I am highly biased...
 

...being a native Kentuckian, so I will go with a good bourbon. Of said bourbon, that's a tough choice. Maker's is at the top along with Woodford, though sometimes I can go a little "redneck" with a Wild Turkey 101 :D

I've been on an E.H. Taylor small batch kick lately. It received a double gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits competition this year, and it's not too pricey at $42/bottle. It may be difficlut to locate, and I'm surprised I can find it less than 10 minutes away from my home in the Utah Caliphate.

If you can find the single barrel ($60/btl), it might be worth a go, too. It beat out the Pappy Van Winkle 23 year in 2012.

Year to year, batch to batch, and even barrel to barrel, it changes.

Consider that with all of the premium selections today, the overall quality of the more common stuff has got to be down.

TR

Out of curiosity I looked up the Clan name, not sure who McPhail is but a Gordon should know something of the fine spirit. Looks like a good place to gain some understanding.

https://www.gordonandmacphail.com/about-us/

By dand
In keeping with the theme : The image is from 1880 when the Gordon Highlanders 92nd Battle of Kandahar

Edit: Penn , I saw an add here in Colorado for a small distillery that made me think...." The difference between us and many other distillers is that we actually have a distiller".

So I'm cheap. Anybody else like Old Crow?

Just finished my bottle of E.H. Taylor Single Barrel. That and the small batch are two of my current favorites. For best bang for the buck, I like Buffalo Trace and Evan Williams Single Barrel.

I know Penn's post is older, but these boutique brands are popping up constantly and most can be traced back to just a few distilleries. Rather than distill their own spirits, they order a blended recipe to achieve a flavor profile from a major distiller that provides the spirits for many different brands. One of the largest is in Southern Indiana. And if you are a fan of the many Rye whiskeys that have come to market in the last few years, you thank this distiller's acquisition of the defunct Seagram's high rye that was in barrels when they went under.

LINK

I found myself gravitating towards certain bourbon's, based on the flavor profile. After reading the following article, I realized it was because many of those I like probably started out with the same mash bill, or recipe. The differences in flavor are due to the difference in ageing and blending.

Glen Breton Special Operations Executive (SOE) Commemorative
 

[Pulling this over from the Comedy Zone AO...as the conversation began to be more "serious"]


Glen Breton Whiskey

Canadian and Blended... not usually my thing but looking to see if anyone has wandered across this?


R10

I have a client from Nova Scotia who swears by Glen Breton and has lamented lack of availability due to COVID. I have not tried it.

What, no Black Velvet fans here?

Humor intended. When working in the woods logging it was a whiskey of choice as consumed occasionally by loggers for reasons, probably mostly price.

Plastic bottles ...

Shudder

:D

Don't turn your nose up too far; keeping a whisky that comes in a plastic bottle handy for cretins who like to color their whisky with a splash of coke saves the good stuff for more discerning palates.

A man well spoken... :D

Yeah....I'm out :D