Old Dusty Posted February 26, 2017 Share Posted February 26, 2017 3 minutes ago, JoeTerp said: And I'm pretty sure these have been tanked for a bit too. So a lost tank seems a little tougher. That's what the press materials said. Distilled in '89 tanked in '14 at 25 yrs. The initial announcements that I read didn't claim any lost barrels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvd99 Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 Had a conversation with my local store manager who didn't know how to sell this if he gets one, which is no sure thing. He's already had 10 - 20 inquiries, but only a handful from costomers he knows, which means the flippers are in a frenzy over this one. He always sells LEs at MSRP or a little less, no exceptions so far, but doesn't want to sell to a flipper. He suggested a raffle at MSRP with ticket sales donated to charity, which is no guarantee to avoid the flipper (this how he does BTAC, FR, PHC, FR etc). I suggested a similar raffle, but advertise two prices for purchase, one would be $4000 - $5000 unopened, and the other would be MSRP but the bottle will be opened at the register and the public notified via social media that bottle #xxx was opened. Theoretically, this would be as good a safeguard as any against selling to a flipper. Anyone have thoughts on this? I'd like to get some groupthink on this and report back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddy Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 If I owned a store and received a bottle, I'd make sure it went to no one other than my best customer. But that's just me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Dusty Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 4 minutes ago, Paddy said: If I owned a store and received a bottle, I'd make sure it went to no one other than my best customer. But that's just me... Nice thought, but I don't know any retailer that has one "best " customer. And therein lies the problem. How do you allocate one or two bottles to 25 really good loyal people? Or 50 or 150 depending on your size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvd99 Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 1 minute ago, Old Dusty said: Nice thought, but I don't know any retailer that has one "best " customer. And therein lies the problem. How do you allocate one or two bottles to 25 really good loyal people? Or 50 or 150 depending on your size. This is exactly his problem, especially since best customer from a purely dollar standpoint has a high probability of being a wine guy who isn't necessarily into bourbon but wants the unicorn bottle anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Dusty Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 5 minutes ago, jvd99 said: This is exactly his problem, especially since best customer from a purely dollar standpoint has a high probability of being a wine guy who isn't necessarily into bourbon but wants the unicorn bottle anyway. Common issue now from the Big Reds and Binny's down to the Mom and Pops. An already limited supply with exponentially increased demand. Plus their allocations are less due to the number of bottles diverted on premise. Glad I don't have to deal with it. But I also have much less access than even a year or two ago. It's all going to a lottery style system it seems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garbanzobean Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 39 minutes ago, jvd99 said: Had a conversation with my local store manager who didn't know how to sell this if he gets one, which is no sure thing. He's already had 10 - 20 inquiries, but only a handful from costomers he knows, which means the flippers are in a frenzy over this one. He always sells LEs at MSRP or a little less, no exceptions so far, but doesn't want to sell to a flipper. He suggested a raffle at MSRP with ticket sales donated to charity, which is no guarantee to avoid the flipper (this how he does BTAC, FR, PHC, FR etc). I suggested a similar raffle, but advertise two prices for purchase, one would be $4000 - $5000 unopened, and the other would be MSRP but the bottle will be opened at the register and the public notified via social media that bottle #xxx was opened. Theoretically, this would be as good a safeguard as any against selling to a flipper. Anyone have thoughts on this? I'd like to get some groupthink on this and report back. The opened/unopened thing is a cool idea, but it depends on whether or not that sort of thing is legal roundabouts where you live. In Maryland you really can't get away with that on store premises. Personally if I owned the store I would donate it to a charity auction and write it off on my taxes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvd99 Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 4 minutes ago, garbanzobean said: The opened/unopened thing is a cool idea, but it depends on whether or not that sort of thing is legal roundabouts where you live. For purposes of my inquiry, let's just assume its legal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddy Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 42 minutes ago, Old Dusty said: Nice thought, but I don't know any retailer that has one "best " customer. And therein lies the problem. How do you allocate one or two bottles to 25 really good loyal people? Or 50 or 150 depending on your size. My father in law, brother in law, and nephew have all been in the business. Back in the day, I spent plenty of time hanging around the stores, so I'm looking at it from their perspective (small town/small stores). In that equation, I mean my best bourbon customer (i.e. the one who would appreciate it the most), not the wine or beer guys. If there was no clear 'best customer', it would obviously go to the one I liked the most. The big stores most of us are dealing with are playing by a new set of rules (how many customers can we get into the store). Personally, I go to great means to avoid getting caught up in that game, as I'd rather buy from a smaller shop, with a smaller selection (and allocation) where someone is actually appreciative of my business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garbanzobean Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 23 minutes ago, jvd99 said: For purposes of my inquiry, let's just assume its legal If it is legal in your neck of the woods, it is a fine idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvd99 Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 Paddy - that describes my situation as my local only has a couple locations and is a fraction the size of Binny's. I try to give them as much business as possible. Now if it's a popularity contest, of course I would get the bottle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mosugoji64 Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 (edited) Given the price and very limited availability of this one, I think the best way to choose who gets it would be to select your best 10-15 customers, ask them if they're interested, and pick a name at random from those who would actually buy the bottle. Then, you're picking randomly from your best customers who are also interested. Maybe even make an event of it for all of them and have them in for samples and snacks if it's an option. Picking the one you like the best is likely to result in some hurt feelings and lost business. Edited February 27, 2017 by mosugoji64 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTNBourbon Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 Looks nice, but that price is outragous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTNBourbon Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 13 hours ago, Paddy said: If I owned a store and received a bottle, I'd make sure it went to no one other than my best customer. But that's just me... That's a really good idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flahute Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 10 hours ago, mosugoji64 said: Given the price and very limited availability of this one, I think the best way to choose who gets it would be to select your best 10-15 customers, ask them if they're interested, and pick a name at random from those who would actually buy the bottle. Then, you're picking randomly from your best customers who are also interested. Maybe even make an event of it for all of them and have them in for samples and snacks if it's an option. Picking the one you like the best is likely to result in some hurt feelings and lost business. This is exactly how I'd do it. Private event, invitation only, to the group of your best bourbon enthusiast customers who you know will drink it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeepCover Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 On February 27, 2017 at 2:56 PM, flahute said: This is exactly how I'd do it. Private event, invitation only, to the group of your best bourbon enthusiast customers who you know will drink it. Agreed. To be fair to the other regulars, I would make it clear that the lucky individual that gets the bottle also forfeits his/her position in the 2016 Pappy/BTAC allocation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjbeggs Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 My favorite store/owner held a charity auction last year for various donated bottles. He also submitted a request for an O.F.C. bottle to support the same charity. I already suggested to him that if he lands one of these, it would surely fetch a nice chunk of cash for the charity. In fact, I think BT maybe should have gone that route with these, as I think they would have brought in more $$$ per bottle than the O.F.C. bottles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maybeling Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 4 hours ago, kjbeggs said: My favorite store/owner held a charity auction last year for various donated bottles. He also submitted a request for an O.F.C. bottle to support the same charity. I already suggested to him that if he lands one of these, it would surely fetch a nice chunk of cash for the charity. In fact, I think BT maybe should have gone that route with these, as I think they would have brought in more $$$ per bottle than the O.F.C. bottles. Agreed, but Van Winkle is technically not their brand eh? Are VW barrels "chosen" after aging or are they already spoken for at distillation/during maturation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richnimrod Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 1 hour ago, maybeling said: Agreed, but Van Winkle is technically not their brand eh? Are VW barrels "chosen" after aging or are they already spoken for at distillation/during maturation? Hmmm, a good question. As long as we're asking this; how about another one? Is anybody certain that the wheated mashbill used for OWA/WSR/Weller 12 is identical to the VEW line? And are all the production techniques and barreling, and storage locations the same or at least similar? ...OR, is the VW stuff a totally separate animal from the get-go, with all things being different? ....And segregated, with barrels marked as VW product? I must confess, I've never seen a barrel so marked at BT; but I haven't looked EVERYWHERE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddy Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 The generally accepted story is that Julian gets first crack at the wheated barrels for the VW line. I suspect that they've now been doing it long enough that he has his favorite warehouse locations and simply keeps periodic check on them until they're ready. If they somehow go off profile during the maturation process, they can always go into a dump of WSR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvd99 Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 1 hour ago, Richnimrod said: Hmmm, a good question. As long as we're asking this; how about another one? Is anybody certain that the wheated mashbill used for OWA/WSR/Weller 12 is identical to the VEW line? And are all the production techniques and barreling, and storage locations the same or at least similar? ...OR, is the VW stuff a totally separate animal from the get-go, with all things being different? ....And segregated, with barrels marked as VW product? I must confess, I've never seen a barrel so marked at BT; but I haven't looked EVERYWHERE. All good questions. The r/bourbon sub Reddit is losing its mind because JVW turned down an AMA. That surely would have provided clarity on many issues, but looks like a pipe dream Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanstaafl2 Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 6 minutes ago, jvd99 said: All good questions. The r/bourbon sub Reddit is losing its mind because JVW turned down an AMA. That surely would have provided clarity on many issues, but looks like a pipe dream Is an AMA some sort of chat thing? I confess I don't pay much attention to reddit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcbt Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 7 minutes ago, jvd99 said: All good questions. The r/bourbon sub Reddit is losing its mind because JVW turned down an AMA. That surely would have provided clarity on many issues, but looks like a pipe dream Who else just had to google AMA? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcbt Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 Just now, tanstaafl2 said: Is an AMA some sort of chat thing? I confess I don't pay much attention to reddit. hah. Ask Me Anything. Per google. I just learned that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvd99 Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 Just now, tanstaafl2 said: Is an AMA some sort of chat thing? I confess I don't pay much attention to reddit. I just read the Reddit forums and don't participate. But I do know an AMA is an "ask me anything" with a distillery owner or rep. They've done them with Jim Rutledge and many others. JVW was apparently the first ever to turn the sub reddit down and the mod didn't take it too well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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