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I'm guessing that the "the only way for buying Russell's barrels moving forward is pure volume" part is likely due to something with stores getting barrels based on sales, so a store that sells 10x the wild turkey 101 will get more russells single barrel picks, and store that sells none will likely not get picks, it's their way of incentivizing their shelf product sales. The rest of the message is probably due to frustration about that, but Campari is most certainly still doing single barrel picks for wild turkey, due to the three tier system they have no say in what happens to the bottles after they leave the distillery so if a store wants to sell a whole barrel for profit Campari can't stop them

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That makes sense and answers a question I had in a way. I see all these stores getting barrel picks. At what point does that eat into regular production? But if a store is selling a lot of product, then one or two barrels amounts to what they’d normally sell anyway.

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Seems likely, thanks.

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This is a new problem by the way. You used to be able to go to Sazerac and buy a barrel of anything made by Buffalo Trace, Barton, etc. Then they limited it to a certain number of barrels per year and it took a few months to sell out, the next year a few hours, then a few minutes. The last 4-5 years were instant sell outs, now they do quarterly lotteries where ~60 people out of hundreds of thousands win the chance to buy a barrel. Other heritage brands like Wild Turkey probably had similar problems but use a less public way of dealing with nit

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Minimal. It eats into labor because single barrels are a b**** to deal with logistically but you're right, they move so friggin many bottles of Wild Turkey 101, or Evan Williams, or Jim Beam, or Benchmark that no amount of private picks could impact what they're pumping out

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Never thought of it from a logistics standpoint. Even makes more sense. If you have 2-3000 barrels at any given point you’re managing plus all your normal production, it becomes a hassle. I was watching a video I think on BT. They make ~1500 new barrels a day. So the overall total dedicated to store picks is low for the big distilleries. But like you said, it becomes a logistical nightmare, especially since they’re selling out their stock anyway. And limiting the number of picks increases rarity, thus keeping demand high as well as prices.

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That's the reason BT stopped putting "single barrel" on eagle rare. They're still pretty much single barrels, but they don't shut the line down every couple hundred bottles to make sure everything is drained from the tank before dumping another barrel in, they just dump every time it gets low. Compared to something like Blantons where a few hands touch every bottle and they make sure there's no crossover

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Enjoyed the discussion and some more education thanks to Ben.

Traded for a couple Whistlepig single barrel picks, the Whiskey Rick is a 13 year barrel I've had before, and Snake in My Boot is a 14 year barrel at 119 proof.

https://i.imgur.com/5uWBdbT.jpg

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Nice! I'll heed your warning on their bourbon, but I sure do love some of those Alberta single barrels. I have a small handful of 16-17yrs left that I'm holding onto for dear life, I brought one to a bottle share a while back and the guy didn't believe me that some of the 10's were much much older... until he tried it :al

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I know Ben! I've got a 19 year old Alberta single barrel that I've had for a couple years and can't bring myself to crack. The proof is definitely in the taste.

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I had a craving for that Beam "peanut funk" last night so I cracked open a bottle of the most peanut forward Booker's I've tried, Granny's Batch. Pure peanut brittle!

https://i.imgur.com/OjUNK5z.jpg

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So I said I was done buying bottles for now. Well….stopped by the a store with some friends on our way back from dinner. Talked with the guy behind the counter. Asked if they had Larceny Barrel Proof. “I might.” Sold me the bottle at msrp. It’s good, hoping it gets better now that the bottle is open.

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Nice grab! I wasn't a fan of the first release a couple years ago but have heard they've gotten better and better with each release since then. Cask strength wheaters are always a good bet :tu

I usually blow my tri-annual HH release money on Elijah Craig Barrel Proofs, 2022 was a great year for them I'm pretty sure I bought a backup of each. A123 was pretty good but not a standout, I'll be curious to see how the new variable age statement goes

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Ben, this bottle is C922.

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Stopped in a store that had their private barrel of ECBP. 9 years, 129 proof, $79 but you had to buy another store pick top buy it. Not sure I would have bought in alone at that price, but none of their many picks enticed me enough to consider it. And they had a table full of the ECPB, so I wasn't the only one passing.

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Got a text from a friend of mine, actually an old boss. One of his workers at the plant in Louisville has a friend that gets use bourbon barrels on occasion. And sometimes they still contain some liquid. I guess this guy recently got a barrel of 1792 full proof, and was able to bottle 70 L for himself.

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:O

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Wow 70 L would be a little over 93 750ml bottles or almost half full .... maybe someone set that on the back dock a little to early in the dumping process

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Yeah, that is crazy. You sure on that figure, Bob?

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Yup. I asked that myself.

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Ok, I had the brand wrong. It was 4 Roses. Here’s the text.

So one of the guys who works for me in Louisville has a friend who delivers used bourbon barrels. He often will get a barrel on his load that will not be completely empty. On Monday, he got a barrel that was almost half full. It was a four roses. He bottled 70 liters of full proof for himself ��

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I still say :O


:D

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Agreed!

Yesterday’s acquisition and subsequent pour. Delicious. Very much vanilla on the nose. Carries over to the taste, where I also got small hints of chocolate covered cherries, even once what I thought was butterscotch. The burn hits you right at the back of the throat, in a good way.

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Corsets, Whips and Whiskey? Bourbon for the B&D enthusiast, Bob? :lr

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I’m not saying. :D

It’s named after what used to be produced in the building now housing the distillery. It’s a 100% wheat whiskey.

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Well, whip it. Whip it good. -(P

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Who said that? I can’t see you. :D

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I aint much of a bourbon drinker. I have tried some Makers Mark and a couple other somewhat better brands. I figured I would tell a story real quick and it's not about bourbon, but here goes. My Dad was born and raised in a little town just over the Georgia line called St. George. It's in that part of Georgia that dips down into Florida that we call the Georgia Bend. In the late 50s early 60s there wasn't much to do for work and Dad's family was very poor so he turned to making the product that NE Florida and SE Georgia was pretty well known for, Moonshine. So he was working across the Florida line in Nassau County making shine one day when he became aware that a revenue man was sneaking up to catch him. So he somehow splashed some of the product on him while readying to run, and the burner he was using caught it on fire. He didn't know it at first, and he ran away from the little branch he was on. He got some ways away and realized he was on fire. The shine burns a very dim blue so it's not easy to see. He had to turn back and run back past the revenue man to jump in the branch to put the fire out. He was caught and sentenced to 5 years. He was 16 years old and sent to Raiford Prison, where death row is at. he did a couple years there and was transferred to Appalachiacola where he served out his sentence. Shine aint bourbon but there are people still making it and it's good when it's good and very bad when it's bad. Dad can swirl it in a mason jar and tell you what proof it is just by looking at the bubbles.

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I like your story, GG. I'm sure nobody here objects. After all, they let me post up about which gas station I got my tumbler filled at, in the thread about fancy coffee. :D

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:tpd:

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What a story Greg, amazing!

Have you ever seen the movie "Lawless"? It's pretty good.

And a little Willie too (phrasing) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKMOIPPsAkA

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I can't keep my hands off this 11 year, 109 proof ECBP pick. Freaking oak bomb.

https://i.imgur.com/qElqp3t.jpg

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I agree with Brian, James and Tom. Great story GG.

Stopped by a store on my way home from the cemetery. Huge bourbon selection. They had a bottle of Booker 2022-04 (I believe that’s the date I saw) and a bottle of Little Book Chapter 6. $200/ea. what I expected. But $200 for Blantons. :lr

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None of those should be that way, Bob, Little Book is closest to retail. Booker's is $89 now, Blanton's maybe $65? WTF?

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I don't even like Blanton's at $65, let alone $200. I've just never been much of a fan.

I can get Booker's for around $80-ish on my local Air Force Base, luckily.

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Unfortunately prices around me are crazy for the HTF stuff. This guy had a really nice selection of bottles, but I think he’s over estimating what people will pay. Then the stuff just sits on the shelf.

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I'm in a semi-bourbon online group where last week a guy says "I'm having my friend join the group, he has a ton of crazy bourbon you guys will love him" and his friend immediately posts a brag video... slowly showing the 7 bottles of Blanton's he has and something about being only one letter away... :sl:sl:sl

Now $80 Bookers? That's the deal right there

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Yup, not a Blanton's guy either James, though I'd buy a SFTB at MSRP. ;)

Booker's 23-01, Charlie's Batch. Get it. I'll buy the open bottle if you don't like it. :D

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I did like the one bottle I have been able to find. A great wheated at full proof.

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:tu

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Thanks for acceptance of the story. A little further, not sure 100% how true this one is. The summer I graduated high school (1983) my dad had about 6 OR 8 quarts of moonshine that he made way back in the day. he claimed he had buried it for 20+ years, not real sure it that was the truth or not. But what I can tell you is the shine was about 90 proof, which dad always said anything over 90 proof was not drinking shine. This shine was smooth as water. You could pour some on ice and drink it with just a little burn in the gut. After about 2 or 3 sips though, your legs would kinda get rubbery on ya. LOL

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Grabbed a bottle of Booker's 2023-01 Charlie's Batch. Haven't opened it yet. Looking for a second before I do that.

I've backed off of the hunt, although there are a few bottles I am looking for. I've got too much right now and most of it is on the floor. Going to look in some industrial shelves to get it off he floor this summer. I also backed off drinking due to some recent accidents I've experienced. I just didn't feel like drinking as I recovered.

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Awesome story addition Greg. I’d like to try some real shine someday. Not the mass produced stuff you can buy at the store.

As for Bookers, I’m hoping to snag a bottle soon. Local grocery store is supposed to have some soon.

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At my first duty station (Tinker AFB, OK) my NCOIC, Jerry, was from waaaaay up in the mountains of Tennessee. 'Shine was part of his family's culture. He drove home about twice a year to visit family. Each time he returned he brought back two or three two-liter Pepsi bottles filled with 'shine.

We were a fun-loving group so someone was hosting a party every weekend. Jerry would bring some 'shine occasionally and pass the bottle around. Eventually he realized I was the only one that would continue to drink it with him. Nobody else liked it but I did, so at some point in every party he'd give me a look and we'd go sip some 'shine. It tasted like a blend of vodka, mezcal, and light rum. That may sound nasty, but it was actually pretty tasty. Jerry's family's best estimate was it was around 115 proof. It had a mule kick right up front but was surprisingly pleasant and smooth going down.

Good times...

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I am def not a shine expert by any stretch. But there is folks who know how to make it, and there are those that don't but do anyway. It's a different taste for sure, but when it's good and smooth it's pretty good stuff.

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My father in law used to get some stuff from West Virginia, always had a mason jar in the freezer and would pull it out towards the end of parties. Sure was tasty, I never asked where he got it but I've had my share of bad stuff, the good sure can be good :tu

Storage is the real concern, I don't drink nearly enough and am out of space as well, I need to kill off at least 5-6 before I can bring more bottles into the house :r

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