Bourbon Still a Better Value Than Scotch?

Lots of good insight in too thread.

IMHO if you are simply looking at dollars and cents, bourbon offers a better "value." the word :Value" however is a subjective word. Last night I finishes a bottle of 18 year old Caol Ila. It's "value" rests in the fact that it was utterly delicious. whether it is worth the price to purchase it is completely in the eyes of the drinker. For me, it was worth every penny every time I sipped it. For someone else, maybe not so much.

As we see so often here at the B&B. YMMV!!

I voted Bourbon as the best value. I won't (can't) pay more than $50-60 for a bottle of booze. That will cover most of the bourbons I care to buy on a regular basis. That just gets me in on the ground floor for Single Malt Scotches that I enjoy very much. I wish I had the financial liquidity to sample the top tier Scottish liquids!

That's an impossible question. I am a Bourbon guy through and through but it is completely different than scotch. I could buy really cheap vodka for almost nothing but it's a different product. Me personally, I have had more scotch that I disliked than I liked. Not saying there aren't good ones that I would love. I just don't care for the basic flavor profile generally. Of the scotch I did like I suspect it would not be considered great. More of a generic flavor as far as scotch goes.

Well, you know the old, "Value is what you are willing to pay. . . ". But seriously, the advice I see above that what you want to drink is the better value for you is spot on. Sometimes I want the playfulness and chocolatey note of bourbon so I drink that. Sometimes I want something quiet and salty so it's rum or tequila. But sometimes I'm pensive, want something bold, or just crave the smoke! Then Islay it is. But the rising price of bourbon you mentioned has nothing on the increasing demand and price increases on Scotch. Oh, and then there is the hot and spicy day when you want a rye. . . and . . . and. . .

I'm not sure. I love both single malts and single barrel bourbons. Tonight, though, I just had my first dram of Lagavulin 16 Year Old. SWMBO bought it as a treat, and what a treat it is! For about $100, I don't know how it can be topped.

Lagavulin 16 was my introduction to single malt Scotch! Nice bottle!

FL shaver said:

Lagavulin 16 was my introduction to single malt Scotch! Nice bottle!

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That's a first impression for the ages! I keep trying others but Lagavulin is definitely my favorite! (And a great value at $100.00)

Until I can find an enjoyable scotch for $30 or less, I guess bourbon wins the value game. I'll take OGD 114 and Henry McKenna 10 all day long. Four Roses Single Barrel if I feel like spending a bit more.

Not to say I don't like scotch, we're almost always talking more money. Of course the bourbon prices seem to be going up everyday, so who knows how long this will be the case.

"Value" I say is totally subjective and always in the eye of the beholder. I do know this...for me life is way to short for drinking mediocre whiskey. I'll go the few extra Sheckles for above average spirits. That being said, these guys recently claimed a Slam-Dunk in the Wonderful World of Whiskey. If you live in their sales territory (TN, GA, perhaps elsewhere in the Mid-South) I highly recommend you pick up a bottle.

http://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=697d412bef05d20206af6ee5a&id=33f4da3fd5&e=8c21c4de80

I drink bourbon primarily followed by Irish and Canadian. Never have caught the Scotch bug which is probably a good thing for my wallet. I don't choose my spirits by best value but just by what I like to drink. I am a bourbon guy.

Excellent values still exist, either way.

Johnny Walker Black is a fine scotch whisky. I'll never understand why a premium is given to those that blend what they make under only one brand over those those that blend from others, but I'll take it at that price long as I can get it. Let the "single malt" folks go nuts.

Rowan's Creek bourbon hasn't gone up too much around here, yet, either.

To me this is a bit like asking if oranges are better value than apples, sure they're both fruit but they don't taste alike. I think scotch is possibly cheaper here as it doesn't need to travel as far, but when I can pick up a bottle of Laphroaig for £26 it kind of becomes a moot point. With that said, while I do quite like bourbon, I'd still rather pay more for a bottle of scotch that I'm going to get more enjoyment from.

So many smart people in here, so this won't be anything new. I voted for bourbon as I can get a bourbon I enjoy drinking cheaper than I can get a scotch that I enjoy drinking. But definitely agree that they are different drinks and will fit different moods / occasions. Therefore I will have both available usually (right now I only have a bourbon and an irish whisky).

I used to be an exclusive single malt drinker - Lagavulin being my preferred tipple. Then I switched over to Bourbons - Got hooked in London on a George T. Stagg. That got me into a run of prohibition bourbons. Now I find myself switching between Scotch and Bourbon depending on the mood - though still leaning towards Bourbons

As far as value goes: You can easily bankrupt yourself with either!

Lots of really good posts and insights here. Thank you to all that replied with your thoughts!

I have little to no experience with expensive whiskeys which are in a different league. But I might say that cheap Scotch is better than cheap Bourbon, so it may be better value in that regard. Though I am not sure about that if making a dollar-for-dollar comparison, which might be like trying to judge which bargain Russian razor blade is the smoothest or sharpest or best value over all.

What I don't understand is how all these brand new, unknown bourbons can be released and the people distilling it thinking that I am going to pay 80-100 dollars a bottle. I won't. The don't have a reputation, buying a bottle is a risk, they are clearly capitalizing on the increased interest in bourbon, and finally, I can go out and buy a bottle of Blanton's for $44.

More Germaine to the topic, Irish whiskeys are the best bang for your buck imo. I would say Canadian, but they don't particularly export the best of their stuff.

paintflinger said:

What I don't understand is how all these brand new, unknown bourbons can be released and the people distilling it thinking that I am going to pay 80-100 dollars a bottle. I won't. The don't have a reputation, buying a bottle is a risk, they are clearly capitalizing on the increased interest in bourbon, and finally, I can go out and buy a bottle of Blanton's for $44.

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In the Republik of Californistan, Blanton's is closer to $60. Still worth it.

paintflinger said:

Irish whiskeys are the best bang for your buck imo. I would say Canadian, but they don't particularly export the best of their stuff.

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We try to, honestly we do. But it's remarkable how much of it evaporates, or gets lost to breakage, or is needed for quality control testing, on its way to the border.

Sorry.

*hic*

Price said:

In the Republik of Californistan, Blanton's is closer to $60. Still worth it.

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I was about to say that, if I could find Blanton's for $44, I'd buy out the store and their next shipment, and not for resale!