David where in the heck did you get the Rip VanWinkle? Is it as great as everyone says it is. I've been trying for forever to get a bottle..
Once in a while the local ABC store carries it. However, my first purchase was from a place called Total Wine.........there are several different kinds of Rip, and this was the cheap stuff, about $65 for a 5th. To tell the truth, I'm not sure that it is any better than other premium brands. I think that I like Ole Weller's Reserve as much as anything. If I'm mixing it, which I usually don't with anything but water, I go cheap, so I usually have some lower shelf stuff, like, Evan Williams in the cabinet, actually not bad.
Some years ago, I lined up about ten different bottles of bourbon and did a blind taste test. Drinking straight, with water, and then with Lemonade (which is really good). I had a hard time picking one that I thought was all that much better than the other, though there were taste differences. My wife who does not drink it straight, picked out the Evan Williams when straight, but favored Wellers when mixed, which is how she drinks it. Give it a try, might be surprised that you are paying more for it than needed.
Oh, if my brother visits, I hide all the good stuff, and pour Evan William's into empty Jack bottles, as he will drink me out of house and home. He never seems to notice....................d
