I'm in the UK and there's definitely better cider if you're willing to pay £5+ for a single bottle but there used to be a really cheap South African cider that was way better than the big UK brands. IDK what happened but you only seem to be able to get it online at a way higher cost now.
More expensive bourbon tends to be more interesting but not necessarily more pleasant to drink. In my case it quickly becomes too fancy for my taste buds around 2-3x the price of the cheapest one.
Whiskey is a bit more complicated.