Has Anyone Ever Retired from the Hunt and Lived to Tell About it?

[bingstein]

In the last year I have gotten married and the wife and I are thinking about having kids and whatnot. Concomitant with those decisions is a forced change in mindset/priorities, which of course has forced me to rethink my approach to bourbon, especially my "acquire everything I see" mentality that I cultivated over the last year. However much "rethinking" I have done, my instincts kick in whenever I see something great and I wind up walking out with it about 99% of the time.

This brings me to my point: has anyone on here other than Squire successfully "retired" from hunting after having spent so much time learning and embracing world-class bourbons? And I don't mean that they have a liquor store owner who sets limited released bottles aside for him/her so there is no need to hunt. I mean just decided, "Hey, what's currently available at the store I always go to is just going to have to be good enough for me." If something falls into your lap that is really awesome then great, but you won't even inquire to your local store about whether it is in or not.

I know this is kind of a similar question to what humanchan2k posted a few months ago about Bourbon Zen, but for me it goes to whether anyone, who presumably spent a long period of time learning about and tasting wonderful bourbons, just gave up the hunt for the unicorns and learned to live with what is readily available (which of course can be great in their own right). And do the great bourbons you have sworn not to pursue haunt you in any way.

I should admit I can't see myself completely foregoing Four Roses limited releases or old Wild Turkey bottles, but I will absolutely have to a) get a promotion, start dealing drugs, or c) cut way back in the upcoming months and years, and I am interested in how people who have been in similar situations have dealt with it.

Note: I will caveat this post by noting that it does not apply to squire, whose feelings about the chaos of chasing limited releases and the value of such releases is well-documented.

[callmeox]

Me.

I took inventory of my cabinets and decided that enough was enough.

I still participate in barrel selections with friends when asked and I will peruse stores in Bardstown when there, but shopping with my hair on fire no longer takes place.

As I have complete sets of both FR LE lines, I will try to keep them current but I will not curl up and die if that doesn't happen.

Acquisition mode has turned to absorption mode for me.

[berto]

Yes. I'm in consumption mode. I'm done calling stores and going all over the place. It's just bourbon. Some of it might be really good bourbon but it's still just bourbon. The rate I consume is so much less than the rate I've been acquiring that I'm set for years. Add my new interest in scotch and rum and the crazy amount of beer that's slowly taking over my house and I won't be parched for a long time. I'm still going to buy but the hunting is finished.

[JVande]

I am almost at that point where enough is enough. I hope to make one last dusty score this week, and semi-retire. Just last night I think it hit me. I have no need for a cheaper "house bourbon" for the daily pour per se. I have so much good hooch, whether it be recent LE's or dusties, that I could drink for the next 12 years and not go thirsty. Also, what is making the decision easier to cut back is ultimately the higher prices, time spent hunting, and the principles that go along with it. For prices on certain bottles to double in 3 years or less just doesn't work for me. Will I attempt to acquire a half dozen LE's per year going forward, heck Yes! 2013 was my first year to jump in head first and I managed to score enough great bourbon to last until my kids go to college (youngest son is 2). I feel at peace popping some popcorn with a pour of WSR Louisville and watching the bourbon scene transform into God knows what?!?

[DrBob]

I am to the point of having purchased most of the easily obtained good bourbons and am in the process of determining from those which are my favorite profiles and realizations. I still do look for things I haven't already obtained but I am a lot more picky than I have been (e.g. staying away from most NDP's).

My current goal is not to reduce my stock but to replace one-off bottles I bought to try with replacements of things i like (bunkering to a degree).

I mostly don't buy these days, unless its something I know I like.

[smknjoe]

I have given up hunting dusties around here. I did that probably 3 months ago. It's too time consuming with too small of a return. I could spend 4 hours hunting and turn up maybe 3 or 4 bottles from the mid-2000's at best typically. Actively chasing down LE's is out too. If the LE's fall in my lap then great. If not, no big deal. I'm quite happy just buying a few bottles from the gift shop and calling it a day if I want something special.

Edited January 13, 2014 by smknjoe

[MyOldKyDram]

Not quite ready to hang up the spurs just yet, but probably looking at a voluntary and hopefully temporary LOA.

My father is currently having some health problems, and it leaves me with precious little time for such extracurricular activities. It's also likely to be quite the drain on both my wallet and his. None of this is me complaining, btw. I consider myself lucky to be in the position to help and spend time with him.

Whatever happens, I will be good to go bottle wise for as long as this plays out. Depleted bunker be damned, never been clearer than right now, it's just bourbon.

[BigRich]

I stopped a while ago. There is a great member here who occasionally will give me a call when he's staring at an extra bottle but that's about it. I'm buying a little more now that I did the last couple of years because I was moving a lot for work and now I'm stable. Moving all those bottles is a pain. However, most of what I'm buying now is standard issue juice. More delayed restocking than targeted acquisition. I love great bourbon and whiskey in general but I'm not of unlimited means and there's always one more bottle of unobtainium out there that can drive a guy crazy. My bourbon hunting started about 14 years ago so I've been "in the game" a little longer than most on the board but the hunting stopped about four years ago.

[bingstein]

I have given up hunting dusties around here. I did that probably 3 months ago. It's too time consuming with too small of a return. I could spend 4 hours hunting and turn up maybe 3 or 4 bottles from the mid-2000's at best typically. Actively chasing down LE's is out too. If the LE's fall in my lap then great. If not, no big deal. I'm quite happy just buying a few bottles from the gift shop and calling it a day if I want something special.

Actually a catalyst for my thinking was my recent acquisition of some gift shop Four Roses (for both you and me). I opened it up and it blew me away and I have started to think "Do I really NEED anything that's better than this when I can get this one year round with a short 20 minute drive?" I'm thinking it's not too worth it. Maybe get my one allocated BTAC every year and some LE FR and call it a wrap.

[jonhalter]

For me it is simply about the money. My wife and I are both teachers and we have 2 young kids. Over $1000 a month goes to daycare. The way we structured out finances, we get $100 a month personal money each. I put aside about half each month for bourbon. Sometimes I run across a hard to find or high end bottle and have the money for it, so I pull the trigger. Sometimes I have $20 to buy a handle of EW black, and Im ok with that too. Bourbon never has been, or never will be my priority. I have gotten some great bottles, but have also passed on some great ones because it wasn't the right time. Kids will change your outlook. (sometimes make you drink more), but when it comes down to it, its not about hunting, its about what is right for your family right then.

[smokinjoe]

...but shopping with my hair on fire no longer takes place.

So, you shave your head so you won't be tempted?

[black mamba]

For years I was a guy who had 15-20 open bottles and another couple dozen unopened in the basement at any one time. Last October I had a heart attack, went 6 weeks after that without any booze, period. Now I'm back to sensible drinking, 1-3 drinks just a couple nights a week. I sold about half my basement bottles to a friend, because it would have taken me decades to drink it all. I used to Pappy hunt, BTAC hunt, dusty hunt, but no more. I've had 'em all at this point, so I know that the couple of low $20s bottles I really like are just about as enjoyable as the way expensive stuff I used to struggle to get. If I walk into some LS and they have a Pappy 20 or a BTAC at retail, I might buy it, but the hunting is over.

[michaelturtle1]

I have a few more stores to cover and then I am pretty much done dusty hunting the areas that are within reach to me.. I have hit the point where i leave more on the shelves than i actually buy and have culled my herd twice now as I was of the mind set "buy it all".. once you have a few crappy 80 proof dusties you learn your lesson!! and I know what I like and what I dont' like..I have also discovered the joys of barrel picks and am very lucky my local store lets me help, I usually by a 6 bottle case of whatever they pick. After this year I have come to the conclusion that chasing new releases is not for me. I have developed good relationships with 3 or 4 local stores and dont' need to do the rat race any more.

[whiskeyagonzo]

Actually a catalyst for my thinking was my recent acquisition of some gift shop Four Roses (for both you and me). I opened it up and it blew me away and I have started to think "Do I really NEED anything that's better than this when I can get this one year round with a short 20 minute drive?" I'm thinking it's not too worth it. Maybe get my one allocated BTAC every year and some LE FR and call it a wrap.

I had this same epiphany back in the summer while visiting FR. I sat down mentally and went through what is worth chasing and what is not, for me that is. Anyway, I'm happy with the decision. I'm sure my wife is as well although she has never said either way. Cheers.

[soonami]

I have a few more stores to cover and then I am pretty much done dusty hunting the areas that are within reach to me.. I have hit the point where i leave more on the shelves than i actually buy and have culled my herd twice now as I was of the mind set "buy it all".. once you have a few crappy 80 proof dusties you learn your lesson!! and I know what I like and what I dont' like..I have also discovered the joys of barrel picks and am very lucky my local store lets me help, I usually by a 6 bottle case of whatever they pick. After this year I have come to the conclusion that chasing new releases is not for me. I have developed good relationships with 3 or 4 local stores and dont' need to do the rat race any more.

Thank god, more for us

I was more active a couple years ago, but then my dad got really sick and eventually passed away which took me out of the hunt for about a year and a half. I picked it back up this fall, but it's crazy how much harder chasing the limited stuff is now than just two years ago. I took a day off of work this fall and had great fun and luck hunting Pappy, so I think I might do that again next year just for the excitement, I'll probably pass off bottles to friends though since I have so much to drink and the likelihood of moving my 700+ bottles of whiskey and beer in the next year or so has really dampened the excitement for procuring more bottles.

[sailor22]

Driven by curiosity I spent years traveling on my motorcycle just to dusty hunt. If I saw label I hadn't tried I wanted to know how the Bourbon tasted, I loved the surprise that a new pour produced. I was afraid there was something special that I was overlooking or the best juice was something that wasn't being sold any more or was hidden behind some obscure label. It wasn't unusual to be 5 or 6 hours away from home and find a shelf of dusties and buy multiples just so I wouldn't have to drive all they way back if I really liked the juice. Entire vacations were planned around dusty hunting and I had some successful trips. The result was multiple closets full of dusty and limited release whiskey and a lot of good times sharing discoveries with friends.

I attended (and still do) a lot of Bourbon tasting social get togethers, often traveling days to get to the event. The result was I got to leisurely taste a lot of the Bourbons I hadn't been able to find and compare tasting impressions with other Bourbon enthusiasts. In return I usually had something they hadn't tried yet. Friendships developed and curiosities were satisfied. Now I travel for social get togethers but not so much to dusty hunt.

Last year I began weeding out everything I had tasted and didn't love. Traded it all away. Now there is more Bourbon in my bunker than I can drink before I die and some of it is - to my palate - very special and some is really rare and some is impossible to find, but I have tasted it all and I find it all delicious. There are no limited releasees, no older special bottles, no rare premiums that I am trying to find. So I'm done buying ........ but I'm not.

There are some really great single barrel Bourbons being picked by some retail shops and some private groups right now and my curiosity won't let me give them a pass. After all, each barrel is different.

So right now I'm expecting lots more bottles from some barrel picks that some friends have done and it looks like there are four or five more picks on the horizon later this spring. I expect some of this new crop will supplant some of my current favorites at which time I'll be letting the old ones go to make room for the new ones. It's a never ending cycle and that's the fun of it.

[DrBob]

There are some really great single barrel Bourbons being picked by some retail shops and some private groups right now and my curiosity won't let me give them a pass. After all, each barrel is different.

So right now I'm expecting lots more bottles from some barrel picks that some friends have done and it looks like there are four or five more picks on the horizon later this spring. I expect some of this new crop will supplant some of my current favorites at which time I'll be letting the old ones go to make room for the new ones. It's a never ending cycle and that's the fun of it.

This. I can't seem to say no to a private selection.

[callmeox]

So, you shave your head so you won't be tempted?

I can always set my back hair on fire if the opportunity presents itself.

[Special Reserve]

I've not actively dusty hunted for more than a year. I've slowed down a couple of years prior to that. I've enjoyed the benefits of hunting before bourbon got crazy hot.

I really don't need to purchase any more bourbon but I want to make purchases and still do when there is a current pour I want. This past year I bought a WLW 13, a FRLE, and a store selected Blanton's. I also pick up an Ardbeg ANB.

Over time my consumption had decreased. Last year I drank less than 6 bottles of bourbon. Perhaps my consumption will increase after I retire in a couple of years but I don't think it will change too much.

[ramblinman]

I think I'm there, and I haven't really even done that much of it. Early last year I got into bourbon/rye big time, and loved it, short lived passion, but it was a good year. Chased some fun stuff, spent some cash, had some great pours, but to me the differences between the really expensive top tier stuff and a solid bottom/lower middle shelf are slim. There, but slim.

But with EWBiB is available nationally and the Rittenhouse swapping over from 354 to 1 and still being a favorite I think I can be as happy with those as I need to be. Grab the occasion barrel proof offering if it comes my way. Doesn't mean I'm not going to pick up other things, but it means I don't really feel the need to spend time seeking them out.

[GaryT]

It is encouraging to read that there is hope after whiskeria nervosa While not quite cured, mine is slipping into remission. Aside from private barrel picks, I'll try to pick up the odd BTAC every other year (meaning 1 or 2 bottles - not a set), and likely the same with FR LEs. With so many bottles in the cabinet (years of consumption), I can't justify buying everything that hits the shelf - even if it is good stuff.

[Paddy]

I'm a widowed father of two, so my hands are pretty much full. However, I do enjoy hunting when time allows during my on the job travels.

It's just bourbon, so I try not to worry too much about snagging special releases and the like, as I'm in a pretty good location and have access to plenty of fine product. So I find that I just enjoy looking around for the hidden gems that often get overlooked off the beaten path.

The bottom line is that I try to have fun with it, keep it within my means and not let it interfere with and/or take away from my greatest asset (my family) which always comes first.

[sutton]

This might sound odd, but I've never really actively dusty hunted, mostly due to the futility of the effort around here. As I posted in another thread, I consider myself lucky to have happened across some limited releases by chance over the last couple of years, and to the extent that continues to happen that is enough for me.

What I have done over the last year is spend more time exploring the bottom to mid shelf, especially if business takes me to another region where I might find those $10-$25 bottlings that aren't easily found in my area (it is how I finally found VOB BiB, HH6BiB, and AAA10yr). As others have stated, I'm also lucky to have a good shop near me that does fantastic single barrel picks. Those can be one-off gems as unique and satisfying as some of the limited/annual releases.

Twenty-five years ago, wine really caught my interest and I had to try everything. Bought some pretty expensive stuff too, just had to try it. Over time, as my cellar grew in size and diversity, my preferences became increasingly focused, and prices steadily climbed. I buy much less now and only from certain producers in regions that I love. I also found that unlike spirits, I can make my own, it is fun and educational, and also teaches you how much marketing and scarcity drive the price of a bottle of wine vs. the actual contents - at a certain point there are diminishing returns.

Kids, too, and the cost of sending them to college one day has me looking at that bottle in my hand and asking whether I really need it. I've put more back this year than I carried to the register.

[squire]

Sometimes dusty hunting is just an excuse to stop at a new store.

[393foureyedfox]

Sometimes dusty hunting is just an excuse to stop at a new store.