10 Great Affordable Bourbons (or Ryes) to Buy When You Can't Find Pappy Van Winkle

Every year, I ask Santa for a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle bourbon from Kentucky, and every year he comes up empty-handed. If the man in red can’t get it, who can? The answer: very few. Pappy, as it’s called by its legions of fans, is easily the most sought-after bourbon on the planet—and probably on Mars, too. But as good as it is, it’s not without stiff competition. Here are 10 other cult bourbons and ryes you actually have a chance of gifting (and drinking) this holiday season. Consider them the Chosen Few, the disciples of Pappy. Granted, as with all high-end whiskeys, scarcity abounds; demand for the good stuff is always high, so you might have to do some searching. But these are bottles that, unlike Pappy, you have a fighting chance of laying your hands on before the holidays.