Rant/Rave: Bourbon

[jim]

This bottle, and the guy holding the bottle twisting my arm, caused lots of problems in St. Louis last month.

[33anda3rd]

Was in Binny's in Lincoln Park tonight. They haven't received their Van Winkle yet, but they get deliveries on Wed and Fri if you're in Chicago and want to hound them. He said this week, so one of those days.

They have Sazerac 6 year rye in the little locked room in the back. And Eagle Rare 10 year. Both for $30 and limit 1 per customer.

[thrill]

I have a gourmet grocer on my street that whiskey snobs either don't go to because the mark up is crazy or they don't know about yet, so while I hunt for better deals, they always have good stuff at a healthy mark up. They have 5 EH Taylor Single Barrel and one Barrel Proof just sitting out still. Like 10 bottles of Saz 6. Price gouging example: the EH Single Barrel is $95.

[33anda3rd]

Yeah, that's a healthy markup. The markup thing completely goes out the window though among the buying public when it comes to these things. It's like kids lining up for Air Jordans and people who collect art.

Take Buffalo Trace. A 1L bottle from Wirtz Beverage IL costs $26.60 wholesale. If you go buy it at Binnys or whatever the retail price is somewhere around $33. The markup is pretty small. That's universal. Binny's gets Firestone Walker Union Jack from Chicago Beverage at a cost of about $9 per 6-pack and sells it for $9.99. A 30-rack of Hamms costs $13.20 (less if you buy a ton more) and retails for $14.99. Retail markup is tiny, we are used to getting these things at the store for a very small markup. If retailers priced like restaurants and bars, beer closer to 30% cost would mean that Firestone costs like $30 at the store. It would never sell.

Restaurants and bars, we mark that stuff up like crazy. A can of Firestone Walker costs $5-6. Van Winkle 12-Year Lot B costs $46.50 from the distributor. Retail it will go for like $100. I'll price it at something like $19/pour and no one will bat an eye. I mean, not no one. Some people are ding dongs. I had some Weller 12 on the back bar for a while last summer, and was selling it at $15/pour and some guy says "You know I can get that retail for $29." I took $30 out of my pocket, put it on the bar and said "Here's $30, if you can bring me a bottle of Weller 12 and a receipt for the purchase of that Weller in Chicago city limits for $30 in the next 5 days, you next three pours of Weller 12 here are on me." For the most part, with this stuff, people lose inhibitions and cost-consciousness, because they can Instagram a pic of their whiskey next to the bottle and show everyone Hey I'm Having Pappy!

[thrill]

I know a guy who owns a bar here who sells Weller 12 at $25 a pour.

[33anda3rd]

I know a guy who owns a bar here who sells Weller 12 at $25 a pour.

Baller Territory

[thrill]

I don't know who's palms he greased, and I should mention he is a notorious exaggerator, but he said he got 200 bottles from the last release. I did see a [expletive] of weller boxes in the back so either way, he has a lot of it.

[33anda3rd]

That's a lot of booze. I don't know if palms are grease-able where you are but they are not here. There are a few guys at Wirtz at the like tippy top of the pyramid who sit down and go ok...here goes. This place has been buying bourbon from us for 45 years. They get 8 cases. This place does the highest whiskey volume in the city, they get 10 cases. All the way down to: this place opened 2 years ago and has been a good account, they get a couple bottles of 10-year. You can't grease a palm, you can't plead your case. They decide and that's that.

On another note, if someone wants something and wants to pay out the nose for it, I just learned about www dot dustybid dot com this week. There is some good stuff on there.

[stlouie_lipp]

My buddy works for Wirtz. He just texted me a picture of a bottle of pappy that he just got. Said he will try to get one for me, but he was "at the right place, at the right time". We are playing golf on Sunday. I told him if we don't go back to his place for a drink after golf I will never talk to him again.

[thrill]

Said he will try to get one for me, but he was "at the right place, at the right time".

That's a nice change from Wirtz's employees usually being in the wrong place and the wrong time.
KANER!