Is Bourbon supassing Scotch in terms of prices?

Idk about surpassing, but there’s plenty of reasonably priced whisky and whiskey. Stagg Jr cost me $85, Wild Turkey Rare Breed costs $60-$65, Laphroaig 10 costs $75-$80, Lagavulin 16 costs $135, my last Ardbeg Uigeadail cost me about $100 (iirc). So before spending more than that on bourbon or scotch, I have to ask myself where the point of diminishing returns is...I paid $36 apiece for my 6 bottles Weller Antique 107 and about $49 for Elmer T Lee. Even if Barrell mystery bourbon was available, would I enjoy it that much more than the aforementioned bourbons? I’m not sure. I’m happy to let others spend what they like. There are always options I thoroughly enjoy that are well within my budget.

@OdysseusUnbound Our Uigeadail prices are similar. 80$ would be normal here. Otherwise, the prices don't correlate at at all: within 20 miles I can get Laphroaig 10 for 33(US)$ and QC for 39 $ or so. Lag 16 for 65$ and Lag 16 DE for under 100$. I'm not sure about the exchange rate differences. I haven't been to CA for a while (though I used to love to go to Toronto for the food when I was in grad school).

Quality aged American bourbon? i have have seen Stagg Jr. at the price I mentioned (170$) at the same local store that that sells Laffy 10 for 43$, There are always American bourbon and rye bargains, of course, but the premium stuff is getting so expensive that local stores won't carry what they used to. Two examples: 1) a store that regularly had Whistlepig CS for the same price as regular WP won't bother anymore because of the the cost. (On the other hand, they give away their BTAC allocations to anyone who comes in, rather than making enemies out of customers competing for a bottle) 2) Willett now primarily sells to bars and restaurants. Local shops (in Baltimore and surrounding areas) don't want to sell four year old CS whisky for close to three figures.

I'm not complaining-not at all-- but I think I passed through a golden age of American single barrel whiskey that no longer exists. At least I can still get Rare Breed for 40$ or so...and Pikesville between 40$ and 50. It seems that prices are more variable in this market than in others. When I can get three bottles of Indian Peated CS for one bottle Stagg Jr., something has changed.

In any case, this site always turns me on to distilleries that I would never have heard of, and sometimes they show up at the local shops.

@Jonathan I have not bought Uigeadail in Ontario, as the price for it is $175-$190 depending on how the LCBO feels that week. I’m lucky to have a good doctor who has filled my Oogie prescription for me in Alberta (3 times now?) for $90-$100. It’s a pretty good deal, although it’s not covered by our single-payer universal healthcare. Oh well, can’t win them all.

As far as rare bourbon goes, it’s one of the weird cases where our government monopoly often gives us an edge. A bourbon Facebook group I was in for about a week blasted me and “called me out” for stating that Weller 12 cost me $49 and Weller Antique 107 cost me $36. I was called a liar in all kinds of creative ways and caused even more internet rage when I said that I didn’t care for Weller 12 at all. According to the luminaries in the aforementioned group, I am a f-cking moron who wouldn’t know good bourbon if I smashed you over the f-cking head with a bottle of it. I am also an idiot for:

• Thinking highly of Wild Turkey products.
• Not realizing that standard Buffalo Trace is the best “entry level” bourbon of all time.
• Saying that I’d never pay thousands of dollars for Pappy 20 year old. (I actually said I’d never pay thousands for any whisky)

Yes, things escalated quickly in that group and I showed myself out. I’m happy to let people who have something to prove fight amongst themselves.

@OdysseusUnbound Dude, them FB groups can be THE WORST. I'm a member of a few and I see you post often in one particular group. On FB, it's best to stand back and watch from afar, occasionally dipping one's toe in to test the waters.

@KRB80 Some of them are alright. I’ve been a member of “Scotch Addict” for a long time, and while idiots occasionally pop up, they don’t last long. But the bourbon groups have been the worst. I’ve given up on them entirely. My go-to sources for bourbon reviews and opinions are Josh Peters of The Whiskey Jug and our own @Victor . Josh’s tastes and mine aren’t a perfect match, but he’s the closest I’ve found online, so his reviews are quite valuable for me.

whiskey is considerably cheaper for me than whisky here in Tenn. I think it's really about your location.