Man, idk. I would say there’s a reason you can’t find some of these anywhere. That Weller Full Proof and Stagg Jr. were objectively better than other bottles at non-insane prices. I think the issue is less people collecting them than people wanting them because they’re fantastic. There’s a flavor intensity with the barrel proofs that you just can’t get with lower proof bottles. There’s a Blue Note Uncut ($40) that I dig, but the finish is kinda grassy. Then the Smoke Wagon Uncut $70 was good but a weird finish. That WFP is just kinda everything I want.
jacobamerritt I didn’t think about you being in OH. Can you find WFP there?
Not on the shelves, but Im in groups that have it up for sale basically anytime (for the 'right' price).
You are right, bourbon has become incredibly popular the last 15 years, after decades of being ignored. Certainly contributes to certain things being harder to find.
That said based on said groups/clubs I'm in, sure there are the passionate folks in them who want the hard to find stuff to drink- but the secondary market is a way for people to make a quick buck. For example- There is a liquor store near me that will email 30 minutes before they release stuff like a Weller Antique or Eagle Rare Store Pick... No joke, within 20 minutes there will be a line 50 deep or more and it sells out in 15 minutes. Then on the group pages, its getting flipped for a profit with hours.
Just last week I got an email for a 1792 Full Proof store pick, raced down and got in line. This is a bottle that was sitting on shelves 4 months ago. People don't even know why they are in line, or what they are getting they just assume they should get it because they got an email about it. Sold out in 15 minutes. Last two people were a couple girls who were like 'what is this?' and just bought it because people were swarming. Same evening, I see people selling em for like 20 bucks profit. Come on.
If the gov't could actually enforce the illegal resale of alcohol, I guarantee you'd have no problem finding most of the stuff you want.
Like... ETL, W12, OKI 12, Old Scouts, OFBB etc just sitting on shelves and then we saw it being limit 1 per person as bourbon got more and more popular. Then someone is like- 'throw me an extra $30 and I'll sell you one, I have an extra'... The floodgate opened to flippers, dudes chasing liquor delivery trucks to get stuff when doors opened. Its become expensive baseball cards for adults with plenty of expendable income.
Last time I got a Van Winkle at a store, I camped out overnight- with about 800-1000 others. A lot of them were mules literally being paid by people to get them a bottle, because they were going to flip it for triple profit or more.
Another example is Boone County... MGP juice, limited, well aged, very good. It sat on shelves for months at $60 a bottle, meanwhile people are flipping OKI (also MGP juice) for $350 a piece. The bourbon barrels for both brands were literally both purchased at the same time from the same distellery, but somehow OKI got all the hype... Fast forward another year, now people are flipping Boone County releases for the same price.
I get supply and demand and all that. It just feels ridiculous. Anyways, theres still plenty of good stuff to go around, and new brands launching quality products. I should exercise better self control.
(TL,DR - Im grumpy about bourbon getting popular and some people exploiting it)
