The Best Bourbons Under $30 (2021)

Written by Brian Donnelly, CSS, WSET III

July 5, 2021

 TL;DR

The Best Bourbon between $20 and $30 – 1792 Small Batch

The Runner Up – Evan Williams Single Barrel

The Best Value for the Money – Old Grand-Dad Bottled-In-Bond

Special Note

I plan to redo this entire series in 2022 to reflect the many new options available at each price point.

- Brian, December 2021

Overview

In part one of this series, I analyzed 14 different brands and expressions of Bourbon from $10 to $20 a bottle, to find the best options and highest quality, at this entry-level price point. I was pleasantly surprised with full of a variety of reliable options, even at this low price point. Immediately I was even more excited to explore the next price tier of Bourbon, confident that the $20 to $30 price range would be of a higher interest to most avid whiskey consumers. Apart from having a bit of fun, the purpose of this exercise is to emphasize that good Bourbon does not have to be expensive or allocated.

In part two of this series, I continued to use the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET)’s Systematic Approach to Tasting. I learned the structured system from, Nick King DipWSET, the organization’s global Product Development Manager for Spirits and Sake, during my Spirits Level 3 exam. This approach involves assessing the spirit based on its appearance, nose, palate, and finally leads us to conclude it’s quality. The system gives the student a framework for analyzing color, complexity, and length of the finish to judge the balance of both the aroma and taste.

The differences in quality and complexity were smaller and more challenging to discern in this price range. The majority of brands and expressions in this list were enjoyable, and are worth the money. There were only a few that I believe do not justify their retail asking price. Finally, after many rounds of tasting and analyzing, I picked three options that I though really offered tremendous value for the price, and stood out in a crowded, competitive category. The complete Bourbon list, including pricing, is available at the end of this article. The retail pricing for any of these expressions may vary depending on your state or liquor store.

With price in mind, I'm searching for three things to be considered a great bourbon:

  1. Does this product have a unique flavor, or is it muted or generic?

  2. Does this product deliver a depth of complexity with its flavor?

  3. Finally, what kind of finish and length does this product have?

I'm not too fond of the notion of scores, rankings, or ratings. I also don't care about, including tasting notes. The only thing that is important to me is if the quality and taste of the product are worth its retail asking price.

I did include a few rules to give myself some constraints.

  1. This tasting only included Bourbon and not all American Whiskeys, so I didn't include any Rye, Tennessee Whiskey, Blended, Wheat, Malt, or American Single Malt.

  2. I choose to not included any "allocated items." I want all options to be widely and readily available to all consumers.

  3. No wine cask finished products, such as Sherry, Port, or Madeira.

  4. There are no Limited-Time Releases, Store Pick Single Barrels, or Distillery Exclusives.

Pricing will be slightly different in each area, but generally, you should be able to find each option around this range.

Let's examine the winners:

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The Best Bourbon between $20 and $30

1792 Small Batch, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Produced at the Barton 1792 Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky, this expression is a mingling of hand-selected barrels by the Master Distiller.

Parent Company: Sazerac Company, New Orleans, Louisiana

Mash Bill: 75% Corn, 15% Rye, 10% Malted Barley

Proof: 93.7 (46.85% ABV)

Retail Price: $27 (750 ML)

The Runner Up

Evan Williams Single Barrel, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Named after an immigrant from Wales, who settled in present-day Louisville in 1783, Evan Williams is the second best-selling Bourbon brand, only behind Jim Beam. A single barrel whiskey, means that the product is taken from just one unique barrel, rather than a combination, or mingling, of multiple barrels to achieve a consistent flavor profile.

Parent Company: Heaven Hill Brands, Bardstown, Kentucky

Mash Bill: 78% Corn, 10% Rye, 12% Malted Barley

Proof: 86.6 (43.4% ABV)

Retail Price: $28 (750 ML)

The Best Value for the Money

Old Grand-Dad Bottled-In-Bond, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

This brand is produced at the Jim Beam Distillery in Clermont, Kentucky, using a unique high rye traditional Bourbon mash bill with its proprietary yeast strain. Old Grand-Dad was named for distiller Basil Hayden, whose high rye Bourbon recipe was passed down two generations. During Prohibition (1920 – 1933), Old Grand-Dad was produced and sold by the American Medicinal Spirits Company for “medicinal prescription.” To qualify for Bottled-in-Bond, the whiskey must be from a single distilling season (either January 1st to June 30th or July 1st to December 31st). It must be aged for at least four years in wood containers and bottled at 100 proof (50% ABV).

Parent Company: Beam Suntory, Chicago, Illinois 

Mash Bill: Unknown, Traditional Bourbon, High Rye

Proof: 100 (50% ABV)

Retail Price: $25 (750 ML)  

Closing Thoughts

Your order preference might be slightly different than mine, and that's perfectly ok! The best Bourbon within any price range lies entirely in the drinker's palate, but the four options featured in this video should be a great starting point. I've included a link in the description below with the written details from this video and the complete list of all options that I sampled in this price range.

Please drink responsibly.

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Tasted and Reviewed in May of 2020

  • Jim Beam Double Oak - $20

  • Old Forester 100 – $21

  • Weller Special Reserve - $25

  • Larceny - $25

  • Devil’s River - $27

  • Old Grand-Dad BIB - $25

  • Buffalo Trace - $25

  • Maker’s Mark - $25

  • 1792 Small Batch - $27

  • Elijah Craig - $28

  • Evan Williams Single Barrel - $28

  • Bulleit - $30

  • High West American Prairie - $30

  • Knob Creek - $30

Affiliate Disclosure

The links for product recommendations in this post are affiliate links. At zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase. This helps support this channel so that I can continue to bring you new content.