Are Store Selections worth a premium over regular releases?

[frogfan]

I wish I could answer the question in the topic. But Texas must have a state law against any store selects of any sort. I'm sure there's a very good reason for this, too.

Specs Dallas and East Plano both have been carrying store selections of each of the Four Roses recipes. Specs on Marsh seems to have a few as well based upon the online inventory. Not sure what all each store has left in stock, but I grabbed both OBSV and OESF a month or two back and both were great. Decided to grab OESF as a poor mans 2014 FRSBLE. Specs Dallas had a ton of bottles of each recipe at that time. Halls used to have a store select Evan Williams 2002 as well, so store selects are around, but do appear to be few and far between in these parts.

[cowdery]

There should never be an up-charge for a store selection and they should always give tastes, where legal. I've had good luck with store selections, although as others have said it depends on the store.

[WhiskyRI]

As @richnimrod said - it's all about the selector, and often the brand. I've found certain stores that have amazingly good selections and I'll buy multiples of most of what they pick. Other stores it is hit or miss and I'll only buy what I can taste. Julio's picks so many barrels that it is hard to keep up with them all - but they will typically let you taste if you ask - especially when they know you are buying multiples. But I also know a little hole in the wall store in a Portuguese neighborhood that somehow picks stunningly good Jefferson's and sells them for only $25 a bottle. It's the only private barrel they ever do and I visit it solely to buy multiples. I will say that if I find a private pick that especially sings, I'll quickly go back and buy 5-6 bottles or more. As to price sometimes Julio's charges less for private barrels and sometimes they charge more - not sure why it varies. Other stores do the same. Some brands allow private labels that are indistinguishable from their regular bottlings - Knob Creek and Buffalo Trace are two examples I've seen where there consistently doesn't seem to be much difference although that may be by the choice of the selector.

[dmarkle]

Hit and miss, with a miss being defined as "about the same as what a non-pick would be". So I guess that makes it a hit for me, as long as there's no up-charge. I did buy about 12 bottles of ETL from a store pick I really liked a year or so ago.