The 15 Best Bourbons for Beginners
Learning about bourbon is a lot of fun.
If you have just commenced your journey into bourbon tasting and education, starting with different types of highly regarded expressions is a natural part of the learning process.
Bourbon is the most famous American whiskey, but there are some rules to its production. At least a 51% corn mash bill stored in charred oaks for four years and distillation in the US is what makes bourbon, as opposed to rye whiskey or charcoal-filtered Tennessee whiskey.
Acclimating as a bourbon beginner is a key part of the learning process. It’s great to drink, but interesting in its variations and an extremely important part of American history.
The following collection features the 15 best bourbons for beginners to try. Despite all being called bourbon, the bottles on this list have unique, historical, or innovative characteristics that separate them from other expressions, and they all taste fantastic in a rocks glass!
Learn (and drink) responsibly!
Best Buy Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon topped our list of the best Kentucky Bourbon brands. Pound for pound, it’s my favorite drinking whiskey, whether enjoyed neat, in a mixed drink, or cocktail. The Reverend Elijah Craig is credited with being the first to age whiskey inside a charred oak barrel, with old wives’ tales suggesting he found the secret by accidentally burning his oak casks. Each batch of Elijah Craig is selected from fewer than 100 of the finest barrels at the Heaven Hill Distillery in Louisville. Elijah Craig Small Batch is distilled from a traditional Bourbon mash bill of 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley and then aged for eight to 12 years in #3 char new American oak barrels.1. Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon
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Part of a well-rounded bourbon education is drinking quality bottles that may cost a bit more than your average bottle. Simply put, how do you know what’s really good, if you don’t know how an expensive bourbon tastes? Weller Antique 107 costs more than $100 but represents good value for a beginner since other expressions carrying the W.L. Weller label can climb north of $1000+. William Larue Weller was the first distiller of wheat whisky, and he once employed Pappy van Winkle before he rose to fame (Pappy van Winkle has some of the most expensive and hard-to-find whiskey around). Weller Antique 107 is an attractive dark copper color, aged for seven years in white oak before being bottled at 107 proof. It offers a potent yet complex taste and bold finish of vanilla, oak, and caramel, while irresistible cinnamon spice and black licorice can be found throughout.2. Weller Antique Bourbon
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One of my favorite expressions from when I was a bourbon beginner is Four Roses Bourbon because of its price, taste, and all-around versatility. Four Roses create 10 distinct bourbon recipes, with each one bringing a different characteristic to the batch. By mingling them Master Distiller Brent Elliott creates a complex range of flavor profiles. On the nose, it shows hints of pear and apple mixed in to compliment golden honey, orange marmalade, and light spice that tastes great on the palate. Four Roses’ uniquely long, smooth, and gentle finish makes it a favorite for bourbon drinkers, especially in classic mixed drinks and bourbon cocktails.3. Four Roses Bourbon
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Evan Williams Vintage is carefully handcrafted for seven to eight years in the barrel and is bottled at 43% ABV. It topped our list of the best single barrel bourbon to try in 2021 and represents great value at well under $50 per bottle. This expression is vintage-dated, meaning each bottle is marked with the vintage date it was put into oak, along with the year it was bottled and the exact serial number of the single barrel the bourbon was drawn from. Evan Williams Single Barrel has notes of dried fruit, vanilla, caramel, and a barrel of sweet oak and charred wood. The palate is lush & spicy with notes of oak, honey, apple, and orange. The finish is long and laid back with a tremendously easy mouthfeel ideal for veteran bourbon geeks and newcomers to the spirit.4. Evan Williams Single Barrel
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Old Forester 86 Proof Kentucky bourbon is marketed as America’s First Bottled Bourbon, having celebrated its 150th birthday in 2020. A touch of oak and pine provides a strong underpinning of flavor alongside sweet corn and rye grain. Sharp and sweet with a strong floral character that swirls around hints of mint, rich tobacco leaf, and vanilla. The finish is spicy from the rye spice influence with more soft vanilla and light orange notes. There are great-tasting, cheap bourbon brands for every liquor lover or fan of American whiskey, and Old Forester nestles comfortably near the top of the list for its smooth, easy-drinking flavor.5. Old Forester 86 Proof
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Redemption Wheated Bourbon is a quality sipping American whiskey that sits a little out of the ordinary from a regular Kentucky bourbon. The high wheat content in the mash bill (45% wheat, 51% corn, and 4% malted barley) is rare, helping make Redemption Wheated Bourbon super smooth even at a strong 96 proof. The nose offers ginger candy, sage, pear, and lavender over layers of vanilla and cedar, transitioning to a palate of roasted coffee beans, smoked meat, and hazelnut. It’s a great priced expression for new bourbon drinkers looking to experience a different flavor, power, and taste profile.6. Redemption Wheated Bourbon
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Buffalo Trace topped our list of the best whiskies for Old Fashioned cocktails. Personally, I enjoy unlocking the flavor in Buffalo Trace by adding a couple of cubes of ice and sipping. The tasting notes for Buffalo Trace are described as “a complex aroma of vanilla, mint, and molasses. Pleasantly sweet to the taste with notes of brown sugar and spice that give way to oak, toffee, dark fruit, and anise. This whiskey finishes long and smooth with serious depth.” Yes, please. It’s a smooth and refined tasting bourbon that can go into literally any cocktail recipe and work brilliantly, or as a straight-up sipping whiskey.7. Buffalo Trace Bourbon
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Michter’s individuality in bourbon production and age as a distiller – it’s heritage can be traced back to 1753 in Pennsylvania – means it suits the bourbon lover with a developing taste for good liquor, and who enjoys a sense of history with their mint julep. Michter’s US*1 is made from a carefully selected mash bill that features the highest quality American corn, aged in oak barrels. Each batch of Michter’s is matured in a holding tank sized to fit a maximum of 20 full bourbon barrels, which allows each bottle to have a distinctly individual flavor profile. Michter’s is sweeter and offers more flavor than the oaky feel of some other small batch bourbon options. Moderate afterburn, with genuine mellow caramel and earthy grass notes.8. Michter’s US*1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon
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Woodford Reserve is the bourbon of the Kentucky Derby. It’s a Lexington favorite and the brand synonymous with the famous mint julep cocktail. Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey comprises 200+ flavor notes, from bold grain and wood to the sweetness of vanilla and caramel, spice, and fruit and floral notes. The bourbon has a rich texture, with flavors well matched for use in classical cocktail recipes, mixed drinks, and food pairings. Woodford Reserve is a deep, rich, and smoothly balanced bourbon that has few weaknesses, which makes it well worth keeping in your regular spirit rotation to act as a comparison point to other bottles that you taste or buy.9. Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon
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Bourbon history is a wonderful thing, so it’s only natural to try bottled in bond bourbon as part of your education. New Riff straight bourbon features a mash bill of 65% corn, 30% rye, and 5% malted barley to pack the bourbon with more than a hint of rye spice amongst the sweeter caramel notes. Bottled in Bond for 100 proof pop and without chilled filtration, New Riff Straight Bourbon is aged four years in toasted oak barrel before bottling, giving it a rich unfiltered amber color. The rye in the mash bill really comes through at the finish, drawn-out against the sweetness and oak wood flavor.10. New Riff Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
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See more about - The 10 Best Bourbons Under $100 To Try In 2021
Knob Creek Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon is bottled from single casks and hand-picked based on their final age, rack placement, and other proprietary methods passed down for many generations. Knob Creek Bourbon takes its name from the small water source that ran through President Abraham Lincoln’s childhood farm. The brand was created by Jim Beam’s grandson, legendary Master Distiller Booker Noe. Knob Creek Reserve is aged for a minimum of nine years and bottled at 120 proof barrel strength. The bourbon features a nose of nuts, vanilla, and oaken wood. The palate adds dried fruit, maple syrup, and a hint of rum, which finishes powerfully with caramel, flecks of cinnamon leads, and more aged wood.11. Knob Creek Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon
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You can’t leave out Texas when learning about the best bottles. This small batch bourbon is a rich, dark amber liquid of fine flavor melded into a beautifully smooth tasting drop, with just enough heat behind it (94 proof) to warm the stomach and tongue. The Garrison mash bill features #1 grade corn, quality winter wheat, and two-row barley. These quality ingredients result in a smooth, well-aged, fine drinking bourbon. Just like Texas itself, there’s a drawl to Garrison Brothers Small Batch. Verbena, leather, meat, baking spice, candy corn, and lemon honey are identifiable in the air or on the palate. Pour this one neat or add some ice, take a load off and relax. It could become a favorite!12. Garrison Brothers Small Batch Bourbon
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At the turn of the 20th century, long before Jim Beam Bourbon became the whiskey you got at the bar in a standard bourbon and coke, the Beam family made an unfiltered bonded bourbon named Old Tub. Old Tub Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey follows the original recipe to showcase the authentic character of the whiskey that thrived under the then “new” bottled in bond legislation. This reincarnation is a true, old school tribute to the groundbreaking Old Tub whiskey, and has not been carbon or chill-filtered. It’s a great tasting shout-out to the history of American whiskey, and well worth adding to your collection.13. Old Tub Kentucky Straight Bourbon
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Bulleit Bourbon is great for the bourbon drinker that wants to explore a whiskey with a little heat in the ABV (45%) and on the tongue. Bulleit’s unique 175-year-old recipe makes for a distinctive taste: full-bodied and spicy with a long, smooth finish. Bulleit is aged six years minimum and provides a mature, complex flavor of an almost straight rye whiskey. The nose is bright with orange zest, toasted oak, and vanilla that adds further notes of orange winter baking spice and a hint of tobacco leaf on the palate. A 750 ml bottle of Bulleit Bourbon is a great sipping bourbon. I recommend Bulleit Bourbon with an ice cube or two, as it helps unleash the peppery spice and lengthens out some of the notes into warm bursts of oaken flavor. I also think Bulliet Rye Whiskey is also worth enjoying if you like a stronger, spicier flavor of the spirit.14. Bulleit Bourbon
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A flavored bourbon designed for easy sipping smoothness, the Litchfield Distillery has produced a quality whiskey flavor with a little extra bonus. The Litchfield Straight Bourbon Whiskey is infused with Bourbon-Madagascar vanilla extract, while a vanilla bean is added to each bottle to spur additional flavor as the bottle rests. While the vanilla flavor is dominant, the bourbon still has corn, caramel, and char present in the liquid to keep the liquid from being too sweet and liqueur-like. Litchfield Vanilla Bourbon is great for the new whiskey lover looking to taste an innovative flavored bottle they can bring out on special occasions, or for a nightcap after dinner.15. Litchfield Distillery Vanilla Flavored Bourbon
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