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WT Rye 81 proof?!


Josh
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I only have the one lonely unopened bottle. Hopefully if they do bring it back I can a side by side to see if they taste similar.

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  • 2 weeks later...

So do want the good news or the bad news first?? Good you say. Well ok.

Good news is that according to Eddie Russell in a conversation I had last night, when asked about the 101 rye, he did say that it will be coming back.

Yes-everybody, settle down, that is good news. Please hold the applause until the end of the show. I said there was bad news also.

Now to the back news.........

It will be coming back, it will be 101 proof.

It will not be available to the general public.

Apparently it will be for as he said "on premise" sale only. So that the hipster-mixologist's of the world can have something higher proof for their crafting.

Just not the general public like me and most of you.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm just passing what I was told. That's sometimes the problem with asking a question, you don't always get told what you want to hear.

B

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Ohhhhhh....I thought you meant, "on premise" to mean for sale at the Gift Shop, only. I take that it means restaurants and bars only? I hope I was right on my first thought.

If not...

Tough coupla weeks for the bourbon drinking world, huh? MM fixed their little "problem" for us, but the trend is getting tiresome from these folks. I don't want to sound negative, or anything, but I'm getting tired of shopping for Vaseline...

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I didn't even know there was such a thing as restaurant industry only whiskey. This makes no sense at all. Or like said above, will you have to drive to the distillery to get it?

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I didn't even know there was such a thing as restaurant industry only whiskey. This makes no sense at all. Or like said above, will you have to drive to the distillery to get it?

Can a distillery mandate that the distributor only sell to on-premise establishments?? Will the bottles not be labeled for resale? Is it time to befriend a bartender?

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I was told much the same thing about the return of Tanqueray Malacca gin by the Tanqueray brand ambassador (admittedly he said it was to be "primarily" focused on the bar/restaurant market). Today I saw it on the shelf at two different stores. It is supposedly a limited release anyway so perhaps stores didn't get much. But I could at least get it.

WT's plan sounds like a perfect set up for grey/black market sale of the 101 if and when it finally returns.

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Van Winkles are being allotted in specific numbers to restaurants versus retailers (though they haven't cut the retailer off...yet). Julian has mentioned it is an intended way by them to get the product to more people.

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Van Winkles are being allotted in specific numbers to restaurants versus retailers (though they haven't cut the retailer off...yet). Julian has mentioned it is an intended way by them to get the product to more people.
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And we with our bunkers shouldn't underestimate the importance of bar business as a most important driving factor in keeping a brand in the public eye. Here is an interesting take on the whole Maker's debacle, from an economics guy at the Washington Post, Neil Irwin, and it being caused by Beam's need for the brand to be available as an affordable pour at a bar. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/02/17/bourbonomics-101-what-the-makers-mark-dilution-debacle-says-about-corporate-strategy/

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That sucks. Good thing they can't actually do it. The best they can do is tell distributors that is their strategy and the pricing may work in such a way that adhering to the strategy is the best deal for the distributors. One thing they can do is only sell it in 1L bottles, which is the standard on-premise size and generally not sold off-premise, but there's no reason it can't be. I guarantee Binny's will have it on the shelf as soon as it's available. I can also guarantee we won't like the price. The hipster mixologists won't like the price either and may find a substitute, in which case WT won't be able to get it into off-premise fast enough. Best laid plans and all that. But interesting news nonetheless.

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That sucks. Good thing they can't actually do it. The best they can do is tell distributors that is their strategy and the pricing may work in such a way that adhering to the strategy is the best deal for the distributors. One thing they can do is only sell it in 1L bottles, which is the standard on-premise size and generally not sold off-premise, but there's no reason it can't be. I guarantee Binny's will have it on the shelf as soon as it's available. I can also guarantee we won't like the price. The hipster mixologists won't like the price either and may find a substitute, in which case WT won't be able to get it into off-premise fast enough. Best laid plans and all that. But interesting news nonetheless.

So if we are to look on the bright side of life, WT will be producing 101 rye and it will be distributed in some fashion nationwide.....I'm going to ignore all the other bad aspects of this and focus just on that....

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WT Rye, along with Jim Beam Rye, are the brands I started my journey down the Rye road with. I'm not saying I'll never buy WT again if it returns in its 101 glory but it will not be anywhere close to the top of my list. I think a lot will depend on what the price is and if the flavor changes. My guess is if it ever come back to market it will sit somewhere around $30-$35.

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Surprised no one else posted it, but the K&L email today mentioned the return of the 101. As said above it sounds like it's not going to be a regularly available product.

"Wild Turkey 101 Rye is making a final hurrah we’ve heard. We’re expecting a large shipment next week, so those of you who have spent the past few years missing your kickin’ chicken can get a bottle before it goes away. More on that as it approaches. We’re battling between every other bar and retailer that wants their own as well."

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Good lord. It's good rye, but it doesn't warrant the VW/BTAC treatment. It was a deal at $17 but I wouldn't pay more than $25 for it, if even that.

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  • 1 month later...

I just saw it (101 rye) here in Orlando for $22.00.

I have never tried it, so I'm going to get one in the next couple of days or so.

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I just saw it (101 rye) here in Orlando for $22.00.

I have never tried it, so I'm going to get one in the next couple of days or so.

If you like it then go back and buy it all. When it's gone there won't be more. If it ever comes back, it will not be $22.

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If you like it then go back and buy it all. When it's gone there won't be more. If it ever comes back, it will not be $22.

So, they are not making it any more?

I heard they were still making it, then they weren't, then they were, my head is spinning...

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So, they are not making it any more?

I heard they were still making it, then they weren't, then they were, my head is spinning...

They're not. There have been some rumors that it might come back for on-premise only but for all intents and purposes it has been replaced by 81. They didn't refresh its label with the rest. The bottles you've found are newly minted dusties.

If it ever does come back you can be sure the price will be higher.

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Well, it's 2013 and I'm getting antsy....

I was assured that the 101 would be back in 2013. It's now spring, maybe we need to wait until summer.

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I was assured that the 101 would be back in 2013. It's now spring, maybe we need to wait until summer.

A few weeks ago we saw a little in California. Not sure if these were the last survivors of a dying breed, or a sign of good things to come. I think they sold out in under an hour.

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Go back and buy the 101s. If there is a new supply later this year, fine, but if not you will wish you had bought these.

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