Famous Grouse is in a zone where I find it nice enough to sip yet not so dear (flavor/complexity as well as price) as to be wasted when I want a "casual" drink.
There are others, like Old Forester 100 proof rye or Rittenhouse Bottled in Bond rye, which are relatively inexpensive but are simply too good to enjoy any way other than neat.
Ancient Age is a victim of the hot bourbon market. In the past before bourbon became trendy (and a lot of people with more money than sense got into the market) the Ancient Age brand had several higher end expressions which really did deserve to be called sipping whiskey. Now any barrels of the AA mashbill that are shaping up especially well during the aging process are set aside to be put into Blanton's bottles which draw a lot more money.
Old Charter has suffered similarly. The basic Old Charter used to be an eight year old and was a fine whisky for sipping. Now it's "Old No.8 Brand" though it still qualifies as a
straight bourbon whiskey which means only it is at least two years old. There used to be several Old Charter variations which were excellent sipping whiskey.
I admit I'm chafed by the Johnny come lately buyers that have ruined the market for OG sippers like myself.
