We here at All American Whiskey applaud your efforts to hunt down a bottle of the best bourbon whiskey under $100 dollars. It is easy to find articles on the internet like this one or this one listing brands sold by Kentucky’s Big Five (Jim Beam, Buffalo Trace, Woodford Reserve, Maker’s Mark, and Wild Turkey. All of them are good and decent whiskies, wouldn’t hurt a fly, keep to themselves. But they are big and they don’t really need anyone’s help to dominate the shelf real-estate in [insert your liquor store here]. Maybe give an independent distillery a try?
The bourbons listed below are all from distilleries that are not part of Big Bourbon. They’re scrappy, tenacious makers who’ve been putting out quality whiskey for decades. They don’t get the love they deserve on the national stage so we’re p[populating our list of the best bourbon whiskey under $100 dollars with their product.
All American Whiskey has tasted every bottle on this list and, in most cases, has sat down with the owners or at least shook their hands at a convention. We know they are good. Great, even. We hope you’ll thank us later. Here is the best bourbon whiskey under $100.
STOLL & WOLFE SINGLE BARREL BOURBON
Stoll & Wolfe is a founding whiskey. They’ve been knocking out quality spirits since George Washington kicked off a war by pissing off the French (1753). They are the nation’s oldest distillery and the fact that they’re in Pennsylvania is one of the great tragedies of bourbon collecting because you’ll have to go there to buy some. We strongly urge you to attend the American Whiskey Convention in Philly. They’ll be there.
13TH COLONY SOUR MASH BOURBON WHISKEY
I talked with 13th’s Master Distiller Graham Arthur recently and the man is busy. Like many independent distilleries, 13th Colony has a small staff so Arthur wears like 14 hats and they’re all on fire. 13th Colony is in Americus, Ga right on top of two major aquifers that collide a few yards beneath the distillery. It is water of significant quality. Arthur uses it to make a mash from locally grown corn then tempers the final product with that same delicious agua from the Floridian aquifer. It’s [curse word] delicious.
BLAUM BROS STRAIGHT BOURBON WHISKEY
A few years back I covered a Blaum Bros event and tasted their bourbon. I was fortunate they had a bottle of their coveted Old Fangled Knotter Bourbon on hand which you can currently pick up in a parking lot under the cover of darkness for about $500 cash. Lucky for you, their Straight Bourbon Whiskey is only about $45 and you can get it anywhere. It’s grain to glass Illinois whiskey made by two whiskey nerds who will not let you down.
FEW 4 GRAIN 10TH ANNIVERSARY BOURBON
Me and Piehole Willy love FEW unconditionally. The fact that they’re made just outside Chicago in Evanston, IL has nothing to do with it. We swear. It’s all about the process and the flavor and the commitment to being awesome. All of their whiskies are absolutely top-shelf but this one is, well, it’s special. As a fan of four-grain bourbons (4 Roses is a personal go-to when I’m out and about), I can tell you the flavor profile of this bourbon is approachable, complex, and velvety smooth. Buy it right now.
WIDOW JANE 10-YEAR BOURBON
This bourbon has two important advantages: it was developed by Lisa Wicker using water from the Rosendale Mines in Redhook. Rosendale was a cement factory making remarkably good cement for years until a new process came along and whatever. The important thing is that cave and mine are still there, filled up with water that’s seeped in through the limestone shelves underneath. That water is one of the most desirable liquids in the world, and Widow Jane uses it to finish their whiskey, giving it an old-school flavor you can’t get anywhere else.
MAVERICK BARREL PROOF STRAIGHT BOURBON WHISKEY
Kevin Graham makes some damn fine bourbon. I cracked a bottle open in February and my house filled up with the smell of vanilla and toasted sweets. It’s one of the sweetest bourbons I’ve ever tasted. It tastes like the slightly caramelized corner of a homemade pound cake. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. If you’re looking for a great sipping whiskey or a perfect bourbon for beginners, this is your best choice.
FAR NORTH BØDALEN BOURBON
Michael Swinson makes amazing whiskey, but calling him a distiller falls well shy of the mark. He’s a farmer first—the fourth generation to work his family’s thousand acres of rye and corn in Hallock, MN which is almost in Canada. Swinson is deeply committed to the provenance of grain in the distilling process. He is one of only a handful of estate distilleries in the states and probably the only one running a decades-long study of grain with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. His AC Hazlet rye goes from the black earth of his fields right into the distillery. We enjoyed the pleasure of Mr. Swinson’s company in Philly in 2021 and we can attest to the original and brilliant flavor of his whiskey.
Hard to say. We believe it’s this one. But it’s a matter of taste. Literally. Wheated whiskies are generally smoother. Rye is generally rougher. But that’s a BROAD generality. But most of these will work for the best bourbon whiskey under $100.
