Heaven Hill brand... comments?

[CompleteNovice]

hello all,

I see a lot of talk about Buffalo Trace and other bourbons that my local liquor store doesn't carry . What do you folks think of the Heaven Hill brand (the one that actually says "Heaven Hill" on it instead of "Evan Williams")? I have tried Heaven Hill white label and also the black label. Being a beginner at drinking bourbon, I think I like the white label better because it has less of a "woody" taste and for some reason seems a bit more mellow (?).

Strangely, I don't see much mention of this bourbon anywhere on the web, but our local store has like 3 rows of it on the shelves, next to the Evan Williams, the Jim Beam white label, and I think Wild Turkey. Of course they have the more expensive single-barrel bourbons, but being a beginner I wanted to start with a $10-$15 bottle... anyhow, I liked the HH white label, wondering if anyone has done a taste comparison with others?

[jbalchunas]

As a fellow bourbon newbie, I'd say there are definitely some pretty decent bourbon's on the other shelf in that price range, or slightly above it....so i'd move over to that other shelf and check some of those bourbons out....

Elijah Craig 12YO is right around 14/15 dollars a bottle and definitely worth it...

Depending where you are Evan Williams Single Barrel may be in your range as well...in NC, it's been on special for around 17 bucks recently and it is a good drink...definitely different than some of the others I've tried, and the first one I truly enjoyed neat with no water, I've since grown to appreciate many other bourbons neat w/o water....

Hmmmm....Weller Antique might be in your price range, haven't tried that one yet....

Back on the mid/lower rung shelf, try the Jim Beam Black or the Wild Turkey 101. The 101 isn't all that terribly expensive and is definitely still one of my favorites....

[cowdery]

The Heaven Hill brand is not widely distributed. I'm surprised you have it in New Jersey. I sometimes will buy it in Kentucky, where it is available, because it's cheap. I haven't had any recently so I can't really comment on it. In Kentucky and, perhaps, in other places there is also a Heaven Hill brand rum, vodka and gin.

[LeNell]

I haven't been able to get the white label here in NYC, yet, but I have the gold at my store. On the bottom shelf category, I'd check out Old Crow and Cabin Still, too, but for just a few more bucks I prefer Ezra Brooks.

[CompleteNovice]

I didn't know there was a gold label. Have you tried it? Any comments on it?

I was thinking that whoever runs our local liquor store must like the HH white label, because they have so much of it there. I liked it a lot, though I don't have much experience with tasting different bourbons. Time for some small "airline" bottles to sample...

[LeNell]

I don't know how it compares with the white, but it's a decent pour for the money. Now that you mention it, maybe I'll line up some "bottom shelf" bourbons for a tasting at the store sometime soon. Hmmm...

[TNbourbon]

I just tried the Heavan Hill black-label 90-proof for the first time. I liked it (perhaps more detail later). I can see myself buying a real bottle (this is a 200 ml 'half-pint'). I assume it was a 4yo, since there was no age statement. I'd compare it favorably to JB White 4yo, which seems to me to sometimes have a 'wet-corn' aftertaste (you might have to have been a farmboy to get that reference). This HH was just simple, but straightforward, flavorful bourbon.