I am Mr. #RespectTheBottomShelf. I’m not afraid of “cheap” whiskey, and, in fact, when I see something super-affordable, it piques my curiosity. Normally, I make a mental note to keep the bottle in mind for my next bar tasting. There are times, however, when I come across something that I know won’t be at any bar, such as a store pick or something similar. There are just times when I’m willing to take a chance – if the price is right.

While shopping at Trader Joe’s, I stumbled upon an attractive bottle of Kentucky Bourbon. A closer look showed it was Trader Joe’s private label. The next thing I noticed was the $14.99 price tag. The wheels in my head started spinning. Trader Joe’s Two Buck Chuck is a $2.00 wine that gets some decent accolades. If you don’t mind how it is made, it can be a very attractive buy. This being a Straight Bourbon, I know it has to meet some pretty rigorous guidelines to be labeled as such.

The bottle shape looked very familiar, the label stated, Distilled by Bourbon Square Distilling Company in Louisville. I couldn’t place it, but the bottle shape left me very curious. Heck, it was only $15, I’ve spent more than that on a single pour in a bar many times over. This was relatively low risk.

As soon as I got home, the first thing I did was research online to discover that Bourbon Square Distilling Company is actually Buffalo Trace. That’s when the bottle’s familiar shape made sense – they used a Stagg, Jr. bottle, but with a screw top instead of cork.

I also learned Buffalo Trace used their Barton 1792 distillery to create the juice. That really got me excited because, at this price point, I was thinking Very Old Barton, of which I am a huge fan. I opened the bottle, poured myself a dram or so, and then let it rest for about 20 minutes before my first taste.

In the meanwhile, I was making my usual observations. The color is a slightly reddish amber. I have no idea how old the whiskey is, but it is an attractive color. Swirling it in my glass left surprisingly long legs that just stuck around. It was very enticing.