BrbnBorderline Posted July 6, 2005 Share Posted July 6, 2005 I was hoping we could have a cumulative thread on which bourbons are going to be discontinued. Maybe a moderator could stick this to the top of the forum? So far, I've gathered that WT Russell's Reserve 101 will be discontinued in favor of a 90 Pr. version. Also, did I read correctly that Eagle Rare 101 is going to be discontinued? Any other casualties I need to know about? TIA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesbassdad Posted July 6, 2005 Share Posted July 6, 2005 BBL,What's news to me may not be news to you, or maybe I just sulk longer upon hearing it.Anyway, I still haven't come to terms with the disappearance of Old Rip Van Winkle 15 y/o, 107 proof. Thanks to Dane I've had the opportunity to try its replacement, which is labled as Pappy Van Winkle (same age and proof). IMO, the PVW bottling bears little resemblance to the ORVW. I can imagine that some folks may like the new bottling as well as the old one, perhaps even better. I don't.I appreciate the fact that Julian chose to package the new bottling in a different style bottle and under a different name than its predecessor. The new bottling should be judged on its own merits.In regard to ER 101, Ken Weber has confirmed recently that it will be discontinued.BTW if you happen to live in one of the 10 states that Lukas Liquor Superstore will ship to, you can still order ORVW 15/107 from them, according to their jumbled website. (For instance, the aforementioned bottling is inexplicably listed in the "Blended Whiskey" category. Even more bizarre, two of the Pappy bottlings are in "Scotch Whiskey" -- complete with the extra letter "e".)Yours truly,Dave Morefield Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camduncan Posted July 6, 2005 Share Posted July 6, 2005 I thought I read somewhere that the Duty Free Wild Turkey Freedom bottling is no longer being made? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelshare Posted July 7, 2005 Share Posted July 7, 2005 I was hoping we could have a cumulative thread on which bourbons are going to be discontinued. Maybe a moderator could stick this to the top of the forum?This is a great idea...a resource for making sure you get a chance to grab something up before it's too late! In VA (and probably other control states) it's not like you can trust the store managers to give you any idea of what's endangered. It just disappears one day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bourbonmed Posted July 7, 2005 Share Posted July 7, 2005 Camduncan, The Duty Free Freedom is being replaced by a single barrel later this year.Wild Turkey Heritage, 101 proof. Stay tuned.Cheers,Omar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musher Posted July 8, 2005 Share Posted July 8, 2005 How would that differ from Kentucky Spirit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bourbonmed Posted July 8, 2005 Share Posted July 8, 2005 Mike,The packaging for this duty free product is different from the outgoing Freedom. I understand the bottle shape is similar to the WT 17 in Japan -- minus the engraved metal bottom. Don't know how long 'Heritage' is aged, but it'll cost around $45, plus a flight overseas. Omar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camduncan Posted July 8, 2005 Share Posted July 8, 2005 Omar, Any idea of the release date?It's just my Fiance & I travel 3 or 4 times a year (she's a travel agent) and I'd like to pick some up when it hits the (Duty Free) shelves.Also, do you know if it'll be a DFS exclusive again?cheers,Cameron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMH Posted July 9, 2005 Share Posted July 9, 2005 Camduncan, The Duty Free Freedom is being replaced by a single barrel later this year. Wild Turkey Heritage, 101 proof. Stay tuned. Cheers, Omar Hmmm...101 proof...could it be 10 YEARS OLD by any chance??!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musher Posted July 9, 2005 Share Posted July 9, 2005 I was mostly wondering since KY Spirit is a 101 proof single barrel (no age specified) and this new duty-free bottling is a 101 proof single barrel (no age specified), so it sounds like the contents would be the same.Doesn't Freedom use similar bottles to the domestic Tribute (with a different cork), which is also the bottle for the new 90 proof Russel's Reserve? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bourbonmed Posted July 11, 2005 Share Posted July 11, 2005 September launch. I think it'll be a DFS exclusive.Cheers,Omar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BourbonJoe Posted July 11, 2005 Share Posted July 11, 2005 I think it'll be a <font color="red"> DFS </font> exclusive. Omar DFS ???? Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesbassdad Posted July 11, 2005 Share Posted July 11, 2005 "Duty Free Shop" . . . or so the international travelers tell me.Yours truly,Dave Morefield Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedVette Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 Actually DFS is a brand name of a chain of duty free shops. All DFS stores are duty free shops, but not all duty free shops are DFS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrbnBorderline Posted July 21, 2005 Author Share Posted July 21, 2005 Can someone explain to me why ER 101 is being discontinued? TIA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Weber Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 Nearly every bourbon we have at the Buffalo Trace Distillery is currently on allocation. We quite frankly have sold far more than we anticipated. As a result, we have chosen to use the bourbon slated for Eagle Rare 101 and let it age longer to provide us with the inventories we need for our more popular offerings.Since most of our bourbons are older (8 years and up), we have to project further out into the future when we distill. Our crystal ball did not indicate that several of our brands would win the awards they have and drive demand well beyond supply. We have stepped up distillation for the last 5 years, still, we are finding it impossible to keep up.We had to make a determination regarding the brands that had to be sacrificed. Ancient Ancient Age 10 year old is another brand that in my opinion is one of the finest in the world, however, we had to use that bourbon for other more widely popular brands.None of this has been an enjoyable undertaking. From a marketing standpoint, it is frustrating to have consumer demand, but not be able to supply the product. Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNbourbon Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 ...Ancient Ancient Age 10 year old is another brand that in my opinion is one of the finest in the world, however, we had to use that bourbon for other more widely popular brands... Ken, I know you have recently posted that AAA 10yo will be pulled back from active marketing in Virginia, remaining only in general distribution in Kentucky. Is that still the case, or are you intimating here that it will expire completely? (If so, yet another thing to bunker, but for me this one requires a trip to KY ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brendaj Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 we had to use that bourbon for other more widely popular brands. I'm with Tim, please say we aren't going to lose AAA entirely. AAA is one of my always-have-a-bottle-open Bourbons. Bj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BourbonJoe Posted July 22, 2005 Share Posted July 22, 2005 Ancient Ancient Age 10 year old is another brand that in my opinion is one of the finest in the world, however, we had to use that bourbon for other more widely popular brands. Ken Why not just release AAA to a wider market? I'm sure that it would quickly become a "widely popular brand". Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrbnBorderline Posted July 22, 2005 Author Share Posted July 22, 2005 Ancient Ancient Age 10 year old is another brand that in my opinion is one of the finest in the world, however, we had to use that bourbon for other more widely popular brands. None of this has been an enjoyable undertaking. From a marketing standpoint, it is frustrating to have consumer demand, but not be able to supply the product. Ken Bummer. AAA 10 is not even available in WA State. I've never had a chance to try it. Maybe if it WAS available in more areas, it would become popular. The only BT bourbon that is readily available in WA State without it being specially ordered is AA 4 YO. Too bad. I wish you had the capacity to make these bourbons available to a wider market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesbassdad Posted July 22, 2005 Share Posted July 22, 2005 Joe,From what Ken has told us in other posts, we can infer that Buffalo Trace has the good fortune to be able to sell as much as they can produce, given that their production standards are obviously very high. What he hasn't said directly is that even a fine producer such as BT has an interest in making a profit. I'm guessing that producing less (read "none") Eagle Rare 101 and AAA 10 y/o, and, for example, more Eagle Rare SB and Buffalo Trace is good for their bottom line.The only question I have is whether the same barrels that would have become ER101 or AAA 10 y/o can be used in other bottlings without diminishing their quality.Yours truly,Dave Morefield Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Weber Posted July 22, 2005 Share Posted July 22, 2005 Okay team, time for marketing 101. What do you think was the genesis of Woodford Reserve? The reality is that Old Forester is a very nice bourbon, but sells have been declining for years and will never begin to approach what they did 20 -40 years ago. So, invent a new brand that originally used the same whiskey, give it a new package/image, and advertise it to the hilt. Likewise, Ancient Ancient Age has seen its glory days and will not ever be the brand it once was. So, develop a new brand that may have a 50 year life cycle and watch sells increase. This happens all the time. Look at the automotive industry. If Ford came out with a completely revamped Edsel in the late 50s, early 60s, how many would it have sold? Change the name to Mustang and see what happens!As for discontinuing it in VA, it is inevitable. The only variable is time.Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneCubeOnly Posted July 22, 2005 Share Posted July 22, 2005 Ken- I've thought for a long time that Virginia has been blessed with a true diamond-in-the-rough with AAA10yo. It's a sleeper that I believe is top-shelf quality with a bottom-shelf price tag. From a selfish perspective, I'm truly upset that AAA10yo will eventually disappear. We have Blanton's and ERSB in the higher tier, and standard AA on the bottom, but with no AAA10yo there is no midshelf brand. Will BT become an on-shelf item? That might ease the pain of losing my faithful friend!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BourbonJoe Posted July 23, 2005 Share Posted July 23, 2005 IMHO Buffalo Trace can never replace AAA-10yr. I've had them both and the AAA-10 blows the doors off of BT. The demise of AAA-10 will be a sad day indeed. Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMH Posted July 23, 2005 Share Posted July 23, 2005 I actually prefer BT to AAA, but that is just me. Unfortunately BT isn't available in California. I assume its limited availability is a result of supply and demand. Is AA being dropped also, or has it been dropped? I only ask because I see a lot of it sitting on shelves here in California.It amazes me how many different opinions there can be on a bourbon. I love WT RR 101, but know some people don't care for it. Perhaps they will like the new RR 90. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts