Here we have a matchup of 2 great American barrel-proof, affordable ($50-$60) bourbons from 2 great, old, American distilleries. They also happen to be 2 of my all-time favorite drams. Both require about 2mL of water to reveal all their flavors. The real question will be can there be any losers today??

ECBP) Aged 12 years, from Heaven Hill. Seriously a consistently amazing pour. Almost impossible to beat for the price, the B-batch was my favorite from 2019. The nose is intense and starts with caramel, toffee, vanilla, oak, cinnamon, and leather. The palate explodes with sweetness, including notes of maple syrup, caramel, vanilla, oak, and maybe a little orange-peel and chocolate coming in. The finish is long, smooth, and delicious, with some rye spice, vanilla, and oak.

Stagg Jr.) Aged 8-9 years, from Buffalo Trace. Another consistently amazing pour. The nose is fairly strong with brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, citrus, and charred oak. The very full-flavored palate starts with some alcohol burn that quickly dissipates to reveal dark cherry, brown sugar, vanilla, oak, slight citrus, and hints of buttered salt. The finish is very long with mild spice, more brown sugar, and a hint of tobacco smoke.

Verdict) These are both amazing bottles that beat almost anything in the under $100 price range, and a lot of bottles in the $200 range! It’s almost impossible to choose a winner. ECBP is a little sweeter and smoother, Stagg Jr is a little more complex but has more alcohol burn. If I really, really HAD to choose a winner I would say that I might give ECBP the slight edge due to the smoother, older age, and because it’s easier to find. But it’s really too close to call, and I will always pick up either of these bottles if I find them for close to MSRP!