Bourbons Under $40 Ranked By Smoothness

When you're tasting whiskey, one aspect you'll often hear about in reference to the spirit is how "smooth" it is. This defines how easy-to-drink it is, and can include factors like how it sits on the palate and how much it "burns" going down. Different consumers will appreciate varying smoothness levels in a whiskey, and preferences may even change depending on their application — personally, I like a smooth whiskey when I'm drinking it neat, but I prefer something a bit harsher when combining it with any mixer.

How does bourbon fit into this picture? You'll often find that bourbons sit on the smoother end of the whiskey spectrum for a couple of reasons. First, because a bourbon's mash bill needs to be made of at least 51% corn, the spirit will naturally get a sweeter character from that grain. Second, bourbon has to be aged in new charred oak barrels — the filtration that these barrels offer will often soften some of the harsher notes a whiskey could retain if aged in different barrels. 

Now that we have a basic understanding of what makes a whiskey smooth, we're ready to get into today's tasting: a ranking of bourbons based on how smooth they are. While I did find a spectrum when tasting these bourbons, it feels necessary to emphasize that all of these were smoother than the vast majority of other whiskeys in my collection; so really, much of this piece involved parsing apart the nitty-gritty palate notes of the below. If you need an impeccable sipper, shop toward the top of my list; those wanting a little more spice and smoke to their bottle should shop the picks at the bottom of my list. Best of all, all of the below are under $40. 

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

To start us off, we have a bottle of small-batch bourbon from PaPaw's Ridge. This bourbon sits at a 43% ABV (or 86-proof), with a mash bill of corn, rye, and malted barley. Though I found it to be the least "smooth" bourbon on this list, it feels necessary to reiterate that this is far smoother than many high-rye whiskeys in my collection, and the bit of spice it brings to the table isn't at all overwhelming in the grand scheme of things.

I found that PaPaw's Ridge Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey was full of character — and that it wasn't the smoothest of the bunch. However, I really loved how much it reminded me of a spice cake when sipping it. On the nose, I got lots of baking spices, vanilla, and even a little nutmeg appeal. All of those came through on the palate, along with a hint of caramelized sweetness. I felt it going down and it lingered on the tongue long after swallowing, which is why I ranked it the least smooth of the selections here. Will it still make a neat appearance in my Glencairn glass on a chilly evening? Absolutely. This bottle typically retails for $39.99. 

Up next, we have Row 94 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, which you can get at Total Wine for $37.99. This 47% ABV bottle (or 94-proof) is made of a mash bill with 70% corn, 21% rye, and 9% malted and row barley. It's aged in new white oak barrels for at least four years before bottling. Though it didn't make a super high spot on this list, I still thought it was absolutely lovely, and a slight bit smoother than the previous bottle. 

The nose of this whiskey was incredibly warm, with lots of vanilla, some caramel, and a mild citrus appeal coming through, just to brighten the scent. I found that this whiskey really built on the palate — an experience I loved! It starts out slightly sweet before leaning into vanilla notes, and finishes off with ample spiced notes that lingered on the tongue. The bit of burn I got here was welcome and flavorful, and even whiskey newbies shouldn't shy away from this one. 

Belle Meade's Sour Mash Straight Bourbon Whiskey takes the 11th spot on my list, which I didn't expect from sniffing it — it had quite a bit of spice on the nose, and I thought this would be the least smooth of any bourbons I tried. We've found the bottle for just under $40 at some retailers. This 90.4-proof bourbon has quite a bit of rye for a bourbon — about 30%, to be precise. 

Belle Meade's bourbon was sweeter on the palate than I expected, with plenty of those warming spices and a bit of fruity appeal making themselves known throughout the sip. I found it to be pretty dynamic, but it did leave behind a lot of spiced character and it wasn't the smoothest going down. Still, its unexpected sweet quality and fruitiness bumped this bourbon up to number 11 on my list. 

You can find Kentucke County's 6-year-aged bourbon for $37.99, and it's a bottle that any lover of fruity bourbon would do well to add to their bar cart. This particular bottle is a blend of two bourbons, and was created to commemorate the 250th anniversary of its namesake country, which was born in 1776. 

I got plenty of fruity appeal on the nose of this bourbon, with citrus, banana, and vanilla coming through strongly. It smelled really bright, a characteristic that ended up translating to the sip. Citrus, vanilla, baking spices, and oak were present on the palate, and I found that this bottle, too, offered a very dynamic sipper with plenty of character. It has a spiced, smoky finish, but the spice went away relatively quickly, which enabled me to give this a higher ranking than the previous few selections. 

Perhaps it was just the bottle's label playing tricks on me, but I did indeed feel like Blue Note's Juke Joint bourbon danced a bit in my mouth as I sipped it. You can get the unfiltered, 93-proof bottle for $37.99, and it has a mash bill comprised of 70% corn, 21% rye, and 9% malted barley. It's aged for at least three years before bottling. 

Plenty of vanilla, toffee, and oaked notes came through on the nose, and I thought it smelled absolutely incredible. When sipping it, vanilla hit the palate and was quickly followed by some fruity, almost cherry-like notes. An oaky, slightly spiced appeal rounded out the sip, and though it was a little sharp of a finish, it was exceedingly tolerable and very pleasurable. If you want a bourbon that sings, you'd be remiss not to buy this bottle. 

Up next we have a stunning bottle from Breckenridge, a distillery that should be on your radar if it isn't already — after all, we've previously called it the best bourbon brand to come out of the state of Colorado. Breckenridge's Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys can be found for $39.99, and it has a high-rye mash bill with a 43% ABV (or 86-proof). 

The nose of this bottle from Breckenridge was pretty gentle. I got mild sweet appeal, as well as some nuttiness and hints of fruit running behind. Sipping it revealed more of its character — namely, plenty of vanilla and a dark caramel flavor, with some peppery appeal lingering shortly on the palate. That peppery quality didn't let me rank this bottle higher than eighth place, but in the grand scheme of things, Breckenridge's is still a pretty gentle sipper. 

It's not just Wooler Whiskey's crowned lamb mascot that endeared me to the brand (though I'm inarguably a sucker for anything soft and slightly anthropomorphized); the combination of warmth and fruity notes I got from Wooler Whiskey's Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey were also incredibly endearing. This 90-proof bottle is available for $39.99, and boasts a mash bill of 72% corn, 18% rye, 5% wheat, and 5% malted barley. 

The bourbon opened fruity on the nose, with some notes of candied orange, vanilla, caramel, and toasted nuts. It lingered on the tongue more than it did in the throat, which is why I brought this up to 7th place here, and I got plenty of toffee and citrus notes throughout the sip. I couldn't rank it higher because of the way spice stayed after the finish, but still, it was a pretty easy sipper on the whole. 

While you're eagerly awaiting the release of High West's newest bottle, go ahead and grab a bottle of High West's Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys, a fabulous bottle that you can score for just $29.99. This bottle has a 46% ABV (or 92-proof), and the company does give us information on the mash bills for some of the bourbons in the blend; one has a mash bill with 75% corn, 21% rye, and and 4% barley malt, while another has a mash bill with 84% corn, 8% rye, and 8% malted barley. 

On the nose I got some slight vanilla and smoky notes, with some charred oak coming through as well. Given how smoky the smell was, I was surprised to find that the bourbon was actually smooth enough to earn a relatively high spot on this list. The palate had some candied, baked, almost breaded qualities alongside the vanilla and oaky notes, and was really quite pleasant and easy to sip. 

We've already identified Redemption as a bourbon brand to try if you like Maker's Mark, and I was delighted to snag a bottle of Redemption's Straight Bourbon Whiskey for this lineup. I was also unsurprised that it got a top five placement on my list. This bourbon can be bought for $29.99, and it has a 46% ABV (92-proof) with a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% barley. 

The nose of this bottle from Redemption has a lot of oaky appeal, with vanilla, spices, and some sweetness rounding it out. All of that comes through on the palate, and the spices can be clearer tasted as rich baking spices, while some orange zest also made an appearance. It went down without a hitch, but its richly spiced and smoked notes kept me from giving it a higher spot — I really had to parse apart very minor details to order these last few bourbons!

WanderFolk Distillery's TallBird Whiskey is another bourbon that boasts an immediately eye-catching label. It's also one of the most affordable on my list, and you can buy your own for $23.25. This bottle has a 46.5% ABV (or 93-proof), and the blend of bourbons here are aged for over seven years, which absolutely contributes to the ultra-smooth character of this bourbon. 

I got some heavy pecan notes on the nose from this bottle, with buttery toffee notes coming through abundantly. The bourbon went down so smooth that, when I first tried it, I thought it was sure to get the top spot here! It's very nutty with hints of shortbread and plenty vanilla and caramel, yet I still wouldn't call it too sweet for any type of consumer. For being so affordable, it really is an incredible pour, and perhaps even a dangerous neat sipper. 

Glenmore's Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, which retails for $19.99, is the highest-proof bourbon on this list, with a 50% ABV (or 100-proof!). That makes the fact that it earned the third-place spot here all the more spectacular, and its affordability only makes it more attractive. It goes without saying that I was incredibly impressed by this offering. 

The nose of this bottle displayed some nuttiness, vanilla, and toffee, all of which came through in and softened the sip. Lots of warm baked characteristics, vanilla, and pecan ran throughout my sip, and I even got very slight hints of candied orange peel in the back. There weren't many spiced notes to speak of, and what was present was incredibly warm and went down impeccably smooth. You wouldn't guess this was 100-proof just by sipping it! It's really a pretty marvelous offering. 

Snagging the second-place spot on my list, we have Olk Elk's Slow Cut Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskey, a great bourbon for beginners. You can find this bottle for $37.99, and its high-malt mash bill and Old Elk's incredibly long proofing process both contribute to the smooth, rich, effortlessly sippable character of this bottle. 

I was surprised to find that the bottle was slightly herbaceous on the nose, with caramel and cinnamon coming through as well. The sip revealed hints of bright orange alongside a deep caramel character, with some charred oak too — however, I wouldn't call the sip very smoky. It's a bit hard to explain without trying it. It was full of life, yet impeccably smooth, and overall a very objectively impressive sipper that I can't see many consumers saying "no" to. 

Last but certainly not least, we have Taffer's Browned Butter Bourbon, available for $31.99. This bourbon won multiple awards in 2026, and it's not hard to see why. This 40% ABV (80-proof) bottle has actual browned butter worked into it. Some may call that cheating — personally, I call it effective ingenuity, and there was no doubt that Taffer's had to take the top spot on my list. 

The bottle smells like all of your favorite baked goods. It's how I expect my house to smell after a long day of baking up a storm, and if one sniff doesn't make you want to sip it immediately, you may want to have your nose checked. Heavy vanilla, caramel, butter, and toffee come through, and it's sweet on the palate without being too saccharine. The sip is full of vanilla and has a very rich mouthfeel, and leans into toffee notes on the way down. This bourbon will be hard to beat, and it's what I'll find myself returning to time and time again when I need a quick, warm, comforting sipper. 

To rank these whiskeys, I drank each out of a Glencairn — the best glass for sipping whiskey neat — taking sips of water and rinsing the glass between each. Because bourbons tend to be smoother than other types of whiskey, this was an exercise in identifying minor differences between bottles. I ranked bottles that lingered on the palate lower, as their spiced notes were more pronounced. Sweeter, fruitier bottles often landed toward the top of my list, as they went away pretty quickly after swallowing.