Turns out Beam was right about Booker's

[BrokeCal]

Beam is pretty diabolical.  Now that KC has a 9 year age statement again and sits on the shelf for $29.99 I really don't know how they get off selling a 6 year old Bookers for $80.  Seems preposterous to me.  They obviously have a huge quantity of 9 year plus barrels now.  I don't think selecting some that fit the Bookers profile but with an older more refined finish would be difficult for them.  That is unless they prefer a young profile for Bookers...  But that isn't what it used to be when many batches ages ago had 8 year old  bourbon.  If I wanted a young hot expression of JB I'd go with the new JB Single Barrel at 108 proof for $36.... But I don't want that, just like I don't want Bookers.  Guess I'll be staying with the $45 KC 9 year old 120 proof single barrels from now on.

Edited April 14, 2021 by BrokeCal

[Jazz June]

I'm not sure if this is still the case, but in the past my understanding is that Booker's came off the still at 125 proof while Knob Creek came off the still at 130 proof, with both going in the barrel at 125. If that is the case, then a barrel can't be used for both brands, but is destined for one or the other. The stats for Baker's were the same as Booker's with Jim Beam coming off the still at 135. I would not be surprised if they weren't so strict on these things or had dropped them altogether though.

[lcpfratn]

Booker’s is now allocated in my area and retail is now almost $100...and it doesn’t sit on the shelf very long either. I have a dozen or more different bottles that I bought around $50 when they made the initial price increase announcement a few years ago, so I won’t need to buy any anytime soon. I’m not sure that I’d be willing to pay the current price for it if I didn’t have my bunkered stash, but many certainly are willing to pay the price. So, Beam certainly proved me wrong, because I thought it would sit for years after the price increase...and it did for a little while, but no longer.  

Edited April 20, 2021 by lcpfratn

[LvR Mike]

I don't mean to play devil's advocate here or anything but I haven't seen the obvious pointed out here. If Booker's used to do 6 releases a year for $50 and they sat on shelves compared to doing 3 to 4 releases a year for say $100 and they sell out? Why not maximize the liquid being created.

 

More likely then not, someone is spending about $300 a year because there's only a few of them compared to the, I might get 3 of the 6 and spend $150 a year. I feel, at least to me, the new and uninformed casual drinker is more likely to buy 3 bottles a year at say $100 then 6 bottles at $50 even if it is the same amount spent at the end.

 

It's like an illusion that the quality of the this $100 bottle is better than buying twice the amount of liquid for half the price. I think their biggest problem for Beam is that the people who HAVE been around and know it's not any better quality of liquid but that of the same, it's just more scarce, bringing in that old BS of supply versus demand, so they run the risk of losing old customers.

[FasterHorses]

Passed on 3x 2018 Bookers today at $75.  Never really been tempted

[Bob_Loblaw]

48 minutes ago, LvR Mike said:

 I feel, at least to me, the new and uninformed casual drinker is more likely to buy 3 bottles a year at say $100 then 6 bottles at $50 even if it is the same amount spent at the end.

 

This pretty much sums up the current major problem in bourbon. The willingness to drop $100 per bottle and mindset that price equals quality. 
 

We’ve all witnessed it. 

 

customer: ”I’m looking for a nice bottle of bourbon to give as a gift”

 

knowledgable LS guy circa 2017 reaching to bottom shelf: “This Henry McKenna is 10 years old, fantastic, and only $27!”

 

customer: pausing and nervously eyeing the higher shelf pricier options “well it’s a special occasion so I was hoping to give a NICE bottle and thinking of spending more like $75-100, got anything in that range?”

 

Customer ends up leaving with the 2017 equivalent of Confiscated and is happy because they are giving a “really fancy bottle”

 

Too tired to think back as to what may have been available in that range in 2017, but y’all get the point.

 

 

[smokinjoe]

On 4/14/2021 at 1:14 AM, BrokeCal said:

Beam is pretty diabolical.  Now that KC has a 9 year age statement again and sits on the shelf for $29.99 I really don't know how they get off selling a 6 year old Bookers for $80.  Seems preposterous to me.  They obviously have a huge quantity of 9 year plus barrels now.  I don't think selecting some that fit the Bookers profile but with an older more refined finish would be difficult for them.  That is unless they prefer a young profile for Bookers...  But that isn't what it used to be when many batches ages ago had 8 year old  bourbon.  If I wanted a young hot expression of JB I'd go with the new JB Single Barrel at 108 proof for $36.... But I don't want that, just like I don't want Bookers.  Guess I'll be staying with the $45 KC 9 year old 120 proof single barrels from now on.

Diabolical?  

[PhantomLamb]

18 hours ago, Bob_Loblaw said:

This pretty much sums up the current major problem in bourbon. The willingness to drop $100 per bottle and mindset that price equals quality. 
 

We’ve all witnessed it. 

 

customer: ”I’m looking for a nice bottle of bourbon to give as a gift”

 

knowledgable LS guy circa 2017 reaching to bottom shelf: “This Henry McKenna is 10 years old, fantastic, and only $27!”

 

customer: pausing and nervously eyeing the higher shelf pricier options “well it’s a special occasion so I was hoping to give a NICE bottle and thinking of spending more like $75-100, got anything in that range?”

 

Customer ends up leaving with the 2017 equivalent of Confiscated and is happy because they are giving a “really fancy bottle”

 

Too tired to think back as to what may have been available in that range in 2017, but y’all get the point.

 

 

Maybe WRDO or Jefferson's or some other craft garbage.  2017 was right when I started but even then Booker's was $60 and was widely available in store and online.  Those days are long gone...

[BrokeCal]

Fiendishly Diabolical!!