Late comer to this thread. I'm a prolific whisky drinker, basically a hobby for me:

1) Best bourbon I have ever had was Pappy Van Winkle 23 year old. I still dream of finding another bottle. This was before it took off (even then it was expensive, but I have not even seen it for sale since then) in 2008. Loved every drop of it. I dont even want to imagine what it would cost to get a bottle today. As good as it is, probably not worth it.

2) Worst bourbon.....that's tough. When I was in graduate school we drank some pretty nasty stuff that I wouldn't touch today (if for no other reason than I value my personal health). One that stood out was Ten High. I know some guys who swear by it, but I could not stomach it. Tasted awful. I tried pretty much everyway to drink it with no success.

3) A great cheap bourbon is Ezra Brooks. Where I live you can pick up a fifth for about $15 or so (if youre in a lower cost area Ive seen it for $12 or so). Decent drink, and can be consumed straight or on the rocks which is how I like mine.

4) Quick thing about scotch (this is a bit anal I know). There is no such thing as any other kind of scotch but SCOTCH. The phrase I have heard often is "Japanese Scotch" which I guess is used because many of the flavor profiles and the distillation process of Japanese WHISKEY is similar to scotch. To be scotch, the whiskey must be produced from 100% malted barley and spring water and distilled in Scotland.