TL;DR

The Best Bourbon between $40 and $50 – Old Forester 1879

The Runner Up – Heaven’s Door Tennessee Bourbon

The Ultimate Connoisseur’s Bourbon – Knob Creek 9 Year-Old Single Barrel

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

The Best Bourbon between $40 and $50

Old Forester 1879, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky

The 1879 is the second member of the Old Forester’s Whiskey Row series, which honors historical moments in the brand’s history. This expression pays homage to the US Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1879. To be labeled as bottled-in-bond, the whiskey had to be aged in a federally bonded warehouse for at least four years. It had to be the product of one distillation season, one distiller, one distillery, and be bottled at 100 proof (50% ABV). All Old Forester Bourbons are aged in temperature-controlled rack houses and are non-chill filtered.

Brian’s Note: I have been an Old Forester fanboy since I first got into distilled spirits. I still believe Old Forester 86 is the best Bourbon under $20. I love the idea behind the Whiskey Row series, and I’ll taste the 1920 and 1910 in upcoming price ranges. The 1870 represents something significant behind the brand’s history, but the 1879 is hands down the better option, especially considering there is a small difference in price between these expressions. Bottled-in-Bond products are fun because they are a direct historical link to a time in the not so distant past, where customers were finally given a decent assurance of quality.

Parent Company: Brown-Forman Company, Lousiville, Kentucky

Mash Bill: 72% Corn, 18% Rye, 10% Malted Barley

Proof: 100 Proof (50% ABV)

Retail Price: $49 (750ml)

For more information about the history of Old Forester, click here.

The Runner Up

Heaven’s Door Tennessee Bourbon, Tennessee Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Heaven’s Door is a brand developed in partnership with music legend Bob Dylan and first launched in 2018. The flagship expression is a 6 year-old Bourbon sourced from Tennessee. Unlike other whiskies produced in Tennessee, this expression is a real Bourbon and does not go through any charcoal mellowing, known as the Lincoln County Process. The brand is building a new distillery in a 160-year-old historic church in downtown Nashville, scheduled to open in the Spring of 2022.

Brian’s Note: The Heaven’s Door Tennessee Bourbon I sampled for this comparison had an 8 year-old age statement and was 90 Proof (45% ABV). I spoke to our regional contact from Spirits Investment Partners (SIP), the financial backer for this brand, about the age and proof change. He informed me that the brand plans to launch a 10 year-old Bourbon, as a permanent line extension, in the future and needed to restructure the age statement of the flagship expression.  

Parent Company: Spirits Investment Partners (SIP), Chicago, Illinois

Mash Bill: 70% Corn, 22% Rye, 8% Malted Barley

Proof: 92 Proof (46% ABV)

Retail Price: $44 (750ml)

For more information about the history of Heaven’s Door, click here.

The Ultimate Connoisseur’s Bourbon

Knob Creek 9 Year-Old Single Barrel, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Knob Creek is a member of the Beam Small Batch Collection and first launched in 1992 by Booker Noe, the 6th generation Master Distiller at Jim Beam. The brand is named for the creek that ran behind Abraham Lincoln’s childhood home in Kentucky. All rack houses at the Jim Beam distillery are nine floors high, and the barrels for Knob Creek are always sourced from the middle, never the top two or bottom two floors.

Brian’s Note: The Knob Creek brand offers a lot of value to consumers, especially now that Beam has reinstated the 9 year-old age statement on their flagship expression. The sample I used for my tasting was a 9 year-old single barrel that I bottled myself while visiting the distillery. At 120 proof, this expression is only for the serious Connoisseur, looking for the most from their Bourbon. It is impossible to deny that this expression is the best bang for your buck of any product in this range. For $45, a customer gets a 9 year-old single barrel bourbon bottled at 120 proof (60% ABV). I did not choose this product as the overall winner at this price point, though, because I believe it would not have as much appeal to the average consumer as the other two options. If you are an expericaned Bourbon drinker, who wants the most for your money, then the Knob Creek 9 Year-Old Single Barrel is for you.

Parent Company: Beam Suntory, Chicago, Illinois

Mash Bill: Unknown, Traditional Bourbon, Low Rye

Proof: 120 (60% ABV)

Retail Price: $45

For more information about the history of Knob Creek, click here.