Just look at knife collecting, sneaker collecting, hoarding of various brands, it's the same thing. Dudes will have $20,000 in custom knives by Busse or whomever (great enough knives, but just a knife at the end of the day), just sitting in drawers, being fondled occasionally, posed for pics, and most never cut so much as a piece of notebook paper, with hordes of folks furiously hitting F5 on the day a new one drops to snatch one, some even using bots to score $30 "hip" T-shirts or sneakers that are flipped for hundreds of bucks each (a t-shirt, a fairly basic one even), and so on.

Once anything has started to head down that route, enough that it disrupts regular users more than a little, particularly non collectors, it's just not worth it anymore. The hype train is a bubble of its own sort, but a bubble that lingers for quite a while given the relatively cheap prices (after all, a few hundred bucks for (formerly $30) whiskey isn't shit compared to collecting Panerais or vintage Hot Rods or Spedboats. Some sort of Everyman's Collectability thing, I guess, same desire but adjusted for income bracket. As someone who cares virtually nothing about collectability, and won't be taxed (that much) by others' trendy interests, I just look to avoid most of it.

There are plenty of inexpensive whiskies that are good. When my backstock of VW and BTAC eventually depletes and my retail connections dry up, I'll just move on to something else, or have less of it. Inflation is one thing, but this phenomenon is another thing entirely, and way out of control in terms of actual value in any objective sense. I've owned those same knives, clothes, and whiskies, and I could afford much of it now still, but knowing the 600% (or whatever) increase is driven by hype, collectors, and trends is just a huge turn off. They can have it (whatever IT is).

It really isn't *that* good anyway. Nothing is, or virtually nothing.

The idea that any one whiskey or wine, ever, is somehow worth $1000 (for instance) is ludicrous to me. And I like great shit, and don't mind paying premium prices for great shit, whether clothes or food or anything else, but there's a point of diminishing returns, and we passed it a while back in many cases, and bourbon is jumping the shark like mad. It's not a Rembrandt, not even a Ferrari, nor a Rolex, it's a bottle of booze (distilled, fermented, sugar water, basically) that sat in a barrel a while. The Art argument only gets you so far.

Amen brother. I have been drinking bourbon since the 90s. I remember when lot B was in the shelf year round and cost $39.99, Weller was under $20 and wasn't well regarded. Once the boom started I chased and then spent good money on swill like some of the orphan series, or solara blends.

I finally came to the conclusion ill buy what I consider good value bourbon and that I like. That's why Stagg Jr and ECBP are my usual drinks. I keep enough that I don't run out, or get more when I open my last one.

Right on. There are a lot of things I like but I can honestly say I don't "collect" anything. My guns get shot. My knives get blood and guts on them. My whisky gets drunk. Some maybe slower than others but sooner or later, it'll be gone.

What concerns me here fellas is this situation is different than the one 46and 2 illustrates in that the free market is not at work here. There are no competitive market conditions in VA to hold the pricing in check. ABC is not engaging in private enterprise, allowing economic forces and competition to determine where it should be priced. That simply is not possible when they are a state run monopoly, and the only possible source for this bourbon in the entire state. What ABC calls charging a “premium” for a “unique opportunity" is quite simply price gouging. The "unique opportunity" is theirs, not ours.

This is a very slippery slope. Citizens cannot allow the Commonwealth of Virginia or government at any level to engage in these types of unchecked monopolistic practices. WHere does it end? In this case ABC is behaving and pricing exactly like the monopoly they are.

What we need are Whiskey Neutrality rules to fight the monopolies.

Whiskey Rebellion Part Deux

Damn, looks like 46n2 is a genious. I really cant make this stuff up.

No later than 1 day since his above post and on the secondary market is this post:

"For Sale: '08 PVW 23 from my cabinet. Need cash for a custom kitchen knife I'm ordering. $2300....

Yesterday was a good day.

Nice score! Its the best in 3 years

Meeting last Saturday nite of the Georgia Bourbon Society (GBS) in Atlanta, GA. Attendance was way down due to 8" of snow dumped on the region the night before.



My contribution to the table was the 2017 FRSmB LE and the MMCS Store pick from Mac's near Georgia Tech (where the swim meet I was officiating was at).

Luckily, I made it back to my hotel safe and sound despite having to pass a DeKalb County Sheriff's substation on the way! What a great night.

TTFN,
"Point Blank" Frank
8-)

How did you like the Al Young?

And how did you get into a GA whiskey club??? Lol

I've never even heard of the Georgia Bourbon Society but glad you had a good time. Mac's is a decent shop (it's the emergency shop closest to my tailgate) but next time you're in town check out Green's on Ponce de Leon.

PVW 20yr....thought I hit the jackpot as I received a call from a family member asking if I wanted them to grab it for me. The answer was an absolute yes until I was informed the store was charging $2,100 for it. Needless to say, I passed but they did have a bottle of RHF so I at least managed to get it.

I love bourbon, but these prices have gotten beyond ridiculous.

I've got bothe the Act 5 Scene 1 and Scene 2 of the Midwinter Nights Dram. Both are very good but I was surprised at the difference. Scene one is definitely smoother but the Scene 2 seems that it might have a little brighter, dare I say better flavor but certainly has more of the "rye burn".

However if it matters the Scene 1 has been open about a month and I just cracked # 2 last night.

Sorry, I'm terrible at pallatte descriptions but I know what I like

Yeah. I've never paid more than $120 for PVW20, plain old Retail, like anyone else, as recent as a few years ago, even back when it was still Stitzel Weller juice, and yes - it's definitely delicious bourbon, less so now but still good, maybe even $240 good, but $2100?

GTFO

It's no longer about the whiskey for too many, just people ticking boxes, making a buck, chasing hype, bragging on Instagram, etc. Hopefully it'll run its course, maybe Gin will be popular next, or maybe weed will be legal everywhere and sanity will return to this pocket of the world. I hope the bubble bursts sooner than later. It's just plain annoying now.

It's an absurd shame we can't just make our own.

Berto, did you find a wlw or stagg?

quote:

Originally posted by Deqlyn:
Berto, did you find a wlw or stagg?

I lucked into a Stagg and a Handy last week.

quote:

Originally posted by berto:

quote:

Originally posted by Deqlyn:
Berto, did you find a wlw or stagg?

I lucked into a Stagg and a Handy last week.

Nice! Handy was good this year. Tried it last night 12 a pour. the lot B and WLW, I gotta say the Lot B is pretty smeh this year. I wasn't entirely impressed with WLW either. I've had better years but it was tasty.

quote:

Originally posted by Deqlyn:

Nice! Handy was good this year. Tried it last night 12 a pour. the lot B and WLW, I gotta say the Lot B is pretty smeh this year. I wasn't entirely impressed with WLW either. I've had better years but it was tasty.

See, my initial impression of the Lot B at the Fun Unicorn tasting wasn't that far off. But I did really, really like the WLW. Good thing I picked up my 2017 THH yesterday, eh?

TTFN,
"Point Blank" Frank
8-)

quote:

Originally posted by GeeTen:

quote:

Originally posted by Deqlyn:

Nice! Handy was good this year. Tried it last night 12 a pour. the lot B and WLW, I gotta say the Lot B is pretty smeh this year. I wasn't entirely impressed with WLW either. I've had better years but it was tasty.

See, my initial impression of the Lot B at the Fun Unicorn tasting wasn't that far off. But I did really, really like the WLW. Good thing I picked up my 2017 THH yesterday, eh?

TTFN,
"Point Blank" Frank
8-)

The WLW was good, had more depth than other stuff but


I've got a PVW15 on the way Geeten! Local traded for a lot B, and sweetners Not sure what I'll do with it.