Best bourbon?

Makers Mark is good. My favorite is Bushmills, Irish Whiskey. (I guess that means it's not bourbon?). It's amazing how many movies there are where the characters are drinking Bushmills, almost always out of Baccarat Harmonie tumblers.....(????)

All whisky is good, but "bourbon" has a legal definition. Among other things it must be US made, mash made from 51% or more corn and aged in new, charred oak barrels. Bushmill's and Crown are not "bourbon." BTW, many of the nominations above are made at the Buffalo Trace distillery - they just use different recipes, and age them different lengths of time, in different parts of the warehouses.

My cost-is-no-object favorite is the 23-year Pappy. The 20-year old is my "regular," and that is a terrific Bourbon too. I also like Black Maple Hill, but, it too is somewhat pricey.

In the less costly category, I like Blantons and Jefferson Reserve.

+1 for the Van Winkle 20 Yr Old, and the 23 Yr Old is really something very special. My "everyday" is their 12 Yr Old Family Reserve. Unfortunately, none of these are easy to find on a regular basis in the Northeast.

I had the pleasure of meeting Julian and Preston Van Winkle during an event that our two companies did together in Lexington, KY. The following day they gave me a tour of the Buffalo Trace distillery. Part of their arrangement with Buffalo Trace is that Van Winkle gets the first pick of the barrels and they occupy the most desirable locations in the aging warehouse.