Where does Henry McKenna go from here?

[Paddy]

The taters can have it.  With the price increases and inconsistency, I'm not a buyer... especially when ECBP is still available for under sixty.

 

Even after the Beam batch/pricing fiasco of a couple of years ago, Booker's is now looking more and more like the 'deal of the day'! 

 

I've been watching their slow trend toward a price correction for this brand, and its current local pricing = $66 and change.

 

Chicken dinner?

[PaulO]

So far no one has mentioned that there is also an 80 proof NAS version of HMcK.

Taters take notice.

I've been a fan of HMcK BIB since the green velvet label.

My father in law has one of those ceramic jugs (but it's empty).

[Kepler]

The results of the San Fran spirits awards, and (Fred Minnick's over the top article) really rub me the wrong way.  We're all familiar with HMcK10 on this site, and I think most of us would agree that while it has been a great mid-range product for a long time, no way is it anywhere near the best bourbon available.  Now, I do have a few bottles of an old private barrel pick and I must say that indeed that one is a spectacular whiskey.  But it is a true honey barrel amongst "typical" HMcK10 single barrels, and is definitely the exception and not a fair representation of what the consumer would expect to purchase off the shelf.

 

Someone else already said it best, that a single barrel product is basically invalid when it comes to rankings and awards. The whiskey that the judges tasted at San Fran ain't the same whiskey as 95% of us will taste in whatever HMcK10 bottle we purchase off the shelf!

[jackthedog]

I'm a pretty big HH fan and enjoy the EC and EW lines. I've tried HM a few times and it just has never impressed me. Perhaps it's the bottle variation but I've never been blown away by it. I have a bottle in my cabinet and I'm in no rush to open it or stock up. 

 

I did check the inventory near me once I saw the article. It's been totally cleaned out, similar to after the last time it got an award. I'll be curious to see if it comes back in stock. 

[Mako254]

On 3/27/2019 at 11:01 AM, kevinbrink said:

Another hot take McKenna is 200% better than W12  

 

My taste buddies agree!

 

On 3/27/2019 at 11:07 AM, beasled said:

Baker's > Booker's

 

For my money. Baker’s is a very underrated pour. And I’d rather have 2 Baker’s than one Booker’s. 

[mross]

17 hours ago, Paddy said:

The taters can have it.  With the price increases and inconsistency, I'm not a buyer... especially when ECBP is still available for under sixty.

 

Even after the Beam batch/pricing fiasco of a couple of years ago, Booker's is now looking more and more like the 'deal of the day'! 

 

I've been watching their slow trend toward a price correction for this brand, and its current local pricing = $66 and change.

 

Chicken dinner?

And not to mention that the ECBP is very consistent.

[fosmith]

1 hour ago, Mako254 said:

For my money. Baker’s is a very underrated pour. And I’d rather have 2 Baker’s than one Booker’s. 

I would too if I could.  In my area Bevmo sells Booker's for $70 and Baker's for $61.  A nearby small LS have it for around $50 but they also have Booker's for $55

[pouringwhiskey]

19 hours ago, AndyD said:

Personally I like hmk10 and picked up a few bottles.  One local store had cases of it for 18.99.  I’m not sure if I would still buy it at $40 in any regularity.  To me the knob creek store selections are too good to be passed up in that range.

Wow, $18.99? I would definitely pick up a case at that price. Where are you located if you don't mind me asking?

[DCFan]

What are the guys in the bourbon tasting I went to Saturday thinking!?! One of the bottles I took was the HMCK10 and it sat there untouched the whole evening!  

[AndyD]

22 minutes ago, pouringwhiskey said:

Wow, $18.99? I would definitely pick up a case at that price. Where are you located if you don't mind me asking?

 

I should have specified.  It was last August they had a deal on hmk and ewsib.  It was at ace spirits in Hopkins, MN.  They do sell online too, FYI.  Their hmk prices went up to 29.99 when they actually have it.  I would have bought more but already had a few bottles.

 

 

[jeffrey r]

In honor of this most prestigious award, I had a pour the other night of my felt label HMcK BIB, and as usual, it didn't blow me away.  It never does.  Old label or new label.  It's a good bourbon at the $25 or so that I paid for my bottles, but it's not in my upper echelon, and it's definitely not worth the current $40 going rate by me.  It is solid though, and if it gets some people learning about good bourbon, then I guess that can be a good thing.   

[Mako254]

3 hours ago, fosmith said:

I would too if I could.  In my area Bevmo sells Booker's for $70 and Baker's for $61.  A nearby small LS have it for around $50 but they also have Booker's for $55

 Baker’s is pretty reliable at $47 here. $85 for Booker’s. 

 

Bookers at $55 (again) would be nice. 

Edited March 28, 2019 by Mako254

[lcpfratn]

What are the guys in the bourbon tasting I went to Saturday thinking!?! One of the bottles I took was the HMCK10 and it sat there untouched the whole evening! [emoji4] 

Had the other guys ever tried it before? In your other post about the tasting, it sounds like there were also many more highly touted bottles there that probably distracted everyone from even looking at the Henry McKenna 10yr. I know I would have focused on some of the others you mentioned, but then again I also drink HM10 on a fairly regular basis.

[Kepler]

11 hours ago, Mako254 said:

For my money. Baker’s is a very underrated pour. And I’d rather have 2 Baker’s than one Booker’s. 

 

9 hours ago, fosmith said:

I would too if I could.  In my area Bevmo sells Booker's for $70 and Baker's for $61.  A nearby small LS have it for around $50 but they also have Booker's for $55

 

6 hours ago, Mako254 said:

 Baker’s is pretty reliable at $47 here. $85 for Booker’s. 

 

Bookers at $55 (again) would be nice. 

 

Just up until a month or two ago, I had a place I could still get all the Baker's I wanted for $33, and I often would pick up a bottle while in the area, whether I needed any or not.  I was there a couple weeks ago and they had went up to $42.  Oh well, I saw that coming.  Not complaining about $42 based on your prices.

 

[Spade]

I think one of the most interesting (and frustrating!) things to observe with the bourbon boom is what people are describing here: things like McKenna 10 year sat on the shelf as good values for years before people noticed. It's sort of amazing to me that it takes an "award" for some people to notice a particular bourbon. 

 

It wouldn't have taken much research to figure out that McKenna 10 year was a good deal. That same research probably would indicate exactly what's being said here: it's a somewhat inconsistent product that ranges from "meh" to excellent with the average bottle being pretty good. I used to buy it frequently at $30 or less but I'm an infrequent buyer at $40 because I don't want to pay that much for "meh". And, I think the overall average is declining in recent years (like a lot of single barrel products).

[Jazzhead]

Don't know where McKenna's goes from here, but it's gone from my local Pennsy State Store.    The clerk said it had been languishing on the shelves for months but after "some article in the news"  was all bought out in a day.   

 

It's HH so it's no skin off of my nose, but it's fascinating to see the herd mentality at work. 

Edited March 29, 2019 by Jazzhead

[ondarocks]

22 hours ago, fosmith said:

I would too if I could.  In my area Bevmo sells Booker's for $70 and Baker's for $61.  A nearby small LS have it for around $50 but they also have Booker's for $55

Ha. Not in Georgia. LS Booker's pricing has gotten obnoxious. In the last year it typically runs $75 to $88. A pass for me on a 6 1/2 year old bourbon.

[kcgumbohead]

On 3/29/2019 at 8:02 AM, Spade said:

I think one of the most interesting (and frustrating!) things to observe with the bourbon boom is what people are describing here: things like McKenna 10 year sat on the shelf as good values for years before people noticed. It's sort of amazing to me that it takes an "award" for some people to notice a particular bourbon. 

 

It wouldn't have taken much research to figure out that McKenna 10 year was a good deal. That same research probably would indicate exactly what's being said here: it's a somewhat inconsistent product that ranges from "meh" to excellent with the average bottle being pretty good. I used to buy it frequently at $30 or less but I'm an infrequent buyer at $40 because I don't want to pay that much for "meh". And, I think the overall average is declining in recent years (like a lot of single barrel products).

The issue is the “people” you reference and their attention span in the milliseconds. Folks that find their way to SB, take the time to learn, join, ask questions and participate are in the very small minority vs whats it seems we have declared “taters”. Depends entirely on the individual and their true interest/enthusiasm. Eyes will glaze over quickly over a topic as basic as wheat recipes and rye recipes exising as the primary two recipes under the bourbon umbrella. 

There is a party at Bill and Sallys house and you need to bring something, a quick search reveals that bourbon is apparently “in” and the HMK 10 yr is the cats pajamas, off to the LS on the way home and done deal. We are several years into this current reality and I hope that most of you that have been here awhile have established preferences and maybe insulated yourselves a bit. 

Everything seems to haveits own enthusiast community, take car detailing fot example. I have searched various waxes for my car, I want a good one that has a positive track record and I want to get on with it. I don’t give a $hit about the molecular makeup of brand A vs.B, there are people that do, to them I am a tater LOL!! I have visited forums on such topics and got a level of info I was comfortable with and haven’t considered car wax beyond using it since. I appreciate the information obtained thier but I have zero motivation to take it any further.

The frustration that the actual enthusiast is experiencing is the other edge of the dual edged sword. Mostly  we benefit from a MUCH expanded selection than was available even a couple years ago. Trying to read the tea leaves and bunker a couple  favorites is tough but doable, there is enough chatter here on SB to parse out whats good now, right now and that might not be available in 6 mos. so take heed!!

like the Bourbon we are passionate about this will work out in time, eventually all the new make will mature and I believe we will be in very good shape. A 5 yr pad is not a bad thing and I’d wager many here are well beyond that. These are the rapids we must navigate to reach calmer waters downstream it going to get bumpy at times but it is temporary, as temporary as a few years can feel .

[evasive]

I think one of the most interesting (and frustrating!) things to observe with the bourbon boom is what people are describing here: things like McKenna 10 year sat on the shelf as good values for years before people noticed. It's sort of amazing to me that it takes an "award" for some people to notice a particular bourbon. 
 
It wouldn't have taken much research to figure out that McKenna 10 year was a good deal. That same research probably would indicate exactly what's being said here: it's a somewhat inconsistent product that ranges from "meh" to excellent with the average bottle being pretty good. I used to buy it frequently at $30 or less but I'm an infrequent buyer at $40 because I don't want to pay that much for "meh". And, I think the overall average is declining in recent years (like a lot of single barrel products).

It’s not just the award, so much as the coverage of the award. I don’t GAF about the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and wouldn’t look to see results but my Apple news feed was full of articles about HMcK10 last week and the year prior. “It’s the best and it’s only $35!” works well in a market that lives or dies on clicks. I think it’s ironic that Minnick wrote a recent post complaining that influencers are ruining the whiskey industry, since he is clearly an influencer too, and his effect has some people in this thread riled up. Sure he was writing about Instagrammers who don’t know as much as he does, but he still serves the same basic function: get people excited about whiskey so they buy more of it.

[flahute]

I was at my local last night chatting with the owner when he got the call - "do you have any McKenna?". A short while later, said caller showed up for it. This person turned out to be a previous fan of the product who like me is alarmed by the sudden surge in interest and is trying to secure a few before they disappear. The owner of my local told us he sold everything he had the day after the award and they were able to get a few more until they completely dried up at the distributor.

 

As for me, I decided to let it go. Bourbon zen I guess as I just didn't care enough, despite being irritated by it all, to drive around and chase it. I have 3-4 sitting around already so they will tide me over.

[smokinjoe]

41 minutes ago, flahute said:

I was at my local last night chatting with the owner when he got the call - "do you have any McKenna?". A short while later, said caller showed up for it. This person turned out to be a previous fan of the product who like me is alarmed by the sudden surge in interest and is trying to secure a few before they disappear. The owner of my local told us he sold everything he had the day after the award and they were able to get a few more until they completely dried up at the distributor.

 

As for me, I decided to let it go. Bourbon zen I guess as I just didn't care enough, despite being irritated by it all, to drive around and chase it. I have 3-4 sitting around already so they will tide me over.

Similarly bro, I keep one in the bunker and pick up one when the other runs out.  I thought of going out and picking a couple up to counter the inevitable, but instead said F@&K it, and stayed home.  Plus, I would have a sense of embarrassment now...  

 

 

 

 

[DCFan]

I can’t believe that all it takes to propel sales of an average bourbon is to get an award somewhere. This should settle the question of whether the boom has peaked yet.

[Spade]

1 hour ago, flahute said:

I was at my local last night chatting with the owner when he got the call - "do you have any McKenna?". A short while later, said caller showed up for it. This person turned out to be a previous fan of the product who like me is alarmed by the sudden surge in interest and is trying to secure a few before they disappear. The owner of my local told us he sold everything he had the day after the award and they were able to get a few more until they completely dried up at the distributor.

 

As for me, I decided to let it go. Bourbon zen I guess as I just didn't care enough, despite being irritated by it all, to drive around and chase it. I have 3-4 sitting around already so they will tide me over.

I'm in a similar position — I figured a few years ago that McKenna 10 year would inevitably be the bourbon of the moment at some point and made a point to grab a few extras. I never built a large stockpile, maybe 4-5. It'll take me a few years to drink through that. 

[DCFan]

People what is the point of stockpiling an average bourbon unless you think LS’s are going to start looking like Venezuelan grocery stores sometime soon. Trust me there is plenty to go around. Trust me.

 

psst I’m hearing ER is the next hot buy. 

[flahute]

50 minutes ago, DCFan said:

People what is the point of stockpiling an average bourbon unless you think LS’s are going to start looking like Venezuelan grocery stores sometime soon. Trust me there is plenty to go around. Trust me.

 

psst I’m hearing ER is the next hot buy. 

1) because I like it.

2) because average bourbons at a good price are an endangered species. Below average bourbons are taking over.