"My brother in law likes bourbon.  I am clueless as to what type of bourbon he likes, but I want to get him something he will drink and enjoy.  I read a review of Black Maple Hill 16 Year on some site called gayot.com that made me want to drink the BMH 16 Yr., so I decided to buy some.  Well, the 16 Yr. is hard to find.  In your piece from Jan. 2013, you describe the BMH Red Label as not that great but do say that the older BMHs are good.  Would the 16 Yr. fall into the latter category?  
Also, I tried some Willet’s ($40 a bottle) today at the liquor store and liked it. Do you have any thoughts on Willet’s or another good bourbon between $40 and $125?  Thank you.”

The BMH16 is basically extinct. Every taste I ever had from bottles has been great. I’m sure if CVI could get KBD to do a sizable dump and bottling it could return but I don’t see that (and been told ) it’s not happening. As for the Red Label it’s not bad but it’s reputation and price has expanded mostly on the coat tails of the former older glory bottling’s. I wouldn’t buy it for more than $40 for anything but the potentially misguided “coolness” factor.
I’ve heard rumblings that its remarkably similar to much less expensive Willett brands. As for Willett I’ve never had a private bottle I didn’t like. Very very variable as you can open two bottles the same age from completely different Mashbills and distilleries. If your referring to the Pot Still bottle that has a nice consistently good profile. Noah’s Mill is nice stuff for the money from Willett/KBD, at mostly cask strength and one or two good media stories from being big. Lastly, don’t discount Four Roses Small Batch. There are a few $30-ish that I really like and Four Roses now won’t be the same as Four Roses a year from now. Sales have been more than doubling and with the new Award of the 2013 SB from Whisky Advocate it’s going to push the “average” American Whisky consumer sleeping giant to a further realization that was only a matter of time, Four Roses is real good. The Bourbon starved will be buying even more Four Roses. Unlikely that Small Batch sees 2015 without being heavily allocated. Buy up now.