In this article, we are going to discuss the 5 best inexpensive Bourbons under $30 that don’t taste cheap. If you want to check out our detailed analysis of the Bourbon industry in Kentucky, the Bourbon boom, the new Bourbon in the air, and the recent success story in the Bourbon industry, head to 15 Best Inexpensive Bourbons Under $30 that Don’t Taste Cheap.
5. Larceny Small Batch Bourbon
Insider Monkey Score: 6
Price: $29.99
Discover a taste worth stealing. Made with wheat instead of rye as the secondary grain, this wheated Bourbon delivers a smoother taste that’s hard to resist.
Larceny is the heir to the wheated Bourbons that make up the historic Old Fitzgerald franchise that Heaven Hill acquired in 1999. In fact, it is the somewhat controversial history of John E. Fitzgerald and his eponymous Bourbon brand that provides the story, and name, to Larceny Bourbon.
4. Early Times Bottled-in-Bond
Insider Monkey Score: 6
Price: $24.99
Early Times Bottled-in-Bond is crafted with pure water, a mash bill composed of 79% corn, 11% rye, and 10% malted barley, fermented with a proprietary yeast strain and carefully distilled.
During the turbulent 1940s, Early Times proudly introduced Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon to the satisfaction of the heroic, hard-working men and women of that era. And in the decade that followed, the brand became America’s top-selling Bourbon. The Brown-Forman corporation sold off the Early Times brand to the Sazerac Company three years ago.
3. Old Forester 86 Proof
Insider Monkey Score: 8
Price: $24.99
Created in 1870, Old Forester is the only Bourbon continuously distilled and marketed by the founding family before, during, and after Prohibition. At 86 proof, Old Forester delivers a genuine Bourbon experience, with rich, full flavor, and a smooth character that is ideal for sipping neat, on the rocks, with a splash of water, or in a classic cocktail.
In 2016, Brown-Forman announced it plans to invest about $20 million in a marketing push to revive Old Forester. That was on top of the $30 million previously budgeted for a new distillery to produce Old Forester in Louisville, KY, the heart of Bourbon country.
2. Evan Williams Bottled-In-Bond
Insider Monkey Score: 8
Price: $19.99
Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond is aged under government supervision and meeting the exact requirements for a Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon. It has all the kick you expect, but still is one of the smoothest brands of Bourbon.
Even Williams is owned by the family-owned Heaven Hill Distillery. With a price tag of $19.99 for a 750 ml bottle, Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond is among the Cheapest Bourbons You Can Buy.
1. Wild Turkey 101
Insider Monkey Score: 11
Price: $26.99
For over 60 years, Wild Turkey has been making 101 the same way, the right way! Aged in American White Oak barrels coated in the deepest alligator char, Wild Turkey 101 has an impossible-to-miss character. The whiskey is also a great cheap Bourbon for an old fashioned.
In 1980, Wild Turkey’s original owner, Austin Nichols & Co., was sold to the French spirits conglomerate Pernod Ricard for a reported $100 million. In 2009, the distillery changed hands again, when Italy’s Gruppo Campari acquired it for a staggering $575 million. Wild Turkey 101 is the Best Inexpensive Bourbon that Doesn’t Taste Cheap in our list.
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