Affordable Bourbons For The Fall Season

Heaven Hill Bottled in Bond is not a marquee brand or even something that Heaven Hill spends much time talking about; it is simply one of their ole’ mainstays that has stayed the course over the years. In fact, there is not a ton of information available on this “old dog” but truth be known, is that it is a great everyday whiskey that pays homage to a time when proof of quality was on the label with the stamp explaining that it was “Bottled in Bond”. The stamp explained that the whiskey was the product of one distillery, produced in one distilling season, aged for a minimum of four years in a bonded warehouse under US government supervision and bottled at 100 proof, although this offering from Heaven Hill is aged for at least 6 years. Note: As of September 2018, this product has been discontinued.

Long Island Spirits named their whiskeys after the First United States Volunteer Cavalry - the "Rough Riders" - originally organized by Long Island's own Teddy Roosevelt in 1898 to fight in the Spanish-American War. The whisky, sourced from LDI, is a mash bill of 60% corn, 35% rye and 5% malted barley. After initial aging in new charred oak, It is finished in merlot and chardonnay casks from local wineries. The wine casks themselves are washed in local brandy before the bourbon goes in for final aging.

Town Branch is named after the waterway running through downtown Lexington, Kentucky. The mash bill for this bourbon is 72% corn, 13% rye and 15% malted barley. Released in 2012, it's the third spirit launched by Alltech Lexington Brewing and Distilling Co.

There is little information available (or given) on this sourced bourbon whiskey. The bottle and website give no age-statement but we are told that it is a mash-bill consisting of corn, rye, and barley. It is named after the famous thoroughbred sire, Lexington.

Old Forester 100 Proof Bourbon is part of Brown-Forman’s historic lineup, a brand first introduced in 1870 as one of the first bourbons sold exclusively in sealed bottles. The name is often linked to a doctor who prescribed whiskey for medicinal purposes, though the signature on each bottle belongs to founder George Garvin Brown. It is bottled at 100 proof and is also available in an 86 proof version.

W.L. Weller — named after William Larue Weller — is a wheated bourbon brand now owned by the Sazerac Company which acquired it in 1999. Made at the Buffalo Trace Distillery, Weller Special Reserve is the entry bottling to the Weller portfolio which features wheat instead of rye as the flavoring grain in the bourbon. It is a no-age statement release which is bottled at 90 proof.

This is the flagship bourbon from Buffalo Trace, made from a traditional low-rye mash bill and bottled without an age statement at 90 proof. The former George T. Stagg Distillery was renamed Buffalo Trace when Sazerac Company took over ownership in 1999. Master Distiller Elmer T. Lee played a key role in the creation of Buffalo Trace Bourbon, which was released later that year.

Old Fitzgerald Bourbon was first introduced in the late 1800s, and was eventually produced by the Stitzel-Weller Distillery in Shively, KY. During the “horse trading” decade of the 1990’s, Diageo purchased the S-W Distillery, thus taking over the Old Fitzgerald brand. Later in the 90′s, the Old Fitz brand was again sold, this time to Heaven Hill along with the Bernheim Distillery in Louisville, KY, which is now the current home to the production of this well-known 12-year wheated bourbon. Old Fitzgerald still follows a wheated recipe made famous at the now shuttered S-W Distillery.

Maker’s Mark Bourbon is a wheated Kentucky Straight Bourbon made from a mash bill of 70% corn, 16% red winter wheat, and 14% malted barley. The recipe was developed by Bill Samuels Sr., who famously tested grain combinations through baking rather than distillation. His wife, Margie Samuels, designed the bottle’s shape, label, and signature red wax seal. The bourbon is aged 6–7 years in char #3 new American oak barrels and bottled at 90 proof.

Launched in 2010, Maker's Mark 46 is made by taking fully matured Maker's Mark Bourbon at cask strength and inserting specially seared French oak staves into the barrels. The bourbon finishes aging for a few months before bottling. The French oak staves selected from the Independent Stave Company, Maker's Mark long time cooperage, were named "Stave Profile No. 46." This is the first brand extension from the distillery since it started production in 1953 and is the first in its Wood Finishing Series. Note: As of March 2022 the brand has updated the packaging for its bottle and label to highlight the French oak staves.