I had the exact same experience with 17-year-old cheddar. I was comparing 17 and 6 year cheddar from the same dairy and loved the 6-year; the 17-year was good but not worth the price. I still have a 1/4-pound package of it in the fridge. Maybe it’ll be better when it’s 18-year cheddar. 
I think it maxes out at about 7 years. I don’t love cheddar when it gets really crystallized, so YMMV. Forgotten Valley makes a good 5 y.o. and I think a 7 y.o. that I buy at the Capitol farmers’ marked in Madison every summer. I wish I could go right now!
Thanks to all of you for the suggestions (except the guy with the walmart provolone, though I love a good aged provolone). Now I know what to buy next time!
Tried Red Leister this week. I have to say that it reminds me of cheddar in some ways but sliced thin on a toasted, buttered bagel with a dash of HP sauce it’s freakin’ brilliant!
Jarlsberg is my staple cheese. When I can find it, Chechil (Armenian string cheese) is amazing.
My current snacking favorite is Tillamook extra-sharp white cheddar. (Oddly, the spell checker keeps insisting that I replace “Tillamook” with “Amontillado” which isn’t what I want to say). Cabot is pretty good too. There used to be an outstanding white cheddar made by Cache Valley in Utah, but the company has changed hands and doesn’t make it any more.
And on the opposite end of the sharp - mild scale, I really enjoy a good Queso Fresco.
Lots and lots of cheeses!
I almost always have Old Quebec cheddar around - aged three years, sharp taste and a nice smooth finish, some crystal. I’ve seen the Red Dragon too, I think; mustard seed and ale?
For Brie there’s Belletoile, St. Andre, or St. Angel, or pretty much any triple-cream. Talleggio is good too.
Then there’s aged Gouda - Old Amsterdam or Mona Lisa, or a few more. I’ll have to get some Ewephoria again too, and I’m sure I had a goat gouda as well that I’ll keep an eye out for.
For goat cheese in general, my favorite would probably be Bucherolle, strong-flavored, with a firm interior, ripened soft from the outside, and a bloomy rind.
And of course there are many more.
A couple new favorites:
Sartori Reserve BellaVitano Black Pepper, a cow’s milk cheese coated in black pepper. Kind of cheddary, nutty, peppery.
And Truffle Tremor, a goat cheese with bits of black truffle. Outstanding.
Been enjoying Kirkland imported French Brie. Very creamy!
These folks make some excellent cheeses…
Not affiliated. But in a previous life, I lived close to them.
Yes, yes and yes!