Tag Archives: bourbon cheapskate

The Bourbon Cheapskate, Vol. 37: Evan Williams America 250 (times three)

Posted on May 14, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Three bottles. Three barrels. Same Evan Williams Single Barrel 250 release. Same 117.76 proof. Very different results. Barrel 222 proved why higher-proof single barrels can still deliver serious value at around $40. Continue reading →

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Tasting Tuesday: Knob Creek, Three Ways

Posted on May 12, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Knob Creek’s Blender’s Edition No. 1 promises a sweeter side of the classic Beam profile. I put it in a blind tasting against Knob Creek 9-Year and a 125-proof cask strength single barrel store pick to see where it landed. Continue reading →

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The Bourbon Cheapskate, Vol. 36: The Triple Oak Mason Jar Project

Posted on May 7, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Can a $19 bourbon get even better with a week in a mason jar and a couple of oak sticks? I put Member’s Mark Single Barrel through a homemade “triple oak” experiment and tasted it against the original. Continue reading →

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The Bourbon Cheapskate, Vol. 35: The Single Barrel Bargain Brawl

Posted on April 30, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Four value-friendly single barrels go head to head: Evan Williams 86.6, Benchmark Single Barrel, Member’s Mark Single Barrel and Evan Williams America 250. Some are decent. One is an outrageous bargain. And one makes me wonder why Heaven Hill hasn’t already given us a higher-proof Evan Williams Single Barrel as a regular release. Continue reading →

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The Bourbon Cheapskate, Vol. 34: Bonded on a Budget—Old Bardstown Faces Two Familiar Rivals

Posted on April 23, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Three low-cost bottled-in-bond bourbons. No stars. No hype. Just a blind test to see where Old Bardstown belongs — and in the end, one bottle quietly separated itself. Continue reading →

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The Bourbon Cheapskate, Vol. 33: Is New Riff Bottled in Bond Really the Best Bourbon in the World?

Posted on April 16, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

The 2026 World Whiskies Awards crowned New Riff Bottled in Bond the world’s best bourbon. At $40, it qualifies for Bourbon Cheapskate — but how does it hold up against New Riff’s own 6-year single barrel? Continue reading →

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The Bourbon Cheapskate, Vol. 32: Four Budget Bourbons, One Pecan Experiment

Posted on April 9, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

What happens when four sub-$30 bourbons spend nine hours with toasted pecan wood? A simple experiment produced four very different results — and proved once again that affordable bottles can be surprisingly flexible. Continue reading →

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The Bourbon Cheapskate, Vol. 31: Traveller Full Proof vs. The Shelf

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

A new 121-proof Traveller Full Proof has been drawing mixed reviews online, so I decided to put it to the test the only fair way: blind. Seven high-proof bottles went into identical glasses, including 1792 Full Proof, Knob Creek Single Barrel Cask Strength, and the ever-reliable Benchmark Full Proof. The results were surprising—and a reminder that sometimes the best value on the shelf isn’t the one everyone is talking about. Continue reading →

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Tasting Tuesday: Rivertown Reserve—When Buffalo Trace Meets the Aging Barrel

Posted on March 3, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

I didn’t distill this whiskey. I just gave a solid $22 bottle three weeks in a finishing cask — and it jumped into the top 30 on my shelf. Continue reading →

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The Bourbon Cheapskate, Vol. 30: Bonded vs. Single Barrel: When Blind Tasting Picks the Underdog

Posted on February 26, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

In a blind rye showdown, Jack Daniel’s Bonded Rye unexpectedly outpaced its 94-proof Single Barrel sibling. Side by side, the Single Barrel may have a slight edge in refinement—but when you factor in a $20 price gap, the bonded bottle makes one of the strongest value arguments on the shelf. Continue reading →

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