Postal Grunt Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 Even Lew Bryson still has to wait in line like the rest of us. https://www.thedailybeast.com/has-pappy-van-winkle-fever-broken?ref=scroll Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surtur Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 I have several store even in my small town with bottles from last year that they never could sell for the ridiculous prices they want. All this says to me is that the people willing to pay secondary price have all moved on to other things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starhopper Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 (edited) It's all Buffalo Trace distillate now anyways - no more bottlings from the famed Stitzel-Weller reserves (from which, in 1998, the 20 Yr Pappy received a score of 99 from the Beverage Tasting Institute which help start this insanity). I don't bother looking for the new distillate, and if I see it, I don't bother asking how much it is. Simply not worth the price of admission. It's not your father's Pappy Van Winkle. Edited November 15, 2018 by starhopper 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 While Lew wistfully posits, “But while the frenzy for the whiskey is still there, it feels like—dare I say it?—we’re maybe past peak Pappy demand.”, we are certainly not past the insatiable desire of whiskey writers, bloggers, and the media that employs them to continue to toss up the predictably re-hashed Pappy article to generate clicks and traffic... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottledInBond Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 I feel like the people I know that are most eager to chase PVW currently are newer people to the hunt. It seems like more of the people that have been enthusiasts for a while are a little over it. I know that for me personally this will likely be the first time in many years that I won’t buy anything from the VW line, and I’m totally fine with it. The other shift is that where I live there seems to be much more demand from bars and restaurants for this stuff than in the past. So while I think there is a little easing of people hunting it in stores, the amount stores are getting is also down. Certainly as smokinjoe said, people still know they can get some clicks with these articles for the time being Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mross Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 I will preface this with I have never even seen a bottle in any of my stops so maybe a little sour grapes(mash)? Everyone I have talked to that has had it says it is not worth the price and they have had better. I still would like to try it for myself but not at the current price point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaiserhog Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 There are so many great bourbons at a fractal of the cost of Van Winkle. Would I take a snort if offered, of course. I am not going to pay hundreds of dollars to do so. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flahute Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 8 hours ago, starhopper said: It's all Buffalo Trace distillate now anyways - no more bottlings from the famed Stitzel-Weller reserves (from which, in 1998, the 20 Yr Pappy received a score of 99 from the Beverage Tasting Institute which help start this insanity). I don't bother looking for the new distillate, and if I see it, I don't bother asking how much it is. Simply not worth the price of admission. It's not your father's Pappy Van Winkle. I believe the bottle that got that score wasn’t even wheated bourbon. The Van Winkles had multiple sources in the early days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDanner Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 I'm not willing to pay secondary pricing, so I've pretty much relegated myself to the fact that I am to Van Winkle like 7up was to caffeine...Never had it, never will. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomLamb Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 I'm in the lottery for ORVW and PVW 15 yr. However, I'm not holding my breath... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FacePlant Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 I'll probably get a bottle and over pay big. Then I'll sit down with buddies for a "special drink". I will go on to justify the price I paid per measured drink as being a bargain compared to the $60-100 one oz shot at the fancy bars and restaurants. It will never really be worth the price but it's great juice and if you're going to splurge on something why not good bourbon? Good hunting and good haggering to all. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcbt Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 (edited) 10 hours ago, Surtur said: I have several store even in my small town with bottles from last year that they never could sell for the ridiculous prices they want. All this says to me is that the people willing to pay secondary price have all moved on to other things. Maybe in your town and in a LS, but in general prices on secondary for all things Van Winkle continue to rise. I'd guess up another 10% or so the past month or two. (As an aside, it just occurred to me that I don't think the 'is the boom peaking' thread has had much action lately. Funny how that thread started years ago, waaaaay before whatever peak we may hit (which still appears to be in the future).) Edited November 15, 2018 by dcbt 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BourbonGuy Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 Lew mentions the days when you could buy Pappy for $50. I remember those days! Actually I never cared for bourbon as I tasted it at my Uncle Joe's house and he only drank Dickel's and Daniels. Once I tasted Pappy, I was blown away and realized there were better bourbons around. My Uncle Joe passed a few years ago. So I opened a newer Pappy I had purchased from my local for $200 and toasted my Uncle. It was very good, but as someone mentioned, it wasn't the Pappy I remembered. The local who sold me the Pappy every year (and originally introduced me to Pappy) has passed this year. I won't even bother looking for a new source. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccleve23 Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 I had the opportunity to try a SW 20 year Pappy and I thought it was pretty tasty. I have had pours of all the BT version and they are nice but not worth the hype IMO. Give my WLW over any of the Pappy line any day. I am curious to see what the new Van Winkle Rye tastes like. From what I hear/read it is now BT juice now. I had an older bottle of VW Rye and I thought it was pretty delicious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surtur Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 On 11/15/2018 at 10:41 AM, dcbt said: Maybe in your town and in a LS, but in general prices on secondary for all things Van Winkle continue to rise. I'd guess up another 10% or so the past month or two. (As an aside, it just occurred to me that I don't think the 'is the boom peaking' thread has had much action lately. Funny how that thread started years ago, waaaaay before whatever peak we may hit (which still appears to be in the future).) Prices are rising here too, people just aren't buying on the secondary as much it seems. Even a local whiskey bar that charges $80 for a 1.5oz Lot B, still has the same bottle from last year. I think it's going to be a combination of fair-weather bourbon fans moving on to something else, and the rest of us putting our foot down and refusing to give in to this pricing while we still have affordable options of quality. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlutz Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 4 hours ago, Surtur said: I think it's going to be a combination of fair-weather bourbon fans moving on to something else, and the rest of us putting our foot down and refusing to give in to this pricing while we still have affordable options of quality. One can only hope. I’d also add that the prices are so high that many people will pay to try it once so they can have the experience. I know I’ve overpaid for BTAC by rationalizing that way. As more people experience it for the first time, they become less likely to repeat. Just a guess. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinbrink Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 10 minutes ago, Charlutz said: One can only hope. I’d also add that the prices are so high that many people will pay to try it once so they can have the experience. I know I’ve overpaid for BTAC by rationalizing that way. As more people experience it for the first time, they become less likely to repeat. Just a guess. Agree fully with this assessment 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surtur Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 9 hours ago, Charlutz said: One can only hope. I’d also add that the prices are so high that many people will pay to try it once so they can have the experience. I know I’ve overpaid for BTAC by rationalizing that way. As more people experience it for the first time, they become less likely to repeat. Just a guess. I have also over-paid and I agree with you. I don't mind paying a slight mark-up for things that are new and exciting, but some of these stores I've seen want 10x retail. I went into a store this week that wanted $3500 for Michters 20 yr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fosmith Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 10 hours ago, Charlutz said: One can only hope. I’d also add that the prices are so high that many people will pay to try it once so they can have the experience. I know I’ve overpaid for BTAC by rationalizing that way. As more people experience it for the first time, they become less likely to repeat. Just a guess. Yeah, I paid $110 for a two ounce pour of Pappy 23 at a bar and enjoyed it but I wouldn't do it again... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mross Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 30 minutes ago, fosmith said: Yeah, I paid $110 for a two ounce pour of Pappy 23 at a bar and enjoyed it but I wouldn't do it again... Ok, so you guys/gals that have tried it; current or earlier version. Is there anything out there that is compatible with it? Or that you think is better? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlutz Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 2 hours ago, mross said: Ok, so you guys/gals that have tried it; current or earlier version. Is there anything out there that is compatible with it? Or that you think is better? I don’t often think of bourbons in the same tier as ‘better’ or ‘worse.’ To me it’s about difference. I might say I prefer PVW15 to the 23, but there are not many options when it comes to long aged wheated bourbon, aside from WLW. I do prefer WLW to the van winkle, but I think it’s because I gravitate to the high proof. As for other whiskeys, I still have an open FRLESmB 2015 that I absolutely love. Is it better than pappy? Who knows. They taste nothing alike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Santana Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 (edited) I've gotten multiple VW bottles ever since I got into this hobby in a big way in 2013. Mostly through contacts I've made, but sometimes by luck. I've never paid more than$10 or $20 over MSRP and never will. This year I "only" got a 15 year PVW. I'm fine with that. Actually had a chance at a Lot B, but had the option of that or a WLW and I opted for the latter. I'll grab as much as I can get for MSRP, but I'm not going out of my way to chase anymore. I think it's delicious bourbon, but doesn't live up to the absurd hype. Oh, and I think supplies are getting tighter. More going to bars and restaurants. I think the liquor store allocations are down across the board, at least around here. Edited November 21, 2018 by Tony Santana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTaylor Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 1 hour ago, Charlutz said: As for other whiskeys, I still have an open FRLESmB 2015 that I absolutely love. Is it better than pappy? Yes... yes it is... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTaylor Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 Think about it though... some of this bourbon is priced right up there with printer ink! I paid $300 otd for a PVW 23 because I've drunk bourbon for 30 years and back then I had never even heard of "Pappy". My idea of "upscale" back then was splurging on a bottle of KC or MM. Then 15 years ago or so when liking bourbon turned into aficionado or connoisseur or obsession or whiskeyrexia nervosa, or whatever you want to call it and spending $50 or more on a bottle wasn't an issue I was able to expand my horizons a little bit... the more I learned about different bourbons and distilleries the more I started to see Pappy as the holy grail and I HAD to have it... I don't think I'd ever spend $300 for 750 ml of anything ever again, but I'm glad I did it once and now the mystery is gone... I've experienced enough different bourbons to know that there are many out there that I enjoy as much or more without having to spend $300 and boatloads of cash over the summer in hopes of getting "the call" from my LS. There are so many I enjoy at $100 or much less that make the $300 just seem ridiculous. All that being said... I've never had the PVW 20 so I kinda have $200 burning a hole in my pocket! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fosmith Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 8 hours ago, mross said: Ok, so you guys/gals that have tried it; current or earlier version. Is there anything out there that is compatible with it? Or that you think is better? I can't think of anything that compares to the Pappy 23 I had. It was very complex and smooth with lots of layers of fruit and floral notes. It's by far the oldest bourbon I've had but I didn't think it was excessively woody. I've had KC SiB store picks that were far woodier. If I had to compare, I'd say it had the feel of the EC SmB NAS but with the complexity of WLW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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