Price Factor in buying bourbon

[AJ123]

A $100 bottle of bourbon is equivalent to a $30 bottle of wine in cost per drink (alcohol equivalent drinks). If you buy a 100 proof or cask strength then it's more like a $120-$150 bottle of bourbon is equivalent to a $30 bottle of wine.

And who hasn't bought a $30 wine (or more).

I recently bought a bottle of bourbon for $225 - That's really only like drinking a $65 wine bottle.

And if you think about the myriad great $30-$60 bottles of bourbon, that's really like buying wine for $10-$20 a bottle.

Tell that to the spouse if you have to justify why you spent so much.

[jeff]

Yeah, and she'll tell me that my $17 bottle of Buffalo Trace is "roughly" equivalent to a $150 pair of Jimmy Choos.:banghead:

Edit: I'm sorry, I have just been informed that there is no way in hell she could get a pair of Jimmy Choos for less than $250. But she concedes that they would be worth at least a bottle of Stagg!

[brian12069]

A $100 bottle of bourbon is equivalent to a $30 bottle of wine in cost per drink (alcohol equivalent drinks). If you buy a 100 proof or cask strength then it's more like a $120-$150 bottle of bourbon is equivalent to a $30 bottle of wine.

And who hasn't bought a $30 wine (or more).

I recently bought a bottle of bourbon for $225 - That's really only like drinking a $65 wine bottle.

And if you think about the myriad great $30-$60 bottles of bourbon, that's really like buying wine for $10-$20 a bottle.

Tell that to the spouse if you have to justify why you spent so much.

You know...I LIKE this math, even if it works or not! I already told her...lol

[SBOmarc]

Yeah, and she'll tell me that my $17 bottle of Buffalo Trace is "roughly" equivalent to a $150 pair of Jimmy Choos.:banghead:

Edit: I'm sorry, I have just been informed that there is no way in hell she could get a pair of Jimmy Choos for less than $250. But she concedes that they would be worth at least a bottle of Stagg!

She counted, 1 Stagg, The WT Tribute, 2 Blanton's and a Booker's.

We are off to the mall and she's as determined as I have ever seen her.

I'm concerned.

[brian12069]

She counted, 1 Stagg, The WT Tribute, 2 Blanton's and a Booker's.

We are off to the mall and she's as determined as I have ever seen her.

I'm concerned.

oh geez...this thread could open up a can of worms if we don't handle it right!

[TomH]

AJ, I like your logic but it went over about as well as when I tried to convince her that since she is a teacher and had summers off I should be able to retire 3-4 years earlier than her to make up for all of her off time.

The wine thing didn't go over since I have over 200 bottles stored away right now. I have found some relief by showing her that my average cost of a bottle of bourbon has been cheaper than what I was spending for Scotch <G>.

Tom

[Sijan]

Except that we're not buying bourbon just to acquire alcohol...otherwise we should go for the cheapo plastic handles of vodka to get the most alcoholic bang for the buck

You're right about a bourbon bottle lasting longer than a wine bottle b/c the serving size is smaller. Also, it can store longer. But bourbon and wine, while both alcoholic drinks, have pretty different roles. Many more people will drink wine, and in a wider variety of contexts, than will drink bourbon - I can serve wine to guests who wouldn't consider having a sip of bourbon, and I think it's much more common to have a glass of wine with a meal then a pour of bourbon (and for good reason, IMO).

So, I'm not sure alcohol equivalency is how to measure the cost of things - my girlfriend will enjoy bottles of wine I purchase, but won't enjoy bourbon, and I think that's a fairly common situation. If we were married, I'm quite certain the "well, it's no more expensive on an alcohol-equivalency" argument just wouldn't fly.

[bluesbassdad]

Agreed up to a point, but if a given product starts out at 120 proof and is watered down for sale to the consumer at 80 proof, the flavor is watered down right along with the alcohol. By every measure except packaging and handling, the consumer is getting less value.

OTOH, I agree that it would be absurd to declare Everclear "better" or a "better value" than Elmer T. Lee based on a comparison of alcohol content.

In regard to what will or will not fly with one's S.O., I will leave that to less humbled men than myself.

[P.S. I recall seeing your tag line before. Were you a member here under a different name long ago?]

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

[Jazzhead]

Sounds like good logic to me. A bottle of wine will last one couple a single meal . That bottle of primo bourbon will be savored for weeks. As could, I suppose, one's wife in a pair of Jimmy Choos. :cool:

[JeffRenner]

[P.S. I recall seeing your tag line before. Were you a member here under a different name long ago?]

I'm not Sijan, but it's a variation on a quote from W.C. Fields, sometimes also rendered as, "What contemptible scoundrel has stolen the cork to my lunch?"

He also famously said, "I never drink anything stronger than gin before breakfast."

And many other memorable lines.

Jeff

[brian12069]

I have to say that in "a general sense" the higher proof bourbons are the better tasting. Again...it's in my opinion and I am generally speaking. So I guess if I am looking at 2 bourbons on the shelf, both are 19.99 but one is 80 proof and the other 100, and I have never had either?!?!?!?......No questions asked...I always go for the higher proof.

[fogfrog]

Well, its funny but the more whiskey I drink the easier I am to please. When I first tried Evan Williams 7YO, I thought it was rough. Now I am thinking I actually might prefer it to the better stuff. I am drinking it right now and like it and I think its about 10 bucks a bottle and less than 20 for a 1.75L.

I tried scotch lately too and had been tasting Chivas when at a Casino I asked for scotch they gave me this stuff and to me it tasted like Chivas. I looked at the bottle and it was Cluny. Here in KC it is 15.29 for 1.75L. So I bought it and liked it. Later I thought maybe its cheap stuff, so I bought some more expensive blended scotch, but found out I prefer the Cluny which is less than half the price of most blends and about a quarter the price of Chivas.

So I guess I'm a lucky guy who can buy a half gallon of scotch for 15.29 and a half gallon of bourbon for about 18 bucks and can be happy about it. Now how much is that a drink? 60 drinks for 18 bucks is like 30cents a drink. And as far as I can tell, both Evan Williams and Cluny are the good stuff as far as my taste buds are concerned.

but it was an evolution I think.

Paul

[JeffRenner]

Edit: I'm sorry, I have just been informed that there is no way in hell she could get a pair of Jimmy Choos for less than $250.

I realize (once again) that I am a lucky man, indeed. Not only do I have no idea what Jimmy Choos is (are?), but I just checked with the boss, and neither does she!

Jeff

[barturtle]

Well, they're shoes. and though it might seem that shoes would last longer than a bottle of whiskey, they would be out of style long before then and be wasted wad of money on less leather than it takes to make a belt.

[Sijan]

My point related to the problems in comparing bourbon & wine on a value basis, not so much the difference between different proofs of bourbons.

But keep in mind that even BIB bourbons are "watered down." I doubt many folks stick to only barrel-proof bourbons, and with good reason. Many bourbons are better - or at least more drinkable on an everyday basis - at lower proofs. I don't feel like I'm getting better value from, say, Colonel Lee BIB or J.W. Dant BIB, than I'm getting from a "watered down" Van Winkle 10/90 or Eagle Rare SB or Elmer T Lee.

[Yes, my tagline is often attributed to W.C. Fields. No idea if he really said it or not, or quite how it was phrased. I've used it occasionally, and have been on other whiskey-related forums, but I imagine it's a common enough quote in whiskey circles.]

[AJ123]

Well the main way I used this myself is to justify comfort in buying any bottle of bourbon for under $100. And my current fav, PVWFR 20, can be had for $85 at a local shop I've found. Isn't a rationalization wonderful!

But Jimmy Choos can work in reverse: My wife is in Cancun with daughter for spring break while I am working. Coincidentally, I "just happened" to buy a bottle of EW's Distiller's Masterpiece for $220. :grin: Now I just have to get up the gumption to actually drink some!

A $100 bottle of bourbon is equivalent to a $30 bottle of wine in cost per drink (alcohol equivalent drinks). If you buy a 100 proof or cask strength then it's more like a $120-$150 bottle of bourbon is equivalent to a $30 bottle of wine.

And who hasn't bought a $30 wine (or more).

I recently bought a bottle of bourbon for $225 - That's really only like drinking a $65 wine bottle.

And if you think about the myriad great $30-$60 bottles of bourbon, that's really like buying wine for $10-$20 a bottle.

Tell that to the spouse if you have to justify why you spent so much.

[AJ123]

Correction that was JB's Distiller Masterpiece!

Well the main way I used this myself is to justify comfort in buying any bottle of bourbon for under $100. And my current fav, PVWFR 20, can be had for $85 at a local shop I've found. Isn't a rationalization wonderful!

But Jimmy Choos can work in reverse: My wife is in Cancun with daughter for spring break while I am working. Coincidentally, I "just happened" to buy a bottle of EW's Distiller's Masterpiece for $220. :grin: Now I just have to get up the gumption to actually drink some!

[ThomasH]

My only prerequisites for buying a bottle of bourbon are that I desire to own one and have the revenue to buy it. I don't require a lot of extras in life, but what little bit I do want, I don't to ask for permission to get it. As long as that statement that is my paystub shows up in the mail every 2 weeks, it shall stay that way. Once in a while I'll hear some whining from the wife, but after nearly 17 years of marriage, she has learned what will and won't get sympathy from me. Nobody in my family has ever done without anything due to the purchase of a bottle of whiskey, and they never will either.

Thomas

[NorCalBoozer]

I don't know if I agree that many are better watered down. I will say they are different and in that respect can be good in their own right. I find that depending on my mood I might like something like a Stagg uncut, or sometimes with a bit of water, or sometimes with a cube of ice. Even though it's the same bourbon, each way is different to me.

I guess in that sense a barrel proof gives you more value if you take into account that you can add water or ice to it and have 3 different versions of the same bourbon. You can't really take a 86 proof Jim Beam and easily increase proof, and I wouldn't want to add water or ice to an 86 proof beam, at that point Nightquil might have more of a kick.

I think this may be the reason for the rancor over some distilleries lowering proof. It's not that the lower proof product is bad, it's that the higher proof version was good and now we have something that is less versitile for basically the same cost.

But keep in mind that even BIB bourbons are "watered down." I doubt many folks stick to only barrel-proof bourbons, and with good reason. Many bourbons are better - or at least more drinkable on an everyday basis - at lower proofs. I don't feel like I'm getting better value from, say, Colonel Lee BIB or J.W. Dant BIB, than I'm getting from a "watered down" Van Winkle 10/90 or Eagle Rare SB or Elmer T Lee.

[Yes, my tagline is often attributed to W.C. Fields. No idea if he really said it or not, or quite how it was phrased. I've used it occasionally, and have been on other whiskey-related forums, but I imagine it's a common enough quote in whiskey circles.]

[mbanu]

A $225 bottle of bourbon??? In the States???? What in the world was it?

[AJ123]

A $225 bottle of bourbon??? In the States???? What in the world was it?

Distiller's Masterpiece 20 - and I'm opening it tonight with a friend

[AJ123]

Well, I opened a bottle of Distiller's Masterpiece (by Jim Beam in conjunction with some famous congnac maker) -- retails for $250 although I got it from my friendly local for $215. It's absolutely fantiastic and easily my favorite bourbon ever. I was fully prepared for it to be mostly marketing hype. However, it is the smoothest bourbon I've ever tasted. Just a rich continuous aroma of flavors that go on continuously from first sip through aftertaste. Good straight or cut with water (my usual) on ice or not. It's probably on the smoothe and gentle side of bourbons cause there is no bite, but it's a strong flavor. I'll post something elsewhere, since this line was on price. But I'm very very dissapointed in liking a $215 bottle of bourbon so much, cause I now need to get another, and, god forbid, need to try the Distiller's Masterpiece 20 which is another $100 above that one!!! Geeez, $320 for a bottle????? :rolleyes:

[NorCalBoozer]

I am still amazed at the quality of the middle shelf bourbons. You can get things up to 15 years old, up to 114 proofs (several over 100proof), and Single Barrels. Here is my short list of "best buys" for what I consider mid range pricing ($20-$40). I base these prices on what I see them for at large local retailers or online stores.

WT Kentucky Spirit $39.99

Pappy 15/107 $39.99

Rock Hill Farms Single Barrel $39.99

Old Charter Proprieter's Reserve 13 y.o. 90 proof $32.99

W.L. Weller Centennial 10 yr, 100 proof $32.99

WT Rare Breed $29.99 (actually saw it for $26.99 at one store)

Old Grand Dad 114 $22.99

Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel $22.99