Brown-Forman is coming out with its first new bourbon label in a long time, called “Cooper’s Craft.” It’s lower proof and like $30 a bottle, which they call a good “entry level” bourbon. 

Which is a polite way of saying “bourbon for lightweights who don’t realize you can get twice as much liquid for less than that price with probably no real falloff.”

Look, I’m sure it’s fine, but if you drink more than one glass of whiskey every eon, do yourselves a favor: keep one nice bottle of bourbon on hand for when guests come over or when you’re feeling fancy. When it’s just you, have a big giant jug of Evan Williams black label or Old Crow in a cabinet. If it makes you feel better, do what I do and put it in a decanter so you’re not reminded that you’re drinking jug whiskey. And to be honest: if you pour your guests a glass of your cheap stuff out of the decanter, they aren’t likely to know the difference either. They’ll feel all fancy too. 

Thing is, the Evan Williams or Old Crow or whatever – as long as it’s actually Straight Bourbon Whiskey – tastes close enough to the good stuff that only pretty sophisticated palates, which most of us do not have when it comes to whiskey, can tell the difference. Either way, I guarantee you that your bourbon-drinking life will not suffer at all and your pocketbook will be much happier.