Shipping help

[grantsi]

Quick question...I have been traveling for a few weeks and have acquired quite a few (7 and counting ) bottles if bourbon ( including pvw20, pvw15, BTAC GTS and WLW ) however, with 4 days before I go home, travel is shaping up to be difficult. I have a good sized collection at home and am very diligent to monitor storage conditions ( light, humidity, temp etc... ). All bottles are stored standing up to prevent cork damage.

For my current dilemma, I am thinking of UPS'ing the bottles to myself....would the bottles sitting on their side for 2-3 days cause any damage or is it unlikely to matter given the short time period? Thanks in advance.

[jaycamm]

They should be fine.

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[oke&coke]

Never had any issues with bottles being shipped to Hawaii and it sometimes takes up to a week to get here.

[MauiSon]

"Fragile - This Side Up" How hard is that?

[393foureyedfox]

youve obviously never worked for a carrier.....it will be put upright, on its side, upside down....you name it.

It's not gonna matter. Just pad the shit out of it. With the price of those bottles, I think I'd put it in a cardboard tube and THEN pad the hsit out of it inside a box.

[squire]

The bottles should not suffer any damage from positions but might from handling. A rifle shipped to a gunsmith I know arrived at his shop with the barrel sticking out of it's shatterproof aluminum case, curtsey of UPS.

[grantsi]

Thanks...I will be taking extreme padding precautions, and will of course write "this side up" etc...on the box. That said, I won't put much faith in the men and women of UPS ( although to be fair, they have never damaged a package )...I was just ensuring 3-4 days of booze on the corks won't cause permanent damage. I'll give it a go. Thanks everyone.

[DrBob]

keep in mind you can check up to 5 liters of less than 140 proof n your baggage on US airlines. I do this all the time when going on business trips, would at least do this with the most expensive bottles if you can.

[DBM]

Don't worry about cork damage. Just think what those bottles go through on their journey from Kentucky to an in-state distributor, then to your retailer. A few days on the cork isn't going to do any perceivable damage, and the cork won't continue to be affected by the alcohol after the bottle is returned to an upright position and the cork dries out.

As for transportation, I buy a cardboard box and 100' of large bubble wrap from a U-Haul store for transporting large quantities as checked baggage. I individually wrap each bottle, then pad the interior of the box and stuff any gaps. Never had a problem except one that was minor and will never happen again. I had a bottle of OC10 that was unopened and was sealed enough to toss around, but the screw cap was just loose enough to leak about a tablespoon of bourbon into the box. Didn't saturate anything, but the smell of bourbon as I unpacked was disoncerting until I found the cause. I tighten down the screw caps now.

[mark fleetwood]

Quick question...I have been traveling for a few weeks and have acquired quite a few (7 and counting ) bottles if bourbon ( including pvw20, pvw15, BTAC GTS and WLW ) however, with 4 days before I go home, travel is shaping up to be difficult. I have a good sized collection at home and am very diligent to monitor storage conditions ( light, humidity, temp etc... ). All bottles are stored standing up to prevent cork damage.

For my current dilemma, I am thinking of UPS'ing the bottles to myself....would the bottles sitting on their side for 2-3 days cause any damage or is it unlikely to matter given the short time period? Thanks in advance.

[grantsi]

It wasn't all luck...I knew I'd been visitng various towns and made calls weeks in advance. There is a wine dealer in NC who I have done business with in the past who made my life easier.

The bottles are now in the back of a ups truck...they are as safely wrapped as i could hope for so now I just need to count on ups doing their job

[tanstaafl2]

Too late for this trip but I like to use "wine diapers" that help protect most standard shaped bottles and catch leaks if they happen. I also diligently save packing material from internet spirits shippers. My favorite come from Astor Wines I think which are plastic air filled cocoons that also fit most standard shaped bottles. Seem to work well to protect bottles in luggage if they are well secured in the depths of your checked luggage.

My max so far was 17 bottles that found their way home with me in my luggage from London.

I also think it is a good idea to apply extra tape to bottles that don't appear to have a substantial plastic or foil cover on the cap or that have been opened already. Angels Envy comes to mind. They use a paper strip over the cap that seems a bit fragile.

And of course always tighten those screw caps! I have learned that lesson the hard way as well.

[Brisko]

I tighten down the screw caps now.

Wrap them with electrical tape.

[Conquistador]

I also think it is a good idea to apply extra tape to bottles that don't appear to have a substantial plastic or foil cover on the cap or that have been opened already.

Edited November 23, 2013 by Conquistador

[horn1602]

Ok, I've never tried to send bourbon to anyone but want to send 4-5 bottles to an unfortunate friend who lives in a very bourbon-poor town. Can you guys help me with the best way to do this? I know to pack everything very carefully, but what company will ship bottles of liquor (UPS, Fedex, other)? Do I have to pack the box before going to the store and tell them it's something else? Can I just take them in and pack them there? I'm trying to send from CO to NM (too far to drive obviously). An help/suggestions are greatly appreciated.

[docbible]

I pack and seal the box before I go to ship. I ship UPS only because it is near to my house but have received FedEx without any problems. If asked, I am shipping collectable glass. Bubble wrap around the bottle, placed in a golf club box cut to size, into a larger box with peanuts, Tape well , and off to the UPS store. Tim

[BigBoldBully]

Time for an update as to whether they arrived safely, or whether the antler of a GTS was sticking out of the box when it arrived?

[wadewood]

Remember that it's against both Fedex and UPS policies to ship spirits as an individual. For the most part it's don't ask don't tell. The best way to insure the don't ask is create online account, create shipment label online, then just drop off at designated ship point. I like to add a few beans to box to mask the sloshing sound.

Also, since you are violating their policies, don't expect them to insure package if damaged. But if you pack well, the odds of being damaged are very low.

[rndenks]

I had a friend visiting his wife's family in Europe a while back, and her family across the pond loved Black Velvet. So he took like 6 bottles packed in his luggage. All but on popped it's seal during the flight because of the air pressure I am guessing. He was in for treat when he arrived. Spent the entire first day doing laundry.

[squire]

Had that happen with some bottles of Rum brought in from the Caribbean back in the 70s, real mess but a great scent.

[dSculptor]

I like to add a few beans to box to mask the sloshing sound.

I like that idea!

[r60slash5]

I just came back from Florida with 6 bottles and 2 long stemmed tasting glasses in my luggage. Packed in Vinny bags. I was pretty sure at least the glasses wouldn't make it. Every thing was fine.

Ted