Early Times Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon

Every so often I pull this bottle from behind the back of my collection and have a pour. This is my opinion of the best ‘budget bourbon’. Can hold its own against pours 3x the cost. Love the rye notes. Bright, but such a smooth finish. Surprised every time I try this.

Nose is very faint; orange peel, brown sugar, leather, and musty rickhouse. The palate matches the nose pretty closely with caramel, vanilla, and candied orange. VERY simple profile but there is some richness present to compensate. Nary a hint of oak, so if your looking for that you have the wrong one here. Very “traditional” finish of cinnamon bears candy and black pepper that’s over in a flash. After the spicy notes vanish there’s a nice lingering note of praline which is a pleasant surprise. Mouthfeel is pretty full and lush for a budget whiskey. Make no mistake with a such a basic flavor profile and short finish you would never confuse this with a top shelf offering, but it’s pretty solid. At 21.99 for a LITER, this is definitely one of the best values around. It would be perfect for cocktails, but not unenjoyable as a neat pour. To be honest, it’s probably not going to replace the always excellent WT 101 as my go-to budget offering of choice, but who’s going to knock a decent bourbon at a great price point?