VOB BiB dropped age statement

[squire]

And the Wild Turkey 8 year becoming No. 8, Jack Daniels dropping from 90 proof to 86, I could go on but it's too depressing.

[buoy37]

Yes that was the Costco liquor store at Willowbrook mall area.

Looks like I'll be grabbing a few VOB 6/86 during my lunch break.

Thanks for the reply.

[JPBoston]

Very depressing indeed. Being relatively new to this hobby (3 yrs now)... and seeing all these bourbons dropping age statements and watering down supply is saddening. Seems like I got in the game just soon enough to realize what we're missing.

Like others have said... insult to injury is the misleading labels. The damnable part is that it seems to be targeting the loyal customers who would be quick to grab a bottle without paying much attention to the label.

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[squire]

Won't stay loyal long.

[mbroo5880i]

I stopped at a larger chain store at lunch today. This store normally carries VOB BIB and WL12. They had neither. They had only one age stated VOB 86. The rest were NAS. Given that they have heavily promoted VOB BIB over the past several months, I thought I would still find some. I guess age stated train has already left that station.

[zillah]

Very depressing indeed. Being relatively new to this hobby (3 yrs now)... and seeing all these bourbons dropping age statements and watering down supply is saddening. Seems like I got in the game just soon enough to realize what we're missing.

Like others have said... insult to injury is the misleading labels. The damnable part is that it seems to be targeting the loyal customers who would be quick to grab a bottle without paying much attention to the label.

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Great thing about being a noob is that you never knew what you were missing!

[squire]

Sometimes ignorance isn't bliss.

[393foureyedfox]

someone should send them a link to this thread.

I never saw VOB move very much product, and know few people who drink it anyway. It gets more love on this forum than anywhere in the real world that I see. If that is true, they're really shooting themselves in the foot by making this move. keep the age statement and raise the price a buck....that'd be better than dropping the age statement to most people on here. I never see shortages of VOB, so I dont really see the logic in their move....they dont have higher end brands with this mashbill to explain moving aged product up the price ladder into higher end bourbons.

Id love to hear their side of the story......

[hn4bourbon]

I'm sorry to hear about this. I have never had the pleasure to try the BIB but I have enjoyed the 86 and 90 versions. Not sure if I'm going to go buy a few more. If the quality drops, they'll loose me as a customer.

[squire]

I never see shortages of VOB, so I dont really see the logic in their move....they dont have higher end brands with this mashbill to explain moving aged product up the price ladder into higher end bourbons.

Barton has a number of higher end brands they've used in the past (they've been around quite awhile) and their new owner Sazarec certainly has more expensive labels to support by siphoning off Barton stock. Remember, there are some very expensive NDP Rye brands out there using contract rye whisky that was made by Barton.

The real story? My take anyway. Sazerac has figured out a new customer doing a google search on Barton will find good comments about the brand on the whisky boards. So there's already a positive public perception out there that didn't cost them a cent in advertizing dollars.

They said the brand will be expanded nationally so I expect what we'll see now is 4 year old Kentucky Tavern with a bit higher proof wearing a Barton label.

[brettckeen]

Barton could easily reintroduce one of their dormant labels, particularly the 8 & 10 age stated ones, or just use the old stock to stretch out their basic supply to make it more available Nationwide.

I'd like to see Ten high ten again!

[squire]

You well may, though perhaps not under that label. I'm confident Sazerac will come up with something.

[brettckeen]

You well may, though perhaps not under that label. I'm confident Sazerac will come up with something.

And not in the cool tin with the kentucky fortune cookie inside.

[ethangsmith]

Weren't we just having a discussion a little while back about how Barton isn't distilling frequently? If I recall, some people were rumoring that Sazerac wasn't even having them distill anymore (Which turned out to be false...). BUT, that being said, are their short distilling cycles finally catching up to them???

[White Dog]

Weren't we just having a discussion a little while back about how Barton isn't distilling frequently? If I recall, some people were rumoring that Sazerac wasn't even having them distill anymore (Which turned out to be false...). BUT, that being said, are their short distilling cycles finally catching up to them???

Right? Why isn't Barton distilling more in the middle of a boom?!? It's like certain whiskey writers denying the Rye boom right up until all the Rye was gone.

[mosugoji64]

What what WHAT?!?

I go away for a couple of days and come back to this? Man, this is very disappointing. I have about half of a 750 and a 1.75 left with no opportunity for replacement. This is depressing. :cry:

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[mark fleetwood]

Yeah just leaving the 6 on there and hoping nobody would notice is pretty shitty...

Hate to think this, but one could argue it's a real measure of how much contempt they have for their own customers.

[mark fleetwood]

Think we can pull a Makers and get enough folks complaining about it to make them reconsider? I already know the answer and this bites, especially the way the left the number 6 on label for point of deception.

Wade, I was looking looking for a reason earlier this year to march on Browns office in Frankfort (alas truth about Ten High sticking around squelched my rabble-rousing) but THIS seems more than enough to raise the troops again. Can I offer you a colonelcy? (Of course it's getting cold now, so could we delay our campaign until May or June?)

[qman22]

Hate to think this, but one could argue it's a real measure of how much contempt they have for their own customers.

I agree with this.

[393foureyedfox]

I thought about getting a few today, but wasn't overly enamored in the past with VOB, so I decided against it. Not bad stuff by any means, but not something I have a burning love for either. More for you guys, right?

[ryanc]

Never seen VOB around these parts before.

[TunnelTiger]

Been gone for a few days myself and came back to this, yuck! Rushed out to my bunker and checked the bottle I picked up last week and it is 6 yr. Whew!

I torn between bunkering some more which in a way supporting liars. I've already boycotting WP & WT because of their deceptions. Looks like this list may grow.

[Phil T]

I'm confused by this. My buddy and I picked up several handles of HH white label last year because they were losing the age statement. I even saw some bottles at TPS (handles and 750 mLs) that no longer had the age statement. Has this changed? Did they decide not to drop it from HH white? I think VOB was the last BiB to drop the age statement, but I'd love to be proven wrong...

All the newer handles I've seen, are NAS. I have yet to see a 750 with no age statement

[TunnelTiger]

I'm starting to get paranoid that this is an industry plot to move us serious Bourbon drinkers off the bottom shelf and to higher price points. You have to believe that the big players watch their completion to see what does and what doesn't work and it appears that the NAS is working for them. (Heavy sigh)

[smokinjoe]

How Sazerac/BT handles the Barton part of their business is the epitome of a conundrum wrapped in an enigma. I'm sure there is a plan, but danged if I have a clue as to what it is. So many things just seem not to make sense. :confused: