The allure of value bourbons: quality, quantity or both?

[smokinjoe]

Reading this thread, CoMobourbons answers are fantastic.

If they seem evasive at all it is just the zen like quality of a master working with a student on the intangible.

I will reread those a few times. Very well written to my mind.

Myself I am quite the novice and do not have the eloquence nor the experience to posit an answer so succinctly.

No. He is just a guy who likes to hear himself talk, and has a raging case of "I Think I'm the Smartest Guy in the Room, Because My Shiny New Diploma Tells Me So Syndrome". He'll drop in again when school is out, and tell us how we are all so misguided...again.

[GaryT]

Though I'm not that old, I'm going to sound old here... but I think bourbon is a lot more expensive than it used to be so it is somewhat amusing to hear conversations that have bourbon's value (today) as a point in a discussion. I bought nearly a dozen bottles of Stagg for $31 each in Kentucky when I last bought Stagg (was 2003/4) and now the price seems extreme to me. So, for me, bourbon was a great value and that was a major part of it for me. Similar anecdotes exist for other bourbons, and also with regard to availability. I remember seeing Pappy in the store glass case every time I went to the store for a few years way back when.

I still love it, even with the higher prices. And even with those higher prices, there's still superior relative value compared to Scotch (for me, at least). If I spend $40 I can have many of my very favorites, but I cannot say the same for Scotch, and in that category I only have a small list of loved ones for about $60 or less.

One thing I appreciate more about Bourbon is that I can have a range of preferred bottles at my disposal, all at very reasonable prices. On the whole, then, yes the value is a substantial part of my enjoying this fine spirit.

[TunnelTiger]

I screwed up and didn't get into bourbon until the prices were on the rise, although whenever I find any other kind of whiskey I like in any way/shape/form - I find that even the $30 bourbons are a great value in the whiskey category

Similar experience here. I got into bourbon just a year ago because I was bitchin about the prices of scotch to my dealer and he suggested I try bourbon as it was a great value and the best whiskey in the world.

Well he was right and even though the prices are steadily climbing it's still a great value in a comparision to that other stff from the old country(it tastes better too).

[Guy Debord]

Yeah, that is the one small frustrating thing I have found about this site. Out of misguided politeness, fear of embarrassment, or single-minded devotion to the try-it-yourself-orthodoxy, people - often the most knowledgeable and insightful people - will sometimes refuse to really answer any question that requires them to take a stand or express an opinion. The all-taste-is-subjective orthodoxy is much better than the alternative, but it has become a knee jerk reaction that limits potentially better discussions. Rather than hide behind that subjectivity tenet, we should use it as a starting point to build more ideas and opinions about bourbon.

I like this and agree.

I was semi-making this point the other day in the thread on "Best Bourbons."

[WhiskyRI]

Personally I really like good bottom shelf bourbons for several reasons. #1 for me is the ones I buy taste good to me. #2 I can drink them and save some money for more expensive, or special, bourbons. #3 I can bring them to parties and throw away the top without sweating - a $12 bottle of OFBiB is always well received at party, usually much better than a $12 bottle of wine.

If I could drink certain rare bourbons every day I might be as concerned but I have a budget for hooch and bottom shelf bourbons easily fit within my budget and are enjoyable to drink. Do I enjoy that they are "my secret" and I'm "smart enough" to know about them - sure maybe a little bit. At the end of the day it is just whisky - nice to have but not as important as food and family.

[BigRich]

Though I'm not that old, I'm going to sound old here... but I think bourbon is a lot more expensive than it used to be so it is somewhat amusing to hear conversations that have bourbon's value (today) as a point in a discussion. I bought nearly a dozen bottles of Stagg for $31 each in Kentucky when I last bought Stagg (was 2003/4) and now the price seems extreme to me. So, for me, bourbon was a great value and that was a major part of it for me. Similar anecdotes exist for other bourbons, and also with regard to availability. I remember seeing Pappy in the store glass case every time I went to the store for a few years way back when.

I still love it, even with the higher prices. And even with those higher prices, there's still superior relative value compared to Scotch (for me, at least). If I spend $40 I can have many of my very favorites, but I cannot say the same for Scotch, and in that category I only have a small list of loved ones for about $60 or less.

One thing I appreciate more about Bourbon is that I can have a range of preferred bottles at my disposal, all at very reasonable prices. On the whole, then, yes the value is a substantial part of my enjoying this fine spirit.

I'm one of those guys too. Stagg, Pappy, and VW Rye off the shelf and I didn't know how good I had it. It's not just bourbon though. Around the same time I was also buying Macallan 18 (Gran Reserva) at $80 back when it was still vintage dated. Oh the good old (sadly not so old) days.

[corpse_welder]

It's been said by many before me, but the attraction to value bourbons is the ratio of quality to cost. I've never been overly impressed by premium bourbon, as I find it a bit too refined for my liking, but it's a subject that fascinates me. That being said, "value bourbon" in my household is just "bourbon" by this point, what with my preferences and current financial state. Can't say I mind too much, since I've always had a few $30-$50 bottles around that I enjoy but overall tend to reach for them less than my WT101 and Grand-dad or OWA. I have always been a vocal supporter of Stagg but the price is a bit high with my wife out of work with our baby as well as the headache finding it. My idea of a "premium" bourbon is Blanton's or Four Roses SB and the rest of my cabinet is less than $20 and delicious

[T Comp]

I've done this exercise before here but find yourself some bourbon prices from the 50's and 60's, or pre glut, and plug them into an inflation calculator. Not as cheap as you think. Eagle Rare 101 is at $40 based on its introductory $10 price in 1976. A gallon of Mt. Vernon Rye in 1900 at $2.79 will be $82.18...actually more now as that thread was from 2010.

http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/showthread.php?14743-1976-Print-Ad-Introducing-Eagle-Rare&highlight=texas+monthly+eagle+rare

[squire]

I believe You're spot on there Thad. I can recall when good Bourbon was plentiful but I don't ever remember the good stuff being cheap by the standards of the time.

[TunnelTiger]

I believe You're spot on there Thad. I can recall when good Bourbon was plentiful but I don't ever remember the good stuff being cheap by the standards of the time.

This is so true Squire. When gas was less than $0.20/gallon and I was making a $1.00/hr it still took a good chunk out of my check.

[mbroo5880i]

I am confused by this whole topic. I find location in the store, bottle style and backstory the most alluring aspects of bourbon. I believe quality, quantity and price considerations are over rated. The hotter the chick at the tasting, the more likely I am to take a bottle home.

[Eggman]

Howdy,

Given my meager budget, "value" Bourbons make up 80% of my..Bourbon In my neck of the woods, JB white label is the obvious choice at my local grocery. It's adequate when mixed with cola. When I'm "In the chips", so to speak, Baker's is my favorite. YMMV and MHO.

PS: Liquor stores can't touch the local grocery stores on Bourbon prices in my part of Louisiana.

[squire]

Good Bourbon is good irrespective of price.

[Auracom]

^What he said.

100% quality in my book. If the price is conducive to purchase for quantity as well, then that's just a bonus.

[Special Reserve]

Agreed quality is the best reason to buy any bourbon.

[mbroo5880i]

Howdy,

Given my meager budget, "value" Bourbons make up 80% of my..Bourbon In my neck of the woods, JB white label is the obvious choice at my local grocery. It's adequate when mixed with cola. When I'm "In the chips", so to speak, Baker's is my favorite. YMMV and MHO.

PS: Liquor stores can't touch the local grocery stores on Bourbon prices in my part of Louisiana.

Agree, budget and bourbon don't always match up, especially if you frequent this site! I find prices at the local grocery and drug stores to be competitive and, occasionally, slightly less than my local liquor store. However, I am willing to pay a $1 or $2 more on standard stuff like BT, etc. to support my local store because they have "excellent" store selects for very reasonable prices and a wide variety. It helps immensely that my local store has a whiskey aficionado so he keeps the choices interesting. He is also a member of this forum.

That said, I live in Indy. Kroger has a decent selection, and more than adequate for the average bourbon drinker, but I have found the selection at groceries and drug stores in other states to be significantly better.