14 Bourbons That Aren't Worth Your Money

Jefferson's Ocean Aged at Sea

Jefferson's is a brand that doesn’t distill its own bourbon. Instead, it experiments with unique aging techniques to stand out. Its Ocean Aged at Sea bourbon is perhaps the most well-known example. Barrels filled with bourbon are placed on ships that travel to various ports worldwide. The idea is that the combination of temperature changes and the ocean’s movement “hyper-ages” the bourbon, imparting salty, marine flavors.

However, many bourbon enthusiasts see this as a gimmick. Priced around $80, customers expect quality and consistency — but Jefferson’s Ocean delivers neither. Flavors vary wildly from batch to batch and voyage to voyage. For instance, Voyage 17 was dominated by bitter tobacco and leather notes, while Voyage 23 was very light, with only faint caramel and vanilla flavors. The one constant is how consistently underwhelming the bourbon is.