My adult beverage of choice is a good bourbon on the rocks. I know many bourbon purists only believe in drinking it neat, but since I want to drink most everything cold, that’s how I like my bourbon, too.
In the last few weeks, I’ve started listening to a couple of bourbon podcasts. The weird thing about these podcasts is that they sometimes feature tastings. Listening to a bourbon tasting is a bit like watching a cooking show; you’ll never know what anything tastes like unless you try it yourself.
One podcast in particular focuses on tasting rare bourbons. I’m about to stop listening to it because the hosts engage in inside banter that doesn’t make sense if you don’t know them personally and don’t hang out with them. They act much sillier than they ought to.
They also don’t mention the price until the end of the episode, but it’s inevitably over $100 and most often upward of $150 a bottle. I lose interest when the bourbon costs more than I would ever dream of paying for it.
Side note: My favorite bourbon podcast is “Bourbon Real Talk,” which focuses more on the industry than on tasting high-dollar bottles. The host even makes fun of snobs in one of the ads for his products, and the Facebook community does tons of giveaways. I also love the fact that it’s an encouraging environment that seeks to bring people together.
As my bio lets you know, I’m a Certified Bourbon Steward (which really means that I read a book and took a test), but I’m not a bourbon snob. The most I’ve ever paid for a bottle is $75, and that’s when I bought a bottle of Glenns Creek ¡Cuervito Vivo! during my Kentucky trip last April. That was more about “sticking it to the man” than it was about buying pricey whiskey.
Related: Adventures in Bourbonland, Part 1, Adventures in Bourbonland, Part 2, Adventures in Bourbonland, Part 3
Some people automatically equate price with quality, but that’s not always so. I’m content with a bottle that sets me back $50 — or even less. When my brother and I were in Kentucky last spring, we visited the elegant House of Commons: a Bourbon Library in Frankfort, and I embarked on a $20 bourbon flight based on my first bourbon love, Woodford Reserve. That flight introduced me to some of my favorite bourbons today.
One of the brands I fell in love with based on that flight was Johnny Drum. It retails at $42.99 here in Georgia, and it’s one of my go-to brands. I liked the New Riff and Bardstown varieties I tried during the flight, but I haven’t revisited them as much. I’ve also explored the Benchmark series of bourbons based on that flight, and they’re remarkably affordable.
The bartender at House of Commons offered me Benchmark Full Proof (125 proof!), which retails at roughly $20 and has terrific flavor, although I sleep like a baby every time I drink it. I’ve also fallen in love with Benchmark Top Floor and Benchmark Small Batch, both of which retail for less than $20 but are remarkably drinkable.
One of my favorite and most surprising inexpensive bourbon finds is Evan Williams Bottled in Bond. I first tried it when one of the bourbon podcasts (probably Bourbon Real Talk) said that bourbon enthusiasts shouldn’t sleep on it. I can get a handle of it (1.75 liters) for $30, so a bottle lasts a while. It’s the most viscous bourbon I’ve ever observed, and that quality gives it a unique mouthfeel. It has an appealing flavor, and at that price point, you don’t have to save it for special occasions.
The menu of Atlanta restaurant Local Three displays a quote on its menu. I don’t know who originally came up with it, but it’s loaded with truth: “There is no bad whiskey. There are only some whiskeys that aren’t as good as others.”
I can’t tell you how much that quote resonates with me. I’m convinced that the quality of a whiskey, particularly a bourbon, lies in the palate of the beholder. Let the snobs have their overpriced bourbons; I’ll stick with the inexpensive varieties that I can enjoy without breaking the bank.
I’m not saying that I won’t splurge on something more expensive once in a while, but there are plenty of worthwhile treasures you can find that aren’t so expensive. Check them out!
