Beam's Stewardship of Bourbonia

[NickAtMartinis]

It can be had for 46 dollars and change at Sam's, that's Sam's Club not Sam's wine and spirits. Still pricey, yes but keep in mind its 125/127 proof. Your getting more whiskey and less water.

I'm definitely down with the barrel proof and understand that it knocks the price up since there's less to spread around.

Joe mentioned giving a Booker mini a try. I will try that first and if I like I may splurge.

[T47]

It was about three years ago at a bar in Spokane when I had my first Bookers. I had just dropped my son off at College and treated myself to a Bourbon I had never had...and I really enjoyed it. My tastes tend to run towards hot spicy foods, and the higher proof Bourbons agree with me pretty well it seems. For a bottle that is widely available, I am impressed. I find it full of flavor and a unique kind of heat...my family still trashes me because I told them it was like hot caramel on my tongue...they did not quite see it that way? In WA it sells for $53. I prefer the flavor of Stagg, which sells for the same price here the last time I was able to find any (I have a couple bunkered). I have not bought Bookers in a while because me shelf is pretty full, but if I did not have the Stagg's...I would pick up a Bookers for those nights I was in the mood, and I have yet to be disappointed. I know it does not always get great reviews here, but it's one I enjoy.

:toast:

[barturtle]

I believe my point may have been missed, it was not just about Booker's, but actually about all their other brands. Without learning to fully appreciate the lower echelon brands that they and other distilleries make, how can anyone begin to truly understand how much better the upper tier brands are.

[ILLfarmboy]

I believe my point may have been missed, it was not just about Booker's, but actually about all their other brands. Without learning to fully appreciate the lower echelon brands that they and other distilleries make, how can anyone begin to truly understand how much better the upper tier brands are.

I see. To understand how good KC, Booker's and Beam Black are it is important to taste Beam White and Beam's Choice etc. Educational in understanding how their distillate ages, from its younger less choice bottlings to the SB collection.

[TBoner]

I worked in the Beam behemoth for a very short time on a very low level, essentially buying rounds of the Small Batch collection for consumers in high-end steakhouses and bars. I heard fairly consistently from consumers that they had tried the Small Batch collection some years ago and then moved on to newer, more interesting brands (their words, not mine: they usually meant Woodford). A few months ago, I was in a liquor store and one of the employees asked if I needed help choosing a bourbon. I said, "No, I think I'm probably going to snag a Buffalo Trace and a Knob Creek." Her reply: "Buffalo Trace is good, but Knob Creek's kind of out of style." I asked what she meant, and she said, "Nobody really buys it anymore. You should try Blanton's." Now, Blanton's and the Small Batch collection are about the same age, and WR ain't exactly new, so how have they maintained the air of being premium, exciting new brands while the Small Batch Collection has "gone out of style" (of course, this is only anecdotal evidence, and the numbers indicate that people do buy Knob Creek, but I think it's safe to say that's less true in the enthusiast sector - i.e. the folks at high-end steakhouses and shoppers in boutique liquor stores)? I'm inclined to think it's the ubiquity of the high-end Beam stuff that makes them seem ho-hum. I can get Booker's and KC in some real dives. And the packaging - wine bottles and the square workman's bottle of KC both - doesn't seem as fresh as it once did, given how many other mid-shelf and top-shelf brands have hit the market in similar or flashier packaging.

If all of this seems off-topic, I guess what I'm driving at is, what if Beam does introduce a high-end rye or a single barrel Old Taylor? In about 3 years - or less - you'll be able to find it in every liquor store and bar that has the Small Batch collection, which is to say everywhere. And then what? It'll just be a ho-hum bottling from Beam, unlike the BT products that are in very few bars. It'll soon be "out of style," and liquor store clerks will tell you to try the Blanton's instead. If I were Beam, and I were choosing between intentionally limiting a bottling to drive up demand (and pissing off a large number of enthusiasts who can't get it) and bottling large quantities of something that would generate only short-term excitement, I don't think I'd get too excited about my options. Why bother?

[pepcycle]

Interesting point.

Limited Distribution seems to add more to the mystique than quality.

I'll call it the Coors Effect.

If we think about the unique bourbons that BT gets kudos for, its all about limited access.

Beam's strongest suit, worldwide distribution, may be its Achilles Heel in the niche market.

In that case, a renewed product might have to be limited availability in order to garner approval.

[cowdery]

I questioned Beam recently about limited editions and they indicated that they have no immediate plans to get into that business.

[Caradog]

I recently scored a small collection of ND dusties. These included Old Grandad, Old Taylor, and Old Crow from the early 90's. This is a few years after Beam bought them up... I have read comments that Beam wanted to kill or punish the Old Crow brand, this seems to be some evidence...

I think almost any brand can be revitalized, especially if it's an old one that has a built-in American mystique. Sometimes a brand's been fallow for so long that it's easier to recast it.

Maybe Parker can talk it up at a family reunion and get Freddy Noe to hand over the keys to Old Crow to Heaven Hill...