Fall Bourbonr PSA
You Can Drink Limited Edition Bourbon
Bourbon is not just for collecting anymore. Whether you just won a Pappy Van Winkle lottery or made a trip to the Willlett Gift Shop feel free to peel back the perforated foil around the top of the cap and pour yourself a glass. This PSA is great news heading into the fall bourbon season. Your new bourbon score doesn’t have to sit on your shelf or go straight to Craigslist!
This post is tongue-in-cheek, but it seems like things are starting to shift in the bourbon world. Sure, I’ve been guilty of it myself. You trade a bottle here and there or flip a bottle to cover the cost of other bottles you purchased. Keep a collection of bourbon bottles in your closet that’s worthy of a hoarders episode (I do intend to drink them all). That’s commonplace with the new Bourbon wave. What kills a fun hobby is grown men camping outside a store or distillery just to flip a bottle for a couple hundred dollars. Ask the Beanie Baby guys. They’ll tell you it’s not worth the hassle. There’s a (grayish) line that I believe we’re quickly approaching. You should enjoy the spoils of successful Bourbon hunts. It’s even better to enjoy with friends that appreciate good bourbon (save the cheap stuff for your friends that try to mix it with coke).
16 comments
Big fan of this post. Good reminder, although unfortunately it won’t change anything! Too many people are starting to believe their “Collectible item, contents not meant for consumption” disclaimers!
that article made me laugh , although I am a novice, in the last two years I have tasted some very fine bourbons , and its sad to see that last little bit go, I buy to drink, not to look at. I have been approached for my empty bottle of Pappy 10 yr lot b and 15 yr , and I couldn’t help but wonder why ? No I will not sell my empty bottles, nor do I display them, but out in my man cave I can say man I remember when that was full and I smelled that smell for the first time.. Good luck everyone.
I totally agree with the sentiments of this post.
I have yet to flip or trade anything that I’ve been lucky enough to stumble upon over the past couple of years. I search for and purchase bourbon in order to drink it. I know that the second hand market is lucrative and can even fund my collecting. Even the guy at my local store asks me why I don’t flip any of the bottles that I’ve gotten my hands on. At the end of the day, I enjoy both the hunt and the reward of opening and enjoying a generous pour of hard to find bourbon. There’s something about the hard work that makes even a bottle that I don’t totally love the taste of an enjoyable experience at the end of the day.
I just cracked a 12 yr old PVW last night for my birthday. Smoked a nice 17 yr old cigar with a couple finger pour. If you like it and didn’t invest in it then drink it.
There is no such thing as 12 year PVW.
Don’t be that guy. We all know what he’s referring to
Thank you
Simple economics. Where else can you buy something and then immediately sell it for 100-600% profit?? I have never flipped a bottle and hate flippers, but until people stop buying off the secondary market it will not change. I don’t mind trading as that is maybe the only way some can get their favorite bottle. And then there are the people who have just started getting into bourbon and only want allocated stuff and never buy anything else. People who got bit by the craze bug.
‘Where else can you buy something then immediately sell it for 100-600 percent profit?’ Try the derivatives market. I use to think flippers were turning those types of profits, but the more I dig the more I find that flippers are not as prevalent as I once thought. I see ultra premium stuff on BottleSpot collecting dust, too there’s just not much being offered there. KY Craigslist is the same — the stuff just isn’t moving at those high prices — and other CL’s outside KY offer little if any bourbon at all. People with money are not stupid and will not pay those rediculous premiums. I bet there’s not one person on this blog who’s tapped secondary markets, I know I havent and no one I know has. Outside of some pampered kid living off daddy’s dime, there’s just not too many people who would piss away that kind of money. I think flippers with dreams of easy money are getting stuck with inventory they cant sell. Meanwhile, the bulk of the premium retail juice is ending up in the hands of people who actually enjoy drinking the the stuff and I for one think that is a good thing.
Yes, but bourbon there is a GUARANTEED profit 🙂 I think you are right though. But stuff like Pappy and BTAC, you can easily sell it for 200% profit all day long. But like you said, people are asking HUGE prices for stuff. And I am not so sure they are getting it. The very sought after stuff like Pappy, BTAC, 4RLE will always be a secondary market at very good markups. But now people are buying anything allocated and trying to sell it for similar margins and getting stuck for it. I think we are right at the peak of the bourbon boom and it is downhill from here.
What’s wrong with mixing Pappy with coke? I did it, not the best mix, by far. I mainly did it to watch my good buddy shit his pants and have a heart attack. It was funny as hell.
Well gents, I am Canadian and I was lucky enough to win the Pappy Lottery this year, in fact I am flying down to Florida on Friday to pick up my bottle. I don’t even have it yet and I have had offersHonestly I plan to hang on to it for a while and eventually I will probably open it and enjoy it with the very best of friends. To Big Matt, making your friend shit his pants was a great laugh for me as well. Cheers!
I have been blessed with acquiring many very hard to find bourbons, including Pappy 20 year old. My take is this. Support your local liquor establishments. Buy all your supplies from one or two stores. Get to know your local owners or employees who have the power to get these jems throughout the year. If you are a true consumer and not a flipper, your time will come. It took me two years to gain the trust and appreciation for my business. Now since my buying habits are known, my rewards are knowing that when I head to my store(s) of choice, I am reward more often than not of a bottle everyone craves to have. The main reason, I am a regular customer who is loyal and appreciates any fine bourbon, regardless of price. If it’s Elmer T Lee, Stagg, WLW, or Weller 12, I’ll get my fair share. Cheers everyone!
I am not blessed to even go to a fine bourbon bar and buy a drink of Pappy.
I live in Ohio and it is not distributed here. That being said Not very long ago, you had to purchase a spot to get in line to buy a Harley. You paid list price for the bike and it cost between 1 to 3,000 bucks to get on the list. The wait could be 2 years or more.
I understand that it will take much longer for production to catch up to demand, but it eventually will.
I do buy W.L.Weller on line and hit every stop going down and back up I-65 in KY. as I travel to Alabama.
I have however brought a bottle of Sam Adams Utopias. Had to try it, So I purchased it on line for $200.00. And do love the bottle.
But evan williams single barrel and coke is actually a good drink…
Nothing wrong with Bourbon and Coke. Just expensive Bourbon and Coke