Bourbon Still a Better Value Than Scotch?

When I started drinking more bourbon than scotch 5 or so years ago, it was because bourbon was a better value drink to me. Higher proof and same age for less coin. I like whisk(e)ys of all kinds, from bourbon to scotch to Irish to Canadian, and I like to get value for my money. But, in the last few years, with the boom, I'm seeing some prices of bourbon going up. So, I put the question to you fine gentlemen - is bourbon still a better value than scotch in the whisk(e)y department?

Thanks in advance for your input.

Bourbon is a much better value. A very good bourbon can be had for well under $100. A good single malt starts at about $100

Bourbon is cheaper, but not a better value if you want something else. Give me a good single malt Scotch and damn the cost.

It's like soap, if value = price then everyone would use Arko or Williams.

I really like a single malt. However, I have a problem paying so much for a bottle. My solution: hints to my wife, kids, and relatives when it is gift time!

Good single malts can be had for well under 100. Some very good under 100 (Lagavulin 16, Ardbeg Uigeadail or Corryvreckan) though most over that and also outside my wallet range.
Depends on where the goalposts are!

Very good bourbons I think can be found in the 50 -100 range.
I just don't like 'em very much

Bourbon is still the better value but I don't drink enough to worry a lot about that. In any case, a good bourbon is just as enjoyable as a good scotch. They are significantly different in taste profile that it should be a matter of which one you're in the mood for.

Scotch is better value in Spain

scotch is the best value because it tastes better.

If you rule out the ridiculous price points on a few especially hard to find bourbons (I'm looking at you, Pappy), good bourbon is - on average - much cheaper than good scotch. A bottle of Blanton's is a fair bit less expensive than Lag 16 (which is, IMO, the biggest Scotch value extant) and quite a bit less than Macallan (my Highland preference). I voted "Other", though, because I can get Redbreast 12 for less than any of them.

Like someone said, though, you like what you like, and one is not a substitute for the other. I enjoy them all (all four mentioned above currently sit on my bar), and I like having the choice according to my mood.

emwolf said:

scotch is the best value because it tastes better.

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+1

Heck, if you are just drinking for effect, Everclear is a great value alcohol.

Larry C in Texas said:

But, in the last few years, with the boom, I'm seeing some prices of bourbon going up. So, I put the question to you fine gentlemen - is bourbon still a better value than scotch in the whisk(e)y department?

Thanks in advance for your input.

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I certainly get the point that if you only care for scotch, then there is no "value" to you in anything that isn't scotch. Fortunately I happen to like and appreciate both, and for me it's a no-brainer: bourbon, across the quality range, is a better value than scotch, hands down. One can easily acquire fine bourbons, world class whiskies by any measure, for a fraction of the price of comparable quality single malts. Even with the price creep we're seeing at the middle ranges in bourbon, true-to-type, 7-10 year old single barrel bourbons can be had for under $30, even here in the high price control state of Oregon. Thirty dollars will barely get you a passable blended scotch, which will be at best a weak example of the type. I buy and enjoy scotch, but I do flinch at the prices demanded for the quality level I prefer.

Whether scotch is "better" than bourbon is an apples-or-oranges question. To each his own on that one. But to arrive at the value proposition, I look to the comparative cost of fine, true-to type examples of each. And in that comparison, bourbon to me is the clear winner.

bberg100 said:

..... Give me a good single malt Scotch and damn the cost ......

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However a good bonded bourbon will do.

Supply & demand, Bourbon has a world-wide distribution nowadays which will increase price(s) but depending upon one's preference(s); it is still a better buy than Scotch specially the Single Malts. Is using previously used casks that have been used to age/store other potables a way of disguising flaws in the current occupants? Ever wonder what Scotch & Irish would be like if aged in new casks used only one time as is Bourbon or what Bourbon would be like if aged like Scotch & Irish?

I can't afford the Scotch I love, and I can barely afford Blanton's (which I love) so for me this poll doesn't really get me anywhere. Sometimes I think Scotch is overrated and over priced, and now with a growing worldwide demand for Bourbon will the same happen to my beloved Blanton's? It's already getting harder to find as Blanton's won't increase production to keep up with demand (supposedly to maintain quality).

And btw - there are some limited release Bourbons that go for what you would pay for some top-tier Scotch ;-)

A bottle of 15 year old Pappy for $10 is not a good value at all if you don't particularly care for bourbon. Conversely, that same $10 spent on a bottle of Aardbeg 10 year old is a phenominal value...if you like scotch, but not so if you would rather have bourbon

I love whiskeys of all origins. To me, bourbons in the price range of Buffalo Trace, Elijah Craig, Old Weller and even $20 Evan Williams are a delicious drink. For a single malt that I enjoy as much, I have to pay 3 or 4 times as much as a bottle of these.

Marty

adamchur said:

Scotch is better value in Spain

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I was surprised to see the price of Scotch in Paris and Barcelona. Pretty cheap. On the other hand, some of the run of the mill Bourbons and Tennessee whiskies were predictably more expensive than here in the States.

$35 for 4 Roses Single Bbl. Fine craft Bourbon. $25 for Turkey 101. $18 for Four Roses Yellow. < No off tastes, mild boubon flavor.

$35 dollar Scotch. JWB, Chivas, and a few lower priced single malts. Turkey is their equal. 18 dollar Scotch, no thanks.


Gin is in Gents. $35 will get you top shelf. $18 Tanqueray or Beefeater.

bberg100 said:

Bourbon is cheaper, but not a better value if you want something else. Give me a good single malt Scotch and damn the cost.

It's like soap, if value = price then everyone would use Arko or Williams.

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+1

I find them all different. For me value depends on the flavour and smoothness. There are many Bourbons, Single Malts and other Whiskey's that I would list as being a good value.

Knob Creek, Forty Creek, Wild Turkey, Jamison's, Tormore for some examples.

Knob Creek I enjoy on the rocks, I use Forty Creek, Wild Turkey and Jamison's for mixing cocktails, and Tormore neat.