Best Bourbon Under $50: 7 Popular Bottles Worth Trying

If you've ever wondered what small batch bourbon is supposed to taste like before marketing departments got involved, start here. Four Roses Single Barrel is bottled at 100 proof and pulled from individual barrels rather than blended batches, which means you're tasting one specific barrel's personality every time.

Tasting Notes

Expect ripe plum and cherry up front, with maple syrup and cocoa rounding things out on the finish. It's full-bodied without tipping into "too hot to sip neat" territory, and at roughly $46, it's one of the best values in the entire Kentucky bourbon lineup. If you're new to single barrel bourbons, this is the one that converts skeptics.

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Serve neat, or use it in a Manhattan if you want the spice notes to really show off.

Angel's Envy did something genuinely different when it launched: finishing bourbon in port wine barrels imported from Portugal. That extra step adds notes of raisin, maple syrup, and toasted nuts that most straight bourbons simply don't have.

It's a bourbon that reads as more "dessert-adjacent" than most, which makes it a great pick for people who usually reach for wine or brandy and are dipping a toe into whiskey. Arlington also carries the pricier Angel's Envy Private Selection Single Barrel if you fall in love with the house style and want to trade up later.

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Serve on the rocks. The ice slowly opens up the port-finish sweetness.

Yes, this is the bourbon founded by Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley of The Vampire Diaries fame, and yes, that fact alone probably sold a lot of first bottles. But the reason Brother's Bond has stuck around, picking up Double Gold medals at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition three years running, is that the liquid backs up the story.

It's a four-grain, high-rye straight bourbon (corn, rye, wheat, and malted barley) aged a minimum of four years, and the mash bill shows up clearly: honey, orange zest, light caramel, and a gentle spice on the back end. If you want to go a step further, Arlington also stocks the Brother's Bond Bottled in Bond expression, aged longer and bottled at a bolder 100 proof for around $53.

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Serve neat first, then try it in an Old Fashioned. The honey notes hold up beautifully.

For drinkers who think most "everyday" bourbons are a little too polite, 1792 Full Proof exists to fix that. Instead of the usual chill filtration, it's bottled at 125 proof, the exact strength it entered the barrel at years ago, which keeps every oil and flavor compound intact.

The result is a bourbon with real weight: dark chocolate, cinnamon, roasted coffee, and a long, warming finish. It's not subtle, and it's not trying to be. If you want to know what bourbon actually tastes like before water gets added back in, this is one of the most affordable ways to find out. You'll find the full 1792 bourbon lineup in stock, including their signature small batch bourbon.

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Serve with a single ice cube or add a few drops of water to open it up. Full proof bourbons almost always improve with a little dilution.

Not every great bourbon comes out of Kentucky, and Breckenridge is proof of that. Distilled and aged at 9,600 feet above sea level in the Colorado Rockies, the thinner mountain air and dramatic temperature swings push the whiskey in and out of the barrel wood faster than it would at lower elevations, meaning it picks up more flavor in less time.

It's an award-winning bourbon with a smooth, slightly sweet character that punches well above its roughly $35 price tag, making it another strong contender for best bourbon under $50. For something a little more adventurous, Arlington also carries the Breckenridge Rum Cask Finish, which layers in candied apple, cinnamon, and dark chocolate from a secondary rum barrel rest.

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Serve it neat, ideally after a day on the slopes, but it works just as well from your couch.

Bulleit is one of those bottles that's earned its spot on nearly every bar cart in America, and for good reason. With a mash bill that leans unusually high on rye (around 28%, well above most bourbons), it delivers more spice and a drier finish than sweeter Kentucky staples, think notes of oak, vanilla, and cedar rather than pure caramel.

At 90 proof and priced well under $30 most places, Bulleit is a genuine workhorse: great in cocktails, great neat, and reliable enough that you can hand it to literally anyone at a party without a second thought. It's also a great budget bourbon for beginners since it's forgiving in cocktails while still tasting like real bourbon neat. If you're building a first home bar, this is a strong bottle to anchor it with.

Check out our Jim Beam buying guide if you want to compare it against another everyday-price staple.

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In a classic Old Fashioned or a Manhattan. The rye spice was made for stirred cocktails.

Rounding out the list is the bottle that started the 1792 lineage: 1792 Small Batch, made using the distillery's signature high-rye recipe at the oldest fully operating distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky.

At around $30, it's one of the most consistently well-reviewed small batch bourbon options in this entire price range, and arguably one of the easiest recommendations on this list for a budget bourbon for beginners. Expect caramel, vanilla, and baking spice, with just enough rye bite to keep it from feeling one-note. It's the kind of bottle that over-delivers so reliably that bourbon drinkers tend to just keep one in rotation permanently.

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Neat in a proper whiskey glass. It doesn't need a mixer to shine.