Is Henry McKenna ACTUALLY THE BEST Single Barrel? | Henry McKenna vs. John J Bowman BLIND REVIEW

[@johncashion8428]

Great review!! I would notand do not consider either of those “middle of the road” Also, I’ve seen McKenna 10 year on the shelf zero times in the last 12 months.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Thanks for watching and commenting John! Really wish we had more transparency in distribution. The market here is big enough and maybe McKenna shows up at some of the bigger stores more often because of sheer size/volume? It’s definitely nowhere to be found in any of the smaller stores around our area.

[@PaulRobertsPAR]

I was excited to find McKenna on the shelf the other day...maybe I should of watched the review before I spent $50. Haha. Seriously, good content.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

$50 feels like it's right where it should be in today's market, especially if you get an exceptional bottle of McKenna (such is the nature of single barrels). Congrats on that score Paul!

[@TheReal_DeanD]

with an MSRP now of $60 Henry McKenna BiB can go pound sand. Best Single Barrel imo is the 4 Roses SB at $44 with the JD SB Barrel Proof for the exact same price. Plus it is more readily available too.

[@stevenreed007]

Love the videos! Gotta say with this one, I think the McKenna consumer review portion was underrated... yeah, it’s highly sought after, but I don’t think that means it’s overrated. Sure, it was $35 just a couple years ago and it’s now $50, but if JJB has almost always been $50 for a similar profile and proof point of view, then McKenna at $50 is still a good deal. You mentioned that at half the price, you can find similar flavors and proof... what bottles can you buy at half the price that is just as good? The only thing comparable would be 1792 small batch and single barrel ($30 and $40 respectively) or maybe Russell’s Reserve small batch... but even with those, I think I’d still buy a JJB or McKenna any day over them. Anyways, good video! I love JJB and McKenna. Bowman is more consistent from bottle to bottle then McKenna (though I’ve only had two so my comparison to itself is skewed)... super sweet, fruity, and baking spice... and McKenna, though it does vary from barrel to barrel, I’ve never been disappointed with any I’ve had (which I’ve bought about 7-8 different barrels of). McKenna is usually more cinnamon and oak forward with caramel and red fruits. I’d take McKenna over any readily bottle at its price or lower, with the exception of Rare Breed and Knob Creek 9 year single barrel. Cheers and enjoy!

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Fair points all around Steven and great points for discussion there. When saying we can get good, quality bourbon for nearly half the price, that's specifically informed by blind tastings and the actual whiskey in the glass (rather than comparing comparable products on paper). When you get into the apples-to-apples "single barrel 10 year bourbon" category it's definitely *not* easy to find comparable bottles under $30, but can the average consumer's palate REALLY differentiate between a 10 year single barrel product and a more inexpensive small batch product? And even if they could, would they automatically prefer the 10 year single barrel product? Maybe. But let's be honest--maybe not. We're not about feeding into the hype that a bourbon is better just because it's older, more expensive, or harder to find. That's why we do all these comparisons double blind--it reveals our true preferences separate and apart from what we're "supposed" to like based on common whiskey community opinions. For instance we know through previous blind tastings that we both prefer Buffalo Trace over Eagle Rare. In that instance, to us, a batched ~6ish year product is comparable BUT preferable to a 10 year product. When it comes down to *our* palates tasting the products totally blind, we'd wager that a staple product like Wild Turkey 101 or Elijah Craig Small Batch vs. McKenna would really come down to a statement somewhere along the lines of "these two are different, sure, but both are great." If McKenna isn't on the shelf, we'll gladly grab an Elijah Craig Small Batch or store pick and be just as happy with a good quality bourbon, less headache and hassle, and $20 extra in our pockets.

[@pal8h]

Both are great and are definitely worth the price tag of $50-$60.

[@rickrichardson245]

Live an hour from the Bowman distillery, and in the last year the JJ SiB has virtually disappeared from our ABC shelves. They take delivery (limited), and within a very few days they're gone. It's a terrific Bourbon, and the Buffalo Trace mystique has taken over. Henry McKenna is allocated in Virginia, and JJB is well on its way. Thanks for the comparative tasting!

[@WhiskeyWimps]

We've got McKenna all over the place here in CA. That Bowman I've yet to see anywhere however. Blind tasting is the best. Keep it up you two. -Brian

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Thanks man! Wild to think of anywhere with a plentiful McKenna supply anymore.

[@southernoverdrive09]

Great review! I will have to look around and see if I can find these

[@robertstrickland2121]

Just finished off my JJB, got in it Virginia, but it’s hard to find in bama, will replace it when I find it again

[@stuffandwhiskey]

It's becoming harder and harder to find around here too. Here's to hoping they up their supply soon.

[@Richie.Z]

Great head to head! I’ve had both and got a recent McKenna BiB which was great. I don’t go nuts over either but both are great sippers for around $45-50 if you can find them, cheers Josh and Erin🥃

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Well said Richie. Cheers buddy! 🥃

[@fosmith61]

"That's the sound your butt makes sometimes" LMAO! You guys have great personalities and great chemistry together. Keep up the good work... HMK 10 is $60 and up here in the SF Bay Area and I never see it on the shelf. I like it but I'd pay no more than $40 for it so I'm left with drinking the couple of bottles that I bought before it won the award. Never had the Bowman but I'll probably pick one up if I see it.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

We definitely have fun while filming. Thanks for watching Fred!

[@zuluwarrior963]

I let Henry McKenna open up about a month and it is outstanding.

[@jeffhenning9817]

Just two months ago I won a ticket in an 80+ bottle lottery where the winners got choice of bottles and….only paid msrp for the bottle. My choice was the Henry McKenna 10 and I got it for $47.99 here in Wisconsin. That’s the only bottle of HMcK 10 I’ve ever seen.

[@davideasterling2729]

I love John J Bowman and just about anything from the A. Smith Bowman Distillery (and it doesn't hurt to live about an hour from their distillery). I just picked up a bottle of HM10 and still need to crack into it and give it a try.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

That's an awesome place to have close proximity too, David! We wish we were in the same boat. When we put this matchup in our head-to-head pool John J Bowman was pretty easy to get in our market. It's dried up now and we haven't seen a bottle in nearly a year. Hoping it comes back around sooner rather than later but we fear the word is out locally.

[@davideasterling2729]

@@stuffandwhiskey just let me know if you want to get another, I'm sure we can figure out how to get it to you. Their Port Barrel finished is pretty good too.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

@@davideasterling2729 we may get with you on that sooner or later if it continues to be MIA in our market. Agreed on the port cask Isaac Bowman as well!

[@richardbarrick1492]

Guys, welcome 2 KZbin Whiskey vids, I'm a long-time Whiskey 🍸 drinker and even longer Scotch connoisseur, ----sooo, here's the deal, McKenna IMO, is simply the standard by which the others are judged, 🍸 bar none 😀!! Cheers from ETn via Central Indiana

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Thanks for tuning in Richard! We wish the single barrels we’ve had were that good, but overall we are McKenna fans particularly at suggested retail pricing. Cheers!

[@Rocky-cx6qz]

What bourbon can you get for half that's as good as John j bowman or mckenna?

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Our last bottle of JJB (not this one) was pretty flat, and our current bottle of McKenna 10 is outstanding, but we’ve had some lower end stuff compare pretty favorably with both in double blinds. Top of mind, JTS Brown with McKenna and Early Times BiB with Bowman. Needless to say we were surprised at the reveal.

[@Da1Prophessor]

I really enjoy John J Bowman; it’s one of my bar staples and it doesn’t drink like 50% ABV… it’s delicious and enjoyable 👍🏽🥃

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Totally agree with that Prophessor! Cheers and thanks so much for watching!

[@thomaspetroni208]

Interesting, McKenna is everywhere here and there is no John J Bowman - there's Isaac Bowman and Bowman Bros. but I am not sure if its the same. I would have to edge towards McKenna (which I have and love). Cheers and thank you for the tasting!!!

[@stuffandwhiskey]

All the Bowman we've tried has been a comparable replacement for an equivalent Buffalo Trace product--often times at a better price to boot. Cheers and thanks for watching Thomas!

[@LeatherDaddy97]

Henry mckenna depends heavily on the barrel, and the price. Ive had gross mckenna and ive had godsend mckenna. They show up very regularly for 40 here. Bowman is very blantons- esque imo.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Very interesting parallel between Bowman and Blanton’s. Can definitely see that now that you mention it! If McKenna were $40 and available here we’d definitely be more inclined to play single barrel roulette with it. Thanks for watching and commenting Aidan!

[@andyn8542]

McKenna price in Atlanta just went up to $58! But it's not flying off the shelf at that price.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

We’ve heard there was an increase. We’ve not seen it here yet but expect it to hit anytime now. Everything is up so we can’t say we’re surprised, and while we really prefer it at $50, our hard limit if we were without a bottle entirely is $60. If it’s available at that then it’s not the worst thing in the world.

[@andyn8542]

@@stuffandwhiskey We may look back in a few years and think $60 was a good deal!

[@eliwilson8242]

@@andyn8542it’s up to 75 in Louisville now. You were right lmao

[@tgentilcoremd]

I was so excited to try Henry McKenna 10 Year, but was subsequently terribly disappointed to find Henry McKenna too inconsistent a product. Variation in barrels is understandable, but once they decide that a marginal batch is saleable, they deserve the indifference they might receive in the marketplace.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

That’s a very solid point. You’d hope they’d not release subpar barrels as single barrel products but quality control certainly seems to be slipping.

[@southernoverdrive09]

Let’s see how this comes out. Never seen these two on the shelves at our liquor store

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Bowman's distribution seems to be spotty but they're definitely worth looking out for. Good stuff!

[@whiskeywine101]

Ok. Before watching your review in gonna guess John J Bowman 🤞

[@rebellaxbro]

In a tertiary tier market, bowman is limited, and McKenna is almost never available.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

That's a bummer. Really hope things calm down or production ramps up with distillery expansions and it allows these products to get into more people's hands.

[@rebellaxbro]

@@stuffandwhiskey I feel like that will take a few years, maybe even a decade for supply and demand to balance out. Appreciate the reply, Happy thanksgiving!

[@stuffandwhiskey]

@@rebellaxbro it definitely will. The expansions happening will allow more whiskey to come to market faster for lower end products at these distilleries which will also allow the existing resting barrels to go further in age without being pulled. We’re still likely 5+ years from seeing a major difference in supply however. That said, we’ll continue to highlight interesting matchups-especially between harder to find bottles and more readily available alternatives-and taste them blind so that you guys get a truly honest perspective on whether or not the hyped up, hard to find stuff is even worth it.

[@chuckdickson8723]

Good blind guys.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Thanks for watching Chuck!

[@ikeyeet8312]

McKenna can always be found here, bowman flies off the shelves. I prefer bowman

[@templar1060]

Absolutely not “middle of the road” Sorry

[@stuffandwhiskey]

The beauty of taste is that it’s subjective, and the beauty of blinds are that they show palate preferences. These are good solid bourbons to be sure-better than a lot of things-just not upper echelon for our preferences. Cheers and thanks for watching and commenting!