I have trouble w/memory since I had a stroke some years ago, so some of this may be repeated - well, here it comes again.

For Bourbon, the best buy I know these days is W.L. Weller 12 year. Pappy Van Winkle ran the Weller distillery years ago, and the fellow who bottles Pappy and other Van Winkle bourbon was using 'prime' bottles of Weller for many years. I'm sure they've used that old stock up and they're bottling other whusk now - nevertheless, Weller 12 year is a great balance of price/quality. It's a 'wheater' bourbon (they use a lot of wheat in the mash instead of all corn/rye) and I happen to like those - YMMV - but it's good whusk.
The bourbon market has changed a lot in 20 years, stuff I'd have recommended years ago is no longer marketed by the old name - there's a lot of 'bottle A' now sold as 'bottle B' for twice the price - with just a nicer label, the same juice in the same glassware. Hence my recco for Weller 12 - if you can find it.
I happen to like the flavor profile of Wild Turkey. Unlike the 'wheater' above, it's a rye heavy bourbon. Their 'better' labels can get pretty spendy for not a ton of improvement to MY tastebuds, I've tried most of their spendy stuff over the years. I still buy WT 101 and I buy Wild Turkey Rare Breed. The Rare Breed is a little higher in proof - and I really like the taste. Buy it @ Costco if you can, best price I've found on it day in, day out.
A lot of bourbon ownership has changed in 20 years. That doesn't mean the whusk has changed all that much, most of the new owners have had the good sense to let things go along as they were before, if anything they're just upgrading the marketing appeal (fancier bottles & labels, same bourbon inside). But the folks who own Buffalo Trace should be mentioned here - they've swapped a lot of non-bourbon stuff around and wound up owning almost all the good bourbon labels I like besides the Wild Turkey line. They've improved the juice in the low-end products they bought (stuff like Rebel Yell) while maintaining good quality in their higher end stuff. They sell very little whiskey that I don't like - that's saying something.
Bourbon has become a lot more fashionable than it was in the 70's when I started drinking this stuff. It used to be a drink for old men and rough necks, then the marketing guys came up w/the idea of 'single barrel' and other higher end releases - next thing you know the 'good' whiskey got better (and spendier) the 'decent' whiskey had fewer gems hidden in there - that stuff got diverted to the good whiskey top shelf. That's ok. I stockpiled quite a bit of the stuff I like back when it was cheaper, with bad luck it'll outlast me and there'll be a big party when I kick the proverbial bucket. With good luck I'll drink it all first, and all y'all can buy your own.

I was in SF a little bit ago, while I was there I had Baterhouse Bourbon.

Man I love it, cant find it anywhere.

Anybody ever had it?

I picked up a bottle of Lagavulin 16 a while back on sale. I'm saving it for a special occasion. Not a huge whiskey guy but I've been working on acquiring a taste for it. Love me a rusty nail at this point.

Any recommendations for something a bit lower priced that I can "practice" with before I break into the Lagavulin? I just want to be able to appreciate it fully.

In order of increasing price:

Bowmore Legend (similar peatiness, but less complex)
Laphroaig 10 (peaty and complex, but the iodine and phenolics can be off-putting to the uninitiated. You could hate Laphroaig and still love the Lagavulin.)
Highland 12 (not as peaty as the the other two, more complex than Bowmore, and not as phenolic as Laphroaig. A very well balanced Islay.)

From what I understand lagavulin 16 is an Islay about 60$ a bottle. $55 at Costco, here.

It's going to be peaty and Smokey....and rich....

I'm not super up on Islay scorched to recommend one, but if you're working your way up..and want something with no peat, glenlivet 12 is really drinkable and a good starter. It's a speyside though. I like mine with ice, but no added water. After the ice starts melting.....man is it good. And closer to 30$ so very affordable.

I'm looking for a lightly peated entry level bottle too....I just like my scotch without peat so far.

I know others will disagree...but try some with & without to see what your preference is.

Some good info on here
 

Reddit also is a good resource /bourbon and /scotch

I am a big bourbon fan.

Best budget ones IMO are EW 1783 and Old Grandad BIB.

There are plenty of good ones in the $30 range, Eagle Rare is an example.

:thumb:

I remember Playboy magazine long while back an ad for the Grandad Bottled in Bond.
"When the ladies go to bed the Gentleman bring out the Grandad."

Have had a bottle around every since. Was a tradition with my Dad after the days hunt to toast the days harvest with a finger or 2 of the Old Grandad.
Evan Williams 1783 I have sung its praises for quality and cost many times here.

Meant to add 1 more...
 

Wild Turkey 101 is a good one.

And closer to the $25 range Rittenhouse Rye is very good stuff.

Jeeeezuz, you like the <font color=green>ubergreen</font> Scotch! Laphroaig 10 tastes like a damn band aid that's been sitting next to a campfire. I love watching non-Scotch drinkers try that one.

My favorite green Scotch = Talisker 18. Unfortunately it is difficult to find and the price has sky-rocketed.

Be sipping on this for the game

As a big fan of peaty, smokey islay scotches, I've been watching to try this out:

Triple Smoke by Corsair Distillery

There was a time not too long ago that I was a single malt scotch guy and that's all I would drink. My favorite was Glenlivet 18.
I ordered a glass at the bar one night last year and apparently the owner thought he could get away with mixing it with some blended shit. It tasted like paint thinner.
I thought maybe I was getting sick or something so my taste buds were fubar. I choked it down and left. The next time I tried my bottle at home, all I could taste was that shit I got at the bar. Been a burbon drinker ever since.
I really like the billet, knob and makers mark, (my personal fave) the best.
I don't like rye much. Tried Bird Dog the other day and it's a little strong but not bad.

I'm not a booze snob, but I can't really do Scotch.

My go-2 would be Crown, Makers Mark and Templeton Rye.

I brought home a bottle of Ardbeg 10 year tonight. Yowza! I think it is even more challenging than Laphroaig. Ardbeg is less viscous, more nuanced and complex nose comapred to the smokiness of Laphroaig. Both are nicely medicinal and phenolic on the palate.