This Wallet-Friendly Bourbon Brand That An Expert Recommends Has Gold Rush Roots

Those well-versed in whiskey often don't mind paying a premium for a stellar product. But you can actually find a number of affordable whiskeys that don't sacrifice quality. Mashed spoke to five experts on their recommended cheap whiskey brands and came up with 11 tasty options. One of the most iconic mentions was Cyrus Noble, which has Gold Rush-era roots.

The price tag doesn't necessarily reflect its quality versus other solid bottles. A 750-milliliter number typically costs $35 to $40, depending on store and location. H. Joseph Ehrmann, owner of Elixir Whiskey Saloon in San Francisco, recommended it for potent libations. "It makes great cocktails and is a fine sipper. I like it in spirit-forward drinks like an Old Fashioned, where the classic bourbon profile shines with just slight enhancements," he told Mashed.

The founders technically got their start shortly after the 1849 Gold Rush, but the California-born brand offers a classic Kentucky profile, with a mashbill that's 78% corn (51% is the minimum by U.S. law). Experts note it has some herbaceous nuance without being too sweet, along with a warming, nutty, almost spiced flavor. According to the brand, it boasts aromas of brown butter, warm almonds, raisins, toasted cinnamon, and apple cider vinegar. In terms of taste, it leads with notes of dried apple and cinnamon roll, followed by a bready, nutty palate with maple undertones.

Kalman, Charles, and Samuel Haas were German immigrants who opened a wholesale grocery in Gold Rush-era SF in 1851. 20 years later, after they'd become essential to the boomtown, Ernest Reuben Lilienthal created Cyrus Noble. It quickly became a bar and saloon favorite, and the Lilienthal family eventually sold the whiskey brand to the Haas brothers, to whom they were connected by marriage. The brand returned in full force in 2011, and it's currently distilled in Kentucky.

Bourbon is a type of whiskey known for its corn-derived sweetness that usually comes with notes of caramel and vanilla. Choosing it over rye for drinks like Old Fashioneds and Manhattans makes for a mellower, more rounded sipping experience. You could use Cyrus Noble in several old-school bourbon cocktails, like the Boulevardier, fancy free, mint julep, or Man O' War. If you prefer tart whiskey drinks, go the route of a whiskey sour or brown derby.

Cyrus Noble can work in any of these, and Ehrmann stressed that it can be served solo as well. But it's far from the only budget-friendly whiskey that experts recommended to us. Of the bourbon suggestions, Evan Williams, Maker's Mark, Four Roses, Old Forester, Wild Turkey, and James E. Pepper made the cut. Prices vary, but Evan Williams is generally the cheapest option at about $17 a bottle. James E. Pepper's is on par with Cyrus Noble at $36, while the rest range from $28 to $32.