On February 7th, we got together on Zoom for a tasting hosted by me. The theme for this week's tasting came from one of Mitch's pours from our tasting two weeks prior, an Evan Williams bottled-in-bond for which his hint for the blind tasting was "bottom shelf." It was a pretty remarkable pour for a bottom shelf bourbon, so I thought, why not see what other good stuff is lurking there.
I found a post on Sprits Educator called The Best Bourbons under $20, and figured I'd use that as the basis for our tasting. I already had the Henry McKenna on hand ($13 here in Maine), so I set off the the liquor store to pick up two more of the bottles.
Dan being a Buffalo Trace guy I really wanted Old Charter #8 for the tasting, but aside from the flagship bourbon, Buffalo Trace products are hard to find in Maine, so I ended up adding Old Forrester ($19.99) and Old Grand Dad ($16.99), which I really wanted anyway.
Tasting Notes
Henry McKenna: This was an old favorite of mine, and it turned out that Mitch also really liked it. It's an 80-Proof spirit from Heaven Hill Brands with a 78% Corn, 10% Rye, 12% Malted Barley Mash Bill. Admittedly, the nose and palate are not very complex on this one. It's a straightforward low-rye whiskey, but it's a very easy drinker that you can't beat for its budget price.
Nose: Citrus, Spice, Vanilla
Palate: Carmel, Vanilla, Spice
Old Forrester 86: Price-wise this one barely makes it into the flight, and it also turned out to be the most flavorful and complex of the Bourbons in the flight. This Brown-Forman product is a mid-level rye Bourbon with a 72% corn, 18% Rye and 10% Malted Barley Mash Bill. It was Dan's favorite and I am glad I picked it up.
Nose: Caramel, Vanilla, Citrus, Apple, Cinnamon
Palate: Caramel, Citrus, Vanilla, Spice, Apple
Finish: Definitely picked up a licorice flavor on the finish of this one.
Old Grand Dad: Harry Truman is a hero of mine and I am also a
Jim Beam man, so it's a little surprising that I didn't already have this in the collection. This 80 proof Beam-Suntory whiskey features a high-rye mash bill that Beam doesn't publish. (Reviews I've read online suggest that its mash bill is something like 63% corn, 27% Rye, 10% Malted Barley). We all enjoyed it and I'll definitely keep it in my regular rotation.
Nose: Bread, Nuts, Caramel, Tobaccco
Palate: Cherries, Pepper, Bread
Overall, the guys were impressed by how much value these pours give for the money. Mitch left determined to get two bottles of the McKenna, while Dan said he would give more attention to the Old Forester in his collection going forward.
Belfour Bourbon Whiskey Finished with Texas Pecan Wood
Our bonus pour for the night was Belfour Bourbon Whiskey Finished with Texas Pecan Wood. I learned about this one from the Bourbon with Friends Podcast last fall. It's from a Texas Based Family Craft distillery founded by former NHL goalie Eddie Belfour. You have to get it online here, so we had ordered three bottles online together at our last tasting and decided to crack them together this time.
The Belfour is an outstanding pour. It has a wheated mash bill of 60% corn, 30% wheat and 10% malted barley.
Nose: A bit smoky, with definite wood notes. Caramel, Vanilla, quite sweet.
Palate: Peanuts and Graham Crackers, Chocolate.
We had a couple of pours off this one, and I think we'll all be ordering another bottle in the near future. I'm also looking forward to giving the rye a try.
The Belfour is an outstanding pour. It has a wheated mash bill of 60% corn, 30% wheat and 10% malted barley.
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