So my wife decided that she is going to start buying up alcohol for barter/trading.  I've never really thought about this much so she asked me to pose a few questions to you guys.

1) what kinds of stuff to prep?  Just the common vodka, whisky brands or anything special? Any advantage to stocking stuff other than the mainstream basics?

2)quantity? She's getting airplane bottles right now.  Mainly just throwing a few in her basket at the grocery store but is there advanced of getting a few bottles in the 750 size? Something like the difference between a 5 and a 50 bill.

3) is there any precedence set for how this kind of barter has worked in the past? I'm not aware of any.

3) any chance you guys could could convince her to toss in a few bottles of Macallan 18 single malt?

Major, easily recognizable brands in fifth bottles.

Prep expensive wines, to barter with (formerly) rich people's housewives.  

Cheap vodka = best buy & most liked.  "Heaven Hill" Vodka is highly rated and inexpensive.  And if things go South, at least you can party till you drop!

I'd go with this.  The cheapest decent brand of vodka (Kirtland's best from Costco) in 1.75L glass bottles.  That shit will be good for decades if not centuries, and it's good for cleaning, medicinal use, and running your car in a pinch.

+1 on the single malt scotch!  I'd be buying it myself, if the wifey isn't going to!

Other than that, I go with the commonly used stuff that most people drink. Add to that some Everclear grain alcohol. It can be drank, and has other uses as well!

Gotta remember the danger though. Getting drunk can be dangerous in a SHTF situation, as judgement is affected both for you, or whomever gets it from you...................

10 pints each of the cheapest glass bottled variety of bourbon, tequila, gin and vodka for barter with drunks an medicinal uses.
the person willing to barter, food, meds, ammo etc for liquor is an idiot and dangerous to deal with when the first pints gone
and they come back to the trough for more..drunk and gunned up..

2 quarts of name brand glass bottles of the above plus scotch for serious barter

2 quarts each of what ever you and who you know will drink of the above with a good scotch thrown in
if you drink, know your consumption per week and stock that much  for how many weeks you're prepping for.

Evan Williams is a quality bourbon whiskey that goes cheap at least in my parts.  I actually like it better than jack. I know people like glass bottles for longevity but they break easy.  I usually buy my liquor in plastic whenever possible, but I rotate often :-)

I just finished clening up to move again, you know what I learned? If you're a very careful person with your expenses like I am, then only 50% of the "stuff" in your house you could have easily done without (for a shopaholic or hoarded it could be as  much as 90%) and put the money into something else. Save it. Buy precious metal, but avoid "junk". (Junk being what you buy and end up not using for yearas to come + if yo try to resell it you can hardly get 1/4 of what you paid for it.
I think stocking up booze for trade after SHTF is a masive waste of time and money.
FerFAL

Have to agree on the Evan Williams. Not all that cheap in my AO, but good bourbon. Have to concur on the quick rotation of stock

 
This. If you must...just buy a simple home distillery kit and some consumables.

I don't really think booze is a great prep either - it would be more of a luxury item in the long term.  

Short term, most people will have access to booze.  In a true SHTF scenario I believe people will be trying to survive in the long term, not trying to figure out how to get hammered.  Those that are set for food will have the time to figure out how to make something so they can get hammered.

But if I were a booze hoarder, I'd probably go with some rotgut vodka. If someone is so freaking desperate for a drink, they'll drink anything.  Or I'd just have a still on stand-by.

Having a stock of alcohol is a good thing, someone else knowing it isn't. Before painkillers became available setting a broken arm or leg, dental work, and minor surgery were all done with booze. Sometimes with the doctor and the patient getting equal amounts. If I was bartering any it would be in airline bottles, the use bottles would be gallons, having the ability to distill booze is a good thing, the same equipment will sterilize and distill drinking water. Corn can be planted with the same seeds that you make into whiskey. I would recommend waiting till you have a harvest of corn (or any grain that you can use to distill) in the drying stage before you start making shine. Sugar, yeast, and hoppes are going to be the hard to come by items.

Sugar beets might be an option too, beets seeds aren't too large but yield a good crop if everything goes well and only require yeast to make hooch. K

cheap vodka in fifths, i get a bottle to store along with my good shit.

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Learn how to make alcohol stoves.


Buying cheap booze is only good if you consume it yourself.

I feel like people make the mistake of buying small bottles appropriate for bartering. It's much cheaper in the 1.75l bottles.

If you ever have a need to be bartering liquor, I'm sure bourbon in a disposable water bottle will be fine for trading.

As far as vodka goes, my one observation is that moonshine is already prevalent and when cut with water, will equate pretty well with vodka. I think having some aged spirits like rum or bourbon will have greater value since they are a lot harder to diy.

I agree.  The stupid little airline bottles are massively expensive (per volume) and barely contain enough to be useful for any task, including catching a buzz.

Good plan.

This isn't really part of my preps, though I do buy semi-bulk of what I drink and could trade that in a pinch.  For trade purposes I would not buy less than a pint -- an airplane bottle won't give anyone a buzz, which is the purpose unless you buy high proof for sterilizing stuff.

We are just  going to dig out the old copper   and make some mash.    

Stockpile ever clear, you can dilute the crap out of it and virtually double your quantity and it would be extremely strong. Plus you could make mixed drinks.

I second running stoves off of it too. Best solution in my opinion, other than firing up a still :)  why do you think I studied chemistry and chemical engineering ;)

When the eastern seaboard black out hit I used a few bottles of booze to feed me for a day and a half (ate like a king too!), gain access to a pool party with some hotties, and make enough money to replace it a few days later.

Short term, people may or may not have what they want.  Not everyone keeps a few bottle of booze on hand, but they might appreciate some.  It's not like it's going to spoil, so I make sure I stay well stocked.  It also doesn;t suck warm, like beer!

1- Store a few hundred pounds of sugar in sealed 5 gal buckets. It's good to have for emergencies.
2- Build or buy a device to make distilled water in large quantities. You'll need distilled water to iron clothes, add it to a battery etc.
3- buy a few cases of cheap vodka or whiskey, in glass bottles only. Store it in a cool dry place. 1/2 liter size is probably the best choice. Don't waste money on small sample bottles unless you plan to use them as Christmas tree decorations.

Alcohol is one of the most needed items in prolonged SHTF situations. People will pay (or barter)  premium for a bottle of alcohol.

I had a "privilege" to live through the collapse of the Soviet Union. I was attending an engineering school during days and had a small automotive shop where I spent most evenings and weekends working on cars. Business was going very well. I had more customers than time to fix their cars. Money was loosing value every day and bartering was very common. I often got paid in alcohol for my work. There were always several boxes of vodka in my shop. I did not drink it but used it to obtain gasoline, food, services etc. Heck, I even carried several bottles in my car to bribe police ( police were worse than bandits back then). Alcohol was, in a way, more valuable than precious metals. It's sad but drinking helps to temporary forget about all the problems. This is why alcohol consumption always increases during hard times.
My grandfather had a still. Making moonshine was illegal back then. He made a still out of common household items that could be disassembled quickly and no one would find any evidence. I still remember his "beer" recipes. He used sugar and tomato paste to make moonshine that tasted just like good whiskey.

I haven't looked at price per ml, but I think the pint or 375ml would be a good size. It would be easy to transport, yet enough for someone to get soused, if that is their goal.
The minis are too small, IMO.

Even in a total SHTF there will still be a demand for "the good stuff": good wine, finer liquors, coffee, chocolate,etc. I would rather deal with those people than those desperate for a drink.   In addition, it's easier for non-drinkers to rotate.  For the alcoholics, you could stock cheap 5ths of Vodka for them, but again I don't see why you would want to deal with desperate people in desperate times.

I thought most unopened alcohols in glass lasted indefinitely. Once open however, oxygen becomes an enemy. Is this not true?

Don't buy airplane bottles as was already said, it is outrageously expensive per volume.  I would buy the normal 750ml bottles on sale if I wanted to store it, or ask the store about a discount for buying a case (6-8 bottles) at a time.  Personally, I would go with mid-tier brands, especially vodka, as during/post SHTF most people are just wanting the buzz and won't be really picky about what kind.  I would stock vodka, rum, some gin, whiskey, leave the specialty stuff like low-alcohol mixers and such.

Actually, if you don't know a lot about alcohol, it might be best to put your money somewhere else in your preps.

I always keep a couple handles of rum on hand.  I drink it often though so

When it hits I will probably want to keep the beverages for myself.  

Glass bottles only , but also Metal or Cork caps.
The plastic caps on glass bottles are a weak point and will split after about 10 years of storage even inside your home.
Sad day when I found 6 1.5L bottles of Old Forrester in glass bottles empty after storage of 8-10 years inside a house closet.
All 6 bottles has the plastic seal split in half and the plastic cap split top to bottom.

for sub $200 you can put up numerous pints of assorted "bar brand" liquors


a pint may be worth an antibiotic scrip to your grandchildren

Everclear.  And learn how to still.

1/2 Everclear 1/2 water equals 90proof vodka, remember ;)