What Bourbon Did You Pass Up Today (Fall 2017)

[gurgalunas]

35 minutes ago, Kane said:

This out? Let the hunt begin!

It's in Kansas City.  Saw it around $90, and they had 4 or 5 bottles.  Does this disappear quickly?  I'd hoped to sample and maybe buy when in Park City in January...

 

Passed on Blanton's and Whistlepig rye 10 yr, both at retail. 

[Kane]

4 minutes ago, gurgalunas said:

It's in Kansas City.  Saw it around $90, and they had 4 or 5 bottles.  Does this disappear quickly?  I'd hoped to sample and maybe buy when in Park City in January...

 

Passed on Blanton's and Whistlepig rye 10 yr, both at retail. 

It does disappear fast. It's only one opinion, but let me say this: In my many years of whiskey hunting, I never stashed more than 1 bottle of any whiskey, there is simply so many good and exciting stuff to try. But, this year I am set on putting aside a few bottles of this. It is a whiskey I genuinely miss and search for, without success after its release season. It is really unique and tasty.

[Bnrhodes3]

Passed on a bottle of Weller SR this evening at TW. I got the last bottle from behind the counter and had it in my cart, ended up striking up a conversation with a guy trying to decided on a bottle of bourbon to grab, so I gave it to him to try. 

I got a 750ml for $17 and 1.75L for $30 the night before, so I figured I would let someone else try it.

 

A manager at TW recommended I try OF Statesman. I passed on that as well since I'm not keen on spending close to $55 on something I don't know much about. Any recommendations on that release?

[Bnrhodes3]

5 hours ago, Kane said:

It does disappear fast. It's only one opinion, but let me say this: In my many years of whiskey hunting, I never stashed more than 1 bottle of any whiskey, there is simply so many good and exciting stuff to try. But, this year I am set on putting aside a few bottles of this. It is a whiskey I genuinely miss and search for, without success after its release season. It is really unique and tasty.

I saw it for $110 - would you rate it as being worth that? I haven't tried it, but have heard good things.

[Kane]

4 hours ago, Bnrhodes3 said:

I saw it for $110 - would you rate it as being worth that? I haven't tried it, but have heard good things.

Worth is very subjective and correlated with your budget. But I'd say you can do better than $110, while this is a limited release it's nowhere as popular as other unicorns, you will likely run into other bottles.

[lcpfratn]

Worth is very subjective and correlated with your budget. But I'd say you can do better than $110, while this is a limited release it's nowhere as popular as other unicorns, you will likely run into other bottles.

This is another example of different area allocations. While it seems we are overflowing with OWA this year in my area, I've never even seen or heard of this in my area, and I've looked for it for the last few years. We get most of the other High West stuff, but I've never seen the LE stuff. Of course it doesn't appear that we get many of the 4R LE or OF LE bottles here either.


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[Bnrhodes3]

3 hours ago, Kane said:

Worth is very subjective and correlated with your budget. But I'd say you can do better than $110, while this is a limited release it's nowhere as popular as other unicorns, you will likely run into other bottles.

Worth is definitely subjective! I meant that for you specifically though - you really seem to enjoy it based on the lost, so would you grab it at that price?

 

Having talked number of LS managers locally, I found that some limited releases aren't shipped here at all, and both BTAC and Pappy are out of my reach due to reservations/lists. So I haven't decided if this hits my 'value' button yet or not haha.

[kevinbrink]

27 minutes ago, Bnrhodes3 said:

Worth is definitely subjective! I meant that for you specifically though - you really seem to enjoy it based on the lost, so would you grab it at that price?

 

Having talked number of LS managers locally, I found that some limited releases aren't shipped here at all, and both BTAC and Pappy are out of my reach due to reservations/lists. So I haven't decided if this hits my 'value' button yet or not haha.

1. Do you like Rye? bonus if you already know you like High West Rendezvous. 2. Do you like Bourbon/Rye finished in Fortified Wine barrels? If the answer to these questions is yes you are likely to love it. The stores around here that the whiskey geeks shop at tend to clear out of it fast here, however there are a few Mom and Pops that still have last years release on the shelves so I have never had the urge to go over $89. If I had none on the shelf and they raised the price to $110 I would probably eventually cave and buy a bottle eventually.

[Bnrhodes3]

3 minutes ago, kevinbrink said:

1. Do you like Rye? bonus if you already know you like High West Rendezvous. 2. Do you like Bourbon/Rye finished in Fortified Wine barrels? If the answer to these questions is yes you are likely to love it. The stores around here that the whiskey geeks shop at tend to clear out of it fast here, however there are a few Mom and Pops that still have last years release on the shelves so I have never had the urge to go over $89. If I had none on the shelf and they raised the price to $110 I would probably eventually cave and buy a bottle eventually.

I do like the ryes I've sampled so far. I haven't had anything from High West yet, nor have I tried anything finished in wine barrels. Aside from drowning it in coke, I'm in my first year of whiskey drinking, so a lot I've yet to sample.

 

I'm just trying to decide if it's something I should grab and hold until I can appreciate it more, or just wait and hope I can nab it next year.

[kevinbrink]

3 minutes ago, Bnrhodes3 said:

I do like the ryes I've sampled so far. I haven't had anything from High West yet, nor have I tried anything finished in wine barrels. Aside from drowning it in coke, I'm in my first year of whiskey drinking, so a lot I've yet to sample.

 

I'm just trying to decide if it's something I should grab and hold until I can appreciate it more, or just wait and hope I can nab it next year.

Wine finishes vary this is in Port barrels so definitely on the sweeter end of the spectrum, Angels Envy is similarly finished in port so that might be a good thing to try along with HWRR if you want to make a more educated decision without tasting first.

[Bnrhodes3]

1 minute ago, kevinbrink said:

Wine finishes vary this is in Port barrels so definitely on the sweeter end of the spectrum, Angels Envy is similarly finished in port so that might be a good thing to try along with HWRR if you want to make a more educated decision without tasting first.

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll have to see what I can find.

[Mako254]

8 hours ago, Bnrhodes3 said:

Passed on a bottle of Weller SR this evening at TW. I got the last bottle from behind the counter and had it in my cart, ended up striking up a conversation with a guy trying to decided on a bottle of bourbon to grab, so I gave it to him to try. 

I got a 750ml for $17 and 1.75L for $30 the night before, so I figured I would let someone else try it.

 

A manager at TW recommended I try OF Statesman. I passed on that as well since I'm not keen on spending close to $55 on something I don't know much about. Any recommendations on that release?

 

Get the 1920 instead. I tried statesman and it was solid but for almost the same money, 1920 is excellent on all counts. 

[Bnrhodes3]

Just now, Mako254 said:

 

Get the 1920 instead. I tried statesman and it was solid but for almost the same money, 1920 is excellent on all counts. 

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll have to see what they have - the OF looked a bit picked over at my time of visiting that LS.

[Kane]

42 minutes ago, Bnrhodes3 said:

I do like the ryes I've sampled so far. I haven't had anything from High West yet, nor have I tried anything finished in wine barrels. Aside from drowning it in coke, I'm in my first year of whiskey drinking, so a lot I've yet to sample.

 

I'm just trying to decide if it's something I should grab and hold until I can appreciate it more, or just wait and hope I can nab it next year.

All right, here is my recommended strategy: Look around for the next couple of weeks for a ~$80 midwinter's. I bet you'll find some around the release season. If not, go back and get the one you found. If it's already gone by then, get a HW rendezvous instead, and sip a similarly great rye knowing that you just saved $50 for another purchase.

[Kane]

New ECBP at $80. Nope.

[Bnrhodes3]

3 hours ago, Kane said:

All right, here is my recommended strategy: Look around for the next couple of weeks for a ~$80 midwinter's. I bet you'll find some around the release season. If not, go back and get the one you found. If it's already gone by then, get a HW rendezvous instead, and sip a similarly great rye knowing that you just saved $50 for another purchase.

I like the strategy! I've been keeping an eye on Total Wine inventory at local stores for a few things, and it looks like they got shipments in today or yesterday and $110 is their going rate (I buy 99% of my booze from TW as I'm trying to hit their Grand Reserve status by the end of the year, so I don't shop around as much - that way I may have a chance at BTAC next year). It's more of a case of 'make up my mind' than anything haha.

[Kane]

1 hour ago, Bnrhodes3 said:

I've been keeping an eye on Total Wine inventory at local stores for a few things, and it looks like they got shipments in today or yesterday

I spent a few hours myself looking for a Midwinter Night's Dram today, but doesn't look like it hit MA yet.

 

Instead I got a Midsummer Night's Cream.

 

Edited October 20, 2017 by Kane

[HoustonNit]

Been passing on Blanton's at $55 and $60, nothing I like enough to have more than one bottle of.

[Fishin49er]

We'll call this a theoretical pass. A new ABC store opened down the street and had a few hard to find bottles available when the store opened. When I made my way through the line and got to pick the EC18, EC23, OFBB, and Blood Oath were all gone. I guess I didn't get a chance to pass on them but I would have since they were out of my budget and/or I wasn't interested.

[chappy6107]

On 10/18/2017 at 7:38 AM, skiwez2 said:

was at a fairly new ls in my area. not sure what distributor they use but they say they put a fairly conistant markup bases on what they get charged. passed on ETL for 109.. but also had a 4 Roses BP for 55 and a family sized WT 101 for $35.

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Today I was in a ls store that I previously passed on a weller 12 at $60 iirc.  I asked the manager if he ever sold the 2 bottles he had from last month and he said no.  So I said I would take both for $25 each.  He laughed and said that his cost is way higher than that.  I  pulled my phone out and showed him a picture that my local TW had posted on their facebook  page of a 750 ml selling at $23.99 & 1.75 l selling at $42.99.  He mentioned that since they do such high volume through out set time periods they get credit back once they hit specific volumes sold.  and since he doesnt get enough to sell alot of he has to pay the distributor the per bottle price which is extremely high.  But since TW can sell 100's of cases in that time period, they get so much $$/credit back once they sell case #50, then more $$/credit(exponentially more) at case #75 & #100, etc.

 

I dont know if it is true, but if it is, I imagine that is why(maybe) we might see some crazy pricing for allocated bourbons at some of our ls that to us seems like price gouging.

[Dango]

1 hour ago, chappy6107 said:

 

Today I was in a ls store that I previously passed on a weller 12 at $60 iirc.  I asked the manager if he ever sold the 2 bottles he had from last month and he said no.  So I said I would take both for $25 each.  He laughed and said that his cost is way higher than that.  I  pulled my phone out and showed him a picture that my local TW had posted on their facebook  page of a 750 ml selling at $23.99 & 1.75 l selling at $42.99.  He mentioned that since they do such high volume through out set time periods they get credit back once they hit specific volumes sold.  and since he doesnt get enough to sell alot of he has to pay the distributor the per bottle price which is extremely high.  But since TW can sell 100's of cases in that time period, they get so much $$/credit back once they sell case #50, then more $$/credit(exponentially more) at case #75 & #100, etc.

 

I dont know if it is true, but if it is, I imagine that is why(maybe) we might see some crazy pricing for allocated bourbons at some of our ls that to us seems like price gouging.

Show him this receipt. I have seen some places in Austin who had the WSR for $50 and W12 for $100 they are just gouging. The manager who sold me this says she does not pay any premium on the Weller bourbons nor would she ask her customers to. 

[flahute]

Passed up on KY Owl Rye for $195 out the door. Sad thing is the liquor store isn't gouging. The distributor is marking it up and then with our insane taxes........whew. People are buying it though!

No thanks.

[chappy6107]

5 minutes ago, Dango said:

Show him this receipt. I have seen some places in Austin who had the WSR for $50 and W12 for $100 they are just gouging. The manager who sold me this says she does not pay any premium on the Weller bourbons nor would she ask her customers to. 

Great prices, but that is my point exactly.  They dont pay a premium because there are 25 locations of Twin Liquors in Austin.  If each location got 10 cases, they would sell all 250 cases within a week.  They would get this $$/credit I was talking about.

[lcpfratn]

I don't know if there are any discount programs in place for W12 these days, but I'd be surprised if there are. I do think pricing is different from one state to another based on the liquor laws and distribution sales requirements, among other things including taxes. A lot of things tend to be a bit higher in Tennessee for instance because the distributors have to deal with a lot more retailers since there is no corporate ownership of liquor stores. Accordingly, the distributors have to have a lot more sales people to call on every individual store, which drives up prices. Additionally, I think some distributors have begun to premium price some LE stuff at wholesale just like some retailers premium price these items at retail. The point being is that everything is local, and it's difficult to compare prices across the nation. For instance, we haven't seen any W12 this year yet in west Tennessee, but the general retail price last year was around $35. Of course there were some stores that asked around $60 and still sold what they had fairly quickly since our W12 allocation last year was so small.


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[gurgalunas]

I passed on a HWMWND for $115 at one stop, then passed on 3 more at $95 at the next stop.  Third place had the same $95 price with 1 left, and the LS employee recognizes me as a frequent customer.  Talked BTAC for awhile before buying the HWMWND, and am pretty sure I now have an "in" for the BTAC.  Final stop had an interesting HW Double Rye private barrel selection.  It was aged for an additional 8 months in MWND barrels and priced @ $50.  I was about to pull the trigger on one when the employee noticed a couple of black Weller cases that had just been delivered.  Got a W12 handle instead, but might return for the unique HWDR PS in a few days.