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wormil
Sep 12, 2002

Hulk will smoke you!
We have state run liquor stores, they are pretty well managed, I'll ask next time. They didn't used to carry 4R Single but I called the warehouse and asked for some, they said name a store and it will be there tomorrow. That store has carried it since. I'm not the biggest BT fan or anything but I haven't had it in awhile and it's good bourbon.

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Vox Nihili
May 28, 2008

wormil posted:

We have state run liquor stores, they are pretty well managed, I'll ask next time. They didn't used to carry 4R Single but I called the warehouse and asked for some, they said name a store and it will be there tomorrow. That store has carried it since. I'm not the biggest BT fan or anything but I haven't had it in awhile and it's good bourbon.

Distribution is hosed and demand is unreasonably high (presumably said demand is uneven as well). Buffalo Trace is making more product than ever and is breaking ground on dozens of new warehouses but it takes 5+ years to react to the bourbon market at a production level.

Radio Nowhere
Jan 8, 2010
Here in MD Eagle Rare is just about everywhere, Buffalo Trace less so (maybe every 3rd store), and Blantons seemed to disappear 3 years ago.

hakimashou
Jul 15, 2002
Upset Trowel
I heard (maybe in here?) that they put Blanton's on a rotating allocation scheme across the country instead of sending it everywhere all the time and doubling the price or whatever.

slothrop
Dec 7, 2006

Santa Alpha, Fox One... Gifts Incoming ~~~>===|>

Soiled Meat
I don’t recall any issues sourcing Buffalo Trace here in Australia. The only time I’ve seen the vodka was when I visited the distillery

TobinHatesYou
Aug 14, 2007

wacky cycling inflatable
tube man
Buffalo Trace has been in somewhat short supply for years. Their supply is actually better now than it was 2-3 years ago.

wormil
Sep 12, 2002

Hulk will smoke you!

Vox Nihili posted:

Distribution is hosed and demand is unreasonably high (presumably said demand is uneven as well). Buffalo Trace is making more product than ever and is breaking ground on dozens of new warehouses but it takes 5+ years to react to the bourbon market at a production level.

Demand is high for everyone. They were saying 8 years ago when I last visited: our product is exploding, we are expanding, yada, yada. Are they selling most of it overseas? They had/have (?) the newest, most modern, and one of the biggest operations in Kentucky. BT is their base product, it shouldn't be that scarce

I have seen Eagle Rare, I don't think it's hard to get around here. Ironic I guess.

Enigma
Jun 10, 2003
Raetus Deus Est.

It’s possible a ton of it just goes outside the US. For example, I think just the 90-proof Blanton’s is available in the US, whereas the gold and barrel proof are all exported. Which is a shame, because Blanton’s is good but too watered down to me, so I’d love to get ahold of the higher proof stuff. Then again, it’d probably end up costing $Texas.

Any tips on finding 4R special picks? That’s another thing I’ve been on the lookout for with no luck.

TobinHatesYou
Aug 14, 2007

wacky cycling inflatable
tube man

Enigma posted:


Any tips on finding 4R special picks? That’s another thing I’ve been on the lookout for with no luck.

Private Selection bottlings have gotten rare just like everything else. Those barrels are much more likely to be vatted now.

Enigma
Jun 10, 2003
Raetus Deus Est.

Makes sense. If the regular single barrel disappears too, I’m going to be despondent.

On another note, my son started a new preschool and decided to bring me home whatever weaponized cold he discovered there. I’ve since learned the magic of hot toddies with WT101 for alleviating cold symptoms.

DerekSmartymans
Feb 14, 2005

The
Copacetic
Ascetic

Enigma posted:

On another note, my son started a new preschool and decided to bring me home whatever weaponized cold he discovered there. I’ve since learned the magic of hot toddies with WT101 for alleviating cold symptoms.

Toddler fodder for weapons testing of bio-weapons is old hat. My son had every disease but HIV and my wife and I spent days recovering from whatever he brought home. He was like a beardless dwarf or something. He had chicken pox that didn’t even itch any at all!

Josh Lyman
May 24, 2009


The fact that Buffalo Trace has regional shortages surprises me since I’ve never been too impressed with it.

Nth Doctor
Sep 7, 2010

Darkrai used Dream Eater!
It's super effective!


DerekSmartymans posted:

Toddler fodder for weapons testing of bio-weapons is old hat. My son had every disease but HIV and my wife and I spent days recovering from whatever he brought home. He was like a beardless dwarf or something. He had chicken pox that didn’t even itch any at all!

My daughter's preschool teacher was married to our pharmacist. The first year she was in school we were constantly sick and I had to stop and ask the guy how he and his wife both weren't dead. His answer was that zinc blocks the channels that cold viruses use to get into the cells, so take a zinc supplement during cold season.

Toast Museum
Dec 3, 2005

30% Iron Chef

Nth Doctor posted:

My daughter's preschool teacher was married to our pharmacist. The first year she was in school we were constantly sick and I had to stop and ask the guy how he and his wife both weren't dead. His answer was that zinc blocks the channels that cold viruses use to get into the cells, so take a zinc supplement during cold season.

Not that it's likely to hurt anything besides your wallet, but the last time I looked, the evidence for zinc for cold treatment/prevention was pretty slim.

Gravitee
Nov 20, 2003

I just put money in the Magic Fingers!

Enigma posted:


Any tips on finding 4R special picks? That’s another thing I’ve been on the lookout for with no luck.

A store semi close to me sells a lot of 4R and has new picks once a quarter. The buyer is in our local whiskey group and tells us when things are coming in before the general public.

He also has special raffles and secret "I'm putting this on the shelf today come and get it." I got a 2017 EH Taylor Barrel Proof last week because he was cleaning his office.

My city and state whiskey/bourbon Facebook groups are quite good for what is hitting the area and offer local trades.

Sydin
Oct 29, 2011

Another spring commute

Toast Museum posted:

Not that it's likely to hurt anything besides your wallet, but the last time I looked, the evidence for zinc for cold treatment/prevention was pretty slim.

It's also really easy to take too much of it and get some pretty nasty nausea and headaches.

Toast Museum
Dec 3, 2005

30% Iron Chef
Oh, poo poo. Scratch what I said about it only being a waste of money, in that case.

Weltlich
Feb 13, 2006
Grimey Drawer

Sydin posted:

It's also really easy to take too much of it and get some pretty nasty nausea and headaches.

THere's another danger, especially with zinc nasal sprays. Over-use can damage the olfactory sense and permanently deprive you of a sense of smell. I have a friend who can't smell, and has a greatly diminished sense of taste because of zicam sprays.

Hauki
May 11, 2010


costco has quinta ruban for like $40 and while I usually steer clear of sweeter whisky this is pretty good for the price

port barrel is also less common

22 Eargesplitten
Oct 10, 2010



I see BT all over the place, but it’s way more expensive than it used to be. It’s $25-26 for a bottle when it used to be $20-22 back in 2012-2013.

spankmeister
Jun 15, 2008






22 Eargesplitten posted:

I see BT all over the place, but it’s way more expensive than it used to be. It’s $25-26 for a bottle when it used to be $20-22 back in 2012-2013.

That's only like $2 or 3 more than 6 years of inflation.

wormil
Sep 12, 2002

Hulk will smoke you!
Walked into the ABC store and there's a whole case of BT on the shelf, minus one now.

zmcnulty
Jul 26, 2003

Netflix and still

slothrop
Dec 7, 2006

Santa Alpha, Fox One... Gifts Incoming ~~~>===|>

Soiled Meat

zmcnulty posted:

Netflix and still



:golfclap:

22 Eargesplitten
Oct 10, 2010



spankmeister posted:

That's only like $2 or 3 more than 6 years of inflation.

That’s true, but there are a lot that haven’t gone up at all, or maybe just $1.

I’m working my way through a handle of Evan Williams Bottled in Bond that I got for $24, probably going to grab some Gilbey’s gin next time too.

Vox Nihili
May 28, 2008

22 Eargesplitten posted:

That’s true, but there are a lot that haven’t gone up at all, or maybe just $1.

I’m working my way through a handle of Evan Williams Bottled in Bond that I got for $24, probably going to grab some Gilbey’s gin next time too.

Also a whole ton of stuff that's basically doubled in price, like Booker's.

Trabant
Nov 26, 2011

All systems nominal.
Hello whiskey lovers. I don't drink so I'm utterly clueless and could use some advice:

I'll be in Dublin for a few days and thought about bringing back some whiskey-related gifts to my friends who enjoy it. I'll try to tease out exactly what they like -- I do know it's not as simple as saying "whiskey" -- but in the meantime I'm soliciting suggestions for whiskies that would be tough to find outside of Ireland. Or maybe just tough to find in the US.

(I know that the internet makes nearly all things globally available, but thought I'd check in case booze was somehow different)

In other words: if someone were to bring you a drinkable souvenir from Ireland, what would you most like to get? And because I know things in any hobby get nuts, let's make it a thing you'd actually drink, not some $3,000-per-bottle investment.

Thank you!

Toast Museum
Dec 3, 2005

30% Iron Chef

Trabant posted:

Hello whiskey lovers. I don't drink so I'm utterly clueless and could use some advice:

I'll be in Dublin for a few days and thought about bringing back some whiskey-related gifts to my friends who enjoy it. I'll try to tease out exactly what they like -- I do know it's not as simple as saying "whiskey" -- but in the meantime I'm soliciting suggestions for whiskies that would be tough to find outside of Ireland. Or maybe just tough to find in the US.

(I know that the internet makes nearly all things globally available, but thought I'd check in case booze was somehow different)

In other words: if someone were to bring you a drinkable souvenir from Ireland, what would you most like to get? And because I know things in any hobby get nuts, let's make it a thing you'd actually drink, not some $3,000-per-bottle investment.

Thank you!

I'm not qualified to answer, but what's your general price point?

Trabant
Nov 26, 2011

All systems nominal.
That's a good point, I should've specified.

Hard to say given that I've never bought any, but: going by the OP and brief Googling, let's say I'm getting 3 bottles and willing to spend up to $250 total. Ideally less, of course, but one bottle is for my wife and another will be part of a wedding present for a whiskey lover, so I'm trying not to be too much of a cheapskate on at least two out of three. I figured if I'm aiming for something they don't necessarily export much, maybe I should be prepared to pay up.

And if that's too low to get anything that's relatively unavailable/unknown outside of Ireland... Let me know what's a more reasonable expectation and I'll adjust up, or maybe get two bottles instead of three. Because holy hell, some of the prices for this stuff are :stare:

Vox Nihili
May 28, 2008

Trabant posted:

That's a good point, I should've specified.

Hard to say given that I've never bought any, but: going by the OP and brief Googling, let's say I'm getting 3 bottles and willing to spend up to $250 total. Ideally less, of course, but one bottle is for my wife and another will be part of a wedding present for a whiskey lover, so I'm trying not to be too much of a cheapskate on at least two out of three. I figured if I'm aiming for something they don't necessarily export much, maybe I should be prepared to pay up.

And if that's too low to get anything that's relatively unavailable/unknown outside of Ireland... Let me know what's a more reasonable expectation and I'll adjust up, or maybe get two bottles instead of three. Because holy hell, some of the prices for this stuff are :stare:

Apparently, Pernod Ricard owns and produces pretty much all of the Irish whiskey that I've heard of (Middleton, Green Spot, Redbreast, Powers, and Jameson). You could try visiting a distillery to see if there are any distillery-onky releases; alternatively, you could just buy Redbreast Cask Strength for the whiskey lover and figure out what your wife would prefer through trial and error (try some whiskey with her?).

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe
Redbreast cask strength. I like Lustau better but you can find it easier in the states.

Green spot or yellow spot but get the fancy version aged in wine barrels if they still have it.

Powers John Lane I thought was real good.

There's also a brand you can't find in the states but in blanking on it. You can find Writers Tears now (though I didn't think it was that great tbh).

Also protip: buy it at the duty free. There's a great whiskey store in the Dublin airport and Irish booze tax is pretty high so def worth it in the duty free.

Mandalay
Mar 16, 2007

WoW Forums Refugee
Green spot was at Costco last time I checked here in Southern California.

TobinHatesYou
Aug 14, 2007

wacky cycling inflatable
tube man
Never Yellow Spot, always Green Spot.

wormil
Sep 12, 2002

Hulk will smoke you!
Now I remember why I haven't bought Buffalo Trace for years and years. Nothing wrong with it, but it's a $15 bourbon sold for $29. The only other bourbon in my stock that was a fair comparison was Fighting Cock at $14/bottle. The BT is a tad smoother, aged longer, but has less flavor and not much color. Every other bourbon I have is superior.

emotive
Dec 26, 2006

I was just gifted a bottle of Green Spot, and as delicious as it is I think I'd take the standard Redbreast 12 any day.

spankmeister
Jun 15, 2008






emotive posted:

I was just gifted a bottle of Green Spot, and as delicious as it is I think I'd take the standard Redbreast 12 any day.

Green spot is not a version of Redbreast...

Or have I misread?

emotive
Dec 26, 2006

It's not, but the discussion always seems to be Green Spot vs. RB12 for that price point.

Trabant
Nov 26, 2011

All systems nominal.
Thank you all for the suggestions!

And yes, shopping duty-free seems to be the way to go, esp. if you're me and distillery tours/tastings aren't of interest. Apparently Dublin's airport has a good whiskey store so I plan to take advantage of that.

spankmeister
Jun 15, 2008






emotive posted:

It's not, but the discussion always seems to be Green Spot vs. RB12 for that price point.

They're both different imo. Green spot is nice fresh with green apple and mint, Redbreast is warm and rich with stewed fruits and Christmas pudding.

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mentalcontempt
Sep 4, 2002


For those who like Redbreast and opt for the cask strength version, do you add water? 100-proof doesn’t bother me but this appears to be about 115.

I love Redbreast and am getting to the end of my first bottle, the 12-year. Was debating whether to go for the 15 next, or cask strength, or maybe Lustau if in stock locally.

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