How can I tell a good bourbon?

I live in the south and I figure its time I opened up my horizons a little and tasted some bourbon. Any recommendations on a great smooth, sweet and kind whiskey? Do they have "single-malt" bourbon?

expensive (roughly $70) but it`s worth it, I`ve never tasted better... feroce

and it was something of a revelation. After never having tasted "good" bourbons in my sheltered life-- just the stuff you get in bars, etc., i.e . Jim Beam, and Jack Daniels (although I strictly speaking Jack isn`t bourbon), the Hirsch was fantastic. It actually tasted good, something I didn`t realize bourbon was capable of doing. I mean... it was REALLY good.
Pricey though, but life is short (especially if you frequent this forum!).

http://www.straightbourbon.com.cob-web.org:8888/ Ask your question there if you`ve got time for a *lot* of answers.
I`d consider Maker`s Mark to be a good starter; delicious, not too heavy, but with much of what makes a good bourbon good. Eagle Rare in the basic bottling is an incredible steal, rich and delicious and cheap; it`s also great in some of the deluxe bottlings.
Try the Evan Williams single barrel offerings, or almost anything from Old Charter. Ditto the Old Rip Van Winkle line; the 15 y.o. is right up there next to heaven.
Also impossible to go wrong with Wild Turkey, if you avoid the 80 proof. Any of their top-end stuff is sublime, and the Russell`s Reserve is a bargain.
Lots of possibilities and, generally, if you avoid the really cheap stuff, it`s difficult to buy bad bourbon. I`d definitely steer you away from the low-end Jim Beam whiskey, but the top of the line stuff is excellent.

Of course there`s no such thing as a "single malt" bourbon because bourbon is made mostly from corn mash (can be as high as 80%, the rest rye and malted barley - "malt." That said, Bookers is one fine bourbon, and it`s a single-barrel cask-strength, which makes it unique in the world of bourbons the way single-malts stand apart from blended or vatted malts. I love Bookers.

Hard to tell. I keep about 5 bourbons in the bar. Most run between $25 & $70. I generally use Jim Beam for either mixed drinks or for marinating meats. (A mixture of bourbon, red wine, a little bar-b-que sauce, garlic, basil & oregano). Love beef roasts or steaks marinated this way are wonderful. Mark Zimmerman * Chicago
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14 ;and tasted some bou
1f80 rbon. Any recommendations on a great smooth, sweet and
Makers Mark is good as is Wild Turkey. Kessler also is good. from Louisville or close by like Shelby? Anyhow the distillery is on that road on the west side of Louisville, I believe.
My preference for Whiskey, Bourbon and Whisky is naked. ( just a glass, no rocks) Beam is OK but my preferences are more to Tennessee, George Dickel, Jack Daniels and several other fine fellows. Never looked to see where J.W.Dant came from but it is also a good sippin` whiskey. bour?bon (b?r?b?n) n. A whiskey distilled from a fermented mash containing not less than 51 percent corn in addition to malt and rye. [After Bourbon County in northeast Kentucky.]
Price? - I did work for Calvert and Jos. E Seagrams & Sons. Way back when and where the tax was low a good brand sold for $4 to $7 a fifth. Benchmark was introduced with a big ad campaign - even the new "scratch & sniff" magazine ads and Full Page inside back cover Playboy ad. No better and no more expensive to produce that Seagrams 7 or Calvert Reserve but priced at $13/fifth.
Drambuie? - worth the price - no doubt about that. Whisky: Usher`s Green Stripe is as good as they come. Famous Grouse is surprisingly good. I do like Haig&Haig, though.