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# Ancient Ancient Age 10 Star Bourbon Review
- URL: https://www.bourbonbanter.com/ancient-ancient-age-10-star-bourbon-review/
- Published: 2014-05-24T05:01:26.000Z
- Updated: 2023-04-13T19:06:18.000Z
- Description: Welcome to a new tasting series on lower shelf bourbons. Bourbon & Banter contributor, Thomas Fondano, will be trying out and commenting on bourbons priced under $20.
- Author: Thomas Fondano
- Tags: Bourbon Whiskey Reviews, Ancient Ancient Age 10 Star, Bourbon, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2023-03-13 09:32, #updated

![Ancient Ancient Age 10 Star Bourbon Review Photo](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1f/bc/1fbc7ea1-d6e2-43ab-9661-246c6f0c07f9/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/ancient-ancient-age-10-star-review.jpg)

*Welcome to a new tasting series on lower shelf bourbons. Bourbon & Banter contributor, [Thomas Fondano](https://www.bourbonbanter.com/author/twinfountain/), will be trying out and commenting on bourbons priced under $20\. Knowing that not all sub-$20 bourbons will be great, Thomas will be adding a new category to our standard tasting notes – Straight, Old Fashioned or Manhattan – to see whether a classic cocktail improves on a straight tasting. We hope you enjoy this new series of reviews and hope you’ll help us shape future reviews by letting us know in the comments what sub-$20 bourbon you’d like us to review next.*

Last year I hosted a bourbon tasting for some friends. We tasted the entire high-rye Mash Bill #2 from Buffalo Trace which consists of Ancient Age, Elmer T. Lee, Blanton’s, Rock Hill Farms, and Hancock’s President’s Reserve. The $10 Ancient Age was a surprise hit among this group of single-barrel bourbons.

When I saw Ancient Ancient Age in a liquor store a month ago I was excited to give it a try. How would it compare to its younger, lower-proof sibling? Let’s find out.

## Ancient Ancient Age 10 Star Bourbon Review

![Ancient Ancient Age 10 Star Bourbon Photo](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1f/bc/1fbc7ea1-d6e2-43ab-9661-246c6f0c07f9/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/ancient-ancient-age-10-star.jpg)

**Proof:** 90

**Age:** 6 years

**Year:**  2014

**How I Drank It**: Neat, in Glencairn whiskey glass.

**My Nose Noticed:** Honey | Cherry | Oak | Cedar

**First Sip:** Corn | Rye | Toffee | Char | Ash

**The Burn:** More like The Burnt. Letting it roll around my mouth made me suddenly feel like I burned my entire tongue and deadened my taste buds.

**Neat, Splash or Rocks:** A few drops of water sweetened the nose but seemed to dilute the better flavors and leave only the charred, ashy flavor. At this point, I felt my palate wasn’t even up for trying this on the rocks. So the question became…

****Straight, Old Fashioned or Manhattan:** Old Fashioned. The sugar and bitters along with the slow dilution from some large ice tame the rough edges. (The Manhattan was a bust. My wife summed it up nicely, "This tastes like a Manhattan you get at a wedding.")

**Share With:** People at the end of a party after all of the good stuff is gone.

**Worth The Price:** I paid about $16 for this and was a little surprised at my disappointment. I definitely prefer the regular Ancient Age.

**Bottle, Bar or Bust:** For me, it was mostly a bust, though I know this bourbon has its fans. I’d be surprised to find this in a bar, so bottle would be your best bet if you want to try it.

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Overall, I was pretty disappointed with this bottling. Maybe I got a bad bottle? If you’ve had Ancient Ancient Age 10 Star, let us know how your experience compared. Also, let us know in the comments what under $20 bourbon you’d like us to try next.