+1 I second that recommendation - especially at that price point. Enjoy

At that price point, I also like Larceny (which in VA runs ~$27) and Buffalo Trace, the former more than the latter.

Elijah Craig 12
Eagle Rare 10
Four Roses Small Batch/Single Barrel
Evan Williams Single Barrel
Old Weller Antique 107

These should be in the 25-30 range...
Even better if you can find private barrel picks that some liquor stores do..

Sazerac is a great rye that should be about in that range too

FDW

Tough to beat this for the price...

Very good indeed--just hard to find for me. I picked a bottle up in NE earlier this year, but never see it locally.


Agreed. Easier to find IME than the Old Weller Antique 107, but still not widely available in VA unfortunately (our ABC stores got some in about a month ago and almost all quickly sold out... don't even ask about the aged Sazerac...)

Even tougher to beat was the 18 yo expression.. sadly that is gone.. I used to get a two pack for $70 a couple years back... they've come out with 20, 21, 22, and 23 yo expressions that just keep escalating in price.. I got a bottle of the 21 but was underwhelmed (or rather overoaked) and didn't think it was the worth the price... I do hear that they are bringing the 18 yo back but at a much higher price point. If you can find the barrel strength 12 yo give that a try.. very very tasty...

If you're ever in the Baltimore area and are interested in a bottle, give me a shout... I've got a good amount of the OWA107 because one of my locals has done a private barreling of it twice in the past two years... and I may or may not have purchased a case each time (make a great gift). I hit the Sazerac 6 yo hard during the summers for my manhattans... the 18 yo is extremely difficult to find but the key is to have a good relationship with your local (I think the VA ABC system makes it impossible). My local always takes care of me... what I'm really looking for is a CC that offers bonus spend at liquor stores- I for some reason tend to spend a lot of money there....

FDW

Giving Wild Turkey 101 a try tonight. It's scared me off for a while because it reminds me of crappy liquor being passed around at a college party.

However with a mfg coupon at the Safeway near my hotel for the summer in the Bay Area it was $13.99. At that price I'm willing to give it a shot to last me until I head home.

It's not that bad. Heck I was raised on the stuff! I used to buy it by the case, long ago when there wasn't much choice. Then Bookers came out and...

It took me forever to finish a bottle. Not enough of a fan to buy again at any price. Too cheap to throw it out.

I have a bottle of 1792 that I bought as a gift for someone who will not now be visiting. I may open it or possibly give to the next one of my kids I see. I bought with no knowledge whatsoever. Anyone tried it?

I like it. It's one of the open bottles I have at home which I fall back on when not quite sure what I want for the evening. It definitely has some burn to it (more noticeably so than a few higher-proof bourbons I have, FWIW), but something about it makes me think of sitting in the library with a good old book. Less sweet than other bourbons I typically like.

I like how smooth the Bulleit bourbon is but I also like the burn of Blanton's. Pappy is all good but more expensive... #OneWomansOpinion

I love Pappy as well. Especially a nice 23 year old Reserve with Coke and some ice.

Or not......

Had some Eagle Rare the other night in a hotel bar...very nice, and I may try and get me a bottle of that.

Which expression. They make a 10 yo expression and a 17 yo; which are really two absolutely different products.

The 10 yo expression used to be a single barrel product but has recently had the single barrel title removed. It's a fairly solid value bourbon; should be between $30-35 a bottle and fairly reasonably available at your local liquor store.

The 17 yo expression is part of the Buffalo Trace Antiques Collection that is released each fall. Retail is $75 but it can be quite a scarce bottling. Last year I think there were somewhere in the 4500 bottles released. Most liquor store stores will receive maybe a 3 pack.

Both bottles are worth getting; the latter will be a mug more elusive hunt!

Fdw

It was the 10 yo. (Enjoyed it with a nice Romeo y Julieta cigar at the Grand Hyatt in Berlin).

Certainly something worth seeking out (it's priced at ca £35 here, seems ok) and I enjoyed it more than the Bulleit 10 yo I tried earlier.

I'm writing this sipping a little Blantons...