The Best $30 Bourbon Money Can Buy 

You guys should take the winners of each price range, and see where the higher priced whiskeys come out when compared to less expensive. Might be interesting results.

Why am I watching a bourbon tasting at 9am? I may have a problem

THANK YOU SO MUCH for putting the drink's names on the bottom of the screen so it is much easier to keep track of what drink you are talking about.

Early Times BIB was my pick! This was honestly a fantastic lineup. You won't go wrong with any of these, and it just shows what you can get with $30 in your pocket.

The fact that the only store around me that has ET BiB sometimes is now charging $33.99 for it, compared to the retail price of $23.49, kind of sours my opinion on buying one at the moment.

Great series, and these are the price points for many of us. Looking forward to next week!

Waiting for the one on Ryes

You should take all the winners when you are finished with the series, and put them in a blind against each other.

I love all 5 of these bourbons and usually have them all in my bar. Early Times winning does not surprise me, but seeing Wild Turkey 101 come in 4th was an eye opener. I'll bet if you did another blind with these same bottles a few days later you would come up with a different ranking. Great video and I'm really enjoying this series!

Thanks! Your channel is informative, fun to watch, respectful of the audience, along with those who seek good spirits to enjoy responsibility 😄

You two are such a hoot to watch. You both play off each other so well. Keep up the great work and no matter what anyone says for the price Wild Turkey 101 is my daily sipper !

I’ll take that Buffalo trace over the rest, unless the Old Forrester is 1920. I consider 1920 a higher end mid-level whisky.

I'm highly surprised that Early times won on this and benchmark was 2nd on the $20 video. I highly disliked benchmark and was not a fan of early times.

On that list...1792 number one for me and also number one is OF. We can have 2 number one's, right?

Old Grand Dad 114 or Old Forester 100

I’ve come to the conclusion that Kurt doesn’t actually like Wild Turkey he just thinks he does.

I have never had early times. It’s not sold up here. My #1 in this category is Elijah Craig

If one can change his mind within minutes, imagine the difference in results in days. Perhaps mom should surprise them and do the same five a couple weeks apart

Great series and great entertainment. Keep it up. I see a Japanese bottle on your shelf. I’d be interested in seeing an all Japanese show. It a market I’d like to know more about.

I must have gotten a bad bottle of Early Times (the new one with the blue screw top) because it tasted stale and off. There's no way I'd pick it out of a lineup of those bourbons and say it was the best. Disappointing, too, because the last time I bought it was when it was the previous version, and it was great. In any case, I'll take OGD 114 over any of those anyway.

Every time I stray, I come back to WT101.

Might want to update your WT101, that bottle is like two years old now.

Thank you soooo much for adding the bottle names during the tasting!!!

I’m the opposite. I always want wild turkey 101 to win. Lol

I’ve noticed lately that these blinds have been more of a “consensus” pick between you two rather than letting each individual make their choices based on their individual preference.

a little crazy to me that Wt 101 didn't win, but this was a fantastic lineup all around

I’d like a true blind test where someone sneaks into your bar and selects 5 bottles for you to rank, and you have no clue what they are. That would remove Confirmation Bias. And do it separately….no discussion as you are tasting…..then compare notes and ranking afterwards.

SLB Classics 0:57 Trenton did indeed forget to put the link on the screen 2:05 Trenton doesnt surprise us with his idiosyncrasies 2:41 Mom and her level of secrecy 3:01 Moisture from the mouth 😂 3:09 Trenton tries sniffing all the glasses first definitely wins A and D 2|0 👃Trenton 3:13 Trenton SHOCKS us and puts the bourbon name on the screen 3:56 Trenton struggles with words 4:38 Tastes like rocks and garden hose, Trenton notes! 5:28 Here comes Kurt 1|2 👃 5:36 Smells like grandmas house 😂😂 7:25 Trenton relates everything to snacks and candy Combos 7:53 Trenton secures win 3|1👃 8:21 Pine sap smelling notes 😂 9:41 Trenton is getting old and needs his Prilosec OTC 10:42 Laffy taffy and Buffalo Trace…. Go for it! 11:58 Kurt snatched up the glass for a nice showing 2|3 👃Trenton wins 🎉 12:08 Kurt with the candy notes this time, Banana runts 14:15 Kurt inserts foot into mouth with Wild Turkey 101 16:38 Trenton with his occasionally sophisticated vocab. Astringency. 18:18 Mom has been down there 2 minutes and saved the show 18:45 Synchronized water sips 19:00 Trenton with an off brand pre sniffing face 20:56 Kurt realizes where his foot is and retires 23:05 a nice synchronized nod to finish

Buffalo Trace is unobtainium in Louisiana, you have to get buds to get it for you in Miss or ALA., you can sometimes get a bottle but it goes fast, I stick to my WT and JD

Would have loved to see how Green River, Elijah Craig SB or Maker’s Mark 46 have done in the lineup.

In my market, BT would have to be bumped up a division. I think it's $31 or $32 here. But I get Elijah Craig small batch for under $25, so I'd probably be choosing that one.

Early Times and 1792 are on my to buy list. WT 101 is a staple in my house and I just found 2 bottles of Buffalo Trace about 2-3 weeks ago. They were $34 out the door so I grabbed them Love the content that you two do.❤🥃

The look you gave Trenton after the rock comment and then you said, “don’t walk around with rocks in my mouth too often.” 😂😂😂

I get the soap thing. Was in Marshalls one day and came across a bunch of men's soap and regret not getting one that smelled like leather and..I'm gonna say pine maybe. A bunch of them smelled great. Tired of grabbing her strawberry peach stuff or whatever 😅

Balcones pot still, wt101, ogd bonded, russels reserve, and 1792 would be my fave in this catagory

Please add the Whiskey/Bourbon list to the video show notes/description above. thanks

Really enjoyed the show because it showed how on the night our tastebuds change. Maybe from what we had for dinner? Who knows. I'm sure we all open a bottle sometimes expecting one taste yet get another👍

Wild Turkey 101 is really good

No Elijah Craig Small Batch?

Man early times by us is full on tater at $50-$60

I can never find Early Times, but I can find Buffalo Trace for about $24 (or $51 for 1.75L). It sells out quick, but I can generally find it for retail price a few times a month - and I can never pass it up. I actually prefer it to Eagle Rare. It may be over-hyped, but there's a reason for that.

Early Times for me continues to beat anything even remotely close to this price point. I've done BIB blinds, by price point and every which way. I even use it as my house Old Fashioneds which I batch up for company. We love it! Good thing I'm friends with a chain liquor store owner that sells it to me for $15! 🥃

Killin me with wild turkey place 😢

Great show. I actually have all 5 bottles. They are all good and I pretty much agree with your results. Early Times is great and has also won many of my blind taste testings with both myself and friends. Not to add that ET is a BIB. :)

The $20-30 and $50-60 categories are bangers, usually my bottles will fall into one of these two groups

Funny Trenton was going to get rid of A in the first round (until kent kinda talked him out of it) but then ended up winning

I have blinded these before and got the same results. Early times bib is the best taste and value, period. Especially the pre-sazerac version.

I can’t go in bath and body either. Without a headache 😂

Old forester 100 got me going on my bourbon journey and allowed me to find y’all’s awesome channel. It has some sentimental value for that very reason! Loving this series as well

We all have different tastes I guess. Buffalo trace to me is well just whiskey. It's OK, but not exceptional. The best whiskeys under $30 are Old Grand Dad Bonded and Old Overholt Bonded. These weren't even mentioned. 1792 sell for $32 around here and so falls out of the $20 to $30 category. It does have a place in the liquor cabinet though! It is great at that price point. My favorite whiskey doesn't ever get mentioned. At a little higher price point, Uncle Nearest 1897 is about as much as I will spent for whiskey. It is incredible. The story is this guy taught Jack Daniels how to make whiskey. We are talkin subtle caramel, cherry and spice notes that can only be attributed to maple charcoal filtering. I don't know why it gets ignored.

Kurt, I really like wild turkey 101. What would you say if someone was looking into stepping up their pallet what would you recommend?

Should compare the old early times Bib to new

That’s hilarious you guys got down to my two “daily” sippers (couple times a week only really). Think about this, though: where I live Buffalo Trace goes for at least 32, but I can get a LITER of ET BiB for 21, so it is legit half the price. There isn’t a close second in the whole whiskey world for best value to the Early Times.

Devils River, Benchmark (made by buffalo trace distillery, Larceny, Wild Turkey American Honey.. all under $30 very good stuff.

Old Forester makes good whiskey. You can’t go wrong at any price point. The more you spend, the more you get with them. Their top of the line bourbons are amazing.

I was introduced to your channel by a coworker who said we live in the same town. I'm on the Northside by triangle and the new liqgo. Very new to bourbon but have been trying a ton of different stuff and hosting tastings for friends at my house. Been a blast! Hope to see you guys around at the local stores. Keep up the good work!

What a great lineup 👏 ALL of these are on the bartop at all times. You guys screwed up the Early Times BIB though - very difficult to get anymore 😢 Geez When you think that you can get all 5 for the price of ONE 'limited edition' bs bottle, well, pretty simple choice. Make SMART choices not influenced by distillery hype. You can't collaborate on your rankings!!!! You should EACH rank your picks and then compare. Otherwise it's a running "compromise" instead of two independent evaluations. C'mon gentlemen, be true to yourselves!! Great video

I concur completely with your judgement on Old Forester and 1792. Both are just meh to me. Too bad I can't find BT or ET anyplace where I live. So I settle for Evan Williams BNB or Old Grandad. 101 is too popular here so $30 isn't happening.

$30 for Buffalo Trace and 1792, I wish. Chicago area here and they’re both $35-40. I’ve never even seen Early Times, so I guess I can’t compare but Buffalo Trace would have won this one for me.

Salmon probably not the best thing to eat right before a tasting flight, Trenton! I agree that Early Times BiB is a steal (putting aside the silly Brown Forman vs Sazerac arguments/comments on the internet) I have both and don't really taste much difference. Still a great buy although I'm a bit surprised by the Barton 1792 ranking. Thanks, guys!

I get the feeling Kurt hates the Yankees and Notre Dame for much the same reasons. Lol In the $30-$40 range, I’d definitely nominate Four Roses Single Barrel 100 Proof. $36 at Sam’s Club right now.

I drink drink them all at times, my order is Buffalo Trace, WT101, 1792 (neat), Early times, I have not had Old Forester, seems to have to much Rye.

For me, it come down to Buffalo Trace vs Wild Turkey 101. I guess I’d have to give it to Buffalo Trace (today anyway. Ask me tomorrow and it’ll be Wild Turkey).

I could only fine one online retailer in Australia that sells the Early Times bourbon featured. Its sells for AUD $198- !!, at todays exchnage rate thats USD$126-. So we also have unbelieveably high alcolhol taxes here & of course there would be extra shipping costs; but tell me, how would you rate the Early times against other Bourbons that might come in around that USD$126- price ?

Another great blind. I agree with the last place rating of Old Forester 100 proof. However, I'm a little surprised about the WT 101 placement, but the rest are a toss up, dependent upon my taste preference day by day. I m looking forward to the next tier!

ET BIB is $25 for 1L in PA; which calculates to $18.75 for 750ml. Wonder if it would have dominated your

Never had Early Times, will give that a shot. Not a fan of Buffalo Trace,it was okay. Lot of stores jack the price on it If you pour me a glass,I will say thank you. Wild Turkey is a winner. 23 bucks at my local. My Favorite in this category is Makers Mark #46

I’ve had all of these. Wow! Blind testing is tough. I would have had Wild Turkey 101 first because I’m a Russell’s guy. Early Times? It’s okay. No! It’s really good. Just not my fave. My point? Have 10 people tasting independently and alone and I think it would be all over the place.

Old Forester 100 reminds me of the old #7 Jack Daniel's back when it was still bottled at 86 proof.

Pine sap and spice, that’s why I hate WT101….don’t get the obsession, just because a lot of stuff is going on in your mouth, it doesn’t mean it’s good….Love everything Old Forester, even the rye, but Early Times is my pick for budget

I'm 51 years old and have a PhD in math, currently work in software development. I still need to use the L for right/left.

Definitely some solid choices. I continue to chuckle at Trenton’s tasting notes. I’m not sure I’ve tasted a bourbon, even a bad one, and thought “garden hose”…. 🤔

1792 and Buffalo Trace are 2 of my common go tos.... I must try some Early Times for sure. Question though.... have you seen the other review channels talk crazy crap about Buffalo Trace? I wee it so often and I don't get it.

Great Vid....I've learned a lot...Was wondering have you ever tried Buffalo Trace White Dog Wheated Mash, and your opinion if you had.

Hey!!! I HAVE a Bath and Body Works men's hand cream called "Leather and Brandy"!... they also had a Bourbon style hand cream for men too! Serious stuff. lol

I’ve had all. I would have ranked the same. I did not care for the OF100 even though i love 1920. I’m not a big fan of WT products. I’ve had two bottles of 1792, one was really good and one was not. I have 3 bottles of BT but haven’t opened them because it’s impossible to get here under $50 although I enjoy it. ET is impossible to get here. I have one unopened bottle left.

Costco Whiskey : Blanton's Single Barrel $29.99 wheelchair larry

Early Times BIB 1L is $11.99 in my market…. When I went to the counter with a bottle - the owner asks…. Only one? After tasting, went back and bought 2 more.

Is the ET BiB an old (B&F) bottle or a new (Saz) bottle? Unfortunately ET BiB is not available in my market (Massachusetts).

My favorite "budget" bourbon is ET BIB & WT 101. OGD BIB & OGD 114 are second picks.

First off, I enjoy your content. That said.....Doing a blind, then talking about it and changing your lineup makes it all a farce, sorry. Gotta lock in your selections, and roll with it.

That was some outstanding waffling. Hipsters like to avoid picking the most popular or most hyped option. Maybe you’re a hipster.

I've rewound it 4 times and could not figure out the name on the $15 100 proof. Maybe I'll stumble on that video. Keep up with good work guys! Cheers!

Early Times BiB $22 for a liter, great all around daily. I have and love all these bottles. Elijah Craig Sm Batch is excellent as well for $30

My local supermarket had a grocery cart filled with small bottles of Very Old Barton. I bought- and drank- a few of them, but they ran out eventually. 😢 Good stuff, not sure why it was on clearance.

2:36 I'm sorry, Trenton, but making you feel better would ruin the fun. 😂 3:33 But you could do a hilarious standup routine. 🙂 Of these five the only one I've not had is Early Times. Of the remaining four, the only one I'm not real fond of is Buffalo Trace. The others I like, and can easily find, too. 🙂

I agree...I never want Buffalo Trace to take 1st lol. Its a GREAT pour but I find it slightly overrated.

Not a snowballs chance in hell that 1792 is better than Wild Turkey 101. Period. I haven’t had ET BIB.

Look up Duke Cannon. They have Buffalo Trace scented soaps and what not. Pretty good smelling stuff.

The look on his face when she said 4th place wild turkey. 😂😂

ET BIB just doesn't do it for me at all, ET80 is IMHO far better, less chemical burnt rubber nose and pallete. Can't see how it won!

Sorry guys, Early Times has never been one of my favorites. As a matter of fact, I would prefer, Old Forester over ET everytime! But great video, I really enjoy your comments.

I was hoping that you wouldn’t put Buffalo Trace #1. Your bottom 2 are my everyday sippers. But I do have an Early Times stashed away.

Saw Russells 10 yr on sale for 31.99 earlier at my local TW...they had about 9/10 bottles left. Shoulda grabbed a couple

Surprised, Evan Williams Single Barrel isn't on the list. It is my favorite bourbon regardless of price.

Sazarac owns the 2 at the top, ETBIB has already been classified the same as BT in my state. I went 11 months without my favorite daily drinker and just saw it this month for 1st time. Hate Sazarac ownership and them creating scarcity.

Early Times BIB 100 is $20.99 at my local Total Wine....just picked up a bottle.

Early Times BiB was the only one I haven't had yet, and I just bought a bottle today (before watching the show). Surprised to see it come in first.

It's ok to disagree, guys. You keep letting Trenton influence your pick. I think you should stick to your guns and each pick your own favs.

Surprised at Old Forester in 5th, but not ET in 1st. But I tell ya what, finding ET around my parts is a b*tch again. 😢