I have a huge liquor supplier in my AO, so my odds of getting rare bottles at MSRP is probably much higher than the average poster here. What should I be on the hunt for?


Eagle rare
PVW
Blanton’s
Bookers
Buffalo Trace

What else? What’s a good price for these? I’m in it for me, but I could be persuaded to EE some to brothers in need if I find a deal.


Went on a mission to find some Basil Hayden Caribbean rye only to find it had been discontinued long ago- so glad I enjoyed my last glass. I asked the manager if he had any Blanton’s having no idea it had become so hard to find. Guess I’m living in a tunnel. Surprised he didn’t laugh at me.

Pappy Van Winkle.

I always search but never can find Eagle rare

Anything Weller or Van Winkle. Any E H Taylor. Elmer T Lee. George T Stagg. Some of the Elijah Craig, 18 year old and barrel proof. Old Fitzgerald and Parker Heritage. Wild Turkey Masters Keep.

I’ve never seen a PVW but Bookers and Buffalo trace are nearly always in stock if I recall correctly.

Hudson’s Baby Bourbon.  If you see it but every bottle you can find.

There’s two entire aisles of tequilas at this place. What are you looking for? This company hosts a tequila tasting every year with like 8,000 attendees or something. I did it one time and everybody crawled out.

Come to CO, it’s all over down here

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Used to see it regularly in AZ and CO. Can’t hardly find it anywhere these days.....same with G4.

I’d love to find either Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend or Starlight Cigar blend

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One man's gourmet is another man's garbage.
Read the reviews and then decide for yourself. And try tasting it for yourself.

If EVERYONE absolutely hates it, that's one thing. But if not, try it for yourself.
Especially if you can get a pour of it for yourself. Hypothetical: You can get a pour of Pappy 23
for a reasonable price. You do it and find that it is absolutely revolting. This doesn't mean it is bad, just that it is bad to YOU.
Pass on it. To each his own. We do not have the same tastes, so if you don't like it move on to something you do.
Don't let others dictate what you "should" and "should not" like. Ask for opinions and other perspectives, but
in the end it is up to you.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE?  Drink it and be happy.

While that’s all great advice, and you’re 100% right, this thread is purely for demand and price research. If I can snag a hard to find bottle I want to. If I can snag a hard to find bottle that might be hard for another member to acquire at a good price and share it with them, all the better.

I’m all about paying it forward. You cover shipping and I’ll mail you anything that’s available to me. And from the looks of a lot of the discussions here, I can probably get ahold of a lot more stuff than the average arfcommer in a small town or limited market.


I’m also trying avoid being in a situation like this Blanton’s bullshit, where a once affordable and prevalent whiskey has become unobtainium and expensive.

My favorite I can't find is Stagg Jr. Now it is just called Stagg. Sure, if you want to pay $350 a bottle you can find it, but not for retail. It is freakishly non burning super high proof whiskey and one of the best tasting super high proofs I have ever had. Great flavors and little burn. One of the few things I WOULD drop $200 for a bottle of.

I got to buy a Blanton's Single Barrel store barrel pick from Total Wine for $69 as a consolation prize from Total Wine after I did not win multiple quarterly drawings for rare whiskey. It is totally worth that, but not the $200-250 a bottle scalpers want. Maybe $100... maybe. You could certainly resell a $100 bottle of Blantons for more.

If you find a bottle of Japanese Habiki Harmony for under $95 and you like unpeated Scotch, I would TOTALLY pick one up to try even at almost $100 a bottle. It is NOT in most liquor stores but not allocated either. It is so pretty and delicate and sweet, but more Scotch flavored than other whiskeys. It is only 80 proof but my favorite neat pour. It won't sell for ore than you bought it for, but it is AMAZING to me.

I think EH Taylor is about equal to Eagle Rare with a small nod the EH Taylor if you like the spice note over that Eagle Rare funk note. They are just different. Neither is worth $100+ scalpers want to charge.

Any Weller that is not green label. I really like the red label 107. You won't find these anywhere for a reasonable price though. If you do, buy em all.

Regular Buffalo Trace is NOT worth buying IMO. The fact it is sought after is a joke to me. It is just low end whiskey. It is like a young hot unrefined Eagle Rare and has all the negatives of a Buffalo Trace product with none of the positives of the better products.

Are you looking to make a profit or experience good Whiskey? There is a LOT of non allocated stuff to reccomend. The allocated stuff will all be gone in 24 hours if it hits shelves, will be sold at stupid markups, or reserved for the best customers of stores. You won't just randomly find anything rare sitting on a shelf at normal retail pricing at a local liquor store. Those days are LONG gone. Like a decade or more gone.

For a reasonable price non allocated bourbon, try a Longbranch 8 year or a Forester 1910. For a cheaper whiskey, try a 1792 small batch if you like spice. For a rareish bourbon you MIGHT find on shelves is Elijah Craig Barrel Proof version.

Great list and summary, thank you.
Looking to try good whiskey, not make a profit. If ever I were to ship something to someone I’d buy one for myself too to see what made it worth the effort.

Ive had some luck finding blantons at walmart..just search their website from time to time and it will tell you if its in stock at a store nearby..they usually just put it on the shelf when the day stockers get to it

Hmm can’t even find it in their website.

The website will only list it if it's in stock in their system. Only one out of two walmarts in town get some of the buffalo trace products for whatever reason...if your ever in there a day workers are stocking liquor search for it on that day each week and it might pop up if they received any

found today


https://i.ibb.co/CwMMcdr/20221230-074109.jpg

Saw one of my unicorn bottles in the wild today. No way I’m dropping $400 on it though

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My wife and I have had some decent luck on the less allocated stuff such as Blanton's, ER, EHT Small Batch, Weller SR, Etc... Even got a Old Rip Van Winkle between retail and secondary pricing.

That being said it seems like for the most part the really allocated stuff is nearly impossible to get. Blanton's SFTB, Blanton's Gold - forget it. Pappy - no way. BTAC Nope, even STAGG JR is impossible for us. I wish I could find someone to trade me some hard to find stuff for ammo.... I have a ton of ammo but want more bourbon lol.

Nelsons Greenbriar is one flying under the radar right now , it's a steal at $25 in my AO

Four Roses Single Barrel  is great as well

These aren't the exotic over-hyped whiskeys, but they are great at a good price.

I see someone added Old Fitzgerald, that is one of my all-time favorites but it is extremely hard to find

eta:

For Scotch:
Dalwhinnie 15  (not peated)

Anything from Dalmore  (not peated)

I can find Buffalo Trace all day... for >$50 which is way overpriced for what I consider a subpar bourbon.can't find Forester 1910 or 1920 anywhere.  I really enjoyed the 1792 barrel proof I picked up.

Harmony is very easy to find around here.  Usually ~$90.  I try to keep a bottle on hand for that random time I want something other than bourbon.

I do not know how they schedule their releases, but last week a local store got in a single case of Four Roses single barrel barrel strength (OBSF. I believe it was). I try and buy at least one at MSRP whichever recipe it is when I see them. The ones I’ve had are fantastic, albeit on the sweet side. But I like that profile.

This, Va had a lottery for 35 bottles and thousands of entries.

They had cases of this stuff in Snow Lake, Manitoba.  One liquor store in a very remote area in Canada.  Safe to say, there’s a lot of it in distribution.

Not sure where you are, but that stuff is like mad dog 20/20 around me. Everyone has it on the shelf….


I just got some Heaven Hill BIB. I’m told it is hard to find???

Lots of hype in my opinion. I have had better at the price of an entire bottle as opposed to one pour.

My hands down favorite however, is Weller Full Proof. I would pay a fair amount, or meet you behind a dumpster to “pay” for a bottle of that!

I wasn't knocking it, as I have never had it. I just meant it is readily available.