Affordable Bourbons For The Fall Season

Produced at the Heaven Hill distillery, Old Fitzgerald's 1849 pays homage to old style of wheated bourbon. It is said to celebrate the mash bill created by John Fitzgerald. This previously had an age statement of 8 years, but that had been dropped a few years back and now this bottling has been discontinued outright.

Cedar Ridge, an extension of Cedar Ridge Vineyards, is the first distillery to produce bourbon in the state of Iowa since Prohibition, owned by Laurie and Jeff Quint. It's comprised of about 75% corn (not surprising given where it's made) with rye and barley. It is charcoal filtered. NOTE: This 40% ABV small batch version has been replaced with Cedar Ridge Iowa Straight Bourbon which is aged for a minimum of 3 years and is bottled at 43% ABV.

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.

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.

The name Old Forester was allegedly chosen in honor of a doctor named Forrester, who regularly prescribed the bourbon to his patients at a time when it was still sold in pharmacies "for medicinal purposes." However, the signature for which this bourbon gets its name and which is displayed on each bottle, is the founder of the brand, George Garvin Brown. This is made in both 86 and 100 proof versions.

The former George T. Stagg distillery was renamed Buffalo Trace when Sazerac took over ownership in 1999. Master Distiller Elmer T. Lee came out of retirement for the creation of the Buffalo Trace Bourbon which was released later that same year. This is the flagship bourbon from the distillery and is comprised of a low-rye traditional mash bill. It is bottled without an age statement at 90 proof.

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 bourbon made with a mash bill recipe of 70% locally-grown corn, 16% red winter wheat, and 14% malted barley. This recipe was created by Bill Samuels, Sr. who baked bread with different grains to settle on his mash bill rather than trial and error with distillation. His wife, Margie Samuels, is responsible for the shape of the bottle, the signature label, and the red wax topper. Maker's Mark is aged in char #3 new American oak barrels for 6-7 years. It is 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.