If you spend any amount of time on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube, it is easy to get FOMO (fear of missing out) with some of these bourbon influencers and their home bars filled with Blantons, Pappy and other allocated products that just make your bar seem “inadequate.” Well, let me start by saying most of these rare and unicorn bottles are NOT worth their prices! So instead of reviewing the bottles that are out of our tax bracket, I am going to give you 5 easy to find and well-priced bottles that will end your FOMO and send your taste buds to a party!
5) Penelope Four Grain Bourbon: $35-$45
I have managed to find this bottle EVERYWHERE, and this bottle is by far one of my favorites to date. It offered a very enjoyable tasting experience with notes of brown sugar, banana bread, and vanilla. This mid-priced bottle excels in flavor is guaranteed to turn heads!
4) Boone County’s Small Batch Straight Bourbon: $30-$40
This is a local distillery to me in Kentucky, but I have found these bottles as far west as St Louis and as far east as Washington DC. One of my very first bourbon experiences, I credit this bottle with making me fall in love with bourbon. With flavors of oak, caramel, and dried fruit, this craft distillery knows what they are doing and in my opinion rivals Buffalo Trace.
3) Maker’s Mark 46 French Oak Bourbon: $30-$40
This absolute classic should already be in your bar, but in case it is not, here is your sign to go buy it!. The Maker’s Mark 46 is accessible, loved, and in my opinion better than 99.99% of the other bourbons at its price point. With great notes of caramel, vanilla, and baking spice this offers an enjoyable experience. If you want something with more burn and higher proof points, there is a cask strength option as well.
2) New Riff Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey- Bottled in Bond: $40-$50
This is the most expensive on my list, but it is absolutely worth the $50 that it cost me! New Riff is an up-and-coming distillery that has only produced banger after banger. This bottle offers beautiful flavor notes of spice, oak, and vanilla, but the curve ball from this bottle is the dried fruit and full-bodied finish that leaves your mouth watering for more. I have found this bottle in airports, train stations, gas stations, and every liquor store from St. Louis to Florida. It is a house name that melts taste buds!
1) Woodford Reserve’s Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Wild Turkey 101
Number one… Drum role please. It’s a tie! Yes, I can do that because it is my list, and I honestly could not decide between these two.
Woodford Reserve’s Straight Bourbon Whiskey: $35
This is an excellent bottle which hands down beats Weller’s Special Reserve and knocks it out of the park! This beautiful bottle is a classic staple in most bars.I have said this about the others, but this bottle is found everywhere! Hell, I drank this one while living in Spain. It offers great notes of dried fruit, vanilla, citrus, and spice!
Wild Turkey 101: $20-$30
Another absolute classic which comes in at $23 in my area, I keep this bottle essentially on tap! It’s a great mixer, but is also perfect neat! You can find this bottle anywhere and everywhere! As near as the liquor store closest to your house and as far as Warsaw Poland. With flavors of toasted oak, cherry vanilla cola, and fine leather, you won’t regret this bottle! Now as I’m sure you noticed, so many of these bottles are “ordinary.” YES! That is the point! You don’t need Blantons, Pappy, or other $100+ bottles in your bar for it to be good! What matters is the bones! Don’t let any bourbon influencers tell you what makes a good bourbon bar. What matters is the bones of your bar and your taste profile. If anyone tells you differently, let them pay for your bar, and I promise their opinion will change really quickly!
So what are your thoughts? Which have you not tried? Other suggestions for budget bangers? And above everything else, remember everybody, the answer is ALWAYS To Cigar
Logan Huddleston
Hello, my name is Logan Huddleston. I own and operate To Cigar, which provides cigar and alcohol content on all major social media platforms. My goal is to connect with and engage other GenZers to help them fall in love with cigars and cigar culture. I do reviews, memes, recipes, pairings, pretty much anything that connects with my audience. Most nights, I can be found with a cigar in one hand and a good drink in the other. Life brings us many questions, but I’m fond of saying, the answer is always To Cigar!