Good liqours in the 30/bottle range?

[paulWTAMU]

I like alcohol. But damned if I'll spend 50+ bucks on a bottle.

I'm trying to find out good, mid shelf boozes for several types. Like, 25-35 bucks a bottle range?

Tequila

Rum

Bourbon

Whiskey

Gin

triple sec (used in a lot of mixed drinks I like, I'd like to find a good one that's better than the crap I'm using and cheaper than grand mariner)

Most of the time I drink I drink mixed drinks, but I like them with a fairly high alcohol content.

I pretty much stick with Stoli for vodka...since vodka is supposed to be a neutral spirit.

[Synchromesh]

Mixed drinks are for amateurs. Straight vodka ftw!

For whiskey I'd go for Maker's Mark at that price range. Or maybe Baker's which is only a few bucks more.

[ALiLPinkMonster]

I'm quite fond of Milagro tequila, but I think that's about $40/bottle. Worth it though. Very smooth.

[Flatland_Spider]

I mainly drink beer and wine now, but here a few staples I keep around or used to drink.

Tequila: Cuervo (I don't drink Tequila after a bad experience.)
Rum: Cruzan (It's hard to get regular Cruzan here in Tulsa, so I've pick up Bicardi when I need rum.)
Bourbon: Ezra Brooks (It's a nice bourbon. )
Gin: Bombay Sapphire, Tanqueray 10 (Sapphire for martinis, and Tanqueray 10 for mixing with orange juice.)
Vodka: Stoli, Smirnoff Vanilla Vodka. (Stoli is a good general vodka, and Smirnoff Vanilla only tastes like vanilla.)

[cynan]

Best $30 Rum I've had would probably be Barbancourt 5 star (8-year old) from Haiti. It is available in the Boston area, anyway, for just under $30. I think the 15-year old version is $45, but I've never tried it. The 4-year old is most common and can be had for $20-25, but I think the few dollars extra for the 8-year old is worth it if your drinking something were you can actually taste the rum.

[BobbinThreadbare]

I mainly drink beer and wine now, but here a few staples I keep around or used to drink.

Tequila: Cuervo (I don't drink Tequila after a bad experience.)
Rum: Cruzan (It's hard to get regular Cruzan here in Tulsa, so I've pick up Bicardi when I need rum.)
Bourbon: Ezra Brooks (It's a nice bourbon. )
Gin: Bombay Sapphire, Tanqueray 10 (Sapphire for martinis, and Tanqueray 10 for mixing with orange juice.)
Vodka: Stoli, Smirnoff Vanilla Vodka. (Stoli is a good general vodka, and Smirnoff Vanilla only tastes like vanilla.)

Bombay Sapphire is great

[paulWTAMU]

The tequila is going ot be mostly used for margarita's, and some sunrises. I'm OK with cuervo in sunrises, but margaritas...not as much.

The other clear stuff is for long islands and the like (mostly). I've only ever seen flavored Cruzan around here, not regualar

[UberGerbil]

Tequila: Cuervo (I don't drink Tequila after a bad experience.)

If your tequila of choice is Cuervo, I'm not surprised. Try Don Julio (the Blanco should be under the $40 threshold), though I'd only sip that straight, not in a mix; or if you can't find that, Cazadores.

[ludi]

Not usually a whiskey drinker and I do not like most American-style whiskeys and bourbons -- something about the charcoal filtration imparts a sharpness that completely turns against my taste. But once in a long while the mood strikes, and then it's either Glenfidich 12-year (which is expensive but worth it) or Jameson's Original (which is blended, but also more affordable).

[Turkina]

I know it wasn't on your original list, but might I recommend Svedka for vodka? Very clean and reasonably priced.
I'd also second (third?) Bombay Sapphire for gin.

[UberGerbil]

Not usually a whiskey drinker and I do not like most American-style whiskeys and bourbons -- something about the charcoal filtration imparts a sharpness that completely turns against my taste. But once in a long while the mood strikes, and then it's either Glenfidich 12-year (which is expensive but worth it) or Jameson's Original (which is blended, but also more affordable).

Huh, I've never noticed that -- but I prefer the peppery taste of Rye so perhaps it doesn't come across as a negative. Maybe you'd have better luck with something has enough barrel aging to remove that taste?

For Scotch, my choice is Talisker, from the Isle of Skye
The king o' drinks, as I conceive it,
Talisker, Islay or Glenlivit . . .
-- Robert Louis Stevenson

If you prefer more smokey peatyness in your Scotch, try to find Highland Park (from the Orkney Islands)

[Captain Ned]

If you prefer more smokey peatyness in your Scotch, try to find Highland Park (from the Orkney Islands)

I know I'm an outlier, but I go straight for the phenol and seaweed of Laphroig.

[FireGryphon]

My baseline bourbon is Knob Creek. To many it tastes like paint thinner, but I'm a big fan of its complex flavors.

[TheEmrys]

Tulamore Dew is the best whiskey for the money. Great Irish Whiskey. Usually ~$25.

I am not a big fan of American Whiskeys and Bourbons, but I prefer Maker's Mark.

Sailor Jerry is my favorite rum for cheap. The Captain Morgan Private Stock is pretty good, but only with coke/vanilla coke.

Johnny Walker Green is very good, but a bit outside the price range.

[Captain Ned]

For rum I'd go with Pusser's Navy Rum. Supposedly the recipe used in Royal Navy grog. Be that as it may, the claim of "single malt of rums" is true as it's so much more complex than the standard Bacardi designed to be used with mixers. Pusser's is something one drinks neat.

[no51]

Tequila: 1800 Reposado (say no to silver tequilas)
Gin: Bombay Sapphire
Rum: Sailor Jerry or Kraken
Whiskey: Been drinking some Beam Rye, it's alright. Seagrams 7 isn't bad either. I do like Jamesons.

[Flatland_Spider]

Tequila: Cuervo (I don't drink Tequila after a bad experience.)

If your tequila of choice is Cuervo, I'm not surprised. Try Don Julio (the Blanco should be under the $40 threshold), though I'd only sip that straight, not in a mix; or if you can't find that, Cazadores.

Funnily enough, I was drinking free booze when the tequila incident took place. I don't remember what was bought. I was already hungover from the night before, and there was just too much tequila. I was 23 at the time this happened, and I haven't really explored in the meantime.

I may try those. I should figure out how to make a good margarita.

I've only ever seen flavored Cruzan around here, not regular

That's odd because I used to buy it all the time when I lived in Ama, and I quit finding it when I moved up here.

Tulamore Dew is the best whiskey for the money.

I've tried Tulamore Dew on recommendation, and I can't say I was a fan. I did finally find a way to get rid of it.

[nerdrage]

White rum: Bacardi tastes as though you're drinking rubbing alcohol. Nasty stuff. Get some Cruzan, it's in a totally different league.
Spiced rum: Captain Morgan Private Stock
Dark rum: Gosling's Black Seal
Gin: I prefer Tanqueray (regular) in my gin and tonics
Vodka: Ketel One, Stoli, Russian Standard, Tito's

[apertur3]

White rum: Bacardi tastes as though you're drinking rubbing alcohol. Nasty stuff. Get some Cruzan, it's in a totally different league.
Spiced rum: Captain Morgan Private Stock
Dark rum: Gosling's Black Seal
Gin: I prefer Tanqueray (regular) in my gin and tonics
Vodka: Ketel One, Stoli, Russian Standard, Tito's

+1 on the Ketel One recommendation. I can't stand Smirnoff, but surprisingly enough, if you have a Costco membership, their Kirkland vodka is not half bad. I've heard rumors that it's made by the Grey Goose folks...

[BobbinThreadbare]

The tequila is going ot be mostly used for margarita's, and some sunrises. I'm OK with cuervo in sunrises, but margaritas...not as much.

The other clear stuff is for long islands and the like (mostly). I've only ever seen flavored Cruzan around here, not regualar

If you're going to dilute it a lot with other things you can go really cheap on gin and get away with it

[UberGerbil]

If you prefer more smokey peatyness in your Scotch, try to find Highland Park (from the Orkney Islands)

I know I'm an outlier, but I go straight for the phenol and seaweed of Laphroig.

My mother (the big Scotch drinker in the family) is the peat lover; i'm actually closer to your camp -- I'd rather not have my Scotch taste like I stuck my head in a crofter's hut. (I'm always reminded of PJ O'Rourke's observation "God gave peat to the Celts because He knew they were the only people who would get so drunk they'd try to burn mud") But I think Talisker strikes the best balance for my tastes.

[bthylafh]

If you prefer more smokey peatyness in your Scotch, try to find Highland Park (from the Orkney Islands)

I know I'm an outlier, but I go straight for the phenol and seaweed of Laphroig.

Likewise. Depending on local taxes, it's possible to get Laphroaig 10 for $40ish.

[UberGerbil]

When it comes to rum, I've been a little spoiled by drinking the better Cuban products which you obviously can't get in the US (though you can enjoy some of them in Canada or Mexico as long as you don't bring them back) but I was recently introduced to the Plantation line which seem to be generally excellent and reasonably priced (and easy to pick out on a shelf thanks to the twine netting on the bottle).

Funnily enough, I was drinking free booze when the tequila incident took place. I don't remember what was bought. I was already hungover from the night before, and there was just too much tequila. I was 23 at the time this happened, and I haven't really explored in the meantime.

I think just about everybody has a teens or early-20s-tequila story like that, which is too bad. (Mine was sharing a bag of limes and a bottle with a friend one night, at the end of which I was both entirely lucid and completely unable to stand, as close to an out-of-body experience as I've come). But then I had the good fortune of spending a New Year's Eve at a restaurant in Cozumel at the end of which the owner offered free tastings of his extensive tequila collection, so I was able to work my way through all the better sipping tequilas and determine I liked Don Julio the best (the Reposado and Añejo are worthy steps up but get into some serious bucks). While a well-made margarita (something that doesn't resemble an alcoholic slurpee) is a respectable drink, I prefer the simplicity of a tequila greyhound, especially on a warm evening (if the juice from your grapefruit is particularly bitter, rim the glass with a mix of sugar and salt).

Tequila: 1800 Reposado (say no to silver tequilas)

Yes, but be careful: "gold" is meaningless, and "gold tequilas" are often just silver + food coloring. The genuine Reposado and Añejo tequilas have to be barrel-aged for specific amounts of time, and gain more complexity (and lose a little "greeness") as a result. Of course now that tequila has gained a foothold as a genuine sipping drink rather than just an Animal House party chug, we can move on to Mezcal. There's a Oaxacan restaurant here that stocks every available Mezcal in its bar so I'm trying to learn a little more about it. But we're also in the midst of an explosion of micro-distilleries, so between all the new ultra-local gins, vodkas, and absinthes, I have to go easy on my liver.

I can't stand Smirnoff, but surprisingly enough, if you have a Costco membership, their Kirkland vodka is not half bad. I've heard rumors that it's made by the Grey Goose folks...

Funny, I almost mentioned this earlier. I've heard the same thing. What's interesting about vodka is that the mega-brands are designed to be almost tasteless, because they produce so much they can't rely on a single grain stock and so they have to make sure any of the underlying character is removed lest the product change its taste over the course of a year's production. The smaller makers can stick to a single source (potato, wheat, or whatever) and allow more of that flavor to come through.

[Jambe]

Right at the top of your price range, but Pampero's Ron Añejo Aniversario is good stuff. Not particularly complex but just a solid, sippable, chocolately, oaked up dark rum.

I like Michter's Small Batch stuff, especially their Straight Rye. If you like their young one you'll enjoy the 10yr even better. You might also look into Koval Distillery's stuff if you can get it — their Rye Chicago and Levant Spelt are interesting.

[thegleek]

I like alcohol. But damned if I'll spend 50+ bucks on a bottle.

As long as I'm happily employed, I generally don't buy anything less than $50 these days...

I'm trying to find out good, mid shelf boozes for several types. Like, 25-35 bucks a bottle range? Tequila / Rum / Bourbon / Whiskey / Gin

Mount Gay Rum: Eclipse $20 Best. Rum. Ever.

Ypióca Cachaça: Crystal $20

Hendrick's Gin $40

Tanqueray Rangpur $25

triple sec (used in a lot of mixed drinks I like, I'd like to find a good one that's better than the crap I'm using and cheaper than grand mariner)

Patrón Citrónge $25

If you prefer more smokey peatyness in your Scotch, try to find Highland Park (from the Orkney Islands)

While I move the furthest away from anything peaty in it, I opted for the awesomeness that is Highland Park 18-year-old (red stripe) [Desc: This is a touch sweeter than the 12-year-old, with notes of heather, toffee, and polished leather. The flavor of peat smoke comes through stronger on the finish than on the palate.] $80

Save up another $40 for some awesome Jameson 18-year-old $90

Other scotch whisky/whiskies under $50.01:

The Balvenie: Doublewood 12-year-old $45

Auchentoshan Three Wood $50

[SPOOFE]

Tito's Vodka is probably the best widely available vodka for the money, IMO.

[Welch]

I second the Bombay Sapphire for Gin recommendation. If you really want to cut some corners, Amsterdam is decent and about 1/2 the cost. But if your looking for really high quality Gin, Bombay Sapphire for sure.

As for Whiskey, Jack Daniels, really is damn good. But if you want to spend a little more (right under $30) or so... Gentlemen Jacks, its sooooooo much better than the normal Jack. Very very smooth, its a straight shot smoothness that normal Jack just doesn't live up to.

Don't drink Vodka anymore, but when I do..... (bad pun). Anyhow, Greygoose is damn good vodka, and can be had for less than $30 I believe...

Tequila - Patron, although its close or above that $30 mark (Silver). I don't really buy it because its expensive and a waste to mix. I'm not big into Tequila shots, so it would be a waste on me. Then again I've never tried the darker Patrons to see what sort of flavor they have.

One thing I've gotten more into are the liqours and mixing them over rocks.

Frangelico, Creme De Cocoa, Malibu or Bacardi Coconut rum with a splash of Half/Half. I stole this recipe from a restaurant up in Girwood called the Double Musky. They call it the "Double Musky Delight". Do it up in a small rocker glass on the rocks. Damnit... I think I'm making these tonight now!

[continuum]

Tequila: Cazadores Reposado, Don Julio Blanco, Herradura Reposado. Patron Silver if you can find it on sale ($35ish/bottle), don't pay full price for it (for $40/bottle full price I can think of other tequilas...).

Whiskey: Jameson is okay.

I prefer a nice scotch, although not too many for below $30/bottle (Glenfiddich 12 is okay, Glenlivet 12 is also okay), above $30/bottle into $30-40 is easier... (Aberlour 12, Glenlivet 15, Highland Park 12). And yeah, you can spend a lot more...

However that's all personal preference, some like some flavors, some like different ones, some hate the ones I like, others enjoy them...

Honestly one of the best deals I've found is one of the supermarket chains around here tends to sell Johnny Walker Black gift sets (so you get 2 scotch glasses with it) for $24. $24! Can't complain sometimes. Vodka, Grey Goose is usually where I end up, mostly because people seem to not like my usual Stolichnaya (too many snobs where I live ) and Chopin is waaay too damned expensive (again, dealing with snobs here..... ugh).

[paulWTAMU]

Patron around here is 50 bucks a bottle or more Even all the Don Julio's I found today were 45+.

How's Maker's Mark for a bourbon?

[Flatland_Spider]

Maker's Mark is good. I go to it when the occasion calls for something nicer then Ezra.