Any Suggestions For A Nice $20-$40 Bourbon

What are some favourite bourbons, and why are they popular?

If you go through the many recommendations in this thread you'll find that quite a few of the brands have the common distillery of Buffalo Trace. When I looked into the ones I liked before a kentucky trip I was amazed how many trails led back to the trace. Some of the ones they produce to look out for are:Van Winkle — The Pappy 20 year is great. 23 year is twice the price and is worth trying if you see it somewhere but not sure worth the cost to own yourself. The 12 year (family reserve) is a must to try as you'll find few else with as much character for that age. The family rye is worth trying even though you were looking for bourbons.Eagle Rare — there is a special 17 year out but the regular is also worth trying. Great for cocktails.Sazerac (rye, not bourbon) for the traditional sazerac cocktail.Buffalo Trace — their namesake. Great for cocktails and mixed drinks. I usually have a buffalo and ginger ale (vernors) to start off the night before moving on to the sippers.They also make the George T. Stagg, Blantons and W.L. Weller bourbons that some have mentioned (along with many other whiskeys).There's a lineup on wikipedia though I don't think it shows some of the lower end ones: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buf...If you ever go to kentucky please don't pass them up (and ask for freddie for your tour). The amount of pride and love of their craft they have there put them well above the other places I visited (makers, etc). I think this shows in the final product as is shown with the multiple recommendations.Otherwise I've had some good ones from heaven hill (under various labels) and others but nothing jumps out like a van winkle does. Plenty of ones I've been disappointed with but I'll keep this on topic.

What’s good and inexpensive bourbon?

I’ll use “under $30” as inexpensive…SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: THESE ARE MY OPINIONSBuffalo Trace (made by Buffalo Trace)Maker’s Mark (wheated Bourbon - no rye)Wild Turkey 101 (high ABV means more flavor, too)Heaven Hill (made by Heaven Hill)Elijah Craig Small Batch (Heaven Hill)Four Roses Yellow Label (Four Roses)Cheers!

What's the best bourbon whiskey?

The best bourbon whiskey depends on several factors:Your budgetYour flavor preferencesYour MoodThere are three main price points for every bourbon (we are talking 750mL here):Under $30The best bourbon under $30 has consistently been Old Weller Antique 107. You are talking about a smooth, complex, perfectly balanced bourbon here. The backstory is rich with Kentucky history, and the bourbon pairs well with just about any food (sweet, spicy, bready, and soupy). All that for about $28 for a fifth. You can read up on Old Weller here and let me know if you agree)Between $30 and $70Every real bourbon lover loves Bookers bourbon. We wrote a detailed review on it here. You are looking at around $52 for a fifth, but everything you could possibly want is here. Deep rich oak flavors, smoke and baking spices, a nice long finish with sweetness in the back, and proof to stand up to even the dullest of palates. Bookers is a barrel proof bourbon - meaning it will be higher proof than you are used to. A nice fat ice cube should help tame that proof and express more of the flavor for you if you are new to bourbon tasting.$70 and UpThe sky is the limit here. There are bourbons selling for 2,000 a fifth if you want to get crazy with it. If you are drinking the bourbon and not collecting it, you want to track down a bottle of the Four Roses 2010 Limited Edition 100th Anniversary. Its a 17 year old whiskey (!) that will run you about $400. Jam packed with red and black fruits and a syrupy smooth texture, you will be in heaven.Your Flavor PreferencesThere are 6 sources of bourbon flavor. One of the sources is the grain. Corn gives all bourbon its sweetness, rye gives bourbon a spice kick, and wheat or barley can give a soft nuttiness to the flavor. Choose bourbons accordingly. Water adds flavor to the bourbon, and nothing tastes better than Kentucky limestone water, so if you buy a bourbon make sure its a Kentucky bourbon whiskey! Aging adds flavor to bourbon as well, so if you like oaky smokey bourbons, ages from 9 years and up may get you to where you want to be.With all that being said, the “best bourbon” might depend on your mood. I call Bookers my “bad day bourbon” because no matter how bad my day is, one pour and I dont remember any of it!

In your brief opinion, what is the best whiskey/bourbons for under 25 bucks a bottle? Why?

my choices are all canadian. i believe in general canadian whiskies are under-priced and thus of great value.the standard Crown Royal is actually pretty good. certainly a sipping worthy whisky.Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye is a solid choice. was hard to find a bottle after it won whisky of the year in Jim Murry’s whisky bible. but now it is readily available once again. great mild entry level rye.likewise, Canaidan Club 100% rye is another excellent whisky. great quality for its price tag. also a mild rye, less robust but has good complexity. a few bucks more than the standard Canadian Club but wayyyyyyyy better.Alberta Premium is yet another grossly underpriced canadian rye. a lot of highly sought after and expensive american brand ryes came from this distillery, which in my opinion is the best rye focused distillery in the whole world. try the Dark Horse (Dark Batch) if you are not so hang up on the bit of bourbon and sherry added in it. gorgous stuff.but if i have to pick one, it would be Corby’s Lot No. 40. i can not say enough good things about it. twice distilled in short column then pot still, it is every bit as good as whiskies several times its price. i kid you not.

What can you tell me about this bottle of Sam Clay Bourbon?

Early 1960s, wide distribution, owned at that point by Kessler (Of Kessler whiskey.) Early name in Bourbon, but just a name. Pre-Prohibition was likely good as any, better than some, Kessler got it post Prohibition and it became an unheralded regional distribution, different mashbill, different everything. To it’s credit, it didn’t become a blended whiskey as some of Kessler’s stuff (and whiskies in general in the 1950s) did. Sold through Virginia ABC stores, 1.75L $19.95. With an 8 year age statement, probably worth drinking with a drop or two of water, maybe a single large cube of ice, some hope, and a nod to a long and winding road from Sam to now. I bet it compares favorably to the Va ABC offering.Thanks for the query, Derek Tedrick-Peters.

What is an underrated yet widely available bourbon?

Not sure if this qualifies as underrated since I’ve never met anyone that disputes its merits, but it’s not that expensive and should be available at any decent liquor store: Four Roses Single Barrel.