John Gaughan wrote:

> First of all, cheap alcohol, for the most part, is cheap because it
> sucks. Some things such as Captain Morgan are cheap and good (not the
> best but good), but those are rare. You get what you pay for.

I tend to agree, but that is not a hard and fast rule. First of all, alcohol
is taxed at a pretty steep rate in most places, so most of the sticker price
on a bottle of booze is taxes. Then there is the cost of marketing. Bacardi
is one of the top selling rums. My wife and a good friend of hers both like
white rum, but not Bacardi. In fact, my wife would rather not have rum if
Bacardi is all there is. Place of production is also a factor.

Wine from some countries is generally much cheaper than others, and there is
a remarkable savings in buying them, especially in the low end varieties. I
regularly buy a cheap Hungarian white wine. At $6.25 a bottle it is a
steal. It's a lot cheaper than the low end local wines and most of the
other low end European wines. It's really not bad stuff.

Advertising is a major factor in beer sales. I usually by Danish beers
rather than the domestic stuff. They are competitively priced and excellent
quality. At least, they please my palate.