Booker's MSRP and allocation?

[RWBadley]

1 hour ago, Ravensfire said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At 50 I'd still get it - good barrel proof bourbon is hard to find at that point. After my bunker runs out in 3-4 years, when i want some over-proof Beam it will be the substantially older KCSB that I'll purchase.


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Key point being 'good barrel proof bourbon'. Which I'm less inclined to go to Beam for these days. True that Beam was the only game in town at one time, and I have really enjoyed Bookers, Bakers, and KC100 for years. Recently I have come to feel differently about the juice, and this flapdoodle with Bookers pricing now prompted some soul searching bourbonwise...

 

SO- The last few days I have been going through some of my open inventory taking stock of trends from distillers in flavor profiles and if it meets my palate straight or is useful for my house vattings. Several days of SBS (hard work but somebody's got to do it ) tasting have shown me that for the most part much of what Beam has been doing lately (flavorwise)  isn't as attractive to me as I had been thinking. Heaven Hill, Buffalo Trace, Brown-Forman to name the few majors- have really shown ability to put out some lovely product. Of course this has been the case for years. But, the fact that the Beam products tended to go more and more into my vattings because I didn't prefer to drink them straight was a clue it took me a while to figure out.

 

Yes we all have different tastes, and on any given day or hour my own tastes vary- but overall it planted the seed in my mind that with the other options out there available- I don't need to give my money over to a producer I don't respect or admire for either business, flavor, pricing and/or availability reasons.

 

 Cheers to all! -

 

RW

 

 

[fanostra]

Frankly, not a big fan of Beam stuff but have enjoyed Booker's once in the rare while (wanted to like the OGD BiB but far prefer VOB). As far as barrel proof I would rather have 4Roses PS, Stagg Jr or CEHTBP (when I can find it) - but figuring once the price hike goes into effect, there's zero chance of my ever buying a bottle again and maybe someday I'd like a sip for change of pace. So despite swearing off Beam given all their recent actions, I came across a Booker's 2014-06 in the wild last weekend at $50 so grabbed it. Most of the shelves around town lately have been empty otherwise and figured this would give me a nice comparison with my only other bottle of it, Noe's Secret/2015-06. And the only reason I bought that bottle was that it was only $39 - definitely worth a try at that price but even then there's plenty of others I'd go for first at the price.

 

But figure it will likely be a few years before I get around to cracking this one open so been enjoying the reviews in the interim...

[Kyjd75]

Well, I can tell you that Booker's has virtually disappeared already in the Elizabethtown area.  And, from what I have learned from informed sources, there will be no Booker's available for retail distribution for an undetermined time.  Also, OGD 114 is likewise gone, with no more available through distribution.  Sources tell me Beam is waffling a little as to whether this is a permanent disappearance of OGD 114 or rather just an extended vacation (at minimum several years).  I like both of these, and did buy some (but not a crazy amount) to have while things sort themselves out.  And incidentally, Packages and More in Elizabethtown has a terrific 13 yr 9 mo KCSB selection which makes up for things anyway.

[jvd99]

I'm pretty sure Joe was a lot nicer/diplomatic than I would have been.  

 

At least around me, I'm not seeing bookers anymore and my local shop owner was shocked and pissed about the price hike.

[mbroo5880i]

A local chain sent out this e-mail this morning.

 

LAST SHOT EVER to Buy Bookers at $49.99!

Buy Now & Save! -- One of the most legendary bourbons of the last decade is going to be $100 per bottle this coming February. The articles are true and the price increase is coming. But INSTEAD of hording for next year, we went out and grabbed as much as we could to pass the savings on to YOU!

Incredibly complex, high proof, no-nonsense deliciousness. Booker's starts out with rich orange peel and well-balanced barrel spice then moves into nutty, mocha flavors with an intense leather and high fruit note on the mid-palate. The finish is a show stopper, lingering, slightly smoky and sweet. There's a reason Booker Noe thieved this out and stuck it a milk jug to drink at home... it's damn delicious.

 

They dropped the price by $15 from their normal price.  This will allow them to clear out the languishing stock so they can bring in the newer bottles at a higher price.

[Madhatter]

"There's a reason Booker Noe thieved this out and stuck it a milk jug to drink at home"

 

Hmmmm.  That gives me an idea....................

[smokinjoe]

34 minutes ago, mbroo5880i said:

A local chain sent out this e-mail this morning.

 

LAST SHOT EVER to Buy Bookers at $49.99!

Buy Now & Save! -- One of the most legendary bourbons of the last decade is going to be $100 per bottle this coming February. The articles are true and the price increase is coming. But INSTEAD of hording for next year, we went out and grabbed as much as we could to pass the savings on to YOU!

Incredibly complex, high proof, no-nonsense deliciousness. Booker's starts out with rich orange peel and well-balanced barrel spice then moves into nutty, mocha flavors with an intense leather and high fruit note on the mid-palate. The finish is a show stopper, lingering, slightly smoky and sweet. There's a reason Booker Noe thieved this out and stuck it a milk jug to drink at home... it's damn delicious.

 

They dropped the price by $15 from their normal price.  This will allow them to clear out the languishing stock so they can bring in the newer bottles at a higher price.

That's a standup move by that retailer.  Buying extra for their customers.  Letting their best customers know that they will have it via the email, and reducing the price by $15 to boot!  Can't ask for more from a shop.  Heck, is go in and buy a couple as a thank you for the effort.

[mbroo5880i]

23 minutes ago, smokinjoe said:

That's a standup move by that retailer.  Buying extra for their customers.  Letting their best customers know that they will have it via the email, and reducing the price by $15 to boot!  Can't ask for more from a shop.  Heck, is go in and buy a couple as a thank you for the effort.

 

I suppose.  Or, I could just go to the shop down the street who has been selling it for $49.99 all along and buy one or two of the four bottles they still have on the shelf.   I am not certain they bought extras for their customers, at least the email doesn't explicitly say so.  If they did, then they had to have gotten a discount from their distributor.  I know that the two stores that I visit regularly in this chain had 4 or 5 bottles each last I checked.  My guess is they are clearing out their extensive inventory since they have 50+ stores.  Which is fine too!  Either way, it is a good deal, if you want to pick up a few Booker's for $49.99 before the price goes up.  Some places are jacking the prices on the stuff they already have in stock. 

Edited December 21, 2016 by mbroo5880i

[BMartin42]

No doubt. It might benefit them in the long run but dropping the price rather than raising it already like others and letting people know ahead of time deserves some kudos.


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[DonutsNBourbon]

just stopped in Binny's last night and they have plenty of cases of booker's come in at $53.  Looks like a new batch, didn't pay attention to the name or anything though.

[garbanzobean]

Booker's seems to be readily available for $50 in my neck of the woods as well.  

[flahute]

Ya know.....when this first was confirmed, I was all set to run out and stock up. Still haven't done it. Just not feeling it. Total Wine here in WA State had already jacked the price up to $76 for the named batches (well before the announcement) so I've been turned off to Booker's for a while now. $100? hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

[garbanzobean]

I've reduced my ambition to a single bottle of Booker's and a single bottle of Baker's.  Assuming they are still the old price when I come back from family holiday.  And that's only because I think B-S really may try to go full Yamazaki 18 on this one if they think they can get away with it.

[Mule Skinner]

I was in 2 stores today, and the prices at both stores are the same they've been for months, and both had plenty of Booker's on the shelf.  One of the store owners is a friend, and I mentioned the price increase, and he had no idea what I was talking about.  I filled him in on the latest price and allocation news for 2017.  He agreed that although he did enjoy Booker's, he would never lay down a Ben Franklin for a bottle of it.  

[Nm0369]

Chilly's liquor in Greenfield, IN had Booker's priced at $99.99 this morning when I popped in there.  They were 2015 bottles fwiw.   I asked the clerk if they had just recently raised the price and she had no clue.  Other prices were normal to slightly high.  

[Whiskey Dick]

I'm trying to take a Smokinjoe attitude and be all Zen/glass half full about Beam, but I'm struggling to do it. I completely understand they feel like they're leaving money on the table here, but they're creating an artificial shortage to increase price on a product that never really moved much bulk to begin with. I imagine it it only bourbon enthusiasts who really bought this to begin with. Thank goodness for bunkers!

[Limegoldconvertible68]

I thought about buying a few for the bunker but I am now convinced that I just won't miss Bookers. 

[Swoboda]

Seen on a local whiskey board . . .

 

"Beam just balked at the huge price increase. In KS we will go to roughly $69.99 instead of $99.99. This will be official next week."

 

 

[Ravensfire]

Seen on a local whiskey board . . .
 
"Beam just balked at the huge price increase. In KS we will go to roughly $69.99 instead of $99.99. This will be official next week."
 
 

And still too high for Bookers. Not too surprised though - this will give some people the impression that Beam is being nice. No. It's still a 20+ price increase.

Bah humbug!

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[Limegoldconvertible68]

1 hour ago, Swoboda said:

Seen on a local whiskey board . . .

 

"Beam just balked at the huge price increase. In KS we will go to roughly $69.99 instead of $99.99. This will be official next week."

 

 

If true it will Upset everybody that just went out and loaded up the bunker. Nothing like clearing the shelfs of a slow mover. 

[flahute]

2 hours ago, Limegoldconvertible68 said:

If true it will Upset everybody that just went out and loaded up the bunker. Nothing like clearing the shelfs of a slow mover. 

Not really. Most loaded up at $50 per bottle. Saving $20 per bottle is still worth it for the true Booker's fans.

[Harry in WashDC]

48 minutes ago, flahute said:

Not really. Most loaded up at $50 per bottle. Saving $20 per bottle is still worth it for the true Booker's fans.

This is me, smiling.  As I posted up above, at the rate I've been drinking it this time around (i.e., since the batch relabeling caught my eye and pulled me back to Booker's), I have a multi-year, perhaps lifetime, supply and have no need or desire to pay over $50 anymore.  A few stores in WashDC have priced current stocks over $65 which is weird - Montgomery County MD stores are just outside the NW WashDC line and have plenty at $49 on sale.  Mont.Co. is a control county so the price $57 reg. and $49 on sale is stable for awhile more.

[Ravensfire]

Not really. Most loaded up at $50 per bottle. Saving $20 per bottle is still worth it for the true Booker's fans.

This is also true, and happy to be one of those fans!

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[lcpfratn]

I believe the current suggested retail price is actually $59.99, so if the suggested retail price increase only ends up being $69.99, that's only a $10 increase, which is more of an acceptable price increase and is more in line with what has been happening to the price of ECBP and some of their other competitors. I always suspected that the $99.99 price announcement was a ruse to empty the shelves of Booker's as much as possible, then giving BS the ability to come back and say that they have heard their customers and have decided to only raise the price to...$XX.xx at this time. At the $99.99 price point, I think a lot of stores would have just quit carrying it since they know how long it sat at the current price.

Of course this is probably all still speculation since I haven't seen a confirmation of the BS reduced pricing decision. The acronym for Beam Suntory ("BS") is certainly appropriate isn't it? [emoji12][emoji3]


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[Limegoldconvertible68]

Regardless, I'm an alienated customer who won't be buying Beam for a very long time.  Anyway I look at this it's a screw job to their best and most loyal customers and I have enough other choices in the market to say goodbye.