What are the best VALUES in bourbon?

When it comes to bourbon, what does value mean and what bourbons do I think offer the greatest value in today's market? Let's find out on the Mashing Drum. Now when it comes to today's bourbon market, value is difficult to assess. It can be very subjective and what one person considers value, someone else can see it very differently. Is it price alone? Is it price, quality and flavor? Does the age of the bourbon factor into your decision of determining value? Is it availability as well? Or is it simply a cheap bourbon that tastes great that you think could be more expensive? Now with all these determining factors, it really comes down to what you like best. But for me personally, the definition of value is a bourbon that over delivers on flavor and quality at an affordable price when compared to the rest of the market. Now since everyone has a different budget, I have selected 24 bourbons in different price ranges for this list, ending with what I think is the top value in bourbon today. Let's get started. Alright guys, before we dive into the list, I did have a few honorable mentions I wanted to call out but didn't add to the list just because of the availability in certain states. Let's go to the Heaven Hill Six Year Green Label. This is 90 proof. It's six years old. This 1.75 milliliter was only about 20 bucks. The regular 750 milliliter I think is only about 12 to 15 bucks. This is six years old. When compared to other six year old or younger bourbons that are double or triple the price, this is classic bourbon flavors. It's really cheap but really delicious. The only issue with this one is that it's a Kentucky only release, but if you're ever in Kentucky, definitely pick this one up. Next up is JTS Brown Bottled and Bond. This also comes from Heaven Hill. Being that it's bottled and bond, we know it's at least four years old. Comes in at 100 proof. It's sweet, spicy, has some great cinnamon notes, and best of all, it's only about 10 bucks for a 750 milliliter, but I like to get the big 1.75 at only about 20 bucks just like this one as well. It's a bit hard to find outside of Kentucky as well, but if you do see it, the price is a great value. All right, so let's go to TW Samuels Bottled and Bond, which again, a 1.75 milliliter bourbon for about 20, 22 bucks. Again, it's a little bit harder to find outside of Kentucky. This is from Heaven Hill, so it's got those classic Heaven Hill notes a little bit, a little bit of the caramel, kind of a Cracker Jack type flavor profile to it, but really delicious, another great value. Lastly is Jim Beam Distiller's Cut, which is another special release from Jim Beam that I still see sitting on shelves in areas. This is aged for five to six years. It's non-chill filtered and bottled at 100 proof. Now, Distiller's Cut has the classic Jim Beam flavor profile, extremely affordable at about 23 bucks. This is another great example of what non-chill filtering can do to a bourbon. If you see this anywhere still sitting on the shelf and you love Jim Beam, do not hesitate to grab this one. So for the first bourbon up in my $20 and under categories, Evan Williams Bile and Bond. This is at least four years old, 100 proof, and about 17 bucks. This bourbon definitely punches above its weight in quality and flavor. If you love the Heaven Hill flavor profile of peanut, oak, and caramel, then this is one that definitely offers great value. Fighting Cock Bourbon is next up on the list, and it's another delicious bottom shelf from Heaven Hill. Now, this used to have a six year age statement on it that went away in 2015. This is said to be at least four years old, but supposedly there is still older bourbon in here using the blend. This is bottled at 103 proof and available for about 20 bucks for 750 milliliter. This bourbon is sweet, enjoyable, it's not complex, but brings some classic flavors that are very drinkable, 103 proof. Up next is Rebel Yell 100. Now, this was introduced in April 2019. Rebel Yell 100 is a weeded bourbon and a new bottle extension for the Rebel Yell brand from Luxco. This is a non-age statement bourbon, but has classic weeded bourbon flavors of oak, sweet vanilla, corn, little hint of fruit there too. This is bottled at 100 proof and priced at only about 20 bucks. This is great meat, on ice, or even as a mixer, a great value for what you're paying. So first up in the $20 to $30 tier is Cooper's Craft 100. Now, the original was billed as being beached and birched, but Cooper's Craft barrel reserve bourbon is labeled as chiseled and charred, meaning chiseling grooves in the wood to increase the surface area in the barrel and give the bourbon more charred oak to interact with. Now, this is from Brown Foreman, has notes of smoke, citrus, vanilla, little bit of pear, a little bit of cinnamon too, and a good amount of oak profile as well. At about 27 bucks, I think this is an absolute steal for the money and adds yet another great bourbon from Brown Foreman. Next up is Old Forrester Signature. Now, also from Brown Foreman, Old Forrester Signature is also bottled at 100 proof. Flavors of banana, cinnamon, graham crackers, cherry, honey, a little bit of oak. It's sweet, it's balanced, it's delicious, straight, and also in cocktails. This is available for only about 23 bucks and you can pretty much find it everywhere. Great value. That's right, another one from Brown Foreman. This is early times bottled and bombed with a mash bill of 79% corn, 11% rye, and 10% barley, which is different than the typical 72, 18, 10 ratio from Brown Foreman. This is absolutely delicious stuff. It's caramel, peanut, oak, dark fruit, vanilla, cinnamon, little bit of brown sugar, and it has kind of this vanilla icing, French toasting going on as well. This is also 100 proof. It's at least four years old and about 23 bucks. This is a must have for anyone looking for a great value and quality bourbon. Next up is two Old Grandads. Now, both from Jim Beam. These bourbons use the Jim Beam high rye mash bill of 63% corn, 27% rye, and 10% barley. Now, the Old Grandad 100 is 100 proof and at least four years old, while the 114 is 114 proof and supposedly about six years old. Both are high impact in flavor, quality, offer amazing value with the bonded coming in at only 23 bucks and the 114 coming in at about 26 bucks. While I enjoy both, the 114 might be the ultimate example of a value bourbon for the flavors of cinnamon, orange, spice, and vanilla with oak, a really long finish. This is very high on my list overall, but you can't go wrong with either one value wise. Next up is Buffalo Trace, the namesake and flagship label from Buffalo Trace. It's affordable. It's sweet. It's delicious. This comes in at 90 proof with an age said to be around eight to nine years old. This is high flavor and also high value. With most Buffalo Trace products really hard to find, this is one that you could find relatively easy in most places for around 28 to 30 bucks. It's caramel. It's honey. It's pecan. It's butterscotch. There's a lot of sweet oak characteristics and it makes another high value pickup. All right, next up on this list is Larceny. Larceny is a brand extension of Heaven Hill's Old Fitzgerald line. The story goes back in the day, Johnny Fitzgerald used his privilege of holding the keys to Pappy Van Winkle's bonded warehouse where the old Fitzgerald bourbons were kept to steal from the best cast for himself. These became known as the Fitzgerald barrels. Now, Larceny is a weeded bourbon made from a blend of selected barrels. It's non-age stated. It's bottled at 92 proof and available for about 28 to 30 bucks. This is fruity, sweet, and a great weeded bourbon value that's a lot easier to find than Weller from Buffalo Trace. Next up we have Evan Williams Single Barrel, which is handcrafted and specially selected by Heaven Hill's Master Distiller and is actually Heaven Hill's most awarded bourbon overall. This is bottled at 86.6 proof, can be upwards of 9 to even 10 years old, and carries a price of about 26 bucks. Now, oak comes across on the nose along with vanilla, some butterscotch, and depending on the single barrel you get, these can be really good and flavorful at the price point. It's just a great value and usually always available. Last and certainly not least, it's Wild Turkey 101. Now, typically this is a blend of 6, 7, and 8 year old bourbons. This is about as high value as it gets. Toffee, caramel, cherry, cinnamon round out the palate with a spicy and sweet oak finish. If you only drank this in college and may have bad memories of this, fear not. This is sweet, it's bold, it's delicious, and for years this has been the Wild Turkey flagship bourbon that delivers on quality, flavor, and value for only about 23 bucks. Alright, next up we're going to that 30 and 40 dollar range, and first up is Knob Creek Small Batch. This was introduced in 1992. This bourbon is part of the Jim Beam Small Batch bourbon collection along with Basil Hayden, Booker's, and Baker's. This is bottled at 100 proof and used to have an age statement of 9 years, but with the bourbon demand and low inventory, this had to go to a non-age statement. But good news on the horizon is that that 9 year age statement is supposed to be coming back soon. So 9 years old and about 32 bucks, this bourbon has great value and balance with oak, peanut, leather, some brown sugars, caramel, and corn. It's spicy, it's flavorful, and another great value. Next up is 1792 Small Batch. Now this is Barton's flagship bourbon. This is a high rye bourbon from Barton with sweet vanilla, spice, and a long finish. The only thing with this bourbon is that it can drink a little bit harsher with that high rye mash spill, but if spice and pepper is your thing, then for about 30 to 35 bucks and said to be around 6 years old, this delivers a bold and spicy flavor profile for a great price. You can't have a value bourbon list without Elijah Craig's Small Batch. Now Elijah Craig was a Baptist preacher who was credited with creating the process of putting distillate into charred oak barrels to create bourbon and is also the name of Heaven Hill's flagship bourbon brand. This is bottled at 94 proof and with straightforward flavors of caramel, oak, honey, cinnamon, a little bit of honey roasted peanut, and some vanilla. This is supposedly a blend of 4 to 6 year old bourbons with a price of around 30 to 34 bucks. It's not overly complex, but it's an absolutely delicious pour for the price, which makes a great value. Next up is Eagle Rare. Now Eagle Rare uses the number one mash spill from Buffalo Trace, which is thought to be a low rye mash spill consisting of 10% or less rye. It is one of the most high value bourbons on the market and one of the few more easy to find offerings from Buffalo Trace as well. This is bottled at 90 proof, it's sweet, easy to sip, has great oak balance, sweet vanilla, a little bit of cherry too. It opens up nicely with an ice cube and the good news is that more Eagle Rare store picks like the one you see here have been starting to show up in various states as well, which could give you the chance of finding a really high value bottle at only about 35 bucks. But if you can't find a store pick, you can still find the regular offering. Both of them are amazing values. All right, so first up in our $40 and above tier is Old Ezra 7 Year Bowel Proof. Now Lusco did what they did with Rebel Yell and decided to do with Ezra Brooks. They upped the proof, they made it bowel proof, they also made it very affordable and very flavorful. Sometimes a more budget bowel proof bourbon can just drink hot and overwhelm the flavor, but this is not the case here. This is sweet, rich, full flavored, and all around great tasting bourbon. This is bottled at 117 proof, it's 7 years old, and it's a great option and only $40 for anyone looking to try some higher proof bourbon. Coming up next in this list is Knob Creek Single Bowel, which can easily become your new favorite go-to bourbon. This has everything that fans and bourbon fans like myself love to find in a bourbon. It's got value, it's got flavor, it's got everything that you want. It's got great balance. It has the oak, the peanut, the leather, the brown sugar flavors, a little cinnamon, a little honey. Now the regular single bowel is about 9 years old and can be had for about 40 bucks, but the best thing is the store picks. Specially selected Knob Creek picks that you can find in different stores can be anywhere from 9 to up to 15 years old sometimes like this one. Now for about 40 to 45 bucks, if that's not value, then nothing is. Next up is Wild Turkey Rare Breed. Now let's face it, Wild Turkey makes amazing value bourbons, and another one right here is Rare Breed. Now this is the newest bottling, which comes in at 116.8 proof. It's reportedly a blend of 6, 8, and 12 year old bourbons and priced at around only 45 bucks. This is pure vanilla, caramel, maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, a little bit of almond too. It's bold, it's delicious, it's available, and it's priced well below younger and more expensive bowel proof bourbons that aren't nearly as good. Wild Turkey may be the ultimate value distillery overall. Staying in that Wild Turkey family is Russell's Reserve Single Bowel. Now this is the super premium Wild Turkey product line that has four core expressions including Russell's Reserve Six Year Rye, Russell's Reserve Single Bowel Rye, Russell's Reserve Ten Year, and the Russell's Reserve Single Barrel. Now in my opinion, Russell's Reserve Single Barrel is one of the best full flavored single barrel bourbons on the market today. This is priced at only about 55 bucks. It's bottled at 110 proof and non-chill filtered, and it's widely available. Those are stats that are better than a lot of sought after single barrel bourbons that are more expensive and harder to find. That's right, I'm looking at you, Blanton's, Elmer T. Lee, and Rock Hill Farms. Add in private barrel selections like Knob Creek Single Barrel with amazing complexity and unique flavors, and you have another amazing value from Wild Turkey. Up next is Four Roses Small Batch Select. Master distiller at Four Roses, Brent Elliott, selected and mingled six of Four Roses ten bourbon recipes, each aged a minimum of six years to handcraft small batch select. This is non-chill filtered, 104 proof, and priced at about 60 bucks. This is the newest permanent product line extension from Four Roses. Now this is everything you want in a bourbon. It's sweet, it's fruity, it's spicy, with a long finish, amazing mouthfeel. Now $60 may seem like a lot, but if you look at the shelves today, there are many bourbons that are not as old, not as complex, and aren't non-chill filtered that are 50 bucks or more. This isn't available in every state yet, but this is a welcome addition to the Four Roses lineup, and another welcome value to the bourbon shelves. Next up is Bellmead Cast Strength Reserve. Now this is a small batch, high-rise bourbon, with each batch comprised of about seven barrels that are blended together at the Greenbrier Distillery in Tennessee. This is sourced from MGP, with barrels that range from seven to 11 years old, bottled at cast strength, and available for about 60 bucks. This bourbon is spicy, sweet, and to me, tastes like a spicy apple pie. Sure, it's distilled in Indiana, it's blended in Tennessee, but at 60 bucks and aged from seven to 11 years old, this is one that you definitely want to seek out. Coming in next is Old Forrester 1920 Prohibition. Now Old Forrester 1920 is the third expression in the Old Forrester Whiskey Roast series from Brown Foreman. It's bottled at 115 proof, it's rich, it's bold, it's chocolatey, it's fruity, it's a lot of cherry flavor. At $60, or even a little less in some markets, it's just as good as many bourbons going for well in excess of $100. Brown Foreman hit this bourbon out of the park with this release. It's accessible, it's delicious, and I would take this over many allocated bourbons that are way more expensive. So this is what was in my glass this whole episode. It's Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, and I know, I know, myself and a lot of other reviewers talk about this one a lot, but with good reason. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof from Heaven Hills, released three times a year, and it's 12 years old. That's right, 12 years old. It's barrel proof, it's non-chill filtered, and priced at about $65 retail. Now I do believe this can be priced more expensive in some places, but even at $100 or less, it's still the best value in bourbon. Think about it. George T. Stack from Buffalo Trace is 15 years old, usually, and it's usually priced at about $400 to $500. That's only three years older than this, and way more expensive. Even 10 to 12 year old picks, select barrels, and new releases that are sourced from other distilleries, get priced between $100 to $250 in most cases. Even though some of those can be super delicious, that can be out of the price range for many bourbon enthusiasts. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof gives you a chance three times a year to enjoy a 12 year old bourbon that's non-chill filtered, barrel proof, and priced at only about $65. It's easily the highest value in bourbon, and I, like many of you, hope that Heaven Hills keeps it that way. There you have it everyone, my top 24 values in bourbon. Hopefully I've given all of you out there enough options so you can head to the store with confidence and grab some more available, affordable, and high value bourbons. That in my mind can taste a lot better than some of those highly allocated bottles that we all like to chase. So happy hunting. All right everyone, well I hope you enjoyed this video here on the Mass Syndrome Whiskey Room. If you did, hit that subscribe button below, please hit that like button. If you haven't yet, find me on Instagram and find me on Twitter. Let me know if you've had these bourbons, what you think I missed, if you think I was spot on. Always love chatting with you guys, let me know if I missed some different options that you might have been thinking about. And as I always say, it is not about the whiskey, it's the people you share with. So cheers, and I'll see you next time on the Mass Syndrome. Take care.