Acquiring rare Bourbons - Any tips?

[kgoings]

I see lots of posts about PVW and Limited Edition this and Limited Edition that. How do you go about getting a bottle of these? Are there dates published when stuff will be shipped? Do you have to know your liquor store guys well?

[markem]

I used to belong to two scotch clubs through D and M in San Francisco. They also have an American Whiskey club: http://dandm.com/clubs/american-whiskey.html

This way, they hunt down the bottling and you get a wide selection.

[The Poet]

Here's the best advise I found online.

http://howtobuypappy.com/

[Porch Dweller]

Originally Posted by The Poet

Here's the best advise I found online.

http://howtobuypappy.com/

[hammondc]

Originally Posted by The Poet

Here's the best advise I found online.

http://howtobuypappy.com/

That is brilliant.

.....I just want to be able to get Elmer T Lee again..

[JimFishIII]

Originally Posted by The Poet

Here's the best advise I found online.

http://howtobuypappy.com/

Lol...that's about right....they jack the prices so high where I live Im not even interested...just grab a glass here and there if a restaurant has it....

[Brlesq]

Originally Posted by kgoings

I see lots of posts about PVW and Limited Edition this and Limited Edition that. How do you go about getting a bottle of these? Are there dates published when stuff will be shipped? Do you have to know your liquor store guys well?

You have got to know them BEYOND well . . . you have to be a personal friend or their best customer. They don't even know what their allocation will be, or even when it will come in (most of the time). And the allocation is usually small (only a few bottles) so that only their best friends or best customers will only get a bottle or two.

The next question is "at what cost?", because some of these liquor store owners will even gouge the price to the lucky ones that they offer it to (which is a damned shame!) Sometimes the shop owner just decides to be greedy and puts it out on the shelf to see what he can get, and we have a local store here that has every bottle of Pappy's right now in stock (@ $1,399 for the 20 year, $2,399 for the 23 yr, etc.)

If anybody here is willing to pay THAT, then I might consider selling a bottle or two!

[JohnnyFlake]

They are all available, on the Secondary/Black Market!

However, the problem there, is the pricing. Pappy 15yo is probably the cheapest, of all the truly collectible bourbons/whiskeys you can find and it normally is priced in the $800 plus range. I've seen the Pappy 23 at $2400

The other truly rare bourbons/whiskeys are similarly priced.

[nutcracker]

Binny's Chicago

[mosesbotbol]

Bourbon prices have skyrocketed in the last 10 years and quality isn't the same due to demand. Be careful on what you buy and how much you spend on it. Counterfeit bottles are on the rise. I would be hesitant to buy on secondary market for high priced bottle.

[kgoings]

Yea I was looking for tips on knowing when stuff might be on the shelves at my local place. Not looking for pappy, just interested in other stuff

[tsolomon]

We have our county liquor stores that are managed as a group and I have been on the so called "waiting list" for five years, but so far nothing. You can always ask at your local store as it is worth a chuckle to see what they say. The privately owned stores in DC only provide Pappy to their best customers and I will never be in that group.

[big pete]

A lot of it is being in the right place at the right time (unless you spend a lot with one store and they hook you up). Keep an eye on blogs to get a rough idea of when stuff is being released and go to stores more often.

[kgoings]

Originally Posted by big pete

A lot of it is being in the right place at the right time (unless you spend a lot with one store and they hook you up). Keep an eye on blogs to get a rough idea of when stuff is being released and go to stores more often.

Thanks, any good blogs you can recommend?

[GerryM]

Originally Posted by kgoings

Thanks, any good blogs you can recommend?

For Bourbon lovers this is the best I've found:

http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/


Most of the limited release and seasonal bourbons start showing up late fall just before the holidays, especially the Buffalo Trace Antique collection and Pappy.

[JohnnyFlake]

Originally Posted by GerryM

For Bourbon lovers this is the best I've found:

http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/


Most of the limited release and seasonal bourbons start showing up late fall just before the holidays, especially the Buffalo Trace Antique collection and Pappy.

That's a great sight, with a host of very knowledgeable and friendly members, however, you cannot sell or buy on the sight, not even between members. I have no doubt that you can make friends with some of us and conduct trades and sales privately, but it's not an easy thing to do.

You should certainly join up for great information & discussions.

There are lots of Facebook groups that are dedicated to whiskey. Just do a quick search.

[RWhisenand]

I acquired a bottle of Bulliet Burbon in the coolest manner today. We're up at our place in Lake Tahoe and I'm loading up a kayak and my wife's paddle board when a large pickup truck rolls up to hook up to a trailer across from the kayak rack. I tell him that I'll only be a minute and he'll have the lot to himself, easier to hook up that way. He gets out and introduces himself and says he is looking for iconic locations to photograph a custom trailer he is using to market his distillery. Wow, I say, we love good Scotch and Burbon, and proceed to give him directions to a few places I think will go good with his plan. He and I talk Burbon for several minutes, he thanks me for my " local" knowledge and hands me a bottle of Bulliet Burbon! Way cool! I thank him, tell him his Burbon and Rye are some of our favorites, and send him on his way. He thanks me several times for helping him, he'll be putting the pictures on Instagram, and once they are up I'll share the link. The new bottle is resting in our liquor cabinet waiting for a good reason to open it up. Cheers!

[JohnnyFlake]

Originally Posted by RWhisenand

I acquired a bottle of Bulliet Burbon in the coolest manner today. We're up at our place in Lake Tahoe and I'm loading up a kayak and my wife's paddle board when a large pickup truck rolls up to hook up to a trailer across from the kayak rack. I tell him that I'll only be a minute and he'll have the lot to himself, easier to hook up that way. He gets out and introduces himself and says he is looking for iconic locations to photograph a custom trailer he is using to market his distillery. Wow, I say, we love good Scotch and Burbon, and proceed to give him directions to a few places I think will go good with his plan. He and I talk Burbon for several minutes, he thanks me for my " local" knowledge and hands me a bottle of Bulliet Burbon! Way cool! I thank him, tell him his Burbon and Rye are some of our favorites, and send him on his way. He thanks me several times for helping him, he'll be putting the pictures on Instagram, and once they are up I'll share the link. The new bottle is resting in our liquor cabinet waiting for a good reason to open it up. Cheers!

Just being home, in the evening, after a hard day, is a plenty good reason to open that bottle. It's certainly not rare and it's pretty dam good! Enjoy!

[The Poet]

Cool, Rob. Somebody gave me a can of Bud once, but it wasn't cool.