The lean times are officially here

[Wlrogers]

While I admit that when I first got into bourbon, I was all about getting the rare, hard to find stuff.  However, when I walk into a liquor store now I don't even check the "exclusive" back bar.  I try to go to the regular ole whiskey shelf and buy from there. There are some great choices that are always there. 

[Kyjd75]

Interesting.  Right now regular Knob Creek 9yr is out of stock in central Ky.  A store manager I talked with yesterday told me their distributor had advised that Beam cannot get the necessary bottles for the 750 bottling, thus no 750s KC for now.  

[mal00768]

Here's an optimistic thought.

 

If the distilleries cannot make enough glass bottles for product, then some barrels must age longer than usual. So we may see longer aged single barrels released someday.

[fishnbowljoe]

10 minutes ago, mal00768 said:

Here's an optimistic thought.

 

If the distilleries cannot make enough glass bottles for product, then some barrels must age longer than usual. So we may see longer aged single barrels released someday.

Hmmmmmm. I like your way of thinking.

 

Biba! Joe

[Peprsprayyoface]

1 hour ago, mal00768 said:

Here's an optimistic thought.

 

If the distilleries cannot make enough glass bottles for product, then some barrels must age longer than usual. So we may see longer aged single barrels released someday.

Or also there will be a flood of product available when the glass comes available and it will drive down the prices? Wishful thinking 

[Jazzhead]

My world encompassaes the Philly area and South Jersey,  with occasional forays to Bourbon Mecca,  Elkton, MD.   The hardest doggone thing to find these days is WTKS.   No one's got it anymore (or bothers to stock it.)    Next most missed missing item is Old Forester Rye - gosh that stuff is so good.

 

Pikesville seems to be back again,  so that scratches my HH itch.  Four Roses is plentiful, as are most Beam products,  where the Pennsy State Stores preclude price gouging.

 

BT?  Completely unavailable except for Saz Rye.  I stick to John J. Bowman. 

[PhantomLamb]

On 4/10/2022 at 7:56 PM, flahute said:

I've been noticing more and more when I'm in the liquor stores that the ratio of NDPs and other odd labels is as big or larger than the legacy distillers.

And, the legacy distillers that are present on the shelf are only there at the most basic level. It's been this way for a while so I'm calling it a trend.

Of course, your mileage may vary as we all have different situations in our various markets.

 

Here's the current situation with the big boys:

 

Wild Turkey - only 81, 101, 101 rye, RR10 (which was out but just restocked), and RR6 rye in stock. RRSiB, Rare Breed, and KS have been out for months.

PL: Just 81/101/RY10 here.  RB/KS/RR6/RRSiB almost non-existent.

Beam - all the basics are there plus the 108 proof single barrel, the OGDs, KC9 and rye. Standard KCSiB has been out for the last half year or so and no store picks have been around either.

PL: Basics minus OGD/OGDBiB (I knew it would catch on eventually) and no OO either.  No handles of KC to be found.

Heaven Hill - the basic bottom shelf EW are available but no single barrel. Basic EC and rye. Larceny. 

PL: HH/EW/HMck/Ritt and nothing else.

Four Roses - everything but small batch available though single barrel is a couple bottles at a time so you have to strike when you see it. No store picks since last fall.

PL: Everything but the 10 SiB recipes.

Old Forester - they are doing better with everything except 1870, 1910, and the rye available. (No single barrels or other LE's of course.)

PL: Almost nothing.  86 and Mint Julip.

Buffalo Trace - nothing. No joke. You can occasionally find basic BT but again, you have to strike fast. 

PL: Nothing, unless you count Bowman.

Barton - only 1792 SmB

PL: Very occasionally 1792 SmB.

Maker's Mark - everything but cask strength and 101 available though these two aren't out for too long in general.

PL: Everything but 101.

Still lots of great bourbon to drink but I am at attention when RRSiB, Rare Breed, KS, and KC120 enter extended dry spells. McKenna and all things BT are old news of course but those didn't bother me too much when I had those others. Fingers crossed this is a temporary glitch in supply. Of course my bunker is deep so I can ride this out and the current situation which we all saw coming to a certain degree is part of the reason why we have them.

 

How are things in your area?

My thoughts above for the Pittsburgh area.  You are definitely on to something here...

[mbroo5880i]

4 hours ago, Kyjd75 said:

Interesting.  Right now regular Knob Creek 9yr is out of stock in central Ky.  A store manager I talked with yesterday told me their distributor had advised that Beam cannot get the necessary bottles for the 750 bottling, thus no 750s KC for now.  

 

C'mon, Beam.  There are options.  We need our bourbon...NOW!

 

If its good enough for Johnnie, its good enough for Jim.

 

https://www.johnniewalker.com/en/nextsteps/pulp-future/

 

[Kepler]

That's too bad about EWSiB.  But I imagine that sales were really down because the market has shifted to new customers and as we all know, new bourbon customers are looking for higher proof, by and large.

 

Here in Texas the past few months, these are the whiskey staples that I've noticed have been in shorter supply than usual. (Omitting BT products because scarcity is a way of life for them):

 

Several Wild Turkey products:

WT101 (plentiful now but not a few months ago, bottle shortage they said), Rare Breed, RRSiB (I think both of these are due to newfound popularity/hoarding due to hype).(Strangely Rare Breed Rye is plentiful but I'm not the biggest fan and I think it's over priced nearing $60).

KC120 Single Barrel

Bowman SiB, SmB

Pikesville

4RSiB

Baker's

Booker's (rare for a couple years now)

1792 has become tater bait

Store picks of all kinds are scarfed up like rare Fall LE's.

 

 

There are probably many more but I can't think of them off the top of my head.

 

 

 

Edited April 13, 2022 by Kepler

[mbroo5880i]

18 minutes ago, Kepler said:

That's too bad about EWSiB.  But I imagine that sales were really down because the market has shifted to new customers and as we all know, new bourbon customers are looking for higher proof, by and large.

 

Here in Texas the past few months, these are the whiskey staples that I've noticed have been in shorter supply than usual. (Omitting BT products because scarcity is a way of life for them):

 

Several Wild Turkey products:

WT101 (plentiful now but not a few months ago, bottle shortage they said), Rare Breed, RRSiB (I think both of these are due to newfound popularity/hoarding due to hype).(Strangely Rare Breed Rye is plentiful but I'm not the biggest fan and I think it's over priced nearing $60).

KC120 Single Barrel

Bowman SiB, SmB

Pikesville

4RSiB

Baker's

Booker's (rare for a couple years now)

1792 has become tater bait

Store picks of all kinds are scarfed up like rare Fall LE's.

 

 

There are probably many more but I can't think of them off the top of my head.

 

 

 

 

I am not sure what part of TX you are in but I have been traveling back and forth to Corpus over the past month and it is pretty similar there.  I did see some WSR 1.75s and a lot of NDPs.  I only stopped in one store the last trip...Spanky's in Portland.  Lots of NDP stuff.  I did see and bought WT101.  I didn't get downtown.  

[PaulO]

13 hours ago, Anwalt said:

 

 

OK, speaking of State Weirdness:  Worth getting?  Seems like an Ohio special.

 

https://www.ohlq.com/ohlq-hub/news-and-lifestyle/ohlq-exclusive/high-west-american-prairie-bourbon-and-double-rye-whiskey?utm_source=brand&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=exclusive-high-west&utm_content=american-prairie-view-exclusive-button-red

 

I will be in Ohio later today before heading to Indy Saturday and can get a bottle or two of each.  I also get that some of you are more value focused/cost sensitive

than others.

 

 

The short answer is in that same price range, I'd buy something else.  If their whiskey or whatever they source is that good, would they have to doctor it up so much.

Spend that same money on higher end Turkey or Four Roses.  Then you'd have something.

my $.02

[Kyjd75]

10 hours ago, mbroo5880i said:

 

C'mon, Beam.  There are options.  We need our bourbon...NOW!

 

If its good enough for Johnnie, its good enough for Jim.

 

https://www.johnniewalker.com/en/nextsteps/pulp-future/

 

A bottle made out of WOOD PULP?!?!?!?

[fishnbowljoe]

12 hours ago, mbroo5880i said:

 

C'mon, Beam.  There are options.  We need our bourbon...NOW!

 

If its good enough for Johnnie, its good enough for Jim.

 

https://www.johnniewalker.com/en/nextsteps/pulp-future/

 

 

This reminds me of something from a number of years ago. My wife and I took a trip up to Wisconsin for a long weekend of music, (jazz) food and fun. One morning we went down to grab breakfast before venturing out. The packet of eating untensils was tater ware.  

 

Biba! Joe

 

https://earth-to-go.org/taterware/bb-cutlery

 

 

[TunnelTiger]

21 hours ago, Wlrogers said:

While I admit that when I first got into bourbon, I was all about getting the rare, hard to find stuff.  However, when I walk into a liquor store now I don't even check the "exclusive" back bar.  I try to go to the regular ole whiskey shelf and buy from there. There are some great choices that are always there. 

You and me are of like mind.  Haven't purchased anything over $40 in a couple years and I enjoy every pour just as much.

 

Also haven't noticed any empty shelves at any of my regular stores.  In fact had a new store open a year ago and they have all I need.

[Anwalt]

Adventures in a Liquor Controlled State:

 

Visiting Ohio for Easter.  Stopped at two grocers in the burbs.

 

Both reported 40+ person lines on Delivery Day, every week at 10 am opening time.  And shorter lines on "We release what we held back for the wholesalers and they didn't pick up day".  They limit the rare bottles to one per person.

 

Some sample prices:

JDSiB Select $50

Blenheim Original Wheat $30

4R Small Batch Select $60

4R SiB $45

MM101 $39

MM Cask Strength $45

KC9 $37

WT101 $23

EW 1783 $22

RRSiB Rye (bad photo, missed the price, RRSiB bourbon not available, ditto RR10y bourbon), they had plenty of it

WTRB Rye $60

 

Just FYI.

 

 

[Peprsprayyoface]

55 minutes ago, Anwalt said:

Adventures in a Liquor Controlled State:

 

Visiting Ohio for Easter.  Stopped at two grocers in the burbs.

 

Both reported 40+ person lines on Delivery Day, every week at 10 am opening time.  And shorter lines on "We release what we held back for the wholesalers and they didn't pick up day".  They limit the rare bottles to one per person.

 

Some sample prices:

JDSiB Select $50

Blenheim Original Wheat $30

4R Small Batch Select $60

4R SiB $45

MM101 $39

MM Cask Strength $45

KC9 $37

WT101 $23

EW 1783 $22

RRSiB Rye (bad photo, missed the price, RRSiB bourbon not available, ditto RR10y bourbon), they had plenty of it

WTRB Rye $60

 

Just FYI.

 

 

Not sure about most of the ones you posted as I’m a newb but WT101 is on every grocery store shelf pretty much here in CA for $20

[Anwalt]

2 minutes ago, Peprsprayyoface said:

Not sure about most of the ones you posted as I’m a newb but WT101 is on every grocery store shelf pretty much here in CA for $20

 

Pretty random sampling with my personal tilt towards some of the brands people here are more likely to post about.  They seem to be predisposed towards traditional distillers & brands and not inclined towards paying above a certain price.  With some notable exceptions based on some of the "what we are drinking now" posts.  And with some deep bunkers of good stuff that was once much cheaper - got some serious experience here. Many of the bottles not in my post were simply not present and tend to confirm the OP - certain things are getting snapped up or not coming out on the market.  I did not post on the NDP's based on the relative lack of interest from most posters here ("Bah, over-priced swill!  Get off my lawn!"  etc.).  And that was (mostly) tongue in cheek for you sensitive sorts, lol.

 

I'm new as well.  Having fun with the whole thing and learning a good bit on the way, not least from the good folks here.  

[BottledInBond]

On 4/12/2022 at 7:44 AM, Anwalt said:

 

 

OK, speaking of State Weirdness:  Worth getting?  Seems like an Ohio special.

 

https://www.ohlq.com/ohlq-hub/news-and-lifestyle/ohlq-exclusive/high-west-american-prairie-bourbon-and-double-rye-whiskey?utm_source=brand&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=exclusive-high-west&utm_content=american-prairie-view-exclusive-button-red

 

I will be in Ohio later today before heading to Indy Saturday and can get a bottle or two of each.  I also get that some of you are more value focused/cost sensitive

than others.

 

 

I’d think of those as “try before you buy” bottles and hope they have tasting bottles open. I’m a little down on High West in recent years, but once in a while their secondary barrel finished products like these turn out well. But you’ve got all sorts of possible outcomes with that variety of barrels. 

[G L Tirebiter]

I was in downtown Pittsburgh to file taxes at the City-County Bldg and stopped in the FW&GS store a block or so away.   I seldom am in the area so figured I'd take a shot.  They had Rare Breed, which I had'nt seen in  while, as well as 5 or 6 bottles of BT (I missed the drop by a day..clerk told me people were lined up early and the Blantons lasted a couple minutes, Eagle Rare a little longer, but not much).  I grabbed a WTRB and BT.   

[Clueby]

Not sure if this was posted elsewhere (and wasn't sure where to post it myself) but read this re Virginia ABC.

 

I did a quick search and didn't find it on SB.

 

https://www.pastemagazine.com/drink/whiskey/virginia-abc-bourbon-allocated-shortage-wishlist-wednesdays-policy-warehouses/#but-where-is-the-allocated-bourbon-

[Jazz June]

9 hours ago, Clueby said:

Not sure if this was posted elsewhere (and wasn't sure where to post it myself) but read this re Virginia ABC.

 

I did a quick search and didn't find it on SB.

 

https://www.pastemagazine.com/drink/whiskey/virginia-abc-bourbon-allocated-shortage-wishlist-wednesdays-policy-warehouses/#but-where-is-the-allocated-bourbon-

The Virginia bourbon Facebook groups have been abuzz for a few weeks. Someone at VA ABC was giving information on where allocated stuff was going to someone who was in turn selling the information. Said seller got busted and upheaval has ensued.

[Kepler]

On 4/12/2022 at 7:37 PM, Kepler said:

That's too bad about EWSiB.  But I imagine that sales were really down because the market has shifted to new customers and as we all know, new bourbon customers are looking for higher proof, by and large.

 

Here in Texas the past few months, these are the whiskey staples that I've noticed have been in shorter supply than usual. (Omitting BT products because scarcity is a way of life for them):

 

Several Wild Turkey products:

WT101 (plentiful now but not a few months ago, bottle shortage they said), Rare Breed, RRSiB (I think both of these are due to newfound popularity/hoarding due to hype).(Strangely Rare Breed Rye is plentiful but I'm not the biggest fan and I think it's over priced nearing $60).

KC120 Single Barrel

Bowman SiB, SmB

Pikesville

4RSiB

Baker's

Booker's (rare for a couple years now)

1792 has become tater bait

Store picks of all kinds are scarfed up like rare Fall LE's.

 

 

There are probably many more but I can't think of them off the top of my head.

 

 

Happy to report that I saw WT Rare Breed bourbon on the shelves at multiple stores again.  Nice to see it restocked.  WT101 is also fully available and has been for several months.   As is RR10 year.  However RR Single Barrel is still hit and miss in Texas.

 

 

 

[mbroo5880i]

In the Indy area, one retailer is running a 30% off sale and another a 20% off sale.  

 

Plenty of various WT (86, 101, 101 Rye, RR10), KC9, BT, MM (regular, 101, CS), FR (SmB, SmBSelect, SiB), OF (86, 100, 1897, 1910, 1920, Statesman), EW (your pick).  Local Costco slammed with FRSmB and FRSiB.  Many were on sale and now additional discounts apply.

 

Going back out tomorrow.  Cheap Bastard likes sales.

[Mattk]

Earlier today I had to go out and run some errands. I finished up purchasing the last of the supplies for easter dinner and naturally had to check out the LS next door. Finally, I have found a few bottles of 101 rye. Oddly though they are old lable 750s.

[mal00768]

Perused whisky section while grabbing a few groceries at Wegmans. They had pretty much everything mid or bottom shelf in stock. What was interesting was that the scotch section was almost completely wiped out. 

Edited April 16, 2022 by mal00768