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Ive always found a bright nutmeg note, which can really stand out in blind tastings. Maker's Mark Cask . Got your Mash? 2) Sazerac 18 Year Straight Rye This is going to be a controversial choice, but let's talk this through. The finish is long, honey sweet, with cinnamon and maple syrup notes. He has conducted various bourbon and whiskey tastings in cities across the country, and consulted for multiple national labels. Larceny Bourbon ABV: 46% Distillery: Heaven Hill Distillery, Louisville, KY Average Price: $26 The Whiskey: This is the exact same juice that's just aged a little less. San Francisco World Spirits Competition a few years ago, The 25 Best Whiskies to Try Before You Die, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. In the case of Old Forester, it comes from the recipe used by distiller Brown-Forman during the prohibition era when the government ordered them to keep their doors open to make bourbon "for medicinal purposes." It's 115 proof with vanilla, nuts, and seasoned oak that has a bulky belly which shows its exceptional age. And its a bartenders dream for its mixability. From your daily sipper to the best bottle to bring to a party, here are the best bourbons to drink in 2023. But it goes into the barrel a 114 proof instead of 125 proof. You may opt-out by. Buy a case. He is a native of Louisville, KY in the heart of Bourbon Country. While I think the standard version is fine, Ive had two private barrel selections that were great. I didnt find this note, however, and it failed to impress in the field. There have been quite a few individual barrels of wheated bourbon released, or reportedly released over they ears. Futile efforts to obtain any of the 2nd list has been a waste of time. The bourbon is bottled-in-bond (BIB), which means it is the product of a single distillation by a single distiller at a single distillery, and has been aged for at least four years under US government supervision. Its bottled at 115 proof for this distillery, thats the perfect proof, Minnick says. On the nose, the whiskey offers sweet caramel and candied cherries, along with a persistent oak note in the background. But again, two for the price of one is a bargain. Give the whiskey a few minutes to open up and for the alcohol burn to dissipate. You can have five different notes hitting at once. Note: the portfolio for Rebel Yell all received a makeover with updated labels in April 2019. Larceny Barrel Proof (A121, B521, C921) - T3. I'd say this is a bit of a draw on the nose. About 10 to 12 years ago, Total Wine opened a store in Clearwater Florida. The brand has been on the shelves for over 150 consecutive years. Its not. Distiller Score: 86. Larceny Barrel Proof A122 Bourbon . The 6 year age statement is now gone and replaced with just the number 6 on the handle, but they bourbon is indeed at least 4 years old. Unfortunately, the surging popularity of bourbon has made most any wheater over 6 years old nearly impossible to find. The look of it was like that of a reddened maple syrup. Try it on the rocks. Ive had/have 5 of the 8 limited/hard to find editions and they are not worth the effort, schmoozing, and gouging required to obtain. The juice is the same stuff that goes into Woodford, although this entry is blended with different barrels for an end product thats a great, basic bourbon at a great price. Flavor Profile: Sweet Additionally, it was aged at least 4 years under government supervision, and it is bottled at 50% ABV. Admittedly, the barrel seasoning makes all the difference between . Sazerac 18 typically demands the highest price in the Buffalo Antique Collection line. Look, this is a damn nice dram. As with all Pappy releases, the actual price youll pay for a bottle will likely be significantly more, but in a welcome change of pace, the yields were higher in 2022 than in previous years, so more bottles were available than usual. Really enjoyed reading it and appreciated your message. Entry proof unknown. Although it is more expensive at $88 per bottle, it is a far better value than the $30 NAS version. Now, bourbon fans grow angry over their inability to find precious gold they once regularly consumed. It's also the first brand. Glad to find your listing. Old Fitzgerald is a bottled-in-bond wheated bourbon released twice a year by Kentucky's . This Kentucky Straight Bourbon from Beam was formerly known as Jim Beam Double Aged. Additionally, Four Roses uses up to five different yeast strains for its bourbons, and all are used here. Both mash bills are utilized for this bottling. Going into my tasting, I thought this had a great chance of winning. The latter is a blend of a 16-year-old bourbon and a 15-year-old high-rye bourbon that pays tribute to the family's first distiller, Jacob Beam, and it's said to be some of the best bourbon being produced at the busy distillery. Id keep my eye out for the upcoming single barrel Rebel Yell as well as any private barrel selections you can find from Weller, or Makers Mark in particular. Case in point is the original wheated bourbon, Wellers signature 12-year bourbon. One of the best new whiskeys of recent memory, Stellum is a more affordable Barrell Bourbon. Id certainly make a few changes here and there. The McKenna distillery was established in 1855, founded by the noted Irish immigrant distiller. Old Grand-Dad was a contender for Best Everyday Bourbon. Pappy Van Winkles impossible-to-find wheated bourbon has become such a hype monster that other wheated bourbons from Buffalo Traces portfolio have seen their own popularity skyrocket due to their proximity. The result is that both the W L Weller Special Reserve and the Old Weller Antique Original 107 brand straight wheated bourbon whiskey often sell at three times or more of their list price. But that doesnt mean the core ingredients dont start off the same. His bourbon incorporated a large percentage of rye, giving the whiskey a spicy and powerful flavor. The sour mash prevents wild yeast from entering the mash and causing infections. The 15 YO version is similar but far richer and complex. Both are somewhat fruity, but express it differently. So, we switched Eagle Rare to its sister brand, Buffalo Trace, which always warms up my palate in the winter. Boy, was I wrong! But that list has a problem: Almost half of them are so limited in production or so high in demand that most readers will never see them a retail. The finish is long, caramel-sweet, with a lingering cinnamon and a cooked cereal note. The whiskey is produced by. Weve already talked about how Weller and Pappy are the same wheated bourbon, so lets give Heaven Hills wheated bourbons some love. 46% ABV, is a small batch bourbon assembled from 200 barrels or less, handpicked by Heaven Hills master distiller. Relative to Kentucky, theyve been around for a few days. The notes kind of just linger. The sip leans more into the caramel apples on the end and skips the citrus yet stays warm and mellow. Theres a sense of sweet yet slightly bitter tea next to rye spice and a flutter of fresh mint. The whiskey carries no age statement but is believed to be a blend of whiskeys between four and 20 years old. Flavor is smooth and a bit musty, with hints of vanilla, banana, cinnamon and a dash of charred oak spice providing a bitter note. [CDATA[ But it was not in the cards. ABV: 46% Many of these regional brands were ones gobbled up by the big distillers in the consolidation that followed Prohibition in the US or they are expressions that were left out of the marketing campaigns that created the big national brands. The bourbons range from the $70, 107-proof Old Rip Van Winkle Handmade Bourbon 10-Year-Old to the top-shelf, 95.6-proof Pappy Van Winkles Family Reserve Bourbon 23-Year-Old, which has a suggested retail price of $300. With intense flavors of dark fruit, cocoa, and vanilla, this Cabernet Sauvignon offers a smooth and balanced taste with a long, lingeri. Four Roses Small Batch, a household favorite, did not perform well in this blind tasting for Best [+] Everyday Bourbon. That works out to 1.75 barrels of bourbon per resident or over 500 bottles of whiskey per capita. Made using a single recipe and barrel per bottle, its between seven and eight years old and has more complexity than the Small Batch. So no Jim Beam Soft Red Wheat, none of the individual Willett bottlings, none of the Michters 10 year bottlings that were(or were reported to be) wheaters, and none of the Buffalo Trace Single Oak or experimental releases that were wheated. Its more complex than regular FR, but still drinks easy. At $30 per bottle, this is an outstanding value for an aged, over-proof, classic bourbon. Sometimes even exactly the same. Flavor Profile: Spicy & Smoky Weller Special reserve has much in common with its more famous cousins, but sells, at least officially, at an average price of around $30a fraction of the cost of the Pappy expressions. Head to Head Comparison: Old Forester 100 vs Wild Turkey 101 I like to do head to head comparisons because I feel like it brings out the nuances of each bourbon. A slice of citrus arrives to lighten everything up on the short end. In this blind tasting, I picked up a cornbread note and thought it to be too young to make my Top 5. Lets Talk Fermentation and Distillation! It is based on a mash bill of 77% corn, 10% rye and 13% malted barley. Don't take Woodford Reserve's Double Oaked's ubiquity for mediocrity. It now goes on to compete for Best American Whiskey. Distillers Gin Guide: Styles to Know and Brands to Try. While it has an MSRP of just $40 (and costing half that much just a couple of years ago), its become one of the industrys hottest bottles more recently, and these days market prices hover around $300. Limited edition and long-aged bourbons go as quickly as they hit the shelves. For our money, the best do-it-all bourbon is Knob Creek's 9-year-old Small Batch offering. ABV: 43% ABV: 46.5% Plum, pear, cocoa and vanilla are among the tasting notes here. Wheated Bourbon Throwdown: Larceny vs. W.L. 72 percent corn, 18 percent rye, ten percent malted barley. Flavor Profile: Vanilla & Sweet Its based on a mash bill of 78% corn, 10% rye and 12% malted barley. Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, KY (Sazerac Company) The original nomination was Weller Antique, which is widely available in some markets and sparse in others. A $125 1oz shot of Old Fitz bonded 1965-a real treat! Hi Dave! Ill have to revisit this sometime soon and update the list. Old Forester 1870's name refers to the year that Brown-Forman founder George Garvin Brown began batching whiskey from three different distilleries (Atherton in Bardstown, Mattingly in Marion and Mellwood in Louisville) to ensure a consistent product. But this victory goes to the sister product of Henry McKenna 10-year-old, which won Best Whisky and Best Bourbon at San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and will compete against McKenna for my Best American Whiskey December 20. Crafted at the Brown-Forman Distillery in Shively, KY. Wheat adds a creaminess to the mouth feel of the bourbon, and has sort of a prickly sweet flavor that is slightly lighter than the sweetness typically derived from the majority corn recipe. The juice is a throwback to Colonel Blanton who expanded the distillery in the 20th century and used to handpick barrels for his personal stash in warehouse H. The bottle in-and-of-itself has become a collectors item with the small horse on each cork varying slightly. Regular Old Forester goes into those burnt barrels for another six to nine months. Its also worth noting that Wild Turkey had twoWild Turkey 101 and Russells Reservein the running to win it all. Minnick has a unique use for one of bourbons classic names. Maybe even one day I will get to try some Pappy!! Theres a clear taste of the honey, vanilla, and toffee carrying the sip towards a very subdued spice and oak. That hasnt stopped the collectors, however. Oh, and it's sold in liters. They find themselves waiting in line and participating in lotteries for the likes of Weller Antique, which once collected dust on the shelf. Yes, aging and blending can have a big impact on taste. This whiskey is much better known then the expressions cited above. Average Price: $20. This is a simple bourbon thats cut from the same mash and pulled from the same rickhouses as everyones beloved Blantons one of the more sought after and awarded bourbons in modern times. As it turns out, it came in my top 10. Production started on Ezra Brooks around the 1950s by the Medley Distillery. But Evan Williams is a value brand. [CDATA[ The NAS version would be better with a little more age and at a higher proof. That leaves lots of expressions of excellent bourbon, many made by those same national producers, which are available only on a regional basis or have limited distribution. The finish has a velvet texture that helps it fade fairly slowly while staying warm. It is an heir to the Old Fitzgerald franchise; one of the first wheated bourbons. At the end of the day, it's a blue-collar spirit, made by thirsty farmers, for thirsty farmers. Booker's 25th (Probably gets some subconscious points from knowing it was a one-time release) Now, Top 5 that are fairly available (or sufficiently bunkered): 1. Old Forester was launched in 1870 by George Garvin Brown and named for Dr. William Forrester, who prescribed bourbon to his patients. With all the easily available wheaters around, it really makes little sense to go through the Herculean effort and expense to obtain the limited editions. Larceny is a bourbon produced by the Heaven Hill distillery made from a mash bill that is 20 percent wheat. George Dickel 15 Year Single Barrel . This is not a new phenomenon and it plays a large role in blended bourbons. This 100 proof bottling is also bottled-in-bond. For my qualifications, I limited them to products under $40, available in the majority of the states and it could not be a limited edition. Yes. It won my American Whiskey of the Year award [in 2018] in a blind tasting, Minnick says. For instance, Jim Beam, Bakers, Knob Creek, Old Crow, and Old Taylor all have the exact same mash bill (75/13/12 corn/rye/barley), barrel char (level #4), and barreling proof (125 proof). Old Grand-Dad Bonded Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, NAS, 50% ABV, was the nickname of a distiller named Basil Hayden. But thats not to say that all of those bourbons taste exactly the same. The spice gets a little peppery as a final cut if citrus arrives to help the end slowly fade out. But theres so many wonderful bourbons available. The whiskey is based on a mash bill of 62% corn, 28% rye and 10% malted barley. With Distiller, youll always know whats in the bottle before you spend a cent. Weve highlighted that time and again. As Bourbon Heritage Month rolls on, were taking a look at some expensive bottles of bourbon to see if we can find some cheaper bourbon counterparts from the exact same mash bill, barrel char, and barrel proof. I W Harper Kentucky Trail Straight Bourbon Whiskey, NAS, 41% ABV, is based on a mash bill of 73% corn, 18% rye and 9% malted barley. Theres certainly less refinement at play. This is such a dynamic whiskey, Minnick says. Great mouth flavors. Today, Evan Williams Bourbon is distilled only blocks from the site of his original distillery. I cover spirits, the drinks culture and business. Last year, I tasted a dozen bourbons that were widely available and selected Ezra Brooks 7-year-old Cask Strength. He has written multiple books on bourbon, has served as a judge at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the World Whiskey Awards, is the founder of Bourbon+ magazine, was the former lead American whiskey reviewer at Whiskey Advocate, hosts The Fred Minnick Show podcast (about bourbon) and is the Bourbon Authority for the Kentucky Derby Museum. One of the comparisons I did was a side-by-side review of two Bottled-in-Bond bottlings: Old Forester's 1897 BiB versus Old Grand Dad BiB. The mash bill consists of 72% corn, 18% rye and 10% malted barley. The 2021 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon is bold, spicy, and fruit forward. That includes retailer specific brands. Distiller Score: 88. Yes. A pioneering brand, it was originally released as an exclusively bottled 90 proof bourbon whisky. Proof: The percentage of alcohol, displayed as double that of the alcohol percentage. Produced by a respected distiller (Wild Turkey)? The Brown-Forman distillery also uses the same mash bill for their premium, high-end market bourbon, Woodford Reserve. The label launched with just two bourbons in its portfolio: the two-year Colonel James B. Beam and the more premium Jacobs Well. Distillery: Heaven Hill Distillery, Louisville, KY ABV: 40% Learn how your comment data is processed. This juice is hand-selected to be small batched to match a six-year-old age profile. This bourbon was the first Single Barrel expression sold in the modern era. It's got a good amount of heat on account of being 117 proof, but you'll still be able to make out classic bourbon tasting notes like caramel, brown sugar, vanilla and oak. First, bourbon can only be made in America, and its grain bill must include at least 51 percent of corn. The exact mash bill is kept a secret but word on the street is that its a fairly low-rye mash bill with 12 to 15 percent rye. Its a fantastic bourbon, especially for the money, he says. Finish: Medium length and warm. Old Forester packs a banana note that I thought could dominate the competition if I happened to be in a banana mood.. Will be looking to sample some others on your list particularly the Makers Cask Strength. Despite the increasing demand (and price) for much-hyped bottles, bourbon is an every-person drink. Weller, and to a lesser extent Old Fitzgerald, has been caught up in the cult frenzy that now surrounds Pappy Van Winkle. And THAT I can provide some help on. Ninety-five percent of all of the bourbon distilled in the US is made in Kentucky. Here are my rankings the Best Wheated Bourbons in each category. If you love cinnamon notes, youll love this, Minnick says. Simply, this is Heaven Hills famous wheated bourbon thats aged for nine years and bottled-in-bond. Below are 8 brands of bourbon that retail for less than $50, many are under $30, that represent excellent values and that you have probably never heard of. He has also been published on Liquor.com. Price Range: $20 to $30. This is a departure from the classic Jim Beam mash we mentioned in the lede. Entry proof is 125 proof/62.5 percent. Nice, easy-drinking proof? Overpowering taste and smell of alcohol. But those whiskeys are cut from the exact same distillation. Last I heard it was going for about three thousand a bottle if you could find it. Charles is a 50-year veteran of the Kentucky distilling industry and his familys history is closely intertwined with Kentucky bourbon. And this year the brand got its 9-year age guarantee back, too. So funky, so rich with cornbread and a honey butter, the only reason it did not win this tasting was it lacked the finish of the winner. Theyve also led the way in transparency. It's made up of whiskeys from Indiana, Tennessee and Kentucky, with ages ranging from 4 to 16 years old. Yes, Ancient Age is the same mash bill, barrel, and barrel proof as Blantons. ABV: 50% Because its not a hype whiskey, doesnt have a famous name and isnt a limited release, it doesnt get talked about but I challenge you to find a bourbon with this much firepower at the price point. I walk in and find 15 year old Pappy in a red velvet sack sitting on the shelf for about sixty dollars a bottle. It's dynamic and well worth the $55 sticker price. Other states have much lower thresholds, however, some considering anything over $400 to be grand larceny. Theyll tell you everything there is to know about their whiskey they dont hide the mash bill, the distillation proof. Additionally, BIB whiskey must be bottled at 50% ABV (100 proof). This juice is. Ive been drinking bourbon for 50 years and liked your article on wheated bourbons. Thanks for a great article. The brand was resurrected by Diageo in 2015 as both a NAS and a 15 YO version. Been there, done that, feel silly never again. In fact, ones named after a bourbon legend while the other has that legends visage on its label. My personal opinion is a little different. Im going through a bottle a month. Larceny is 45% alcohol by volume, whereas Maker's Mark has 45%. Flavor Profile: Sweet & Rich It has a suggested MSRP of $150, and Reserve Bar is your best bet for snagging a bottle. Theres no way around it, Wild Turkey 101 is great for the money. I want to really sit there and think about it when Im drinking it, Minnick says. This bourbon may benefit from some airtime. The sip edges into orange zest territory with dark spices accentuated by nice toffee sweetness and a dusting of dark cacao powder when water is added. Wheated: A bourbon with a higher than normal percentage of mash bill made up of wheat (the main grain remains corn). A leather note emerges and lingers at the end. This has an incredible sweetness to it, Minnick says. ABV: 50% Black Label Extra-Aged is bottled at 43% ABV. It is bottled without an age statement at 80 proof. Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, KY (Sazerac Company) For this reason, I started selecting a Best Everyday Bourbon. I recently did a blind taste test comparing some Wheaters and surprisingly rated Makers 46 as my top pick among Makers Mark, Larceny, Old Weller Antique, and Bernheim (a pure wheat whiskey). But nowhere is the impact of the Pappy Van Winkle lineup more prevalent than in the trickle down effect it has had on other bourbons made with wheat as the secondary or flavoring grain. The price stops most people from ever getting to drink it and thats a shame. The mash bill is undisclosed, but is believed to be the same, or very close, to that of Old Fitzgerald and the Pappy expressions. You might notice there isnt a price, proof, tasting notes or distillery information listed on this pick. Its not complex, but the sweetness is really nice the way it hits the palate. But I worried its subtleties could get lost in a deep field, which this was. Larceny is a wheated bourbon made from a blend of selected barrels made in honor of this legend. Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style Weller Antique 107 Blanton's Henry McKenna 10 Year Noah's Mill 1. Buffalo Trace is more bright, vibrant, tropical, fruity, and herbal. Whether it's the softer flavor imparted by the sweet mash (the vast majority of modern bourbon is sour mashed) or the distiller's proprietary "infusion mashing" process or something else entirely, the result is a wicked, wicked pour. The finish is short-lived, with caramel and oak to it with very little to no warmth. Four Rosess upgrade over its standard offering blends 180 barrels of four different recipes per bottling. Its price, proof and age suggest it could be your next home bar staple. Bourbon drinkers who enjoy spice and dark fruit will be fans of this release. Small Batch: A subjective term signaling a bourbon made using a select number of barrels or recipes in a blended bottling. For being the same brand as the Small Batch, they taste very different. Sour mash and bottled-in-bond, non-distiller-producers and high-ryes. The palate carries that spice into peppery territory with hints of oak, vanilla, tart apples, and honey. I W Harper was widely popular in the 1950s and 60s, and was exported to more than 100 countries around the world. Once again, this wonderful bourbon was in the running to win it all. In my early review days, I wanted to compare anything and everything that seemed similar. It is 115 proof and reminiscent of the style of bourbon distilled by the brand during the prohibition era. After about 7 years, they start becoming nice sips. I had always found an over-oaked note here. Makers 46 is a good pick. It was very, very nice bourbon, he says, wistfully. On the nose, Larceny is sweet, offering fruit notes of peach and apricot along with candied citrus zest, and cinnamon. Flavor Profile: Rich & Full Bodied Here we go.. Its estimated that there are over 3,500 historic brands of bourbon in the United States. You may or may not see these bottles show up in a more official form in a future version of this guide once we've tried them ourselves. I write about wines and spirits and the hidden corners of the world, Whisky Review: 50 Year Old Glenfarclas, Bowmore, Cardrona, And More, Hendricks Gin Debuts Flora Adora As New Limited Release, Thinking About Black Wine Business Beyond Black History Month, Whisky Review: Compass Box, Benriach, Tobermory, And More, Vibrant Whites, Distinctive RedsAppreciating The Wines Of Friuli, Appreciating Some Of Italys Lesser Known Varietals And Grapes, Wine Cocktails That Take The Chill Off Winter, Bacardis Latest Cask Finished Rum Expressions Are Exceptional. New Riff Distilling was founded in 2014. 4. Really young wheat whiskey(4-5 years and younger)can be harsh and almost astringent, while rye-based bourbons tend to have a spicy characteristic that offsets that at a younger age. Larceny, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, NAS. Larceny is a brand extension of Heaven Hills Old Fitzgerald line. But underneath its fundamentals swims a deep sea of factors additional rules and regulations, hype machines and deceptive marketing, false myths and a boom that began in 2008 and is still going strong today that make bourbon more complex than it seems. ModernThirst's Comparison Reviews of Wheated Bourbons: 2020 ModernThirst. This is a nice mixing bourbon that works just as well on the rocks. Though it shares DNA with other Heaven Hill bourbons like Evan Williams and Henry McKenna, Elijah Craig Small Batch is balanced, with extra maltiness. Could this be its year? For something around $30, you get an expertly blended whiskey aged a minimum of 8 years with notes of cherry, orange, almond toffee and oak and bottled at a casual 90 proof. For 2022, the rugged western whiskey is a blend of 8- and 9-year-old barrels from the distillery and clocks in at a whopping 134.8 proof. Elmer T Lee (Wish it was still as easy to find as it was a few years ago) 2. ABV: 50% If they land in my lap at MSRP, like some have, Ill bite. But the truth is, in a pinch, this is a great sipper. I believe that to be the definition of nuance. Among that plethora of lingering notes, you'll find interesting tastes like maple syrup, green peppercorn, coriander, and even a s'mores-like finish of chocolate, graham cracker and toasted marshmallow. The juice starts its time in a new charred oak barrel (as it should) before its dumped into a second charred oak barrel that's been more deeply toasted. Sounds like a pretty good reason the move to Kentucky. Once everyday, easy-to-find [+] brands are now allocated and outside of the consumer's reach. Ive had or have everything on the easy list. The end is rich with a note of toffee and a whisper of salted caramel. This bespoke (and admittedly cool-looking) bottle became extremely famous and then extremely expensive in retail. Dread River Master Series by Eboni Major: Eboni Major is one of the rising stars of the bourbon world. But this blind tasting was not its day. It is aged longer than Jim Beam Original, also known as Jim Beam White Label. The sip leans into the toffee with a subtle dose of cinnamon spice lingering in the background with more of that honeyed corn. In 1870, George Garvin Brown, founder of Old Forester, created the first bottled bourbon. Distiller Score: 88. Roughly 1,000 are currently active. It has a highly complex taste, with everything from cotton candy and cayenne pepper to macadamia nuts and underripe blackberries showing up across the nose and palate. For instance, in New York, property valued at over $1,000 is considered grand larceny. You can get a lot of satisfaction out of that. It's a classic tasting bourbon with notes of oak, caramel and brown sugar. Old Forester 100 proof. So the second way to look at it is really what this site is focused on- how it tastes. Sure. Best I ever had was a couple weeks ago in a Chicago speakeasy the Office. In addition, Minnick is the editor-in-chief of Bourbon+ Magazine and host on the Spirits Network. So lets divide them into two categories: Standard Production and Limited Release. On the palate, the whiskey is smooth and sweet, with vanilla and caramel and a little dried fruit. Retail - $250; . Foundation For Advancing Alcohol Responsibility. Yet, it always sort of baffles me when people go on about Evan Williams (which is the same mash bill as Elijah Craig at Heaven Hill) but not this.