There’s a huge variety of bourbon available in the modern whisky market, and choosing how to spend your money can by confusing or overwhelming. At specialty spirit shops or big box retailers, you’re faced with hundreds of options - which of these bottles present the best value?
Prices are also inflated in the market, although we’re seeing some prices drop due to a slowdown in the whisky market. There’s plenty of value to be found on both the affordable end of the bourbon spectrum, as well as the premium end. We’ve chosen a selection of 10 of our best value bourbons, as well as a few additional premium options ($75+) which present some of the best value propositions in the bourbon world.
This is a budget bourbon ($22 in our area) from the Jim Beam distillery - it’s bottled-in-bond, so we get a proper strength of 50% ABV (100 proof), and we know that this is aged for at least 4 years. This bourbon has a high-rye mashbill, which adds some spice to the flavor profile, but that’s nicely balanced by sweeter fruits and baking spices.
Some flavors you can expect: Caramel and peanut brittle; cherries and cream soda; vanilla, almond, and cinnamon.
Another favorite returns from our 2025 list, and it’s another Old Grand-Dad. The Jim Beam brand, named for Basil Hayden Sr., is made using a high-rye recipe: 63% corn, 27% rye, and 10% malted barley. For a bourbon that costs under $30, the bottling strength of 114 proof (57% ABV) makes this a great deal.
Some flavors you can expect: Baking notes like caramel, cinnamon and a hint of cherry; there’s leathery oak, peanut brittle, and spicy pepper, as well.
Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage Releases
These current post-2024 editions of Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage carry a 7 year or 8 year age statement; the date on the front label shows the year in which it was distilled. The proof is relatively low at 86.6 on these bottles, but they pack a surprising amount of flavor, and they’re very well-rounded in our experience. The price is also very good in most places - often around $30.
Some flavors you can expect: Sweet and nutty, baking spices of nutmeg and black pepper, caramel, brown sugar, and occasional fruity hints of orange and cherry.
Check out our full reviews of Evan William Single Barrel Vintages here:
Review #970 - Evan Williams 8 Year Single Barrel Vintage 2015
Review #689 - Evan Williams 8 Year Single Barrel Vintage 2016
Knob Creek Blender's Edition 01
Near the beginning of 2026, Jim Beam introduced this new release under their Knob Creek branding. It has a solid 10 year age statement, a good strength of 106 proof, but the price is still reasonable, around $40.
Some flavors you can expect: Almonds, cherry wood, dusty leather, oranges, brown sugar, cinnamon, wafer cookies, Maraschino cherries.
Check out our full review of Knob Creek Blender's Edition 01 here.
The first wheated bourbon option in our 2026 value list - this one is from Green River, an old revived distillery in Owensboro, Kentucky. It uses a mashbill of 70% corn, 21% wheat, and 9% malted barley; it comes with a middling proof point of 90 (45% ABV) and a price of $30 to $35.
Some flavors you can expect: Light sweet butterscotch and vanilla; caramel, subtle cherry; cinnamon spice, licorice, floral notes.
Check out our full review of Green River Wheated Bourbon here.
Maker's Mark's Cask strength - this is a wheated bourbon bottled at barrel proof, meaning no water is added after the whisky is dumped from the cask. Even though no water is added, these Cask Strength releases from the distillery generally sit between the 54% ABV and 57% ABV marks - this is because Maker's Mark starts with a lower barrel entry proof, generally the 110 proof point.
Some flavors you can expect: Molasses and cherries, cinnamon spice, licorice, vanilla, and mellow oak.
Check out our full review of Maker’s Mark Cask Strength here.
Still Austin Cask Strength Bourbon
With a mashbill of 70% corn, 25% rye, and 5% malted barley, this Texas bourbon uses grain entirely grown in the state. In fact, all of Still Austin's whiskies use Texas-grown grains, a part of the distillery's core values, which emphasizes craft production and high quality.
Some flavors you can expect: Dark chocolate, strong vanilla, cherries; spices of anise, nutmeg, and paprika, along with butterscotch and burnt sugar.
Check out our full review of Still Austin Cask Strength here.
Heaven Hill 7 Year Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon
Heaven Hill's Bottled in Bond - this bourbon initially garnered some criticism, as it replaced the previous version of the distillery's bottled in bond bourbon, which was a fraction of the price. It came back with a 7 year age statement, and while it is more expensive than the previous version, it's still in a reasonable price range, between $40 and $50.
Some flavors you can expect: Oaky, sweet, wood spice, pecans, dusty grain, leather, oranges, and some vanilla.
Four Roses combines 6 of their 10 bourbon recipes to create this Small Batch Select bourbon; there's no age statement on the bottle, but the Four Roses website says that this bourbon has been aged for 6 to 7 years. This bottle has 2 major improvements versus the regular 'Small Batch' bourbon: it's bottled at a higher strength of 52% ABV (104 proof), and it hasn't been chill filtered, either. In our area, this goes for around $45.
Some flavors you can expect: Oak up front, with darker sweet notes of raisin, raspberries, cinnamon, and fig. Cinnamon, clove, and vanilla combine with brown sugar, black per, and wood spice.
Check out our full review of Four Roses Small Batch Select here.
Green River Full Proof Bourbon
While many bourbon brands are focusing on producing ever more expensive premium bottles, there are also some newer brands that are targeting the more affordable segments of the market. Here's one: Green River, based in Owensboro, Kentucky. This Full Proof bourbon, bottled at 110+ proof, goes for about $45.
Some flavors you can expect: Spicy and oaky, followed by apples, mint, caramel corn, and butterscotch. Cherry, cream soda, and nutty notes arrive.
And now, those premium options we mentioned earlier:
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof
There’s been a pause in the release of ECBP bourbons in 2026, but generally, there are 3 releases each year. These are generally in the 120+ proof range, and while the standardized 12 year age statement has been dropped as of 2023, the batches are still generally at least 10 years old. These are powerhouse bourbons, and at $65 to $80, they offer great value for a barrel proof whisky with a higher age statement.
Some flavors you can expect: Dark and rich, molasses and caramel; red fruits of cherry and strawberry; aged notes of tobacco and leather; sometimes, a bit of orange fruit or baking spice.
Check out our full reviews of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof batches here:
Review #735 - Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C920
Review #731 - Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C925
Review #586 - Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch 11
Review #528 - Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C924
Review #415 - Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch C922
Review #368 - Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch B524
Review #298 - Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch A122
Review #297 - Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch A121
1792 Full Proof Single Barrel Picks
1792 Barton is a brand that’s sometimes overlooked due to the fame of stablemate Buffalo Trace; because of that, there’s some great value to be found here. These Full Proof single barrel bourbons are bottled at a strength of 125 proof, providing tons of flavor, and they’re typically available for $55 to $75.
Some flavors you can expect: Leather and dark Luxardo cherries, cinnamon red hot candies, cardamom, nutmeg, and candied pecans.
Check out our full reviews of 1792 Full Proof Single Barrels here:
Review #989 - 1792 Full Proof Single Barrel - Wiseguy Lounge Pick 'Executive Decision'
Review #381 - 1792 Full Proof Single Barrel - Wiseguy Lounge Pick 'Nice Guy Eddie'
Review #380 - 1792 Full Proof Single Barrel - Wiseguy Lounge Pick 'Mr. Blonde'
Review #379 - 1792 Full Proof Single Barrel - Wiseguy Lounge Pick 'Mr. White'
Four Roses Single Barrel Barrel Strength Bourbons
Four Roses uses 10 different recipes for their bourbon, and each of these is available in this ‘Single Barrel, Barrel Strength’ version. These pack a punch at 105 to 130 proof, and they generally show nice maturity due to longer aging.
The flavor profile will vary depending on which recipe you get in your bottle, but all of them have been good in our experience. Prices vary as well, but we generally see this for $90 t0 $110, and we think they’re worth that.
Some flavors you can expect: Dark cherries, strong oak, a plethora of baking spices, leather, mint, rye spice, vanilla, brown sugar, and much more.
Check out our full reviews of Four Roses SBBS Bourbons here.
Review #747 - Four Roses 9 Year OESO Single Barrel Barrel Strength - Hazel's Beverage World Pick
Review #730 - Four Roses 10 Year OESQ Single Barrel Barrel Strength - Kentucky Distillers Pick
Review #690 - Four Roses 10 Year OESK Single Barrel Barrel Strength - Total Wine Pick
Review #656 - Four Roses 11 Year OBSF Single Barrel Barrel Strength - Binny's Pick
Review #439 - Four Roses 10 Year OESV Single Barrel Barrel Strength - Bottle Republic Pick
Review #371 - Four Roses 9 Year OESK Single Barrel Barrel Strength - Wiseguy Lounge Pick
Review #268 - Four Roses 11 Year OESK Single Barrel Barrel Strength
Review #267 - Four Roses 10 Year OESV Single Barrel Barrel Strength
