Jazz June Posted January 18, 2024 Share Posted January 18, 2024 12 minutes ago, 0895 said: I mean there’s 10 recipes, so he really only has 3 “extra bottles” It seems silly to have so many Four Roses picks and not have each recipe open, plus I made up a couple 10 recipe sample sets for gifting around Christmas. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0895 Posted January 18, 2024 Share Posted January 18, 2024 2 hours ago, Jazz June said: It seems silly to have so many Four Roses picks and not have each recipe open, plus I made up a couple 10 recipe sample sets for gifting around Christmas. That would be a great Christmas gift. I used to have all of them open, but the wife wanted some furniture back. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clueby Posted January 18, 2024 Share Posted January 18, 2024 10 hours ago, 0895 said: That would be a great Christmas gift. I used to have all of them open, but the wife wanted some furniture back. Tell her I got her a new shelf so you have more bourbon room. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishnbowljoe Posted January 18, 2024 Author Share Posted January 18, 2024 1 hour ago, Clueby said: Tell her I got her a new shelf so you have more bourbon room. Looks a little like the decorative fence I put in out front of our house. Colored, textured blocks vertical not horizontal. Sorry no pics. It’s covered in snow right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markandrex Posted January 19, 2024 Share Posted January 19, 2024 (edited) 7 hours ago, Clueby said: Tell her I got her a new shelf so you have more bourbon room. That looks an a lot like a stereo stand I had in college! Have we met before? Edited January 19, 2024 by markandrex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbroo5880i Posted January 19, 2024 Share Posted January 19, 2024 Dual purpose album holder and stero stand when flip upside down. https://i5.walmartimages.com/seo/16QT-Plastic-Heavy-Duty-Plastic-Square-Milk-Crate-Black_d3493e1b-8d8a-4e21-bf9c-fd15fef2ec2f.4afd21d1e9878ef949c0b8cb072e3254.jpeg?odnHeight=640&odnWidth=640&odnBg=FFFFFF 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulO Posted January 22, 2024 Share Posted January 22, 2024 My open bar is the top cabinet of the pantry, the liquor cabinet. I also have a bunker. That is the collection of unopened bottles - dusties that can't be replaced, and stuff I got while the getting was good, waiting to go on deck. I never got into the practice of having more than a half dozen or so open at any given time. Here's what's in the cabinet: Four Roses 1.75L J.W. Dant 1L Old Forester Rye 1L Pikesville Rye For Peat's Sake Blended Scotch Smokey Joe Islay Blended Malt Scotch Rancho Alegre Reposado Tequila Spirits Of French Lick Absinthe Le Bleu Seagram's Distillers Reserve Gin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RT Fan Posted March 24, 2024 Share Posted March 24, 2024 I usually keep 6 open bottles in my liquor cabinet. Of late they have been, Woodford, Angel’s Envy. Makers Mark, Willett, 4R Single barrel and Old Forester 1910. Considering I am the only bourbon drinker in the house and we do not get a lot of guests through the winter, I was thinking of cutting this back to 4 or so. Should be enough to tide me over. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RT Fan Posted October 17, 2024 Share Posted October 17, 2024 Well the Willett and the Maker’s Mark have been replaced by Buffalo Trace and Knob Creek. Still no luck with getting down to 4 bottles open at any one time. Maybe if I just stopped opening them…. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvd99 Posted December 5, 2024 Share Posted December 5, 2024 So Binny's held a raffle for BTAC for the first time. You had to sign up in the app and state your 3 preferences - I went WLW, GTS, ER17. The drawing was on December 2 and I got a text that I won, and that bottles could be picked up through December 10th, and that an e-mail was also sent out with details. Since I didn't receive the e-mail, I called my pick-up store and they said you dont need the e-mail because they have a list of winners, but they weren't ready to give out bottles until the following afternoon. So being a good rule-follower, I waited until about 3:00 the next day and went in to claim one of the three bottles I requested. When I get there, a manager says there's not WLW because they only got 6 bottles and 25 winners requested that as their top choice. Then I ask about GTS and ER17 but he says they're out of everything except THH. I can see his winner sheet(s) which had at least 75-100 names. There's no way my store got that many bottles. I just left without buying the THH which I'm not that interested in as I've had many bottles over the years and dont really need or want another. The whole experience left a bad taste in my mouth. After reflecting on it for a day, it seems like the whole lottery was a scam to get people to download the app. I feel it was also kind of a bait and switch by implying that if you "win" you will get one of the three bottles you requested. I also felt that by giving an 8 day window for pick-up, that they would hold a specific bottle with my name on it. I also felt that when the store told me just to come in the next day, that there was no sense of urgency. Nope. Not even close. Apparently, the second the text went out, it was a race to the store because it was just first come first serve, or the managers just gave the best bottles to their buddies who also won or some other shenanigans before the regular folk like me showed up. The whole thing was very disappointing. I've read online that many other people had a very similar experience and the consensus (although pure speculation) is there was no corporate guidance on how to handle winners. Each store was left to their own devices to dole out bottles to the winners however they saw fit. I think that's a huge mistake because lots of people felt like they weren't given a fair shake. Rant over…. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishnbowljoe Posted December 5, 2024 Author Share Posted December 5, 2024 1 hour ago, jvd99 said: So Binny's held a raffle for BTAC for the first time. The whole experience left a bad taste in my mouth. I've read online that many other people had a very similar experience and the consensus (although pure speculation) is there was no corporate guidance on how to Rant over…. I signed up for the drawing at our Binny’s. I couldn’t get the app to download right, so I had to go to the store. They got me signed up, but I was basically told nothing about it. The Binny’s here in Rockford is “different” to say the least. The store manager is nice enough, but I believe he stretches the truth a bit in order to cover other employees asses. The customer service manager is a joke. He’s flat out lied to me a couple of times. Once he told me I was wrong even though I proved he was wrong. He said they were out of something, yet I found it. The assistant store manager is in charge of the “allocated” items. She too has lied to me more than once. I know because a couple of friends work(ed) there. I may be really screwed in the future. My last “contact” there is starting a new job at the beginning of the year. What’s a mother to do? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulO Posted December 5, 2024 Share Posted December 5, 2024 11 hours ago, jvd99 said: So Binny's held a raffle for BTAC for the first time. You had to sign up in the app and state your 3 preferences - I went WLW, GTS, ER17. The drawing was on December 2 and I got a text that I won, and that bottles could be picked up through December 10th, and that an e-mail was also sent out with details. Since I didn't receive the e-mail, I called my pick-up store and they said you dont need the e-mail because they have a list of winners, but they weren't ready to give out bottles until the following afternoon. So being a good rule-follower, I waited until about 3:00 the next day and went in to claim one of the three bottles I requested. When I get there, a manager says there's not WLW because they only got 6 bottles and 25 winners requested that as their top choice. Then I ask about GTS and ER17 but he says they're out of everything except THH. I can see his winner sheet(s) which had at least 75-100 names. There's no way my store got that many bottles. I just left without buying the THH which I'm not that interested in as I've had many bottles over the years and dont really need or want another. The whole experience left a bad taste in my mouth. After reflecting on it for a day, it seems like the whole lottery was a scam to get people to download the app. I feel it was also kind of a bait and switch by implying that if you "win" you will get one of the three bottles you requested. I also felt that by giving an 8 day window for pick-up, that they would hold a specific bottle with my name on it. I also felt that when the store told me just to come in the next day, that there was no sense of urgency. Nope. Not even close. Apparently, the second the text went out, it was a race to the store because it was just first come first serve, or the managers just gave the best bottles to their buddies who also won or some other shenanigans before the regular folk like me showed up. The whole thing was very disappointing. I've read online that many other people had a very similar experience and the consensus (although pure speculation) is there was no corporate guidance on how to handle winners. Each store was left to their own devices to dole out bottles to the winners however they saw fit. I think that's a huge mistake because lots of people felt like they weren't given a fair shake. Rant over…. Anything to generate traffic to the store no doubt. "You've won a prize" yep, seems like many scams start that way. It's been brought up before - does THH even belong in the BTAC line up. It's just the normal Sazerac Rye, except bottled at higher proof. So we have a six year old whiskey, and three other brands that are all well into their teens in age - priced the same. No wonder everything else got grabbed, THH was left. It ought to be whatever you call a regular product, not BTAC. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvd99 Posted December 5, 2024 Share Posted December 5, 2024 LOL - just noticed I posted my rant in the wrong thread 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted December 5, 2024 Share Posted December 5, 2024 1 hour ago, jvd99 said: LOL - just noticed I posted my rant in the wrong thread I noticed that, and immediately thought, JVD is so pissed he can’t see straight! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0895 Posted December 8, 2024 Share Posted December 8, 2024 On 12/4/2024 at 8:00 PM, jvd99 said: but he says they're out of everything except THH. I can see his winner sheet(s) which had at least 75-100 names. There's no way my store got that many bottles. I just left without buying the THH which I'm not that interested in as I've had many bottles over the years and dont really need or want another. Trying to wrap my head around leaving a THH behind. I get it's low man on the pole, but it's arguably the most interesting BTAC to try every year because it's always different. I completely understand your frustration, & take your side on this fight against Binny's, but as a Missourian who's state has terrible allocation compared to IL, next time, grab that THH and shoot me a PM. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvd99 Posted December 9, 2024 Share Posted December 9, 2024 18 hours ago, 0895 said: Trying to wrap my head around leaving a THH behind. I get it's low man on the pole, but it's arguably the most interesting BTAC to try every year because it's always different. I completely understand your frustration, & take your side on this fight against Binny's, but as a Missourian who's state has terrible allocation compared to IL, next time, grab that THH and shoot me a PM. I’m 5 deep on THH in the bunker. The disgust with the situation was communicated and not buying anything was part of it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kepler Posted December 9, 2024 Share Posted December 9, 2024 On 12/5/2024 at 7:35 AM, PaulO said: Anything to generate traffic to the store no doubt. "You've won a prize" yep, seems like many scams start that way. It's been brought up before - does THH even belong in the BTAC line up. It's just the normal Sazerac Rye, except bottled at higher proof. So we have a six year old whiskey, and three other brands that are all well into their teens in age - priced the same. No wonder everything else got grabbed, THH was left. It ought to be whatever you call a regular product, not BTAC. Yeah you have good reason to be disgusted by the way that drawing was handled. Definitely "bait and switch" vibes to this. And I love THH personally, but I agree there is nothing "Antique" about this 6 year whiskey and it doesn't really belong in the BTAC line. Having said that, I'd probably still take it over the most recent WLW releases. I have last year's WLW and it's a very disappointing release compared to prior years. I haven't gotten this year's BTAC yet but my fingers are crossed for GTS over WLW. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevegoz Posted December 9, 2024 Share Posted December 9, 2024 No matter how much of a hash Binny's made of the lottery (and no, I wasn't selected), it's still better than the traditional practice of rewarding "the best" customers. I know, I know, every one of them is the most loyal of customers and keeps the lights on lol.... The local guy I know who gets preferential treatment by being a pest despite spending less at Binny's than me and several other guys I know was pissed about the lottery. That justifies its existence in my book. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0895 Posted December 9, 2024 Share Posted December 9, 2024 15 hours ago, Kepler said: . I haven't gotten this year's BTAC yet but my fingers are crossed for GTS over WLW. I think the GTS this year is excellent. Lots of old school classics vibes if you know what I mean. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0895 Posted December 9, 2024 Share Posted December 9, 2024 3 hours ago, stevegoz said: No matter how much of a hash Binny's made of the lottery (and no, I wasn't selected), it's still better than the traditional practice of rewarding "the best" customers. I know, I know, every one of them is the most loyal of customers and keeps the lights on lol.... The local guy I know who gets preferential treatment by being a pest despite spending less at Binny's than me and several other guys I know was pissed about the lottery. That justifies its existence in my book. Why does the pest strategy keep working? Ive never understood that in all the years I’ve been buying whiskey, and studying interactions. Employees bitch, grumble, and hide when they see these people coming, and still they get bottles. Ive literally watched it happen in real time while beer shopping in a unfamiliar geography. “Look out…. Here comes Bob…. Looking for allocateds again…. tell Jeff(the manager) to hide“ 20 minutes later he’s leaving with a secret bottle in a brown bag that the cashier rang up manually via whispers in the ear from the manager instead of scanning. It must just be easier to get those people to leave by giving them some candy every time. I can’t think of any other reason why it works. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevegoz Posted December 9, 2024 Share Posted December 9, 2024 2 hours ago, 0895 said: Why does the pest strategy keep working? Ive never understood that in all the years I’ve been buying whiskey, and studying interactions. Employees bitch, grumble, and hide when they see these people coming, and still they get bottles. Ive literally watched it happen in real time while beer shopping in a unfamiliar geography. “Look out…. Here comes Bob…. Looking for allocateds again…. tell Jeff(the manager) to hide“ 20 minutes later he’s leaving with a secret bottle in a brown bag that the cashier rang up manually via whispers in the ear from the manager instead of scanning. It must just be easier to get those people to leave by giving them some candy every time. I can’t think of any other reason why it works. It's never made any sense to me, especially when it's the same handful of people getting everything while the rest of us stew. It has, however, gotten me past my FOMO phase and made me appreciate the mid-shelf stuff a lot more! (I have yet to win a BTAC or VW bottle in a raffle despite occasionally asking my wife to also enter lotteries for me lol. Mannnnnyyyyy years ago a then-new Binny's store ran my loyalty card info when I inquired about VW products and sold me an ORVW10 when they saw just how much I spent there.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishnbowljoe Posted December 9, 2024 Author Share Posted December 9, 2024 6 hours ago, stevegoz said: No matter how much of a hash Binny's made of the lottery (and no, I wasn't selected), it's still better than the traditional practice of rewarding "the best" customers. I know, I know, every one of them is the most loyal of customers and keeps the lights on lol.... The local guy I know who gets preferential treatment by being a pest despite spending less at Binny's than me and several other guys I know was pissed about the lottery. That justifies its existence in my book. I complained a bit about some things to the management at my local Binny’s. I’ve had my Binny’s card since 2008. I was a pretty decent customer even before they opened the store here in Rockford. I made frequent trips to the Chicago area Binny’s for tastings/get togethers and to buy stuff. I asked an assistant manager about my points and such, and I was told I didn’t have all that many points. I asked why, and if they would like me to bring in all my receipts for bourbon for the last 17 years. I was then told they give more points for wine and champagne. They have my info, yet every time I buy something, a manager has to be called to the register to key in my first responder/military discount. The last time I bought a Weller SR there, they called the assistant manager to key in my code. (FWIW, she’s the one responsible for the allocated items.) I got my receipt and the discount was $0.00. I asked her politely why I didn’t get a discount. She told me in a pretty snarky manner, “We don’t give discounts on allocated items.” I then matter of factly asked her why isn’t that info posted anywhere in the store or on the Binny’s website. She literally stuck her nose in the air, turned around and walked away and headed to the office area. I’ve begun to understand why they can’t seem to keep decent employees around for very long. Out of 5 people that I knew that worked there, only 1 full timer is left. Another took a different full time job and is gonna work there one day a week for the time being. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvd99 Posted December 9, 2024 Share Posted December 9, 2024 1 hour ago, fishnbowljoe said: I complained a bit about some things to the management at my local Binny’s. I’ve had my Binny’s card since 2008. I was a pretty decent customer even before they opened the store here in Rockford. I made frequent trips to the Chicago area Binny’s for tastings/get togethers and to buy stuff. I asked an assistant manager about my points and such, and I was told I didn’t have all that many points. I asked why, and if they would like me to bring in all my receipts for bourbon for the last 17 years. I was then told they give more points for wine and champagne. They have my info, yet every time I buy something, a manager has to be called to the register to key in my first responder/military discount. The last time I bought a Weller SR there, they called the assistant manager to key in my code. (FWIW, she’s the one responsible for the allocated items.) I got my receipt and the discount was $0.00. I asked her politely why I didn’t get a discount. She told me in a pretty snarky manner, “We don’t give discounts on allocated items.” I then matter of factly asked her why isn’t that info posted anywhere in the store or on the Binny’s website. She literally stuck her nose in the air, turned around and walked away and headed to the office area. I’ve begun to understand why they can’t seem to keep decent employees around for very long. Out of 5 people that I knew that worked there, only 1 full timer is left. Another took a different full time job and is gonna work there one day a week for the time being. One problem with Binny's points that they never tell you is the are tabulated on store by store basis. When they run your card, they can see which stores you're shopping at and how much you spend at each location. I dont spend that much money at my local Binneys because they basically dont get any of the allocated single malts I collect. Most of my spend at Binny's is on single malts, but I have to hop from store to store because they all dont get the same stuff. I spend quite a bit in Oak Brook, Willowbrook, Naperville and Highland Park, but I dont live near those stores. I asked my local store to run my card because I've never gotten anything preferential treatment them despite asking from time to time, so they ran my card, and they said I should go ask the stores where I spend my money. He was kinda a dick about it too. But the problem is I just buy stuff from those stores, I have no personal relationship and I'm not physically seen or known there, so I'm basically just a stranger to them and I dont feel like even asking for allocated bourbon would get me anywhere. So it's just a BS system IMO. Binnys sucks. I try to buy as much as I can from my local LS, but he just doesn't get a lot of the stuff I want, so I have to go to the dark side. Its the only game in town in Illinois 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kepler Posted December 10, 2024 Share Posted December 10, 2024 8 hours ago, 0895 said: I think the GTS this year is excellent. Lots of old school classics vibes if you know what I mean. Good to know -- thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kepler Posted December 10, 2024 Share Posted December 10, 2024 5 hours ago, fishnbowljoe said: I complained a bit about some things to the management at my local Binny’s. I’ve had my Binny’s card since 2008. I was a pretty decent customer even before they opened the store here in Rockford. I made frequent trips to the Chicago area Binny’s for tastings/get togethers and to buy stuff. I asked an assistant manager about my points and such, and I was told I didn’t have all that many points. I asked why, and if they would like me to bring in all my receipts for bourbon for the last 17 years. I was then told they give more points for wine and champagne. They have my info, yet every time I buy something, a manager has to be called to the register to key in my first responder/military discount. The last time I bought a Weller SR there, they called the assistant manager to key in my code. (FWIW, she’s the one responsible for the allocated items.) I got my receipt and the discount was $0.00. I asked her politely why I didn’t get a discount. She told me in a pretty snarky manner, “We don’t give discounts on allocated items.” I then matter of factly asked her why isn’t that info posted anywhere in the store or on the Binny’s website. She literally stuck her nose in the air, turned around and walked away and headed to the office area. I’ve begun to understand why they can’t seem to keep decent employees around for very long. Out of 5 people that I knew that worked there, only 1 full timer is left. Another took a different full time job and is gonna work there one day a week for the time being. 3 hours ago, jvd99 said: One problem with Binny's points that they never tell you is the are tabulated on store by store basis. When they run your card, they can see which stores you're shopping at and how much you spend at each location. I dont spend that much money at my local Binneys because they basically dont get any of the allocated single malts I collect. Most of my spend at Binny's is on single malts, but I have to hop from store to store because they all dont get the same stuff. I spend quite a bit in Oak Brook, Willowbrook, Naperville and Highland Park, but I dont live near those stores. I asked my local store to run my card because I've never gotten anything preferential treatment them despite asking from time to time, so they ran my card, and they said I should go ask the stores where I spend my money. He was kinda a dick about it too. But the problem is I just buy stuff from those stores, I have no personal relationship and I'm not physically seen or known there, so I'm basically just a stranger to them and I dont feel like even asking for allocated bourbon would get me anywhere. So it's just a BS system IMO. Binnys sucks. I try to buy as much as I can from my local LS, but he just doesn't get a lot of the stuff I want, so I have to go to the dark side. Its the only game in town in Illinois It's clear now where the problem lies... You fellas are obviously not buying enough donuts! While we guys are playing checkers, @markandrex is playing chess! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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