If you only had $30 to spend on a whisky, what type of whisky would you buy? I was having this conversation last night with my dad as we sat out back of my parents' house sipping on Elijah Craig Rye. The answer, hands down, has to be rye. Value meets quality most highly in this category. Think about it: you have Old Overholt, both the regular version, which isn't bad, and the bonded, which is better. You have Dickel Rye, which is pretty decent, Jim Beam Rye which is also decent, Rittenhouse, which I'm not terribly in love with but which a lot of people swear by, and you have Sazerac and Old Forester Rye, clocking in respectively at 27.88 and 28.99. Again, it's difficult for me, between those last two to tell you which I liked better. I think the only other style of whisky that even comes close in the under $30 bracket is bourbon, and I don't necessarily think those bourbons stack up quite as well against these ryes. And obviously, you're not finding any scotch, other than Speyburn 10 for this price. As for the Irish, well, there are good starter whiskies under $30, but I think most seasoned whiskey drinkers reach that point where, if you have only $30 to buy something, you're not reaching for Jameson or Tully. So this is my second rye in a row that I'm giving a four-star review. The last was Alberta Premium Cask Strength. Make no mistake, Alberta CS is superior to the Old Forester but list prices is also $40 more for the Alberta, which to my mind makes it so that I have no problem giving them the same score, because they're punching at different weights. This Old Forester Rye is better than a sub-$30 whisky has any right to be. The beauty of the nose here is a thick combination of vanilla, rye spice, mint and banana foster. The palate carries the spice forward adding a rich caramel flavor to the banana with just a hint of the mint, prominent on the nose, lingering as we transition to a nice peppery finish. I recently reviewed the Old Forester 86 bourbon and called it bland. I can't get the 100 Proof bourbon in my region though I spotted it down the shore and I'm regretting not picking it up and bringing it back home because at 100 Proof, OF does it right. Now what I have to do is pick up the higher end series, you know, the ones with years I can't be bothered to look up right now? I'd like to try all of them. The 1897 and the 1920 and...which one is the 115 proof, that's the one I really want to get. Only I think Wild Turkey Rare Breed Bourbon is next on my list of Wishlist bourbons. But here we're talking rye. We're talking Old Forester Rye and we're talking HIGH value for money. If you like rye, this is one you shouldn't sleep on. Because it disappeared for a while, I'm thinking this is one I might have to buy in bulk and keep this in stock year round.