It doesn't need to be the best. Even the decent stuff has gotten overpriced. Decent mixer bourbon is like $35/bottle and the decent straight stuff tends to be a

It doesn't need to be the best. Even the decent stuff has gotten overpriced. Decent mixer bourbon is like $35/bottle and the decent straight stuff tends to be about $50/bottle. The prices vary by state due to taxes and stuff of course. But $50/bottle is getting steep for many people. The off flavor bottom shelf stuff doesn't interest me - I still consider it overvalued for what you actually. An iconic example of this for Scotch would be Old Smuggler. I'd rather drink my homemade beer, wine, and mead - dirt cheap and usually good stuff.