But the finish is where this bourbon shines, with a dry, clean close. This bourbon is sweet on the nose, with moderate viscosity, brown butter, toffee, honey and peppercorns on the palate. It’s aged in standard barrels and bottled at 48% ABV. Distilled and matured entirely on the Driftless Glen campus, this whiskey pulls water from a natural aquifer and is distilled using local grain. This bourbon comes to us from an unusual source: Baraboo, Wisconsin. If you’re going to try one bourbon on this list, it should be this one.įind Old Elk Wheated Bourbon at Total Wine. This expression has tons of character and is a well-balanced orchestra of oak, sweetness and light fruit. Old Elk Wheated Bourbon, distilled by Greg Metze for MGP in Indiana and bottled by Greg Metze for Old Elk in Colorado, is aged 5 years and bottled at 46% ABV. This isn’t an exceptional bourbon, but it doesn’t perform poorly and certainly won’t disappoint for its price.įind Maker’s Mark for about $23.49 (price varies by location) at Total Wine or ship it from ReserveBar for $37. Maker’s Mark is an affordable, easy-to-find bourbon that’s great in any bourbon-based cocktail and makes for a good sipper.īottled at 45% ABV, Maker’s Mark is a light bourbon with minimal heat.

It does have a bit more heat than some of the other bourbons on this list, but it’s a pretty easy sipper nonetheless.įind Woodford Reserve Bourbon for $44 on ReserveBar. This is a solid bottling without much complexity. Woodford Reserve’s flagship bourbon brings notes of sweet cream, honey and vanilla with a thin to moderate mouthfeel. This bourbon is a banana bomb, with additional notes of caramel, honey and almond.ġ792 Bottled in Bond can be a bit tough to track down in some parts of the U.S., but keep your eye out for it. While the label doesn’t bear a discrete age statement, we know it’s at least 4 years old, due to the bottled-in-bond designation. 1792 Bottled in Bondĭistilled by Barton for the 1792 line, this release is a smooth sipper due to its lack of heat on the palate despite its 100-proof status. If you’re looking for a smooth bourbon to sip neat or add to an easygoing cocktail, we’ve got you covered with seven great options spanning multiple price ranges. The smoothest bourbons will typically have relatively low proofs - between 80 and 100 - and low rye content, as rye typically imparts a bite of spiciness. Smoothness in bourbon is usually characterized by ease of sipping - a dram that goes down effortlessly, delivering sweet flavors without leaving a wince on the imbiber’s face. When looking for a whiskey to sip neat, bourbon seekers will often use the adjective “smooth” to describe what they want.

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