Here's How Much Of The World's Best Bourbon $77 Gets You

If there's one way to impress others, particularly in the beverage industry, it's always having highly rated spirits on hand, particularly whiskey. It's a competitive and increasing market, but connoisseurs know how and where to find the best whiskey in the world. According to The International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC), this year's best bourbon is from a brand called Frank August Small Batch. And luckily, you can get a whole, standard bottle of it for just $77. The spirit comes in a 750 ml bottle — not a bad price for a lauded bottle of whiskey!

If you thought the bottle would only be a few ounces, you're mistaken. Luckily for us, some of the best spirits you can buy come in at a reasonable price. There are a lot of great whiskeys at a good price. Reviewers noted that this Frank August Small Batch is an extremely balanced bourbon. With notes of dried apricot, honey, spice, vanilla, and apple tarts, a pour offers a smooth ride from start to finish. If you want to impress others or increase your whiskey knowledge, check out our own guide for judging good from bad whiskey.

Something I spent an inordinate amount of time discussing during my time in the wine industry was price. The costs have gone up quite a bit year over year, particularly in the whiskey market. When I was younger, a bottle of Buffalo Trace was about $20 or less in the Denver area. Now it's $30 or up to  $55 in major markets like New York City.

But there's one perception about wine and liquor that needs to be put to rest. Bottles of wine or whiskey worth several thousand dollars do not automatically make the best bottle of wine or liquor. Far from it, in fact. A lot of the most expensive wines in the world aren't really supposed to be consumed, they're an investment. For example, the entire point of buying a bottle of Domaine Romanee-Conti (DRC) is to store it and then sell it to collectors or other investors. DRC bottles can go for up to $5,000 depending on the vintage. After aging for 10 to 20 years, they're worth anywhere from $11,000 to $22,000 per bottle.

These are great bottles, of course. But you can find wine and whiskey that is frankly more complex and enjoyable for less than $80. It is a shame we're taught good means expensive, because people will be less likely to explore what they might actually enjoy.