Our ongoing observations about whether the boom has peaked

[markandrex]

7 minutes ago, Kepler said:

 

Would you care to share the approximate price?  Being a 700ml bottle it does seem likely that this is a surplus bottle originally destined for the international market, so curious what those sell for.

$175

[Kepler]

2 minutes ago, markandrex said:

$175

Thanks sir. Good price for what that is.  Nice score

[yobber76]

While the Bourbon market still has its tight spots, overall I'm seeing more of the formerly hard to find available.

I regularly see ECBP, BT, ER, Colonel Taylor and Weller SR on the shelf at fairly normal prices over the past few months.

I see Blanton's offered for $100 with regularity, and my local Costco's have more bourbon available lately.

I think buying has softened somewhat, inventory is catching up, and I can speak for myself, I'm not hoarding anymore.

Lastly, when stuff got too hard to get or too expensive, I found other bourbons to buy.

Over the last couple of years, Four Roses has moved way up my bourbon ladder, and I have turned a few people on to the SiB releases.

Great idea, great flavor, great value at $50 each.

 

[jvd99]

An article about the lines at BT for the daily output of visitor center bottles. When I visited the bourbon trail about 12 years ago, there were none of these lines. 

 

https://www.courier-journal.com/picture-gallery/life/food/spirits/bourbon/2025/07/15/people-wait-in-line-at-buffalo-trace-distillery-in-kentucky/84523639007/

[steven s]

For WSR?

[JT3NSB]

Traveler fans???

[PaulO]

16 hours ago, jvd99 said:

An article about the lines at BT for the daily output of visitor center bottles. When I visited the bourbon trail about 12 years ago, there were none of these lines. 

 

https://www.courier-journal.com/picture-gallery/life/food/spirits/bourbon/2025/07/15/people-wait-in-line-at-buffalo-trace-distillery-in-kentucky/84523639007/

Seriously, what do those people really get for all their trouble.

Don't they know there are places called liquor stores, and some grocery stores that also sell booze.  

[Skinsfan1311]

2 minutes ago, PaulO said:

Seriously, what do those people really get for all their trouble.

Don't they know there are places called liquor stores, and some grocery stores that also sell booze.  

I know, right?   

We didn't see any of that silliness in 2017 or 2019, except for a few old-timers waiting around at the HH Visitor center in 2019. 

No offense intended to the fellow SB'ers that sit in lines but that kind of thing puts a damper on the distillery experience.   Imagine pulling up to the distillery for a once-in-a-lifetime experience, only to pull into full lots and crowds.  I have no doubt a lot of those in line are just going to flip bottles anyway.   

I'm glad that we visited when we did.     I'll never go back....   

[kcgumbohead]

The proliferation of brand specific "whiskey clubs" , I just got another email today for yet another new one. This reads to me as a last gasp desperation drive to squeeze whatever juice is left (i'm guessing not much). Sign up for ( insert ridiculous dollar amount) and get "exclusive" bottles shipped to your door "X" times per year along with distillery exclusive "events" and your very own secret little orphan Annie decoder ring. 

I like most here enjoy several brands/distilleries and will not tie myself to only one,  or more if your really thirsty and have THAT MUCH disposable income as each offer several bottles/year, way more that I consume or would want to.

I realize the number of subscriptions could in no way float a distillery that was on the ropes, but these "enthusiast programs" just seem to me to be a way to keep as many dollars as possible from a given consumer under a particular distilleries umbrella.

Now I have a bunker and I LOVE to visit and shop and taste distillery exclusives, but I do it once a year at the distilleries, sometimes I find a gem, many times its a taste and done, thanks but no.

One or 2 of these offers is one thing but its becoming a regular thing and the bottles I see listed, while they may be of limited quantity, I just don't care for, often they sound like experiments a given distillery is looking to offload, I certainly wouldn't want them showing up as full 750s when I don't know for certain that I'll enjoy them. If a given bottling is not there when I'm on site in April or available via a LBS or e-commerce site, then I don't need it, hell in most cases these days if I can't taste it and decide if its worthy pre-purchase then I don't need it.

The distillery "events" sound cool but again how many folks are close enough for that to be an actual perk?

I'm now starting to get follow up emails with "revised" pricing tiers, maybe whatever board member/marketer cooked up this idea missed the mark?

I guess I am just old enough and Zen enough that these advances smell off to me, especially given the timing but then again I guess they are popping up BECAUSE of the timing. Growing inventories and other concerns leading to "opportunities" for the lucky few who jump at the chance to sign up, FOMO anyone?

In the end It just feels symptomatic of the end of what we know has been an unsustainable run up of pricing, decreased availability and the loss of some treasured labels/expressions and age statements. The pendulum is a swingin back from a long journey and these subscription clubs seem to re-enforce that for this enthusiast.

[LW25]

17 hours ago, jvd99 said:

An article about the lines at BT for the daily output of visitor center bottles. When I visited the bourbon trail about 12 years ago, there were none of these lines. 

 

https://www.courier-journal.com/picture-gallery/life/food/spirits/bourbon/2025/07/15/people-wait-in-line-at-buffalo-trace-distillery-in-kentucky/84523639007/

Am I not able to load the article?  I just see a string of photos with a caption/blurb for each.  

[kcgumbohead]

13 minutes ago, Skinsfan1311 said:

I know, right?   

We didn't see any of that silliness in 2017 or 2019, except for a few old-timers waiting around at the HH Visitor center in 2019. 

No offense intended to the fellow SB'ers that sit in lines but that kind of thing puts a damper on the distillery experience.   Imagine pulling up to the distillery for a once-in-a-lifetime experience, only to pull into full lots and crowds.  I have no doubt a lot of those in line are just going to flip bottles anyway.   

I'm glad that we visited when we did.     I'll never go back....   

Thankfully I too visited the majors many years prior to the recent craze that results in lines and overflowing parking lots. Quality distillery experiences are available but you need to look a layer or 2 deeper. many of the upstarts have now been around long enough to learn their craft and become good at it. Chattanooga, Old Dominick and Liepers Fork in TN, all cool experiences with quality whiskey to match. In KY, I've never had an issue at Wilderness Trace and I've been going there since their stuff turned just 4 yrs old, no hoards of people, just a good old fashioned distillery experience like it used to be. New Riff, again a very nice experience with loads of distillery exclusives and no lines. Many of these spots are more affordable than what the big legacy places charge as well. Copper & Kings in Louisville if you want to explore brandy ( and they did a killer bourbon sourced from HH&Barton as well). Starlight, 20 min from Louisville was another pleasant stop, its been a couple of years but I've no reason to expect much has changed. There are good experiences to be had and Its been fun to seek them out.

[Skinsfan1311]

33 minutes ago, kcgumbohead said:

Thankfully I too visited the majors many years prior to the recent craze that results in lines and overflowing parking lots. Quality distillery experiences are available but you need to look a layer or 2 deeper. many of the upstarts have now been around long enough to learn their craft and become good at it. Chattanooga, Old Dominick and Liepers Fork in TN, all cool experiences with quality whiskey to match. In KY, I've never had an issue at Wilderness Trace and I've been going there since their stuff turned just 4 yrs old, no hoards of people, just a good old fashioned distillery experience like it used to be. New Riff, again a very nice experience with loads of distillery exclusives and no lines. Many of these spots are more affordable than what the big legacy places charge as well. Copper & Kings in Louisville if you want to explore brandy ( and they did a killer bourbon sourced from HH&Barton as well). Starlight, 20 min from Louisville was another pleasant stop, its been a couple of years but I've no reason to expect much has changed. There are good experiences to be had and Its been fun to seek them out.

Yeah...we've been to a ton of distilleries and done a few "elevated" experiences so on our next visit, we'll pick and choose carefully to avoid that kind of stuff.  

We're taking a short trip to Nashville this December and we're checking JD distillery off the bucket list...

[Kepler]

On 7/16/2025 at 1:27 PM, Skinsfan1311 said:

I know, right?   

We didn't see any of that silliness in 2017 or 2019, except for a few old-timers waiting around at the HH Visitor center in 2019. 

No offense intended to the fellow SB'ers that sit in lines but that kind of thing puts a damper on the distillery experience.   Imagine pulling up to the distillery for a once-in-a-lifetime experience, only to pull into full lots and crowds.  I have no doubt a lot of those in line are just going to flip bottles anyway.   

I'm glad that we visited when we did.     I'll never go back....   

 

Well said and I totally agree.  When I visited the Buffalo Trace distillery several times in 2012-2017 what made me fall in love with the place was the bucolic scenery of the grounds.  This would ruin it for me, and is one reason I haven't been drawn back to the "bourbon trail" recently post-covid.  Huge turn off!

 

[fishnbowljoe]

I’m not really sure about the article posted. It could possibly be pics from when the ER 12 was released. Maybe, maybe not? I had a couple of buddies that went to BT not long ago. They had no problem getting in. They said the line getting in wasn’t bad at all. 

[Jazzhead]

Big sobering reminder of the power of a state liquor monopoly.    For the last seven years or so,  my favorite Pennsylvania whiskey has been Manatawny Still Works  in Pottstown,  who make a unique malted whiskey with a mashbill of barley malt, wheat, rye and oats.   They've been around long enough (I remember picking up their experimental bottles when they first got started) to release an 8-year BIB.   It's motherlovin' delicious.

 

Two weeks ago they shut their doors with just two days' notice to their employees.   They paid off their debts and turned out the lights.    The back-breaking straw appears to be a reduced order from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.  In a state like Pennsy that insists on monopolizing the market,   that's a death blow.   Rather than struggle with little hope of regaining lost revenue through sales to privately-owned liquor stores in other states,  they decided to pack it in.   

 

Guess I'll have myself a small pour and a good cry.    Dadgum shame.  

 

 

Edited 3 hours ago by Jazzhead