So, you’re looking for some fine bourbon, eh?
You’ve come to the right place.
There are tons of great bottles you can buy for $100 or less that have deep, rich flavor profiles.
But which should you choose?
After all, $100 isn’t petty cash and you don’t want to end up with a bottle that tastes like $20.
That’s why created this guide to the 15 best bourbons under $100 that you can buy based on total value from our tastings and research.
How We Picked the Best Bourbons for $100 (or Less)
Before we dive in, it’s important to know how we set this thing up…
This list is ordered by total value (price + taste).
Some may argue that some bourbons lower on the list actually taste better than others.
This is a fair point, but keep in mind what we’re shooting for: the best bourbons at this price point based on total value.
And with the $100 and under price point, there are tons of bourbons to choose from.
You may also notice some expressions of Weller, Stagg Jr., Van Winkle, and other rare bourbons didn’t make this list.
This isn’t because they aren’t worthy of being featured, it’s because their real price is significantly above their MSRP and can’t be purchased easily for $100 or less.
Now that we got the business out of the way, let’s dive in.
Interested in bourbons under $30 or under $50 instead? We have articles for those price ranges too:
The Best Bourbon Under $100 in 2023
Knob Creek 12 Year is the best bourbon under $100 for 2023.
It’s like regular Knob Creek on steroids. The extra few years in the barrel have resulted in a delicious vanilla-forward bourbon with tons of richness and character.
And I’ll tell you more about KC 12 and the rest of the best bourbons under $100 below.
[FULL LIST] 19 Best Bourbons Under $100 in 2023
- Knob Creek 12 Year
- Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel
- Elijah Craig Barrel Proof
- Barrel Bourbon Cask Strength
- Belle Meade Reserve
- Maker’s 46 Cask Strength
- Baker’s 7-Year
- Knob Creek Single Barrel
- Wild Turkey Rare Breed
- E.H. Taylor Jr. Small Batch
- Smoke Wagon Uncut Unfiltered
- Booker’s
- Old Elk Wheated
- Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style
- Weller Antique 107
- Blanton’s
- Henry McKenna 10 Year
- Noah’s Mill
1. Knob Creek 12 Year
Price: ~$75
Proof: 100
Tasting Notes: Oak, vanilla, marshmallow
Distillery: Jim Beam
Review Summary: The extra 3 years in the barrel compared to Knob Creek 9 year is immediately apparent and worth the extra money if you like the Knob Creek flavor profile. It’s easily one of my favorite bourbons. It’s like a vanilla bomb. I’ve also heard from many that it’s even better the Knob Creek 15 (because it’s aged too long). I’ll let you know my thoughts whenever I review KC 15.
Click here to read the detailed review.
2. Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel
Price: ~$70
Proof: 110
Distillery: Wild Turkey
Tasting Notes: Caramel, rye, cereal grain, dark fruit
Review Summary: This incredible bottle of bourbon is rye-forward and packed with character. It finds the perfect balance between sweet and spicy and has tons of character. I detected notes of dark fruit and toffee in mine, along with about 5 other more pronounced flavor notes. This is a great value for $70.
Click here to read our detailed review.
3. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof
Price: ~$90
Proof: Varies from 128 to 140.2
Distillery: Heaven Hill
Tasting Notes: Caramel, vanilla, butterscotch
Review Summary: Consistently praised as one of the best bottles you can buy under $100, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is a great choice. Like Russells’s Reserve Single Barrel, ECBP finds a great balance between sweet and spicy and has pronounced notes of brown sugar, caramel, and more. It’s a touch on the hot side (not from rye, but from the alcohol), so be careful if you tend to like more subdued bourbons.
Click here to read our detailed review
4. Barrell Bourbon Cask Strength
Price: ~$90
Proof: Varies from 104.9 to 116.6
Distillery: Sourced from undisclosed distilleries in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana
Tasting Notes: Varies by batch
Review Summary: We’ve thoroughly enjoyed every bottle of Barrell Bourbon we’ve tried. One of the best we tried, Batch 27, was an intriguing pour. It was like a cherry bomb with a syrupy mouth feel and traditional bourbon notes. Every bottle is masterfully blended and brings a brand new experience.
Click here to read our detailed review.
5. Belle Meade Reserve
Price: ~$65
Proof: 108.3
Distillery: MGP
Tasting Notes: Vanilla, caramel, spice
Review Summary: This small batch bourbon is reminiscent of an apple pie with deep notes of caramel, cinnamon, and baking spices. It also has great character and richness to round it out so it achieves a nice balance. That being said, it is on the sweeter end of things than other bourbons in this list.
Click here to read our detailed review.
6. Maker’s Mark 46 Cask Strength
Price: ~$80
Proof: 110.3
Distillery: Maker’s Mark
Tasting Notes: Cinnamon, vanilla, oak
Review Summary: The same Maker’s 46 profile but on steroids. It’s much richer and fuller with a bit more spice. I’ve seen people claim this is just as good as Pappy. That may be a bit of an exaggeration but it’s still a phenomenal pour (especially under $100).
Click here to read our detailed review.
7. Baker’s 7 Year Single Barrel
Price: ~$70
Proof: 107
Distillery: Jim Beam
Tasting Notes: Rye spice, caramel, vanilla
Review Summary: If you want a lower-proof version of Knob Creek, this bourbon is for you. It tastes a lot similar to Knob Creek, with a more traditional bourbon flavor profile. It has pronounced notes of brown sugar and toes the line of being too bold, but is incredibly enjoyable.
Baker’s is a favorite of the Bourbon Inspector Insider’s Community.
Click here to read our detailed review.
8. Knob Creek Single Barrel
Price: ~$55
Distillery: Jim Beam
Tasting Notes: Oak, maple syrup, brown sugar
Age: 9
Proof: 120
Review Summary: You can’t do much better than Knob Creek Single Barrel for $55 (if it weren’t for the extra $5, this would be the #1 bourbon under $50). If you can handle a hot bourbon, this is a fantastic pour. It’s sweet and rich, and can stand toe-to-toe with $100 bourbons all day long. You can make the argument for this being higher on the list depending on your taste preferences.
Click here to read our detailed review.
9. Wild Turkey Rare Breed
Price: ~$60
Distillery: Wild Turkey
Tasting Notes: Rye, caramel, orange peel
Age: No age statement
Proof: 116.8
Review Summary: Very similar to Knob Creek Single Barrel in spiciness and price, Wild Turkey Rare Breed is one of the best bourbons you can get for $60 if you like a spicier profile. I tend to lean towards sweeter bourbons and still love Wild Turkey Rare Breed. It’s robust and flavorful.
Click here to read our detailed review.
10. E.H. Taylor Jr. Small Batch
Price: ~$85
Distillery: Buffalo Trace
Tasting Notes: Oak, vanilla, caramel
Age: No age statement
Proof: 100
Review Summary: Worth grabbing but the MSRP is $40 and it’s hard to find at that price. That being said, this is one of the most flavorful bourbons out there and it’s easy to drink for being 100 proof. It’s definitely better than Blanton’s and it’s usually also cheaper. But it falls to #8 on this list because it’s not really worth $85. It’s really good, but not $85 good. You’re better off with any of the 7 that rank ahead of it (and they’ll be easier to find too).
Click here to read our detailed review.
11. Smoke Wagon Uncut Unfiltered
Price: ~$80
Proof: Varies from 111.67 to 116.9
Distillery: MGP
Tasting Notes: Caramel, raspberry, leather
Review Summary: This bourbon has a great variety of flavors and depth, but it can often be difficult to find in stores. It’s very rye heavy and spicy, so it doesn’t fit everyone’s flavor preferences, but if you tend to love Russells Reserve or Wild Turkey, you’ll really like Smoke Wagon (and especially this high-end expression).
Click here to read our detailed review.
12. Booker’s Bourbon
Price: ~$100
Proof: Varies by batch
Distillery: Jim Beam
Tasting Notes: Vanilla, raisin, oak
Notes: Booker’s is incredibly sweet for such a high proof. It’s a great sipper. I found the Tagalong batch to be a bit unbalanced, leaning heavily towards oak, but the flavors vary wildly by batch. Booker’s is one of Jim Beam’s premium expressions, so you can expect each bottle to be really good.
Click here to read our detailed review.
13. Old Elk Wheated Bourbon
Price: ~$65
Proof: 92
Distillery: Old Elk / MGP
Tasting Notes: Maple syrup, buttery caramel, vanilla
Notes: Old Elk is a fast-rising bourbon that recently released high-malt and wheated expressions. Many claim the wheated expression is one of the closest tasting bottles to Weller that you can find.
Detailed review coming soon.
14. Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style
Price: ~$60
Proof: 115
Distillery: Brown-Forman Shively Distillery
Tasting Notes: Caramel, dark chocolate, oak, cherry
Review Summary: This bourbon is very rich, hot, and unbelievably unique. It’s a fantastic value at $60. Many claim it’s the best under $100 due to its value, but I think it doesn’t have good enough balance to be higher on this list. It’s good, don’t get me wrong, but it’s a bit on the hot side. Other bourbons higher in this list have achieved much better balance.
Click here to read the detailed review.
15. Weller Antique 107
Price: ~$100
Proof: 107
Distillery: Buffalo Trace
Tasting Notes: Cinnamon, cherry, oak
Notes: Worth grabbing but the MSRP is $50 and it’s hard to find at that price. This is a really unique pour that has some cinnamon heat initially that dissipates quickly during the finish. But beware, some people have started charging up to $175-$250 for Antique 107. It’s simply not worth that.
Click here to read the detailed review.
16. Blanton’s Single Barrel
Price: ~$100
Proof: 93
Distillery: Buffalo Trace
Tasting Notes: Caramel, vanilla, sugar
Review Summary: Worth grabbing but the MSRP is $65 and it’s hard to find at that price. That being said, Blanton’s is a great crowd-pleaser. It’s very sweet and incredibly smooth. There is much debate around whether Blanton’s is worth the $100 price tag, but at the end of the day, it’s completely based on the taster’s preference. Most bourbon enthusiasts say it’s very overrated. I generally agree, but it’s still really solid.
Click here to read the detailed review.
17. Henry McKenna Single Barrel 10 Year Bottled-in-Bond
Price: ~$80
Proof: 100
Distillery: Heaven Hill
Tasting Notes: Vanilla, oak, rye
Review Summary: This is a quintessential bourbon that offers something just about every bourbon enthusiast can love. The issue here is the price and availability. Its MSRP is $30 and you really can’t find it for under $80 these days because it’s allocated. If it were cheaper, it would no doubt be higher on the list. But it’s still really solid nonetheless.
Detailed review coming soon.
18. Noah’s Mill
Price: ~$70
Distillery: Willett Distillery
Proof: 114.3
Tasting Notes: Toffee, nut, cinnamon, vanilla
Review Summary: Noah’s Mill used to have a 15 year age statement but recently dropped it. With that drop came a pronounced drop in richness and character. That being said, it’s still a great bourbon to try in its price point (from a great distillery).
Detailed review coming soon.
What About Barrel Picks?
Barrel picks (also known as “store picks”) are awesome, but they weren’t included in the list above because the specifics will vary so widely.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider them, though.
Stores often offer barrel picks from great brands like Four Roses and Maker’s Mark that are single barrel and barrel strength (also called “cask strength”).
And depending on the price and proof, they could be a great buy.
Guess What? You Can’t Go Wrong with Any of These Bourbons
While we ranked these bourbons based on our tastings, research, and overall preferences, you really can’t go wrong with any of them.
They all will deliver rich flavor profiles that’ll make you glad you bought a bourbon in this pricepoint to try.
Enjoy and please drink responsibly!
Hunter Branch is the Founder and Director of Editorial for Bourbon Inspector. He has been writing about and professionally reviewing bourbon since 2020 (and has been drinking it for much longer). He’s been able to interview big names in the bourbon industry like Trey Zoeller from Jefferson’s Bourbon and his work has been featured in publications like TastingTable, Mashed, and more.