What bourbon did you pass on, Summer 2019?

[KSJon]

Noticed something today that made me laugh.  Not necessarily in a good way.  So locally I have seen Virgin bourbon creep up in price as word got around that it was losing its age statement.  Okay I get it.  Stick it to the guy that wants to get those last few 7 yr old bottles before they are gone.  Well, I was out when it hit $20.  Saw it at one store for $22.99.  Now this is not what made me chuckle.  So today I go to a store that had it at $19.99 and what do I notice?  The 7 yr old is gone , the NAS in its place and the price still $19.99.  So now your paying more for the non age statement bourbon than you used to pay for the 7 yr old.  

 

Sorry for the long post.  Just thought I’d share.  It wasn’t a total loss. Ended up with a store pick Knob Creek single barrel select rye on sale.

Edited September 7, 2019 by KSJon

[foster016]

Went on quite an adventure today to some spots I haven't been to in ages.  Passed on the following:

• Weller 12 - $199
• Blantons - $150
• Elmer - $60
• Elijah Craig 23 - $299
• Willett 80 - $299
• Four Roses 130th - $499
• Parker's 12 - $199
• Jim Beam 200th Anniversary - $299

Edited September 7, 2019 by foster016

[JSpartan]

Passed on a pour of Double Eagle Very Rare for the low price of $500/oz. It was cool to see the bottle in person I guess.

[BusterChestnut]

3 hours ago, JSpartan said:

Passed on a pour of Double Eagle Very Rare for the low price of $500/oz. It was cool to see the bottle in person I guess.

LOL

[Richnimrod]

10 hours ago, KSJon said:

Noticed something today that made me laugh.  Not necessarily in a good way.  So locally I have seen Virgin bourbon creep up in price as word got around that it was losing its age statement.  Okay I get it.  Stick it to the guy that wants to get those last few 7 yr old bottles before they are gone.  Well, I was out when it hit $20.  Saw it at one store for $22.99.  Now this is not what made me chuckle.  So today I go to a store that had it at $19.99 and what do I notice?  The 7 yr old is gone , the NAS in its place and the price still $19.99.  So now your paying more for the non age statement bourbon than you used to pay for the 7 yr old.  

 

Sorry for the long post.  Just thought I’d share.  It wasn’t a total loss. Ended up with a store pick Knob Creek single barrel select rye on sale.

FIRST: That wasn't a 'too long post', Jon.    More is (almost) always better when telling a story, right?  

 

SECOND: Yeah, sad ain't it?    But, entirely predictable.   

The number of Bourbon brands whose prices have gone down... even after losing an age-statement, is a very small one.   ...And, that condition is nearly always a temporary one.   

What comes down must eventually go up... kinda the reverse of gravity, eh?   

When the profit motive (and the three-trier system) rules; whatever the market will bear is generally sought out by the last tier, if not the other two, before you and I see the result.  

But, Bourbon is still (even if by an ever-smaller margin) the best value for your "whiskey dollar", IMHO.     So... Pour one and enjoy it!  

[BottledInBond]

10 hours ago, foster016 said:

Went on quite an adventure today to some spots I haven't been to in ages.  Passed on the following:

• Weller 12 - $199
• Blantons - $150
• Elmer - $60
• Elijah Craig 23 - $299
• Willett 80 - $299
• Four Roses 130th - $499
• Parker's 12 - $199
• Jim Beam 200th Anniversary - $299

While most of these prices are unfortunate, the one that stands out to me as particularly offensive is the Willett 80th. Nobody who had ever tasted that product could put that price on it with a straight face......

[0895]

8 hours ago, BottledInBond said:

While most of these prices are unfortunate, the one that stands out to me as particularly offensive is the Willett 80th. Nobody who had ever tasted that product could put that price on it with a straight face......

Amen.

At least you get a cool bottle and tube to look at...

[FasterHorses]

Henry  McKenna brown label made it to the top shelf. Hope I didnt make a mistake by leaving them all up there.

[lcpfratn]

Henry  McKenna brown label made it to the top shelf. Hope I didnt make a mistake by leaving them all up there.

I think you made a wise choice unless you’re needing a fairly reasonably priced mixer...and if they’ve raised the price, you made an even wiser choice!

[bourbon4all]

43 minutes ago, FasterHorses said:

Henry  McKenna brown label made it to the top shelf. Hope I didnt make a mistake by leaving them all up there.

That’s some strong will power! 

[FasterHorses]

5 minutes ago, lcpfratn said:

I think you made a wise choice unless you’re needing a fairly reasonably priced mixer...and if they’ve raised the price, you made an even wiser choice!

Jeff .. thats how ridiculous this is getting. A PERENNIAL bottom shelf bourbon has been moved up top because of hysteria. I actually laughed when i saw this. The exact same feeling I had when HMck10 showed up as a lottery item last year.I truly hope this isnt where we’re headed. 

[bourbon4all]

1 minute ago, FasterHorses said:

Jeff .. thats how ridiculous this is getting. A PERENNIAL bottom shelf bourbon has been moved up top because of hysteria. I actually laughed when i saw this. The exact same feeling I had when HMck10 showed up as a lottery item last year.I truly hope this isnt where we’re headed. 

McKenna 10 was in a lottery I entered today. I couldn’t help but laugh

[KSJon]

5 minutes ago, bourbon4all said:

McKenna 10 was in a lottery I entered today. I couldn’t help but laugh

I think we were at the same store today.  

 

 

[bourbon4all]

25 minutes ago, KSJon said:

I think we were at the same store today.  

 

 

Did you win?

[KSJon]

5 minutes ago, bourbon4all said:

Did you win?

Haha, No luck today.  Nobody called.  You fair any better?

[bourbon4all]

23 minutes ago, KSJon said:

Haha, No luck today.  Nobody called.  You fair any better?

Negative, although grabbed some voodoo ranger spicy pumpkin beer and it’s the first good pumpkin I’ve had this year

[KSJon]

52 minutes ago, bourbon4all said:

Negative, although grabbed some voodoo ranger spicy pumpkin beer and it’s the first good pumpkin I’ve had this year

Used to occasionally drink the ranger ipa years ago.  I need  to try the voodoo ranger!

[lcpfratn]

Jeff .. thats how ridiculous this is getting. A PERENNIAL bottom shelf bourbon has been moved up top because of hysteria. I actually laughed when i saw this. The exact same feeling I had when HMck10 showed up as a lottery item last year.I truly hope this isnt where we’re headed. 

Things haven’t gotten quite that crazy yet over here on the western side of the state.

[Jazz June]

Was up at the Delaware beaches for a week and hit a few (or more...) stores. Passed on the following:

 

THH $500

Elijah Craig 18 (old label) $300

Rhetoric 25 $200 (had 6 bottles in the case)

Michter's 10 $200

CEHT SiB and SmB $150 (sitting next to each other at the same price for whatever reason)

WT MK Decades $150 (MSRP I believe)

Stagg Jr. $100

Bookers $80-100

Blanton's $75 (only had one, didn't even check the price at the only other store that had it)

Elijah Craig BP $60-80 (tons of this stuff around, including C918, A119, and B519)

McKenna 10, from $50-100

Eagle Rare $40-50

Sazerac rye $40-60, fair bit of this around

Blood Oath Pact 5 - didn't see the price but it was in a case with other stuff marked way up

Only saw Buffalo Trace at one store and didn't bother checking the price. Overall Sazerac distribution seemed very low - did see some 1792 BiB, along with the SmB and SiB, but nothing else from Barton either.

 

As its Delaware, there's no sales tax, but at these prices, Virginia ABC still wins easily on most things. Overall selection was better though - lots of KBD products that Virginia doesn't carry, for one.

 

I bought a Maker's PS for $60 and a Stagg Jr. batch 9 for $55. Three stores had four Maker's picks among them, $60-65. The one I bought is pretty good. Also saw a KC SiB rye pick for $45, which seems like a good price. No other picks, which was my biggest disappointment, as they are typically the best bourbon thing about escaping a control state.

 

Also, very poor single malt Scotch selection for the whole area. Pretty good Irish and Japanese selections, although no age stated Japanese to be found.

 

[Patrick_OKC]

2 hours ago, Jazz June said:

Was up at the Delaware beaches for a week and hit a few (or more...) stores. Passed on the following:

 

THH $500

Elijah Craig 18 (old label) $300

Rhetoric 25 $200 (had 6 bottles in the case)

Michter's 10 $200

CEHT SiB and SmB $150 (sitting next to each other at the same price for whatever reason)

WT MK Decades $150 (MSRP I believe)

Stagg Jr. $100

Bookers $80-100

Blanton's $75 (only had one, didn't even check the price at the only other store that had it)

Elijah Craig BP $60-80 (tons of this stuff around, including C918, A119, and B519)

McKenna 10, from $50-100

Eagle Rare $40-50

Sazerac rye $40-60, fair bit of this around

Blood Oath Pact 5 - didn't see the price but it was in a case with other stuff marked way up

Only saw Buffalo Trace at one store and didn't bother checking the price. Overall Sazerac distribution seemed very low - did see some 1792 BiB, along with the SmB and SiB, but nothing else from Barton either.

 

As its Delaware, there's no sales tax, but at these prices, Virginia ABC still wins easily on most things. Overall selection was better though - lots of KBD products that Virginia doesn't carry, for one.

 

I bought a Maker's PS for $60 and a Stagg Jr. batch 9 for $55. Three stores had four Maker's picks among them, $60-65. The one I bought is pretty good. Also saw a KC SiB rye pick for $45, which seems like a good price. No other picks, which was my biggest disappointment, as they are typically the best bourbon thing about escaping a control state.

 

Also, very poor single malt Scotch selection for the whole area. Pretty good Irish and Japanese selections, although no age stated Japanese to be found.

 

Doesn't seem all that long ago that I was grabbing EC18 at $35 to $38, right after it was announced that it would be pulled and then coming back at $120.  Yikes. I still view Bookers as a $38 to $43 bourbon, but I will flinch and buy it at the going price these days.

 

BTW, JJ, I grew up in McLean, and worked in Falls Church as a teenager in high school.  A very long time ago.

 

Pat

[FasterHorses]

Bakers $39

ER $29

WSR $25.99

Blantons $65

Ezra 101 $21

WT 6 Rye $35.99

W12 $99.99

2014 HW Rendezvous Rye$54

FR Yellow older label $19

 

grabbed a 9 yr age stated KC pint though thats getting opened tonite

Edited September 8, 2019 by FasterHorses

[0895]

1 hour ago, FasterHorses said:

Bakers $39

Ezra 101 $21

2014 HW Rendezvous Rye$54

 

You're killing me...

[FasterHorses]

1 hour ago, 0895 said:

 

You're killing me...

It was all I could do to not back up the honda. I figure if theyve lasted this long maybe theyll be there a while longer

[LCWoody]

Took my wife to Carmel, CA. For or anniversary this year. Beautiful area. I only stopped at 3 liquor stores and all seemed reasonable on prices. But, I went to a grocery store and found this. 

 

 

 

Edited September 9, 2019 by LCWoody

[lcpfratn]

Took my wife to Carmel, CA. For or anniversary this year. Beautiful area. I only stopped at 3 liquor stores and all seemed reasonable on prices. But, I went to a grocery store and found this. 
 

 
 

Someone at that grocery store is delusional!