Try the expensive stuff and find you like cheap stuff?

[LBTRS]

Anyone else spend a bunch of money to try a lot of the expensive bourbons only to find that the cheap stuff is your favorite? I have purchased and tried the following:

Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve 15yo
Van Winkle Special Reserve 12yo Lot B
Eagle Rage SB 10yo
Blanton's
Basil Hayden's
Woodford Reserve
Buffalo Trace
Elijah Craig 12yo
Jim Beam White
Jim Beam Black
Bookers
Knob Creek
Makers Mark
Wild Turkey Rare Breed
Wild Turkey 101

I'm sure there are others I'm forgetting, however, out of them all I find I keep going back to the Wild Turkey 101 with Buffalo Trace a close second.

Anyone else do the same thing?

[TNbourbon]

• Absolute favorite: Pappy 23 rye-recipe 1999 bottling, green bottle.
• Everyday favorite: Weller Special Reserve 7yo (especially Louisville labels, thus Stitzel-Weller), Buffalo Trace, Jim Beam Black, Evan Williams Black-label
• Undersung: Ezra Brooks Black label 90 proof, Old Forester (any proof -- I hate it that Jack Daniel's, an inferior whiskey, is their flagship).

[ILLfarmboy]

Yes. "Cheap stuff" doesn't always correspond to bad flavor. Weller Antique beats the pants off a lot of bottles twice as expensive. And spending a lot of money doesn't grantee You'll like what's in the bottle once its in your glass. Basil Hayden Ain't nothing to write home about and it isn't cheap.

I have found if any rule of thumb can be a good predictor of what I will like it is this: Cheap and low proof, I probably won't like it, cheap and 90 and above, I may very well like it better than many bottles that are more expensive, and expensive bourbon is, well, an expensive crap shoot.

[LBTRS]

Yes. "Cheap stuff" doesn't always correspond to bad flavor. Weller Antique beats the pants off a lot of bottles twice as expensive. And spending a lot of money doesn't grantee You'll like what's in the bottle once its in your glass. Basil Hayden Ain't nothing to write home about and it isn't cheap.

I have found if any rule of thumb can be a good predictor of what I will like it is this: Cheap and low proof, I probably won't like it, cheap and 90 and above, I may very well like it better than many bottles that are more expensive, and expensive bourbon is, well, an expensive crap shoot.

Funny you should say that...Basil Hayden's is the bourbon I liked least out of all that I have tried. I like Jim Beam White better than the Basil Hayden's.

[AVB]

I have to agree, Basil Hayden is a big disappointment when compared to the others in the "Small Batch" line or most other bourbons in general.

[CrispyCritter]

I've never been disappointed with my top-shelf purchases (BTAC, Hirsch 16, PVW 15, ORVW 15, Lot B, VWFRR, various upper-mid-shelf Scotches like Glenrothes 1974 and Ardbeg 1977), but there are certainly inexpensive bottles that offer huge bang-for-the-buck. Bonded versions of Old Fitzgerald, Old Grand-Dad, and Rittenhouse Rye come to mind, and AAA 10yo (I've never seen a 10 Star).

Moving up a rung on the price ladder, there's a world of choices - OGD 114, Beam Black, WT101 (and Rye), BT, Weller 7/107 and 12, Baby Saz, the list goes on.

[Ubertaster]

I agree. Basil Haydens was thin, watery and with no character for me. I was glad it was gone so to free up space on my bar for the Beam White.

bj

[MikeDS]

I haven't tried some of the really expensive bourbons but my current favorite is Buffalo Trace. At $17.99/bottle I consider it relatively cheap. The most expensive I've ever had is WT Rare Breed. I like it alot, but have to be in the mood for it. Buffalo Trace I'll do any time, anywhere. I LOVE IT!

[Hedmans Brorsa]

Anyone else spend a bunch of money to try a lot of the expensive bourbons only to find that the cheap stuff is your favorite?

I wouldn´t necessary use the word 'favorite', but I´ve been in the business far too long to take anything for granted.

A cheap whiskey can be a real thrill but it can also be very bad. Same goes for the premium ones.

[jburlowski]

While I more often than not drink from the more expensive end of the spectrum, I often find my self coming back to good old WT 101.