I agree that AE isn't worth the money, but it still isn't disgusting by any means. Larceny, Woodford DO, Russell's, Four Roses, plenty of other good options. Local distilleries tend to have some real gems in the same price range, too! They're just not "rare" or from a "rare" distillery.
You do you, but in my opinion, BT products aren't that great, and the way I've seen people become obsessed with Weller, Blanton's, Eagle and Taylor is scary, almost cult-like.