What is the best bourbon for beginners?

When I first got into bourbon I remember being very overwhelmed. There were so many bottles people were telling me to try, and on top of that, I didn't know what to look for in terms of taste, not even to start narrowing it down. It wasn't until I went on a distiller tour at Makers Mark that it all started to click for me. They told me what I should be tasting in each of their different batches, which helped me begin narrowing down what I liked and didn't like. They also told me how to even drink bourbon, and what glass to drink it out of.

Now I know it's not realistic for everyone to go to Kentucky and embark on a ton of distiller tours to help them develop their palette, so I wanted to come up with a list of bourbons that I believe will help narrow down what types of bourbon you like and don't without ever leaving the town you live in. As you are trying these, try to pick up on the notes of what I describe here in the flavor profiles. After a while, this will just start coming naturally to you. I recommend getting a Glencairn glass to try these with and before you actually sip them, take a big whiff and exhale of the smell down by your chest, then up closer to your nose, and then after fully exhaling take a small sip and move it around to different parts of your mouth. Whiskey is very nose-forward, meaning a lot of the tastes you get come from the nose of the drink, so to get the full flavor profile you need to allow the nose of the drink to incorporate itself into the experience of the tasting.

Now let's get into what I recommend to start with. All of these bourbons should be readily available close to where you live. These are not allocated bottles, and in the long run, they may not be your favorite bourbons, but when you are getting started I believe it's good to spend less money so that later on you can truly enjoy the more rare and exciting bottles.

Makers Mark

The OG makers Mark, in my opinion, is one of the best bourbons to start with. It is very easy to find, and it is inexpensive for a high-quality product. For new bourbon/whiskey drinkers, it is typically easier to drink as the brand prides itself on the drink never being "bitter" or "sharp". This spirit is made with red winter wheat instead of the typical rye so it's a great way to find out if you prefer wheated bourbons or not.

The nose should have scents of sweet oak, vanilla, bright fruit, and wheat.

The taste should be balanced between vanilla and oak, and have some hints of fruit as well.

Wild Turkey: Rare Breed

Wild Turkey Rare Breed is many people's favorite bourbon. It is a great introduction to higher-proof bourbons, and personally is the bourbon that made me realize I liked higher-proof offerings. Rare Breed is fairly middle of the road when it comes to price and, honestly probably one of the best values on any shelf in a store. Rare Breed is a marriage between Wild Turkeys 6, 8, and 12-year-old Whiskeys making it have an incredibly unique and complex flavor. This bourbon has some more bite to it because it is barrel-proof; which means it has no water added to it to dilute the flavor. You can read more about what barrel proof means here.

The nose should have scents of almonds, flowers, black pepper, and some hints of honey and dates.

On the taste try to pick up warm and smokey flavors of grain and spice.

Bulleit Bourbon

Bulleit's Bourbon offering is a great introduction to high-rye bourbons. It's again very easy to find and is very reasonably priced. High rye bourbons are known for their bold flavor profiles, and I think Bulleit is a great example of that. This bourbon has won many awards, and they pride themselves on creating a very bold but smooth flavor profile.

The nose should have gentle spice and oak aromas.

The taste should start with notes of oak, nutmeg, and maple, and finish with hints of toffee.

These three bourbons should be a great, easy-to-find, introduction to the bourbon world. I can say this firsthand because looking back on when I first got into whiskey these were some of the defining bottles that helped me decide on what I liked and what I did not like. After you decide whether or not you like these, you will be able to know if you like, a wheated bourbon, a high-rye bourbon, and or a barrel-proof bourbon. From there you can look up other offerings in these same categories, even from the same brands, and slowly venture out. To keep track of what you like and don't check out the world's best whiskey app NEAT: Whiskey Finder!. It's a great place to keep track of your ratings, share them with friends, get good recommendations from everyday people like you and me for what bourbon to try next, and to blaze your own bourbon trail!