The Elijah Craig is soo hyped, that I put it in the Budweiser realm. Sure it has good reviews, but there's no fucking way you're telling me that "18-year-old" oak barreled Bourbon tastes like Murdy's giant pelvis cleft? Dry and crumbly? Like an overripe chunk of Bleu Cheese.
I suggest a Bourbon called Blanton's. It has a smooth body, with undertones of vanilla, caramel, and a small finish. It's Jon Wick's favorite drink. Also, I always take some shit for this but, I think using a glass Tumbler with a bunch of ice is the way to go. Let the ice melt a bit so it can dilute the drink, that way the cold brings out the earthy richness, without the bite. Adding some water to a room temperature drink never made much sense to me. Also, putting a spritz of soda water into a $30 drink is also pretty retarded. Maybe you've had Blanton's then great, if you haven't, you should at least try it.
Beefeater Gin? How old are you people? Gin tastes like what I think Wash State would taste like if they made a spirit from the Evergreen State. I just avoid gin.
Then there's the Jack Daniel's. I mean why even post that? JD is the epitome of what's wrong with big business brewery/distillation/etc. Jack tastes like garbage in my opinion. Who drinks corn mash? It sounds like a byproduct left over from another distilling process. It tastes like shitty grade jet fuel. Mixing it with a heavy flavored mixer is the way to go, but that antiseptic aftertaste just turns me the fuck off.
And lastly there's your obligatory bottle of Crown. What is it with the blended whisky crowd? I put Crown down there with Canadian Mist and what is that...Black Velvet? Both blended whiskies if my mind serves me correct.
Anyways, I've seen worse. You like what you like. At least you have liquor you can spare, unlike most of the bottom feeders around here.
