Booker's named batches

[GreggJ]

Well the price increase just hit here.  Last month it Booker's was $54.99 and on sale for $50.99.  Went to the store today and it's now $69.99.  It will be interesting to see the public reaction and if they can successfully transition the cost / perception of Booker's into an ultra premium bourbon.  Can that fancy wooden box and premium price tag can woo the masses?  Don't get me wrong I enjoy Booker's and believe its damn fine bourbon but, for $70 it should have another 3-4 years on it.  A 9-11yo Cask strength Bookers would more warrant that price point. Coincidentally, it was sitting right next to a Four Roses Private Selection for the same cost.  I think you can guess which one came home.  

[JoeTerp]

3 hours ago, GreggJ said:

Well the price increase just hit here.  Last month it Booker's was $54.99 and on sale for $50.99.  Went to the store today and it's now $69.99.  It will be interesting to see the public reaction and if they can successfully transition the cost / perception of Booker's into an ultra premium bourbon.  Can that fancy wooden box and premium price tag can woo the masses?  Don't get me wrong I enjoy Booker's and believe its damn fine bourbon but, for $70 it should have another 3-4 years on it.  A 9-11yo Cask strength Bookers would more warrant that price point. Coincidentally, it was sitting right next to a Four Roses Private Selection for the same cost.  I think you can guess which one came home.  

I really enjoy Booker's, but you made the right choice. The big advantage it had over 4RPS, Stagg Jr, and ECBP was availability and not price. 

[KrispinD]

Russell's Reserve 10 year is $35 around me and RR SiB is $50. Think I'll stick with the great stuff in that range. Hell - for $80 I can get Weller 12 on the secondary market!


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[smokinjoe]

15 minutes ago, KrispinD said:

Russell's Reserve 10 year is $35 around me and RR SiB is $50. Think I'll stick with the great stuff in that range. Hell - for $80 I can get Weller 12 on the secondary market!


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Yes you probably can, and you will have severely overpaid for a whiskey that pales in comparison to these mentioned.  But, that's what the bubble hype does!  

[KrispinD]

Yes you probably can, and you will have severely overpaid for a whiskey that pales in comparison to these mentioned.  But, that's what the bubble hype does!  

That depends on personal taste, but objectively - it's aged longer and is much harder to find. So just for comparison - $70 for Booker's is high is all I was saying.

[smokinjoe]

2 hours ago, KrispinD said:

That depends on personal taste, but objectively - it's aged longer and is much harder to find. So just for comparison - $70 for Booker's is high is all I was saying.

Indeed, personal tastes trumps all. For me, Booker's at barrel proof and at the sweet spot of Beam aging at ~7 years is a much better buy at $70 than W12 at $80... Or even W12 MSRP.  

[Clueby]

12 hours ago, smokinjoe said:

Indeed, personal tastes trumps all. For me, Booker's at barrel proof and at the sweet spot of Beam aging at ~7 years is a much better buy at $70 than W12 at $80... Or even W12 MSRP.  

I agree with the first part of the statement, but not the last. W12 at MSRP (~$30) would pack a much better flavor-to-$ ratio for me than Booker's at $70.

I like Booker's but have never spent more than $50 (maybe $48) for a bottle.  When you get into that $70 range there are better options to me, even if they are harder to find.  Stagg Jr. at $50-ish and ECBP at $65-ish are even cheaper and (to me) better.

[JTaylor]

On 2/8/2017 at 10:08 AM, Clueby said:

I agree with the first part of the statement, but not the last. W12 at MSRP (~$30) would pack a much better flavor-to-$ ratio for me than Booker's at $70.

I like Booker's but have never spent more than $50 (maybe $48) for a bottle.  When you get into that $70 range there are better options to me, even if they are harder to find.  Stagg Jr. at $50-ish and ECBP at $65-ish are even cheaper and (to me) better.

To me, while they're different flavor profiles, the Stagg jr., ECBP and Booker's are equivalent whiskeys, so much so in my mind that I kind of think of them as the same whiskey from different distilleries (full flavored, barrel proof, semi-limited, and not from the glass case, but certainly an upper-ish shelf) which to me should put them in the same general price range. For my geographical area, and these crazy times, I figure that to be right around $60. So if you like all three, Stagg jr. might be considered a little better value and now Booker's has a little less value. YMMV of course, if you're a Booker's lover and the new pricing keeps more on the shelf for you then I guess you'd have to consider it a good value. There have been many a post here lamenting the ECBP price hikes but it still doesn't sit around for long. What value does a reasonably priced whiskey have if you can't find it? Beam seems to have followed their lead with the pricing on the Booker's, can Stagg jr. be far behind? I would assume that the respective marketing teams attempt to calculate the exact pricing point where their fans would purchase enough to keep it moving while still optimizing profits, but Beam's first price hike announcement to $100 has me wondering...

[Charlutz]

I need to find the cite but I saw something recently about BT holding their pricing going forward on everything. They've certainly maintained prices way longer than others would have, especially considering the demand for everything up and down their lines, so until they go up I'll continue to believe them. 

[JTaylor]

2 hours ago, Charlutz said:

I need to find the cite but I saw something recently about BT holding their pricing going forward on everything. They've certainly maintained prices way longer than others would have, especially considering the demand for everything up and down their lines, so until they go up I'll continue to believe them. 

They have indeed... Blanton' s has been at $59 around here at least back to 2010.  That is virtually unheard of.  I just hope they continue to set the standard and don't succumb to the pressure to follow current pricing trends...

[The Black Tot]

Beam executives, look at how this thread died, coincident with your price increase.

 

I've picked up a few Toogies over the last 6mo, all at the old prices. Haven't bought any Booker's since.

 

Has anyone ventured forth to review any of the new batches? Or have we all dropped it like a bad habit?

[smokinjoe]

4 hours ago, The Black Tot said:

Beam executives, look at how this thread died, coincident with your price increase.

 

I've picked up a few Toogies over the last 6mo, all at the old prices. Haven't bought any Booker's since.

 

Has anyone ventured forth to review any of the new batches? Or have we all dropped it like a bad habit?

As much as I have advocated on Beam's behalf the justification of increasing pricing on Booker's, the point of your first paragraph is very telling, Paul.  Now, it could be that savvy enthusiasts got out ahead of the pricing and loaded up and sitting back with Booker's tumult fatigue, while average Booker's buyers are still committing.  But, there does seem to be a noticeable parallel present.

[Harry in WashDC]

12 hours ago, The Black Tot said:

Beam executives, look at how this thread died, coincident with your price increase.

 

I've picked up a few Toogies over the last 6mo, all at the old prices. Haven't bought any Booker's since.

 

Has anyone ventured forth to review any of the new batches? Or have we all dropped it like a bad habit?

What Joe just said.  I acquired all my Booker's before the price ran up, most of them on sale.  At my current rate of Booker's consumption (and I do consume it several times a month), I won't need to buy any more for several years.  I also thought the batches were close enough in taste that I really didn't pay much attention to which one I was buying as long as it was on sale. 

[lcpfratn]

I did buy a "few" before the reduced price increase, so I probably won't be buying any $75 Booker's anytime soon. I did see a 2017 batch the other day along with some 2016 batches in a shop for around $65, which surprised me since this shop is not known for having great prices on mid to upper tier stuff. Not to rehash this debate, but I think Beam helped clear the store shelves with their pricing announcement, which allowed the distributors to sell more to the retailers and Beam to sell some more to the distributors. Time will tell whether or not Booker's can sell at the new higher price point or not, but my bet is not. Even though I like Booker's, with KCSB PS bottles at 12 and 13 years readily available all over the place at less than $40, it's hard to justify Booker's at $70 plus or minus $5.


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[flahute]

I like Booker's but was not compelled to pick up a bunch of it when the price hike was announced. At the time, I had two unopened bottles, one of which is now open. As much as I enjoy it, I don't plan on buying more at the new price. Once these bottles are empty, that's it. As good as it is, there's too many other bourbons (from Beam and other distilleries) that are similar enough in flavor but at cheaper prices for similar proofs. I will drink those for now.

If Beam gets smart (which I know they can do) and finds a way to distinguish themselves with Booker's at a better price, or better quality/different profile that justifies the price, I will consider buying it again. Unfortunately, Beam misfires more than they connect so I'm not confident they will win me back to this brand. I hope I'm wrong.

[kevinbrink]

The last batch I picked up was the last batch of last year and only because it was priced under $60, I have plenty of Bookers to last quite a while. I get the idea that KC 120 is a better value in the same portfolio, and while I think it's a good pour and I understand the mentality that it is a better value, to my palate Booker's is a more enjoyable pour. 

[The Black Tot]

I think they could get us back if low present sales meant they could get batches back up north of 8yrs, say?

 

Are y'all seeing it sit unmolested on shelves? Or is it just us geeks who've amassed it and passed it?

 

After the rye pricing I dread what they're going to nightmare up for a price tag on Booker's 30th in 2019.

[Harry in WashDC]

36 minutes ago, The Black Tot said:

I think they could get us back if low present sales meant they could get batches back up north of 8yrs, say?

 

Are y'all seeing it sit unmolested on shelves? Or is it just us geeks who've amassed it and passed it?

 

After the rye pricing I dread what they're going to nightmare up for a price tag on Booker's 30th in 2019.

I can't tell if the stores I visit most often are stuck with the three or four bottles-in-boxes I usually see on the top shelf or if they periodically replace one or two sold with one or two from storage.  Whichever it is, they each seem to have three or four bottles ALWAYS on the shelf.

 

I can tell you that the price in those stores hangs around $65-75, mostly toward $75.  Store picks of 4R @ cask strength about 10 years old sell for about the same range - a couple stores are a little ($2-3) higher.  As long as that is true, I will pass on new Bookers and pick up the 4Rs.

 

RE: those special KC releases - I liked the 2001 LE I had (Batch 1 which I tasted and then bought and Batch 2 which I just tasted).  I decided I did not like them so much more than basic KC that I will pay 5 times as much for 1 LE as I pay for 1 basic KC.  I tasted the KC Rye LE.  Again, I'm not really a value shopper, but I'll buy other ryes I like better that cost less.

[JoeTerp]

1 hour ago, The Black Tot said:

I think they could get us back if low present sales meant they could get batches back up north of 8yrs, say?

 

Are y'all seeing it sit unmolested on shelves? Or is it just us geeks who've amassed it and passed it?

 

After the rye pricing I dread what they're going to nightmare up for a price tag on Booker's 30th in 2019.

The last 11 releases have all been under 7 years, I don't think 8 years is coming any time soon.

[The Black Tot]

2 hours ago, JoeTerp said:

The last 11 releases have all been under 7 years, I don't think 8 years is coming any time soon.

Yes, but they raised the prices because they said their inventory was getting slammed. If nobody is buying, inventory is no longer slammed, and one way to try and bring us back to the fold at higher prices would be to use the inventory depressurization to bump age/perceived value.

[The Black Tot]

...on the other hand, diverting stocks of 7yr in late 2016 is a good way to make a whole bunch of 10yr $300 LE 30th anniversary in the autumn limited season 2019...

[mosugoji64]

Thanks for the bump! This is a good opportunity to check in with how Booker's has done since the new pricing strategy went into effect. I bought a few when the price increase was initially announced. The Costco near me had recently received a shipment and was selling it for $49.99. At the time I thought that was half of what the price would be in the coming year so I bought a few for myself and a couple as gifts. Looking back, I don't regret it. Costco still has a ton of it and raised the price to $59.99. Elsewhere the price has crept closer to $70. I see more Booker's now than I ever did before the price increase, which seems crazy given their reasoning for the price increase was low stocks. As others have said, I like Booker's but will probably not be a buyer at the new price.

[garbanzobean]

Good revival.  I defended Beam for raising the price of Booker's, but I do wonder if they accomplished what they set out to do.  Without really knowing what their goals were, it is hard to say.  What I can say is that interest in Booker's on social media bourbon groups has flatlined.  I don't think I have seen a thread proclaiming that the poster is an OG Booker's collector from day one (notice their profile photo has the last 3-4 batches in it) but does anyone want to trade for older batches just for fun since Beam's announcement.  To be fair, I left most of those groups months ago due to my fatigue over seeing posts like that day in, day out.  So it is possible I am wrong.

[kevinbrink]

I'm not sure if it just happens to be the batches i have but even on the older ones half are under 7 years, and the over 7 year half is helped by the fact that I have 3 bottles of batch 2013-7 which is 7 years 0 months, but otherwise:

 

C00-K-15 6y 7m

C01-A-18 6y 7m

C03-I-17 7y 4m

C06-k-8 6y 2m

 

[hn4bourbon]

I bought up the few bottles (2016 batches) I ran into ranging from $50-$65. I probably wouldn't be buying $79+ Booker's.  I'll keep buying the lower dollar ones when I see them for my bunker.