Bourbon of the Month Club

[Flyfish]

Taking a clue from wine clubs and fantasy football (how's that for a creative synthesis?) here is an idea for a Bourbon of the Month Club. You offer your members a bottle a month for an annual fee of $350 plus shipping (cost unspecified). You could offer members an ultra-premium bourbon in Jan. but you would have to balance it out with bottom shelf stuff later to stay in budget. But the bottom shelf should reflect the best bang for the buck--not just cheap. (You want them to sign up again next year, after all.) And no duplications.

So, what is your line up for the year? Please provide dollar amounts for each month's selection. We'll keep in mind that prices may vary considerably but keep it realistic; i.e., no 4R LEs budgeted at $34.

[tanstaafl2]

Taking a clue from wine clubs and fantasy football (how's that for a creative synthesis?) here is an idea for a Bourbon of the Month Club. You offer your members a bottle a month for an annual fee of $350 plus shipping (cost unspecified). You could offer members an ultra-premium bourbon in Jan. but you would have to balance it out with bottom shelf stuff later to stay in budget. But the bottom shelf should reflect the best bang for the buck--not just cheap. (You want them to sign up again next year, after all.) And no duplications.

So, what is your line up for the year? Please provide dollar amounts for each month's selection. We'll keep in mind that prices may vary considerably but keep it realistic; i.e., no 4R LEs budgeted at $34.

Might need to be a bi-monthly club at the rate prices are going!

[393foureyedfox]

methinks the rate would have to be higher than that

[fishnbowljoe]

Not to be a stick in the mud here FF, but I assume that you're taking hypothetically?

Joe

[393foureyedfox]

Not to be a stick in the mud here FF, but I assume that you're taking hypothetically?

Joe

[DrBob]

I buy stuff on the web and when i travel to get stuff not available locally. Good fillers for the months between would be regionally available whiskeys, semi-annual releases, and barrel selects of things people can get. If you did this you would have buying power to get a few limited releases as well. My list for something like that might be:

1) Weller 12 $30

2) EC12 Barrel Select $25

3) Random BTAC (ER17, Stagg, WLW) $80

4) EWSB vintage for that year - Barrel selected $25

5) Eagle Rare 10 barrel selected $25

6) 4R1B - barrel selected $40

7) ECBP $45

8) Stagg Jr $47

9) OGD 114 $20

10) Rittenhouse Rye $20

11) Heaven hill 6 yr bonded $12

12) a small distiller's white lightning $10

That's about $379, and retail prices I have paid in the last year, so shoudl be able to make that a little better.

Honestly though I use the BOTM thread as my BOTM club

[fishnbowljoe]

im thinking that people join clubs like this to get new things that they might not regularly have access to, and since $350 over a year is just under $30 a month, that doesnt leave a lot of money for elite/limited releases that may entice people into it. Sure, you said you could offer lower cost offerings to balance it out, but I think that kind of goes against the idea. Most of us wouldnt be happy to see March's BOTM arrive at their door to find EWB, HH, JBW, BM, etc....not that those are bad, but just that (most of) those are available within a mile of practically everyone on this board.

Im thinking you could entice people into a BOTM club if you offered maybe bi-monthly guaranteed deliveries of something limited/elite/rare.......but the cost would be significantly more than 350. People like me despise 'the hunt' that others on here like, and others like me may be willing to pay a premium to be guaranteed a truly nice surprise bi-monthly of something that theyd otherwise never get without a fight or a long line. I'm too cheap to join, but the idea may work. A Pappy 15, a Lot B, a variety of BTAC's, FRLE's, etc....but even at bi-monthly, I doubt anyone would offer the service for less than $750, and likely even more than that. A lot of guys on here would jump at the chance to have the above-mentioned bottles dropped at their door every other month for $150 each, no hunting required.

The problem we have here Doug, is that SB doesn't condone such activities, because the buying, selling, and trading of alcohol without a license is illegal. Hence my question to FF if his Club was something hypothetical.

[Paddy]

Give or take a dollar or two, this would be a fair list similar to DrBobs'. It may not be getting any easier, but its certainly doable as there are many quality bottles out there that can be had for less than those listed below.

4RSB ($29),

EC 12 ($26),

EWSB ($25),

OGD 114 ($22)

W12 ($24),

4RSmB ($25),

Stagg Jr ($49),

Dickel rye ($20)

KCSB ($39),

ETL ($29),

WTRB ($45),

VOB BIB ($15).

[MyOldKyDram]

[fishnbowljoe]

Pretty much headed in that direction Sean.

[GaryT]

*=-=*=-= HYPOTHETICALLY =-=*=-=*

If a licensed retailer was offering such a program, what I'd like to see would look like this:

$299.99 a year, 6 bottles per year ($50 per yr avg)

1: FRSB Barrel Proof

2. OWA Private Barrel

3. ECBP

4. FRSmB LE

5. GTS (or WLW)

6. ETL Private Barrel

A couple sub-$30 with some $50 gives breathing room for some higher end. The big draw being private picks for the most part so it all feels like "You can't buy this at the store!"

[Enoch]

I've talked with the craft beer of the month I'm a member of about it and they say they looked into it but shipping spirits across state lines is way more complicated than beer.

[oke&coke]

For some reason I though Casker's did something like that. I would have to double check though.

[Thig]

For some reason I though Casker's did something like that. I would have to double check though.

You are right, I thought about that but did not mention it.

[393foureyedfox]

The problem we have here Doug, is that SB doesn't condone such activities, because the buying, selling, and trading of alcohol without a license is illegal. Hence my question to FF if his Club was something hypothetical.

uhm, yeah......hypothetical, right.......

[Yeti]

Flyfish hasn't stopped back by, but I think it's pretty obvious this was a thought experiment for everyone to create a quality lineup on a budget.

There are plenty of existing whiskey-of-the-month arrangements through legitimate retailers if anyone is interested in pursuing that.

[Flyfish]

Flyfish hasn't stopped back by, but I think it's pretty obvious this was a thought experiment for everyone to create a quality lineup on a budget.

There are plenty of existing whiskey-of-the-month arrangements through legitimate retailers if anyone is interested in pursuing that.

Glad you got it.

I was talking with a fellow who was inspired by Moonshiners to do some hypothetical thinking about distilling. He started every sentence with "Hypothetically...." You never can tell when the NSA might be listening--or checking your web posts.

Edited February 7, 2014 by Flyfish

[393foureyedfox]

You never can tell when the NSA might be listening--or checking your web posts.

you can pretty much assume all the time

[squire]

Too many legal complications to even consider such a thing. My bet is anyone who would promote such a scheme would also close shop quickly and abscond with the membership fees.

[Tony Santana]

A guy I work with got a bourbon of the month club gift for Christmas. But it's not really a club where something gets shipped to him every month. His wife just goes to the same liquor store every month, and they pick one out for her to buy. I'm sure it will ultimately cost more than the hypothetical club set up by Flyfish, but it's an interesting concept. If you spread the selections amongst the major distilleries, add in a couple of reliable craft picks, a couple premium selections - not a bad way to either get someone started or to fill out/replenish the collection of an enthusiast.

[squire]

Those starting out can learn here for free.

[mbroo5880i]

One of the issues would being able to offer select premium bourbons to a large number of members. The other would be to be able to offer affordable variations over time. You will only be able to offer mid- and low-shelf bottles and eventually will have to revisit some of the selections. Broadening it to include other whiskeys (e.g., ryes, scotch, Irish, etc.) provides a lot more options for pricing and variability.

[nd2005]

I don't think it is at all far-fetched. I would in fact be shocked if Caskers isn't working on the feasibility of something like this

[Ravensfire]

I don't think it is at all far-fetched. I would in fact be shocked if Caskers isn't working on the feasibility of something like this

[DrBob]

I have never had much desire to join the Caskers whiskey clubs, looks like way to much focus on boutique labels when it comes to bourbon. I already have enough overpriced 4 yr old LDI juice