Real Deal or promotional gimmick

[troyce]

great shirt and great tube

[TBoner]

I don't care for the promotional tactic, though I'm sure it's brilliant on some level. However, I'm ceaselessly amused by the claim that KC is overpriced. I know it goes for $30 and up in many markets, so perhaps part of this is just dependent on where you live. Here, I find it for $23-$27 quite regularly. This is a nine-year-old, 100-proof bourbon with a distinct taste profile, more refined and less yeasty than other Beam whiskeys. Consider the other distilleries for a moment.

- Brown-Forman has no whiskeys in regular release with any age statement, and their NAS Old Forester Signature bottling has been pushed up in price to be roughly equal to KC everywhere I shop.

- BT has discontinued half of its age-stated whiskeys and has shortages of most of their bourbons 10 years old and up. Old Charter 10, at only 86 proof, had its price increased to about $20 in this market a couple of years ago. Weller 12 went up to $23 at the same time, and is now in short supply. Other than that, excepting stuff only available in KY, they don't sell anything with KC's proof and age for less money.

- 4 Roses has no age-stated products, and both the Small Batch and the Single Barrel are pricier than Knob Creek.

- Barton - before and after being bought by BT - has no whiskey with the proof and age of KC, and anything even close is in very limited distribution, primarily in KY.

- Wild Turkey has no domestic products with age statements over 90 proof, and hasn't for some time. Their excellent 101-proof bourbons don't approach KC's age, and the age-stated Russell's Reserve at 90 proof is approaching KC in price here (exceeding it, actually, at all but a couple of stores).

- HH has the 10-year-old bonded McKenna and the 12-year-old Elijah Craig, which are priced a couple of dollars more and less than KC here, respectively. They have an 86 proof single-barrel that's a few months older than KC. They have nothing else approaching 9 years/100 proof available outside of KY.

In other words, KC is probably priced about where it should be, perhaps even underpriced in the current market. I think Beam makes an easy target, and indeed deserves some criticism for failure of imagination in the two decades since they bought ND and created the Small Batch collection. I'm not trying to defend Beam on the whole, but Knob Creek is good bourbon at a fair price in these parts.

Regards,

[funknik]

I don't care for the promotional tactic, though I'm sure it's brilliant on some level. However, I'm ceaselessly amused by the claim that KC is overpriced. I know it goes for $30 and up in many markets, so perhaps part of this is just dependent on where you live. Here, I find it for $23-$27 quite regularly. This is a nine-year-old, 100-proof bourbon with a distinct taste profile, more refined and less yeasty than other Beam whiskeys. Consider the other distilleries for a moment.

I do hear what you're saying, but KC is $30 here and many bourbons I like much more are plenty cheaper (EC12 is $12 cheaper and so is OGD 114) . . . 4 of the 5 most expensive bourbons here are KC, BH, Baker's & Booker's and I don't like any of them as much as cheaper stuff . . . that's where my overpriced comment comes from -- based on age & proof, I see your point, but based on flavor, I still think it is overpriced. When it was $24.99, I bought it all the time.

[ILLfarmboy]

...based on age & proof, I see your point, but based on flavor, I still think it is overpriced. When it was $24.99, I bought it all the time.

I concure. But even when it was 25/27 dollars I only rarely bought it.

[fishnbowljoe]

Yeah, I did too. While KC isn't one of the bourbons that I like to sip straight or on the rocks, I do like to drink it with Coke or Pepsi. To me it's one of the better "mixing" bourbons. I don't think I'll run out between now and November either. I have two unopened liters in the bunker, and from what I have seen, there's plenty on the shelves around here. Joe

Nice observations Tboner. As far as whiskey and Coke goes, to me there's nothing better than KC and Coke. Joe

PS. By the way, I only have one unopened liter now. I just had to have myself a KC and Coke. :grin:

[cowdery]

It's all about the buzz, and this topic has been buzzing since it opened two weeks and eight pages ago, so it appears to be working.

Like fishnbowljoe, I had KC on the mind. Saturday I was at a bar and had been drinking Old Styles until a guy next to me ordered a Beam Black. That made me think of Knob. They had it and soon so did I.

[ILLfarmboy]

We talked a lot about Woodford's Four grain, but did all the talk sell anymore than what would have otherwise been bought. Has anyone who doesn't regularly drink KC actually bought/drank anymore than usual? Perhaps, but is it enough to effect sales numbers, not just here but amongst the general public. I would think amongst the general public the answer would be a mild yes. But here, I'm less certain.

Maybe I'm the odd man out but when there is too much buzz about a movie, I tend to avoid that movie in favor of something else. I'm always suspicious of manufactured hype. Unlike most hyped movies, KC is worth the price charged, at least from an age/proof perspective.

Don't get me wrong, I like KC well enough to drink it in a restaraunt or bar when other options are limited, but the hype, the goofy, "I survived the drought" silliness is just as likely if not more than likely to sway me against choosing KC as it is to get me to have a drink of it because it is subconsciously on my mind.

[ILLfarmboy]

Well I'm a commie and I hate free market capitalism, but I believe them. They're in it to make money. That's how it goes; as a prophet once said, it's all about the benjamins, baby. Why not make the best of a challenging situation and have some fun with it?

hear, hear:grin:

i just got my t-shirt in a truly wasteful, oversized tube...

just checked the PLCB store and seems my Delaware Country stores are still pretty well stocked...

(and shockingly those two Closeout bottles of WT Rare Breed are STILL sitting there at $21 each here in Media...:bigeyes: )

I'm surprised by this.........Not by the admissions of political persuasion, that has been obvious from other discussions, but I'm surprised by those same people being uncritical of big business's catering to the lowest common denominator, as it were.

[TBoner]

I'm surprised by this.........Not by the admissions of political persuasion, that has been obvious from other discussions, but I'm surprised by those same people being uncritical of big business's catering to the lowest common denominator, as it were.

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Well, I'd held out hope that PR&C wouldn't bleed over into other areas of the forum. Asking too much, I guess, between this and last week's out-of-the-blue free market comments.

Have to run VBT #219 whenever the mods let it through, and then I'm out.

Regards,

Tim

[callmeox]

I agree that it sucks when ignoring the Off Topic forums isn't sufficient to steer clear of that bilge water. If Ohio is the bourbon ghetto, the Off Topic forums are the SB.com equivalent.

While looking for a FR1B today I spied a full shelf of KC. I may call the state tomorrow to see if I can find out how much they have warehoused and in the pipeline.

[independant]

I may call the state tomorrow to see if I can find out how much they have warehoused and in the pipeline.

That's a good idea. Some time this week I will go to one of our state stores and ask how much they have in the big warehouse.

[callmeox]

The most recent report that I could find showed that 875 KC 750's were sold in Ohio over the period of 6/1 to 6/15 and 891 over the last half or May. This includes wholesale (for by the drink sales) and retail package sales. They also sold 70 and 68 of the 1.75's in those periods as well as 125 and 143 of the 375's.

Extrapolating the lower number here would mean that Ohio would need roughly 730 cases (1750 x 5)/12 of KC 750s on hand as of 7/1 to barely make it through to November. At a guess of 36 cases per pallet (3x3x4 high), that comes out to just over 20 pallets of KC 750's (or 4 pallets per warehouse) on the floor to get through.

[p_elliott]

I don't care for the promotional tactic, though I'm sure it's brilliant on some level. However, I'm ceaselessly amused by the claim that KC is overpriced. I know it goes for $30 and up in many markets, so perhaps part of this is just dependent on where you live. Here, I find it for $23-$27 quite regularly. This is a nine-year-old, 100-proof bourbon with a distinct taste profile, more refined and less yeasty than other Beam whiskeys. Consider the other distilleries for a moment.

- Brown-Forman has no whiskeys in regular release with any age statement, and their NAS Old Forester Signature bottling has been pushed up in price to be roughly equal to KC everywhere I shop.

- BT has discontinued half of its age-stated whiskeys and has shortages of most of their bourbons 10 years old and up. Old Charter 10, at only 86 proof, had its price increased to about $20 in this market a couple of years ago. Weller 12 went up to $23 at the same time, and is now in short supply. Other than that, excepting stuff only available in KY, they don't sell anything with KC's proof and age for less money.

- 4 Roses has no age-stated products, and both the Small Batch and the Single Barrel are pricier than Knob Creek.

- Barton - before and after being bought by BT - has no whiskey with the proof and age of KC, and anything even close is in very limited distribution, primarily in KY.

- Wild Turkey has no domestic products with age statements over 90 proof, and hasn't for some time. Their excellent 101-proof bourbons don't approach KC's age, and the age-stated Russell's Reserve at 90 proof is approaching KC in price here (exceeding it, actually, at all but a couple of stores).

- HH has the 10-year-old bonded McKenna and the 12-year-old Elijah Craig, which are priced a couple of dollars more and less than KC here, respectively. They have an 86 proof single-barrel that's a few months older than KC. They have nothing else approaching 9 years/100 proof available outside of KY.

In other words, KC is probably priced about where it should be, perhaps even underpriced in the current market. I think Beam makes an easy target, and indeed deserves some criticism for failure of imagination in the two decades since they bought ND and created the Small Batch collection. I'm not trying to defend Beam on the whole, but Knob Creek is good bourbon at a fair price in these parts.

Regards,

I Agree with most of what you are saying but KC is quickly approaching $40 where I live and that just more than I want to pay for it.

[ILLfarmboy]

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Well, I'd held out hope that PR&C wouldn't bleed over into other areas of the forum. Asking too much, I guess, between this and last week's out-of-the-blue free market comments.

Have to run VBT #219 whenever the mods let it through, and then I'm out.

Regards,

Tim

I think your a little late in your disapointment. Chuck already did that in post number two.

I can understand if you're just a Commie and hate free market capitalism, but that's no reason to doubt the underlying circumstances.

Tim, my last post was just an honest observation. No offence was meant.

[Lost Pollito]

The most recent report that I could find showed that 875 KC 750's were sold in Ohio over the period of 6/1 to 6/15 and 891 over the last half or May. This includes wholesale (for by the drink sales) and retail package sales. They also sold 70 and 68 of the 1.75's in those periods as well as 125 and 143 of the 375's.

Extrapolating the lower number here would mean that Ohio would need roughly 730 cases (1750 x 5)/12 of KC 750s on hand as of 7/1 to barely make it through to November. At a guess of 36 cases per pallet (3x3x4 high), that comes out to just over 20 pallets of KC 750's (or 4 pallets per warehouse) on the floor to get through.

I have investigated the Chicagoland stocks, and by all accounts, I think we'll survive here. :cool: The same cannot be said for AAA. I'm gonna make my own shirt that says, "The AAA drought is killing me !!! Help!!!"

[drli]

I only like Bookers and Bakers from the collection that I have tried... Costco use to sell the 3 bottle set of the top collection for $99. I never tried KC, because my father said it was very bad years ago...

I did get the shirt in the mail. So, I was thinking about wearing it now???? before Nov.. when the drought was said to be over. any coments??

[ILLfarmboy]

I only like Bookers and Bakers from the collection that I have tried... Costco use to sell the 3 bottle set of the top collection for $99. I never tried KC, because my father said it was very bad years ago...

I did get the shirt in the mail. So, I was thinking about wearing it now???? before Nov.. when the drought was said to be over. any coments??

I've blown Beam a lot of sh*% in this thread but I never knew KC to have ever been bad whiskey. It is always possable your Dad got a bad bottle (cork taint) or KC just isn't his cup of tea.

Booker's is my favorite of the 'small batch collection'. I eagerly await the first release of Booker's that was distilled-to-proof ( a few years down the road, I recon). I will be holding back an older sample so that I may taste them side by side. Chuck has informed us that Beam, some time ago, began distilling to brand and that the distilling out proof of that which is to become Booker's came off at 125.

[cowdery]

I never said they're distilling to brand. I said they're barreling to brand. Slight difference.

[TBoner]

Chuck, I think Brad is recalling this thread. And I agree, I'm excited to taste the results, though it will be hard to know exactly when the transition takes place. I suppose it's safe to say that 7 or 8 years from now, Booker's will certainly be the stuff that came off the still at 125 proof.

Regards,

Tim

[ILLfarmboy]

I never said they're distilling to brand. I said they're barreling to brand. Slight difference.

Sorry for mispeaking, Chuck. I now remember you using the term barreling to brand.

[cowdery]

Actually, now that I look at what I wrote in September, I misspoke. Mis-remembered, actually. I was thinking they were doing something else. In fact, they are distilling to brand in terms of proof off the still.

That doesn't necessarily mean that something barreled as Knob necessarily has to become Knob, but they are trying to manage the profile to create something distinctive. It's not a radical difference. More on the order of fine-tuning.

[TBoner]

I like that Beam is doing this with Booker's in particular. It's been some time since I've seen a batch that's even 7 years old, let alone 8. It seems they pretty consistently bottle at the lower end of the 6-8 year age range. IMO, that has made for some less-than-stellar batches here and there. I'm hopeful that they'll get closer to nailing the profile every time, even at 6 years old or a bit over, than they do right now.

Regards,

[independant]

Scanning the forums it looks like we are all still here and thanks only to the grace of God and the free tee-shirts(which I did not get one of)lol

So has any one seen a shortage of Knob Creek yet? Or for that matter a price increase because of the "shortage"

Me personally the prices have stayed the same and I can choose between KC in 750ml and handles at all my ABC stores.

[Josh]

Scanning the forums it looks like we are all still here and thanks only to the grace of God and the free tee-shirts(which I did not get one of)lol

So has any one seen a shortage of Knob Creek yet? Or for that matter a price increase because of the "shortage"

Me personally the prices have stayed the same and I can choose between KC in 750ml and handles at all my ABC stores.

No sign of the shortage here yet. Plenty of KC everywhere, even 1.75 l bottles

[NeoTexan]

Scanning the forums it looks like we are all still here and thanks only to the grace of God and the free tee-shirts(which I did not get one of)lol

So has any one seen a shortage of Knob Creek yet? Or for that matter a price increase because of the "shortage"

Me personally the prices have stayed the same and I can choose between KC in 750ml and handles at all my ABC stores.

We have been eating out quite a bit this last month and every place I have gone, and they have had KC, I have asked about their stock. Not one bartender or manger has heard of, nor felt an effect from, the "shortage".