This was the final in the blind taste-off of available bourbons — in other words, bourbons you can typically find on the shelf at a decent-sized liquor store.

You know the drill: I walked into a liquor store, this time being Party Center in Prospect, with a goal of buying every bourbon in a certain price point. I’ve done under $15, $16 to $25, $26 to $40 and this round is the continuation of the $41 to $60 category. I’ll take the top two of each taste off, throw in a blind and taste them at a later date. Now, if it’s not in the store, I don’t buy it. If it’s finished in another barrel, it’s not suitable for this tasting. Only bourbon. I do plan to do similar exercises with rye and barrel finishes in the future. 

Usually, there is a surprise or two, and this whiskey taste-off continued that trend. The first three tastes made me wonder if my palate was off, but the field ended up coming through nicely. Here are the results:

12. Glass C, Breaker Bourbon (Soap, caramel, green pepper; spicy “not really doing it for me”)

11. Glass L, New Riff Single Barrel (Comes off hot; “It’s all right”)

10. Glass A, Rowan’s Creek (Perfumy, floral, bubble gum; corn, hibiscus)

9. Glass B, Pure Kentucky (Funk, spice, cake batter)

8. Glass E, New Riff Bottled in Bond (Malt-o Meal, chocolate, butter; spice, herbs, cinnamon hard candy; “I dig”)

7. Glass J, Fern Creek (Corn, pepper spice, “Didn’t wow me”)

6. Glass I, Black Saddle (Alcohol, cornbread, pudding, peanut butter)

5. Glass H, Eagle Rare (Indiscernible nose; cherry pie, “fried goodness,” vanilla wafer)

4. Glass G, Daviess County (Caramel, pepper, “the spice is strong”)

3. Glass K, Old Forester Statesman (Prominent banana note, chocolate, fig bar, nougat, cinnamon, cherry pie)

2. Glass F, Bradshaw Bourbon (Smoke/peat, herbalness, cardamom, peanut butter; “F’s got some complexity to it”)

1. Glass D, Rare Breed (Caramel bomb; spice, cornbread, vanilla, marzipan, honey; “hell yeah … I’m buying all day long”)