What's Your Luckiest/Best Liquor Store Find?

[Trey Manthey]

This actually happened a few weeks ago.

I was just driving along, minding my own business, when out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the tell-tall sign of a dusty treasure trove: a giant store sign that said "LIQUOR". Knowing that I had already spent all of my unemployment check, and maxed out my dad's credit card, I thought twice, but the temptation was overpowering, and I felt my hands moving the steering wheel towards the parking lot. As I walked towards the entrance and through the doors, my feet felt heavy and my breath quickened, like I was being hunted by some unseen beast. It was all I could do to keep me from turning around, where I imagined I would see the disapproving glare of my wife. I plodded towards the whiskey section and started sweeping the shelves like a starving hyena. My mouth watered. Suddenly, as if in a dream, a peculiar red label adorned with a wooded glen and a foraging deer came into view. I felt waves of nausea and excitement as I realized what I was looking at...the fabled Black Maple Hill, LIMITED EDITION. Beads of sweat started running down my forehead as I extended my arm towards the shelf. Imagine my clenched butt cheeks when upon lifting this Holy Grail from the shelf when I realized there where multiple bottles in repose behind the first. I sputtered and yelped while filling my arms. The best part was the price: $52.99! Without hesitation, I decided to buy every bottle on the shelf, but I would need a cart. I hid the bottles I was holding behind some flavored vodka and dashed to the front of the store, practically vomiting with anticipation. As I marched back to the whiskey section, I realized there was another shopper in the area, and he was standing just a couple feet away from my find. My heart sunk as I realized that he might subtract from the cache that I had already mentally claimed as my own! My mind darted back and forth as I clenched my fists tried to think of ways I could take him out quietly from behind. I was poised to strike when a miracle happened; he grabbed a handle of Buffalo Trace and walked away. HAHAHAHA! THAT FOOL! Chuckling softly, I started to load the rest of the BMH into my cart. Tears of joy started cascading on the the labels, which caused a brief panic. Tear stained labels greatly reduce trade/resell value, as you know. I wiped them dry, and waited until the store was empty to head to the front to complete my purchase. Seconds turned to minutes, minutes to hours, as I loaded bottle after bottle onto the counter. The eyes of the clerk grew wide as he started to scan each one and bag it. As he reached towards a bottle, his clumsy hands knocked it over, causing it to clank violently against the other bottles and the counter. I moaned and shouted, "Imbecile! Do you know what consequences you might have wrought?" My mind clearing, I focused on completing the transaction and moving to the next step of this age old dance. Upon reaching my vehicle, I took stock of my haul: 32 bottles. A nice even number. I figured I could arrange them on the hood of my car, or maybe along the roof in some geometric pattern. Being a particularly windy day, I decided to lay them down on a bed of towels in the back of my truck. I took the picture. Taking one bottle into the driver's seat with me, I snapped a photo of the bottle in my right hand, next to the shift stick. Another with the bottle between my legs. Arriving home, I arranged them all again on my kitchen counter, and snapped the final photo and uploaded the whole bunch to facebook. My post was short and sweet:

"FS/FT"

[c2walker]

I went hunting with a friend about a year ago and it was a grind for most of the day. We weren't finding much and the day was almost over. We walked into a dingy store in a small town that had a surprisingly good bourbon selection. There we found 2 bottles of WTRR 10/101. We asked the clerk if he had any more and he said no, but gave us the name of the owner who was at the sister store, about 40-50 miles away...in the wrong direction. We call, can't really get a straight answer as to whether their RR is 90 proof or 101 proof, but decide to head over there anyway, effectively ending our hunting trip. Upon arrival the owner pulls out 4 bottles of WTRR 10/101. Sweet! 6 bottles now! 3 each is pretty good. Again, we ask if he has more, to which he replies yes, but you can't have it for the price of those 4 (which was something like $26) and they're in is warehouse. We say that's okay, we're willing to go a bit higher (I think he wanted $30) if he went and picked them up right then. We wait about 30 minutes for him to return and in the back of his pickup are 2 sealed cases. Total = 30 bottles. At that point he pulled out a WT Tribute for us too. Prior to this day I had never found a single WTRR 10/101, but I had tried it and marked it as one of my top 5 dusties, which only added to the excitement of the find.

[393foureyedfox]

Total = 30 bottles. Prior to this day I had never found a single WTRR 10/101, but I had tried it and marked it as one of my top 5 dusties, which only added to the excitement of the find.

nice score! finding loads of something that is one of your favorites is awesome. I hope you kept them all, for years of enjoyment.

[bingstein]

I went hunting with a friend about a year ago and it was a grind for most of the day. We weren't finding much and the day was almost over. We walked into a dingy store in a small town that had a surprisingly good bourbon selection. There we found 2 bottles of WTRR 10/101. We asked the clerk if he had any more and he said no, but gave us the name of the owner who was at the sister store, about 40-50 miles away...in the wrong direction. We call, can't really get a straight answer as to whether their RR is 90 proof or 101 proof, but decide to head over there anyway, effectively ending our hunting trip. Upon arrival the owner pulls out 4 bottles of WTRR 10/101. Sweet! 6 bottles now! 3 each is pretty good. Again, we ask if he has more, to which he replies yes, but you can't have it for the price of those 4 (which was something like $26) and they're in is warehouse. We say that's okay, we're willing to go a bit higher (I think he wanted $30) if he went and picked them up right then. We wait about 30 minutes for him to return and in the back of his pickup are 2 sealed cases. Total = 30 bottles. At that point he pulled out a WT Tribute for us too. Prior to this day I had never found a single WTRR 10/101, but I had tried it and marked it as one of my top 5 dusties, which only added to the excitement of the find.

I remember you telling me that story when I first joined SB.com and before I had any appreciation whatsoever for dusty WTs. I had forgotten about it until I read your post and now I'm gonna jump out my office window.

[Eskwar]

I've got nothin' on most of y'all's tales, but I think these two were the most meaningful and memorable. I only got into "goal" bourbon mid-2012. One of my first hunts netted this lone Old Fitz Prime. It was on the bottom shelf where it belonged, though out of sunlight, and stamped '88 on the bottom, so I can cross that off my list. It may only be an 80-pf-er, but it's *my* 80-pf-er, and I found it *on my own* in its natural habitat, and for < $4 to boot. As to that PVW, even in 2012, I knew to not expect too much when I asked a manager I didn't know at a new store to put me on The List--I didn't even bother asking for PVW; I just hoped for a humble WLW or Saz 18 to trickle down to the bottom of the list. A few weeks later, I got the call: the manager had decided "what-the-hell" and moved me to the top of list solely b/c I'd been in the day before and he, as an expectant father, liked the way I interacted with my two little kids! I walked out w/ the lone PVW 23 for a cool $300. (Hold your laughter--when you average that w/ the Old Fitz Prime, that's only $150 for two bucket-list bottles.) The gravy? The bottle code puts the PVW 23 as being bottled in 2008. Looking forward to doing a SBS of these two mid-1980s-distilled cousins on what'll have to be a very, very special occasion for me. (And you'd better believe I've become a very loyal customer of the then-new store and a sharing friend to that manager.)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[smokinjoe]

I remember you telling me that story when I first joined SB.com and before I had any appreciation whatsoever for dusty WTs. I had forgotten about it until I read your post and now I'm gonna jump out my office window.

That is a great story, isn't it? No need to resort to such dire actions though, Bingy. It is indeed a great find, that you simply must tip your hat to. Now, if that store was located across the street from your office? Then, jump...

[bingstein]

That is a great story, isn't it? No need to resort to such dire actions though, Bingy. It is indeed a great find, that you simply must tip your hat to. Now, if that store was located across the street from your office? Then, jump...

My office is on the ground floor. I think it would only result in a few stitches and a trip to the unemployment office.

[michaelturtle1]

I really like this thread helps relive all the good times I had hunting.. Another "lucky" find was hunting in a large east coast city I wandered into a store that was on a major road heading back home after my buddy and I were "finished" hunting for the day.. Did not expect much as it was on a major road that is easily accessible and in a bad part of town but very high traffic.. Looking around I see a few 80 proof 86259 Old Crows sitting on the shelf and grabbed a few just to add to the collection, my buddy is just kind of staring at the shelves and not seeing a whole lot. The store owner moves the bottles to the register and when she is ringing me up I notice a large bottle with foil wrapping the neck, after 5 minutes of trying to point to the damn thing she finally reaches down and grabs a Half Gallon of Old Fitz BIB distilled 1967 and bottled in 1973.. once she pulls that out it opens up the shelf and I start seeing a bunch of Old Grand dad half Gallons. In total from the store my buddy and I got 4 Old Crow 375s, '73 Old Fitz BIB half gallon, '73 OGD BIB half gallon, '77 OGD BIB half Gallon, 2 86 proof OGD 1.75's and a '78 liter of OGD 86.. the owner initially would not sell so I whipped out a $100 bill and she immediately said yes.. not a bad score for $100

This stopped us in our tracks with going home, we hit the very next store and found a shelf full of 200s,375s, and 750s of Old Fitz BIB. The owner was more than happy to sell it all to us and told us to come back as he had more. 5 trips back to the store yielded a total of 40 200s 20 375s and 3 750s!! not a bad day at all

Edited January 21, 2014 by michaelturtle1

[michaelturtle1]

This actually happened a few weeks ago.

I was just driving along, minding my own business, when out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the tell-tall sign of a dusty treasure trove: a giant store sign that said "LIQUOR". Knowing that I had already spent all of my unemployment check, and maxed out my dad's credit card, I thought twice, but the temptation was overpowering, and I felt my hands moving the steering wheel towards the parking lot. As I walked towards the entrance and through the doors, my feet felt heavy and my breath quickened, like I was being hunted by some unseen beast. It was all I could do to keep me from turning around, where I imagined I would see the disapproving glare of my wife. I plodded towards the whiskey section and started sweeping the shelves like a starving hyena. My mouth watered. Suddenly, as if in a dream, a peculiar red label adorned with a wooded glen and a foraging deer came into view. I felt waves of nausea and excitement as I realized what I was looking at...the fabled Black Maple Hill, LIMITED EDITION. Beads of sweat started running down my forehead as I extended my arm towards the shelf. Imagine my clenched butt cheeks when upon lifting this Holy Grail from the shelf when I realized there where multiple bottles in repose behind the first. I sputtered and yelped while filling my arms. The best part was the price: $52.99! Without hesitation, I decided to buy every bottle on the shelf, but I would need a cart. I hid the bottles I was holding behind some flavored vodka and dashed to the front of the store, practically vomiting with anticipation. As I marched back to the whiskey section, I realized there was another shopper in the area, and he was standing just a couple feet away from my find. My heart sunk as I realized that he might subtract from the cache that I had already mentally claimed as my own! My mind darted back and forth as I clenched my fists tried to think of ways I could take him out quietly from behind. I was poised to strike when a miracle happened; he grabbed a handle of Buffalo Trace and walked away. HAHAHAHA! THAT FOOL! Chuckling softly, I started to load the rest of the BMH into my cart. Tears of joy started cascading on the the labels, which caused a brief panic. Tear stained labels greatly reduce trade/resell value, as you know. I wiped them dry, and waited until the store was empty to head to the front to complete my purchase. Seconds turned to minutes, minutes to hours, as I loaded bottle after bottle onto the counter. The eyes of the clerk grew wide as he started to scan each one and bag it. As he reached towards a bottle, his clumsy hands knocked it over, causing it to clank violently against the other bottles and the counter. I moaned and shouted, "Imbecile! Do you know what consequences you might have wrought?" My mind clearing, I focused on completing the transaction and moving to the next step of this age old dance. Upon reaching my vehicle, I took stock of my haul: 32 bottles. A nice even number. I figured I could arrange them on the hood of my car, or maybe along the roof in some geometric pattern. Being a particularly windy day, I decided to lay them down on a bed of towels in the back of my truck. I took the picture. Taking one bottle into the driver's seat with me, I snapped a photo of the bottle in my right hand, next to the shift stick. Another with the bottle between my legs. Arriving home, I arranged them all again on my kitchen counter, and snapped the final photo and uploaded the whole bunch to facebook. My post was short and sweet:

"FS/FT"

Trey, I dont' often say this to a man but I think I Love You!! That is so disgustingly true and awesome at the same time!!

[Oboe Cadobro]

V17 ryed version x 3

This newbie wonders what "V17" is...no mention of it in the abbreviation thread...:blush:

[jersey12]

This newbie wonders what "V17" is...no mention of it in the abbreviation thread...:blush:

[Grain Belt]

I saw a wheated V17 in my earlier days of hunting and had no idea what it was. It was priced in the 30's and I could not believe someone would pay such a price as I grabbed a JBB. I still like a little 8 year old Beam now and again but I do admit I am curious what the V17 was like. Maybe a thread could be made on bonehead passes.

[Brisko]

I have about half a bottle still of V17 that I'd be happy to pour for you guys. It's very good but not great. I paid $55 or so if I recall. I certainly don't regret buying it but I'm not shedding any tears over not picking up more.

/I like it best in a quasi SB blend: 4:1 OWA with V17.

Back on topic: best find was probably KCSB for $20. Saz 18 and WLW at retail a couple years ago was fun, too.

[devillighter]

I really like this thread helps relive all the good times I had hunting.. Another "lucky" find was hunting in a large east coast city I wandered into a store that was on a major road heading back home after my buddy and I were "finished" hunting for the day.. Did not expect much as it was on a major road that is easily accessible and in a bad part of town but very high traffic.. Looking around I see a few 80 proof 86259 Old Crows sitting on the shelf and grabbed a few just to add to the collection, my buddy is just kind of staring at the shelves and not seeing a whole lot. The store owner moves the bottles to the register and when she is ringing me up I notice a large bottle with foil wrapping the neck, after 5 minutes of trying to point to the damn thing she finally reaches down and grabs a Half Gallon of Old Fitz BIB distilled 1967 and bottled in 1973.. once she pulls that out it opens up the shelf and I start seeing a bunch of Old Grand dad half Gallons. In total from the store my buddy and I got 4 Old Crow 375s, '73 Old Fitz BIB half gallon, '73 OGD BIB half gallon, '77 OGD BIB half Gallon, 2 86 proof OGD 1.75's and a '78 liter of OGD 86.. the owner initially would not sell so I whipped out a $100 bill and she immediately said yes.. not a bad score for $100

This stopped us in our tracks with going home, we hit the very next store and found a shelf full of 200s,375s, and 750s of Old Fitz BIB. The owner was more than happy to sell it all to us and told us to come back as he had more. 5 trips back to the store yielded a total of 40 200s 20 375s and 3 750s!! not a bad day at all

That was a great day. Especially sweet after many hours of finding zilch.

[michaelturtle1]

That was a great day. Especially sweet after many hours of finding zilch.

I was looking at the pics and other than the Ritt 21 and the stuff we pulled out of the "scotch" store we really did terrible.. until the last 5 stores..

[White Dog]

I saw a wheated V17 in my earlier days of hunting and had no idea what it was. It was priced in the 30's and I could not believe someone would pay such a price as I grabbed a JBB. I still like a little 8 year old Beam now and again but I do admit I am curious what the V17 was like. Maybe a thread could be made on bonehead passes.

[sdchap00]

Despite being a long-time (though mostly lurking) member, I only got into dusty hunting about 4-5 years ago. In 2010, I finally visited a store in a dodgier part of town (the town being Lexington, Ky.) only to find what I would later figure out was the motherlode, at least to me. Over the course of a few months, I pulled the following out of the store: 1 original batch Bakers, 1 BHC Harper, 1 BHC Dickel, 2 ER 10/101 NOLA, and 3 WT CGF, all at original prices. The best part: when I finally bought the WT, the guy gave me a 10% discount. I don't know how this stuff survived as long as it did in the wild in Lexington, but that was the beginning of a pretty obsessive search here in town. Within a few months of that find, I was lucky enough to grab a 1.75 OT from 1983, 2 BHC VSOF (Louisville), and 3 bottles of MellowMash (though 2 of those were in a town a few miles south.

That said, the most excited I ever got was when I found the only bottle of Weller Centennial (Frankfort) I've ever seen, and which I bought for $27. (True story: at the same store, the guy had a pint of ER 101 NOLA behind the counter for $30+, apparently having heard it was rare. I bought my Weller quietly and left. Sadly, having finally had the ER 101 NOLA, I really wish I'd bought that bottle.)

[bingstein]

Despite being a long-time (though mostly lurking) member, I only got into dusty hunting about 4-5 years ago. In 2010, I finally visited a store in a dodgier part of town (the town being Lexington, Ky.) only to find what I would later figure out was the motherlode, at least to me. Over the course of a few months, I pulled the following out of the store: 1 original batch Bakers, 1 BHC Harper, 1 BHC Dickel, 2 ER 10/101 NOLA, and 3 WT CGF, all at original prices. The best part: when I finally bought the WT, the guy gave me a 10% discount. I don't know how this stuff survived as long as it did in the wild in Lexington, but that was the beginning of a pretty obsessive search here in town. Within a few months of that find, I was lucky enough to grab a 1.75 OT from 1983, 2 BHC VSOF (Louisville), and 3 bottles of MellowMash (though 2 of those were in a town a few miles south.

That said, the most excited I ever got was when I found the only bottle of Weller Centennial (Frankfort) I've ever seen, and which I bought for $27. (True story: at the same store, the guy had a pint of ER 101 NOLA behind the counter for $30+, apparently having heard it was rare. I bought my Weller quietly and left. Sadly, having finally had the ER 101 NOLA, I really wish I'd bought that bottle.)

I'm quite pleased you were such a diligent hunter back then. It's allowed me to try some amazing pours. Now one day we'll crack a Mellow Mash...