old whiskies, a victim of their own success

[bullitt]

http://news.nationalpost.com/life/food-drink/drink-em-while-you-got-em-its-last-call-for-the-old-whiskies-a-victim-of-their-own-success

[SebastianLloyd]

I feel like I just read an obituary.

[Harry in WashDC]

Thanks for the link.

[The Black Tot]

Irish whiskey won't come to the rescue - it takes far longer to get to market than the bourbon ramp-up will.

The upscaled bourbon production will be first to the market, much to our pleasure.

Still a good 3-5yrs away for the 8yrish things, but hey, Willett started distilling more than 3yrs ago, and it feels like yesterday.

They're still backlogged on rackhouse building. Once we hit 2019, there are going to be gains in production year-over-year equivalent to the rackhouse construction rate we're seeing now.

Mark your calendars. The glut cometh. Until then, bunker time.

[Harry in WashDC]

4 minutes ago, The Black Tot said:

 . . . Still a good 3-5yrs away for the 8yrish things, but hey, Willett started distilling more than 3yrs ago, and it feels like yesterday . . .

Mark your calendars. The glut cometh. Until then, bunker time.

Funny you should mention this.  A couple days ago, I was reminded that Finger Lakes Distilling's products are getting up there in age as are Smooth Ambler's own whiskeys.  A recent thread here noted that SA thinks its own distillate, now over 4 YO, may be ready for consumption late this year.The FLD popped back into my consciousness when, as I posted on another thread, a bartender gave me a taste from a new bottle on the shelf near the bourbons.  It was Catskill Provision's New York Honey Whiskey which is 80 proof and is made from FLD-made rye and NY honey.  Unlike some of the recent "flavored" whiskeys, this had a nice mouthfeel, did not have a watery consistency, and was not syrupy sweet.  It was a nice blend of whiskey and honey rather than a mixture.

In short, since I've consumed most of my "less than 4 yr." purchases (which I stopped buying a year or so ago), I've considered buying some of the recent releases.  I know I'm going to replace my now-empty FLD McKenzie rye based on the CPNYHW experience.  And, I like the 6 to 8 year range a lot, so perhaps 4 or 5 will be acceptable.

 

[The Black Tot]

I'm excited about all these new options, but while it's great that they're coming of age in terms of drinking pleasure, I think that in the present inventory-stressed environment we still have a few years to go before competition brings the pricing down in line with where <6yr whiskeys should be. In my opinion, of course.

Just as I'm excited about the return of more and a wider variety of mature whiskeys to the shelves, I'm also excited as a consumer about the damper that will put on the steady rise of prices we've been seeing.

The new guys are going to have to square off against the value of the old boys, who will be pumping out a record level of tried and true product.

I wonder how these new small distilleries are set to weather the storm of readily available Weller 12, 4R barrel picks, ECBP, and even WFEs when the groundswell catches up. People now say it will never happen, but I think they're already making them faster than we're drinking them (since a lot of 'em are building up in bunkers), and every year the sound of hammers and saws are rumbling in Kentucky, building the new rackhouses.

In short, I'll try the little guys when they're down from $50 to $25, or whatever inflationary equivalent that will be in 8yrs.

I also think anyone looking to buy a small distillery need only wait 4-8yrs. There will be a few going cheap, still with the shine on their Vendomes. But by then it won't be any market for a startup.

It's a tough racket, and my hat goes off to any small guy who can make a go of it.