The sobbing will be heard all over...

I was just joking. Except for the part about it being overpriced.

not so sure about that, really...
back when I returned to Louisville in '98 - and Pappy wasn't known to anyone outside of a 100 mile radius of L'ville - you could get a 15 for about $65, a 20 for about $120 or a bottle of 23 for a little over $200.
*IF* you could find any of those locally now, they still run about those same prices.
You could say that those are high prices, I'm only mentioning that I don't think the VanWinkles have significantly raised *their* prices over the years. I think it's the customers (re: eBay) who've jacked up the re-sale market so badly.

Ebay is dead for alcohol sales. However a more sinister and less public variation is out there. The internet grey market has killed the normal persons ability to procure a bottle at a reasonable price of any limited edition bourbon. Not to mention bourbon aficionados like to hoard.

[Robin Garr]

*IF* you could find any of those locally now, they still run about those same prices.
You could say that those are high prices, I'm only mentioning that I don't think the VanWinkles have significantly raised *their* prices over the years. I think it's the customers (re: eBay) who've jacked up the re-sale market so badly.

Excellent analysis! I'm storing that one in my memory bank.

...Not to mention bourbon aficionados like to hoard.

Eric, I think the problem is that "bourbon aficionados" (like myself) like to DRINK!!

I was just joking. Except for the part about it being overpriced.

not so sure about that, really...
back when I returned to Louisville in '98 - and Pappy wasn't known to anyone outside of a 100 mile radius of L'ville - you could get a 15 for about $65, a 20 for about $120 or a bottle of 23 for a little over $200.
*IF* you could find any of those locally now, they still run about those same prices.
You could say that those are high prices, I'm only mentioning that I don't think the VanWinkles have significantly raised *their* prices over the years. I think it's the customers (re: eBay) who've jacked up the re-sale market so badly.

But werent they self producing/distilling then? These days you are paying premium dollar for a contracted product from Buffalo Trace with a different label.

Per Wiki: Since 2002, the Van Winkle brands have been distilled and bottled by the Sazerac Company at the Buffalo Trace Distillery as a joint venture with the Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery company.[1] Buffalo Trace is not just slapping an Old Van Winkle label on their bourbon. Bourbons are all about the recipe, the age, the blending, rotating the barrels, picking the best barrels, etc. That's like saying that Old Heaven Hill and Bernheim Rye are the same product with a different label....

But werent they self producing/distilling then? These days you are paying premium dollar for a contracted product from Buffalo Trace with a different label.

Doug, I may well be mistaken on this (wouldn't be the first time!!) but, as they only started their "alliance" with Buffalo Trace in 2002 (11 yrs. ago) I would think that all of the 15, 20 & 23 being released would have to come from what's left of the old Stitzel-Weller stocks? Course, when that's gone, it'll all be Buffalo Trace, I suspect...
OTOH, given the quality of much of product coming out of Buffalo Trace these past few years, i.e. Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, I wouldn't worry much that the quality would drop?

But werent they self producing/distilling then? These days you are paying premium dollar for a contracted product from Buffalo Trace with a different label.

Doug, I may well be mistaken on this (wouldn't be the first time!!) but, as they only started their "alliance" with Buffalo Trace in 2002 (11 yrs. ago) I would think that all of the 15, 20 & 23 being released would have to come from what's left of the old Stitzel-Weller stocks? Course, when that's gone, it'll all be Buffalo Trace, I suspect...
OTOH, given the quality of much of product coming out of Buffalo Trace these past few years, i.e. Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, I wouldn't worry much that the quality would drop?

With current releases, only the 23 is Stitzel Weller. The rest have some others bleneded in (could be BT or Bernheim and some SW). Chances are good that the 15 and under have no SW and havent for a few years.

The dumb just keep getting dumber....

http://www.wave3.com/story/23773828/65- ... distillery

Frankly I'd like to shake that guys hand, he's doing more to keep pappy in kentucky than the distiller is.

Frankly I'd like to shake that guys hand, he's doing more to keep pappy in kentucky than the distiller is.

I hadn't thought of it that way...but that is a VERY good point. Kinda like a regular ol' Robin Hood. Steal the Bourbon from the rich and give it to the average Joe. Hell yeah, now that you've put it in -that- context, I hope they never catch the guy.

[Robin Garr]

I hope they never catch the guy.

Kentucky's answer to D.B. Cooper!

Frankly I'd like to shake that guys hand, he's doing more to keep pappy in kentucky than the distiller is.

This might be one of the best lines I've ever seen on the internet. Well done sir, well done.

I was just joking. Except for the part about it being overpriced.

not so sure about that, really...
back when I returned to Louisville in '98 - and Pappy wasn't known to anyone outside of a 100 mile radius of L'ville - you could get a 15 for about $65, a 20 for about $120 or a bottle of 23 for a little over $200.
*IF* you could find any of those locally now, they still run about those same prices.
You could say that those are high prices, I'm only mentioning that I don't think the VanWinkles have significantly raised *their* prices over the years. I think it's the customers (re: eBay) who've jacked up the re-sale market so badly.

But werent they self producing/distilling then? These days you are paying premium dollar for a contracted product from Buffalo Trace with a different label.

This is one of the things that I think most people don't realize. There are 13 main distilleries that produce 99.9% of the bourbon on the shelf. You can buy the raw distillate, age it yourself, or if you're feeling especially lazy just but some aged barrels and blend it yourself. BAM you have a new brand of bourbon. Not saying this is a bad thing, but once you realize most of the big names come from some of the same places you don't buy into the label/brand hype as much. Just find what you like an enjoy! I'm an Elijah Craig 12yr or Basil Hayden's guy myself. I can get bourbon for $20-$40 that I enjoy as much if not more than a $70-$100 bottle. I find a cheap thrill in finding a good bourbon at a reasonable price. Heck, WL Weller is awesome and can be had super cheap.

[Robin Garr]

Heck, WL Weller is awesome and can be had super cheap.

Shhh! Don't let the tourists and trophy hunters find out!

From the NYTimes article:

“It’s the most complex bourbon you’ve ever tasted, but it’s smooth as silk,” said Sean Brock, an owner of Husk Restaurants in Nashville and Charleston, S.C. “That’s why people go crazy for it.”

The day the theft was reported, Mr. Brock’s e-mail and Twitter feed pinged constantly with chatter and speculation about who might have been responsible. He has a theory of his own: “I’m pretty sure it was George Clooney and the boys from ‘Ocean’s 11.’ “

So would this be Ocean's 20? ( there already was an Ocean's 13 as I recall....)