So..How much would you pay?

[callingtom]

I really like the Topic on "What Bourbon have you passed on".  I would like to know from everybody who hunts, what would you pay?  I see the BTAC and Pappy every week at crazy prices and its easy to pass on stuff like GTS @ 450+, but I am sure everybody have been tempted at over retail.  So what have you over paid for and thought it was fair..or not?

 

I found a OWA at $50 this week.  I have not seen it forever.  The last one I bought was what I think retail was @ $29.99, but I still bought it @ $50.  I must confess, I would most likely do it again.

 

So how much over would you or did you pay for a tempting favorite?

[Curtis Reed]

I paid $149.99 for a Old Fitzgerald BIB 11 yr last year. I overpaid, but oh well. I know guys at work who pay $200+ for a round of golf so it’s all relative. 

[pyro273]

56 minutes ago, callingtom said:

I really like the Topic on "What Bourbon have you passed on".  I would like to know from everybody who hunts, what would you pay?  I see the BTAC and Pappy every week at crazy prices and its easy to pass on stuff like GTS @ 450+, but I am sure everybody have been tempted at over retail.  So what have you over paid for and thought it was fair..or not?

 

I found a OWA at $50 this week.  I have not seen it forever.  The last one I bought was what I think retail was @ $29.99, but I still bought it @ $50.  I must confess, I would most likely do it again.

 

So how much over would you or did you pay for a tempting favorite?

$50 for OWA?  All day long, considering what I would need to pay on the secondary or the LS in town that has it as a shelf trophy.  Same goes for W12.

[PaulO]

I don't think I would pay much over MSRP for anything.

I watch for sales, and cherry pick certain items from different stores.  If a sale is really good, stock up.

[dad-proof]

I paid $50 for ETL a couple years ago. I had an awesome bottle open for a while, and wanted a back-up. I ended up gifting the half-bottle of ETL to a friend, and have not opened the $50 bottle because 1) I've heard more recent batches have been inconsistent, and 2) I'm not an avid hunter so likely won't see another between MSRP and $50 anytime soon. Similarly, while in the trance of MB#2, I paid $70 for RHF and had Blanton's SFTB shipped over. I overpaid a bit, either in markup or shipping, but not offensively so in my opinion.  

Still I'm thankful the trance of MB#2 specifically, and for allocated/LEs in general, has snapped. These days I prefer WT, RR, OF and other MSRP-friendly offerings much more.

[hollywood]

Great idea for a thread. Unfortunately, I can/can’t participate depending on how you look at it. Because seriously here in AL I feel like I overpay most every time I go to the LS.. Soooo... I either overpay or go find a different vice/hobby/passion.. 

[Harry in WashDC]

Boy, Howdy.  What a question.  IF (and that's a humongous IF) I could find Lot B that tasted like the Lot B I bought in the early 2000s but NOT like the Lot B from the 2010s, I'd pay up to $200 per 750.

 

GTS at $400 which is its offering price locally?  I would not buy the current 2018 which I've tasted at that price or even at above, say $150, but I'd have to REALLY think hard about GTS 2014 at anything under $300 because I HAVE tasted it and own some at MSRP.  OWA occasionally shows up here at over $50 a 750.  I pass as, rarely, it shows up at $25.  I have a few in the bunker, and since I use it only for vattings (like the SB Blend), I can wait.  I must admit that I did buy one a couple years ago, when NObody had any, at $75 for a 750.

 

VOB 100 proof (formerly BIB 6YR, formerly BIB NAS, etc.) used to be under $15 including tax.  NOW, I buy it whenever I see it at under $18.

 

OGD BIB - anything under $23 per 750.  And, THANKS for the nudge - I did a bit of searching while drafting this response and found some 750s at about $20 and some handles (which I;ve not seen in years) for $29.  I sure hope there are some still on the shelf when I get there next week.

 

 

[fosmith]

A couple of months ago I paid $250 for a bottle of 2018 GTS I found in the wild.  A bit above my "limit" but I don't regret it.  It's the only one I've ever bought. 

[Charlutz]

Depends. First bottle of something I’ve definitely overpaid for the experience of having something I loved for the first time at home. I also tried every one of these bottles with a bar pour first and rationalized that even 3x retail was cheaper than paying by the pour. I paid $300 for each of my first THH, GTS and WLW. I wouldn’t do that again but paid $200 for two of my GTS last year and $100 for a third. I searched for five years to buy a W12 and paid $90 a couple years ago. I managed to find three more at retail prices since and would never consider $90 again at least until I finish what I have. Secondary prices on W12 are approaching $200 now for a 750. That seems nuts to me. 

 

I dont regret any any of those overpayments, which I think is the key. I do hate that I rewarded liquor store gouging but maybe gouging isn’t what it is if they move those bottles easily. 

Edited March 22, 2019 by Charlutz

[Clueby]

I have paid $50 for an ETL before. I also paid $50 for an OWA one time a few years ago when it looked like it was gone everywhere. I paid for $75 for a couple older ECBP after the change to the new bottle. Everything since then has been mostly retail or slight markup.

[tsangster]

Went to a LS several years ago where I knew Stagg was kept in the back room.  I asked the owner to grab me a bottle.  He did and it rang up as $90+.  Previous purchases had been closer to $60.  I bought it since it was the only place I knew of that stocked it and the owner was nice enough to retrieve it from the back room.  I haven't come anywhere near paying that much for anything since.

[beasled]

10 hours ago, Curtis Reed said:

I paid $149.99 for a Old Fitzgerald BIB 11 yr last year. I overpaid, but oh well. I know guys at work who pay $200+ for a round of golf so it’s all relative. 

https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/p/47201/old-fitzgerald-bottled-in-bond-9-year-old

 

This is the retail price in the UK, of the 9 year old. Whoever is distributing the HH LE's in Europe has lost their minds.

[mross]

So far I have not gone above 150 for anything. I passed on a KO for 165. In my area I have never even seen a Pappy for any price. GTS used to be everywhere a few years ago, the only thing I see now are Stagg Jr.  I will grab a bargain when I see one. Not a bourbon but I recently grabbed a 18yr old Glenlivet for a Benjamin.

[PowderKeg]

11 hours ago, PaulO said:

I don't think I would pay much over MSRP for anything.

I watch for sales, and cherry pick certain items from different stores.  If a sale is really good, stock up.

Ditto this.  Fortunately I don't have to explain to anyone how spending a few hundred on multiple bottles brought back from a Bourbon Pilgrimage actually saved me money by not paying more locally....

 

BUT IT WAS ON SALE DANG IT!!!

Edited March 22, 2019 by PowderKeg

[bourbon-n00b]

I'm not much for paying over MSRP.  Not that I get very many opportunities to be gouged anyway, but I think paying a premium kind of casts a pall over the experience.  Can't quite shake the feeling that I was taken advantage of.  

 

Additionally, questions of marginal utility come into play (How much better is this $400 bottle vs something retails for $50?).  I can be happy with my options at retail-level pricing or I can always retrieve form the bunker if necessary.

[cdcdguy]

14 hours ago, Harry in WashDC said:

Boy, Howdy.  What a question.  IF (and that's a humongous IF) I could find Lot B that tasted like the Lot B I bought in the early 2000s but NOT like the Lot B from the 2010s, I'd pay up to $200 per 750.

 

GTS at $400 which is its offering price locally?  I would not buy the current 2018 which I've tasted at that price or even at above, say $150, but I'd have to REALLY think hard about GTS 2014 at anything under $300 because I HAVE tasted it and own some at MSRP.  OWA occasionally shows up here at over $50 a 750.  I pass as, rarely, it shows up at $25.  I have a few in the bunker, and since I use it only for vattings (like the SB Blend), I can wait.  I must admit that I did buy one a couple years ago, when NObody had any, at $75 for a 750.

 

VOB 100 proof (formerly BIB 6YR, formerly BIB NAS, etc.) used to be under $15 including tax.  NOW, I buy it whenever I see it at under $18.

 

OGD BIB - anything under $23 per 750.  And, THANKS for the nudge - I did a bit of searching while drafting this response and found some 750s at about $20 and some handles (which I;ve not seen in years) for $29.  I sure hope there are some still on the shelf when I get there next week.

 

 

So does the VOB 100 proof taste any different than the NAS BIB?

[Clueby]

53 minutes ago, cdcdguy said:

So does the VOB 100 proof taste any different than the NAS BIB?

Not to my unrefined palate.  I didn't even notice there was a change to remove the BIB designation.  Still ~ $15 where I get it.

[kemosabe]

The most I've ever paid was $195 for a bottle of FR Al Young.  It was the first bottle of FRAY I had come across, and I really wanted to find one.  It is the one & only time I had paid over MSRP for any bourbon.  Of course a few days afterward, I find more FRAY at the retail price of $150. 

[callingtom]

17 hours ago, fosmith said:

A couple of months ago I paid $250 for a bottle of 2018 GTS I found in the wild.  A bit above my "limit" but I don't regret it.  It's the only one I've ever bought. 

I think if I see one at $250, its coming home with me!

[Harry in WashDC]

4 hours ago, cdcdguy said:

So does the VOB 100 proof taste any different than the NAS BIB?

As Clueby said, " Not to my unrefined palate."  Initially, I thought it was sweeter than the previous iterations.  So, after I posted the note above, I did fish out a bunkered, about a year in the dark, VOB with "Bottled in Bond" on the label and "6" on the neck to compare to my week-old VOB 100 proof with "Crafted" on the label, instead of BIB, and "100 PROOF" on the neck.  ANY difference, if any, is negligible.  I did NOT compare it to one of my few, unopened, remaining VOB BIB with "6 YEARS OLD" on the neck.  However, previously and on multiple occasions, I have compared a "6" to a "6 YEARS OLD" and similarly found no real difference.  CONCLUSION: Any difference, so far, likely is no more than the difference between, say, this year's WT 101 to last year's WT 101 or this year's EW BIB and last year's.

[fishnbowljoe]

Although I like good stuff as much as the next person, I’m basically a cheap bastard. While I might consider paying a little above MSRP, I refuse to pay exorbitant prices. Aside from the graciousness of a fellow member way back in 2013, I basically bought no Pappy or BTAC from 2012 until the latter part of 2017. In the fall of 2017, I was fortunate to find most of the BTAC at retail. I bought a GTS, two WLW’s and Saz Rye all at retail. Last year, my name was drawn for a 2018 WLW which again I purchased again at retail. Seeing BTAC last weekend for $399.99-$699.99 convinced me that while I did have a small run of good luck, my run is probably over. 

 

 I feel that I can say the same when it comes to my beloved Weller’s. I found a few Weller 12’s a little over a year ago at retail. I haven’t seen any since. I paid $23.99 for a couple of SR’s a few weeks ago, and $25.99 for an OWA last month. Yep. I think the run is over. Sadly, back to reality. 

 

Biba! Joe

[cdcdguy]

1 hour ago, Harry in WashDC said:

As Clueby said, " Not to my unrefined palate."  Initially, I thought it was sweeter than the previous iterations.  So, after I posted the note above, I did fish out a bunkered, about a year in the dark, VOB with "Bottled in Bond" on the label and "6" on the neck to compare to my week-old VOB 100 proof with "Crafted" on the label, instead of BIB, and "100 PROOF" on the neck.  ANY difference, if any, is negligible.  I did NOT compare it to one of my few, unopened, remaining VOB BIB with "6 YEARS OLD" on the neck.  However, previously and on multiple occasions, I have compared a "6" to a "6 YEARS OLD" and similarly found no real difference.  CONCLUSION: Any difference, so far, likely is no more than the difference between, say, this year's WT 101 to last year's WT 101 or this year's EW BIB and last year's.

Thanks to you both. I have a couple NAS BIB. Sometimes I see this at Binneys in Chicago and will check next weekend when I am up there. Love the banana I get from this. 

[BMartin42]

Typically not much above MSRP with the occasional “but”. Usually for something I’ll never get otherwise such as the Blanton’s Gold I WAY overpaid for at $150. Don’t regret it though as it was a one off for me and one I desperately wanted to try. For LE’s I’ll not care much at 10% above MSRP but beyond that I’m out. Just too much good stuff I can buy cheaper.

[TwoFingers]

Some might call me cheap.  I'd rather say - frugal.  I'm not typically going to pay much over MSRP.  I will on occasion but is going to have to be something I am really interested in.  If it is over $100 (maybe even less than that), there is a very good chance I'm going to pass.  I've had to ask myself a few times why I bought that $50-60 bottle and it I don't like it any better than alot of $20-30 bottles.

[EarthQuake]

I would pay up to $150 for GTS. Anything over that is silly in my opinion. If you really need to try it to say you did, order a pour in a bar. Stagg Jr at $50 isn't that much different of a product and a decent Four Roses store pick ($60) tends to be as good or better than Stagg. Don't get me wrong, I love GTS, but I also love Four Roses picks, and Stagg Jr is pretty damn good. I would probably pay a bit more for Eagle Rare 17, maybe $200, since it's so much harder to find.

 

Weller, Pappy, etc, I really do not care. BT's wheated mash is the most overrated bourbon on the market. I might grab an OWA if I found it for $20 bucks, but that's about it. CEHT Small Batch is better than ORWV10 or Lot B, the older stuff (15/20/23) might be better but it's so difficult to find that it's an academic point. 

 

I picked up a few bottles of EC18 at $130-150 this year, which is retail, but I don't think I'll bother next year. It's good, but there's so much that is better for less.

Edited March 23, 2019 by EarthQuake