Whiskey Clique

Gern Blansten

I have an FB friend that works in a liquor store near Columbus, OH.  I've never seen that much Blantons on a shelf.

tempo_n_groove

Gern Blansten said:

I have an FB friend that works in a liquor store near Columbus, OH.  I've never seen that much Blantons on a shelf.

Blantons being rare is a manufactured problem by them.  They started to allocate them to perceive scarcity.

Good stuff though if you can find it.

Gern Blansten

I'm in Indy and have never seen it on a shelf.  A year or so ago I was in Meijer and someone told me that he had seen someone with 6 bottles in their cart which likely cleared off the supply.  I have noticed that Meijer still has a price tag and shelf space for Blantons but I've never seen anything in it.

Gern Blansten

Update... I toured Buffalo trace on Thursday. The gift shop was full of blanton's so my wife and I each grabbed a bottle. They only let you buy a bottle every three months there.

We got a sample during the tour. I would say it is very good for a $67 bottle but I wouldn't pay secondary price fit for it. I was pleasantly surprised with the taste though. 

DavidD

walked into a liquor store in Toronto and was surprised to see two bottles of  E.H. Taylor small batch locked up. 

Scored them both. 😁👍

tempo_n_groove

Gern Blansten said:

Update... I toured Buffalo trace on Thursday. The gift shop was full of blanton's so my wife and I each grabbed a bottle. They only let you buy a bottle every three months there.

We got a sample during the tour. I would say it is very good for a $67 bottle but I wouldn't pay secondary price fit for it. I was pleasantly surprised with the taste though. 

Blantons is great for the price.  Paying over retail is just dumb though.

Did they offer anything rare at the distillery?

Gern Blansten

tempo_n_groove said:

Gern Blansten said:

Update... I toured Buffalo trace on Thursday. The gift shop was full of blanton's so my wife and I each grabbed a bottle. They only let you buy a bottle every three months there.

We got a sample during the tour. I would say it is very good for a $67 bottle but I wouldn't pay secondary price fit for it. I was pleasantly surprised with the taste though. 

Blantons is great for the price.  Paying over retail is just dumb though.

Did they offer anything rare at the distillery?

No....just the "rare to me" Blanton's.  I think the Buffalo Trace bourbon is available every day and then the special bottles change every few days.  Taylor/Eagle Rare/Blanton's/Weller/Stagg

exploderball

Gern Blansten said:

Update... I toured Buffalo trace on Thursday. The gift shop was full of blanton's so my wife and I each grabbed a bottle. They only let you buy a bottle every three months there.

We got a sample during the tour. I would say it is very good for a $67 bottle but I wouldn't pay secondary price fit for it. I was pleasantly surprised with the taste though. 

Congrats on finally scoring some! It feels great to eventually find something you've been searching for. I scored a Weller Full Proof today for $50. I was just saying that I'd probably never have the chance to buy one. Then lo and behold, my local shop got a case and one had my name on it. Beyond excited! But I'm gonna let it look pretty on the shelf for a week or three before I crack it open...

Gern Blansten

exploderball said:

Gern Blansten said:

Update... I toured Buffalo trace on Thursday. The gift shop was full of blanton's so my wife and I each grabbed a bottle. They only let you buy a bottle every three months there.

We got a sample during the tour. I would say it is very good for a $67 bottle but I wouldn't pay secondary price fit for it. I was pleasantly surprised with the taste though. 

Congrats on finally scoring some! It feels great to eventually find something you've been searching for. I scored a Weller Full Proof today for $50. I was just saying that I'd probably never have the chance to buy one. Then lo and behold, my local shop got a case and one had my name on it. Beyond excited! But I'm gonna let it look pretty on the shelf for a week or three before I crack it open...

sweet! I'm hoping to score one of those at some point

mca47

exploderball said:

Gern Blansten said:

Update... I toured Buffalo trace on Thursday. The gift shop was full of blanton's so my wife and I each grabbed a bottle. They only let you buy a bottle every three months there.

We got a sample during the tour. I would say it is very good for a $67 bottle but I wouldn't pay secondary price fit for it. I was pleasantly surprised with the taste though. 

Congrats on finally scoring some! It feels great to eventually find something you've been searching for. I scored a Weller Full Proof today for $50. I was just saying that I'd probably never have the chance to buy one. Then lo and behold, my local shop got a case and one had my name on it. Beyond excited! But I'm gonna let it look pretty on the shelf for a week or three before I crack it open...

Damn, that's a good find indeed!  Was it because you had a relationship with the store, or was it right place-right time?

exploderball

mca47 said:

exploderball said:

Gern Blansten said:

Update... I toured Buffalo trace on Thursday. The gift shop was full of blanton's so my wife and I each grabbed a bottle. They only let you buy a bottle every three months there.

We got a sample during the tour. I would say it is very good for a $67 bottle but I wouldn't pay secondary price fit for it. I was pleasantly surprised with the taste though. 

Congrats on finally scoring some! It feels great to eventually find something you've been searching for. I scored a Weller Full Proof today for $50. I was just saying that I'd probably never have the chance to buy one. Then lo and behold, my local shop got a case and one had my name on it. Beyond excited! But I'm gonna let it look pretty on the shelf for a week or three before I crack it open...

Damn, that's a good find indeed!  Was it because you had a relationship with the store, or was it right place-right time?

Relationship all the way. Became a regular there about 4 years ago. It helps that they have a great selection, around 100 bourbon labels. I always spend time talking shop while I'm there, and I'm always grabbing store picks. But I still didn't think I'd see a Weller FP anytime soon. It seems so hard to come by...

bbiggs

Grabbed a bottle of Larceny Barrel Proof (B521) this weekend.  Never had it before, but I've heard good things and I tend to like wheaters, so gave it a shot.  Anyone had any of their BP releases before?

mca47

bbiggs said:

Grabbed a bottle of Larceny Barrel Proof (B521) this weekend.  Never had it before, but I've heard good things and I tend to like wheaters, so gave it a shot.  Anyone had any of their BP releases before?

Haven't had the B521, but I have one from last year that was pretty good.  I'm not a huge Larceny fan, but the BP's are solid for the buck.
I am a big fan of the ECBPs.  That said, I passed on the B521 because I heard it was a bit "lacking" compared to the last handful of releases.  

bbiggs

mca47 said:

bbiggs said:

Grabbed a bottle of Larceny Barrel Proof (B521) this weekend.  Never had it before, but I've heard good things and I tend to like wheaters, so gave it a shot.  Anyone had any of their BP releases before?

Haven't had the B521, but I have one from last year that was pretty good.  I'm not a huge Larceny fan, but the BP's are solid for the buck.
I am a big fan of the ECBPs.  That said, I passed on the B521 because I heard it was a bit "lacking" compared to the last handful of releases.  

I'm also a huge ECBP fan, which is why I took the shot on the Larceny BP.  Just opened my ECBP A121 and it is outstanding.  12 years, BP and full of flavor, ECBP is one of the best bang for your buck bourbons out there.

mca47

bbiggs said:

mca47 said:

bbiggs said:

Grabbed a bottle of Larceny Barrel Proof (B521) this weekend.  Never had it before, but I've heard good things and I tend to like wheaters, so gave it a shot.  Anyone had any of their BP releases before?

Haven't had the B521, but I have one from last year that was pretty good.  I'm not a huge Larceny fan, but the BP's are solid for the buck.
I am a big fan of the ECBPs.  That said, I passed on the B521 because I heard it was a bit "lacking" compared to the last handful of releases.  

I'm also a huge ECBP fan, which is why I took the shot on the Larceny BP.  Just opened my ECBP A121 and it is outstanding.  12 years, BP and full of flavor, ECBP is one of the best bang for your buck bourbons out there.

Completely agree!

tempo_n_groove

Can someone post the bottle of Barrel proof from BT again please.  I wanted to find one and my local had no knowledge of it.

mca47

tempo_n_groove said:

Can someone post the bottle of Barrel proof from BT again please.  I wanted to find one and my local had no knowledge of it.

Buffalo Trace doesn't have a barrel proof version of their namesake whiskey to my knowledge.
They have barrel proof whiskeys under the BT name.  Some:
Weller Full Proof
EH Taylor Barrel Proof
Antique Collection
Stagg Jr.
...

exploderball

tempo_n_groove said:

Can someone post the bottle of Barrel proof from BT again please.  I wanted to find one and my local had no knowledge of it.

Are you talking about the new Benchmark Full Proof? https://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/our-brands/benchmark/full-proof.html

tempo_n_groove

mca47 said:

tempo_n_groove said:

Can someone post the bottle of Barrel proof from BT again please.  I wanted to find one and my local had no knowledge of it.

Buffalo Trace doesn't have a barrel proof version of their namesake whiskey to my knowledge.
They have barrel proof whiskeys under the BT name.  Some:
Weller Full Proof
EH Taylor Barrel Proof
Antique Collection
Stagg Jr.
...

None of those.  Different name and only like $30.

exploderball said:

tempo_n_groove said:

Can someone post the bottle of Barrel proof from BT again please.  I wanted to find one and my local had no knowledge of it.

Are you talking about the new Benchmark Full Proof? https://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/our-brands/benchmark/full-proof.html

That might be it.  Thanks.  Is it $30 a bottle?

exploderball

tempo_n_groove said:

exploderball said:

tempo_n_groove said:

Can someone post the bottle of Barrel proof from BT again please.  I wanted to find one and my local had no knowledge of it.

Are you talking about the new Benchmark Full Proof? https://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/our-brands/benchmark/full-proof.html

That might be it.  Thanks.  Is it $30 a bottle?

Yup, should be around $25.

Bentleyspop

So these showed up today....

exploderball

Bentleyspop said:

So these showed up today....

Oooooh! I scored an EHT BP in 2019 and still have about half left. So good! My wife and I did a blind flight against GTS 2019 and Stagg Jr batches 12 & 13. ETH BP was the consensus winner.

mca47

Bentleyspop said:

So these showed up today....

Very nice!  I have a BP and a Small Batch.
BP is almost impossible get your hands on here so I rarely ever touch it. 
Would like to try that Warehouse C at some point.

bbiggs

I was close to landing a warehouse C last week but instead my shop gave one of two total bottles to some random dude that walked in and turned around and sold it for $2300 the same day. They banned him from the store but too little, too late. So dumb to give those unicorn bottles to randoms that they don’t know and trust. From what I’ve heard it’s average bourbon with a ton of hype. 

exploderball

bbiggs said:

I was close to landing a warehouse C last week but instead my shop gave one of two total bottles to some random dude that walked in and turned around and sold it for $2300 the same day. They banned him from the store but too little, too late. So dumb to give those unicorn bottles to randoms that they don’t know and trust. From what I’ve heard it’s average bourbon with a ton of hype. 

That sucks. My shop didn't get any, but they were able to split one bottle with their supplier and pour 1oz sample bottles for a few customers. I got one but haven't tried it yet. The specs aren't much different than the SiB, but it smells super rich, so I'm guessing they pulled honey barrels for it. 

Bentleyspop

exploderball said:

bbiggs said:

I was close to landing a warehouse C last week but instead my shop gave one of two total bottles to some random dude that walked in and turned around and sold it for $2300 the same day. They banned him from the store but too little, too late. So dumb to give those unicorn bottles to randoms that they don’t know and trust. From what I’ve heard it’s average bourbon with a ton of hype. 

That sucks. My shop didn't get any, but they were able to split one bottle with their supplier and pour 1oz sample bottles for a few customers. I got one but haven't tried it yet. The specs aren't much different than the SiB, but it smells super rich, so I'm guessing they pulled honey barrels for it. 

So few bottles came in to the state that we can only sell it on premise. Right now it looks like we'll be doing a ticketed "E.H. Taylor" sampling.

Gern Blansten

I've got an EHT Small Batch that I've been saving....good stuff.

It's funny because one of the first bottles of bourbon I purchased in town was EHT when I started my bourbon fixation.  Now I can't find it to save my life....I scored a bottle about a year ago at a charity event

tempo_n_groove

bbiggs said:

I was close to landing a warehouse C last week but instead my shop gave one of two total bottles to some random dude that walked in and turned around and sold it for $2300 the same day. They banned him from the store but too little, too late. So dumb to give those unicorn bottles to randoms that they don’t know and trust. From what I’ve heard it’s average bourbon with a ton of hype. 

How did they find out that he sold it?

Two spots that I have gone to for years both sell at jacked up prices now so i don't even bother looking or asking...  Time to find a new spot.

bbiggs

tempo_n_groove said:

bbiggs said:

I was close to landing a warehouse C last week but instead my shop gave one of two total bottles to some random dude that walked in and turned around and sold it for $2300 the same day. They banned him from the store but too little, too late. So dumb to give those unicorn bottles to randoms that they don’t know and trust. From what I’ve heard it’s average bourbon with a ton of hype. 

How did they find out that he sold it?

Two spots that I have gone to for years both sell at jacked up prices now so i don't even bother looking or asking...  Time to find a new spot.

He sold it on a secondary site.  Not sure which one, but my store monitors that stuff to find out who the flippers are.  I like that they do that because I don't flip it.  Keep these guys away which results in more opportunity for me to get bottles.

Sucks that your spots jack up pricing.  Mine sells at retail, but this is the challenge it creates for them.  The flippers are out in full force.  That dude bought a bottle for $70 and sold it for $2,300, but now he'll never step foot in the store again.  Stupid game for sure.

Bentleyspop

bbiggs said:

tempo_n_groove said:

bbiggs said:

I was close to landing a warehouse C last week but instead my shop gave one of two total bottles to some random dude that walked in and turned around and sold it for $2300 the same day. They banned him from the store but too little, too late. So dumb to give those unicorn bottles to randoms that they don’t know and trust. From what I’ve heard it’s average bourbon with a ton of hype. 

How did they find out that he sold it?

Two spots that I have gone to for years both sell at jacked up prices now so i don't even bother looking or asking...  Time to find a new spot.

He sold it on a secondary site.  Not sure which one, but my store monitors that stuff to find out who the flippers are.  I like that they do that because I don't flip it.  Keep these guys away which results in more opportunity for me to get bottles.

Sucks that your spots jack up pricing.  Mine sells at retail, but this is the challenge it creates for them.  The flippers are out in full force.  That dude bought a bottle for $70 and sold it for $2,300, but now he'll never step foot in the store again.  Stupid game for sure.

We no longer sell the unicorns. We put them behind the bar and sell them by the peg.
We do sell, when we can, allocated bottles at proper retail with no added markup. We put them out at random times and random days to throw off the vultures.