The time is nigh for rye

[StraightNoChaser]

WT Rye 101 - Gone, now being hoarded

RittBiB - In short supply and prices rising above $25

Baby Saz - On allocation and prices up to $35 (I honestly saw one for $90 though)

Ultra aged rye typically costs far more than bourbon

Yet for some reason Handy sits all around the shelves here...

[jtexaslonestar]

WT Rye 101 - Gone, now being hoarded

RittBiB - In short supply and prices rising above $25

Baby Saz - On allocation and prices up to $35 (I honestly saw one for $90 though)

Ultra aged rye typically costs far more than bourbon

Yet for some reason Handy sits all around the shelves here...

I have seen more Handy than I would expect. Lots of Baby Saz too (and $90 is just nutso). I have noticed a lot of Ritt BIB and WT Rye around here(ATL) as well. Sorry to hear this but I hope this is only in Texas.

[theDon]

WT Rye 101 - Gone, now being hoarded

RittBiB - In short supply and prices rising above $25

Baby Saz - On allocation and prices up to $35 (I honestly saw one for $90 though)

Ultra aged rye typically costs far more than bourbon

Yet for some reason Handy sits all around the shelves here...

Plenty of the Bulliet around and it's quite good. Spirits still has Ritt BIB for $19.99 but no WT Rye. I'm not a huge rye fan but I have to keep a bottle or three around for the wife.

[Tico]

Plenty of WT101, handy and ritt bib at the big box stores here in CA. Baby saz is a bit harder to find but it can be had with a bit of hunting.

[Jonny.Applebury]

I read through the thread we had a few days back talking about WT Rye 101 going away. It made me want to hoard them, but I think I hit the wall. I have a case in my cellar, and stumbled across a store today that had three cases left for $22 a bottle. I need to resolve this internal debate on whether to go back and buy them out... :banghead: :drinking:

[SeaninSD]

I can't seem to find the WT 101 Rye here in San Diego. After several trips to small and large stores, I've only found 1 bottle and it was $26! : ( But I bought it anyway.

[SeaninSD]

P.S. - If anyone has excess Handy at a store near them for a reasonable price, send me a PM and maybe we can work out a deal as the Handy here is crazy expensive!

[White Dog]

WT Rye 101 - Gone, now being hoarded

RittBiB - In short supply and prices rising above $25

Baby Saz - On allocation and prices up to $35 (I honestly saw one for $90 though)

Ultra aged rye typically costs far more than bourbon

Yet for some reason Handy sits all around the shelves here...

Ultra aged Rye costs more than Bourbon because Rye takes much better to long age than Bourbon. Even Wheaters, which I think peak somewhere between 10 and 18 years. Rye, I can't get enough age on them.

[Neat]

WT Rye 101 - Gone, now being hoarded

RittBiB - In short supply and prices rising above $25

Baby Saz - On allocation and prices up to $35 (I honestly saw one for $90 though)

Ultra aged rye typically costs far more than bourbon

Yet for some reason Handy sits all around the shelves here...

i can confirm that this is true for the most part in houston. i've never seen a baby saz for $90 though. that is crazy. rittbib is in short supply but still below $25 in houston. right now, ritt bib is easier to find in houston than wt rye 101.

[timd]

rittbib is in short supply but still below $25 in houston. right now, ritt bib is easier to find in houston than wt rye 101.

[StraightNoChaser]

My guess for this:

WT Rye stopped production a while back, and as shelves have gone empty, there's been nothing to fill them... But Ritt, on the other hand JUST shipped the seasonal allocation.

Try finding Ritt in summer... nearly impossible. Seems to land in TX (and some other states) only 1-2 times a year, and goes fairly quick. What seems to be reasonably available now won't be replaced any time soon.

My guess? This summer will see NO Ritt, NO Baby Saz, and NO WT Rye anywhere... (BT has already said they've shipped out all the Baby Saz they have for the near future...)

If you like it, bunker it now to get through the lean months. At least Ritt & Saz should be back later in the year... unlike the Turkey.

[theDon]

I left 3 bottles of WT Rye at Goodys 7124 Greenville Ave. They also had 7 bottles of Ritt. And they had some Woodford New and Used Rye 2 bottle set that was $80. The bottles were 375's and they came in a wood box. Looked interesting for someone who likes to waste money on fancy shit.

[Neat]

Looked interesting for someone who likes to waste money on fancy shit.

direct and to the point. i like it! i've been passing on those as well. i bunkered up on the ritt bib and wt rye recently bc i dont' want to deal with the shortages (or possible future price increase).

[Neat]

My guess for this:

WT Rye stopped production a while back, and as shelves have gone empty, there's been nothing to fill them... But Ritt, on the other hand JUST shipped the seasonal allocation.

Try finding Ritt in summer... nearly impossible. Seems to land in TX (and some other states) only 1-2 times a year, and goes fairly quick. What seems to be reasonably available now won't be replaced any time soon.

My guess? This summer will see NO Ritt, NO Baby Saz, and NO WT Rye anywhere... (BT has already said they've shipped out all the Baby Saz they have for the near future...)

If you like it, bunker it now to get through the lean months. At least Ritt & Saz should be back later in the year... unlike the Turkey.

baby saz always seems to be available. hell, last fall's (and the previous fall's) release of the handy is still available! no such luck on the van winkle rye or sazerac 18.

[birk]

timd is talking more towards what may be happening down the line this year, versus what is out there now....and he may be right, as much as it pains me to say. True, Baby Saz and Handy may be available currently to those who know where to look, but give it some time, and that will change.

Hell, at the booze store today, I met a hipster who didn't even pretend to know what he was buying. All he knew was that he was buying rye, for the bar he worked for in Cincinnati, and that's all he cared about. Didn't matter one bit what kind of whiskey he was buying. He just wanted rye. It was kind of weird, almost. I hope he enjoyed that Ri.

[Bmac]

I am not sure I am following this thread completely. Did WT announce that it is discontinuing its rye line of product?

I thought rye was making a come back?

[redbear]

Not exactly. The summary is that they've stopped production on the 101 proof. They are coming out with an 81 proof this month.

They've said they'll bring back the 101 "later". However, some people doubt that claim for various reasons.

I am not sure I am following this thread completely. Did WT announce that it is discontinuing its rye line of product?

I thought rye was making a come back?

[timd]

timd is talking more towards what may be happening down the line this year, versus what is out there now....

You got it - but it's not new, this "seasonal" Rye shortage has been going on for years... the bigger distilleries only put out a fractional percentage of their overall production as rye - and ship it in cycles. It's not (typically) produced year round, but rather a few (or only 1 or 2) times a year (both on the the distilling side and the bottling side).

My understanding is that both BT & HH have said any/everything they will have for 2012 is already on the shelves... the did up production (from what I can tell by quite a bit) this year, but it's still only an annual release.

That said, there are warehouses/distributors that will sit on a many cases of the stuff and re-release near the holidays so there's often a little rye availability "blip" near the end of the year. But, this is anecdotal based on my experience in 2 states across 4 years of watching it closely - doesn't mean it applies everywhere (RDNC here in Texas admits to this practice)

That's the joy of the 3 tier system - many moving parts that make predicting availability hard. My practice is to buy it when I see if (as much as I can afford, anyhow).

The more stores order up front, the faster the supply goes - my concern for this year, especially with WTR101 being off the market, is that demand for Saz & Ritt will go up... causing this to be a tough year to find any of the mid-shelf offerings by summer or later.

That said, I too find THH everywhere - and online inventory in DFW for Handy appears to be higher than for Saz, Ritt or WT... BUT: how many people, really, are willing to drop $65-$75 on a 6 year old Rye... one that is still usually behind the counter or in a glass display? I know of one store with it on the shelf - but still $65 is steep to your average "explorer"

[jinenjo]

There's always Beams rye offerings. The new Knob Creek might be as available as the yellow--which, along with OO, are the only ryes I consistently see on the shelf no matter where I go.

[wadewood]

That said, I too find THH everywhere - and online inventory in DFW for Handy appears to be higher than for Saz, Ritt or WT... BUT: how many people, really, are willing to drop $65-$75 on a 6 year old Rye... one that is still usually behind the counter or in a glass display? I know of one store with it on the shelf - but still $65 is steep to your average "explorer"

Ditto in Houston. The downtown Specs, a huge high volume store, still has THH sitting on the shelf at $69 and I have seen very recently in a few other stores as well.

[ethangsmith]

I'm glad I live near Maryland- Pikesville Rye is only about $12.00 a bottle (80pf and 3yo and dang tasty!) and readily available. Rittenhouse, baby saz, Overholt, Beam rye, and WT rye are all in good supply down there as well. Was able to pick up a bottle of Van Winkle rye as well and saw a few more on the shelf as well.

[Bmac]

Ditto in Houston. The downtown Specs, a huge high volume store, still has THH sitting on the shelf at $69 and I have seen very recently in a few other stores as well.

Yup, I know a place in Dallas that still had THH on the shelf. I bet it's the ssme place O_O

[Wedge]

Here in Iowa, it seems everyone has taken a drink of the Templeton Kool-Aid and purchases no other rye. I see a steady and constant stock of Baby Saz and Ritt at my disposal that goes virtually untouched in the stores. Now, if Templeton would just start making a wheated bourbon for all of the Iowans to flock to, I might have an easier time getting the PVW.

[Restaurant man]

I'm glad I live near Maryland- Pikesville Rye is only about $12.00 a bottle (80pf and 3yo and dang tasty!) and readily available. Rittenhouse, baby saz, Overholt, Beam rye, and WT rye are all in good supply down there as well. Was able to pick up a bottle of Van Winkle rye as well and saw a few more on the shelf as well.

Van winkle rye on the shelf? Last time I saw a bottle on the shelf I woke up before I could buy them all. :bigeyes:

[p_elliott]

Here in Iowa, it seems everyone has taken a drink of the Templeton Kool-Aid and purchases no other rye. I see a steady and constant stock of Baby Saz and Ritt at my disposal that goes virtually untouched in the stores. Now, if Templeton would just start making a wheated bourbon for all of the Iowans to flock to, I might have an easier time getting the PVW.