Wild Turkey 101 ($23)
"The kickin' chicken may have a undeserved bad reputation, but it's delicious stuff. Full of flavor and relatively cheap to boot, this is a cocktail maker's bourbon and not a bad sipper over ice."

Elijah Craig 12 year ($23-$27)
"For a fantastic 12-year-old bourbon you'll be paying about $25 dollars. Let me repeat, 12 year, $25. That's about $2 a year. Yeah."

Johnny Drum Private Stock ($35)
"This is a great sipper made in small quantities. It's bourbon with a spicy edge but also has the classic caramel, marzipan notes. I'll add to that peanuts. In fact, I'll drink this tonight with peanut soup."

Old Bardstown Estate Bottled (anywhere from $19-$29)
"This is a great 10 year old Bourbon that takes the place of the fancy stuff you've been drinking. Top whiskey writers like Jim Murray like it, I like it, you'll like. And you'll pay around $25, sound fair?"

Old Grand-Dad 100-proof Bottled in Bond ($20)
"This puppy is a bonded Bourbon under $20 bucks that's worth every penny and then some. But it needs ice. I use it in cocktails."

Four Roses Yellow Label ($20)
"I still remember ordering this in Spain and wondering when America was going to catch up. For the longest time, it was only for export. Now that we have it, drink it. It's a good value and, might I add, a very pretty bourbon, like a neighborhood girl who went abroad and came back a little more stylish and sophisticated."

Wild Turkey Rare Breed ($35-$40; $50 sometimes happens)
"This is the really good stuff for mid-level pricing. For my money, it's what I'd drink every day/night if I drank bourbon every day/night, which has happened on occasion."

Very Old Barton 100 ($14)
"When I take a break from Rare Breed, here's what I grab. It's cheaper. It's also robust. It's high octane but you don't feel it. It's the good stuff just not the really good stuff."

Evan Williams Single Barrel ($30)
"Single Barrel usually means expensive. Not here. Also, it's vintage dated. So, you can collect year by year. It's an incredible value and while the word smooth gets bandied about a lot this fits that word to a T. Evan Williams is smooth."

Pure Kentucky XO ($35)
"This is a slightly spendier 12-year-old than Elijah Craig, but what makes it worth it is that it displays some funkier, aged characteristics. Think butterscotch and cedar together. This is for the wine geek turned whiskey connoisseur who can't stop using terms like 'forest floor' to describe their wine."