Favorite value/mixer bourbon?

[squire]

Hey neighbor, welcome aboard. Did you buy the Virgin 101 locally?

[Mark_M]

Hey there my fellow Minnesotans. I have seen the Heaven Hill 8yr but not tried it yet. It's $9.99 at Big Top Liquors. I promise to score some this weekend. If it's good I will score more since you say it's going away.

I commented in another thread about Benchmark and it's good with ginger ale @ $12.22 per handle at a famous Italian Grocery store in St. Paul! I do not like the EWB with mixes for some reason. I hope that the HH variety is different. It's always good to have this stuff on hand for mixing, and for guests that could care less. I have others for drinking straight. Thanks.

[squire]

Mark I doubt you will find much difference between the HH 86 and EWB but finding out won't cost much.

[Brisko]

Actually they are pretty different. EWB is more citric, brighter in a way. The 8/86 tastes to me like a younger Elijah Craig. More vanilla and more char than any EW with the exception of EWSB. And still the EWSB is more citric to my taste.

[weller_tex]

Jim Beam White is very good with Coke..more character than EWB. Maker's Mark is very good for most any cocktail.

[RepTucker]

Squire

Yea, I picked it up in one of my accounts in Horn Lake. They bought it a while back and hadn't sold any so I volunteered to try it out.

[squire]

Yeah, it was in the Jackson stores but that was awhile back, may still be on the State list for all I know.

[smokinjoe]

try HH6BIB or EWBIB. Veeery similar profiles and cost less.

I won't speak to cost comparisons, but I find the profile differences between HHBIB 6 yr, EW BIB, and Old Ezra 7 to be marked in SBS tastings. Of course, the OE is the wildcard, being NDP. The 6 yr HH is much more polished and rounded, compared to the EW BIB. But, the EW has more raw dark chocolate notes. Both are very good whiskies, nonetheless. The OE's I have had show more tannins, and have a thinner mouthfeel, despite being slightly older. It shows more maturity, and seems more Wild Turkey-Like to me. I always house all three on my bar, and enjoy the differences of each of these economical pours!

[RepTucker]

The state site says it's still a special order item. That was the only store I had seen it in up this way. First time I had seen it at all really. Has the VOB or Old charter 8 in Jackson lost their age statements yet? I find them mixed in up here still.

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[393foureyedfox]

I find the profile differences between HHBIB 6 yr, EW BIB, and Old Ezra 7 to be marked in SBS tastings.

[GaryT]

My go to is EWBL in this category. If someone said "you've got $100 to buy the bourbon you've got to drink all year long", 5 handles would just about do the trick Although I do also like AAA 10 star or FC103 (both a bit pricier though).

[squire]

Rep I left Jackson several years ago when I retired so can't say what's on the shelves now. hn4obourbon would know if he can wrench himself away from dusty hunting long enough to post.

[Mark_M]

Well time to weigh in here. The "Minnesota" variety HH 8yr/86 is indeed very similar in taste to the EWB as someone had suggested (scored some last night, and going off of memory on the EWB). As a mixer I think I prefer the Benchmark. The Benchmark has the BT taste, and I prefer that over the HH taste profile. I hate to even mention this here, but maybe I should stick to JD and ginger ale as a mixer. To me when you mix the lower shelf bourbon with coke or ginger ale it just doesn't blend well. I have been drinking most bourbon straight, or with a bit of water or in an old fashioned or even some rye. I refuse to mix the good stuff with soda pop! I will be 60 this summer and I guess my tastes are maturing!! LOL!!

[ebo]

I suppose what you call "value" bourbon is subjective. If price is the #1 factor, I have to say OGD BiB. I probably drink this more than any other bourbon out there, not just because of price but, because I really like it a lot........ along with WT101.

[black mamba]

If you are where you can find some, then this . . . . by a mile.

[393foureyedfox]

If you are where you can find some, then this . . . . by a mile.

and this:

OGD BIB is another good one. I dont really care for the BIB but love the 114. Fortunately, it is also cheap enough to consider a bargain. Cant go wrong with any of these!

[smknjoe]

I don't like the current OGD BIB at all or at least the bottles I had from 2003. 114 is a different story.

[393foureyedfox]

I don't like the current OGD BIB at all or at least the bottles I had from 2003. 114 is a different story.

Last year's OGDBIB is the only one Ive tried, never having any older versions, which Im sure were probably a tiny bit better. When I had the 100 and 114, they seemed more like different bourbons than different proof points

[Grain Belt]

If you are where you can find some, then this . . . . by a mile.

I was only fortunate enough to try HH6BIB once from a TPS order from Kentucky to my Minnesota home. All I can say is I would take a man who has that bottle in front of him very seriously. That man knows his bourbon and his wallet very well.

[clindt]

Jim Beam White is very good with Coke..more character than EWB. Maker's Mark is very good for most any cocktail.

JBW and Coke is my college football season cocktail of choice. It brings back fond memories from college days.

[black mamba]

I was only fortunate enough to try HH6BIB once from a TPS order from Kentucky to my Minnesota home. All I can say is I would take a man who has that bottle in front of him very seriously. That man knows his bourbon and his wallet very well.

[WhiskyRI]

RI has some 8/86 left. I've bought a case for the bunker but it's going away here as well. My go to budget bourbon to bring to a party and toss the cap away was OF BiB. It used to be $12 a bottle and the 100 proof stood up to mixers, ice and water without wilting. It was my drink of choice last summer - a big ice cube and three fingers of OF BiB made the heat bearable. But I'm told it's being discontinued so that the stocks can go into Larceny. Doesn't make me happy. I bought the last case in the state - I'm told although there may still be some floating around various stores. I took a bottle of FRYL to a party last night - it was well received and at $17 a bottle it might be my new value bourbon.

[squire]

That does seem to be the trend, new labels for a new age, Old brand whisky is for Old men.

[TunnelTiger]

And the same Bourbon with a new age label is always higher in price. I'll stick with the Olds. Matter of fact I still miss Oldsmobile. Never have forgiven GM for that.

[squire]

Damn right, Oldsmobile, another victim of NewThink.