TNbourbon Posted March 25, 2004 Share Posted March 25, 2004 The '89 seems a bit paradoxical to me -- very light in body, but with loads of flavor. Maybe all the EWSBs are like that -- I've only just barely tried the '93, and haven't opened a '94 yet. If I can, I'll add some detail after I've a bit more experience comparing them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowdery Posted March 25, 2004 Share Posted March 25, 2004 I would say, as a general statement, that the flavor has gotten more intense with each new release. I have always felt that the 89 was the most balanced. Of all the previous editions, that is the one I would most like to have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowdery Posted March 25, 2004 Share Posted March 25, 2004 It occurs to me, and I know we have some retailers here, that a good retail strategy (assuming you have some bourbon nerds like us in your patronage) would be to hold back some bottles of each year's vintage so you can always have several different years on the shelf. This could be complicated, especially if you decide (as would be reasonable) to mark up the older bottles due to their scarcity and your cost in holding them. Still, if you merchandised it cleverly it might be a way to stimulate some interest and make a premium profit on the older editions. It might also be a smart strategy for a distributor. It might also be smart for Heaven Hill, but I think they probably are better served by sticking to their current policy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNbourbon Posted March 26, 2004 Share Posted March 26, 2004 It's a good idea, Chuck, and I suspect that in some states it would fly. But, here in Tennessee, I see two problems:1)prices are regulated on the top end to a large degree by the distributors. For (hypthetical, though not by much) example, if a store buys Maker's Mark at $21 per 750 ml, it can sell it anywhere from a penny over that (but never below wholesale) -- which, of course, isn't practical -- up to the distributor's assigned retail of $27.09 (but no higher). So, a bottle kept five years could still only be sold at whatever the distributor's MSRP, if you will, is at the time; and2)Our distributors don't rotate stock very well. We frequently get wine and/or liquor from vintages/bottle issues that are earlier than the ones we've been selling for months. So, there's more than a little chance that tomorrow's 'new' shipment of stock will include that bottle we've been holding onto for 3 years to increase its value.Liquor laws/practices in Tennessee are another world. That's what happens when the best-known, most-influential lobbyist at the capitol is the liquor industry's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gr8erdane Posted March 26, 2004 Share Posted March 26, 2004 I wonder if the distributors ever took Econ 101 and learned the concept of FIFO (first in, first out)? Sounds more like LIFO (last in, first out). But then it's not like they are dealing with a perishable commodity. It only perishes when we open it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeNell Posted March 26, 2004 Share Posted March 26, 2004 I like your idea and wholeheartedly agree. I hope to do a little of that myself, but the problem is that most retailers here like to sell merchandise within a month or two of ordering it since "cellaring," to use a wine term, can be costly for a small store with limited space. In NY, you can have a line of credit with a distributor so that you don't have to pay for your merchandise until the 10th of each month so if you order bottles at the first of the month and can sell them all before the 10th of the next month, you can get ahead financially. It's harder for a start up store to pack rat a bunch of stuff for futures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowdery Posted March 26, 2004 Share Posted March 26, 2004 I figured that probably was the obstacle, plus space is always an issue in NYC, but if there's a demand the extra cost can be covered by a very justifiable mark-up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowdery Posted March 26, 2004 Share Posted March 26, 2004 I knew most states had price floors but I didn't know there were also ceilings. The system is nuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNbourbon Posted March 26, 2004 Share Posted March 26, 2004 The system is nuts. You're preachin' to the choir on that. Some wine producers/importers won't even do business in Tennessee because of the self-serving racket the distributors have set up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowdery Posted March 26, 2004 Share Posted March 26, 2004 That's what it has become in most states, a racket engineered by the distributors. The retailers, consumers and manufacturers seem powerless to do anything about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeNell Posted March 27, 2004 Share Posted March 27, 2004 Since I already grabbed all the '92 left, I went ahead and stockpiled a few more '93's today. (Doin' my best to deplete that '93 stock so we can see some '94.) I'll take Chuck's suggestion and try to keep a decent "library" LeNell's stash of EWSB from here on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowdery Posted March 27, 2004 Share Posted March 27, 2004 Keep us posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitzg Posted March 28, 2004 Share Posted March 28, 2004 It would seem you'll have to keep a really high retail on them otherwise collectors will run you out quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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