Best Cheap Whiskeys Under $50 for Smooth, Satisfying Sipping

A spot of whiskey can put you in high spirits for the weekend or add warmth to a chilly night, but there's no need to spend big money on a premium, vintage variety for everyday sipping when there are plenty of affordable and great-tasting options under $50. 

Cheapism pored over the results of a recent Ultimate Spirits Challenge (USC) to help identify favorite brands and bottles. This list has cross-checked judges' picks against specialty blogs and online consumer reviews to determine the best buys in whiskey, scotch, bourbon, and rye. 

Editor's note: This story was updated in August 2023. Prices and availability are subject to change.

$34
Shop Now

Hailing from the oldest distillery still going strong in Kentucky, Woodford Reserve bourbon tastes of honey and spice, coffee, and ginger, and gives off scents of cocoa, smoke, and even leather. This is a smooth, thick sipper, and consumers consider it an excellent base for an Old Fashioned. Experts are fans, as well, finding the creamy nose with splashes of honey, mango, and smoke and the full palate with tastes of espresso, orange peel, and rye to be particularly appealing. An added inducement to enjoy Woodford Reserve is the going price of about $34 for a 750 ml bottle.

$26

Shop Now

This 100-proof Kentucky bourbon stands tall as a daily nip, according to The Whiskey Jug blog. It kicks with a 50% ABV (alcohol by volume), which is softened by a full-bodied flavor of baking spices, dark fruits, caramel, and hints of coconut and wood. Experts from the tasting competition smelled sage, honey, toasted coconut, and caramel in the nose and tasted some vanilla, baking spices, and coconut in the mouth. They liked the toasty finish and deemed Old Forester Signature a very strong value. Indeed it is, at a spend of around $26 for a 750 ml bottle.

$23

Shop Now

Jim Beam Devil's Cut offers an extraordinary lesson in value with an $23 tag on a 750 ml bottle. Made from a blend of 6-year-old vintage whiskey and spirit extracted from the wooden casks in which it aged, this Jim Beam bourbon presents a relatively dry, oaky, and robust taste with undertones of stone fruits and brown sugar. Professional tasters detect aromas of banana, orange zest, and cinnamon on the air and like its smoky character and smooth finish.  

For more great stories about spirits and other beverages, please sign up for our free newsletters.

$23

Shop Now

A 6-year-old vintage rye, Sazerac is a lively, full-bodied whiskey that warms the mouth. Judges at the 2022 spirits challenge named it a finalist in the rye whiskey category. They gave a shout out to the campfire smoke, coconut, and ripe pear aromas wafting off the brew and the vanilla, honey, and candied orange peel they tasted that deepens the elegant finish. For frugal lovers of rye, the $23 a bottle price tag makes Sazerac Straight a top choice.

Related: 15 Best Tequilas Under $30 a Bottle for Your Home Bar

$27

Shop Now

Awarded a Chairman's Trophy in the 2014 Ultimate Spirits Challenge, Bulleit 95 is a blend of flavor and value that's hard to beat. Full of typically fruity and spicy rye character with strong vanilla and cherry in the nose and hints of mango and banana, Bulleit 95 delivers a slight spicy hotness in the mouth mellowed out with peach, cherry, and orange. The finish lingers without burning. There are 750 ml bottles out there for about $27.

$27

Shop Now

Rittenhouse Rye earns the "bottled in bond" label as the product of one distillery from one season of one year, although it is aged another four years. The result, according to industry experts, is a bouquet of toasted oats, apricot, marmalade, and woody notes and a honeyed palate complemented by caramel, butter cream, and a grainy sweetness. Rittenhouse was named North American Whiskey of the Year at the 2006 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and was coined a "great value" whiskey in the 2023 Ultimate Spirits Challenge. 

$38

Shop Now

Earning 96 points and stealing the Chairman’s Trophy at Ultimate Spirits Challenge 2017, this favorite Canadian whisky impressed the judges with a bold flavor profile of evolving spices. Lot 40 Rye also scores a 93 out of 100 on consumer review website The Whiskey Wash,  proving this is an all-around, top-shelf favorite. The reports of enticing flavors mention spice and subtle citrus undertones that create a powerful impression that lingers on the tongue after each sip.

$32

Shop Now

This blended spirit from Canada comes highly recommended from the experts at Ultimate Beverage Challenge, scoring 94 points out of 100 in 2017. With 3.6 out of 5 stars on Distiller.com, consumers agree with the professionals that this offers a lot of value. Reviews mention luscious flavors such as chocolate and cherries mixed with baking spice and a decadent texture.

$22

Shop Now

This blended whisky regularly scores upward of 80 out of 100 on consumer websites such as Distiller.com, where it got 83 points. It scored a strong 85 at the 2023 Ultimate Spirits Challenge. Part of the Buffalo Trace company, every batch of this whisky is actually bottled in Kentucky. The creamy texture and sweet vanilla flavors with supporting notes of spice and maple are what endear this spirit to consumers at the bar and experts alike.

$27

Shop Now

This blended highland Scotch is rich with slight notes of toasted grain and spice. It garners 4 out of 5 stars in consumer reviews at Master Of Malt, where the site's own experts comment on the full nose, fruity finish, and complex palate (e.g., creamy toffee, citrus, dry spice, and smoke). And while it didn't win any awards at the 2023 USC, it scored a respectable 93 points, with experts calling it "truly a classic dram" with notes of "honey, golden apple, orange blossom, walnut, and a touch of peat smoke."

$16

Shop Now

One of the better bargains on the blended Scotch market, this light-amber spirit scores 4 out of 5 stars at The Whisky Exchange and earned a "great value" designation at the 2022 USC competition. Consumer reviewers wax enthusiastic about hints of passion fruit and caramel, a smooth and long finish, and a touch of sweetness. Industry experts awarded Ballantine's Finest a solid score of 92 (out of 100), deeming it clean and refreshing, with apricot and dessert-like spices on the palate and cereal grains and sugar cookies on the nose. Drink this one neat, fans urge.

$22

Shop Now

Dewar's won a ton of awards at the 2023 Ultimate Spirits Challenge, with this particular classic earning 91 points and named a "great value." This go-to blend combines up to 40 malt and grain whiskies, yielding a smooth and sippable spirit. Dewar's White Label earns five stars in consumer reviews, which describe it as balanced with a slight smokiness and hints of vanilla and honey. The 2023 USC judges were taken by its "prototypical nose of toasted toffee, yellow raisin, cedar shavings, green melon, and ripe banana."

$49

Shop Now

While Tullamore D.E.W. may not be the first Irish whiskey bottle that comes to mind, this 12-year-old vintage blend deserves your full attention. Judges at the spirits face-off awarded it the Chairman's Trophy in years past (and declared it a finalist in the blended Irish whiskey category in 2023), highlighting a complex nose of almond butter and coffee grounds, a slightly smoky finish, and flavors of ripe tree fruits with candied orange peel. Tullamore D.E.W. also won the double gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition three years in a row. Given all the accolades, finding it for less than $50 for a 750 ml bottle is a true bargain.

$43

Shop Now

The flavors of this choice single malt whiskey are distinct and powerful, offering hits of honey, sweet spices, apricots, and malt. Expert reviews extol the smooth palate and straightforward presentation. Further proof of its quality? It was lauded at the 2019 Irish Whiskey Awards with a gold medal in the best 12 years or younger Irish single malt whiskey category, and the USC named it a finalist in 2020. Sippers note tastes such as apricot, oats, and malt, as well as honey, a bit of vanilla, and a hint of smoke on the air. Consumers likewise shower Tyrconnell with praise, calling it refined and creamy. 

$25

Shop Now

With its easy-going body and mellow flavor, Jameson is a hit with consumers who enjoy its smooth, thick body, touch of honey sweetness, and notes of fruit, spice, and grass. The iconic brand's whiskey roster was awarded many times over at the 2023 USC, with this particular budget blend earning the stamp of "great value." Experts like Jameson as well, owing to its complex aromatics made up of apricot, cereal, and minerality, and a palate imbued with almond, toffee, and baking spices. It's a good choice for Irish coffee and whiskey sours.

$20

Shop Now

We had to include this Gatlinburg, Tenn.-based distillery's flavored whiskey because it received the top score for its category at the 2023 Ultimate Spirits Challenge, beating out other contenders more than twice the price. Judges commended it for its "bold aromatics" of caramel candy, roasted apple, and buttery crust paired with hints of nutmeg and cinnamon. If that's not enough to convince flavored whiskey lovers to pick up a bottle, here's more: Website Bachelor on the Cheap notes that Ole Smoky has effectively "put pie filling with a kick in a bottle."

$44

Shop Now

Honey is a naturally occurring flavor in whiskey, which makes it a winning combination from the get go. Given nearly 4 out of 5 stars on Distiller.com and 94 out of 100 from Ultimate Beverage Challenge, it wins high marks all around. Tasters describe the top-shelf flavor as balanced between sweet floral honey and an earthy spiciness.

$18

Shop Now

Whiskey and peaches are two iconic flavors of the American South. With a strong recommendation from all-star judges, the spirit was awarded 85 out of 100 points. At a spend of around $18 per 750 ml bottle, it delivers a lot of flavor. Experts describe the layers of flavor as juicy and ripe, with clear notes of peach as well as baking spices and a touch of oak. It'll make you glad you made it to the end of the list.

$42

Shop Now

Of the nine spirits that qualified as "world whisky" in the 2017 Ultimate Spirits Challenge, this one comes with a strong recommendation from industry insiders and consumers. It earned a score of 91 (out of 100) at the 2023 Ultimate Spirits Challenge, and a score of 94 by the highly regarded Beverage Testing Institute. One note: The Bastille 1789 is sweet, which can be off-putting to some whiskey enthusiasts, but at least one reviewer notes that it includes "spices and earthier elements" that give it a "complex blend of flavors." The flavors are said to be malty, fruity, and honeyed, and even reminiscent of cognac.

$45

Shop Now

Made from blue corn, this choice, single-grain American spirit expresses a sense of place in every sip of every bottle in the batch. It comes highly recommended by some of the best judges in the industry, and garners no small praise from consumer websites. Made with a unique mash, its flavors are described as earthy, with notes of clay, cornbread, with sweet and savory oak tones tasted on the finish. 

While the above list is a good place to start for those shopping for cheap whiskeys, it's by no means exhaustive. Here are some other highly regarded and well-loved brown liquors to try:

• Basil Hayden's Artfully Aged Kentucky Straight Bourbon  |  $32
• Old Grand-Dad Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey  |  $33
• Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon  |  $14
• Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7-Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey  |  $46
• Crown Royal Deluxe Blended Whisky  |  $30