CorvallisCracker Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 It's all academic to me as Costco cannot sell distilled spirits in Oregon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowdery Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Frankfort, of course, can be Beam or BT, but Clermont can only be Beam. Although the sleuthing can be fun, there's a certain "who cares?" factor here. My attitude about any producer who seeks to obscure the origin of their product is to ignore them and their product or, at least, to not take it very seriously.One takeaway from this is that the claims of companies like Beam and BT that they're not in the bulk whiskey business are bullshit. Nobody sells bulk whiskey except when they do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 It's all academic to me as Costco cannot sell distilled spirits in Oregon.Not here either. Also, Saz doesn't use the term "small batch" on any its labels except for 1792.For what it's worth @bourbonbuzz thinks it's distilled by Beam. http://twitter.com/#!/bourbonbuzz/status/45848024806727680 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Although the sleuthing can be fun, there's a certain "who cares?" factor here. My attitude about any producer who seeks to obscure the origin of their product is to ignore them and their product or, at least, to not take it very seriously.One takeaway from this is that the claims of companies like Beam and BT that they're not in the bulk whiskey business are bullshit.Well put and indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowdery Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 I think the most reliable thing in this whole thread has been Josh's organoleptic assessment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 I just hope I haven't lost my minion status. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorvallisCracker Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 I think the most reliable thing in this whole thread has been Josh's organoleptic assessment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
proof and age Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 A great many conclusions have been jumped to in this thread.Although proof and age's profile says "American Whiskey Ambassador- Heaven Hill Distilleries," no name is listed. HH may very well have multiple brand ambassadors and I find it suspicious that this person posts a very specific job title without posting a real name. Let's also be realistic about what a "brand ambassador" is and does. They are field marketing representatives and not necessarily privy to any inside information. In fact, for them to do their jobs well it is useful for them to be almost perfect mushrooms, i.e., kept in the dark and fed excrement. Their job is to sell the company line, not to tell secrets.As for Clear Spring, the Sec. of State assumed name records are pretty definitive and make it very safe to assume that Buffalo Trace produced this product for Costco, although that doesn't necessarily tell you who made the whiskey. For that purpose the assumed business name is irrelevant.The "Clear Spring" name does have a long history with the Beams, as you can read for yourself on pages 128 and 129 of your Cecil. But the name and the whiskey have nothing to do with each other, and BT could be reselling whiskey made by Beam that BT acquired in the Old Taylor deal or some other transaction, or it could be whiskey from just about anyplace else or even from multiple sources.If proof and age wants us to believe it's Beam, much better evidence needs to be provided. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorvallisCracker Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 A unique proof and age combination from them is something new to try for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squire Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Aww com'on Chuck, don't be so fast with that pail of cold water. I had at least several more conclusions ready to jump.I was under the impression that some members here are personally acquainted with Proof and Age. I am not so others will have to speak to that if they are so inclined. P&A can of course speak for himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sku Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Looking more at the history of assumed names filings for Clear Spring, it appears that BT only recently registered the name (March 9, 2011) and that Beam may have had it in the past, though Barton appears to have had it at sometime as well. So perhaps this went out when Beam owned the name which has now been sold to BT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tehbeardman Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Wow, I got called out here for a few minutes, but no offense taken on my end. I made it clear that I was associated with a specific distillery, which seems like the proper and transparent thing to do. True I would not reveal "secrets" about our distillery or any of the others I have represented or have knowledge of, nor would the others who represent distilleries who regularly post here and add to the discussions.I do disagree with your broad assessment of "Brand Ambassadors", very broad generalization, and most of the people I have encountered (in American whiskey and Scotch whisky) who are engaged in this activity are well meaning and have managed through the years to gain knowledge from an array of sources aside from thier marketing departments. As for the original question posed here, that info, including the producer and bottler info and address, was on the COLA site for some time, I did not see it as a secret in any way. A unique proof and age combination from them is something new to try for sure.I for one appreciate your transparency of what your association is with. I think a lot of people associate 'marketing' with 'evil'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trumpstylz Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Does anyone know if its the Beam low rye or grand dad high rye juice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowdery Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 There still seems to be some coyness going on with the identity of proof and age, making his association less than transparent. Are you, in fact, Rob Hutchins? Then please say so and add your real name to your profile.Is it your understanding that this is Beam-made juice bottled for Costco by BT or that it is Beam-made juice bottled by Beam for Costco, presumably before the "Clear Spring Distillery" name passed to BT?I will admit that as soon as I heard "Clear Spring" I thought of Beam, but I may have been thinking of Clermont Springs, which is a DBA name Beam sometimes uses.I looked in vain for the COLA for this product but noticed that "Kirkland Signature" seems to be a brand name used extensively for wines by Gallo, though perhaps it's actually Costco's house brand wine, which Gallo produces for them. I wouldn't know, but Costco's fingerprints don't appear on the COLAs. Does anyone know about that Linn Station Road address? Isn't Heaven Hill's Louisville marketing office on Linn Station Road? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigthom Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 According to Yellowpages.com that's Sazerac. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sku Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 I looked in vain for the COLA for this product but noticed that "Kirkland Signature" seems to be a brand name used extensively for wines by Gallo, though perhaps it's actually Costco's house brand wine, which Gallo produces for them. I wouldn't know, but Costco's fingerprints don't appear on the COLAs. Kirkland Signature is the Costco housebrand name (for everything).http://shop.costco.com/en/Membership/Welcome/Kirkland-Signature.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowdery Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Kirkland Signature is the Costco housebrand name (for everything).http://shop.costco.com/en/Membership/Welcome/Kirkland-Signature.aspxEverything alcohol or everything-everything? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sku Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Everything alcohol or everything-everything?Everything everything. To quote the Costco website, 300 "quality products" carry the Kirkland Signature label, including "housewares, luggage, pet food and bedding, baby wipes, diapers, baby formula, apparel, wine, snacks and more."So if we know either Beam or BT make the Bourbon, who makes the baby wipes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
proof and age Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 There still seems to be some coyness going on with the identity of proof and age, making his association less than transparent. Are you, in fact, Rob Hutchins? Then please say so and add your real name to your profile.Is it your understanding that this is Beam-made juice bottled for Costco by BT or that it is Beam-made juice bottled by Beam for Costco, presumably before the "Clear Spring Distillery" name passed to BT?I will admit that as soon as I heard "Clear Spring" I thought of Beam, but I may have been thinking of Clermont Springs, which is a DBA name Beam sometimes uses.I looked in vain for the COLA for this product but noticed that "Kirkland Signature" seems to be a brand name used extensively for wines by Gallo, though perhaps it's actually Costco's house brand wine, which Gallo produces for them. I wouldn't know, but Costco's fingerprints don't appear on the COLAs. Does anyone know about that Linn Station Road address? Isn't Heaven Hill's Louisville marketing office on Linn Station Road?I have added my name to my profile, did not know it was required. I have no axe to grind about this subject, just passed along some info I had seen and cleared up any confusion as to who and who was not involved here. Anyone in fact can go to the site and see what I saw, pretty sure it is public record of some sort. I have met a number of members of this forum, and I am glad to be a member, I come in peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowdery Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 I have added my name to my profile, did not know it was required. I have no axe to grind about this subject, just passed along some info I had seen and cleared up any confusion as to who and who was not involved here. Anyone in fact can go to the site and see what I saw, pretty sure it is public record of some sort. I have met a number of members of this forum, and I am glad to be a member, I come in peace.It's not required, but that chip-on-the-shoulder attitude is why your entry here has been so rocky. Either you're telling us who you are or you aren't. Plenty of people here have never identified themselves, although most of the regulars have. The way people normally introduce themselves is with their name, not their job title. That's all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edward_call_me_Ed Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 I sure hope this shows up in Japan Costco. I like the Kirkland Tequila. The only bourbon they carry in Sapporo is Four Roses yellow label. They also carry Jack Daniels. Both of them are in 750 ml bottles. Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trumpstylz Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 I'd probably compare it to a younger KC (its also in the same bottle). Although KC is better, this is a far greater value (not quite as complex but it has the same nuttiness).Value wise- the equivalent of a 20$ liter is a 15$ 750 ml, so its a pretty damn good value, especially considering its 7 yr 103 prf.But yeah, its definitely standard beam mashbill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowdery Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 We've been talking about so many other things that I hadn't reflected on what a peculiar specification 7-year-old, 103 proof, is -- especially the proof (51.5% ABV)? It's pretty hard to go wrong with those specs at that price but it's possible. I assume Costco just wanted something uniquely theirs. Is anything else sold at 103 proof? Baker's is 7-years-old and 107 proof, right? Maybe this is some errant Baker's that they stretched a little bit.We've talked about situations where a producer would want to prohibit a marketer from revealing the source. This -- where it's being sold way cheaper than the producer would -- is one of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OscarV Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Value wise- the equivalent of a 20$ liter is a 15$ 750 ml, so its a pretty damn good value, especially considering its 7 yr 103 prf.Yep, time to buy a Beam.And what do they get for Basil? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdman1099 Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Is anything else sold at 103 proof? Fighting Cock is 103 proof, and I believe 6 yrs old.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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