We have great news for all bourbon fans out there – we found 11 best inexpensive bourbons under $25 that don’t taste cheap!
Bourbon is one of the most popular spirits among connoisseurs and casual drinkers. Its caramel and honey notes which are given by the charred oak barrels in which it’s aged, make it a unique and versatile drink. So, whose brilliant idea this was? There is no confirmed story of how bourbon was created, but many people credit its origin to a stroke of luck. One of many versions says that towards the ends of the 18th century, Elijah Craig, a distiller from Bourbon county, decided to burn the inside of the oak barrels -for cleaning purposes- before storing the whiskey in them. Little did he know that by doing so he had created a very different product.
These days the production of bourbon is one of the most controlled and regulated ones. For a whiskey to be called bourbon – it must be produced in the United States, as it was declared by Congress as “America’s Native Spirit”. Consulting a bourbon guide you will see that bourbon’s special flavor is achieved following specific procedures: First and most importantly, its grain mixture must be at least 51% corn, other grains like malted barley, rye and wheat may also be added to the combination. Furthermore, bourbon is matured in new and charred American white oak barrels and bottled at minimum 40% ABV. All these conditions give bourbon its unique taste among other whiskeys. But, what makes a great bourbon?- Aging does. Like all good things in life, bourbon needs time to show its real charm. As an example, there is the 1792 Full Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon. It’s an 8.5-year old bourbon which was named best bourbon in the world of 2018, a real piece of collection for connoisseurs.
Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock.com
An interesting fact about bourbon is that contrary to the strict rules applied to its production, there is no exact way how to drink it. It’s bourbon’s versatility what makes it the go-to drink. There are bourbons for every occasion (and every pocket). You can drink it neat or in a cocktail, for which we can suggest you Four Roses Yellow label, the best mixing bourbon, it might not be as desired as is the 1792 Full Proof but it’s the best if you want to chill out and enjoy a casual cocktail.
In a past article we have given you the Best bourbon for the money in 2018: 10 best bourbons under 50, and this time we took it one step further, we found 11 best inexpensive bourbons under $25 that don’t taste cheap. We agree that sometimes describing something as affordable can bring a negative connotation since usually mass appeal and quality don’t go together, but believe it or not – there are affordable, yet great tasting bourbons produced by many of the renowned distilleries and as well by many craft producers.
To formulate our list of the 11 best inexpensive bourbons that don’t taste cheap, we have consulted the ranking on Breaking Bourbon and for the additional information, we have used the bourbon guide found on the page of the American Bourbon Association which provided us with the verdicts on taste of each bourbon found in the market. The prices shown are taken from Total Wine and are for standard bottles of 750 ml. Without further ado, we are giving you the 11 best inexpensive bourbons under $25 that don’t taste cheap.
