Rephrase my Shutterstock/UPROXX
This weekend is going to be a good weekend for some bourbon drinking. Super Bowl Sunday is the biggest non-holiday holiday on the American calendar and it’s one that’s awash in booze. If you ask me (your friendly neighborhood whiskey critic), you should be grabbing tasty, affordable, and easy-to-find bourbon for this weekend’s festivities.
Sure, you can finally crack that bottle of Pappy 20 if your team wins. But the rest of us will need a reliable and affordable bottle of bourbon to enjoy during the game, the commercials, and amidst gorging ourselves on wings. So let’s focus on that.
Below, I’m calling out 20 bottles of bourbon that all cost under $50 — all of which you should be able to find at any liquor store. That does narrow it down a bit. I’d love to call out local to Kansas City bourbon J. Riger’s Bottled In Bond, but it’s not available nationwide yet and it’s just north of $50 per bottle. The bottles listed below are going to be right there at any Costco, Total Wine, Whole Foods, Kroger, or wherever good liquor is sold.
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
The 100 Best Bourbon Whiskeys Of 2023, Ranked
The ‘Smoothest’ Bourbons Under $100, Blind Tasted And Ranked
The 100 Best Kentucky Bourbons, Ranked
The Absolute Best Tasting Bourbons Under $50, Ranked
The Absolute Best Bottle Of Whiskey From Each Of The 50 States
20. Old Grand-Dad 114 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Beam Suntory
ABV: 57%
Average Price: $24
The Whiskey:
Hailing from the James B. Beam stills and warehouses, this “Old” whiskey is a fan favorite. The whiskey is from Beam’s high rye mash bill. The hot juice is then matured until it’s just right. After the barrels are blended, the whiskey is just touched with water to bring the proof down, and then it’s bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Vanilla tobacco meets hints of rye spiciness with a dose of caramel and old oak on the nose.
Palate: The palate holds onto that rye spice as notes of cherry and oak dominate the vanilla and toffee sweetness.
Finish: The end returns to the spice with a chewy tobacco edge that lingers for a short time but leaves you wanting more.
Bottom Line:
This is a good crowd-pleaser that’s not going to break the bank. It works wonders in Coke or 7-Up since it’s bold enough to stand out with those big sweet soda flavors. It makes an easy and fun old fashioned thanks to the cherry and vanilla sweetness. And you can shoot it with a beer if you’re so inclined. That’s versatility.
19. Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Sazerac Company
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $28
The Whiskey:
This is the whiskey that heralded a new era of bourbon in 1999. Famed Master Distiller Elmer T. Lee came out of retirement to create this bourbon to celebrate the renaming of the George T. Stagg distillery to Buffalo Trace when Sazerac bought the joint. The rest, as they say, is history, especially since this has become a touchstone for better SEO.
