I recently got into Bourbon collection. I really like the 1792 & Abraham Bowman brands. What is your favorite?
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I don't think the OP is buying in quantity, I suspect those Abraham Bowmans are all the single barrel and special editions I keep reading about? And the 1792's look like different editions, too.
Regrettably the Virginia Gentleman is the only product from A. Smith Bowman distillery that's available out here, and it seems more of a bottom shelf product I haven't tried yet. I would expect it's good for the money; they are owned by Sazerac, and Sazerac makes good whiskey. I recently visited their two Kentucky distilleries, Barton in Bardstown (where 1792 is made), and Buffalo Trace in Frankfort (where they make a whole slew of bourbons, including Blanton's, Eagle Rare, and Pappy Van Winkle). Best tours in the business; free and knowledgable.
If you live in Virginia near the Bowman distillery, go there and do a tour; it's probably great, too; seems to be the company philosophy. At other big distilleries (Beam, Maker's, Daniel's, Woodford, etc.), tours are okay, but they charge 10 or 15 bucks and sometimes you get the impression you're being led by summer college interns. At both Sazerac distilleries, the guides were retired guys with decades in the whiskey business.
Personally, I take more of a scattergun approach to my whiskey collecting. I tend to go for reasonably priced single-barrel bourbons and Tennessee whiskeys; the Elmer T. Lee SB is easily my favorite. My collection is also rather "active". Spirit levels in my bottles and therefore any resale value tends to drop quickly. As you can see from the photos, I don't have a fancy shelf for my collection; living alone, I can just keep the bottles handy on the kitchen counter
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To keep things varied, I also maintain a moderate arsenal of single malt scotch whiskies, with a peat bias. Add a couple of Irish and a Japanese whisky, and things never get boring.
