What Bourbon Did You Purchase Today (Spring 2020)

[kcgumbohead]

1 hour ago, fishnbowljoe said:

 

 

I firmly believe ET will be in good hands with Saz/BT. I sent a congratulatory email to Mark Brown and others at BT yesterday. He thanked me. I didn’t try to glean any more info from him at this time because I’m pretty sure they’re still extremely busy at BT. They’re reopening July 1st. With regards to previous expansion(s) and changes over the last year or so, I think the Covid-19 pandemic threw the proverbial monkey wrench into the works. (Ditto almost everyone and everything.) Amongst other things, a 35,000 sq ft remodel/expansion of their visitor center was in the works. I’m gonna make a semi-educated guess here and say that plans probably had to be changed midstream in order to accommodate new guidelines and procedures. So, let’s not panic and jump off the cliff just yet.   “Know what I mean Vern?” 
 

Biba! Joe
 

Here’s a link to the recent virtual tour at BT. It’s not the best quality, and I hope  it still works.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7cqg7c7zcgjp0xw/BT_FOTTVirtualTour.mp4?dl=0https://www.dropbox.com/s/7cqg7c7zcgjp0xw/BT_FOTTVirtualTour.mp4?dl=0

I hear ya Joe, for me I am getting ahaed of the inevitable profile change that will come with new ownership. I have no doubt Saz didn’t buy it to mothball it but what it will taste like I don’t know, it will just be different.  I like the current iteration so it was time to buy.

[PaulO]

When I look at what's on shelves, the standard 80 proof Early Times Whiskey is available everywhere.  The product as it is contains like 50% whiskey from reused barrels.  That's why it can't be labeled "bourbon".   I assume reusing some barrels, and having a brand for young whiskey fits a niche in the Sazerac family of brands.  Early Times customers probably mix most of it, so expectations are low.

The bonded version is quite different.  All I can say is we'll see.  I hope it doesn't go the way of Eagle Rare 101, or National Distillers Old Taylor.

[Kyjd75]

Bardstown Bourbon Co. Discovery Series#2.  My second bottle of this.  I saw it at Packages & More this morning and decided to pick it up.  I enjoyed the first bottle so much that even though it is over-priced, I wanted to buy it.  Sampling it tonight, it is definitely as good as the first one.  Folks, this is top-notch bourbon.

 

 

Edited June 16, 2020 by Kyjd75

[Richdel]

My wife and daughter went to the beach for the day.  At 2pm I get a call from her, she has stopped in a liquor store (one that I have wanted to go to but haven't found the time) and asked about ECBP.  The store manager pointed her in the direction, and that where I got the call.  She emptied the shelf on my request, to see what was lined up in the back of the first one, C919.  I have several of these, that's why I had her look.  I was hoping for a A120.  No luck.  But she did find a B918 and a B520.  Early Fathers Day present for me I was told.   Just celebrated our 33 anniversary last weekend, I definitely got one of the good ones!

 

 

Edited June 16, 2020 by Richdel

[Richnimrod]

TRIED to buy a couple bottles of ET BIB; but, my local monger's store had already sold out it's remaining stock (the clerk said he thought 8-left from the 12-delivered a week or so prior).   I guess the old adage about snoozing resulting in losing is spot on.   I didn't really think a day or two would empty the shelf. 

I have a few backed up... maybe 4?   Hopefully I won't be excluded from improving upon that number in the near future.   

The Boom (or is it Bubble?) is still very real, I guess.

[mbroo5880i]

7 hours ago, jnewberg said:

Nice to hear but in our area, West MI, I would imagine BT products will be flooded to the Eastside of state as it always has been.

I rarely see any BT products when traveling through West MI - South Haven, Holland, Manistee, Bear Lake.  I have seen ER in Traverse City.

[mbroo5880i]

2 hours ago, Richdel said:

My wife and daughter went to the beach for the day.  At 2pm I get a call from her, she has stopped in a liquor store (one that I have wanted to go to but haven't found the time) and asked about ECBP.  The store manager pointed her in the direction, and that where I got the call.  She emptied the shelf on my request, to see what was lined up in the back of the first one, C919.  I have several of these, that's why I had her look.  I was hoping for a A120.  No luck.  But she did find a B918 and a B520.  Early Fathers Day present for me I was told.   Just celebrated our 33 anniversary last weekend, I definitely got one of the good ones!

 

 

Sir, you did well both with your pick of a lovely woman to be your wife and her selection of bottles to purchase for you!  Enjoy, friend!

[geclbxf]

11 hours ago, Kyjd75 said:

Bardstown Bourbon Co. Discovery Series#2.  My second bottle of this.  I saw it at Packages & More this morning and decided to pick it up.  I enjoyed the first bottle so much that even though it is over-priced, I wanted to buy it.  Sampling it tonight, it is definitely as good as the first one.  Folks, this is top-notch bourbon.

 

 

I like both the first iteration, and this one as well.   I found number 2 to be slightly better than number 1 side by side.   They were both great, but yes - expensive.

[jnewberg]

10 hours ago, mbroo5880i said:

I rarely see any BT products when traveling through West MI - South Haven, Holland, Manistee, Bear Lake.  I have seen ER in Traverse City.

Grand Rapids gets ER and BT in spurts... EHT Small Batch has been okay in the spring and Blantons at a handfull of stores

[BDanner]

Picked up the new B520 Larceny Barrel Proof. Reminded me of why I don't buy Larceny often. I think I actually prefer the standard release.

[fishnbowljoe]

Sorry for the thread drift.  Also sorry ‘cause I’ve posted much, if not all of this before.

 

I feel that what happens here with some distributors happens at a lot of places. Stores are “asked “ to sell certain products, usually in larger quantities. Many of these products aren’t particularly highly sought after or big sellers. If the stores take a certain number of cases of those products, they might receive a few bottles of more desirable items. So in essence, the larger quantity of  less desirable products you sell, the more good stuff you might get. Hypothetically anyway.  Only one or two larger stores seem to be able to pull this off without raising prices too much. I’m pretty sure one store I know raises the prices quite a bit more on their higher end offerings in order to make up their margins on lower end items. I’ve heard that some kind of system is used for this  in much the same way a point system is used to determine how much Pappy/BTAC/LE’s stores receive. Case discounts are another story. Let’s say a store orders a case of Weller SR. The distributor has cases of it available, but will only give the store two or three bottles a week so they don’t have to give the store a case discount. 
 

One more thing. A number of years ago we had some changes in distribution in my area. A merger, a buyout or a ????  I stopped at one store I don’t visit too often and asked the manager how it was going. He said crazy. It seems one of the distributors wanted him to start carrying more of their items, and hinted he might want to stop or cut back on having another distributors products. It was also hinted that some of the stores higher selling products might be pulled from the store if they didn’t comply. Like I said in my post above, crazy stuff. 
 

Biba! Joe 

[parksmart]

We live in a capitalist society.  Welcome to the free market (as long as you’re not in a state that actively regulates/controls the alcohol supply).  
 

Bourbon has for awhile been in a classic microeconomic environment of low supply and higher demand resulting in prices going up.  

[BrokeCal]

I just wish BT would raise the MSRP of its allocated whiskey.  Keeping the MSRP low, when demand is high, is ridiculous IMO.  It creates havoc at the store level and allows people to profit, in unreasonable ways, due to the choas.  Again, IMO, it's not a good business model for BT and the 'answers' I read as to why BT does it are bogus.

[Bret Bret]

I'm confused.  Is it panic buying if there really is a panic?

[fishnbowljoe]

4 hours ago, parksmart said:

We live in a capitalist society.  Welcome to the free market (as long as you’re not in a state that actively regulates/controls the alcohol supply).  
 

Bourbon has for awhile been in a classic microeconomic environment of low supply and higher demand resulting in prices going up.  

I know the drill park. All too well. Unfortunately, I live in Illinois. I’m half kidding and half serious when I say that maybe some or our politicians misguided meanderings may have trickled down to other areas of our society. On top of that, as many folks already know, our taxes are among the worst in the country. Thankfully I have couple of stores relatively close by that are pretty good and don’t try to screw folks. I’m also not far from Wisconsin. There are two or three stores there that are also pretty good if my wife and I decide to take drive “up north”.  

 

Biba! Joe

[fishnbowljoe]

24 minutes ago, Bret Bret said:

I'm confused.  Is it panic buying if there really is a panic?

 

Perhaps the “Ascot Effect”?  
 

Biba! Joe

52 minutes ago, BrokeCal said:

I just wish BT would raise the MSRP of its allocated whiskey.  Keeping the MSRP low, when demand is high, is ridiculous IMO.  It creates havoc at the store level and allows people to profit, in unreasonable ways, due to the choas.  Again, IMO, it's not a good business model for BT and the 'answers' I read as to why BT does it are bogus.

This isn’t BT’s fault. As I posted above, many of the problems are due to distributors and unscrupulous stores trying to squeeze every last penny that they can from us consumers. How else would you explain to me being able purchase a GTS from one store @ $119.99, and I could drive to another store 6 or 8 miles away, and it’s $399.99? There is no way in hell that you can blame BT for that.  Saz/BT and other companies establish what is deemed a fair msrp FOR ALL. IMHO, it’s the sometimes seemingly ludicrous three tier system that is mainly to blame. 
 

Joe.

[parksmart]

44 minutes ago, fishnbowljoe said:

I know the drill park. All too well. Unfortunately, I live in Illinois. I’m half kidding and half serious when I say that maybe some or our politicians misguided meanderings may have trickled down to other areas of our society. On top of that, as many folks already know, our taxes are among the worst in the country. Thankfully I have couple of stores relatively close by that are pretty good and don’t try to screw folks. I’m also not far from Wisconsin. There are two or three stores there that are also pretty good if my wife and I decide to take drive “up north”.  

 

Biba! Joe

Least you’re lucky to have some reasonable options a relatively short distance away.  Those of us on the West Coast really have little in the way of “honey holes” within a reasonable distance.  Too many folks with money up and down the coast, and things don’t get much better when you head inland.  NV has Vegas scarfing up as much allocated, desirable product as possible.  UT gets less stock b/c of the teetotaler folks prevalent and  in control there.  AZ and CO also have more demand than supply.  

[fishnbowljoe]

24 minutes ago, parksmart said:

Least you’re lucky to have some reasonable options a relatively short distance away.  Those of us on the West Coast really have little in the way of “honey holes” within a reasonable distance.  Too many folks with money up and down the coast, and things don’t get much better when you head inland.  NV has Vegas scarfing up as much allocated, desirable product as possible.  UT gets less stock b/c of the teetotaler folks prevalent and  in control there.  AZ and CO also have more demand than supply.  

I truly and honestly sympathize park. In looking back, I feel I know what was partly to blame for the crazy merry-go-round, at least here in Northern Illinois. The powers that be (semi-educated guess:distributors.)  decided to start sharing the wealth when it came to Pappy/BTAC etc. Probably because they could make more money. Off premise accounts and more liquor stores started receiving allocated items. To me, it was a cluster f**k from the get go. I remember seeing Van Winkle (Old Rip 10) at a store I never saw it at before. The price was double that of one of the only other local stores to carry it. The manager even bragged that he was the only local store other than “that store up north” to carry any Pappy. The next day I visited that “store up north” to let the manager know what was going on. It just so happened the local salesman/rep for Saz was there at the time. He raised an eyebrow, thanked me and said he’d check into it. The store manager thanked me too. (FWIW, he kinda rewarded with an Old Rip 10 @ msrp for the info.) Nothing ever came of it all though. NADA! In fact, the store manager “up north” jumped on the band wagon and slowly but surely started jacKing up his prices too. I spent a crap ton of money at that store for a number of years. Since then, not so much. 

 

 

[River Hills]

Sorry for the thread drift but can some kind guy tell me how to find out what MSRP is for any particular bottles?
Thanks in advance.

[Not_That_Fancy]

Got my mail today!!! Excited to break some of these samples open! 
 

On another note... Had a Co-worker call me yesterday. Number came up as Bardstown,KY. I answer and we ramble on until I can ask if that’s where he is from. Sure enough, born and raised. He explained how everyone there works in the distilleries ect. So long story short, his dad works at HH distillery. Looks like me and him are gonna become realllllllllllly close! 

[JGriff]

New additions to the bunker.  

[BigSkyDrams]

Got a Henry McKenna and Weller Antique yesterday and today, respectively.  Feel like I overpaid on both, but I never see either on the shelves anymore, and these were all gobbled up within a half-hour or so of being put out (despite being 1/customer), so I took the plunge.  Will likely report on the tasting experience in the "what are you drinking" thread this weekend.  

[Special Reserve]

14 hours ago, JGriff said:

New additions to the bunker.  

 

Making me a little jelly.  I'd like to enjoy a 5 to 10 mL pour in the morning before coffee.

[kwshannon]

Local grocery store has Old Tub, Early Times BIB, and Old Ezra.  I picked up Old Tub and Early Times BIB.  Opened the Old Tub tonight, love the taste.

 

[ThirstyinOhio]

On 6/15/2020 at 5:41 PM, mal00768 said:

I hope those things are life changing bro.

lol....I'm sure they won't be.