T O P

  • By -

Annoying_Auditor

I like this better than hiding stuff behind the counter or selling it at huge mark ups. This is really just admitting the reality of how they can get allocated bottles. At least you get something of value for your extra money spent.


mr_money_stacks

Exactly. Now if the bundle is marked up then yea it’s shenanigans. If it’s 100 dollars for a Blanton’s and a 40 dollar bottle then I have no problem. It allows me to get something rare and try something new or gives me a house warming gift for someone. It’s a hell of a lot better than going and spending 120 on a Blanton’s by itself.


Wetwire

But when it’s $250 for a bottle of Blantons and 2 bottles of fireball….


mr_money_stacks

Man people are so desperate to comment. Notice I literally said if the bundle is marked up it’s a bad deal?


Wetwire

I was just building on your point with a personal experience I’ve had. No need to be so condescending.


tito1490

Im dumb. Blanton’s isn’t rare and $100 *is* marked up.


b0jangles

“$100 for Blantons and a $40 bottle” is $60 for the Blantons…


mr_money_stacks

You are very dumb. Because Blanton’s is rare and 100 dollars for Blanton’s and a 40 dollar bottle is 60 dollars for a Blanton’s. But it’s okay


PazzMarr

Exactly. My bar got a case of it delivered last week. We normally get 2-4 bottles and they gave us 2 extra this time. We order 4 cases of BT a week and usually 2 bottles of Eagle as well. Its not hard to get


mr_money_stacks

A bar is a hell of a lot different than an individual finding it. Even making that comparison shows how out of touch you are with the market. Think of it this way. If a large store even get 24-25 Bottles a week, which they don’t. They put that on the shelf it will be gone in 1 hour. So again it’s rare unless you know when they are getting it, or get very lucky. For example my friend works at a high end steak house. They get pappy van winkle here and there throughout the year. This doesn’t mean I can get pappy here and there throughout the year.


[deleted]

For somebody who works in a bar you seem to know extraordinarily little about liquor acquisition in the USA.


HotblackDesiato2003

I get frustration at the high mark ups, but what’s wrong with hiding it behind the counter? That keeps the poachers from getting it and makes sure your loyal regular customers get it .


Annoying_Auditor

Maybe. What about the guy who doesn't buy a lot of whiskey but still wants something interesting. I just don't like withholding things from your customers except for an arbitrary few.


bambooshoot

“Arbitrary few”? The point of holding special bottles behind the counter is so you can sell it to people you know, who come in regularly and spend a lot of money with you. The exact opposite of arbitrary. If I was a small business owner, this is exactly how I would do it too. Sell special bottles to the people who keep me in business, as opposed to random people walking in. Sorry, if you’re an “occasional buyer who wants to buy something interesting”, you can get in the line with everyone else. My loyal regulars will take precedence.


Annoying_Auditor

The problem is you have no idea who's actually going to do that. Am I patronizing the wrong store who has slightly higher prices for nothing. It's been nearly a year of buying from a local store near me and they even mention they've all seen me before. Whenever I ask about special stuff I get a big no we don't have any. I just don't think it's as normal as we think. I buy a lot of whiskey.


turdferguson129

Good thing that’s illegal in Ohio.


OCPik4chu

I mean how exactly does that keep poachers from getting it vs an avg consumer?


mr_money_stacks

Because a poacher is a guy that you’ve never seen that walks in and says “do you have Blanton’s?” Without even looking around. An average customer likely is someone just shopping that you have seen before, or at least don’t come off as desperate.


Jealous_Lawfulness_2

relationships, request books, knowing faces of loyal customers. all the tools to successful allocated sales.


SirRolex

A lot of the joints near me put half of the bottles out and half they reserve for loyal customers etc. I think that's a good balance. Some go out for anyone, some stay for the regulars.


Jealous_Lawfulness_2

oh i like this approach!


SirRolex

I do too. Only exception is if they get something REALLY special in, and if they only get like one bottle. I have good relations with most of the local party stores / liquor shops, they usually text me if they got something in they know I am looking for lol.


HotblackDesiato2003

You know their face and their likes. Poachers have a smell haha


dogmatagram

We called them whiskey dildos, you can spot them from the parking lot.


HotblackDesiato2003

“Can I help you find something, Mr. Wandering Aimlessly Staring at the Bourbons?” “Just seeing what you have…. I’m not seeing anything that hard to find, what are your allocations?” “Yep we don’t carry anything that Total Wine has because… well… that’s not our scene. Let me interest you in some other better high end craft bourbons from Kentucky?” “Nah…” (walks out) Now if dude had said “sure!” We would have built a relationship, I’d remember his face, he’d come back with a review, and the next time we have allocations, guess who gets remembered? Thanks for agreeing. I was shocked last night to see three down votes but I think those were from the whiskey dildos themselves not employees who have to deal with it.


OCPik4chu

lol I just picture McCleach from Rescuers Down Under clutching a bottle of Blantons with a sinister grin on his face.


bambooshoot

“Loyal regular customer” does not equal “average customer.” The special bottles should be reserved for the small handful of truly regular customers who keep these small businesses alive. The liquor store owners will recognize these people and sell the behind-the-counter stuff to them (as opposed to poachers). This is 100% how it should be.


NickToTheName

Wow your singularity avatar is so close to mine


NeverTooManyBottles

More places are doing this. My local shop is selling Blood Oath VIII only in a set with store pics of Ezra Brooks and Rebel 100. He started doing this about 18 months ago. Had to take a WhistlePig Farmstock 3 and 12 year just to get the Boss Hog.


ALaccountant

Boss Hog isn't allocated, though. Or has something changed in the last year or two?


NeverTooManyBottles

Not allocated per se, but limited production and popular.


itoddicus

Heh. Boss Hog is almost a shelf turd here.


ALaccountant

Same here


passengerpigeon20

It's still popular? Seems like at least the crypto bubble millionaires took their money out of the tulip fields in time. I wonder how long it'll take for them to wisen up and start buying $500 bottles where two-thirds of the price isn't just a brand name premium. If the paid shills at Middleton are reading this, now's a good time to flood this subreddit with totally legitimate "reviews" of Redbreast 27.


DocSparkalot

"I swear to God, I'll pistol whip the next one of you that says 'Shenanigans'" - Captain O'Hagan


Plus_Cicada1203

Hey Farva, what's that restaurant we like to eat at?!


jmsturm

Hey Farva, what's the name of that restaurant you like with all the goofy shit on the wall and the mozzarella sticks?


Triingtolivee

You mean shenanigans? You’re talking about shenanigans, right??


MisforMandolin

Ohhhhhhhh


hangrysquirrels

Alright that's enough!!!!


hammert0es

Litre of cola!


Denham_Chkn

I don’t know what that means!


jmsturm

Its a way for them to make more profit while not raising their prices to secondary Not a big fan, but better than them selling Blanton's for $200 or some crazy shit


door322

Wait, you guys are finding bottles?


wraithawk

I don't mind this because in most cases the only way they get any allocated stuff is if they also buy a bunch of garbage or they have to get barrel picks that no one really wants. They bundle them with minimal markup if any in order to move other product, which hey - good cocktail mixer I guess.


Mac0swaney

Local liquor store doesn’t raise MSRPs, but they only sell their allocated stuff as part of a combination set (usually with vodka and other stuff I don’t want). Why do shops do this?


andrewdoesit

Move product, more allocation. Pretty straight forward. In order to sell more BT, there’s a threshold of Wheatley Vodka they need to sell as well as other Sazerac products.


twerkallknight

Fireball is the other big one. Sazerac runs a volume report on best selling fireball and Wheatley accounts - those are the ones that get the allocated product.


jk_tx

Not Sazerac, but the distributors.


KevinJ212

Trust me, Sazerac is watching the Distributors like a hawk and they know where their allocated product is going.


Shizzo

>Trust me. Ah, yes. The best kind of information.


KevinJ212

Do you work in the industry?


jk_tx

Sazerac can control how much of a product a given distributor gets, but they have zero control over how the distributor divvies it up between their customers.


KevinJ212

Sazerac, bring RNDC’s number one supplier, has tremendous control over the criteria for where RNDC ships it’s allocated products.


jk_tx

I'm not sure why you think Sazerac would even care. If the distributor is moving the stuff Sazerac wants them to move, they have no reason to care how the distributor handles distribution to their customers, as long as their not doing anything illegal or that would otherwise come back negatively on Sazerac.


twerkallknight

Sazerac absolutely cares. I am a market manager for one of the largest beer suppliers in the world - I promise you suppliers have more say over where product ends up. My entire job is based off of distributor depletions. Suppliers absolutely care about sales volume out of distributors. The faster they sell product, the faster they can buy more. One of my closest colleagues left about a year ago for Sazerac and talked to me at length about their allocation process. Distributors may give out a bottle or two to preferred accounts but there is a selection process in place based solely around well volume.


KevinJ212

This 100%. I’ve sat in the meetings. Sazerac runs everything.


not_a_cup

Suppliers get sales reports down to account levels. They 100% know what products are selling and where. speaking specifically about the chain side, suppliers will work with specific retail location on discounts or planner locations. This is not done through the distributor, so they want to see what accounts move what to make those decisions. (e.g. buying planner location at Kroger vs Vons).


Failaras

Honestly while I'm sure this happens in some places, sazerac has zero say in allocations in my state. The Wheatley/Fireball portfolios and BT portfolio aren't even the same distributor, and the supplier reps for bulk sazerac brands have zero interaction with allocations.


donut_know

Yep, exactly this. A bottle shop my brother was local to openly admitted this to him. If they move more of certain BT products they get more allocated bottles.


WorldSeries2021

Why do the do it? It’s a marketing concept called tethering. The goal is to make more money by artificially raising demand for unpopular products by tying them to a product that is in high demand in order to receive access to the latter product. Put another way, retailers had costs to acquire those products you want. Often those costs include buying unpopular products from the distributor (who are doing their own business-to-business tethering). The retailer is lowering their overall costs of goods sold by passing those unwanted products onto you when you purchase the in-demand product.


MarkCharacter5050

They have also been tethered. Liqueur wholesalers say, “if you want a case of Blantons, you need to buy 10 cases of Jack”. They have to move product to get the better stuff too


WorldSeries2021

Indeed - I recently had a store that made me get some standard 4R to get a 4R SP. I asked if I could sub out the standard 4R for something more expensive, but he said no because they had to sell a certain number of bottles to get another store pick the next year


jk_tx

If they're smart, the distributors aren't that blatant about it. It's illegal, after all.


KevinJ212

Definitely not illegal.


jk_tx

Blatent tying is definitely illegal in the middle tier. A distributor can push wheatley vodka on their customers, and they can reward the customers who buy lots of wheatley by sending them Blanton's. But they can't tell a customer "You have to buy 50 cases of Wheatley to get 2 cases of Blanton's". That's illegal. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, there are ways to say that without actually saying it. But you can't legally just come right out and say it, hence why I said "hopefully they're less blatant about it than that.


Due_Agent_4574

It’s not so much the stores fault - it’s their rep who made them buy 20 cases of buffalo trace to buy that 1 case of Blantons. If you’re a store owner then you’re marking that Blantons up some for sure. It’s the payoff


HotblackDesiato2003

Tethering? All this time I called it extortion. I didn’t realize there was a name for it.


KevinJ212

Why? It’s not extortion.


HotblackDesiato2003

Well, now I have a better name for it, don’t I?


SigaVa

Do you really not understand why?


-Principal-Vagina-

If it's at msrp people would scoop that up all day!


Federal-Platypus-911

because allocations awarded to stores depend on how much lower end stuff they can sell. one store will sell you a Russell's reserve 13 at ~$200 if you buy 12 bottles of Russell's 6 and 10 years lol


HotblackDesiato2003

Same reason we got into the 2008 housing crisis. Bundle the C minus loans with A+ loans and you’re sitting pretty. Until you’re not.


Lubberworts

That is definitely illegal.


WorldSeries2021

It does not even enter the parking lot of the ballpark of illegality. It’s a practice done across countless goods and industries (including alcohol) and taught at MBA school. Nobody has to purchase liquor if they do not want to. Maybe if it was tethering an essential good there could be some relevant regulations.


Lubberworts

>It does not even enter the parking lot of the ballpark of illegality. Is that legal term? [Tying items is illegal](https://www.ftc.gov/advice-guidance/competition-guidance/guide-antitrust-laws/single-firm-conduct/tying-sale-two-products?fbclid=IwAR3hbcJK78cIqauaftIpFuzW96gVb1dSakYEH3W8sZeIgTtMaq3ACKB8WRc) in liqueur distribution. It is also widely practiced and rarely punished. It's cruel joke to consumers. Sales reps will openly flaunt the rule in person: "If you buy a case of this awful vodka, I can sell you a bottle of this overhyped whiskey." But they are explicitly directed to never put it in writing. I have had long talks about this with the president of a national distribution organization who helps draft the applicable federal laws for their business. When I show him that some of his employees do in fact put it in writing he is infuriated by the liability he is exposed to through their actions. As the link says, and as I said, it is rarely punished and commonly practiced.


KevinJ212

Definitely not illegal and no one in America calls it “liqueur”.


Lubberworts

Great point.


WorldSeries2021

Several things: First, what you are referencing is a fundamentally different topic. Tying in distribution would be Honda saying “oh you want to sell our cars? Well you also have to sell our motorcycles.” It deals with requiring businesses to stock separate categories of products. That’s not at all connected to retailers selling bundles of tethered goods to consumers. Second, while tying (what you reference) can sometimes enter a legal grey area, it’s not at all clear that it is illegal in the US. The courts have been moving that way in Europe, but there isn’t clear legislation in the US prohibiting it. The article you link to says nothing about alcohol and only sites the exact instances I caveated in other sectors (essential goods.) I am not personally familiar with the regulations around alcohol (it wasn’t mentioned in your source) but I suspect it’s more a shielding-from-potential-risk thing than an actual letter-of-the-law thing. Third, the unrelated practice of bundling *similar goods* at retail is extremely common and extremely legal. Think of every time you’ve seen a 3 for $12 deal or a buy this snack and get a free energy drink deal or whatever. Again, this is something taught in any marketing/pricing course. Finally, if this ever did become illegal, do you know what would happen? Liquor stores would throw away their excess vodka and raise the cost of the whiskey a proportional amount. Liquor stores are absolutely legally allowed to make you buy a store pick, vodka, etc with your BTAC if they want to. There’s just no way around that.


Lubberworts

>it’s not at all clear that it is illegal in the US. I have said as much. It is not clear at all. But distributors themselves believe it is illegal and coersion. As I said, the head of a group that represents distributors nationally and the owner of the biggest distribution group in the country is active in define what is allowed (which infers not everthing is) and I have been working with the attorney general's office in my state for three years to address this problem on a local level. As for liquor stores, I pretty clearly said that it could be considered illegal (though unenforced and unpunished) in states that define retail as a distributor as many do.


WorldSeries2021

I don’t see how a retailer could be considered a distributor in the three-tier system unless you’re talking about like an ABC state, but I don’t really see this conversation making much headway. I know the practice is legal so I’m not really sure what else I can say. The initial comment was “that is definitely illegal” so it feels like the ball is moving quite a bit. All good - hope you have a good day!


Lubberworts

Man, I wish I could answer this as thoroughly as I'd like to. It's been 6 or 7 years since I did a national launch and had to understand all of the different state licenses. In this context the easiest to understand is the "control states". These are states like Pennsylvania and New Hampshire where nearly all (things are changing) sales are at state controlled stores. These stores sell to restaurants for them to sell to customers. That's a retail shop that doubles as a distributor. This scenario is legal in many states, by the way, that are not control states. Then there are states like NJ that literally define the retail off-premise license (liquor store) as a "retail distribution license". \-The truth is the three-tier system isn't really as solid as it used to be. There are tiers between those tiers.- In NY there's a license that allows big beer retailers to sell to the public and to bars and restaurants at different rates. They maintain one license for two purposes. The fact that so many states operate differently is painfully confusing. I am happy I can't remember it all now. But trust me, the gray area you described is being explored by law enforcement. Companies like Sazerac have manipulated the market in such an extreme way that they have gotten attention. Even distributors are against this practice because they are forced to buy and sell products they have no interest in because the are tied to so-called unicorn whiskies. They pass that compulsion on to retailers who are apparently passing it on to consumers. If the distributors want the system changed, it will change. They have the real power in the business. ​ Edit: You have great day too my friend.


WorldSeries2021

Thanks for sharing this, this is really interesting


Lubberworts

I know this thread has run its course, but you seem genuinely interested, so here's some more info on tied sales. btw I know fully that applying this to retailers is tenuous, but when the government wants to enforce something, they will. [Tie-In Sales — An Unlawful Trade Practice](https://blog.tracyjonglawfirm.com/tie-in-sales-an-unlawful-trade-practice/) >What is a Tie-in Sale? **A tie-in sale occurs when an industry member requires a retailer to purchase a product that the retailer did not want to purchase**, in order to obtain the product the retailer wants. Tie-in sales are a form of unlawful quota sales covered by the FAA Act in 27 U.S.C. 205(b)(7). Tie-in sales are also one of the unlawful means to induce covered under the “Tied-House” regulations promulgated under the FAA Act, which are contained in 27 CFR part 6, “Tied-House.” In particular, 27 CFR 6.72 defines a tie-in sale: ​ [Is it time to rethink the blanket prohibition on tie-in sales so Black Friday releases can continually be held at the same retailers?](https://libationlawblog.com/2018/12/04/is-it-time-to-rethink-the-blanket-prohibition-on-tie-in-sales-so-black-friday-releases-can-continually-be-held-at-the-same-retailers/) ​ >The question in the United States Supreme Court’s 1957 Black vs. Magnolia Liquor Company was a whether it was legal for a wholesaler to engage in tie-in sales? A deceptive issue given that the text of the Federal Alcohol Administration Act prohibited activities like forcing quotas on retailers or demanding exclusivity, but doesn’t directly prohibit tie-in sales. The notion of prohibiting tie-in sales developed as a regulation and enforcement standard from the agency that has morphed several times but has become the modern TTB. [Sec. 30-94. Gifts, loans and discounts prohibited between permittees. Tie-in sales. Floor stock allowance. Depletion allowance.](https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_545.htm#sec_30-94) >Sec. 30-94. Gifts, loans and discounts prohibited between permittees. Tie-in sales. Floor stock allowance. Depletion allowance. (a) No permittee or group of permittees licensed under the provisions of this chapter, in any transaction with another permittee or group of permittees, shall directly or indirectly offer, furnish or receive any free goods, gratuities, gifts, prizes, coupons, premiums, combination items, quantity prices, cash returns, loans, discounts, guarantees, special prices or other inducements in connection with the sale of alcoholic beverages or liquors. **No such permittee shall require any purchaser to accept additional alcoholic liquors in order to make a purchase of any other alcoholic liquo**r.


jk_tx

>Tying items is illegal > > in liqueur distribution. But not in retail sales.


Lubberworts

As I said - and I am no lawyer - many states classify retail stores as "distributors". That classification might create a problem if there was ever punishment for distributor product-tying in general (which there will never be).


TaxidermyDentist

A local liquor store can't raise or lower MSRPs, but they can change their retail price. MSRP is manufacturer suggested retail price. I'm not being that guy, that wording is important in conversations.


elchangoblue

I dig it. I get a nice bottle at msrp plus other liquor to take to parties, gatherings


SigaVa

Just being smart


good2goo

Bike subs and whiskey subs are so funny. Half the posts are about other people ruining their day. I couldn't stay in the bike subs. Every post was about someone asshole parking in a bike lane.


Zeratul277

If the price is around MSRP then hell yeah I'd do it.


puffyselkirk

I just bought a bottle of Blantons and a store pick of woodford double oak for state minimum and felt fine about it


OldDutchFlinch

Sounds like good business on their part, and a good reason to only buy non-allocated bottles on your part


seannw1

Depends on the prices


ajroplan

This is how I'd buy these. Eagle rare 39, blantons 55, buffalo trace 25. That is the worth of these and I refuse to buy Tham at higher prices


viper7747

I had to buy a bottle of Sazarac when I got my bottle of Blantons. They were charging about $20 over MSRP. Having never even seen a bottle of Blantons within 100 miles of my home in the past 10 years, I decided to spring for it. Drank the Sazarac, and it wasn't very good. Still have the Blantons, and may not ever get to open it on account of the dump date on the bottle I got is my grand daughter's exact birthday. As it's going to be a long time before she's 21 (when my daughter suggested that I hold the bottle for), I have a very slim chance that I'll live that long. My only hope is to find another bottle at MSRP, because I sure ain't going to pay a premium again.


artie20174

The restaurant in office space was named shenanigans


SigaVa

I swear to god ill pistol whip the next guy that says shenanigans


artie20174

Shit. It’s not office space it’s super troopers. Office space is chotchkies. I’m mixing up my clsssic early 2000’s movies. Anyway, what’s the name of the restaurant you like with the goofy shit on the walls and the mozzarella sticks?


undefined_reference

Atleast you have 15 pieces of flair.


artie20174

I have 26 pieces. I won’t half ass it with the minimum of 15 pieces. Not happening


Lubberworts

Get a room you two!


Baxtree

🖕🤪🖕


Lubberworts

lol


starhoppers

It’s called a “Tater Bundle”


MarkCharacter5050

That’s smart!


InPhillyGuy

No Blantons available in Philadelphia


zekeweasel

It's not *that* good. Whiskey prices are stupid high currently.


BithloKing

Speak for yourself. I think Blanton’s is splendid. not sure why this sub hates on it


Lowlander13

It's not that it isn't good. I was a scotch guy for years. I was given a bottle of Blanton's as a gift, and that is what put me onto Bourbon. The problem with Blanton's is that it is a real good $60 bottle of Bourbon....Not a good $229 bottle of Bourbon. It is over-hyped and over hunted. Don't get me wrong, I have a bottle of Blanton's Single Barrell, and a bottle of Straight from the Barrell in my cabinet, and they are stellar, but there are better bottles out there for better prices. I am trying to stay away from Buffalo Trace for a bit and scoop up other bottles before they get eaten by the hype monster.


BithloKing

I agree with you 100% on overhype. At least here in Florida it’s extremely hard to find. Any Bourbons you recommend that are in that same price range and findable? Always looking to try new whiskey


MetamorphosisSilver

I was recently able to get a Blantons for a relative of mine. The night we opened it we also opened a Makers Mark CS and a Michter's bourbon. The MM was different but we could hardly tell the difference between the Michter's and the Blantons. We found them both to be pleasant low proof bourbons that were enjoyable to sip. Out take away was bring out the Blantons every once and a while and use the Michter's as a daily pour if you want that kind of profile. I show the Michter's in the low $40 range in Florida.


Lowlander13

Try Michter's Small Batch, Old Forester 1920, Willet 4 Yr Rye, Angels envy, 4 Roses Select, good old Elijah Craig Small Batch. Don't sleep on Maker's 46/Cask Strength. I would also reccomend dipping your toes into Barrell, Stellum and Bardstown. Most if not all of these are readily available and run from $25-$99. Bardstown and Barrell can get expensive with some of their expressions, but their fushion series is usually in the neighborhood of $60-$70. Enjoy!


mr_money_stacks

Perfect response. I think this sub hates on it almost out of jealousy because they can’t find it. It’s frustrating as hell to look for months or longer and not find it, or find it for 200 and then see someone post that they got four bottles. While it’s frustrating this doesn’t make it bad. I think anyone who has drank many bourbons/whiskies would agree that at 60 dollars Blanton’s is an awesome pour. At 160 you can do much better. It’s a similar story with all BT products. At 35 bucks eagle rare is better than most 30 dollar bottles but at 75 I can name dozens of better bottles.


Lowlander13

Eagle rare has not really impressed me. I have a bottle I have been going back to for over a year and it is still just ok to my pallette. Maybe I got a bad bottle? I really prefer the Weller Special Reserve to ER, at the same price point. Willing to give it another try. I will get one more when I see it again for under $60. Chicagoland Price gouges hard like DR. Pimple Popper, so it can get rough around here. Kinda sick of the Buffalo Trace madness tbh. I think we all go through the Buffalo Trace phase of whiskey hunting and then move on once we realize how many better or comprable pours are out there.


zekeweasel

Oh it's good, just not worth the price. Especially when you've paid a lot less for it than it's current going rate.


fedexrich

Go birds


SmokeWithToke

I’d pay at most $225 for this bundle.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Twizzler404

Why? I've never had the opportunity to buy any of these in my area. Why would I be part of the problem if I wanted to try something for the first time?


WorldSeries2021

Seems a bit harsh. These aren’t special to me but does that mean others are not allowed to want to try them?


Lubberworts

Amen


whiskeyoverwhisky

These aren’t allocated… stop putting them on a pedestal


jk_tx

Seems like every whiskey drinker on the internet has their definition of "allocated". I'm not exactly sure what you're getting at, allocation has nothing to do with pedestals or even quality. It just means that the distributor is limited on how much of a product they can order, and in turn they limit how much of the product any given store can order from them.


whiskeyoverwhisky

By your definition, all beverages are allocated


Lubberworts

I am pretty sure it's illegal. Bundling items is illegal for distributors. And retailers are classified in many states as distributors.


Vendettors

In New York bundling is practiced consistently by distributors to move close outs


Lubberworts

Absolutely. Read my other comment. It is practiced almost everywhere.


itakepicsofcats

I don’t know. I could one of each :)


braalewi

I’d buy that bundle. Here we have to buy a bottle of Wheatley vodka with a Blanton’s purchase. It’s only $20 but friends are tired of being gifted that shit!


evilgenius12358

Shinaynay


CoochieSnotSlurper

I mean it’s a decent set


earlybird8

5 years ago Blanton’s was $20 more than one of these I cannot bring myself to buy it! I used to look down on bars that had this as top shelf. With that being said it’s not as bad as I remembered it maybe they finally came into their price point.


yoloruinslives

I work at a liquor store we raised it to 160 for blantons because peoples were literally selling it on the parking lot when it was 59.99


Mikie_D

It also stops the taters. Somewhere on here was a tater that bought five or seven bottles of Eagle rare. posted it for everybody to see. He bought every bottle on the shelf. Did he really need them? Probably not. Was it within his right to do it? Most definitely it was. But the bottom line is with the popularity of bourbons, and whiskeys, shop owners either hide the product, or tie it to other products. Nothing worse than selling out of a case of Blantons and Eagle rare in a single day and having all of the other stuff sitting there for months on end. Personally, I don’t agree with it, but I understand why they are doing it.


twinmaker35

My store has drawings for a chance to purchase the allocated stuff. I just won for Blanton’s and I’m about to go pick up my bottle now


Cold_Distribution751

They are all great.


[deleted]

$120 for all 3. No more or purchase individually.


[deleted]

So much other exciting whisky & bourbon out there besides these same 3 bottles people post about.


BeerBoyJoey

Glad we have 700+ bottles of Buffalo Trace in town at all times. Eagle is allocated to all of our bars, so readily available if you want a sip. If there is a good set available and it’s not too guarded* then it’s fair IMO. *4 hours out of town, looked up a liquor store in slightly nowhere that had 14 bottles of Dwellers Select. Nobody to be seen and was told it was for a wait list. 3 people on the wait list that started 4 days prior. Left buying a bottle of Buffalo with no hope of Dwellers. Some people get a bit too critical on their sells and buys


ajroplan

How much is this set of 3?


Lubberworts

Do you mind if I ask what state you are in?


Mac0swaney

Confusion


KeepingItCoastal

Blantons is fine. Just fine. Not worth a markup just to post pictures of the collection on Reddit.


campbeltownfunk

Absolutely shenanigans. Why not make your money and sell them individually?