VOB BiB dropped age statement

[393foureyedfox]

keeping the '6' on the bottle is as shady as Ezra '90' going to 80 proof. When does the 80 proof WT '101' come out?

have some balls and at a minimum just take the label off the neck entirely.

[squire]

I'm gonna have to think about it, stocking up is still buying their product which seems like rewarding bad behavior.

[mbroo5880i]

I figure adding a couple to have over time for comparison is ok but I don't plan to add any more than that or buy cases of it.

[Quantum]

You'll have plenty of time to boycott them later squire.

[squire]

It's adding to the supply that has me in a bit of a quandary and I normally don't require reflection to make up my mind.

[jeffrey r]

Squire, the 6 year will sell anyway--may as well be you who has it. If they're going to put out lesser stuff, may as well buy their better stuff while you can. It's moot for me, as we can't get it here. But I do have most of a handle of the 6 year BIB left from when TPS used to ship. I am bunkering a bit of the Old Charter 10 Year though before that completely disappears.

[qman22]

Keeping the 6 on the neck is such a shady move. I hate that VOB BiB has such a small distribution that I can't have any of the old stuff delivered or drive to anywhere that may carry it to stock up. It's a shame that they couldn't at least keep the bonded version 6 years old. I'm extremely disappointed in Sazerac to say the least...

[393foureyedfox]

you can boycott the new stuff squire, but why pass up the opportunity to buy a few cases of age stated ones....since you like them so much.

besides, I almost think you could bring them to their knees single handedly if you boycotted them from here on.

[393foureyedfox]

i have never been a hoarder of anything, but dammit if this hobby/interest isnt turning me into one. Every time I find something new I like, I get the feeling I better get it while I can, because tomorrow it may be gone for good. Whoever thought thered be days when people flip out over BIB's and stockpiled them?

[squire]

Standards must be maintained Jeffery, transgressors should not be dealt with lightly.

[mbroo5880i]

i have never been a hoarder of anything, but dammit if this hobby/interest isnt turning me into one. Every time I find something new I like, I get the feeling I better get it while I can, because tomorrow it may be gone for good. Whoever thought thered be days when people flip out over BIB's and stockpiled them?

Two stores that had W12 two weeks ago, one of which had plenty, were both empty this week.

[squire]

That 6 on the bottle is just plain insulting and I don't care who else does it.

[White Dog]

Switching products to NAS, especially lower-priced ones, is a trend that has been going on for years. Producers argue that it's maturity, not age, that matters, and that's true to a point. Keeping the '6' on the bottle may be a scam, but it's a venerable one. Many producers have done it. Numbers suggest age without claiming it, like a certain 'Old No. 7.'

Regardless of what they'll claim, it's a different product without the age statement, inevitably, but that doesn't mean it's a bad product. If VOB is in your wheelhouse, don't cut it out of your portfolio just because of this. If it stops tasting good to you, that's a different matter.

Still, I'll miss the old guy. We had a lot of good years together. But all good things come to an end. It's shitstorms that never stop.

A 'venerable scam?' Don't wanna argue with Cowdery, just wanna point out this statement.

[squire]

A damnable scam, a lie is a lie is a lie.

[BigBoldBully]

Sorry for your loss, those of you who hoped you could count on this staying around a while longer, and also to those who (like me) never got to try it. The way they do this in the dark, no warning, and instead with a new label a trusting loyal customer would likely not notice has changed until after the purchase if at all ... it's the "venerable" deception that gets me the most. Just like sazerac did with the fleischmanns rye, ten high, and others. Plain sneaky. Before this, I would have guessed the 8 year statement on the 1792, which is only on the back after all, would vanish first.

[wadewood]

Did you take that pic locally?

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

[weller_tex]

keeping the '6' on the bottle is as shady as Ezra '90' going to 80 proof. When does the 80 proof WT '101' come out?

have some balls and at a minimum just take the label off the neck entirely.

Agreed..at least Weller did that with WSR and OWA....

[weller_tex]

A 'venerable scam?' Don't wanna argue with Cowdery, just wanna point out this statement.

Just because everyone else does it does not make it right...it's pretty chicken-shit.

[mbroo5880i]

The consumer can walk with their feet but I don't know how much of a message this sends since it is difficult to get a broad group of consumers to find unity on anything. Of course, a smaller subset of the market could push back. For example, the retailers could push back on the distributors by telling them that they don't want misleading products in their stores. This in turn might lead the distributors to push back on the distilleries. Unfortunately, most retailers probably don't know or care about the change.

In the end, regardless of the end product (same, better, worse), producers have a moral responsibility to inform consumers of changes in products. Otherwise, it is the same as stealing. Coca-Cola told us when they changed "the formula." Of course, that didn't turn out well. But, they were smart enough to realize that the consumer would notice. A simple press release explaining the change and rationale would go a long way toward establishing good will.

[sutton]

Just because everyone else does it does not make it right...it's pretty chicken-shit.

Agree, and the logic of it makes no sense to me - it is clearly meant to deceive the less knowledgable consumer, in which case, why bother with a deceptive ploy to mimic an age statement at all? Are those consumers really paying that close attention?

Who it really burns is the loyal consumer, who would continue to buy as they just grab off the shelf what they've always grabbed since it looks so similar. And since the taste may take a year or more to change noticeably, by the time they realize "it just ain't what it used to be" they may never really know what happened. Nice way to treat those who have been your best repeat customers.

[gblick]

Those greedy bastards! :hot:

They screwed up Weller and now VOB which we just started getting here not too long ago....what's next?

[squire]

It stinks like last weeks diapers.

[Beer&Bourbon]

so is HH BIB white the only cheap(sub $15), good, age stated bourbon left?

I still maintain that once EW BIB gets established nationwide, that the HH 6 year will suddenly disappear.

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...

[Jackinbox]

keeping the '6' on the bottle is as shady as Ezra '90' going to 80 proof. When does the 80 proof WT '101' come out?

Reminds me of the AAA 10 year and the AAA 10 star.

[MyOldKyDram]

Bought HH wl about a week ago and it still had the age statement. Hope that's still the case or else fuuuuuuuuuuuuuudge.