I paid $50 for a bottle of Blanton’s about five years ago. (Holiday gift for a very good friend.) I sure hope that was quality bourbon.
Blanton’s is akin to a single malt. It’s supposedly exquisite, but I’ve never had it.
Blanton’s is excellent.
IMO, the best bourbon, and one of the cheapest, is Old Weller Antique. But you can’t go wrong with Maker’s Mark. It’s the wheat that makes it so smooth. 
Christ, where do you live where you drink rye whiskey? I find it nigh impossible to find the stuff 'round these parts. (Unless you’re talking Canadian rye. Can’t stand the stuff.) I have to drive halfway across the city to find Old Overholt.
By my reckoning, all whiskey is good (except I have yet to find a Canadian whiskey I like. I’m open to suggestions.) Scotch, Irish, rye, bourbon…it’s yummy yummy stuff. As for bourbon, I like Knob Creek (had some last night, in fact), Woodford Reserve, and Maker’s Mark. Although for day-to-day drinking, I’m quite partial to Old Overholt rye. At $12/bottle where I buy it, it’s the best whiskey bargain out there.
My girlfriend likes Southern Comfort and orange soda, or Southern Comfort and lemonade. Tastes like cough syrup. Ugh.