Sometimes, entering a lottery - and waiting in long lines - is the only way to get one’s hands on one of those coveted allocated bourbons. Many retail stores who do get hard-to-find whiskeys will do some allocation of their own, saving bottles for long-time, loyal customers, while others hold lotteries, often to raise funds for charity, like The Keg Liquors in Southern Indiana traditionally has done. “When we get one,” Nordhoff deadpanned, “it’s an accident.” He said it’s been quite some time since he’s received any, and the last time he did, it was a single bottle, which he reserved to sell as one-ounce pours. He religiously orders a case of Blanton’s every month. Jerry Nordhoff is co-owner of Taste Fine Wines & Bourbons in the NuLu neighborhood. And that can leave the smaller retailers and restaurants grasping at air. Meaning it’s possible for other states to get more bottles of a certain brand than Kentucky.Īnd once the bottles get to the distribution level – tier two in the Prohibition-mandated three-tier system – they are then parsed out to businesses also usually based on past sales. Often, those allocations are based on past sales. The phrase “allocated bourbons” comes up a lot these days, because bourbon fans understand that distilleries allocate certain quantities of their brands to various states. There are many factors coming together causing the market madness, making it tougher and tougher for a regular Jane or Joe to walk into their local liquor store and buy the bottle they used to routinely find. Unfortunately, this lengthens the lead time of getting product into consumers’ hands.” We take pride in the quality of our product above all else, and we believe that there is no substitute for aging. “The bourbon category continues to grow at a rapid rate,” Buffalo Trace Vice President of Marketing Sara Saunders said in the release, “and while we have been increasing production across our portfolio for the last several years, we are still catching up to consumer demand. While we are producing and shipping a record amount of product, we understand the frustration from fans that our brands aren’t easy to find or readily available. And the shortage shows no sign of slowing down - a recent news release from Buffalo Trace was telling. Evan Williams’ formerly easy-to-find Henry McKenna Bottled in Bond got tagged with a “bourbon of the year” designation in recent years, and bottles disappeared from store shelves. You want a bottle of the once-common Eagle Rare 10-year? You’ll have to get lucky or pay a premium. Do a quick Google search, and the first bottles that pop up for sale are in the $2,500 range. Either way, the price is going to be many times Buffalo Trace’s recommended retail price.įor example, the 2020 Van Winkle 15-year expression carried a suggested retail price of $119.99. If they find one now, it’s undoubtedly going to be on the secondary market. Bourbon lovers speak wistfully of days when they could find the elusive Pappy Van Winkle on liquor store shelves. The bourbon boom of the past 15 or so years has seen demand grow far faster than supply. “And we get probably six or so bottles a month.” “We get probably 20 requests a day” for the heavily-pursued Blanton’s Single Barrel, said Gordon Jackson, owner of Old Town Wine & Spirits in the Highlands. Weller line, especially the 12-year expression, are nearing Blanton’s status, and even the relatively basic, screw-top Weller Special Reserve has become a commodity. More and more bourbons, many of which used to be readily available at liquor stores everywhere, are joining the ranks of “rare,” and this is particularly true of Buffalo Trace Distillery products. Usually, the answer is a resounding, “No.” It’s a question that echoes through liquor stores, bars and restaurants throughout the state of Kentucky: “Do you have any Blanton’s?”
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