Hello all!
This is my first post and I'm fairly new to the world of bourban. When I was younger I would drink anything without preference but now I'm really trying to narrow in on what I actually like. So over the past couple months I've scoured reviews and bought a few bottles here and there. I had old welled special reserve which I liked a good deal, nothing mind blowing but was decent to sip. I had larceny which was quite good, maybe not exactly what I was looking for but great for the money. I had Evan Williams black which was fine considering it was $10 but it was fairly bland compared to the others. And then I landed on Elijah Craig 12 year. As a disclaimer I've had a couple expensive pours of scotch and Irish whiskey in my day but I really had no idea what I was drinking and really didn't care, but when I tasted Elijah Craig it seemed like exactly what I was looking for in a bourban this whole time. Whatever was missing in everything else I've tried, this one had it. Nice toffee, caramel up front, hair of spice and a smokey finish, in my opinion THIS is what I want to be experiencing at the end of the day. But alas, even though this is a moderately priced bottle I can't afford to drink it all the time.
So I wanted to hear what a good alternative would be that would be close to that flavour but maybe get me a little more in the $20 ball park
thanks in advance!