind as well. Yummm.
Haha, we hope we gave you an excuse to do the same.
1:06 lol gasp lol 🤣🐱
Haha, the show must go on.
I would have said 1920 hands down of those four except for the new label. What has Brown-Forman done? My bourbon buddy tasted it blind and didn’t believe me when I told her what she was drinking. Mouthfeel is different, less viscous. The finish is way shorter, and the darker, deeper flavors are gone. I’m not saying the new is bad. It just isn’t the same rich, satisfying experience. The two, new bottles sitting on my shelf are going to take a while to finish. BF pulled a fast one on OF 1920. My wife and I are brows furrowed.
Seems like they tried to make it appeal to a wider audience maybe? It is very approachable at 115 proof, though the satisfaction level has dropped considerably for enthusiasts. It’s a strange situation with no clarity from Brown-Forman. 🤷♀️
Now I gotta try a few drops of water in my KC 120 proof and see what its about. Have tried a few drops in Rare Breed but dulled the flavor too much for my liking.
Hey Tim! We completely agree on adding water to Rare Breed. There's something about that KC bottle with a bit of water though. It's delightful. Cheers!
Russel Reserve private selection single barrel.
1910 is real good too.
1920 for me all day long. It just soooo decadent
Wait, what’s in the raspberry candy??
Supposedly it's expressed beaver ... glands. It might not be accurate.
I keep hearing the new label 1920 is not as good as the old label. Is that something you guys noticed?
To be completely honest, we tasted them side by side a while back and found that the new bottle is a bit more approachable, but the old bottle was more complex. The new bottle will probably appeal to a wider audience, particularly new drinkers just getting into high proof bourbon.
@@TheBourbonVan Damn! Nice review. You should do that for a living.😁
rare Breed i had tried them all for 50 Dollars compared to the other 65 and up Rare breed for me it beats all my hundreds Dollars bottles Hands down
We were trying to determine our desert island whiskey the other day, and Rare Breed is it. It's so good.
Old Forester 1920
Y’all must be yanks callin it peecans
🦃🦃🦃
clearly you don't know what you think you did😂
As i always say I love seeing blinds. In the 60 dollar range I'd put the 12 year small batch in that flight over the 9yr single barrel. I also prefer the Russell's single barrel over rare breed (rare breed drinks hot for me where as RR has a softer finish with more flavors), also maybe would throw Woodford Reserve Double Oaked in the mix. Keep the blinds coming!!
Maybe I got a bad bottle but I did not loooove 1920?? Idk bums me out when I hear people gush over it. I can’t fathom a Russell’s single barrel losing to but for sure makes me want try 1920 again! Great flight!
Fun blind! Love it. I’m not sure why, but 1920 usually isn’t my favorite because it just gives me heartburn way too often... like, immediately, I get heartburn with it. Rare Breed is my absolute favorite of the line up... it’s such a delicious pour with vanilla cream with some black pepper and cinnamon (for my palate). KC 9 single barrel and RR single barrel would be hard to rank because it would depend on what I was looking for that night... I’d go with KC if I was feelin’ the sweet chocolate and nutty flavors, and I’d choose RR if I was looking for the darker, earthy/leathery, molasses sugars and pepper notes.
Miss that Norman :(
I like yall alot
Of those 4, I only have the Rare Breed and Old Forester. Love them both, but would have to say that the OF is my pick of those 2. But, bang for buck…RB takes top spot!
Bang for buck, there cannot be a better bottle in bourbon.
The times I‘ve done tastings of 4-6 and included Rare Breed, it always wins, but I never guess that’s what it is. I’ve just recently put a bunch of my bourbons in 2oz blind bottles with only one mix which I’d never tried before - the 1915. Today I pulled that one and it stood out so much compared to everything else I’ve tasted blind recently. Now I have to keep stocked up on 1910 and 1920 both.
The Belle Meade Reserve has also been standing out as well. It’s slightly higher in price, but definitely good.
I love you
What is inside of those raspberry candies?!?
Read at your own risk lol: www.huffpost.com/entry/beaver-butt-might-be-in-your-ice-cream-heres-what-you-should-know_n_56f1a037e4b09bf44a9ed259
@@TheBourbonVan I never knew i like beaver bum so much
@marcus mobley 😂
wicked...my favourite is ..old forrester and knob creek 120...but enjoy them all ! great blind !
Fun exercise! My blind spot that puts me on the other side of the bourbon Venn Diagram from most includes 1920 (and I even tried a second bottle), the base Knob Creek 9 (I do like the 12, though, and (bonus) the Jack Daniels Barrel Proof. I'm so meh on the KC9, that I am reluctant to buy a store pick, and I know that that is the sweet spot. I'll get to it.
I need to find me some Old Forester 1920! I do have and really enjoy OF 86. This was great, thanks!
All 4 are winners. All 4 I have on my bar currently. Good stuff.
Rare Breed wins for me. It drinks way below its proof, but has that beautiful long finish.
Knob 12 year but I like all of them
Best thumbnail I have seen in a while 😂
Love those 4 bottles. I'd nominate a bottle with a little higher price ($65ish) and higher proof (130ish) into the mix...
Jack Daniel's single barrel - barrel proof
Would love to see WR double oaked in this mix
Awesome episode
Nice video, as usual!
I was a little surprised that the Russell's finished last for both, and that Julie missed the Knob Creek when she kept on talking about the bite on it.
You really can't go wrong with any of those though, and if you did this again you may get different results for the 2-4 spots.
It's probable that the 1920 would keep taking the top spot, because it's very distinct and right in your wheelhouse.
Fyi, I also find the that adding a few drops of water to Maker's Mark Cask Strength can benefit that offering.
I'm curious if you guys have ever had the KC 100 12 year? I just tried a 50/50 blend (home made) of a KC 120 store pick and the 12 yr 100 and it really worked well. It took a little of the bite of the 120, but maintained the beautiful palate of the 12 yr and kept that classic finish. I'm going to make it a new rotation on my shelf for another variety option.
By the way, you guys showed up very well on the Bourbon Games tonight! It was really fun to watch. Very well done!
Cheers 🥃
Thanks Jim! We don’t get KC12 in Oregon, so we’ve had to rely on gifts and samples to taste it. We do have a new 120 proof store pick that is stellar. We can’t wait to blind it! The livestream was fun. Next time, we won’t challenge Trevor to a game of shapes. That guy is nuts!
Great video, awesome notes! You need to add another brown foreman product to throw you off the banana train.Haha!
Good point! We'll do that next time!
Great blind. Especially because both of your winners are in my collection. I love when that happens.
Haha, we aim to please.
Knob creek single barrel, Rare breed are fantastic Bourbons… Old Forster 1920 SUCKS
Have you done old 1920 vs new label yet? I did it on my channel and the 1920 has gotten noticeably worse/younger. To me it used to beat rare breed but now rare breed crushes it. Great video keep it up. I would throw a makers store pick or wood finishing in there and perhaps an OE7
ua-cam.com/video/hY5eSGkgP2Y/v-deo.html
We tasted them side by side off camera and stopped using the old label in our videos since there's such a stark difference, though we keep some old label around for personal use!