Bobby Flay's 4 Favorite Whiskey Brands (And Which Is Most Worth The Price Tag, According To Shoppers)

Celebrity chef Bobby Flay may have made his name with Southwestern cuisine, but his spirit of choice comes from another part of the U.S. He's a big Kentucky bourbon fan with Pappy Van Winkle, Woodford Reserve, Knob Creek, and Buffalo Trace topping the list, according to a 2011 interview with Bourbon Blog. Flay spends a lot of time in Kentucky; he owns several racehorses, has gone on the Kentucky Bourbon trail — that must-experience list of premier distilleries with whiskey tastings — and even has a bourbon room in his vacation home in Saratoga Springs, New York.

With Flay's obvious love of bourbon, it's worth digging into his favorite distilleries. But which of these brands offers the best value for the money? Like much about the whiskey scene, there's a lot of debate around the intersection between cost and quality concerning these four Kentucky bourbons beloved by Flay. While Woodford Reserve and Buffalo Trace have their fans, of the four, Knob Creek offers the best value for the price for many bourbon consumers, especially for the older expressions. Still, if you're able to get Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve 15-year-old at MSRP (which is very hard to do), it's a bourbon that's hard to beat.

The Old Van Winkle Distillery Company started in 1935 as the Stitzel-Weller Distillery under the watch of Julian "Pappy" Van Winkle. In 2002, the brand partnered with the Sazerac Company, and it's now manufactured at the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. This bourbon brand has become the holy grail of whiskies; one of its limited expressions, a 25-year-old, goes for $50,000 or more on the secondary market, making it the most expensive bourbon around.

Not all Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve expressions (there's a 15-year-old, 20-year-old, and 23-year-old) set you back as much. The 15-year-old has been described as having notes of strawberry and vanilla on the palate, with a long finish and rich mouthfeel. Many consumers feel it's worth the suggested retail price of $200. The problem is you rarely find it at that price; this bourbon is so coveted that it can go for $1,700 or more, which many feel is a bridge too far for what the bourbon delivers. "I've tried more than a few pours with a secondary cost in this range, and none were worth much more than MSRP," said one Reddit user. Likewise, the 23-year-old, with an MSRP of $450, can go for nearly $5,000, which, again, many feel isn't worth the price.

The next brand on Bobby Flay's list of favorite bourbons is one with a much more reasonable price tag: Woodford Reserve. Though Woodford Reserve went through many ups and downs (and owners) since it was established in 1812, it came back strong in the 1990s and has only gotten bigger. It's been the official bourbon of the Kentucky Derby for more than 20 years, where Flay often enjoys a mint julep on Derby Day, although he prefers his bourbon neat. While Flay didn't mention his favorite Woodford Reserve expression, the flagship bottle comes in around $30.

While some bourbon fans have ditched Woodford Reserve in the belief it has a thin taste profile, others give it high ratings for flavor, texture, and a long finish. Some consumers also find this expression to be a good bridge bourbon, meaning it works both as a base for cocktails and as a sipper. When we get into some of the brand's other expressions, such as its Double Oaked, there seems to be more of a consensus that it's indeed special and worth the $55 or so price tag. As the name suggests, this 90.4-proof bourbon spends time in two different charred oak barrels for a flavor profile that includes lots of caramel and oak.

Knob Creek is a pioneering small-batch bourbon brand from the Jim Beam distillery created by master distiller Frederick Booker Noe in 1992. Knob Creek produces a nice range of expressions offering great value. 

The Knob Creek 9-year-old is a great example that gets lots of love from consumers. It's bottled at 100 proof with a taste profile rife with oak, caramel, vanilla, and toasted nuts. It can be found for as little as $30. There's also a 12-year-old available for as low as $70 or so that offers even more oak and complexity. Even the 18-year-old at $170 (or less) is considered well worth the price by some bourbon drinkers thanks to bolder caramel, vanilla, and oak flavors and a creamy mouthfeel. Still, some consumers find the brand's tendency towards oakiness to be too much, or prefer a bourbon that doesn't have Knob Creek's distinctive roasted nut notes.

Buffalo Trace Distillery is responsible for a wide range of brands, including Blanton's, Eagle Rare, and, as mentioned, Old Rip Van Winkle. Its flagship expression is Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, which is bottled at 90 proof and is known for being an easy sipper with tasting notes of caramel, vanilla, dark fruits, and brown sugar. Many bourbon drinkers feel it's a great value at around $35, and it can sometimes be found for even less. That said, some find its sweetness to be a bit too much, while others consider its flavor profile underwhelming.

In the end, which brand is worth the price tag comes down to personal taste. If you can get a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle 15-year-old for MSRP without straining your budget, many bourbon drinkers would rate this as worth the price. Between Woodford Reserve, Buffalo Trace, and Knob Creek, it's a decision based more on the taste profile you like in bourbon. For many, including us, Knob Creek tends to offer more bang for your buck, especially the 9-year-old expression with its higher proof and reasonable price. You could always be like Flay, whose varied tastes in bourbon leave lots of room for exploring all that Kentucky has to offer.