Early Times Whiskey Review
Updated November 25, 2018
By Richard Thomas
Rating: C-
(Credit: Brown-Forman)
One side-effect of the Brown-Forman vs. Diageo clash in Tennessee was the focus it brought to super cheap whiskey brand Early Times. Diageo’s whiskey law proposal included a provision that would have allowed it to make used barrel whiskey and call it “Tennessee whiskey,” and the only product of note on the market that bears a resemblance is the Brown-Forman-made Early Times.
Early Times is billed as “Kentucky Whisky” for good reason, because under the law it does not qualify as any type of bourbon. New oak barrel aging is required to earn that title, and Early Times is aged for a minimum of three years in used barrels. The whiskey is bottled at 40% abv.
The Whiskey
The “used barrel” part is instantly obvious in the glass, as Early Times has a thin, semi-translucent amber appearance that is just a shadow of what bourbon aged three years-plus in new oak would have. With an appearance like that, the nose came as a surprise: fragrantly corn sweet with a nice current of vanilla with a touch of rye spice.
On the palate, the whiskey has surprising weight. The flavor balances corn sweetness, dry oak and rye spice, and caramel and vanilla surprisingly well. That said, the whiskey is rather flat, despite having all the core elements, and is tinged with a bit of a mineral spirits bite.
The bottom line is that Early Times isn’t great, but it certainly isn’t the rotgut it is sometimes made out to be. The stuff is actually a decent product, is simple enough that ice doesn’t ruin it, and is a big winner when you consider it’s low, low price point (see below).
The Price
Early Times typically retails for $12 or $13 for a 750ml bottle, and $19 for a 1.75l.
I don’t care what anybody say , Early Times is just damn good…..
Early Times is an old school whiskey that works well straight up. Many places use it as a bar whiskey. Saves me some money.
Have you tasted it lately? Something has changed. It’s just not good anymore. I returned the last bottles I bought.
Whiskey choice of alcoholics
You can buy a 1.75l bottle of Early Times in California for $14.99. At that price, it’s a steal!
Just had it for the first time…NOT BAD AT ALL!!!
Early Times is a great bargain. It’s perfect for mixed bourbon drinks such as a Manhattan or Old Fashioned.
My family, on both sides, had varied cocktail preferences. One that attracted my eye was the Manhattan. When I became of age to drink the hard stuff, I ordered a Manhattan at a local high-end bar. It was good, but not as spectacular as it looked when growing up. I asked the bartender how many whiskys/bourbons he had on the bar. He said somewhere over twenty. So, my goal was to try each. I drank two drinks after work each night. I ordered each drink to be two different brands. When I exhausted the inventory, I was surprised to find Jim Beam Bourbon to be the best balance of flavors for the Manhattan. Of course, Martini & Rossi was the vermouth of choice.
Last night I had a Manhattan at a great hotel before dinner. It was served in a large martini glass well chilled. I nearly gagged on the drink. It had been made with Early Times and some nondescript vermouth.
Drank it for many years but the last bottle had a bad taste and smelled like medicine won’t buy again
Early Times great whisky and specially went I paid $7.46 tax free for 1.75lt. Just try it.
I think Early Times is a good whiskey to sip on. It is plenty sweet,but not as rich as some of the bourbons I’ve tasted and, though I prefer Jack Daniels’, it is half the price. So I’ve got me a good whiskey to drink that won’t break the bank.
If you like Early Times, you’ll love Evan Williams… just saying….
Have you tried Ancient Age? I switched from Jack Daniels to Ancient Age from a recommendation from a co-worker to stop my head from aching in the morning!
Best advice I ever got! Maybe you should try it too!
Just saying!
Early Times was my old friend’s favorite whiskey. When I visit his grave, I have a shot or two with him, and in doesn’t break the bank to pour the rest of the bottle on his grave. I like it. It’s good stuff.
That’s probably what put him in the grave
Smooth. For the low end on the budget it savors well
What has been done differently to Early Times? It does not taste the same. The last two bottles I bought tasted weird.
I agree that something seems changed. I had a bottle over a year ago and the one I just bought seems much different. Not in a good way. Somewhat mineral spirits.
Kentucky Gentleman is cheaper and not nasty. Early Times tastes cheap AND nasty. Evan Williams is a MUCH better buy!
I will never understand why BF bastardized their brand ET. It was a very good no age bourbon in years past (Old Forester happens to be no age and was back then in the 60’s). Things cycle and whiskey is no exception. BF was and I am sure still is a business composed of educated people (MS required for employment-at least in the 60’s). They made a big mistake with their Early Times experiment!
I have been drinking ET for over 55 years, but I can no longer continue. It tastes like crap now. I should have switched years ago, but as a BF stockholder, I hoped that they would change back to the old formula. Obviously, that is not going to happen. I just poured the remaining contents of the half gallon down the drain, something I have never done before. Shame on Brown-Foreman.
Early Times Kentucky Whiskey just won Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. LOL!
The 1.75 Liter Environmentally Lighter than Glass Bottle ~ Plastic Bottle of EarlyTimes won’t break when you drop it. And the Price Point won’t Break the Bank either
The heritage of the Brand resonates with me, as does the bottom shelf price of $18.99 for the plastic 1.75 size.
I pour the contents of Early Times into a corked smaller Woodford Reserve Private Lable Collector Bottle I paid $100 for, and keep it out for display. The Woodford Bottle is from the French Lick Resort, and is Etched with the ” Pluto Water ” logo.
I pour ET from the repurposed cool looking ” Pluto Water ” Woodford Bottle over Ice, add ’bout 5 dashes of Bitters, a few drops of Maraschino Cherry Syrup, and top off with a splash of water . . .
Makes for a perfect after work ~ refreshing ~ unwinding ~ cocktail concoction
And after a rougher than usual day, even with greater parts or Early Times to Water . . . Still Tastes Great.
Needless to say I’m a Fan, I’m Cheap, and drinking a Brand that family relatives preferred over the years and consumed over cherished family Holiday memories is just an added bonus to the feel good factor.
Cheers !
I taste this kind of wishkey and it´s really good, if you want a enjoy a wishky of all this caracteristics.. it´s a wishky and have a place!!!! it enougt!!!!! great!!!
it’s definitely not a ‘bad’ whiskey, and I will purchase again, but Benchmark and Henry McKenna don’t have that mineral spirit (reviewer nailed what couldn’t identify, kept looking at label for blended notation) finish. For the dollar amount, ok stuff.
A bourbon and scotch drinker much more knowledgeable than me turned me on to this brand years ago as an inexpensive option with some quality. In learning about its rather unique style (Kentucky whisky aged — like scotch — in used bourbon barrels, the one simple reason it doesn’t meet bourbon requirements), I have come to think of it as a happy medium between sweeter, weightier bourbons and lighter, drier Canadian whiskies. An important thing to understand: This is not a blended American whiskey. No flavor or color additives.
All that said, it’s a good value, decent whisky, by any measure. And, besides Canadian, its flavor profile leans in some ways toward rye, Scotch or Irish whisky styles.
I have enjoyed Early Times for over 40 years. Initially I used it to make Whiskey Sours but also enjoy it over ice with water. I have more than 10 different Bourbons that cost a multiple of ET, and while they are higher proof and offer more complexities, I think a lot of it is snobbery. I think it tastes great irrespective of its low cost.
It’s a hoot to buy at the liquor store at 7am. Early Times!(the clerk was never impressed lol) I was looking up info on this after learning it was made by the same company as Woodford Reserve (somewhat overrated IMO but I digress…), when I was young and drank Jack all the time I thought this stuff was rotgut. The price was right so I still bought it. Lol. After reading a bit I’m interested in trying it out again, now that I’ve moved on to Kentucky bourbons and believe my palate is at least slightly more refined.
Tom More’s favorie
I read a few of the comments and at the prices quoted I can’t argue with anyone claiming Early Times is “good whiskey”. But I just bought some based on the $2 discount that got it into Old Crow territory and it was a mistake. Early Times starts out flat and goes to a burn and leaves with a chalking feel. By the time I work my way through it, I’ll have assimilated, but I won’t buy it again.
This stuff is so bad, definitely would not buy again.
To me, Early Times tastes like barrel char overlayed by sweet vanilla toothpaste.
I can still use it when mixed with other things to mask the flavor. Eggnog goes well. Probably a Boulevardier too.
I enjoy Early Times, regardless of what the 30 or 40-something year old whisky snobs have to say about it. I’ve spilled more whiskey than that crowd has drank in their whole lives.
Kids these days. They boast about spilling gallons of cheap whiskey, like that was something to be proud of.
I bought Early times today only to figure out that it was in fact “Canadian Mist”…and Bought 4 bottles… They put Canadian mist in early times bottles…Must have been a miss hap at the distillery….
This Whiskey tastes great. Smooth as silk.