Tag Archives: budget bourbon

The Bourbon Cheapskate, Vol. 42: Old Grand-Dad 114 vs. Old Grand-Dad 114 Single Barrel

Old Grand-Dad 114 has long been one of bourbon’s great value bottles. But is the harder-to-find Old Grand-Dad 114 Single Barrel worth the chase and the extra $15? A blind side-by-side tasting gave me a pretty clear answer. Continue reading →

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The Bourbon Cheapskate, Vol. 41: Barrel-Finished Early Times Bottled-in-Bond Takes Flight

My fourth barrel fill, Early Times Bottled-in-Bond, became “Free Bird” after three months in the finishing barrel. The result? More color, richer fruit, better mouthfeel and a budget bourbon that earned a special place on the shelf. Continue reading →

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The Bourbon Cheapskate, Vol. 39: When a $69 Bottle Sneaks Into the Cheapskate Lane

Baker’s 7 usually sits above the Bourbon Cheapskate price range, but a $39 sale put it right in the lane. So I poured two different bottles blind — one aged seven years and three months, the other eight years and six months — to see whether the extra time made a difference. Continue reading →

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The Bourbon Cheapskate, Vol. 38: The Patriot Takes the Field

In a blind single-barrel showdown against Pinhook, Old Forester, and Green River, Evan Williams America 250 Barrel 222 had every reason to be the underdog. Instead, it planted a flag. Continue reading →

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

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

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

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. 32: Four Budget Bourbons, One Pecan Experiment

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

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

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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