Bottom Shelf Dweller Review: Ancient Age Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Today we’re sitting down with a nice bottle of Ancient Age Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Price (750ml): $10.99
Proof: 80 (40% abv)
Distillery: Ancient Age Distilling Co.
Location: Frankfort, KY

At first glance, there isn’t really anything special about Ancient Age. It comes in a glass bottle, which tends to be a good sign with bottom shelf spirits. It has a twist top, but we’re not snobs here. That’s the point, right? It has a nice, amber coloring; it doesn’t look too light or watered down. It’s distilled in Frankfort, Kentucky. Curious, isn’t there another famous distillery in that town? I feel like I’ve heard of one. Which was it? Oh yeah! Buffalo Trace. You’ve heard of them, haven’t you? They make some pretty good whiskeys. So good, in fact, that they’re damn near impossible to find in a store at anything less than double the retail price. That’s a funny coincidence. They must be neighbors.

Nope! Turns out Ancient Age is made by none other than the grand masters at Buffalo Trace. This is one of their bottom shelf offerings. We’ll be looking at the others as well in future reviews. For now, let’s crack this baby open and see what secrets it has to tell.

First sip: 3 out of 5
Surprisingly smooth. At this price level I’d usually expect a bit of a throat punch, but this goes down pretty easy. After the initial Kentucky Hug, it’s actually fairly good. It’s not going to blow you away with an amazing “bouquet” of flavors. If you’re looking for some sort of pretentious discussion of notes of this or that, you’re in the wrong place my friend. Ancient Age definitely lacks the flavor of its distillery siblings, but for bottom shelf it’s a damn fine choice.

Neat: 3 out of 5
If you’re a man (or woman) after my own heart and you drink your whiskey neat, straight out of the bottle – Ancient Age is a good choice for you. I’d say this is a decent daily drinker.

Mixed: 4 out of 5
Pour a couple fingers of Ancient Age into your mixer of choice without fear – it’ll taste great and you won’t be wasting your more expensive booze.

Overall: 3 out of 5
If you’re looking for a solid bourbon for a bottom shelf price, Ancient Age won’t leave you with any regrets besides the ones you’re drinking to forget.

Until next time, Slainté!