Every now and then a new budget bottle pops up on the shelf and practically begs for a Bourbon Cheapskate evaluation. This week, that honor goes to Walmart’s newest private-label venture: Master Distillers Selection Small Batch, a $19 bourbon quietly produced for Walmart by Barton’s 1792.

Yes, that Barton’s 1792—the value-centric corner of the Buffalo Trace universe. And when I see a new bottle from that world, especially at nineteen bucks, my curiosity and my cheapskate sensibilities both kick in.

My first sip? Just OK. But… what do you expect for $19?

So instead of judging it on a lonely Thursday night pour, I decided to give it a fair fight. A blind taste-off. Same proof. Same family tree. Same price tier—well, close enough.

I lined up four Glencairns, all 90-proof bourbons born somewhere in the great extended orbit of Buffalo Trace:

• Master Distillers Selection Small Batch (Walmart)
• Members Mark Small Batch (Sam’s Club)
• Benchmark Small Batch
• Weller Special Reserve

Let the cheap bourbon games begin.

Glencairn A

Color: Light copper
Nose: Light oak, caramel, vanilla, apples
Palate: Oak leads, surprisingly spicy for 90 proof. Apples and spice show up first, vanilla follows.
Finish: Decent but basic—sweet spice and not much more.
Score: 73.2

Result: Weller Special Reserve

No shock here. Weller wasn’t spectacular, but it was clearly the most complete bourbon of the lineup—balanced, flavorful, and the only one I’d call “good” in the traditional sense.

Glencairn B

Color: Solid amber
Nose: Dusty toasted nuts, caramel
Palate: Simple oak–caramel–vanilla–apple rotation.
Mouthfeel: Thin
Finish: Also thin, with a little caramel and spice.
Score: 70.09

Result: Benchmark Small Batch

Benchmark does Benchmark things: perfectly fine, perfectly cheap, perfectly forgettable. This is the bourbon equivalent of a dependable B-minus student who never misses class but also never raises their hand.

Glencairn C

Color: Solid amber
Nose: Dusty peanuts + caramel — like walking into a Texas Roadhouse and smelling the floor and the dessert tray at the same time.
Palate: Slightly sweeter, but the peanut note sticks. Wrapped in caramel, vanilla, baking spice.
Mouthfeel: Thin
Finish: Brief, with brown sugar, peanuts, caramel.
Score: 69.87

Result: Master Distillers Small Batch (Walmart)

Not terrible. Not wonderful. Very much in the Barton wheelhouse. And honestly… this was about what I expected. For $19, it held its own.

Glencairn D

Color: Solid amber
Nose: Lightest of the bunch—hard to find anything. Bare vanilla and apple.
Palate: Peanuts, vanilla, cinnamon. Simple throughout.
Finish: Short, weak echo of the palate.
Score: 68.46

Result: Members Mark Small Batch (Sam’s Club)

The thinnest of an already thin group. Not offensive, but nothing to write home about—unless home is specifically asking for a reminder of what a $17 bourbon tastes like.

The Reveal & Final Thoughts

In order of scoring:

1. Weller Special Reserve – 73.2
2. Benchmark Small Batch – 70.09
3. Walmart Master Distillers Small Batch – 69.87
4. Members Mark Small Batch – 68.46

Here’s the truth: none of these were great, and only one—the Weller—was actually good. And even that was “good” in the loosest, green-labeled Weller kind of way.

The other three? They formed a tidy little pack of “it’s fine for what it is.” There wasn’t enough difference among them to develop strong opinions. A little more oak here, a little more peanut dust there… but the vibe was consistent:

Lower-shelf 90-proof bourbon tastes like lower-shelf 90-proof bourbon.

It’s not meant to be sipped next to an $80 single barrel.
It’s not crafted with decade-long aging strategies.
And nobody expects it to be.

What these bottles are good for is exactly what they’re marketed for:

• A dependable mixer
• A budget-friendly nightcap
• A bottle you won’t feel guilty pouring for friends who drown everything in Coke anyway
• A surprisingly decent option for under twenty bucks

In short:

They’re worth the price we pay—and not a penny more.

And honestly? That’s the heart of being a Bourbon Cheapskate. You find the value, you enjoy it for what it is, and you move on to the next bottle. And trust me… there’s always a next bottle.

Copyright © 2025 Doug DeBolt.