Shelf Sets at Liquor Barn

[cowdery]

I'm in Kentucky every couple of months and invariably I go shopping, to pick up the things I can't get in Chicago, but also to survey the shelf and see what bourbon drinkers in the bourbon heartland are drinking.

Promotions usually are reflected in end caps and floor stackings, while changes in shelf sets reflect longer term changes. At the Hurstborne store, they seem to be devoting more space to bourbon and now carry a lot of t-shirts and other branded souveniers.

The bottled in bond section is gone. Bonds are mixed in and if a brand has both bonded and non-bonded expressions, they're now together.

Very Old Barton seems to have lost shelf space while gainers include Old Forester and, especially, W. L. Weller. Both Special Reserve and 12-year-old have a lot of facings, I'd say 12-year-old has more. The 12-year-old is also now in the full range of sizes, up to 1.75 L.

One thing Kentuckians can recognize is a good value in bourbon.

Weird stuff in the bourbon section: Jamison's Irish and Yukon Jack liqueur.

Also strange: All Woodford Reserve is in a locked case, even the regular Distiller's Select product. I can't imagine why.

American Blends are in a completely different section, with Canadians and Brandies.

Why oh why isn't Rittenhouse Rye sold in Kentucky? The little rye section looks wrong without it.

[barturtle]

You went to the wrong store then, Rittenhouse is now available in KY...I used to have to go to Chicago to get it...

[ThomasH]

Chuck,

Try the Liquor Barn on Fern Valley near the airport. This is the only liquor barn I have ever been to and have never been disappointed. Another store That has a big mixture of bottles is the Liquor Depot on the Dixie Highway in Shively. I have never found any real big gun type of bottles there but it still is fun to look through all the bottles!

Thomas

[kpendle]

Also strange: All Woodford Reserve is in a locked case, even the regular Distiller's Select product. I can't imagine why.

I will venture a guess that someone with marketing expertise is trying to portray it as something special to those who may not know better. If it is in the locked case it must be special. I have seen similar situations in BevMo's with bottles of very ordinary things being locked up while some better and more expensive things are out on the shelf with the regular stuff. But even with BevMo's it will vary from store to store.

In my opinion marketing can many times beat out quality for non-frequent purchases. I think this can also be seen in more effort being put into the bottle presentation and design over what is in the bottle.

Ken

[Rughi]

At my local Bevmo I was told they lock up the products they most fear will be stolen, not necessarily the items that are most expensive.

Roger

[ILLfarmboy]

I will venture a guess that someone with marketing expertise is trying to portray it as something special to those who may not know better. If it is in the locked case it must be special. I have seen similar situations in BevMo's with bottles of very ordinary things being locked up while some better and more expensive things are out on the shelf with the regular stuff. But even with BevMo's it will vary from store to store.

In my opinion marketing can many times beat out quality for non-frequent purchases. I think this can also be seen in more effort being put into the bottle presentation and design over what is in the bottle.

Ken

I see the same thing around here especially at Hy-Vee wine and spirits. Grey Goose vodka, Crown Royal and Crown Royal Reserve behind locked glass but more expensive bourbons not to mention some very expensive single malts out in the open on the shelves.

Vodka behind locked glass, now that's funny.:slappin:

[ILLfarmboy]

At my local Bevmo I was told they lock up the products they most fear will be stolen, not necessarily the items that are most expensive.

Roger

OK. That does make more sense. Now I'm left to wonder why CR is so popular with thieves. Sometimes when there is nowhere to lock it up, the only thing on display is an empty purple box with a note saying "this product is available at the counter".

[ThomasH]

One of our local liquor stores has the pints and 750's of Jack Daniels black behind the counter as these are frequently stolen items. What is really crazy though is in the same store, the bottles of JD single barrel are on the regular shelves within plain view and easy reach. Go figure!

thomas

[HighTower]

Think how easy it would be to stick one of those flat woodford bottles down your pants!!

That's what the theives in Australia like to do!

Scott

[robbyvirus]

At my local Bevmo I was told they lock up the products they most fear will be stolen, not necessarily the items that are most expensive.

Roger

There are three BevMo stores in the Bay Area that I frequent on occasion, and each one differs in the selections of bourbon that they have locked up. The choices of what gets locked up seems to me to be quite arbitrary, and it definitely is not price dependent.

[mozilla]

Chuck,

Found my only bottles of Rittenhouse Bib in Bardstown.

[cowdery]

Chuck,

Found my only bottles of Rittenhouse Bib in Bardstown.

Then obviously it's sold in Kentucky. Maybe Liquor Barn can't keep it in stock.

I do shop Fern Valley and occasionally Liquor Depot. I wasn't looking to buy Rittenhouse BIB, as I never have trouble finding it here in Chicago. I was just surprised the Hurstbourne store didn't have it.

[craigthom]

While theft is the main reason for locking stuff up, I'm not sure it is in this case. Woodford Reserve still has the shelf space; instead of bottles there are nicely printed signs saying to ask for it. Since the locked case is five feet away, I don't think those signs were printed just for Liquor Barn. I think this is something dictated by B-F. That's just a guess.

[barturtle]

Then obviously it's sold in Kentucky. Maybe Liquor Barn can't keep it in stock.

I do shop Fern Valley and occasionally Liquor Depot. I wasn't looking to buy Rittenhouse BIB, as I never have trouble finding it here in Chicago. I was just surprised the Hurstbourne store didn't have it.

I'm not sure if Liquor Barn does carry it, but Party Mart does, as well as a few other places

[cowdery]

Jay Erisman at Party Source in Bellevue tells me he has the Rittenhouse BIB (not the 80 proof) but he had to ask Southern, the distributor, to sell it to him. Southern had never offered it. He also asked for and got Pikesville Rye. He also had to ask BT to make Virginia Gentleman available in Kentucky.

He says he tries to set his bourbon section by distillery, so all of the products from a certain distillery are together. He has all the single barrels and super-premiums in their own section, but also grouped according to distillery.

He says that what they lock-up is based on what gets stolen, so they have all the major brand cognacs behind glass but the much better and more expensive estate cognacs are on the shelf. Grey Goose and Belvedere are locked up too. Woodford and Crown Royal are not.

[BourbonJoe]

We stopped at Party Source on the way down. Nice selection and great prices. People there are also very helpful. Loved those Party Source 4 Roses Single Barrels.

Joe :usflag:

[cowdery]

I don't know anyone in the off-premise retail business who takes American whiskey more seriously than does Jay at Party Source. He gets it and he pays attention.

[HighTower]

I don't know anyone in the off-premise retail business who takes American whiskey more seriously than does Jay at Party Source. He gets it and he pays attention.

I have recently been in contact with Jay about the FR 40th Anniversary bottling, and also their Party Source Barrel. He was very helpful and informative, quite a nice guy from what I could take in via email:grin:

Scott

[OscarV]

I have to throw my hat into the ring as a Jay of Party Source fan.

At the suggestion of ThomasH I called Jay and he hooked me up.

I have two bottles of the FRPS bottles paid for and awaiting my pick-up.

I talked to him on the phone and I have to echo what Chuck said, "He gets it and he pays attention."