Best tasting inexpensive bourbon?

[boone]

I don't know for sure if it was created when my family of distillers worked for Pappy...Actually, Pop Beam and Elmo worked there at the same time in the early days. I have a picture of them standing in front of the distillery. Hell, all of the "7 sons" worked for the VanWinkle family

I have a letter from Pappy sent to my Uncle Wilmer (Master Distiller, Yellowstone 1956). That letter was sent in regard to Pop Beams death. Pappy states in that letter that they made wonderful bourbon, with exception on the first day... That clue (in my opinion) told me that they were probably "inventing something" for Pappy He also went on to say that he was the Dean Distiller of his Age...

I guess it's something we will never know for sure.

Will McGill was my great Uncle. He was brother to my great-grandmother Katie McGill Beam

Bettye Jo

[bourbonv]

Bettye Jo,
I was basing the Elmo Beam information on a photo album that Julian Van Winkle owns and let us copy for the U D Archive. In that album it lists Elmo Beam as Master Distiller but there are several other Beams identified.
I think you may be right about the "clue" in your letter - it certainly matches the time frame for the experimentation period I am talking about.

We (myself included) often forget when we refer to distillery owners as "distillers" (people such as Pappy Van Winkle, E. H. Taylor, James E. Pepper, etc...) that the fact is they probably had a Beam, a Dant, a Wathen or a Medley working for them as the "Master Distiller". These are the people that often made the true discoveries and improvements, but never received the credit they deserved.
Mike Veach

[brendaj]

Mike & Bettye Jo,
Since I tend to prefer the wheaters, I'm impressed to know (after all this time) that it probably was a Beam! I have been interested in who actually pioneered the wheat mashbill, since MM started bragging about doing it in their advertising...

the fact is they probably had a Beam, a Dant, a Wathen or a Medley working for them as the "Master Distiller". These are the people that often made the true discoveries and improvements, but never received the credit they deserved.

I absolutely agree 100%! I remember telling Elmer T. Lee how honored I was to meet him. I told him I was a Master Distiller Groupie, and he laughed. He thought I was kidding.
I wasn't...

[Black85L98]

EC 12YO best in the range

WT and OF are good choices

EW BIB is a nice 100 proof for about $12

I take AA over Ezra unless I can get Old Ezra in that price.

[idpa2000]

My two favorite inexpensive bourbons have to be Old Grand Dad 86 and Elija Craig 12.

[ikewillett1]

For my tastes, AAA is the best inexpensive bourbon. Its about $15 a bottle and good to the last drop. I always have a least a couple bottles on hand.

Ike

[wrbriggs]

I can only get AAA 10 star, not AAA 10-year old... from what I've heard, this is the case everywhere outside of Kentucky. I've been told that the 10 star is probably not worth buying, but I might pick some up anyway (except I have to special order it).

[cowdery]

I can get the 10-year-old here in Chicago. I have a bottle now.

The 10-star is 90 proof and six years old, so it's probably not too bad, it's just not 10 years old. I haven't had it, at least not recently. I suspect that at some point they went to this younger (hence cheaper) product in some markets, while still keeping the AAA name and a numeral "10" on the label. This is what Wild Turkey did a few years ago, when they removed the age statement, which was 8 years, but replaced it with a meaningless "No. 8 Brand" so no one would notice.

The six-year-old age claim for AAA 10 Star comes from the website. I don't know if it's on the label or not.

The standard AA is 80 proof and the last time I had it, it was three years old, and wasn't very good.

[tdelling]

Being somewhat curious about the use of wheat, I stuck "wheat whiskey" into
Google, and turned up a Canadian (!) distillery making "Cheltenham Wheat
Whiskey" in 1848, and a picture of a barrel, circa 1860, from a Waterloo
(Canada again!) distillery, marked "EXTRA RECTIFIED RYE AND WHEAT WHISKEY.
HESPELER AND RANDALL". (Randall & Co would later become Seagrams).

My guess is that the Canadians used wheat because it was produced nearby.

I also turned up a "design patent" (early form of copyright?) for
"Simon Crow's Pure White Wheat Whiskey" (1864). Also turned up
an "Essence of Old Virginia Wheat Whiskey" advert (no date).

So there's evidence of wheat being used in whiskey in the 1840s-1860s.

I'd certainly like to hear form others who know more about early bourbon
formulations in the early larger, commercial distilleries, and how
their recipes developed and evolved.

Tim Dellinger