Bourbon is truly an American invention. It dates back to the late 18th century, the result of thirsty colonial settlers making whiskey from local crops such as corn, then aging it in oak barrels. And while it can be made anywhere in the U.S., it's more than strongly associated with Kentucky. This American spirit has become especially popular in recent years, often topping other whiskey varieties in popularity. Of course, like any other type of liquor, the quality of bourbon can vary quite wildly, and opinions run the gamut. Some people swear by the under-the-radar, small-batch brands. But there's some good stuff in the big brands, too. Here are the most popular bourbon brands ranked worst to best.
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00:00Public interest in bourbon may never have been higher than in recent years,
00:04but are the most popular bourbon players actually any good? Or are they just big?
00:09Let's take a look at the biggest bourbon brands out there, ranked from the very worst to the best.
00:15Every latter has a bottom rung, and this time, that rather questionable honor falls to none
00:21other than Jim Beam. It's the best-selling bourbon in the entire world, so chances are
00:25that when the average consumer thinks about this particular whiskey type,
00:28Jim Beam Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is the taste at the tip of their tongue.
00:33But should it be there in the first place? To start, Jim Beam is not bad. You're unlikely to
00:38have a sip of it and throw the bottle away in deep, seething disgust. What earns this particular
00:43brand the place at the bottom of the ranking is that there simply isn't a lot to it on any front.
00:48The standard, white-labeled Jim Beam is a young, cheap bourbon for people on the lookout for
00:53cheap bourbon, and there's nothing really wrong with that. However, at the end of the day,
00:58the nose, palate, and finish of Jim Beam all lack depth. It's a sweet, shallow thing that's
01:03excellent if you want an entry-level bourbon that doesn't pretend to be anything else.
01:07If a person who doesn't like whiskey finds themselves in a stereotypical Old West saloon
01:12where the only options on the menu are bourbon and bullets, this is the brand that's among the
01:17easiest to drink. But a serious bourbon lover might want to head for different pastures.
01:22Package design can be an incredibly important factor for all sorts of goods,
01:27not to mention liquors that are competing with each other on some pretty packed store shelves.
01:31And while Basil Hayden's Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey definitely looks good standing
01:36next to the competition, unfortunately, this particular bourbon can't quite live up to its look.
01:41Another member of the Jim Beam family, Basil Hayden's has a fairly similar light and
01:45butterscotchy flavor profile, but adds a little punch of pepper at the end.
01:50Even then, at the end of the day, it still has that Jim Beam thing going on,
01:53meaning that it's firmly on the easy-drinking side of the bourbon experience.
01:57As with Jim Beam, there's no shame in that. But it also means that whenever heavyweight
02:02bourbons duke it out, Basil Hayden's is just a touch too gentle and soft to make it to the final
02:07rounds. Some may feel it's sacrilegious to place a decent utility bourbon like Four Roses this low
02:13on the list, but the mid-tier is pretty packed, and ultimately, the Rose's Fruity Tang can't
02:18quite rise above the competition. There's a good reason it's among the bestsellers, though.
02:23The brand's distinctive floral and fruity aromas make it interesting enough on its own,
02:27especially when it comes to the more expensive limited editions. Though, to be fair,
02:31pretty much every brand of liquor has a set of excellent limited editions and high-end products.
02:36The standard Four Roses is 80-proof, which is drinkable enough on its own,
02:40but perhaps at its best as an affordable cocktail base. As such, a bourbon enthusiast might very
02:45well want to keep a bottle around as a combination of a neat conversation piece for
02:49those who love to discuss distilling and a capable everyday spirit. Still, unless you're already a
02:54huge fan of Four Roses' particular brand of well-balanced, low-proof fare, there are tastier
02:59things. The third outing of the Jim Beam family on this list marks a significant turn for the
03:05better. Out of all popular bourbons, Maker's Mark might just be the one with the greatest
03:10rock-and-roll chops, courtesy of its association with Motorhead singer-bassist and overall rock
03:15legend Lemmy Kilmister. Either because of this or because of its wide availability,
03:20the brand has been the starter bourbon for many, and some have been soured by
03:24this reputation and dismiss it as an easy choice. But is easy all that bad after all?
03:30Its comparatively mellow palate can't quite cash in the checks its strong nose writes,
03:34but the finish is nicer than the mouthfeel would make you assume,
03:37making Maker's Mark a not-too-steep-but-still-perfectly-enjoyable
03:41roller coaster. Just don't expect fireworks.
03:44The thing I will say about my Donald, he might not be good at much,
03:48but at least he can stock a bar."
03:52Yes, Wild Turkey makes it this high in the rankings. Your favorite cheap bourbon shot
03:56from back in the day might not quite make it to the highest echelons, but when you look behind
04:01its relatively inexpensive price, it's one of the most versatile and secretly delightful popular
04:06bourbons out there — with one important caveat. Wild Turkey's 81-proof base product is a decent,
04:12if not earth-shattering bourbon that would fare far worse on this list on its own,
04:16and that has a tendency to get two-star reviews. This is the Wild Turkey you may remember from
04:21more hedonistic days. However, the situation changes pretty dramatically when you bring up
04:26Wild Turkey 101, which improves Wild Turkey's overall standings greatly.
04:31The powerful 101-proof stuff is notorious for being surprisingly finished and complicated,
04:36all while being surprisingly affordable, and the combination of an excellent flavor profile
04:41and a decent price tag makes it one of the best utility whiskeys out there.
04:44Ultimately, it's a good choice for mixed drinks and sipping alike. Though Wild Turkey 81 may
04:49leave something to be desired, the existence of the highly acclaimed and award-winning 101
04:54is more than enough to drag Wild Turkey into the realm of better popular bourbon brands out there.
04:59Yes, really.
05:00And there's no doubt, though, especially with the finish, that this is a Wild Turkey brand.
05:07Once again, the Jim Beam family makes an appearance on this list,
05:10though by its very design, Knob Creek is quite a different beast from Jim Beam and Basil Hayden's.
05:15This small-batch endeavor got its start in the early 1990s and immediately proved its
05:20metal as a highly sought-after hit product amongst all sorts of bourbon drinkers.
05:24In fact, it's so good that even someone who dislikes bourbon in general may find a soft
05:29spot for Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey's rich, spicy, oaky, autumnal vibe.
05:34If you're a bourbon skeptic, then this may well be the right path for you.
05:39Knob Creek is a very decent mid-tier bourbon. Its relatively affordable price and enjoyable
05:43old-school character make it a worthy addition to any bourbon fans' collection,
05:47even though it's not necessarily the bottle you'll find yourself saving for special occasions.
05:52Still, there's nothing wrong with a workday bourbon of this caliber.
05:56If you favor mellowness over boldness, you might want to mentally drop
06:00Bullitt a few places. Even so, few other mainstream bourbons pop like this one.
06:05Bullitt's Straight Bourbon Frontier Whiskey has developed a reputation as one of the
06:09best whiskeys to put in an old-fashioned, but it can hold just as well on its own.
06:13Bullitt's main draw is that it's an excellent cocktail base, and thanks to its particularly
06:18high rye mash bill, it combines hues of rye whiskey's peppery punch with the traditional
06:22notes of bourbon. Unsurprisingly, Bullitt also has a pretty decent variety of rye in its array.
06:27With its strong presence of rye and an ample oaky spiciness,
06:31Bullitt is a fairly punchy bourbon compared to many of its more unabashedly sweet compatriots.
06:36While its sting makes it a solid and easily distinguishable presence as a mixing ingredient,
06:41it also makes Bullitt a very interesting mid-tier sipping bourbon. And while it
06:45might not be for everyone, the people who do swear by it might very well rank it even higher.
06:50In the world of hard liquor, coming up with a catchy name can sometimes be half the battle.
06:55On the other hand, when a bourbon happily enters the fray with a name like your
06:59mother-in-law's favorite accountant, you know that the brand means business.
07:03Evan Williams may not be the coolest or quirkiest bourbon on the shelves — it's not even
07:07particularly high-end. On the contrary, it's very much a value brand, but an absurdly underrated one.
07:14Why? It checks all the boxes, it's 86-proof, it's got a spicy flair,
07:18and it's versatile enough that you can absolutely drink it neat,
07:21on the rocks, or use it in your favorite cocktails. And having all that in a single
07:26bottle is a big deal. Evan Williams is indeed a surprisingly complex bourbon that consists of
07:31a number of nuances that just so happen to work, like pieces of a puzzle that all seem a different
07:36color yet fit in perfectly. Its smoothness makes Jim Beam, the biggest affordable smooth
07:41bourbon name out there, a natural point of comparison. Evan Williams is the more delicious
07:46of the two, and its quality-price ratio makes it a perfect choice for an everyday liquor.
07:50That might not be everything that a bourbon can be, but very much is what a bourbon needs to be.
07:57So we've finally come to Woodford Reserve. The name alone invokes images of both high-brow
08:01sipping bourbon and yet also something you'd order a shot or three of after a long day.
08:06Aesthetically speaking, the brand covers its bases before you even crack open the bottle.
08:10Much like Bullitt, this bourbon brand is pretty rye-heavy, but despite the spice this brings to
08:15its flavor profile, the spirit is still considerably mellow and beloved by quite
08:19a few bourbon aficionados. And that's for good reason. Woodford Reserve is noteworthy for its
08:25intensely fruity nose with a strong undercurrent of mint, vanilla, and several other aromatic notes.
08:30The palate delivers what the nose promises with a pleasantly soft, medium-length finish of spice
08:35and sweetness. Now, if you happen to prefer your liquor with a more immediate kick,
08:40this bourbon might not be your jam. However, when it comes to taking traditional bourbon
08:44flavors and embracing them to the maximum, Woodford Reserve is a very hard drink to beat.
08:49In fact, when it comes to popular bourbon brands, it reigns supreme.
08:53"'Bourbon'? What is the bourbon?"
08:55"'It's just the cheap stuff.'"
08:56"'Make mine a Woodford.'"