BOTTOM SHELF BOURBON! Which $15 Bourbon is BEST and how do they compare to $20+ bourbons?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ก.พ. 2022
- Today we take a somewhat impromptu trip to the local store and buy the 5 cheapest bourbons we can find to see how they compare. What is the difference between the bottom and the next shelf up?
**CLARIFICATION, I accidentally cut a section during editing and made something confusing. When we are about to taste the wild turkey, I poured the VA Gentleman out of its glencairn and added it to the KY Gentleman glencairn. I used the empty VA Gentleman glencairn to drink the Wild Turkey 101. So when I reference two gentleman in once cup to Jaime, that is why**
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I would love to be “stuck” with Evan Williams black label. There ain’t nothing wrong with it
Evan Williams black label Kentucky bourbon is my go-to bourbon. When I go to the liquor store I get three bottles for me and three bottles of wine for Grandma. It goes very well in my afternoon coffee ... or my morning coffee if I have a cough ... or my evening coffee ... or my in-between times coffee ... or my after coffee coffee ... or ...
Ezra and Evan are my "Go to" bourbons these days. Close enough to the "almost" top shelf whiskeys, yet half the price.
Shopping for bourbons, based a lot on your reps, a stranger inquired what I was shopping for. The fact he said he’s also a scotch man, AND, knew how to pronounce Lagavulin, impressed me. So he recommended Buffalo Trace as an everyday bourbon, which I have come to heartily agree. No idea of his internet experience, but did recommend your TH-cam channel.
Good to see you getting back to basics
All of the fancy bourbon you drink is too expensive. My favourite budget is wt 101 and 2nd is Evan Williams.
I have to admit that the bottom shelf stuff is the reason I stayed away from whiskey for so long (that, and thinking the only way to whiskey was in a shot glass...what a plebe I was!!!) The lowest I have spent, since taking the full dive, is what I spent for the WT 101 ($27). Sadly, I've bought a couple of $100+ bottles that didn't taste as good as the WT.
Suffice to say, if it's cheap, it HAS to be as good as the WT101, or I don't want it.
Try Evan Williams Bottled in Bond - under $30 for 1.75 and it is very good. Best "bottom shelf" - yet it wins blind taste tests.
There are dozens of bourbon testing channels out there and yours is one of the best. Great idea for a video!
EW black label is drinkable. I keep it on hand for marinating steaks and other cooking tasks, but I’ll drink some on occasion as well. Also bought some EB 99 not long ago that is pretty good for the price.
Use both Ezra Brooks and Evan Williams black for those friends who drink bourbon and coke and never have had a complaint.
Great cheap mixers for those who aren't really bourbon people.
To be completely honest, I have had both neat and didn't find either offensive.
Not really good, but not offensive.
For those that are calling WT101 a "bottom shelf whiskey" with contempt or disdain, most TOP bourbon people would call you out in a heartbeat
Great fun video. Was rooting for the Evan Williams, as there was a couple years when I was first getting into bourbon where that’s all I drank. It’s a pretty middle of the road bourbon profile too, so for that reason I think it helped me develop a pallet for its “supposed” to taste like
Found Ezra Brooks before Christmas and it's my favorite budget bourbon. I've had Evan Williams 1 before but prefer the 1783 or BIB for almost the same price. Never tried any of you others. Good show.
LOL..This one had me laughing. Mostly because on your last video I left a comment about how i felt so many of you popular whiskeytubers devote so much time to the pricey and hard to find stuff. Well I see you..I see you two LOL. I appreciate this one..now mind you I'm more the "drink the endless good stuff in the 30-60 dollar range" drinker. For me my low end bottle that I actually drink all the time and love is still EW BIB, actually like it better than WT101. But I often drink EWBIB, basic larceny as my two cheapest. Thanks for doing this one though..I loved it. I think i may grab a small bottle of that Ezra brooks next time out just to have in honor of this video. Cheers!
Great video. Confirms what I’ve found which is EB is a decent bottom shelf pour.
Awesome Video. Many of us have shopped the bottom shelf. Happy to say it’s been a while.
Great job. 👍 who can’t critique expensive Bourbons but to do a blind tasting of bottom shelf is a much different ball game. Oh I’m doing a Wild Turkey 101
More suggestions ... under $25 at North Carolina state operated stores. I would challenge you to try any of these.
Wild Turkey 101, Old Grand Dad BB, Evan Williams White BB, Evan Williams 1873, Fighting Cock (Heaven Hill product), and two hard to find (some NC stores) JW Dant BB, and JTS Brown BB
As of last week (4/27/24) my bottom shelfers (going by price) are...
Very Old Barton 100--paid 11.99 for 750ml
Benchmark Full Proof 125--paid 10.99 for 750ml.
Benchmark Bonded 100--paid 10.99 for 750ml.
Early Times Bottled in Bond 100--paid 16.99 for 1L.
Benchmark Single Barrel 95--paid 10.99 for 750ml.
Absolutely fantastic value for every single one. (Yes I bought multiple of each😂)
Virginia Gentleman = Benchmark Lite! Here in KY, my bottom shelfers are JW Dant, JTS Brown, Heaven Hill (Green/White), Ezra, and Evan Williams (Black or BiB). The Dant and JTS are bottled in bond and not too bad actually. The Dant is actually in the sipper rotation as well as the Heaven Hill Green.
I read that Heaven Hill says EW BIB, JTS Brown BIB, and JW Dant BIB are basically the same stuff. We don't get the last two here in CA but I'd love to see someone blind those three.
As a college student, yes, I have tried them all. Evan Williams BL is my daily drinker and Wild Turkey 101 or Old Grand-Dad 100 for special occasions. I've heard that Very Old Barton is currently the best value bottom-shelf bouron although it is not available in my area.
Great vid. With similar thoughts on discovering a drinkable bottom of the shelves bourbon I picked up an Old Taylor for $10, found one with a "6" still on the neck label (but not the word "year"), had read these are from Buffalo Trace distillery so figured why not? Well... probably going to be a drain pour, just tasted sickening. EW BIB for $18 remains my bottom line, is better than many 2x that $. But willing to try again... Benchmark is next.
killer theme team whiskey row! also kinda surprised at what ended up at 4..thought that would take it based on how good slightly higher cost versions of it are. thats one to grow on!
Taste is subjective. If I had tried them all I'd have bet on Evan Williams coming in second behind the 90 proofer. I like Elijah Craig and EW BiB so I dig the Heaven hill sweet flavor profile. If I remember right he isn't a fan of it.
Jaime's surprised recognition and giggle at the "2 gentlemen, 1 cup" reference made me laugh.
Great video and we need more of this content, daily sippers are consumed more than allocated bourbon. ITs good to find out in all categories which are the preferred buys based on rankings.
Great Show! I have often wondered about bottom shelf bourbons but never purchased any and now I know why.
I bought a JTS Brown in Illinois and it’s really enjoyable. Thanks for the recommendation in another video. $18 for the BIB. Very happy with it.
Evan Williams White label is the best bottom shelf bourbon by far!
In ranked order:
JW Dandt, JTS Brown, Heny McKenna
Fun video, thanks! Benchmark 8 is bad in my view (worst of the 20 bourbons I have bought the past year), so a worse version of it must have been nasty.
if you buy Evan Williams BiB in a handle, isn't it as cheap as these 5? and it's really good. I paid $28 for a handle, so that is less than $14 for a 750.
I've tried a few that I find recommendations for. Ezra 90 is easy to sip but I'm undecided whether I find it acceptable for sipping or not. Evan Williams has a bitterness in the finish that I can't take, although most people seem to like it. For a few dollars more you can get the bottled in bond version or the 1783 version which a lot of people seem to like. I think those might be the best in the budget group for anybody but me. Very Old Barton is another one that is close to being acceptable. I'm going to try Benchmark when I can find it. Anything budget that I don't like to sip, I then try it mixed with coke.
I'm a fan of VOB 100 and 90 , Barton 1792 does a great job all together, check out Kirkland Bourbons from Costco, they're from the same Distillery, they're BOB is fantastic.
I like EW with coke.
The EB90 is not bad, I get liters for 18 and will stay on shelf. Perfect for making an old fashioned when you don't want to use your more expensive bourbon
I find both EW BiB & 1783 (half step up from bottom shelf price wise) to be perfectly acceptable as sippers and mixers ...no worry on price when mixing.
Using Virginia ABC prices, Old Crow and Kentucky Gentleman are $8-10; the others are $14-15. I would consider the first two truly "bottom shelf" but $15 puts you in about the same price range as EW 1783. VOB 100, and EW BIB, which I would say are much better bottles. And I buy handles when I can, so (equivalent 750 ml prices) I get WT 101 for $16.43 and Knob Creek for $17.20. For me, I would only drink any of them because I like them, not because of price when there is good stuff available at pretty comparable prices.
I do have a couple of bottles of Benchmark 8 (had to buy as part of a "bundle") that I don't know what to do with...
Always interesting subjects. Cheers from Sweden! 🇸🇪
I’ve had some bottom shelf stuff and wasn’t impressed. Cheapest I go now is stuff like wild turkey 101, knob creek 9, old forester 100, makers 101, Evan Williams single barrel, Elijah Craig small batch. Bottom shelf is a waste of money to me. Spend $10 to $15 more and enjoy something. Just my two cents.
EW SB's are a great daily.
Though I guess if videos were only done on middle shelf whiskies, y’all would run out of video material real quick. Keep up the content. It’s very enjoyable!!!
I’ve bought the EW black before. It has a medicine like aftertaste that I didn’t like. I do enjoy the EW BiB, which is almost the same price.
Great idea for a video!
I’ve only had the Evan Williams and the WT101. WT101 is my daily drinker. I love it.
Well thx for another GREAT blind test round. I will look for and see if I can acquire your 1 and 2 picks to test. So fat, 101 and Buffalo trace are available and taste GREAT!
Even Williams BiB is my favorite low price bourbon. It punches way above its price and can be had for $18 so basically the same price as the bottom shelf stuff. LOL actually if you buy the 1.75 its $30 in my neck of the woods. So it is the same price as the bottom shelf, but still has a lot of character.
Digging the Red Sox hat Jaime…Go Sox!!
I have mixed a lot of crow and williams in my whiskey sours. Nothing wrong with using them that way.
Evan Williams white label is a staple in our home! It’s always around for mixing and keeping just in case!
Wild Turkey 81 often goes on sale below 14 dollars for the 750 ml or two 375 ml bottles. Puncher's Chance, BSB Bourbon, and Jameson Irish Whiskey will go on sale below 15 dollars in the fall for some reason.
Before watching I just have to say the Ezra Brooks is fantastic, surprisingly good, especially for the price.
I agree that WT 101 is quite good. Ezra Brooks mixes well, but I've found it one-note (sawdust?) on its own - I've vatted it with sweet/young bourbons (Benchmark, AA, etc) to get something higher proof and more balanced. Evan Williams is my favorite of the bottom-shelf batch you tried - OK straight, on ice, or mixed... it has won numerous blind tastings against other bottom shelfers when we play poker. I don't particularly like either of the "gentleman" (tasting bubblegum and wet stone in the VG and rubbing alcohol/acetone in the KG bourbon "blend"), but will drink them. The Bowman barrels get used by my local breweries for barrel-aged beer (with excellent results). I've found Old Crow, on the other hand, to be undrinkable - I get barnyard hay (complete with the manure in the background) on the nose and when I've tasted it. For my cheap "house bourbon", I vat a 750ml of Fighting Cock with a 1.75L of J.T.S. Brown 80, resulting in something similar to Evan Williams black, but with more spiciness... My go tos are:
WT101 is probably the most bottom i’ve ever purchased and i haven’t even opened it yet just picked it up on heard it was good.
Great concept and a fun watch! Have a great weekend!
Not surprised by the Brooks at all but thought EW would have been top 2 ,,that said i would have added Old Fitz ,VOB 100 and Ancient Age which I can get here in Illinois for anywhere from 13 to 17 depending on the store .
Very Nice group David . I am partial to Evan Williams Black . I have went through many many bottles of that in the past . That said , haven't bought one in probably a year . But Ezra Brooks is a good bottom shelfer as well . 🥃
I love where you are going! I went a step further and blended my own to get the best I ever had! 1 part Old Crow, 1 part Rebel 100, 2 parts Southern Comfort! I would love to see a blind with that in it!
Evan Williams BIB is same price and actually pretty good. I also enjoy Jim Beam double oaked and Winchester double oak. WT 101 has won for me in several blinds against higher priced stuff.
Mix them all together, add some maple and age them in a small barrel until Christmas. Will be a bottom shelf Christmas present for Jaime. Otherwise, chuck em.
I work and shop at Walmart in Iowa.
My bottom shelf puchases:
Buffalo trace.
Old Forrester 100 proof.
Larceny small batch.
Evan Williams BIB.
Yup all on bottom shelf at Walmart.
ahaha the "I'm sure it's equivalent to a proofed down GTS or ETL" had me dying. Immediately hit the thumbs up after that line.
Agree completely, 101 offers some bang for your $ and the 101 rye is great in a Manhattan.
I'm out here in the frozen wastelands of Fairbanks, Alaska, and I've NEVER seen the shelves THAT bare!!!...course, I, ALSO, cannot typically find the bottles I WANT to get...so I feel your pain, brother!
Hi from NY. Good idea for that video love you videos
I think Ezra Brooks is money. One of my cheaper sleeper bottles. I also find Very Old Barton 100 proof to be a go to cheap one.
Even Williams white label is worth considering for budget whiskey
Need to find Ezra 99 and 7. They hold up really well.
Okay guys, if you have kept up with my comments, you know that I am retired on a fixed budget, here in VA, and cannot afford the more- and the most-expensive Bourbons. So I generally buy from the middle shelf, but have made an effort to buy and sample every different Bourbon I can afford. I generally pick up a bottle from the middle shelf and one from the lower shelf just to see if any cheap ones are any good. My experience so far is that Evan Williams Black is not bad, but I absolutely did not like the VA Gentleman from Fredericksburg. (I toured the distillery a while back and was not impressed, even with the higher grade samples they were giving out. And like you I was very disappointed that they took a Buffalo Trace product and screwed it up.) Have not tried the Kentucky Gentleman or the Ezra Brooks so no comments there. I will say that the most AWFUL Bourbon I have ever had is Virgin Bourbon--I will probably either throw it out or mix it with something better--as Bourbon is my favorite whiskey, I hate to pour it out--seems like sacrilege to me. I have a Fleischmann's which is blended and flavored, and it too is not very good, as well as Old Mr. Boston. I can drink Rebel Yell, but don't particularly care for Jim Beam lower end. And another disappointment was the Virginia-made Bare Knuckle Bourbon which was not good either. (I am also trying to favor VA distilleries by sampling locally-made Bourbons--which as you know are not always available at our ABC stores and some are very expensive.) On the middle shelf I like Evan Williams White and Buffalo Trace (when I can find it).
My take away from this video is that I need to try Ezra Brooks and Old Crow (as I am a huge fan of Old Tub--even if it is a Jim Beam product). I also will tell you that I enter every VA Bourbon Lottery hoping to get a rare bottle of something even if I can't really afford it. That said, I lucked out in 2020 and got a bottle of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon for $125. Although not bad, I thought the price was way over its value, and in hindsight, I would rather have had two bottles of OF 1920 (which right now is listed as only 3 bottles located in Galax, VA.) Anyway, I always enjoy the videos and definitely would like to be entered into your Thursday GAW. I entered, but your button to sign in for TH-cam did not seem to work. If you can check to make sure I am entered properly, I would appreciate it.
try Evan williams 1783 - very good, very affordable
@@josephthomas2226 Yes Joseph. I agree. I just finished a 1.75 bottle. Also affordable is the 1.75 bottle of Evan Williams White.
Im drinking Kentucky Tavern right now with zero pepsi. Usually i buy the Evan Williams black label but every thin is up on price as you know.
BSB and lemonade is wonderful.
Being born and raised in MA and a lifelong fan i like seeing the redsox hat on Jamie ! She obviously has good judgment. Go Sox .
Hah, I love her in spite of her red Sox love 😂😂
Totally random, but I know you’ve mentioned that you came from rum. As a whiskey guy who is considering exploring rum a bit, do you have any thoughts on Ron Zacapa 23 centenario (considering starting here)? Or another good place to start?
Thanks!
Absolutely loved this video, and the thumbnail is epic!! I actually like the Ezra Brooks, the 99 proof Ezra Brooks is way better lol Thanks for sharing and Cheers y'all 🥃
I was all excited for this drive to the store and buy 5 bottles idea until I picked these ones and realized what I had done..
NICE STORE HAUL!!! Lucky!!! Funny video, keep going with these great ideas!
I buy the Evan Williams for a mixer only
Here is STL area you can get Evan Williams BOB for $17. That is as budget as I will go.
You guys are great. We’ll done as always and cheers from East Tennessee 🥃
I’ve always wondered why in earthquake country the expensive stuff is up high, where it is most likely to break when it falls. Well, guess it doesn’t have to be earthquake country…. Hmmm.
I do not mind Ezra Brooks or Evan Williams Black Label
I always have a bottle of Evan Williams black label in the cabinet. I am a huge fan of the Evan Williams Bottled in Bond as well.
I picked up a E Williams 1783, E Williams bonded, and an OGD 80 proof all regular priced under 17 bucks, all way better drinkers! At least now you have some good bottles to trade!
Only bourbon or whiskey I've brought under $15 is Evan Williams, Old Crow, and Early Times. Early Times is the only one to leave me with a massive hangover. Never again with that one. 😂
Always a great endorsement Ive had worse :)
Bland, stale, flavorless, vodka flavor, no smell or taste, and watered down are the signature signs of a bottom shelf whiskey. The Evan Williams Black is a bottle I have that costs somewhere in the 8 to 12 dollar range for the past decade, and I use it only for mixing, sauces, and cocktails. These bottles are for making drinks that you are not looking to ever drink neat. And it may be years between buying one bottle to the next. If you are always vigilant in checking the prices of whiskey, then you can find bottles that normally price above 20 to 40 dollars drop suddenly to below 15 bucks on occasion just so the retailer can move products for the next shipment they are getting.
That Ezra Brooks is the only bottle I have drain poured! really did not like it. The only other one of those I have tried is the EW and I prefer the BiB so much over the black label.
I think my budget bottle I have is probably Evan Williams bib. White label
Highlander Park 12, Hibiki, Kikori (Japanese), Rabbit Hole, Bulleit, Gentlemen Jack, Crown Royal and flavored Peach, Apple, and Vanilla are on the top shelf of my home bar.
Any day whiskey: Jack Daniels No. 7, Rye, and Tennessee Apple, Evan Williams, Jameson (Irish), Kirkland Blended Scotch 12, Canadian, Blended Scotch (Costco).
My grandson (high school) got ahold of two Evan Williams Honey… I don’t know what happened, but he doesn’t drink anymore. I got the flavored Canadian whiskies in case the kids want to try a drink on special occasions (i.e. deaths, memorials, or births and rarely birthdays with the intent to not them wanting to binge). another grandson (20yrs) downed a bottle of fireball - I hit the roof, but he’s a good boy and drinks only in moderation.
Have a buddy that ONLY drinks old crow 1.75L. He’s on wallstreet and makes great money but refuses to spend any of it on good alcohol. When he opens a bottle you can smell it in another room.
Jamie was right, it’s really gross stuff.
Old Crow is Jim Beam that is aged 3 years. They are the same mash bill.
I actually like virginia gentlemen, but my go to cheap bourbon is evan williams black label, my favorite bourbon is makers mark.
Very Old Barton 100 is available, usually $20 at your everyday store, or $16 at a larger store like Binny's. And its great. Way better than jims, jacks, and any of the bottom shelf i've had since Wild Turkey 100 was under 20 or Weller SR was 18.99
9:15 that Evan Williams is great for the price
I'm an Evan Williams fan, and obviously Elijah Craig- but if I want something around $15 I haven't found anything I like more than the Evan Williams Small Batch 1783 as well as their BIB. Their regular black label is also good. Going even cheaper, the Very Old Barton has a surprisingly rich flavor. They make proofs 80, 86, and 100. I've heard it's hard to find though.
i also have been drinking 1783 for several years, but will try some other budget bourbons to compare (but not these!)
I find EW BiB, EW 1783, and VOB 100 to be acceptable sippers as well as good mixers as not wasting higher priced stuff.
Jim Beam Repeal Batch is the cheapest bourbon I own. $16 and I love it
Am I logged in? Don't think that the link worked for the giveaway.
I buy Evan Williams black label semi regularly
I use Evan for my mixer
Drank EW black for years during hard times. Then discovered EW BiB is WAY better, but still refer to both as the "working man's bourbon." Or Doctor Williams among close friends lol. Agree that Ezra is probably the best of the bunch. Saw on BJ that Early Times BiB has changed for the worse...RIP the king of value bourbons.
I am 2 seconds in . My bet 1st ) Evan 2nd ) Ezra 3rd ) Maybe Old crow , honestly doesn't matter after the first 2 . Evan is my go to whiskey noob bottle . Ezra is my go to mixer in stout beers .
So if we disqualify Kentucky Gentleman , the I got the top 3 right just wrong order ..........
I just bought evan williams bottled in bond for $15. Pretty sure it's better than everything in this video. After watching this video I don't want to try any of them! LOL. Really enjoyed the video though! Definitely agree it's worth the extra 7 bucks to get a Wild Turkey 101!
The only one that I tend to have around is the Ezra Brooks 90. The 99 is a few bucks more and much better.
I wasn't a fan of EW BiB so I never went down to the "regular" EW, but I need to try Benchmark because I keep forgetting BT does sell a bottom shelfer. Another one you didn't find but that would probably kick @ss in this lineup is Very Old Barton 100. Picked up 3 of them over the summer for $13 each (750ml) in VA, only time in the last 2 years I've even seen it on the shelf.
Buffalo Trace also makes Ancient Age, which is their mash bill #2 bottom shelf bourbon. I think it's way better than Benchmark.
@@johnhunt1725I picked up a couple handles of Ancient Ancient Age (yes, 2 Ancients) 10 star (not 10 yrs old, LOL) for like $28 a piece when I was in VA, and they are pretty damn good.
At 0:49 Bareshelf Biden's Liquor and Pawn
I always shop price, out of these I’ve only had Evan Williams & Old Crow, of those 2 I prefer E.W. Right now my favorite bourbon is Bulleit, which I can get in a 375 ml for $15.
One bourbon cheaper than WT101 that I actually enjoy is Redemption plain bourbon. It's young, but tasty.
I draw the line @ nail polish remover. That ethanol kick ... you know what i'm talkin' about. Needs to be re-barreled and sat in tha rick-house for several more seasons. Then we'll sip & see?
Evan Williams is my budget of choice
Evan Williams Black is a mixer or a shooter. EW BIB is a far better neat if you like Heaven Hill stuff. If you don't like that nuttiness WT 101 is always a good choice.
First!
David, you seemed so sad at the beginning. This goes to show that even bottom-shelfers can improve one’s mood.
I drink Kentucky Gentleman and zero sugar 7up. It's my juice