[asshole pedant mode] No, you’re not. A proper Manhattan is made with rye. What you make is maybe a Queens. [/asshole pedant]
Now on to other matters:
Larceny is actually kinda nice.
The wife is currently working her way through a bottle of Beam Black. She likes it very much. She also gives props to Beam Devil’s Cut.
A new-ish expression from Wild Turkey is Forgiven, which is a rye/bourbon blend. We like it a lot. A Forgiven “Manhattan” would at least get you into the Midtown Tunnel.
Same here, I have pedestrian taste. I like Dominos pizza, Burger King, Coors light and Crown Royal. (Not all at once):smack:
Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope. Still taste like rotten ouzo, mixed with wood alcohol, and now, sugar.
I have tried mixing it with things before, with no luck. It’s just nasty.
The Bulleit bourbon on the shelves today was made by Four Roses so I would just skip it and get the actual Four Roses bourbon and ditch all the bogus marketing from Bulleit.
Picked up a bottle of BSB bourbonat the distillery a few months ago. It’s a very nice change from most other bourbons. If you are ever in the Gig Harbor, Washington area, I highly recommend a visit to the distillery.
Not as necessarily better than the amazing raft of suggestions already offered but – because at this high level it’s more about variety than a vertical hierarchy of excellence – here’s one you should take a taste of: eastern Long Island’s Pine Barrens whiskey.
Pine Barrens is tasty stuff, indeed. Hudson makes a good spirit as well.
I’m currently drinking Balcones Baby Blue. It’s a bit corny for my usually stride but it’s an enjoyable change.
If you don’t like licorice/anise, that’s fine. There’s also some terrible, terrible absinthe out there (I’m thinking of many Czech ones, especially Hill’s. Not all of them, but buyer beware.)
I came in to suggest Larceny, too.
Any bourbon discussion is not complete without the completely awesome bourbon family tree:
I’m working my way through the families. 
That’s a pretty handy guide. Thanks!
I don’t think Eagle Rare has been mentioned yet. It’s a good one.
KC is far and away one of my favorites. Yum. The other… maybe only a little judging on this end
Missed the edit window. Damn, those five minutes go by fast.
I was just going to say, I’ve tried the Maple but it’s too sweet for my tastes. YMDV, of course.
It’s a little hard to get a hold of but I’ve been enjoying the West of Kentucky Bourbon No. 2.
That being said Knob Creek is by far my favorite commonly available whiskey.
I quite like the Jim Beam Bottled in Bond. It is $22 here and a very good value.
A relative of mine recommended the Evan Williams white label but I haven’t been able to find it around here.
Blanton’s, if you can find it.
Few makes an unusual bourbon, its got a little herbal flavor to it. I like it, my husband isn’t as fond of it. (I really like their gin, which is more herbal than pine tree).
Seconded. Not only is it everything a Bourbon should be, Booker Noe himself was quite a character.
I loved his product guarantee:
“If you are unsatisfied with Bookers Bourbon, return the unused portion and I’ll drink it”.
2nd place Jim Beam white. For the money it’s about as well rounded as you’re going to get.
Everything else is also ran and seeing I can get Beam everywhere I see no reason to have anything else. I’ve literally tried dozens of Bourbons and see little point to them. I might try something I’ve never had before, but that’s it. Ezra Brooks is horrible and the name is fictitious.
I’ve had Pappy Van Winkle and Old Rip Van Winkle. Cost $35 an ounce at the Jazz Estate in Milwaukee. Both are way over rated.
Ah, absinthe. That was a fun recon about a decade ago, when it was relegalized in the U.S. Or whatever the deal was. I’ve got half a dozen or so fancy spatulas for louching the sugar. These days I put them on the cheese plate at parties.
For a cheapish but delicious buzz, I can’t recommend Johnnie Walker Swing highly enough. It’s more smooth than the usual Scotch, but not as saccharine as a good brandy, while having a bit of that depth. I’m more or less on the wagon these days, but if I get a yen, it’s for JW Swing. Very nice on the rocks with a lemon twist.
The flavor profile is made to be diluted and very different from it’s high proof form it needs to be stored at. Dissolved solids come out of solution into suspension and release aromatics. That changes everything and released the ‘green fairy’, it can be a wonderfully intriguing drink.
Depends on OP’s price range but:
I don’t know if I’m unsophisticated and it’s kind of an easy drink, but Buffalo Trace is always nice. Plus they’re one of the biggest distilleries that is still pretty independent (via Sazerac). Eagle Rare is nice from what I remember, a bit more $$$. Four Roses also decent.
I buy and enjoy Bulleit (because $23 or so for 1.75L at Costco, both bourbon and rye), but won’t pretend that it’s anything other than an MGP product designed to part hipsters with money.
Evan Williams if you’re cheap, but not desperate for a plastic bottle.
Lots of people don’t like the taste; these people are called Americans. Do you like licorice? I don’t mind it but I’m in the minority here. I’ve only had absinthe once but it was no worse than other anise liquors.