whiskey buyer Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 (edited) I work at a local grocery store, and I manage the liquor department. When I started I knew absolutely nothing about alcohol. However I have worked really hard and getting to know the product, and understanding the preferences of my customers. My goal is to be able to give my customers an accurate informed answer to questions, and to make the right recommendation to meet their needs. Any suggestions are appreciated. I have also made a commitment to sell the product at, or as close to, minimum shelf price as possible. This commitment also includes Pappy when we get it in. Edited July 10, 2016 by whiskey buyer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry in WashDC Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 13 hours ago, whiskey buyer said: I work at a local grocery store, and I manage the liquor department. When I started I knew absolutely nothing about alcohol. However I have worked really hard and getting to know the product, and understanding the preferences of my customers. My goal is to be able to give my customers an accurate informed answer to questions, and to make the right recommendation to meet their needs. Any suggestions are appreciated. I have also made a commitment to sell the product at, or as close to, minimum shelf price as possible. This commitment also includes Pappy when we get it in. We need a LIKE button. OR, we need one of these: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenderbender4 Posted July 15, 2016 Author Share Posted July 15, 2016 On 7/10/2016 at 7:55 AM, whiskey buyer said: I work at a local grocery store, and I manage the liquor department. When I started I knew absolutely nothing about alcohol. However I have worked really hard and getting to know the product, and understanding the preferences of my customers. My goal is to be able to give my customers an accurate informed answer to questions, and to make the right recommendation to meet their needs. Any suggestions are appreciated. I have also made a commitment to sell the product at, or as close to, minimum shelf price as possible. This commitment also includes Pappy when we get it in. You are awesome. Effort is really what counts, I think. I love being able to just talk with fellow whiskey drinkers of all kinds, probably moreso the people who really enjoy it, rather than the people who seem to take a "knowledge as power position" approach. Like I love hearing someone say their favorite whiskey is something I've never heard of and might not be that well-regarded but they've clearly explored a lot and landed on one. I will also say, I think the day is approaching when bourbon distilleries finally help out the stores and suggest prices that really seem to fit the demand. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskey buyer Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 On 6/14/2016 at 1:17 PM, PappyStagg said: For stores that still put actual price tags on the bottles, I seem to almost always find price discrepancies. Just today I found a few bottles of BT out in the middle for one price and then the same bottle on the shelf was $5 more. A few weeks back I stumbled upon two bottles of my favorite tequila at a local spot. One was marked at the usual price and the other was $18 less. Not sure if it was bad karma to snag the bottle - guess I'll find out soon enough. This may because of the pricing games played by the distributors. We get quarterly price changes, and frequently it will go up $5 one cycle, then down $5 the next. It may be the mis-matched price may be a bottle that was missed when they did the price change. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ajparent Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 I was out of town for a wedding in a cool little town in Mass. I stopped into a liquor for some sparkling wines. While at the counter I asked the clerk if he had any Pappy (It doesn't usually hurt to ask). He smiled and said, "actually we do. 12 year". I responded asking how much they were charging for it, hoping for only a small markup. He grabbed it off the shelf and put it at the register and said $500. I said, "whoa, a little out of my price range". He said people pay it... i think ill just wait till the fall and buy a few retail priced bottles through my normal hookup. On another note, I did find a bottle of Elijah Craig 18 recently at a small store with a coat of dust on it for $117. I thought that was good, as the store is not in a great area and kind of overpriced a bit across the board. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niner Outlaw Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 Had another "huh?" moment a couple of days ago. Went into a LS that has a small selection, but the owner is a good guy and they're known to get in a stray bottle of Blantons, ECBP, WL12 and some of the HW products, so they're worth a look. I watched the salesman tell the only other customer in the store that the new David Nicholson wheater was "the same thing" as Pappy, "made by the same people", just a lot cheaper. I couldn't believe my ears. Customer bought the bottle and left with a smile on his face. That left only me and the salesman in the store. He tried to give me the same pitch--I've never had a LS guy strait up lie to me before, so it was a new experience. I rarely ever correct a LS employee b/c I want to stay on the best possible terms, but seeing that kind of fraud made me a little angry. The following ensued: ME: I've been coming here for years and I'm a big fan of ya'lls, and yea DN and PVW ARE both wheated mash bills, but they're not anywhere close to the same thing. GUY: I meant that the VW company makes DN. ME: Luxco owns DN and neither are associated with with the Van Winkles. Not trying to cause a headache, I just don't want ya'll to get in any trouble. GUY: <condescending tone> Don't worry. We know what we're doing. We know about the recipe and they're made in the same place. ME: Since you know, you can tell me where DN bourbons comes from and we'll use Google to check (I knew that Luxco has never revealed who makes its bourbon). GUY: If you're not going to buy anything, you should leave. So I left. I asked around town and the word is that the LS is financially struggling and that the salesman I saw was the owner's son. Still, that's no excuse for lying to customers. Beat anything I've ever seen. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcbt Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 I was at a store this weekend I go to periodically but not regularly. I bought one bottle and as I was checking out I figured I'd just ask the clerk about Weller 12's availability these days. This conversation ensued (abridged version below): CLERK: We don't have any but sometimes we get some. Someone else was just in here asking about the allocated bottles this year. ME: Ah yes, is the season. How do y'all handle those, just out of curiosity? CLERK: We don't always get bottles but we keep a list just in case. ME: Ok, can I add my name to the list just for giggles? CLERK: Well, we don't really have a list, people just come in and ask and if we have it we sell it. Alrightee, then. Silly me for interpreting "we keep a list" as them keeping a list. She needs to work on her lying skills. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niner Outlaw Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 1 hour ago, dcbt said: I was at a store this weekend I go to periodically but not regularly. I bought one bottle and as I was checking out I figured I'd just ask the clerk about Weller 12's availability these days. This conversation ensued (abridged version below): CLERK: We don't have any but sometimes we get some. Someone else was just in here asking about the allocated bottles this year. ME: Ah yes, is the season. How do y'all handle those, just out of curiosity? CLERK: We don't always get bottles but we keep a list just in case. ME: Ok, can I add my name to the list just for giggles? CLERK: Well, we don't really have a list, people just come in and ask and if we have it we sell it. Alrightee, then. Silly me for interpreting "we keep a list" as them keeping a list. She needs to work on her lying skills. Jerry: I don't understand. Do you have my reservation? Rental Car Agent: We have your reservation, we just ran out of cars. Jerry: But the reservation keeps the car here. That's why you have the reservation. Rental Car Agent: I think I know why we have reservations. Jerry: I don't think you do. You see, you know how to *take* the reservation, you just don't know how to *hold* the reservation. And that's really the most important part of the reservation: the holding. Anybody can just take them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcbt Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 16 minutes ago, Niner Outlaw said: Jerry: I don't understand. Do you have my reservation? Rental Car Agent: We have your reservation, we just ran out of cars. Jerry: But the reservation keeps the car here. That's why you have the reservation. Rental Car Agent: I think I know why we have reservations. Jerry: I don't think you do. You see, you know how to *take* the reservation, you just don't know how to *hold* the reservation. And that's really the most important part of the reservation: the holding. Anybody can just take them. Exactly what I was thinking as well when I was having the actual conversation. Almost busted out an amended version of the last quote on her. "You know how to HAVE a list, but you don't know how to UPDATE the list, and that's really the most important part of a list, the updating. Anybody can just say they have a list." 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icarus625 Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 A Liquor Store across the street from the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas was selling a 2015 bottle of Angel's Envy Cask for a $1000...Huh?!? I assume they get high rollers walking in who are a little tipsy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vosgar Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 A sales rep schlepping some kind of finished whiskey told me, my brother-in-law, and another couple who were standing in the bourbon aisle that his product was "almost a bourbon". He elaborated by saying that his whiskey was 80% corn, while bourbon had to be 90% corn. Apparently I missed the change in the regulations......... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyfish Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 11 hours ago, Vosgar said: A sales rep schlepping some kind of finished whiskey told me, my brother-in-law, and another couple who were standing in the bourbon aisle that his product was "almost a bourbon". He elaborated by saying that his whiskey was 80% corn, while bourbon had to be 90% corn. Apparently I missed the change in the regulations......... As my friend Russ says when offering Seagram's as bourbon, "That's just a technicality." 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTaylor Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 I had to pick my wife up at the airport so I searched Google maps for liquor stores along my route and planned to leave a little early to check them out. I found one whose website had a picture of the shelves behind the counter which showed PVW20 and WLW! Well, of course I stopped in... I see no PVW, no WLW, I asked.. No, they don't have any nor any other BTAC, no they don't have W12, no they don't have ETL, but we have this... he shows me a shelf full of CEHT SmB @ $54 ea... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garbanzobean Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 Yesterday I stopped by a store I frequent regularly due to low prices on regular bourbons and malts, as well as a few LEs that slip past the awareness of the owner. The popular LEs get priced 3-10x MSRP. It's not many places you can get Talisker 18 for $79 and Old Blowhard for $699, but that's the market these days. At any rate, I witnessed a new employee dutifully helping a customer in the bourbon aisle. Specifically, the customer asked why regular Buffalo Trace was one per customer. The employee helpfully replied that bourbons with more wheat in them such as Buffalo Trace are in high demand right now, so they have to put a one bottle limit on all wheated bourbons or they'll never keep them in stock. Not only is BT is not a wheater, but they also have the Rebel Yell 10 and quite a few low end wheaters out on shelves with no purchase limit. While his information wasn't great, the employee gave a good recommendation to the customer. The customer stated he was just getting into bourbon and wanted something that wasn't too spicy. The employee stated he had just started learning about bourbon and recommended Eagle Rare 10, which was on sale for $25 or so. (Not my favorite bourbon these days, but it definitely used to be. Based on what fellow SBers have been saying, it seems like it's been hitting it's stride of late, so I'll have to reinvestigate soon.) In the end, all's well that ends well. I'm sure the customer will be happy with his purchase, and he certainly didn't get fleeced or tricked into anything mediocre. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanstaafl2 Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 On 10/30/2016 at 1:01 PM, garbanzobean said: Yesterday I stopped by a store I frequent regularly due to low prices on regular bourbons and malts, as well as a few LEs that slip past the awareness of the owner. The popular LEs get priced 3-10x MSRP. It's not many places you can get Talisker 18 for $79 and Old Blowhard for $699, but that's the market these days. I would venture to say that it is almost no place where you find that curious combination! Not that I mind having benefitted from it. Last Talisker 18 I saw locally, when I see it at all which is rare these days, was north of $120 and that seemed like a good price at the time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IncredulousNosco Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 On 10/10/2016 at 3:23 PM, Niner Outlaw said: Had another "huh?" moment a couple of days ago. Went into a LS that has a small selection, but the owner is a good guy and they're known to get in a stray bottle of Blantons, ECBP, WL12 and some of the HW products, so they're worth a look. I watched the salesman tell the only other customer in the store that the new David Nicholson wheater was "the same thing" as Pappy, "made by the same people", just a lot cheaper. I couldn't believe my ears. Customer bought the bottle and left with a smile on his face. That left only me and the salesman in the store. He tried to give me the same pitch--I've never had a LS guy strait up lie to me before, so it was a new experience. I rarely ever correct a LS employee b/c I want to stay on the best possible terms, but seeing that kind of fraud made me a little angry. The following ensued: ME: I've been coming here for years and I'm a big fan of ya'lls, and yea DN and PVW ARE both wheated mash bills, but they're not anywhere close to the same thing. GUY: I meant that the VW company makes DN. ME: Luxco owns DN and neither are associated with with the Van Winkles. Not trying to cause a headache, I just don't want ya'll to get in any trouble. GUY: <condescending tone> Don't worry. We know what we're doing. We know about the recipe and they're made in the same place. ME: Since you know, you can tell me where DN bourbons comes from and we'll use Google to check (I knew that Luxco has never revealed who makes its bourbon). GUY: If you're not going to buy anything, you should leave. So I left. I asked around town and the word is that the LS is financially struggling and that the salesman I saw was the owner's son. Still, that's no excuse for lying to customers. Beat anything I've ever seen. Had the salesman used the paste tense, he wouldn't be lying. For example had he said, "PVW and David Nicholson were made by the same company, and both being wheater bourbons, were basically the same thing," then he would have earned a "Mostly true!" on Politifact.com. Regarding where it comes from NOW, well that is a little bit of mystery. But Wikipedia reveals that Luxco's Rebel Yell is contracted through Heaven Hill: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebel_Yell_(whiskey). I don't see any reason to suppose that HH isn't supplying both of them. They're pretty much the "same thing" as Larceny, I suppose. Which reminds me, I really need to pick up a bottle of RYSB10yr. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyfish Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 17 hours ago, IncredulousNosco said: Which reminds me, I really need to pick up a bottle of RYSB10yr. Why would you spend extra $$ for RYSB10 when you can get regular RY, basically the same thing, for a whole lot less? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IncredulousNosco Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 23 minutes ago, Flyfish said: Why would you spend extra $$ for RYSB10 when you can get regular RY, basically the same thing, for a whole lot less? Pretty simple, actually. To my taste the 10 year, 50% abv version is not "basically the same thing" as the NAS 40% abv version. In much the same way that to most critical peoples' tastes, the David Nicholson isn't "basically the same thing" as PVW. Sure, likely the same distillate three decades back, but even then, not the same. But if you had a salesman tell you it was the same (like many do with Weller 12), well, there is some truth to that. Sneaky BS sales truth, but truth nonetheless. It's like telling someone to not bother with Pikesville when they can just get Rittenhouse. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyfish Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 OK. So you could not see the bulge on my cheek where my tongue was firmly pressed against it. Of course they're not the same thing! That was the whole point of this thread. Sorry to mislead. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IncredulousNosco Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 Sometimes I forget other people might also know what they're talking about. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishnbowljoe Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 Was at my favorite local store yesterday. Saw liters of JD for $37.99 and 1.75's for $36.99. Yeah. I had to ask another person in the whiskey aisle if what I saw was correct. It was. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flahute Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 4 hours ago, fishnbowljoe said: Was at my favorite local store yesterday. Saw liters of JD for $37.99 and 1.75's for $36.99. Yeah. I had to ask another person in the whiskey aisle if what I saw was correct. It was. A similar thing happens at my local Total Wine with handles of WT101. First time I saw it I had to ask if it was a mistake. It wasn't. They do it because Trader Joe's sometimes has that handles for the same price so TW price matches them so as not to lose any sales. I wouldn't be surprised if something similar is happening with your favorite store. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
classacked Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 Went into a local store that had just started carrying Blanton's and they had it in a locked case which I thought was odd. When I asked the owner the price and he stated $149.99 I almost laughed. I asked him why it was so expensive, his reply, "since it comes with it's own box, it has to be worth quite a bit " Meanwhile, the other area stores are $48.99- $54.99 lol... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musekatcher Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 (edited) 23 minutes ago, classacked said: his reply, "since it comes with it's own box, it has to be worth quite a bit " Edited February 20, 2017 by musekatcher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emr454 Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 A liquor store owner told me today that "Weller is made in Pappy barrels" Nice try, dude. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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