Bourbon

[Herbie Hancock 7,344]

Blanton for $98 and Handy for $107...somethings fucky here

[huge 3,793]

1 minute ago, Herbie Hancock said:

Blanton for $98 and Handy for $107...somethings fucky here

i think @henrygandorf actually called the store and it was bullshit

[Eggo 3,977]

1 hour ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Scottsdale, Arizona not Bert’s house : 

 

God damnit. 

[Longhornfan1024 1,707]

There are currently 3 or 4 bottles of woodford very fine rare at TW Arboretum. 120 per.

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

[henrygandorf 29,189]

2 hours ago, huge said:

i think @henrygandorf actually called the store and it was bullshit

ok, so this whole thing went down last week, and here's the (longer than it needs to be) story:

i saw it on dan the bourbon man's instagram, but the initial end-cap photo was on overpriced bourbon.  it showed a slightly picked over but overly impressive selection at a safeway in scottsdale (weller, btac, blantons, etc).  we were all like, holy shit, what's going on in scottsdale that's allowing this type of shit to be on the shelves.  then the following day, there was another pic, of another end-cap at another safeway in scottsdale (the pic above, not picked over, more impressive).  **it should also be noted that safeway owns the grocery store chain here in la where i've gotten most of my scores.

the 2nd pic was captioned with "omg remember that pic from yesterday from a safeway, well this one is from today, and holy smokes".

i saw the pic about 12 min after it was posted, so we started discussing on our bourbon text chain, and then i called one of my buddies here who is just slowly getting into bourbon.  he went to u of a so he has boots on the ground near scottsdale.  i was like, "how fast can you get someone over to safeway?"  his answer - "pretty fast, what's up?"

so he was contacting his guy and i was calling safeways in scottsdale.  there are several.  the first one i called had a woman who was like, "we just got some limited supply stuff in, they haven't put the display up yet, but there are about 15 people already waiting in line once it's up."  she also gave me the info for 2 other stores she was told had good shit and to call one and ask for mike.

so i called one of them and asked for mike.  mike was not pleased.  he said "the picture you saw on social media is over a month old, all that stuff is long gone now."  he also told me he's sick and tired of everyone calling and freaking out, and he's been dealing with it all day.  i asked him what all he had on the shelf back then, and his list didn't match up with what was in the pics, to say nothing of the fact that "over a month ago" was before btac dropped, so either his story, or his timing, are fucked.  likely both.

he said they had good shit and it was cleared out within an hour or so, and to please go on instagram and tell everyone that the picture was old and to stop calling.  i apologized and i told him i would absolutely do that even though i had no intention of doing that, and subsequently, did not.  i told him to have a good day.

my buddy's boy in scottsdale went by the safeway near him and there wasn't much of anything to speak of (nothing allocated, at least not on the shelves).  over the following days, there were a bunch of comments and follow-ups on the dan the bourbon man's feed.  seems like other people ran into mike, because comments of "apparently the photo is a month old" were posted verbatim.

this of course was followed up by "nope, the pics were real, i got 4 weller 12's and 2 blantons but the btac was all sold out".  so yeah.  i think the pics were legit, but there was supposedly a one bottle limit (which there should've been) but obviously it got cleared out in minutes.  not sure why safeway in scottsdale is getting that much hooch when my chain out here (at least the 3-4 locations i'm in touch with) have had barely a trickle. 

possible the store was new, and the new stores get the good shit.  who the fuck knows, but it's crazy either way, and instagram is only making it harder.  if you're not currently 100 yards away from where the photo was taken, you're screwed.

[Eggo 3,977]

3 minutes ago, henrygandorf said:

ok, so this whole thing went down last week, and here's the (longer than it needs to be) story:

i saw it on dan the bourbon man's instagram, but the initial end-cap photo was on overpriced bourbon.  it showed a slightly picked over but overly impressive selection at a safeway in scottsdale (weller, btac, blantons, etc).  we were all like, holy shit, what's going on in scottsdale that's allowing this type of shit to be on the shelves.  then the following day, there was another pic, of another end-cap at another safeway in scottsdale (the pic above, not picked over, more impressive).  **it should also be noted that safeway owns the grocery store chain here in la where i've gotten most of my scores.

the 2nd pic was captioned with "omg remember that pic from yesterday from a safeway, well this one is from today, and holy smokes".

i saw the pic about 12 min after it was posted, so we started discussing on our bourbon text chain, and then i called one of my buddies here who is just slowly getting into bourbon.  he went to u of a so he has boots on the ground near scottsdale.  i was like, "how fast can you get someone over to safeway?"  his answer - "pretty fast, what's up?"

so he was contacting his guy and i was calling safeways in scottsdale.  there are several.  the first one i called had a woman who was like, "we just got some limited supply stuff in, they haven't put the display up yet, but there are about 15 people already waiting in line once it's up."  she also gave me the info for 2 other stores she was told had good shit and to call one and ask for mike.

so i called one of them and asked for mike.  mike was not pleased.  he said "the picture you saw on social media is over a month old, all that stuff is long gone now."  he also told me he's sick and tired of everyone calling and freaking out, and he's been dealing with it all day.  i asked him what all he had on the shelf back then, and his list didn't match up with what was in the pics, to say nothing of the fact that "over a month ago" was before btac dropped, so either his story, or his timing, are fucked.  likely both.

he said they had good shit and it was cleared out within an hour or so, and to please go on instagram and tell everyone that the picture was old and to stop calling.  i apologized and i told him i would absolutely do that even though i had no intention of doing that, and subsequently, did not.  i told him to have a good day.

my buddy's boy in scottsdale went by the safeway near him and there wasn't much of anything to speak of (nothing allocated, at least not on the shelves).  over the following days, there were a bunch of comments and follow-ups on the dan the bourbon man's feed.  seems like other people ran into mike, because comments of "apparently the photo is a month old" were posted verbatim.

this of course was followed up by "nope, the pics were real, i got 4 weller 12's and 2 blantons but the btac was all sold out".  so yeah.  i think the pics were legit, but there was supposedly a one bottle limit (which there should've been) but obviously it got cleared out in minutes.  not sure why safeway in scottsdale is getting that much hooch when my chain out here (at least the 3-4 locations i'm in touch with) have had barely a trickle. 

possible the store was new, and the new stores get the good shit.  who the fuck knows, but it's crazy either way, and instagram is only making it harder.  if you're not currently 100 yards away from where the photo was taken, you're screwed.

Thanks for the recap. I'll be over here with my unlimited (*knock on wood) supply of 1910. 

[billfromlaketravis 11,447]

12 minutes ago, henrygandorf said:

ok, so this whole thing went down last week, and here's the (longer than it needs to be) story:

i saw it on dan the bourbon man's instagram, but the initial end-cap photo was on overpriced bourbon.  it showed a slightly picked over but overly impressive selection at a safeway in scottsdale (weller, btac, blantons, etc).  we were all like, holy shit, what's going on in scottsdale that's allowing this type of shit to be on the shelves.  then the following day, there was another pic, of another end-cap at another safeway in scottsdale (the pic above, not picked over, more impressive).  **it should also be noted that safeway owns the grocery store chain here in la where i've gotten most of my scores.

the 2nd pic was captioned with "omg remember that pic from yesterday from a safeway, well this one is from today, and holy smokes".

i saw the pic about 12 min after it was posted, so we started discussing on our bourbon text chain, and then i called one of my buddies here who is just slowly getting into bourbon.  he went to u of a so he has boots on the ground near scottsdale.  i was like, "how fast can you get someone over to safeway?"  his answer - "pretty fast, what's up?"

so he was contacting his guy and i was calling safeways in scottsdale.  there are several.  the first one i called had a woman who was like, "we just got some limited supply stuff in, they haven't put the display up yet, but there are about 15 people already waiting in line once it's up."  she also gave me the info for 2 other stores she was told had good shit and to call one and ask for mike.

so i called one of them and asked for mike.  mike was not pleased.  he said "the picture you saw on social media is over a month old, all that stuff is long gone now."  he also told me he's sick and tired of everyone calling and freaking out, and he's been dealing with it all day.  i asked him what all he had on the shelf back then, and his list didn't match up with what was in the pics, to say nothing of the fact that "over a month ago" was before btac dropped, so either his story, or his timing, are fucked.  likely both.

he said they had good shit and it was cleared out within an hour or so, and to please go on instagram and tell everyone that the picture was old and to stop calling.  i apologized and i told him i would absolutely do that even though i had no intention of doing that, and subsequently, did not.  i told him to have a good day.

my buddy's boy in scottsdale went by the safeway near him and there wasn't much of anything to speak of (nothing allocated, at least not on the shelves).  over the following days, there were a bunch of comments and follow-ups on the dan the bourbon man's feed.  seems like other people ran into mike, because comments of "apparently the photo is a month old" were posted verbatim.

this of course was followed up by "nope, the pics were real, i got 4 weller 12's and 2 blantons but the btac was all sold out".  so yeah.  i think the pics were legit, but there was supposedly a one bottle limit (which there should've been) but obviously it got cleared out in minutes.  not sure why safeway in scottsdale is getting that much hooch when my chain out here (at least the 3-4 locations i'm in touch with) have had barely a trickle. 

possible the store was new, and the new stores get the good shit.  who the fuck knows, but it's crazy either way, and instagram is only making it harder.  if you're not currently 100 yards away from where the photo was taken, you're screwed.

I counted 8 Safeway locations in Scottsdale. If you knew the exact day it dropped, and didn't have to work, theoretically you could get to all 8 and maybe get something. 

I kind of think danthebourbonman is full of shit from your telling of events. 

I don't know if he's legit either, but heyitswhikseytime is a good Instagram follow for bourbon pron. Most of his pics are at his house, so he doesn't appear to be using some stock photos from stores. 

[henrygandorf 29,189]

6 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:

I counted 8 Safeway locations in Scottsdale. If you knew the exact day it dropped, and didn't have to work, theoretically you could get to all 8 and maybe get something. 

I kind of think danthebourbonman is full of shit from your telling of events. 

I don't know if he's legit either, but heyitswhikseytime is a good Instagram follow for bourbon pron. Most of his pics are at his house, so he doesn't appear to be using some stock photos from stores. 

i believe the end-cap pic is real.  i believe mike is full of shit, it's obviously not from "over a month ago".  the posts were from last week, so even if they were from 1-2 days earlier, that's still last week and way too late to make any hay by driving around.  it's quite possible that a store employee took that pic and sent it to someone who likes bourbon.  i refuse to believe the display looked that perfect for more than 2-3 min.

i'm not proud to admit that i called 3.  3 different safeways.  in scottsdale.  a city where i do not live.

[stork642 4,498]

45 minutes ago, henrygandorf said:

i believe the end-cap pic is real.  i believe mike is full of shit, it's obviously not from "over a month ago".  the posts were from last week, so even if they were from 1-2 days earlier, that's still last week and way too late to make any hay by driving around.  it's quite possible that a store employee took that pic and sent it to someone who likes bourbon.  i refuse to believe the display looked that perfect for more than 2-3 min.

i'm not proud to admit that i called 3.  3 different safeways.  in scottsdale.  a city where i do not live.

I for one appreciate the effort.  

[henrygandorf 29,189]

blockbuster trade completed, my side arrived today.

 

 

the main piece going the other way was an old carter 13 year single barrel cask strength "honey barrel".  barrel #65, bottle 88 of 133.

[Longhornfan1024 1,707]

This is very, very good.  I won't try and do tasting notes, but my initial reaction was the alcohol hit harder than expected when I took my first sip.  As I've let it sit, it's mellowed out and I'm getting different flavors with each sip.  This bourbon has a lot of depth to it.    

[billfromlaketravis 11,447]

2 hours ago, Longhornfan1024 said:

This is very, very good.  I won't try and do tasting notes, but my initial reaction was the alcohol hit harder than expected when I took my first sip.  As I've let it sit, it's mellowed out and I'm getting different flavors with each sip.  This bourbon has a lot of depth to it.    

I asked for this today. We’ll see what happens. 

[Bozo_Casanova 26,436]

1 hour ago, billfromlaketravis said:

I asked for this today. We’ll see what happens. 

This reminds me of lady who works at a liquor store I sometimes go to telling guys who look around the store and then quietly ask if she's got PVW/OFBB/WLW: "why not just ask me for a blowjob? You'll get the same answer".

[RichUT 1,832]

I got one today. Loving the new bottle shape.

[henrygandorf 29,189]

wait, is it not 16 years old?  this is the first time i've actually read the bottle.  it's just "series no. 16"?

that seems intentionally misleading.

[RichUT 1,832]

It’s 16th in the series, but the whiskey is blended from multiple barrels and includes juice as old as 17 years.

[huge 3,793]

Will it be harder to find than OF150?

I say that because I feel like most assholes pass over anything Woodford these days

[billfromlaketravis 11,447]

Clear as mud on the ages of bourbon blended. Just states it contains 17 year old bourbon. https://www.wdrb.com/news/business/woodford-reserve-releases-very-fine-rare-bourbon-for-its-masters-collection/article_9e3da6e4-33f0-11eb-8e44-43ecf97a0368.html

Edited December 16, 2020 by billfromlaketravis

[henrygandorf 29,189]

1 minute ago, billfromlaketravis said:

https://www.wdrb.com/news/business/woodford-reserve-releases-very-fine-rare-bourbon-for-its-masters-collection/article_9e3da6e4-33f0-11eb-8e44-43ecf97a0368.html

so it's 17 years old?

this is just horrid marketing.

[billfromlaketravis 11,447]

4 minutes ago, henrygandorf said:

so it's 17 years old?

this is just horrid marketing.

It’s a blend that contains 17 year old bourbon. The rest is an unknown. 

[Buzzrock 14,902]

This stuff is pretty good for $22. Appreciate the mention up thread. 

[Buzzrock 14,902]

And a Christmas present for the boss. 
 

[huge 3,793]

It looks like Jack Daniel’s SiB Barrel Strength is a special release. Terrific.
How limited was the Heritage Special Release? I never saw it once. 

Is this something different than the this?

[billfromlaketravis 11,447]

2 minutes ago, huge said:

 

Is this something different than the this?

 

I meant the Barrel Proof Rye. The last Jack special release was Heritage in 2018. 

[Bert Orange 1,120]

9 hours ago, henrygandorf said:

so it's 17 years old?

this is just horrid marketing.

Been a lot of talk about this on the bourbon threads. It’s intentionally misleading. Kinda brilliant marketing actually. 

[RichUT 1,832]

Been a lot of talk about this on the bourbon threads. It’s intentionally misleading. Kinda brilliant marketing actually. 

What part is misleading? Putting the number 16 on the bottle?

[billfromlaketravis 11,447]

I'll tip my hat to Remus. If distilleries are going to blend, it's a curiosity to tell consumers the percentage and age of the blend. 

[Bert Orange 1,120]

30 minutes ago, RichUT said:

What part is misleading? Putting the number 16 on the bottle?

Yes. Prominently. As if the batch number is that important. LOL. 

[Longhornfan1024 1,707]

11 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

It’s a blend that contains 17 year old bourbon. The rest is an unknown. 

It's apparently a blend of bourbons between 17 and 11 years old.  

[RichUT 1,832]

Yes. Prominently. As if the batch number is that important. LOL. 

Eh, I don’t see it that way, but I guess others may feel differently. Previous Master’s Collection bottles included the series number, albeit slightly smaller:



It doesn’t feel like a radical change to me, but to each their own.

[Longhornfan1024 1,707]

It pretty clearly states on the bottle that it's number 16 in the series.  I suppose if you're just grabbing any bottle with a high number, you might get something different than you expect.  

[Party_Taco 3,723]

HG - That Michters is incredibly delicious and complex... you’re gonna love it!

[thrillhammer 683]

i'm not getting the confusion or disgruntlement about the woodford master collection.  this is the 16th release in the series.  it clearly labels that on the bottle.  this is the oldest woodford ever released.  the oldest in the blend is 17yo, the youngest is 11yo.  all of the masters collections have been outstanding, so i expect this one to be no different.

[billfromlaketravis 11,447]

28 minutes ago, Party_Taco said:

HG - That Michters is incredibly delicious and complex... you’re gonna love it!

I open a bottle of Micther's 10 every New Years Eve. It's a spicier bourbon with some pepper tasting notes. I enjoy the uniqueness. 

Some clamor for a higher proof/lower price, but I think the proof fits the flavor profile well and the price is reasonable in my opinion. 

[Eggo 3,977]

Picked up a Balcones True Blue Cask Strength store pick. Haters gonna hate.

[billfromlaketravis 11,447]

44 minutes ago, thrillhammer said:

i'm not getting the confusion or disgruntlement about the woodford master collection.  this is the 16th release in the series.  it clearly labels that on the bottle.  this is the oldest woodford ever released.  the oldest in the blend is 17yo, the youngest is 11yo.  all of the masters collections have been outstanding, so i expect this one to be no different.

You make a valid point, but you have to do a research deep dive to figure out it contains 17 year old AND 11 year old bourbon. The press release makes no mention of the 11 year old bourbon. Link : https://www.breakingbourbon.com/bourbon-whiskey-press-releases/woodford-reserve-releases-winter-2020-masters-collection-very-fine-rare-bourbon

"The bourbon includes liquid from barrels that are 17 years old". I think this was intentionally written to be misleading. 

Edited December 16, 2020 by billfromlaketravis

[RichUT 1,832]

38 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:

You make a valid point, but you have to do a research deep dive to figure out it contains 17 year old AND 11 year old bourbon. The press release makes no mention of the 11 year old bourbon. Link : https://www.breakingbourbon.com/bourbon-whiskey-press-releases/woodford-reserve-releases-winter-2020-masters-collection-very-fine-rare-bourbon

"The bourbon includes liquid from barrels that are 17 years old". I think this was intentionally written to be misleading. 

I think it was intentionally written to obfuscate the precise components of the blended whiskey, but I disagree that the intent was to mislead. By saying it includes liquid from 17 year old barrels, it also implies that it includes other liquid. 

Transparency regarding the makeup of blended bourbons is still relatively new, and inconsistent across the industry. I'm not going to crucify Woodford for not spelling out the specific components of the juice, even though I am super curious to understand that better. I'd imagine this sort of thing will continue to evolve over time, as newer players like Bardstown are raising the bar by being very specific about the components they blended together.  

[Bert Orange 1,120]

2 hours ago, Longhornfan1024 said:

It pretty clearly states on the bottle that it's number 16 in the series.  I suppose if you're just grabbing any bottle with a high number, you might get something different than you expect.  

Bingo

[Eggo 3,977]

Who can explain to me the fireball sales on secondary boards? The phrasing of "sip as you pick" makes no sense to me and of course it can never be explained fully in light of being shut down. 

[ISUCyclones 216]

Who can explain to me the fireball sales on secondary boards? The phrasing of "sip as you pick" makes no sense to me and of course it can never be explained fully in light of being shut down. 

Pay when you pick your number basically

[BigDHornfan 6,545]

Who can explain to me the fireball sales on secondary boards? The phrasing of "sip as you pick" makes no sense to me and of course it can never be explained fully in light of being shut down. 

Sip stands for send in payment

The fireball is the pick 3 Illinois lottery.
Drawings held 2 times a day.

You’re picking what number you think the fireball is going to be.
0-9
If your number hits, you win the bottle.
That’s it in a nutshell.

[BigDHornfan 6,545]

Got lucky at Spec’s today. Wife was in the area of one and grabbed this today.

[Eggo 3,977]

😭

[Brew 3,049]

I stopped in a new liquor store the other day that I haven’t been in. Looked behind the counter and he had bottles of Birthday Bourbon, the full selection of Weller varieties, a number of BTAC bottles, etc all sitting in the case. I walked up and asked for pricing and this jackass said it was his personal collection he was keeping on display in his store. It was sitting right behind the counter where most people put things they are selling at a premium. When you got closer you could see several were missing small amounts. Guess I’m going to have to buy a liquor store if I want any selection going forward.

[Eggo 3,977]

7 minutes ago, Brew said:

I stopped in a new liquor store the other day that I haven’t been in. Looked behind the counter and he had bottles of Birthday Bourbon, the full selection of Weller varieties, a number of BTAC bottles, etc all sitting in the case. I walked up and asked for pricing and this jackass said it was his personal collection he was keeping on display in his store. It was sitting right behind the counter where most people put things they are selling at a premium. When you got closer you could see several were missing small amounts. Guess I’m going to have to buy a liquor store if I want any selection going forward.

That slimy motherfucker is going to be homeless when the bourbon bubble bursts.

[LCHorn 2,614]

4 minutes ago, Brew said:

I stopped in a new liquor store the other day that I haven’t been in. Looked behind the counter and he had bottles of Birthday Bourbon, the full selection of Weller varieties, a number of BTAC bottles, etc all sitting in the case. I walked up and asked for pricing and this jackass said it was his personal collection he was keeping on display in his store. It was sitting right behind the counter where most people put things they are selling at a premium. When you got closer you could see several were missing small amounts. Guess I’m going to have to buy a liquor store if I want any selection going forward.

I’ve actually seriously considered that. I would happily buy a $10k-$20k stake in a liquor store if it meant a small profit annually and first pick at allotted bottles.  I did some superficial research on capital outlays to get one up and found and it’s probably 4 or 5 times that but I bet that just buys you a shitty little liquor store that doesn’t get any of the rarer bottles.  Also, they just aren’t that profitable unless you run it yourself (fuck that) or move a lot of volume.  
 

in other words, not surprising the independent ones in Austin seem to in the hands of first gen immigrants and/or it’s a family business.  

[SMUlawUTgrad 81]

I’ve actually seriously considered that. I would happily buy a $10k-$20k stake in a liquor store if it meant a small profit annually and first pick at allotted bottles.  I did some superficial research on capital outlays to get one up and found and it’s probably 4 or 5 times that but I bet that just buys you a shitty little liquor store that doesn’t get any of the rarer bottles.  Also, they just aren’t that profitable unless you run it yourself (fuck that) or move a lot of volume.  
 
in other words, not surprising the independent ones in Austin seem to in the hands of first gen immigrants and/or it’s a family business.  

Surly liquors. We’ll get you drunk.

[thrillhammer 683]

2 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

You make a valid point, but you have to do a research deep dive to figure out it contains 17 year old AND 11 year old bourbon. The press release makes no mention of the 11 year old bourbon. Link : https://www.breakingbourbon.com/bourbon-whiskey-press-releases/woodford-reserve-releases-winter-2020-masters-collection-very-fine-rare-bourbon

"The bourbon includes liquid from barrels that are 17 years old". I think this was intentionally written to be misleading. 

its the oldest woodford ever released.  that should be enough.  if that doesnt float your boat, i dont know what will.   well i do, but you'll pay way more than $120 for those too.

[billfromlaketravis 11,447]

20 minutes ago, thrillhammer said:

its the oldest woodford ever released.  that should be enough.  if that doesnt float your boat, i dont know what will.   well i do, but you'll pay way more than $120 for those too.

Not interested. What a rip off! 15 year old Knob Creek Store Picks only cost $50. - r/bourbon poster

[Eggo 3,977]

Looks like this month's Blackwell bourbon club pick is an Old Elk store pick. Will be my first OE. Am curious.