What bourbon did you pass up today? Spring/Summer 2014

[nd2005]

And also is this something that will be gift-shop only, highly allocated, etc, etc. In other words, do I need to start working on my local store now because they'll probably get 1 bottle at most(!)

Of course, we're still waiting in Missouri for the 2 year rye. Almost did a road trip this weekend until the wife caught wind ...

[zillah]

Could of bought Angel's Envy for $30. Passed.

[TunnelTiger]

Could of bought Angel's Envy for $30. Passed.

Wow, never ever seen it that low.

[PaulO]

I passed on Stagg Jr. @ $49.99. Recently I finished a bottle to satisfy my curiosity. It's ok, but there are a lot of other things I'd rather have.

[BootsOnTheGround]

Rhetoric for $109.99 plus the Nice Government Men fee. No, I will not be leaving with that.

ECBP for $50. Sure.

EHT BP for $67. Okie dokie.

But the "orphan" can sit and collect dust for that.....

[BootsOnTheGround]

Well now that does sound tasty. Any idea when it is due? Part of the usual fall madhouse?

I'll wait for the Elite to go ga-ga all over it and say how it's like effervescent unicorn piss and then find one sitting there that no one knows what it is. There's always one fool who dropped his Beanie Baby when trying to make a mad dash to the door.

[kwshannon]

Rhetoric for $90. Not based on what I've heard about it.

[393foureyedfox]

everything, literally. Coming back from Atlanta today, I hit countless small and big stores in GA, TN, and KY. nothing interesting.

my last stop was in a large chain store in Lexington. I dont want to generalize a whole town (there are several Lex guys on here that are great guys), but every time I end up in that town, it seems full of d-bags. I walked into the bourbon aisle and theres a 50ish guy there giving bourbon 'advice' to a couple young guys, and he is steering them to Jeffers Creek. They ask him about KC and he is telling them how bad everything from JB is. I roll my eyes, thinking, 'great, one of those guys'. Then he proceeds to point out to them the EC12 on the shelf, telling them 'this is another great one from Buffalo Trace. I mumble that its actually from HH. He sneers at me and goes on talking to them, repeating it. I reaffirm to him that it is actually made by HH, not BT. He tells me I am wrong, and he is certain of it. And, to prove me wrong, he grabs the bottle, and says "made in Bardstown.....so its gotta be BT". I couldnt believe the ignorance of a guy 'giving advice', and tell him that BT is in Frankfort. He then, in total D-bag form, pulls out his phone and talk-to-texts "who distills EC?". A minute later, he realizes he actually may be a D-bag, and walks away.

I left with nothing but this story

[garbanzobean]

everything, literally. Coming back from Atlanta today, I hit countless small and big stores in GA, TN, and KY. nothing interesting.

my last stop was in a large chain store in Lexington. I dont want to generalize a whole town (there are several Lex guys on here that are great guys), but every time I end up in that town, it seems full of d-bags. I walked into the bourbon aisle and theres a 50ish guy there giving bourbon 'advice' to a couple young guys, and he is steering them to Jeffers Creek. They ask him about KC and he is telling them how bad everything from JB is. I roll my eyes, thinking, 'great, one of those guys'. Then he proceeds to point out to them the EC12 on the shelf, telling them 'this is another great one from Buffalo Trace. I mumble that its actually from HH. He sneers at me and goes on talking to them, repeating it. I reaffirm to him that it is actually made by HH, not BT. He tells me I am wrong, and he is certain of it. And, to prove me wrong, he grabs the bottle, and says "made in Bardstown.....so its gotta be BT". I couldnt believe the ignorance of a guy 'giving advice', and tell him that BT is in Frankfort. He then, in total D-bag form, pulls out his phone and talk-to-texts "who distills EC?". A minute later, he realizes he actually may be a D-bag, and walks away.

I left with nothing but this story

I will try to refrain from bagging on Lexington too much, since I am biased from having lived in Louisville (the clear winner between the two) for a good bit of my life. It always did/does amaze me how there were/are like 6 cop cars for every civilian on the road in Lex though, just waiting to pull you over for going .05 mph above the speed limit.

I almost got a local store's "bourbon guy" to bet a bottle of Michter's 10 year that Michter's was NOT a Buffalo Trace owned label (I was on the side of not, he was firmly on the incorrect side). Not that I particularly wanted the bottle, but free bourbon is good bourbon. Unfortunately my bad poker face, common sense, and probably google eventually got the better of him.

Edited July 11, 2014 by garbanzobean

[TunnelTiger]

I left with nothing but this story

I have noticed that there appears to be some rivalry between the blue in Lexington and the red in Louisville

[PaulO]

I've actually passed on Lexington brand bourbon every time I've seen it. It's a fancy bottle with a horse; $30 odd mystery juice. I kind of wish the Indiana stores could gather it all up and send it all to Lexington KY. It's taking up valuable shelf space.

[jmj_203]

Could of bought Angel's Envy for $30. Passed.

I passed, but I've been thinking on it today. Not sure why they're trying to clearance this one, whether they aren't going to carry it anymore or if they have a newer release coming soon. I would lean towards the side of another bourbon we won't get in PA anymore, because they recently had the genius decision makers in Harrisburg decide to discontinue carrying Rare Breed. Needless to say I bought every bottle of WTRB in my county and a few from the next one over.

Edited July 11, 2014 by jmj_203

[TunnelTiger]

Oooh, that was a bad decision on the Rare Breed. They are probably going to replace it with a higher priced, lower proof, NAS, NDP, "craft" bottle. shudder...

[big pete]

Passed on a bottle of 4R 2014 LESB @ $150. Stood there for about 10min and forced myself to walk away.

[jeffrey r]

Passed on a bottle of 4R 2014 LESB @ $150. Stood there for about 10min and forced myself to walk away.

[393foureyedfox]

I have noticed that there appears to be some rivalry between the blue in Lexington and the red in Louisville

[GerryM]

As we say in NJ (well, we don't really say it), fuhgettaboutit. Buy three FR private selections for that price and walk away smiling.

In MA you an get 5 bottles for that money which would make it an even easier decision!

[zillah]

I passed, but I've been thinking on it today. Not sure why they're trying to clearance this one, whether they aren't going to carry it anymore or if they have a newer release coming soon. I would lean towards the side of another bourbon we won't get in PA anymore, because they recently had the genius decision makers in Harrisburg decide to discontinue carrying Rare Breed. Needless to say I bought every bottle of WTRB in my county and a few from the next one over.

Probably because they have more than 100 bottles in stock and it is not moving anymore. PA has nearly 700 bottles left of CEHTSmB! Now that was a major purchase mistake.

I'd wait on more WTRB until August. It will be on closeout for $24.

[jmj_203]

Probably because they have more than 100 bottles in stock and it is not moving anymore. PA has nearly 700 bottles left of CEHTSmB! Now that was a major purchase mistake.

I'd wait on more WTRB until August. It will be on closeout for $24.

I think I grabbed 5 or so bottles at the current closeout price of 29.99 (WTRB), I wasn't aware its going to drop even lower in august, however when I look at stocks available in all the counties near me, its almost all gone already at the 29.99 closeout. Thats why I grabbed it. The CEHTSmB I've wondered why its still up constantly. Good lord who made the decision to buy over 1000 bottles of that? I'm only guessing as long as its been up they had to have sold at least 300 so far. My lord thats insane. Yet I can't get VOB, Weller Antique or 12 in this state, HH BiB, EWBiB....the list could go on and on.

[zillah]

To be fair, most of those are not entirely PA's fault for not stocking. Distillers and distributors mainly decide what states they want to fulfill unless a purchaser can really push them otherwise. Fortunately, PA has that power, but isn't necessarily knowledgeable about what consumers demand - especially for the bottom to mid shelf. It looks like it is doing fine for the top shelf. With that said, a bunch of people (including myself) put together some recommendations for the spirit buyers of PA. Of those recommendations, OWA107 and W12 are at the top of the list.

I think it is plausible that PA will be able to stock at least OWA107. It has been sold in the state before (it is how I got my earlier bottles) and every state around PA stocks it. However, given how limited supply has become, PA could cannibalize other state stocks (like NJ or DE, which are becoming increasingly hard to find OWA) and is probably one of the reasons why we don't get it anymore. I myself tried to push for the Heaven Hill BIB's to be put in the state store but unfortunately there doesn't seem to be much enthusiasm for it. I go to NJ to get the Gold (you can also special order it) or DE for white label.

[BootsOnTheGround]

EWSB private barrel. I don't know how many I've tried but I'm learning why they price these at $20. Guess I'm going insane.

[BFerguson]

Passed on a baby Saz priced at $23.99. Would have normally picked it up for that price, but I don't really need another on the shelf.

And the there was also this. I have to admit, I almost pulled the trigger in it just for the hell of it. Would have gone good next the the bottle of Malort that I have.

in the same store as the Saz.

[bad_scientist]

That's about 2 bucks too much, considering you can get a bottle of cheap wine (though a bit less ABV) at Whole Foods for $3.

On that note, I'd love to see winos shopping at Whole Foods. They'd actually be fiscally responsible.

[mbroo5880i]

EWSB private barrel. I don't know how many I've tried but I'm learning why they price these at $20. Guess I'm going insane.

I saw this post and I was thinking "what is he talking about?" I have really enjoyed every EWSB that I have ever tried. Of course, they have all been private barrels and before tonight none were '04. However, tonight I ran into one that is horrendous. It is an alcohol bomb devoid of any of the typical EWSB profile. I bought it at Costco in Ft. Wayne for $18.99. Lesson learned. From now on, I will stick with barrel selects from retailers that I know and trust. In this case, it says selected by Craig Beam specifically for Costco. I guess specifically so he wouldn't have to dump the stuff down the drain.

Edited July 12, 2014 by mbroo5880i

[Vosgar]

selected by Craig Beam specifically for Costco. I guess specifically so he wouldn't have to dump he stuff down the drain.

Classic!!!!!!! :grin::grin::grin: