Best Bourbon - Reviews of Classic American Whiskeys - Esquire:
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Most bourbon is made by a handful of large, old distilleries in Kentucky. Because their start-up costs were decades in the past and they do things on a massive scale, they can sell fully aged whiskeys for a fraction of what the microdistillers are charging for a white dog. Consider Jim Beam Black, which retails for about $20 a bottle. For that you get a bold, complex whiskey that's a full eight years old. That time in the barrel has burned off the fumy, kerosene notes you find in a white dog, darkened the bright floral notes, and turned the light, creamy body thick and mellow. There's still some of the original graininess, but now it's a contributing factor, not a defining one. If $20 is too much and you happen to be in the Southeast, you can pick up a bottle of Ancient Ancient Age 10 Star, a 90-proof whiskey that's six years old, for a mere $13. It's clean and sharp and minty, and it laughs at ice.
I'm no connoisseur, I barely touch the stuff, but I saw the way the Woodford was getting taken down at the neighborhood holiday party. People seem to like it.
