I second (third, fourth, whatever!) all the commendations of Weller's 7-year-old. For the price, you won't do better, and it's approachable for a newcomer to bourbons with its brown sugar/molasses motif. (It's a wheat -- not rye -- flavored whiskey, as is Maker's Mark, Old Rip Van Winkle standard, Old Fitzgerald.) Also, some references for the A.H. Hirsch aficianados (which includes me): The Hirsch Reserve bourbons (both 16- and 20-year-olds) are the remainders from the now-defunct Michter's Distillery in Shaefferstown, PA, which closed in 1988. Adolf Hirsch (a KY gent) purchased the barrels, which were distilled in 1974, and placed them in stainless steel (at two different times, thus the two ages of bourbon), essentially stopping the aging process. They've been released sporadically since (I have three bottles of the 16-year-old, with two different labels, though the info and the contents are the same). The whiskey stores are now under the aegis of Preiss Imports of California (see www. preissimports.com to discover your state's distributor). The last reference from Mr. Preiss I've seen indicated there is less than a year's supply of the 20-year-old left, with about quintuple that for the 16-year-old. After that, there ain't no mo'. I've purchased the 16-year-old from $50-$75 (per 4/5 quart, or .750L), and seen the 20-year-old at around $125. It'll only get dearer, I suspect. Michter's was the only post-Prohibition distillery to reopen using a copper pot still (like the Scots use). It was also small-batch, since it was a small still. (Labrot & Graham will market a pot-stilled bourbon this year, but the triple stills are 30-feet tall). If you know of an old-timey liquor store, go sort through the dusty bottles in the corner and just pray you happen across an original old, forgotten Michter's bottle (or, more likely, ceramic jug). Buy it at whatever cost. Smile.