I’m a beer geek and it is definitely my drink of choice, but of the hard liquors, bourbon is my faraway favorite. I don’t drink Scotch at all, not even the good stuff, and clear liquors are fine but uninteresting to me.

Almost every year at Christmas, my buddy Bill gives me a bottle of Blanton’s, an excellent single-barrel Kentucky bourbon that is just terrific for sipping. I have to admit, though, that I prefer a bourbon that is half the price — Elijah Craig.

In Virginia, Elijah often can be found for less than the price of Jack Daniel’s, even though it’s aged 12 years and is 90 proof (to Jack’s seven years and 80 proof). It can be hard to find elsewhere — technically, it is a “small batch” bourbon — but if you do find it and you like your whiskey neat, or perhaps with a splash of water, I think you’ll be surprised.

First, it’s really complex. You can taste and smell the vanilla edge in it right away, along with molasses and that little oak edge that a lot of good bourbons have. It just begs to be sipped by itself. It’s far more complex to me than Blanton’s, which is a model of smoothness — but Elijah has a green little raw burn on the end that Blanton’s never has (and that’s why Blanton’s costs so much money). Still, for under $20 for 750ml, it’s the best bargain in bourbon today.

By the way, the namesake of Elijah Craig bourbon was a Baptist minister. Read the story.