The Absolute Cheapest Bourbon You Can Buy At Walmart

Walmart is known for its bargain prices on home goods, which apparently applies to some of its alcohol as well. If you're in search of a bourbon that won't break the bank, look no further than Stedman's Select Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey sold at select Walmart locations. A 1.75 liter, otherwise known as a handle, of this bourbon sells for just $25, or around 42 cents per fluid ounce. Or, buy a 750-milliliter bottle for $12, around 47 cents per fluid ounce (although prices may vary per location). 

Stedman's Select bourbon is considered a bottom-shelf bourbon, meaning it's inexpensive and generally deemed a lower-quality alcohol. Bottom-shelf bourbons are often unaged (or younger than premium bottles), mass-produced, and come without fancy bottles or packaging. That being said, being cheap doesn't make it inherently bad-tasting. Many bottom-shelf liquors are great for making mixed drinks, like a bourbon Old Fashioned, or even for drinking straight. Another inexpensive bourbon, Jim Beam White Label, sells for about $25 for 1 liter (75 cents per fluid ounce) at Walmart, depending on your location.

Stedman's Select is a sour mash Kentucky bourbon, meaning it was made using the fermented mash (a mixture of water, grain, and yeast) leftover from a previous batch to help regulate the pH levels of the new mash. It's made in small batches and has caramel, raisin, and clove aromas, with flavor notes of black pepper, buttercream, and spice. Being on the cheaper end, it might surprise you that Stedman's is distilled and aged by award-winning master distillers in Kentucky.

Stedman's Select Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey is crafted at the Barton 1792 Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky. Established in 1879, Barton 1792 is the oldest distillery in Bardstown (1792 is the year Kentucky became a state). It's also massive, with 29 barrel aging warehouses on 196 acres of land, as well as the Thomas Moore Spring, named for the founder of the original distillery. Since 2009, Barton 1792 has been owned by alcohol company Sazerac, the same owners of the reputable Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. 

Barton 1792 is known for its 1792 Small Batch Bourbon, made with their trademark "high rye" mash bill. Other limited-edition iterations of their 1792 Bourbon include Sweet Wheat, Aged Twelve Years, High Rye, Single Barrel, and Full Proof. Besides their signature whiskies, the Bardstown bourbon makers also happen to be the distillers behind multiple Kirkland Signature alcohol options at Costco. While Barton's Stedman's Select Bourbon might not be as premium as their namesake bourbons, it's good to know that a well-established Kentucky distillery makes this affordable whiskey that, even if you don't enjoy it straight, certainly blends well in a three-ingredient bourbon cocktail.