Why Beginner Bourbon Drinkers Shouldn't Automatically Reach For Big Brands

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If your experience with bourbon is limited to that time someone brought a bottle of Wild Turkey to a college party, opening yourself up to the myriad pleasures and varieties this kind of whiskey offers can be enormously rewarding — unfortunately, it can also be intimidating. Bourbon, with a history reaching back into the 19th century and countless different types on offer, may leave beginners grasping for assurance and automatically opting for a recognizable big brand. According to Tasting Table's Kenny Jarvis, a connoisseur of both Scotch and whiskeys who has been writing about this prized spirit for a decade and recently offered some tips for the bourbon novice, this is a mistake.

Jarvis makes clear that it is not his intention to rag on the better-known bourbons out there. "You have no doubt heard of the likes of Jim Beam and Maker's Mark, but maybe you also know that Pappy Van Winkle and Stagg have almost mythical status," he writes. "Many of these brands deserve the reputation they have, and it's easy to gravitate toward them when picking up bottles, as there is comfort in familiarity." Nevertheless, Jarvis advises that lesser-known brands are worth delving into if you have the courage to do so.

It's not just about being adventurous enough to try the unknown and unusual (which we at Tasting Table are firmly in favor of), but it also makes good budgetary sense. "Famous bourbons can be expensive, and as a whiskey novice, it may not be prudent to invest in them," Jarvis writes. "If you have the money to buy one bottle of famous bourbon or four bottles from lesser-known distilleries, it's probably best to opt for the lesser-known bottles at the start. When you develop your taste and palate, you can start treating yourself to the expensive stuff."

It's not just about saving money, of course. There's a unique pleasure in stumbling across something wonderful yet obscure that the wider world doesn't seem to know about, like discovering your new favorite restaurant or unearthing a delicious recipe that somehow hasn't gone viral. "By venturing off the beaten path," Jarvis urges, "you can support smaller producers and expand your bourbon knowledge even quicker." Jarvis doesn't begrudge anyone who who does start with the big names, and admits "that's what I did." But sticking only to the big names will limit your experience, prevent you from developing a more discerning and informed taste in whiskey, and may even prevent you from uncovering the bourbon that fits your palate best.

Naturally, this doesn't necessarily mean you should go out and start buying brands of bourbon you've never heard of at random. If you don't have an expert like Kenny Jarvis to point you in some interesting directions, do your research — you could, for example, do worse than to check out our list of 16 underrated bourbons you need to buy, or if your curiosity extends to all kinds of whiskey, our recommendations for 14 overlooked whiskeys you need to try in 2026. Who knows? Maybe your new favorite will end up being peanut butter whiskey — you'll never know unless you try.