bourbonfoot Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 I will say that there appears to be ample ETL 90 proof in Virginia. Not as cheap as last year when it could be bought on sale for $25 but then not bad at $32. Go figure.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryT Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 Love Fridays to begin with, and getting a call from "the connection" informing me he has a bottle that just came in with my name on it - freaking great way to start the evening commute! Checked out at 4:47pm, and had some in the glass by 5:15pm. I won't lie - reminds me of ETL Not doing a sbs, but doesn't seem any different - which I'm 110% fine with. Been spoiled on some private picks, but glad to toast Mr. Lee with this pour tonight. Cheers! :toast: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TunnelTiger Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 Bottles of both in the SUV and will be doing a side by side all weekend! Life is good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petrel800 Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 Love Fridays to begin with, and getting a call from "the connection" informing me he has a bottle that just came in with my name on it - freaking great way to start the evening commute! Checked out at 4:47pm, and had some in the glass by 5:15pm. I won't lie - reminds me of ETL Not doing a sbs, but doesn't seem any different - which I'm 110% fine with. Been spoiled on some private picks, but glad to toast Mr. Lee with this pour tonight. Cheers! :toast: While I'd love to have a bottle, I passed up several marked up versions on the way home from KY, cheapest one was $49.99, this makes me happy I didn't get overly excited to pay more than retail on it. Glad it tastes good, and if I come across one at retail, count me in with you, but like you I'm so spoiled with those GBS bottles downstairs. Maybe I'll crack one and toast to Elmer tonight as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwvoytus Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 So I would like some opinions on the following situation. There's a liquor store about 20 minutes from me that I frequent, probably buying either a bottle of wine or bourbon every month or so. I don't know the "bourbon guy" there- I have just never come across him when I have been there, but rather just the regular workers. Anyway, I frequently check their website to see what they have in, since they have a good selection and lots of store picked barrels. I checked the site this morning and saw the ETL Com for $35. Said there were 5 in stock. Rather than order online, I drive down to the store. Check the shelves, nothing. I ask an employee, who doesn't know anything. Another employee tells me they don't have it. I show the guy their website in my phone indicating 5 in stock. He runs off to check, comes back and says it must be a mistake. Okay, fine. So I am walking out, and I notice a guy with a cart and lo and behold, there's a bottle of the ETL Com. I ask him where he got it, and he says "the special place. Ask the bourbon guy right there." The bourbon guy heard our whole conversation. So I say hello and ask if it would be possible to get a bottle. He says no. I ask if they're all spoken for, and he doesn't really answer me. He just kind of mumbles something about only getting 6 bottles. Fine. So I walk out of the store, get in my car, and pull up the website, which still lists 5 of the ETL Com. Not regular ETL. So I say, screw it, I am going to order one and see what happens. So the order went through, but I don't yet have my confirmation that the order is filled and ready for pickup. My full expectation is that I will get an email saying the bottle I ordered is no longer available or something similar. I will update whenever I find out for sure. Now, I understand putting aside bottles for customers. But two employees just flat out lied to me and told me they didn't have it, when they did. The "bourbon guy" wouldn't sell me a bottle despite the fact he wouldn't say that the bottles were actually spoken for. If he said that, fine, I get it. I understand that he doesn't know me, but I did pick out the bottle from a pile in a random cart, so I am clearly not uninformed. And the store was stupid enough to list it on their website and allow me to "purchase" it. If the bourbon guy calls me up and says, listen, I promised the bottle to someone, it was a mistake to put it on the website, I am fine with that. (they have my phone number on the order) But if the store just sends me a generic cancellation, I am going to be kind of pissed. Anyone have any thoughts about this situation? Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smknjoe Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 (edited) That sounds like the flagship Spec's in Downtown Houston...I don't shop there anymore because of bullshit almost exactly like what you described. The bottom line is they can and do whatever they hell they want and they don't care if you get mad and don't shop there anymore. I actually wrote an email to the President of the company and told him how horrible the service was and that I wasn't going to shop there and he politely responded with a "well you got one bottle of what you wanted so why does it matter if the service sucks?" That's paraphrased, not an exact quote. No store cares about one customer and most will tell you that. This is why I don't trust what store employees and distributors tell me. They lie either deliberately or just because they don't know the answer but feel they have to tell you something. If I treated my clients like that I would be out of business so fast my head would spin. Spend your money somewhere else. There are 2 main stores I frequent now and they are always friendly and even know my name. Edited May 3, 2014 by smknjoe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwvoytus Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 Apparently things are similar everywhere. I am in NJSent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryT Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 While I'd love to have a bottle, I passed up several marked up versions on the way home from KY, cheapest one was $49.99, this makes me happy I didn't get overly excited to pay more than retail on it. Glad it tastes good, and if I come across one at retail, count me in with you, but like you I'm so spoiled with those GBS bottles downstairs. Maybe I'll crack one and toast to Elmer tonight as well.I'll bring mine to the next GBS event for everyone who hasn't had a chance to try it yet. I think I would have passed at $50 too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HP12 Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 So I would like some opinions on the following situation. There's a liquor store about 20 minutes from me that I frequent, probably buying either a bottle of wine or bourbon every month or so. I don't know the "bourbon guy" there- I have just never come across him when I have been there, but rather just the regular workers. Anyway, I frequently check their website to see what they have in, since they have a good selection and lots of store picked barrels. I checked the site this morning and saw the ETL Com for $35. Said there were 5 in stock. Rather than order online, I drive down to the store. Check the shelves, nothing. I ask an employee, who doesn't know anything. Another employee tells me they don't have it. I show the guy their website in my phone indicating 5 in stock. He runs off to check, comes back and says it must be a mistake. Okay, fine. So I am walking out, and I notice a guy with a cart and lo and behold, there's a bottle of the ETL Com. I ask him where he got it, and he says "the special place. Ask the bourbon guy right there." The bourbon guy heard our whole conversation. So I say hello and ask if it would be possible to get a bottle. He says no. I ask if they're all spoken for, and he doesn't really answer me. He just kind of mumbles something about only getting 6 bottles. Fine. So I walk out of the store, get in my car, and pull up the website, which still lists 5 of the ETL Com. Not regular ETL. So I say, screw it, I am going to order one and see what happens. So the order went through, but I don't yet have my confirmation that the order is filled and ready for pickup. My full expectation is that I will get an email saying the bottle I ordered is no longer available or something similar. I will update whenever I find out for sure. Now, I understand putting aside bottles for customers. But two employees just flat out lied to me and told me they didn't have it, when they did. The "bourbon guy" wouldn't sell me a bottle despite the fact he wouldn't say that the bottles were actually spoken for. If he said that, fine, I get it. I understand that he doesn't know me, but I did pick out the bottle from a pile in a random cart, so I am clearly not uninformed. And the store was stupid enough to list it on their website and allow me to "purchase" it. If the bourbon guy calls me up and says, listen, I promised the bottle to someone, it was a mistake to put it on the website, I am fine with that. (they have my phone number on the order) But if the store just sends me a generic cancellation, I am going to be kind of pissed. Anyone have any thoughts about this situation? Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bourbonfoot Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 You have a great amount of patience. I agree if a bottle is "spoken" for it's okay, but it sounds like these guys treated you pretty poorly, directly to you. I hope you can find some better stores in the area, and find some of the commemorative to enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squire Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 I would leave by the same door I entered and shake the dust off my feet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulO Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 It seems to me, hooking customers up with bourbon is the one and only requirement to be the "bourbon guy". I'm sure there are plenty of other stores around NJ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HighHorse Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 Finding a liquor store where the employees go out of their way to help you is rare. Too rare. A properly trained employee .. any of them and not just the "bourbon guy" .. would have told you he only got one case and those are committed but that he'd take your name and number in the event more come in. Most stores today hire the cheapest labor the;y can and those folks really don't give a shit about the owner's customers or .. the owner. Complaining doesn't seem to help at all considering that the attitude in the store is that nobody there gives a damn. Hate it when that happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcbt Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 Finding a liquor store where the employees go out of their way to help you is rare. Too rare. It ain't just the liquor biz. Good service is getting rarer and rarer with each passing day... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restaurant man Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 I plan on buying a few bottles if I can. I'm gonna flip em. Into my mouth about 2oz at a time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HP12 Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 It ain't just the liquor biz. Good service is getting rarer and rarer with each passing day... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwvoytus Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 The expected end to the story:Joseph,I am sorry but this item is not available. I will cancel your order.Thank youHeather"Best Customer Service" Liquor Store (name withheld, although at least one of you figured out who it was)MY RESPONSE:Heather, I know for a fact that it was in stock, because I saw a shopper who had a bottle. And your "bourbon guy" confirmed he had it, he just didn't want to sell it to me. I didn't put it in your online system, *you* did. This is terrible business practice, and you've just lost a customer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcbt Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 The expected end to the story:Joseph,I am sorry but this item is not available. I will cancel your order.Thank youHeather"Best Customer Service" Liquor Store (name withheld, although at least one of you figured out who it was)MY RESPONSE:Heather, I know for a fact that it was in stock, because I saw a shopper who had a bottle. And your "bourbon guy" confirmed he had it, he just didn't want to sell it to me. I didn't put it in your online system, *you* did. This is terrible business practice, and you've just lost a customer.She forgot one important detail in her email:Joseph,I am sorry but this item is not available to you. I will cancel your order.Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TunnelTiger Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 It ain't just the liquor biz. Good service is getting rarer and rarer with each passing day...Actually in my area most customer service has improved dramatically over the last 5 - 6 yrs especially in restaurants. I believe it a direct result of the recession and lack of customers when it was at it's worst. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwvoytus Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 Another local retailer listed the ETL Com on their site. I ordered one for me and one for my dad. The price? $28 each. No "bourbon guy" approval necessary. Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwvoytus Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 (edited) I blind tasted ETL and ETL Com three times over a half hour, and preferred the Com all 3. Could be sheer coincidence, or perhaps they were saving the "better" bottles for the limited release. Edit: 4 for 4Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk Edited May 5, 2014 by jwvoytus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smknjoe Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 It's single barrel. So, you could have just gotten a better barrel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwvoytus Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 It's single barrel. So, you could have just gotten a better barrel.Also trueSent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squire Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 Perhaps the Bourbon Guy's job is to filter customers. Wouldn't want the wrong sort to be cluttering up the place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sailor22 Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 The Bourbon guy was obviously part of their sales prevention team. Sorta like the guy in charge of single barrel picks for OGD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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