Bourbon hunting in Georgia

[emr454]

I'm going to be traveling to Georgia late July, as noted in a recent thread of mine. I'll be visiting family in Macon, but it appears there isn't much love for Macon (I don't blame anyone, it's quite a shady looking place ). Here is more detail:

I'll be flying into Atlanta, then driving into Gray, just outside Macon. I'd like to know if anyone has any suggestions for liquor stores or bottle shops in the area to visit. I'd say anything within an hour of Atlanta would be an easy trip. I'll only be there for 4 or 5 days, so I can't visit many places (I do have to visit my family while I'm there )

Any suggestions? I'd love to find something like Old Heaven Hill, Old Fitz, any dusties, etc that I can't find here in NY. Thanks in advance!

Eric

[BigRich]

I don't know. Between Jack, Joe, and Jimmy I'm not sure there's much bourbon left in Atlanta. At least that's the impression I got after our Georgia Bourbon Society Meeting last Friday.

[emr454]

I don't know. Between Jack, Joe, and Jimmy I'm not sure there's much bourbon left in Atlanta. At least that's the impression I got after our Georgia Bourbon Society Meeting last Friday.

Well, I don't expect anyone to give up their favorite dusty goldmines

Are there any stores that have a wide selection of current offerings? I'll just be happy if I can get my favorite bourbons at a lower price than in NY. I'm assuming (possibly incorrectly), that whiskey will be less expensive in the south than it is in the north?

Eric

[tsangster]

I was stationed in Warner Robins (about 15 miles south of Macon) from 1982-1990. I haven't been back since I left so I can't be of help with liquor store locations or selections. If you have family members with military connections you could try the Class VI on RAFB.

If I recall correctly the area of Macon near / around Riverside Drive was not quite as shady as other areas.

[jcg9779]

I don't know. Between Jack, Joe, and Jimmy I'm not sure there's much bourbon left in Atlanta. At least that's the impression I got after our Georgia Bourbon Society Meeting last Friday.

Don't lump me in with Joe and Jimmy...I'm still just getting into bourbon! They've been doing this stuff for years now!

Well, I don't expect anyone to give up their favorite dusty goldmines

Are there any stores that have a wide selection of current offerings? I'll just be happy if I can get my favorite bourbons at a lower price than in NY. I'm assuming (possibly incorrectly), that whiskey will be less expensive in the south than it is in the north?

Eric

Eric,

I do think the prices are better down here, but not as much as you'd think. I think that Atlanta is pretty much on par with the rest of the country, with the exception of some items (some are more expensive, some are less). A couple of places around downtown Atlanta that have a pretty good selection are Tower Liquor (on Piedmont Rd. - www.towerwinespirits.com) and Green's Beverage Store (on Ponce de Leon - www.greensbeverages.com). I know that Tower has some PHC 2010 on the shelf at $80...this seems to be the going price, not sure what they are in NY. As I mentioned, these are around downtown and therefore north of the airport - Tower is just north of downtown and Green's is east of downtown. I'm not sure what you'll find going south. I hope this helps some....sorry I can't give more info.

[mrviognier]

I'm assuming (possibly incorrectly), that whiskey will be less expensive in the south than it is in the north?

I'm afraid that would be an incorrect assumption. Most (if not all) suppliers have national pricing. There are occasionally deals offered to the distributor and/or the retailer, or retailers who work on lower margins than their competitors. But, for the most part there are no regional advantages to pricing.

[BigRich]

I'm afraid that would be an incorrect assumption. Most (if not all) suppliers have national pricing. There are occasionally deals offered to the distributor and/or the retailer, or retailers who work on lower margins than their competitors. But, for the most part there are no regional advantages to pricing.

Sort of true but in certain areas (NYC comes to mind) there is a good bit of up pricing from retailers as well as higher taxes. We tend to have relatively low taxes for a "major" city down here. An example would be Redbreast 12. Typically around $55 to $60 a bottle in New York but around $48 down here.

[mrviognier]

Typically the suppliers will adjust their pricing to the wholesaler if the state in question has an hefty tax rate. Alternatively, here in MN where every wholesaler has the ability to sell every distillate (resulting in some of the lowest profit margins on spirits in the U.S.), the supplier will typically raise the FOB (case price) charged to wholesalers. The whole issue is to ensure parity across the country.

By far the biggest contributor to price differences between states is what the retailers charge. While most work on a 25%-30% mark-up on spirits, some work on less, some on more. Having owned stores in Georgia and worked with stores in NYC, I can tell you the difference you're seeing is the margin charged by the retailer.

[emr454]

One thing I'd really like to find is Mellow Corn BIB. Sounds very interesting! Can this be found anywhere in GA?

Eric

[BigRich]

Typically the suppliers will adjust their pricing to the wholesaler if the state in question has an hefty tax rate. Alternatively, here in MN where every wholesaler has the ability to sell every distillate (resulting in some of the lowest profit margins on spirits in the U.S.), the supplier will typically raise the FOB (case price) charged to wholesalers. The whole issue is to ensure parity across the country.

By far the biggest contributor to price differences between states is what the retailers charge. While most work on a 25%-30% mark-up on spirits, some work on less, some on more. Having owned stores in Georgia and worked with stores in NYC, I can tell you the difference you're seeing is the margin charged by the retailer.

I wholeheartedly agree that it's the retailers. My point was just that there are price differences to be found.