Best Bourbons Under $50, Part I

You might have seen that our one and only Ryan Maloney wrote an article about his top five favorite bourbons under 50 dollars for Foodies of New England. Here, we will take a further look into some of the best of the best bourbons he discussed.

Russell’s Reserve 10 Year Old 90 Proof Bourbon

Ryan mentioned the tandem of Jimmy and Eddie Russel hand selecting their Heavy Charred American Oak Barrels for this prize bourbon. All barrels must be aged for at least ten years, and the bourbon has a copper hue with an almost reddish tinge, while smelling like a weathered oak. Russel’s Reserve 10 Year old 90 proof has a wood and vanilla flavor with a hint of amaretto sweetness.

But do you know the history behind this beautiful bourbon? Russell’s was originally owned by the Ripy Brothers, who returned to Kentucky after the Civil War. Years later, after the repeal of Prohibition, the distillery was renamed Wild Turkey after executive Thomas McCarthy took some samples on a hunting trip with a group of friends. Wild Turkey Distillery has been in the safe hands of Jimmy Russell, and later his son Eddie came into the picture, in 1954. With over 80 years of experience between the two, you can assure yourself a grand bourbon when you pop open a bottle of Russell’s Reserve.

Basil Hayden 80 Proof Bourbon

Ryan’s next choice of bourbon is a part of the Jim Beam Small Batch Bourbon Collection, which includes Booker’s Baker’s, and Knob Creek. Unlike the rest of the batch, Basil Hayden is lighter and lower proof, and uses a lot of rye in its mix, making it dryer than most bourbons.

Basil Hayden 80 Proof has a nice spicy, tea, and peppermint smell. It has a Golden Amber color and has a very nice spicy, peppery, honey, and light-bodied taste.

Larceny 92 Proof Bourbon

Ryan’s third bourbon has the most interesting backstory over its name. Back in the day Treasury Agent John E. Fitzgerald possessed a key to the distillery, and would sneak in to steal barrels of his favorite bourbon. The bourbon later was named Larceny as a way to commemorate this unusual start. The Bourbon itself is wheat-heavy, as Ryan describes its taste as fresh wheat bread with salted caramel and vanilla citrus. Barrels of Larceny 92 Proof Bourbon are aged from six to twelve years and have a shiny new copper kettle color.

Ryan did not mention the many drinks you can make from Larceny 92 Proof Bourbon. They list a few on their website, but aside from drinking it straight one can make a Locked and Loaded, the Lock Pick, a Jailbreak, and more!

If you have any questions about any of the bourbons listed above, please give the experts at Julio’s Liquors a call for more information. Or, come by a Loch & Key Whisk(e)y Society meeting every Wednesday evening. For further info about Ryan’s other bourbon picks, keep an eye out for our next blog post!