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Liquor Store "Huh?" Moments


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On 7/10/2024 at 10:36 AM, PaulO said:

May I suggest you look into Maker's Mark Cask Strength (their version of "full proof") @ ~ $35 a bottle.  😉

 

If the store mentioned above thinks just sitting on a large volume of expensive inventory makes business sense - somebody has a math problem.  🤪

 

Speaking of math problems...the closest store to my house just got in a store pick of Blanton's right before the holiday last week.  Priced at $139.99 🙄

 

I commented to the cashier (went to H.S. with her, known her 25+years) about how "I can't believe yall haven't sold out of that...Blanton's basically sells itself, right?"  She knows and agrees that it's priced ridiculously.  She told me they've sold just 5 bottles of it in the one week since they got it a week ago, and it was blasted all over Facebook the entire holiday weekend by one of the store employees.  

 

If the owner wants to sit on all that inventory he can be my guest...I refused a while back to ever spend one cent of whiskey $ in his store over his full secondary prices...but now I've got a glimmer of hope that others in my town are doing the same.  

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On 7/9/2024 at 11:28 AM, LW25 said:

On the counter sat one bottle of WFP with their store pick sticker on it.  I linger at the counter a minute just looking and someone emerges from the back.  I ask how much the WFP is.  $209.99 he says.  I ask if it's a leftover bottle from a recent store pick (bc I only see the one bottle) and he says "No, we have a dozen cases or so left.  We picked that barrel 4 months ago, and everyday we put one bottle of it out on the counter to sell at store open.  Looks like you're the lucky winner today." 

 

That's about secondary. It'll keep dropping (it was $275 or so a year ago) as supply continues to flood the market.

 

How low will it go? The lower the better.

 

Already hearing about gluts with NDP's and newer distillers. And capital calls.

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  • 1 month later...

I was in TW today.  In ten minutes or less I saw four different people grab Willett Pot Still off the shelf.  One dude told another dude, "limit one so it's good".  The store wasn't even busy at the time.  It was like a Saturday Night Live skit.

And a young woman customer asked an older woman employee where was the Weller Antique.  🤣🤣🤣

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On 8/30/2024 at 1:42 PM, PaulO said:

I was in TW today.  In ten minutes or less I saw four different people grab Willett Pot Still off the shelf.  One dude told another dude, "limit one so it's good".  The store wasn't even busy at the time.  It was like a Saturday Night Live skit.

And a young woman customer asked an older woman employee where was the Weller Antique.  🤣🤣🤣

🤣

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  • 3 weeks later...

I was in there again, this time buying Scotch, but had to see what else was on offer.  

There was a guy older than me shopping with an even much older guy (I figured was his dad).  

The clerk told them these several brands sourced from 1792 Barton "are the same mash bill as Eagle Rare".  

After that, the old guys sure wanted to buy that stuff.  🙈🙉🙊  

 

Believe it or not, I didn't say anything.

 

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On 9/18/2024 at 1:20 PM, PaulO said:

I was in there again, this time buying Scotch, but had to see what else was on offer.  

There was a guy older than me shopping with an even much older guy (I figured was his dad).  

The clerk told them these several brands sourced from 1792 Barton "are the same mash bill as Eagle Rare".  

After that, the old guys sure wanted to buy that stuff.  🙈🙉🙊  

 

Believe it or not, I didn't say anything.

 

TW employee just tried telling me the same thing.  "Wolcott is made by Barton 1792, the same distillery that makes Buffalo Trace!".  Kinda wanted to confront that BS, but just rolled my eyes and went on with my day.  

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4 hours ago, Cibsie said:

TW employee just tried telling me the same thing.  "Wolcott is made by Barton 1792, the same distillery that makes Buffalo Trace!".  Kinda wanted to confront that BS, but just rolled my eyes and went on with my day.  

 

That's when I go off the rails and ask for things I know they don't have.  Man, I only drink Pappy.  Can you check to see if you have a bottle in the back?  When they say no, then I move on to something equally difficult to find.  

 

TW has its place but the direct spirits is the worse grifting of unsuspecting customers.  Just sell it for what it is.  If it is quality and a good value, it will sell.  Of course, it is neither.

Edited by mbroo5880i
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10 minutes ago, mbroo5880i said:

 

That's when I go off the rails and ask for things I know they don't have.  Man, I only drink Pappy.  Can you check to see if you have a bottle in the back?  When they say no, then I move on to something equally difficult to find.  

 

TW has its place but the direct spirits is the worse grifting of unsuspecting customers.  Just sell it for what it is.  If it is quality and a good value, it will sell.  Of course, it is neither.

I thought of that as soon as I left the store!  I wish I had said something like "I've heard Barton 1792 also makes William LaRue Weller, do you happen to have any in the back?  I'll buy the Wolcott if you can go grab me one?"

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18 hours ago, Cibsie said:

TW employee just tried telling me the same thing.  "Wolcott is made by Barton 1792, the same distillery that makes Buffalo Trace!".  Kinda wanted to confront that BS, but just rolled my eyes and went on with my day.  

I thought about directing them to the Benchmark, and then rattling off the long list of all the brands that really come from the BT mash bill #1. 

Then we can go to the 80 proof Ancient Age.  It's from BT mash bill #2 - the same mash bill as Blanton's and ETL.  

 

I'm actually a fan of Barton.  When I want it, I'll go to one of the stores that has VOB 100.  No need to pay the TW NDP middle man a big up charge.  😉

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On 9/18/2024 at 11:20 AM, PaulO said:

I was in there again, this time buying Scotch, but had to see what else was on offer.  

There was a guy older than me shopping with an even much older guy (I figured was his dad).  

The clerk told them these several brands sourced from 1792 Barton "are the same mash bill as Eagle Rare".  

After that, the old guys sure wanted to buy that stuff.  🙈🙉🙊  

 

Believe it or not, I didn't say anything.

 

If it was Calumet, he was right.

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So I was tired/lazy on Friday after a Iong day of being a wage slave. I dunno if you old guys remember what that’s like. Anyways, ordered some Vietnamese food via DoorDash. The app said that I could also have bourbon delivered. So I started searching. As expected lots of $300 bottles of W12 and other bullshit. Pass. However, one store did claim to have some Bookers 30th for about $200. 
 

So I had some free time this afternoon so I drove over to this place in the next town over, Westborough. Turns out the store didn’t exist anymore. Oh well, I was just up the road from one of the best stores in the country, Julio’s. I consoled myself with some Glendronach cask strength. Yes, scotch. I also wanted some of that WT 8 year but it doesn’t seem to have hit MA shelves yet. Or maybe Geeten bought them all. Both are possible. 🤣

Edited by mal00768
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2 hours ago, mal00768 said:

I also wanted some of that WT 8 year but it doesn’t seem to have hit MA shelves yet. Or maybe Geeten bought them all. Both are possible. 🤣

 

No me guilty! No see on shelves here - maybe up north, maybe!  🥳

 

 

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19 hours ago, flahute said:

If it was Calumet, he was right.

He was pitching Wolcott and Chestnut Farms.

My point is Barton and ER distilled at two different distilleries, two different mash bills.

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On 9/20/2024 at 1:01 PM, Cibsie said:

TW employee just tried telling me the same thing.  "Wolcott is made by Barton 1792, the same distillery that makes Buffalo Trace!".  Kinda wanted to confront that BS, but just rolled my eyes and went on with my day.  

"Luciano Pavarotti sings Nessun Dorma with the same body that produces poop."  Too crude?

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  • 3 weeks later...

I forgot to mention this part of the story, when I was buying Scotch at TW.  Clerk tried to steer me to another brand than what I was there to buy.  I asked to explain, and that got me what I consider a non answer.  I later thought, could it be, I was grabbing the last three off the shelf (what I wanted).  They had a full shelf of the other. 💡

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10 hours ago, PaulO said:

I forgot to mention this part of the story, when I was buying Scotch at TW.  Clerk tried to steer me to another brand than what I was there to buy.  I asked to explain, and that got me what I consider a non answer.  I later thought, could it be, I was grabbing the last three off the shelf (what I wanted).  They had a full shelf of the other. 💡

 

I try not to interact with the clerks at Total Wine.  I tell them that I am just looking.  If they offer a sample, I tell them thank you but I am just looking.

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I’m sure this wouldn’t be the case at some stores, but at my local options, when someone asks me if I need help finding something, I always think of that Ron Swanson moment in Parks & Rec when he tells the hardware store staffer “I know more than you.”

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Ehh I love interacting with the staff at Julio’s and Loch and Key Society. Great guys and palates. It’s annoying that I have to buy a couple of bunker clunkers to get certain picks now but it is a business after all.

Edited by mal00768
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  • 2 weeks later...
On 10/12/2024 at 11:11 PM, evasive said:

I’m sure this wouldn’t be the case at some stores, but at my local options, when someone asks me if I need help finding something, I always think of that Ron Swanson moment in Parks & Rec when he tells the hardware store staffer “I know more than you.”

Granted I don't have a Total Wine near me to frequent, but I've generally found that I can just say "I'm one of those "bourbon nerds", haven't been here before/in a long time so just seeing what's new/different" and it works pretty well to get away from unwanted advice.  

 

And I picked up this trick from someone else here and it works like a champ.  Peruse the shelves, and if you are ready to leave without purchasing anything, identify some bottle that they don't have.  More than likely you'll get some version of "Couldn't find anything? Something you were looking for?" , and you can just throw out some random batch of Booker's they don't have - it reinforces the Bourbon Nerd comment too. 

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2 hours ago, LW25 said:

Granted I don't have a Total Wine near me to frequent, but I've generally found that I can just say "I'm one of those "bourbon nerds", haven't been here before/in a long time so just seeing what's new/different" and it works pretty well to get away from unwanted advice.  

 

And I picked up this trick from someone else here and it works like a champ.  Peruse the shelves, and if you are ready to leave without purchasing anything, identify some bottle that they don't have.  More than likely you'll get some version of "Couldn't find anything? Something you were looking for?" , and you can just throw out some random batch of Booker's they don't have - it reinforces the Bourbon Nerd comment too. 

I always ask for something I do want really bad though. A couple of times at smaller mom and pop shops I've been surprised when they go to the back and bring me up something I specifically asked for but wasn't on the shelf.

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