Why no WFE discussion?

[smokinjoe]

I was hoping someone can start consolidating reviews and tasting notes, as there seem to be quite a few bottles of WFE out there on the secondary.

Honestly t2q, Id rather not see this board assist either party in a secondary transaction by providing access to a consolidated review section.

[Harry in WashDC]

RE: reviews and notes : the last two I bought (early 2014) and the half dozen different recent offerings (different ages) I've tasted in bars since then have been so all over the lot I've stopped buying it. I did like some of them better than others but not enough to go hunting for full bottles.

[The Black Tot]

Squire is dead on. Whenever I hear about someone spending tens of thousands of dollars on an air conditioned dog house or about the Kardashians spending thousands on anal bleaching, I think why can't that be me?

As long as I know the bleaching will be consistent and the source of the bleach is disclosed, I'm fine with it.

[The Black Tot]

Honestly t2q, Id rather not see this board assist either party in a secondary transaction by providing access to a consolidated review section.

Agree with Joe on this.

[flahute]

Honestly t2q, Id rather not see this board assist either party in a secondary transaction by providing access to a consolidated review section.

I agree with this also. WFE barrels sell out practically immediately so reviews on this board will only serve to jack up prices on the secondary. I can already see someone charging a higher price for a particular barrel that "is endorsed by SB.com". If you really want reviews to know which bottle to spend $600 on there are facebook groups that serve this function very well.

[t44tq]

I think you all just answered my question- there's no information exchange here because you think that by doing so, you end up inflating prices on bourbon?!? I guess all of the whisk(e)y reviews and blogs accomplish the same thing.

I never said anything about spending $600, that's an awfully snippy comment. How much I spend or what I spend it on is really none of your business. If you have to know, I'd never spend $600 on a bottle of bourbon, that's ridiculous.

I guess I'll stick to the Willett group for information, because obviously the people who have chimed in on this thread have no interest in sharing information. Excuse me.

[The Black Tot]

I think we're seeing precisely "Why no WFE discussion". I had wondered casually myself - now I know.

[Josh]

As long as I know the bleaching will be consistent and the source of the bleach is disclosed, I'm fine with it.

Yeah but that's different. Who DOESN'T want an Aryan bunghole?

Aryan bunghole you say?

#GodwinsLaw

[squire]

I think you all just answered my question- there's no information exchange here because you think that by doing so, you end up inflating prices on bourbon?!?

No, you're got that entirely wrong. Sale of alcohol between unlicensed individuals is illegal everywhere and SB cannot engage in any activity which might be construed as aiding or abetting criminal activity.

[flahute]

I think you all just answered my question- there's no information exchange here because you think that by doing so, you end up inflating prices on bourbon?!? I guess all of the whisk(e)y reviews and blogs accomplish the same thing.

I never said anything about spending $600, that's an awfully snippy comment. How much I spend or what I spend it on is really none of your business. If you have to know, I'd never spend $600 on a bottle of bourbon, that's ridiculous.

I guess I'll stick to the Willett group for information, because obviously the people who have chimed in on this thread have no interest in sharing information. Excuse me.

Whoa there friend, slow down and back up a bit. Absolutely no snip intended in my comment. Read further up thread, I like WFE plenty and I have no issue with you making your own decisions about how you acquire WFE bottles. I chose the figure of $600 randomly because A) there are quite a few of them selling for that amount recently, and it's a sign of how ridiculous the WFE universe has become. I belong to the Willett group on facebook and I can tell you that's the best source of the information you seek. Since you are also on that group, you already know what happens: the barrels that collectively get the best reviews are the ones the get flipped for the most profit. If we started cataloging good reviews here, it would just be fuel on that fire. Here's the thing, most members in this community do not endorse the secondary market in any way shape or form. By the time a member here as acquired a bottle and posted tasting notes, the only way for another member to acquire the same bottle is via the secondary market. The fact that most here don't bother with it is not some sort of concerted effort to "keep it all to ourselves", it's simply a matter of "not worth it". There are those of us who occasionally do post our thoughts on a particular bottle. If we want to know more about it, we either ask in the thread or PM each other. Information is always forthcoming. We help each other out that way.

Bourbon is supposed to be fun. Relax......enjoy a pour.

[flahute]

I think we're seeing precisely "Why no WFE discussion". I had wondered casually myself - now I know.

You should see the shit shows that occasionally break out in the Willett group.

[mark fleetwood]

Scary thought: once WFE starts bottling its own juice, price will jump even more. (Or, to keep the mystery whiskey elevated pricing work, maybe they don't even identify what juice is theirs!)

For me the two bottles I've had over the years have been good, but nothing special, nothing that made me want to race back to the store to grab another, especially when Rittenhouse and WTR101 were sitting next to it.

Now, when I see their 2yr rye at $50, I ask the nearest customer if there's a sign of my back questioning my IQ. If others can and want to buy it, fine, but that is helping fuel the bubble.

[garbanzobean]

I think you all just answered my question- there's no information exchange here because you think that by doing so, you end up inflating prices on bourbon?!? I guess all of the whisk(e)y reviews and blogs accomplish the same thing.

I never said anything about spending $600, that's an awfully snippy comment. How much I spend or what I spend it on is really none of your business. If you have to know, I'd never spend $600 on a bottle of bourbon, that's ridiculous.

I guess I'll stick to the Willett group for information, because obviously the people who have chimed in on this thread have no interest in sharing information. Excuse me.

Sorry you didn't find what you were looking for. Hopefully you don't feel as though I was attacking you for liking WFE. Good luck finding or creating the resource you're looking for.

[Paddy]

What shocks me is that it wasn't more evident to the OP as to how much WFE discussion (both positive and negative) there has been here over the years on this board. Probably not a more polarizing topic than this one IMO...:bigeyes:

I thought that's what old threads are for...

Hell... I'm pretty easy going, but it almost pisses me off if someone thinks there's something out there with alcohol in it that this bunch won't talk about! :grin:

Carry on!

[t44tq]

Maybe I overreacted a bit, but I don't see how discussion of WFE promotes illegal buying or selling from non-licensees the way squire puts it.

Flahute, I think I took your comment the wrong way, I apologize.

Smokinjoe, your response is exactly why I responded in like kind.

Eric, having talked to you over PMs, there's no way I'd take your comments that way, I hope you didn't take mine to be directed to you.

That being said, my point really was that having read a bunch since I've been here, I respect the opinions of a bunch of the posters in this very thread. I wanted more information, that's it. I just recently got into WFE bourbons, but I have no idea how, if any way, you can determine what barrels are from where. There are recent barrels that are numbered 82x, 83x, while there are old barrels in the 4xxx or 8xxx range. That doesn't mean I'm trafficking in illegal alcohol sales across state lines!

If I have someone pick me up a bottle at the gift shop, I only wanted more information so I had an idea of what I was buying, especially now that Willett prices their stuff up in the $130-350 range. I also have sources for WFE bourbon that are legal licensees that have deep stocks of the stuff- I wanted some help determining what is what, rather than just taking $200-250 potshots at stuff.

When I talk to enthusiasts about single malt scotch, I have never encountered this kind of thing- no one seems to care about sharing information. I know that stores that have highly desirable bourbon at marked-up prices are not doing right by the people that really love to drink the stuff, but compared to some better single malts, even the marked up price for some bourbon (excluding PVW) is relatively cheap. When Highland Park 25 is over $400, Talisker 25 is over $500 and things like single cask 20-29 yr. Glendronach is over $300, paying $200 for a bourbon that I really like the taste of is not as crazy as it sounds.

I guess I'll stick to reading and not posting, as it seems to be a lot less controversial if I just keep my mouth shut. Maybe there has been a lot of WFE discussion over the years- I didn't think you wanted me to resurrect zombie threads from years back to ask some questions, did you?

[squire]

Maybe I overreacted a bit, but I don't see how discussion of WFE promotes illegal buying or selling from non-licensees the way squire puts it.

That's a mischaracterization of what I said. Please be advised there is no legally recognized secondary market for the sale of unlicensed, untaxed alcohol. Such illegal activities are referred to as black market.

Edited May 11, 2015 by squire

[t44tq]

I'm sorry I mentioned secondary market. I'll make sure I never do that again.

Just so you know, it is legal in DC, CA and possibly other states for liquor stores to buy private collections for the purposes of resale. That, in essence, is legal secondary market. One of the avenues of purchase for WFE is one of these stores that sells stuff that was purchased from collectors.

I take it by your strict stance on this topic that you would never discuss anything that could be construed as illegal, ever? Trading bottles, sending samples, importing bottles into various states, these are all illegal. A bake sale at your local church is illegal in some towns without a permit/license.

[squire]

Hey, if you want to go bust the Church ladies I can't stop you.

[flahute]

The kind of information you are looking for, the "what is what" or "where it's from" is going to be unavailable even if all of us who like WFE were posting tasting notes frequently. The truth is, unless you were part of the barrel picking team and saw the actual barrel, you don't know where it came from. (And those people aren't supposed to tell). Nobody but Willett knows and they aren't telling either. The best you can get from anyone else is an assumption. This is why your comparison with Single Malts is not apt. With those, you know the distilleries. In the case of Compass Box, you know the region or style.

The best you can get from WFE is if it's a wheater or rye based. If it's a wheater, there's a line 20+ deep at the distillery gate the morning they go on sale and it's sold out in minutes. If you want one, you'll know it's a wheater because it's going for $600-$800 from the flippers. Anything else is rye based and your guess is as good as anyone else's where it came from.

[jcg9779]

Aryan bunghole you say?

[ATTACH=CONFIG]20837[/ATTACH]

#GodwinsLaw

The knee high socks are a sharp look.

[smokinjoe]

Maybe I overreacted a bit...

Smokinjoe, your response is exactly why I responded in like kind.

I guess I'll stick to reading and not posting, as it seems to be a lot less controversial if I just keep my mouth shut. Maybe there has been a lot of WFE discussion over the years- I didn't think you wanted me to resurrect zombie threads from years back to ask some questions, did you?