Bourbon Availability Downunder

[HighTower]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think (from my 2004 Stagg/Saz import experience) that the $64.72 per litre is on alcohol volume, not liquid volume? So a 1000ml bottle at 50%abv is only $32.36 (plus 5% of total invoice, plus 10% GST tax)

Yes sorry, per litre of alcohol by volume. The first invoice they sent me was for $267.92. When I rang up to pay it, the guy I spoke to told me that didn't sound right, then he rang me and told me that it had been done wrong (by liquid volume, not alcohol volume). He revised my invoice, and all of a sudden it was $126.32!

Not something you would expect from Customs. Let's say I wrote his name down for future reference.

Pete: These bottles came from a friend of mine in Florida, I have never had to pay duty on a package from Binny's

(touch wood) - I think that maybe because they send packages FedEx they get taken through customs as a priority. They even put the invoice on the outside of the box, saying exactly what is in it. You pay more in postage, but if it saves paying duty......

Scott

[camduncan]

New bourbon from Heaven Hill - Iron Horse.

Retails for approx $29 AU

[HighTower]

New bourbon from Heaven Hill - Iron Horse.

Retails for approx $29 AU

Available from all good Coles Liquor outlets! :grin:

Not a bad bourbon, either.

Scott

[bongoman]

Hi there

As a recent convert to bourbon, I've been looking around online for sources here in Australia.

I notice that Vintage Direct has what seems to be a good range here at nicks.com.au

Excuse me if this has been asked before but I did a search for this retailer and could not find anything.

How do the prices at the above link sound? Are they a good source for bourbon here in Australia?

[camduncan]

Hi Bongoman,

Nicks is an excellent source for bourbons that are otherwise unavailable in Australia. However, their prices on bourbons that you can get at your local bottle shop may not be competitive. They'll probably lean towards the full retail price instead of the often discounted bulk buying price of bottles at BWS or Liquorland.

[bongoman]

Thanks for that, although I've since been trying to place a small order at Binnys but am having all sorts of trouble checking out there.

I can't get past the "shipping information" form. I fill out all the mandatory fields in the form there but can't progress.

Oh well.

[camduncan]

Scott (Hightower) might be the best person to answer that - he's included all of my Binnys orders with his for the last 12 months or so....

[HighTower]

bongoman,

Are you from Byron Bay? I was on the phone to John from Binnys last night and he said he had an order from Oz that didn't go through from the website. He was asking me where Byron Bay was, and I told him it was one of the greatest places in the world! :grin:

I never use the site, I just call and email John Yacullo

Here's his details:

john@binnys.com

If you wanna call him, ring 00111 847 581 3182.

It's kind of scary I don't even have to look his number up any more!

He generally works about 7am-4pm, so calling him at 11pm EDST will catch him at 7am his time that day. Alternatively, you may catch him calling him at 6am your time. He handles all international orders.

Welcome to SB.com, great to have another Aussie on board!!

As far as Nicks is concerned, Adam and Alex are great to deal with. Favourite that they have would be the Blanton's Gold - that stuff is awesome! Reminds me Adam is holding 2 bottles for me...better get on the phone!

Scott

[HighTower]

BTW bongoman,

what were you trying to order from Binny's?

Scott

[cowdery]

I learned something recently about the RTDs that are so popular in Australia. For those who don't know, RTD stands for ready-to-drink and although I consider all bourbon to be ready-to-drink right out of the bottle, the term typically refers to canned or bottled mixed drink products. Bourbon and cola RTDs are the most popular way to consume bourbon in Australia.

The interesting but not surprising part is that the bourbon in those products is barely legal, made by the distilleries expressly for that market and produced as cheaply as possible while still meeting all of the legal requirements for bourbon. The main savings come from just two years of aging in palletized warehouses. The whiskey is dumped at the distillery but shipped to Australia in stainless steel tanks to be mixed with the soft drink ingredients and bottled (or, more commonly, canned) there.

Nothing wrong with it. You wouldn't expect them to be using Stagg. I just found it interesting that the market has become so big that the distilleries now have these special operations just for producing that bourbon.

[craigthom]

I think RTDs would be big here, too, if they didn't have to be sold as liquor, instead of all the places (grocery stores, convenience stores, etc.) where beer can be sold.

Instead we get ultra-light beer with flavorings added, sold with liquor names on the labels. At least the RTDs have real liquor in them.

[Hedmans Brorsa]

The interesting but not surprising part is that the bourbon in those products is barely legal, made by the distilleries expressly for that market and produced as cheaply as possible while still meeting all of the legal requirements for bourbon. The main savings come from just two years of aging in palletized warehouses. The whiskey is dumped at the distillery but shipped to Australia in stainless steel tanks to be mixed with the soft drink ingredients and bottled (or, more commonly, canned) there.

Thank you for this interesting information. RTD:s seem to be popular in Germany also. I´ve seen a lot of them there but never really felt tempted to pick one up.

[camduncan]

Latest update on availability (as at 1st November 2007):

Jim Beam:

Jim Beam White Label

Jim Beam Black Label

Jim Beam Bonded Gold Label

Beams Choice

Jim Beam Rye

Small Batch Collection -

Jim Beam Small Batch with Port added (replaced Knob Creek in our market)

Bakers

Basil Hayden

Bookers

Heaven Hill:

Nelson County

Kentucky Gold

Iron Horse

Virgin Bourbon

Evan Williams

Evan Williams Single Barrel (96 & 97 vintage currently on shelves)

Elijah Craig 12yo

Elijah Craig 18yo *

Four Roses:

Bulleit Bourbon

McKenna Bourbon

Wild Turkey:

Wild Turkey 86

Wild Turkey 101

Wild Turkey Rare Breed

Wild Turkey Russells Reserve 101

Wild Turkey American Honey

Wild Turkey Rye *

Labrot and Graham:

Woodford Reserve

Unknown Distillery:

Old Crow

Cougar Bourbon

Cougar Bourbon XS

Slate Bourbon (from Chicago)

Woodstock Bourbon

Woodstock Bourbon Blue Label

www.nicks.com.au

Stock a large range of products not normally available in Australia.

eg Blantons, Four Roses, Van Winkle, Buffalo Trace.

Burwood Cellars in Melbourne

Stock Van Winkle products in limited numbers.

* rumoured to be comming to our market, possibly in limited numbers.

[craigthom]

From what I've read Cougar is made in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, for Fosters. Do they make bourbon there? Do they warehouse it there? I haven't been to that distillery.

This year it was closed, then sold, so I don't know if they bourbon is still from there. Or was it Wild Turkey leftovers?

A little bird told me that Slate Bourbon "from Chicago", a magical blend of different bourbons, may in fact be made by Four Roses, which fits nicely with the "blend of bourbons" concept.

Woodstock is a mystery. The label says it's Kentucky bourbon, but it doesn't say where in Kentucky, and I can't google up anything useful.

[HighTower]

Since Slate is a Diageo product, it would not surprise me if it contained some FR bourbon, as they purchase bulk from FR for Bulleit. They probably use some of this bourbon and mingle it with some other bourbon they buy in bulk, and then cut it with pure water from Sydney harbour

I wonder what water source the use to cut Bulleit that is sold in Australia, we get 80 proof stock that is bottled in the UK. I don't like it compared to the 90 proof, I find a big difference.

Scott

[cowdery]

The last I heard, the only Diageo product being produced at Four Roses is Bulleit. Otherwise, Diageo is getting bourbon where it can, from Brown-Forman and Barton, and probably others.

How about a list of the most popular brown spirit RTDs?

[HighTower]

How about a list of the most popular brown spirit RTDs?

The 2 biggest dark spirit RTDs in Australia are Bundaberg Rum and Cola & Jim Beam and Cola.

McKenna and cola is pretty popular (6% alc)

Wild Turkey & Cola (8%) also have a dry mixer

Bulleit and Cola is popular (6% and 9% varieties)

Jack & Cola (6%) also have dry/lemonade variations

Cougar and Cola is another popular one, but the others outsell it.

The 2 most popular after Jim Beam would be the Jack and Turkey mixers.

We also have Jim Beam Black and Cola, and also Jim Beam long black super premium, 8% 8yo mixer (supposedly).

We are soon getting Iron Horse & cola, which will be our only Heaven Hill premix, I cant wait to try it, as I am quite fond of the bourbon, although in saying that I have been moving away from bourbon and coke for some time now.

Southern Comfort and Cola is a popular RTD, as is Johnnie Walker & Cola.

Scott

[camduncan]

We are soon getting Iron Horse & cola, which will be our only Heaven Hill premix,

Do we still get Fighting Cock and Cola?

I know I picked some up back around the start of the year to try (as we no longer get Fighting Cock bottles in Australia), but have not noticed it lately.

[Gillman]

Is the long black version higher in proof than the regular black version (since all Black Label is I believe 8 years old)?

Also, if you made your own, say, Bulleit and Coke, and compared it to the pre-made one, do they taste the same (of course you would need to ensure they are the same proof)?

In other words do these pre-made drinks taste a little different, perhaps because they are a proprietary version (containing perhaps a certain spice or other additional ingredient)?

I find these drinks interesting for the separate market segment they represent in the Antipodes, one that does not exist at all in North American, or if it does it is a small market to my knowledge.

I recall Chuck Cowdery once gave interesting information on why the segment hasn't developed here, something to do with retail vending laws for alcohol in stores that handle beer, I think.

Gary

[HighTower]

Do we still get Fighting Cock and Cola?

I know I picked some up back around the start of the year to try (as we no longer get Fighting Cock bottles in Australia), but have not noticed it lately.

Cam,

I haven't seen fighting cock and Cola for some time, and I would guess since IDA are no longer distributing FC that it has come to an end.

Is the long black version higher in proof than the regular black version (since all Black Label is I believe 8 years old)?

Gary,

We have regular Jim Beam Black & Cola, but like the spirit itself, it has lost the 8 year age statement, and now states "aged to perfection".

I would have to check but I think maybe the JBB & Cola cans may only be 7%, where the long blacks are 8%.

Also, if you made your own, say, Bulleit and Coke, and compared it to the pre-made one, do they taste the same (of course you would need to ensure they are the same proof)?

In other words do these pre-made drinks taste a little different, perhaps because they are a proprietary version (containing perhaps a certain spice or other additional ingredient)?

It is very hard, if not impossible to recreate the taste you get from pre-mixed drinks in Australia as they are simply not just mixed with normal coke, but a syrup version like you would get over the bar. They are much sweeter.

I think a major reason that RTDs are so popular in Australia is pure laziness

- people just couldn't be bothered mixing their own drinks.

Scott

[Gillman]

Okay many thanks for this information.

Gary

[camduncan]

I think a major reason that RTDs are so popular in Australia is pure laziness

- people just couldn't be bothered mixing their own drinks.

In my personal experience, unless I'm going to someones place who is a whiskey drinker, it's easier to take RTD's.

Sometimes it is a real pain to ask for a glass, ask for some ice and then have to mix my own.

However, if I'm with a whiskey drinker, regardless of if they drink bourbon or not, it's a whole other experience and one I quite enjoy.

[Hedmans Brorsa]

Does this particular phenomenon confine itself to American whiskey?

As far as I can remember, in Germany, I have not seen whiskies from other countries in this peculiar packaging.

[camduncan]

Nope, bourbon, scotch & rum af are fairly common too.

[TroyM]

In regards to the queries on dutys, Im pretty sure that you are allowed to bring alcohol into Australia and it doesnt attract any dutys as long as the value of the total shipment does not exceed $1000 Aus.