How much would you pay for AH Hirsch 16yo??

[B-Zero]

I am sure everyone is aware of the exorbitant prices that pop up in Australia from time to time, but i never thought i would see an example this overblown. There are other Aussies on the forums who are well aware of this company and what they sell and from time to time has been mentioned as a last resort for those in the land of drought. (Bourbon that is, and rain)

Now sure, we may be willing to pay a little extra to get those exotic bottles not normally seen on Aussie shelves but I would wonder who really is stupid enough to pay this much..

See for yourself! http://nicks.com.au/Product/View/A.H.Hirsch-16-Y.O.-Reserve-Bourbon-Whiskey-%28700ml%29/474826

If you even bother to look at some of their other bottles you will notice these guy must be taking the piss, eg:

Pappy 23: $599

Pappy 20 $299

Stagg: $399

WLW: $350

TH Handy: $299

[White Dog]

Actually, that price is reflective of the current release price from Priess(Anchor) Imports. They still have a few remaining cases, and that is what they're charging these day. So that's what they're asking in the U.S., as well.

That said, that Handy price is crazy. And it's interesting that they're charging the same for Pappy 20.

[bluesbassdad]

It depends.

Back during my more active days on this forum I noted that to my palate there's a huge difference between the gold wax release and the gold foil release. (I never tasted the red wax release.) Not everyone agrees (surprise!), but I think the gold foil release is quite ordinary, if that.

So to answer your question: I wouldn't buy the gold foil release at a price greater than, let's say Old Grand-Dad BIB or maybe Knob Creek. That's $20-30 (USD) in these parts.

The gold wax release is another story. It's in Pappy 20 y/o territory to my palate, which is to say: I won't be buying it at even a fair price, much less the usual asking price these days.

[OscarV]

Of all the over rated and trendy spirits out there I'd say Hirsch is number one.

But then again as far as Hirsch goes I'd buy low and sell high.

[cbus]

$125 for Ri1!?!?!?!?!? :bigeyes:

[camduncan]

I refused to pay their (Nicks) asking price when they had it listed at $150 a bottle, so there's no way in hell I'd pay what they want for it now. I could stock my cupboard with enough Makers, Bookers, BT & Turkey Rye to last years with that amount of coin!

Having said that, I've had the pleasure of trying a few pours from one of the red wax bottles they used to charge $150 for, and whilst it was ok, it wasn't remarkable. What was amazing was the Hirsch I got to try in Vegas at the Belagio (not sure what version it was)

I've ordered from Nicks a few times over the years (mainly buying Four Roses Yellow Label) and find them to be fairly decent to deal with, but their price point reflects their botique status. They're a single retail outlet buying a fair chunk of their product through Europe markets, so it's never going to be cheap. Personally I've found it's often cheaper to order from the US direct, even when you have to pay for shipping and customs charges..

At the end of the day, I like what they are doing, but really wish one of the big retailers would start doing it on a national level for all to enjoy at a reasonable price.

[tommyboy38]

I wouldn't pay that but I'd guess that 2 GTS's are what I'd pay for a bottle of Hirsch.

P.S. - I feel bad for you Aussies.

[tigerlam92]

Is this seriously what you have to pay in Australia?

As for AH16, I had once (2 years ago) bought three at once interestingly at BevMo (just happen to show up on the shelf) the clerk had no idea where they came from and was suprise I bought all three. This was when the price had already gotten to $200 or so.

Then, I happen to be at Ballagio in LV that weekend and try a pour at the famous $5 poker video bars, and found I did not like it at all. I could barely finished it.

So when I went home, I refund the three I bought since I had another bunker away already.

This is definitely one I want to have at least one to drink and experience the history but not one that I need to bunker and drink at this current price. It was not worth it to me at $200 let alone $999 AUD.

Cheers

--Hugh

[camduncan]

Is this seriously what you have to pay in Australia?

Hugh, a better site with stores in most major cities and towns across the country and that will give you a better indication of our prices is www.danmurphys.com.au

[MrAtomic]

I've enjoyed all of the gold foil Hirsch I've had the opportunity to drink. Is is my favorite? No, but it's distinctive and I like it a lot. I've tasted an earlier bottling with a different label (maybe blue wax?) but never back-to-back with the gold foil version, so I can't speak to how this whiskey changed over time.

As for what it's worth, that's another question. I bought most of mine from Binny's when it was... hmm, I think it cost $40 at the time. I believe that a PVW was around $45-50 back then (2005), and given the choice, I'd pick the Pappy more often than the Hirsch. But I never felt that I overpaid for the Hirsch. Either one makes me feel like I'm "drinking history," as they're the products of now-silent distilleries.

Tigerlam92: I've had good and not-so-good Hirsch at the Bellagio. The not-so-good came from the dregs of a bottle that had been open for a long time, according to the bartender. Did you happen to get a look at the bottle?

[BradleyC]

I had the best kind of Hirsch 16 at the Bellagio. It was free! I was walking through there early one morning and was walking by the bar to see what they had out. The entire casino was dead and the bartender was really bored. He was out on the floor and not behind the bar since there were no customers. I told him I was just checking out his bourbon and to not rush behind the bar. He said, "Oh don't worry. I don't have anything else to do." He pulled out the Hirsch 16 and some VW Rye. He said, "take your pick. Its on the house." So I sat in the Bellagio at 8:30am and sipped on some Hirsch 16 with the bartender. I left a tip and was on my way.

[bluesbassdad]

I've enjoyed all of the gold foil Hirsch I've had the opportunity to drink. Is is my favorite? No, but it's distinctive and I like it a lot. I've tasted an earlier bottling with a different label (maybe blue wax?) but never back-to-back with the gold foil version, so I can't speak to how this whiskey changed over time.

As for what it's worth, that's another question. I bought most of mine from Binny's when it was... hmm, I think it cost $40 at the time. I believe that a PVW was around $45-50 back then (2005), and given the choice, I'd pick the Pappy more often than the Hirsch. But I never felt that I overpaid for the Hirsch. Either one makes me feel like I'm "drinking history," as they're the products of now-silent distilleries.

Tigerlam92: I've had good and not-so-good Hirsch at the Bellagio. The not-so-good came from the dregs of a bottle that had been open for a long time, according to the bartender. Did you happen to get a look at the bottle?

[silverfish]

Looks like the Gold Foil has cracked the $500. mark on ebay.

Seller (not me) sold two bottles - $488. (Dec. 2011) & $500.

(Jan. 2012).

[HighTower]

When I saw the bottle at nicks actually sold at $1000 I considered ringing Alex and seeing if he wanted to buy one for $500 to onsell to his silly customers. I have only ever had gold foil, from 3 different bottles......but did not like any of them.

Scott

[Pieface]

I picked up 2 bottles for $80ea in the Blue Mountains a few years back.

I don't mind seeing this type of thing. Maybe I will be able to put my kids through school or something on them in another decade or so

I'm not sure where all the hate for it comes from on here. The bottle I shared with my Bro-in-law was right up at the top of the tree for whiskies I have tried and enjoyed. All the hype is counterproductive I guess.

[SDpappy]

I had the best kind of Hirsch 16 at the Bellagio. It was free! I was walking through there early one morning and was walking by the bar to see what they had out. The entire casino was dead and the bartender was really bored. He was out on the floor and not behind the bar since there were no customers. I told him I was just checking out his bourbon and to not rush behind the bar. He said, "Oh don't worry. I don't have anything else to do." He pulled out the Hirsch 16 and some VW Rye. He said, "take your pick. Its on the house." So I sat in the Bellagio at 8:30am and sipped on some Hirsch 16 with the bartender. I left a tip and was on my way.

[p_elliott]

$50 that's about what it sold for when it was first sold. It didn't get any better in the bottle.