There are many reasons why a bourbon fan may find a brand overrated. They may scoff at the hype generated by limited allocations. They may not understand the zealous enthusiasm of rabid enthusiasts. They may feel the price point doesn’t jibe with the quality of the juice. A special technique used to create the brand may strike them as gimmicky, or they may just simply have given an expression a taste and decided, “meh.”
Bartenders usually have especially strong feelings about whether or not a bourbon is worth its salt — or at least its hype. They know what they like, and they know what they don’t like, and they may not be all that bashful about sharing their disdain. With that in mind, we asked six bartenders their opinions on the most overrated bourbon brands on the market.
Of course, the below are just based on personal preference. This is inherently a good thing: The moment bourbon stops being subjective is the same moment it ceases to be interesting.
The most overrated bourbon, according to bartenders: Pappy Van Winkle Blanton’s Basil Hayden W.L. Weller Angel’s Envy
“Honestly, this is a little tough because I think a lot of brands fall into this category. However, it has to be the Pappy line. It’s nothing special — just a separate label, basically. In no world is it worth the markup let alone the hassle of securing the allocation.” —Ramsey Musk, beverage director, Accomplice Bar, Los Angeles
“For
