More luck in CT finding bourbon than KY.

[paradoxical3]

I have lived in KY for several years, and I never find anything good on the shelf.  I hit 4-5 stores per week looking for something interesting.  My best find on the shelf was 1 LE bottle of four roses which was actually not on the shelf, but that the clerk offered me when he saw me buying a normal 4rsb.

I just took a trip to Connecticut, and I bought all of these that were on the shelf in ONE small semi-rural town (population 25k):
 

4 EH Taylor Small Batch

2 EH Taylor Single Barrel

EH Taylor Rye

1.75 Weller Special Reserve

2 Michters Toasted Rye

Elijac Craig Barrel Proof

Stagg Jr

I also passed up at least 10 bottles of EH Taylor small batch, 6-7 bottles of Rye, 2 bottles of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, 2 bottles of Whistlepig Boss Hog, tons of baby Saz rye, Rhetoric, Bowman, etc, etc.  It was just insane.  All of the bottles were at basically normal MSRP with no markup, and the store owners told me that they just sit there and nobody buys them.  In Kentucky, I don't even remember the last time I saw even a EH Taylor small batch on the shelf.  Never found a Stagg Jr.  Toasted Rye?  Good luck.

To walk into stores and see ECBP and Michters toasted just stacked multiple bottles deep was mind blowing.

Pretty amazing how the demand in KY makes it so hard to get anything good for the average guy.

 

[BottledInBond]

I think this illustrates one of the great myths about bourbon. Unless you're going to the gift shops at the distilleries that have LE type bottles there (Four Roses, Heaven Hill, Willett primarily), it is extremely hard to find much in KY. My in laws live in KY and more often I buy stuff to bring to them. And here in MN, I can pretty much buy all the stuff you listed seeing in Connecticut on a daily basis at MSRP. 

[kevinbrink]

I've only bought Whiskey in CT a few times when passing through and I would concur that they seem to have a lot of stuff that is harder to find even around here. They also have better prices than I can find locally. 

[Patrick_OKC]

This reminds me of what I have experienced in the Dallas area, where I reside. I commuted to OKC for 3.5 years, and then to Lake Charles, LA for about 9 months, from late 2010 into early 2015. During that time, I could reliably find most of the unicorns (on the shelves, mind you) that are not to be found in the Dallas area. There are simply too many savvy bourbon shoppers in my own backyard. 

[BigRich]

I've got a buddy at work who lives in northern Kentucky and regularly gets awesome stuff from.....the local Kroger. But, like most places, he's built up a relationship with the manager over several years.


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[FasterHorses]

I would not have believed this to be possible before this weekend.  I cant find much of anything  in Nashville. The LS owners/employees are mostly dbags that scoff if you suggest that anything out of the ordinary is even in existence in the universe. I dont know if they dont have access or if its a power trip. Luckily i no longer care. I went on a trip this weekend (not to CT) but 3-4 states away and found almost everything except Weller 12, and OWA. Some of the items like EC23 and Pappy were still ridiculous but at least they have them. 

Seemingly Unlimited CEHT Rye, SmB, SiB, and some BP. All the stuff you see online without much if any markups. The ETL and RHF were still tough finds but 1-2 were avail if you had to have em. 

Makes it seem like the shortage is selective. 

 

[graftonbc1]

Very similar in Massachusetts. We have pretty much everything listed pretty much everywhere you go. Some places have excellent barrel selections as well. Just across the border in NH is pretty much the same. 

 

It it is an excellent area to go out and explore. 

[Paddy]

It's all about allocations and demand, and when it comes to demand for premium bourbon, Kentucky is the epicenter of the current boom. 

 

On the positive side, that also means we have more drunken, skirt chasing, horse betting gamblers than you do!

[fishnbowljoe]

Back in 2014, my wife and I visited my step brother for vacation. He and his wife live south of Boston. While we were there, I was able to visit a few stores in the Mass, RI, and Conn area. We have a pretty decent selection of things here in Illinois, but pricing and taxes can sometimes be suspect. The stores out east had pretty good selections, overall fair prices, but better taxes than we have here in Illinois. If it weren't for us traveling for another ten days, I'd have bought a few more bottles than what I did.  

 

Cheer! Joe

[graftonbc1]

10 hours ago, fishnbowljoe said:

Back in 2014, my wife and I visited my step brother for vacation. He and his wife live south of Boston. While we were there, I was able to visit a few stores in the Mass, RI, and Conn area. We have a pretty decent selection of things here in Illinois, but pricing and taxes can sometimes be suspect. The stores out east had pretty good selections, overall fair prices, but better taxes than we have here in Illinois. If it weren't for us traveling for another ten days, I'd have bought a few more bottles than what I did.  

 

Cheer! Joe

In MA, there is no tax added at the register. The price shown on the shelf is the price you pay. In MA, a store cannot charge less than the MSRP for spirits. There are several that only charge MSRP, so it pays to shop around. After traveling a bit this summer, and shopping bourbon to see what I could find, I didn’t realize how spoiled I was. 

[DCFan]

4 minutes ago, graftonbc1 said:

After traveling a bit this summer, and shopping bourbon to see what I could find, I didn’t realize how spoiled I was. 

After seeing what GeeTen picks up on a regular basis I would tend to agree with you. 

[fishnbowljoe]

I bought a couple of ETL's at one store in Mass. They were $28.99 each. I got my receipt atfter checking out, and when it was only $57.98, I asked the clerk if my total was right. She asked if the total was too much. I said no, I didn't think it was enough. Her answer was great. "You must be from out of state. No tax.",she said with a knowing nod, wink and a smile.  My brother and I had a good laugh with her. 

 

Cheers! Joe

[paradoxical3]

On 10/7/2017 at 7:58 AM, BigRich said:

I've got a buddy at work who lives in northern Kentucky and regularly gets awesome stuff from.....the local Kroger. But, like most places, he's built up a relationship with the manager over several years.


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Kroger is awesome because they sell at MSRP and no higher.  The problem is that the selection they get in is based entirely on the manager's bourbon knowledge.  The Kroger closes to me is a supercenter and incredibly nice - the nicest Kroger I have ever seen.  The liqour store is huge and beautiful but has zero special bourbons.   There is a dumpy Kroger a few miles away (the location that gave me the 4rLE and offered me Parker's Heritage) and the clerk there told me the manager is a huge bourbon nut and actively tries to maintain relationships with the distilleries.  I found 3 bottles of WFE 3 year rye here - I know it's not a big deal to most people, but to me with how competitive this scene is it's a very decent find.

What has me kind of hopefull is that this store just started doing bourbon call lists last week and I am one of the first names.  But we will see...

Doesn't change the fact that the stuff I am on a call list for in KY that required bribing with gift cards and a lot of footwork is readily available 3+ bottles deep on the shelves in CT.

 

Edited October 9, 2017 by paradoxical3

[paradoxical3]

Just bumping this as I returned to the same small town in CT for Christmas.  This time, I brought home:

Michters 10yr
CEHT single barrel (passed on at least 5 more)

Blantons (passed on 4 more)

3x Stag JR at $47 each
Michters Toasted Rye (passed on 2 more)
1x ETL @ msrp

Passed on countless CEHT small batch, as well as multiple WSR and a few W12.  In Ky, good luck finding any of this stuff.  While all of the above was in one small town with 25k population.  I am sure I could have found anything I wanted if I bothered to drive a few towns over.

Edited December 26, 2017 by paradoxical3

[cdcdguy]

While it may be true some of the higher stuff may not be a available in Kentucky, I am aways blown away but the selection of regular stuff. We stop at Liquor Barn in Louisville and I find dozens of labels I have never even heard of before. Also let's not  forget HHBIB, a fav around here is ONLY sold in Kentucky.

[Canarse]

I have also found New England to be a great place to buy bourbon.  Methinks scotch is still the king there.

[Bubba-Nj]

I'm heading to Connecticut this spring/summer for an Irish dance competition that my daughters will be in. I will definitely be bringing extra cash now. I can usually find Blantons, CEHT small and single, occasionally rye, Stagg jr,  rarely see any Wellers , ETL or RHF.