There seems to be a lot of deals at the moment for branded Bourbon.

At ASDA and Tesco they are selling the Jim Beam varieties (White, Red Stag, Apple, Maple and Honey) for around £15. (Sometimes they are £14, sometimes £16).

ASDA also have Devil's Cut for £15.
and a new one called Early Times from the makers of Jack Daniels also for £15.

The same goes for JD black and Honey.
Oddly though, they both have offers for JD 70cl for £15 but 50cl for £19


Tesco has Wild Turkey for £15. Also some of the other more exclusive brands are on offer but not as low as the ones I've mentioned.


Checkout mySupermarket for the current prices and which supermarket has the best offer.

No Old Grandad Hopefully my local's landlord is getting me a bottle though.

Very disappointed this is not a thread about biscuits.

Good info, thanks for that.

I always end up going back to JD, have tried far more expensive ones but still prefer it.

have to say I prefer Jim Beam. Although actually the telco own brand bourbon is decent too

F
Me too!

JD isn't a bourbon anyway, it's Tennessee sipping whiskey (me being a pedant).

Yes you're right, nothing pedantic about it, my mistake.

The taste is extremely similar though isn't it? I still prefer it to much more expensive Bourbon.

Apparently JD can be described as a bourbon using current definitions
http://chuckcowdery.blogspot.co.uk/2...s-bourbon.html
http://chuckcowdery.blogspot.co.uk/2...-debunked.html

Tennessee didn't want their whiskey called the same name as the whiskey historically associated with their state rival Kentucky. That is what it comes down to, and I am not saying they can't do that. So I say "Tennessee Whiskey" where appropriate. But "bourbon" is officially defined by the US federal government, not Kentucky or any other state, and the US government considers "Tennessee Whiskey" to fall within the definition of "bourbon." US government trade agreements with other nations even refer to Tennessee Whiskey as a type of bourbon. Types of whiskey that US federal law explicitly recognizes as different than bourbon include rye whiskey, wheat whiskey, malt whiskey, rye malt whiskey, and corn whiskey.

The people who insist that Tennessee Whiskey can't be called bourbon in any sense talk about the charcoal mellowing that Tennessee Whiskey goes through, and they claim that makes it different than bourbon, but what they seem to be unaware of is that certain Kentucky distillers put their bourbon through the same process. The Kentuckians just don't harp on about it.

There is so much more to American 'whisky' or 'whiskey' dependent on what way you wish to spell it than Jack and Jim. I just finished off a bottle of Tincup the other night, it's such an awesome whiskey with water taken straight from Colorado's Rocky Mountains and can easily be taken neat unlike regular Jack and Jim which I find a little harsh.

We're so limited in UK in what we get. Apart from the usual suspects, Jack, Jim and a couple of others there's previous little to choose from which is such a shame.

Check out the American range at Whiskey Exchange online and you'll see exactly what I mean.

BTW Jim Beam white label, I wouldn't drink it if I was getting it for free. Jim Beam black label or Devil's Cut yes, but definitely not white label. It should be banned.

Not for me, I prefer Jim Beam white label to JD. It should not be banned at all!

I have seen a lot of British fans of scotch disparage American whiskey, but those people never seem to have tried anything but Jim Beam white label and Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 (or just one of the two). That's like trying Bell's or JW Red Label and then dismissing ALL scotch. Cheap whiskey is cheap for a reason: it is made to be mixed, not taken neat or with just a bit of water.


Do you mean to say that you think the range of American whiskey at Whisky Exchange is poor, or better than what is available elsewhere in the UK? It doesn't look that bad to me. Sure, they are missing a lot, but there is good to outstanding stuff there, and a lot that I would advise people to try if they want to drink whiskey neat or mixed only with water. Not everybody can afford to spend the same amount on a bottle of whiskey, so here are some of my suggestions at different price points at Whisky Exchange:


26 pounds -- Maker's Mark Bourbon

30 pounds -- Bulleit '95' Rye

32 pounds -- Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select Bourbon

39 pounds -- Rittenhouse 100 Proof Rye

40 pounds -- Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon and Knob Creek Rye

41 pounds -- Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Tennessee Whiskey

55 pounds -- Noah's Mill Bourbon

67 pounds -- Booker's Bourbon

To anybody who can't afford anything more expensive than the Woodford, I would suggest going with the Bulleit Rye before the Maker's Mark or Woodford Reserve Bourbons. Big quality for not much money. If anybody can afford the Booker's, go for it. The best whisky/whiskey I have ever had. Always bottled at cask strength and unfiltered. A friend of mine's current bottle of Booker's is 64.35% ABV. You might think it would be hotter than Hades, but no. It is smooth and delicious and beautiful.

As I've already stated, I've tried several very expensive Bourbon's and still prefer JD.

And sometimes that happens. Obviously if you like the regular JD you are not biased against American whiskey on nationalistic grounds. Just because I am curious, what were the "very expensive" bourbons you tried that you didn't like as much as JD, if you recall their names?

Woodford Reserve and Knob Creek were two definitely.

I admit I probably exaggerated with 'very expensive' but they are double the price of JD.

I liked them both, I just prefer JD.

In my opinion Whisky Exchange has a range of America whusky other sellers can only ever dream about.

Without question Whisky Exchange leave similar suppliers in the shade. I've bought from them in the past and will continue to do so in the future. Their range of products and service supplied has been nothing short of fabulous and I can't thank them enough.

Well, at the Whisky Exchange JD is about 23 pounds, so Woodford definitely isn't double the price (at least at the Whisky Exchange; maybe the situation is different where you shop), but yeah, it is obviously more money and you like it less than JD, so fair enough. Knob Creek Bourbon is about 40 pounds, so close enough. I have had all three, and I rank them Woodford, Knob Creek Bourbon, and then JD. JD is sweeter than the other two, for sure. (Where the regular JD falls down for me is in its "thinness" on the palate, something that I believe to be the result of how mass-produced it is.) Some lovers of scotch who disparage bourbon say they don't like how sweet bourbon is, but not all bourbons are sweet. Woodford and Knob Creek bourbon are on the dry side. If the sweetness is something that appeals to you in JD, I can recommend Maker's Mark, which I like better than either Woodford or Knob Creek Bourbon (Knob Creek's rye is so much better than their bourbon, to my taste at least).

Have you tried any of the American whiskeys I listed? Tempted by any?

Also, have you tried Master of Malt's website? They have some American whiskies that Whisky Exchange doesn't have. And I mean really good ones.

There's 3 I haven't as yet tried on your list but I must try them now going by your recommendations because you definitely appear to know what you're talking about.

No I haven't tried that site yet, must check it out. For next day delivery Whisky Exchange charge a tenner to NI whether I order 1 bottle or 100 bottles which I find fair. There are others online who literally rip the lining from it with regards delivery to NI and that's put me off them.

Well apart from discussing Bourbon the thread was also about the deals in the major supermarkets.

Some people may not consider a bottle if it's £20+ but if it's on offer for £14 then the might try a bottle. Also they tend to stick to the major brands and not the more exclusive varieties.

I would never buy Red Stag if it wasn't on offer. I treat it as a kind of an aperitif. A slow sipping drink (still mixed with a little cola).

As for regular bourbon if they weren't on offer I'd buy a supermarket own brand. They're around £13.50 a bottle. Sometimes £12.50 and to me they taste fine.
ASDA, Tesco, Morrisons and ALDI all taste similar. Haven't had the LIDL one for a while because last time I tried it for me it had an odd aftertaste.

Thanks for the links, didn't now that (and it was just me being a pedant, no offence meant to the OP).

Think I had too much Woodford last night. Do like it but god my head doesn't today!