The Roaring 20's?

I've decided to expand what I do on the blog just a whee bit. This week, instead of writing another boorish tale of discovery, I thought I'd offer up a review of eight decent whiskies that have their prices fixed in or near the 20's. So, from $19 per bottle to $32 per bottle, I'm reviewing some common picks that can be had at just about any liquor store within the borders of the good ol' US of A. I thought I would do this because a good percentage of my reviews involve whiskies that can be north of $50, with some well north of that.

So, here they are. I love some, I like some, I … well, I don't hate any of them — although one is close. They're all reasonably priced, easy-drinking, and available in tiny bottles for a couple bucks — which is what I bought for the purposes of this write-up. You know them all by name, they're mostly a bit average, and there isn't a rockstar in the group. But average also means consistent, so they all have wide followings and are very good values. That said, here are my thoughts on The Roaring 20's:

Jim Beam KSBW; James B. Beam Distilling; Frankfort, KY; $19
​Jim Beam's Black Label is the house whiskey at Ken's Bar. It's just brilliantly good. But, it's not on this list for one reason: Because this is my blog and I said so! Instead, Jim Beam KSBW is on this list, and it's the cheapest of the lot at just $19 per bottle. It's got some caramel and honey going on, and is smooth enough that some might consider it a good sipper. But I don't, it's too gritty for me. It needs a coke. Not lemonade, mind you — that's reserved for Jack — but a good, old-fashioned Coke. I have a bottle of this stuff beneath the bar just in case I have someone over that just has to have it. So it stays below and out of sight. But it still has a home in my bar.
​*****     $$$$$

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Old Forester KSBW; Old Forester Distilling; Louisville, KY; $23
As I write this it will be the very first time I've ever tried Old Forester. Upon first impression it has just a touch of black licorice going on. It's smooth with notes of pear and campfire, although that's not a bad thing in and of itself. Of the whiskies in this list, I think it has the most unique flavor, but not one that I enjoy as an everyday sipper. It's not as chemically as Buffalo Trace, and perhaps on par with Jim Beam. In other words, it needs a mixer. Not sure what that mixer is, since the flavor profile doesn't seem compatible with Coke or lemonade. Sprite, maybe?
*****     $$$$$

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Jack Daniels Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey; Jack Daniel Distillery; Lynchburg, TN; $25
The only whiskey in this list that refuses to call itself Bourbon is Jack Daniels Old No. 7. Few whiskies are better known — worldwide — than Jack, of Lynchburg, Tennessee! Nowhere near Kentucky, Tennessee heralds itself as being on an entirely separate world from Bourbon County. It's Tennessee whiskey, you morons! There are lemonades named after this one, cocktails de' jour, aperitifs, teas, and just plain, ol' Jack & Coke. Drink it straight, mix it up, pop some cubes in there, whatever. Jack covers all the bases. It's smooth, a bit pear-ish, clearly filtered through burnt wood, and simple.
*****     $$$$$

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Buffalo Trace KSBW; Buffalo Trace Distillery; Franklin County, KY; $26
The very front end of this stuff has a bit of a lingering chemical thing that I cannot place. It's harsh and reminds me a bit too much of paint thinner. I know that's a rough thing to say about a whiskey like Buffalo Trace (especially when I consider that they're the folks behind Eagle Rare), but that's just what I get from it. It's inexpensive and tastes like it. I don't honestly know what makes it such a dead-end in this crowd, but it's my least favorite. Maybe it's that I just don't like really "corny" whiskies, especially when that corn is accompanied by something like rotten apricots. I'm just not a fan. In fact, I've removed the bottle from the shelf and put it down in the "drink it till it's gone" spot. I think that's the worst thing that can happen to a whiskey at Ken's Bar.
*****     $$$$$

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Wild Turkey 101 KSBW; Wild Turkey Distilling; Lawrenceburg, KY; $27
The ultimate shot! Wild Turkey 101 is quite possibly the best straight shooter that exists on the market. It's crisp, gritty, and has a back-of-the-throat, acidic alcohol bite that makes for a great shot, preferably with a chaser to catch the bitter after-taste and knock it down the pipe. To this average, ordinary, everyday Ken no other whiskey says "party" like WT 101. It just has that … flare? It's definitely not one that I like straight, so tasting it this way is rough. It needs a coke like few others, and just doesn't work for much else. So, get yourself some shot glasses, pour a few, line them up, and prepare yourself for a rough night!
*****     $$$$$

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Maker’s Mark KSBW; The Maker’s Mark Distillery; Loretto, KY; $30
I originally thought it would be a toss-up between Maker's Mark KSBW and Elijah Craig as to the best of this crowd (boy, was I wrong). Both are very smooth, easy-drinking whiskies that I can drink neat with no regrets. There's cinnamon and honey in there, some smokey-oak, and notes of a diesel pickup firing up on a cold morning. Maker's is well-balanced and doable in any fashion, but I like to sip away at it slowly. It's also one of my wife's favorites, and at $30 that's a good thing. As with most of the others in this list, take it however you want it.
*****     $$$$$

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Bulleit Bourbon Frontier Whiskey KSBW; The Bulleit Distilling Co.; Plainfield, IL; $30
I gave this fellow's older brother 3 stars in my review a couple of months ago. It's a nice whiskey, easy drinking and smooth, just not something that jumped out and made me say "Whoa!" The younger brother, aged a bit less — a lot less, actually — is better. In fact, I'm 5 samples into 8 and this one is my favorite thus far. I like it even more than Elijah Craig, which is a couple bucks more per bottle. Bulleit's entry-level contender has a bit more corn (although not as much as Buffalo Trace) and a nice little kick on the sides of the tongue. It's also one of the few in this crowd that holds its own as a daily sipper, not needing anything else to help it go down.
*****     $$$$$

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Elijah Craig Small Batch KSBW; Elijah Craig Distillery; Bardstown, KY; $32
This one is pretty easy for me. It's been a favorite for many years and still holds up, even now that I've been experimenting with far more expensive samples. A bit of caramel, some zesty citrus, a solid kick from of a well-used oak barrel, and enough bite to make it a good sipper. It's the most expensive of the bunch, but just a few nickels outside the 20's. This one can be mixed with coke or blended into fancy recipes, but I'd rather sip it neat.
*****     $$$$$

Conclusion:
I never set out for this to be a competition. It's really more of a simple comparison of the Roaring 20's, that is, whiskies in or close to the $20 mark. There must be a zillion that fit the description, but the ones in this list also happen to have been available at my local liquor store in those cute, little 50ml bottles that cost two or three dollars. I didn't want to get saddled with a bunch of 750's sitting on the "Drink it 'til it's gone" shelf, so I intentionally reached for the tiniest bottles I could find, and all of these suckers made that cut.

Either way, though, I do have a winner, although there will be no trophy or fancy labeling. Of the eight whiskies I sampled for this post, I've decided that Bulleit's Frontier Whiskey is the best of the Roaring 20's. It stood out the most, is a decent value, and I could sip away at it without squinting.

But! If you want the best of the Roaring 20's, get down to the liquor store and spend $25 on a bottle of Jim Beam Black Label KSBW. This average, ordinary, everyday Ken thinks there's nothing else in the price range even close, and not very many below $50.