USA Bargains

[bebdo]

shipped Glenmorangie Signet @ 150/- (with shipped) to my cousin in NY from ShoppersVineyard NJ

can't wait to pick a trip down south!

[bebdo]

excuse my grammar in previous post ... had too much to drink!!!

[Zunak]

Good news Bebdo and Canucklehead. Received a couple more Laph 18's today so thought I'd let the rest of you in on the deal (I've known about this for about 3 weeks now but had to make sure I had mine first ). No longer necessary to travel to Penn. to get these cheap. The Duty Free Americas now carry the 700ml bottles for $59 same price as Penn but no additional tax. If you have a discount card then you can get it for 10% cheaper. This means that those of us near borders (Nabil..DBK) can actually cross over, buy one, drive back and pay duty for around the price of a Laga 12 a savings of about $65.

[Nabil]

Good news Bebdo and Canucklehead. Received a couple more Laph 18's today so thought I'd let the rest of you in on the deal (I've known about this for about 3 weeks now but had to make sure I had mine first ). No longer necessary to travel to Penn. to get these cheap. The Duty Free Americas now carry the 700ml bottles for $59 same price as Penn but no additional tax. If you have a discount card then you can get it for 10% cheaper. This means that those of us near borders (Nabil..DBK) can actually cross over, buy one, drive back and pay duty for around the price of a Laga 12 a savings of about $65.

Brilliant! I'm going down to Florida for the March Break. Will pick one up on my way back on the NY side! Thanks Zunak!

[bebdo]

thanks zunak, that's good to know!
I'm currently enjoying Laga 12 (which I picked up at the LCBO) and see it's on sale at Astor Wine for $60. And they have free shipping over $150 within NY state. Let me see - Springbank 15 @ $80 and maybe Laddie 10 @ $51
Anyone here use them?

[dbk]

Good news Bebdo and Canucklehead. Received a couple more Laph 18's today so thought I'd let the rest of you in on the deal (I've known about this for about 3 weeks now but had to make sure I had mine first ). No longer necessary to travel to Penn. to get these cheap. The Duty Free Americas now carry the 700ml bottles for $59 same price as Penn but no additional tax. If you have a discount card then you can get it for 10% cheaper. This means that those of us near borders (Nabil..DBK) can actually cross over, buy one, drive back and pay duty for around the price of a Laga 12 a savings of about $65.

Wow, Zunak, that's great! Thanks for letting us know about it! I've been meaning to make a trek down to Watertown and/or Buffalo for a while now... 'Tis the time, methinks! (Sorry, unlike bedbo, I can't claim that too much drink caused me to write that last bit.)

[Zunak]

Good news Bebdo and Canucklehead. Received a couple more Laph 18's today so thought I'd let the rest of you in on the deal (I've known about this for about 3 weeks now but had to make sure I had mine first ). No longer necessary to travel to Penn. to get these cheap. The Duty Free Americas now carry the 700ml bottles for $59 same price as Penn but no additional tax. If you have a discount card then you can get it for 10% cheaper. This means that those of us near borders (Nabil..DBK) can actually cross over, buy one, drive back and pay duty for around the price of a Laga 12 a savings of about $65.

Wow, Zunak, that's great! Thanks for letting us know about it! I've been meaning to make a trek down to Watertown and/or Buffalo for a while now... 'Tis the time, methinks! (Sorry, unlike bedbo, I can't claim that too much drink caused me to write that last bit.)

Glad to be of service. I almost have more of these than I know what to do with (notice I said almost...). Hope to see you down this way again dbk. Contact me before you come and we'll make another road trip.

[Zunak]

Heading to the states for a 48 soon. Any suggestions on a great value to bring back? I know the "best" value out there is the Laph 18 but I just got another 3 in the last week so I'm looking for something different. Ardbeg 10 is also a good one from the Duty Free. I may pick up some American whisky. I'll check and post prices if anyone wants me to look for something specific.

[Mr Tattie Heid]

Heading to the states for a 48 soon.

Heh, new connotation for "the lower 48"....

[Pudge72]

Heading to the states for a 48 soon. Any suggestions on a great value to bring back? I know the "best" value out there is the Laph 18 but I just got another 3 in the last week so I'm looking for something different. Ardbeg 10 is also a good one from the Duty Free. I may pick up some American whisky. I'll check and post prices if anyone wants me to look for something specific.

If your travelling to the Cincinnati area, check The Party Source in Kentucky, on the other side of the Ohio river.

[Smithford]

I may pick up some American whisky.

Depending on where you go shopping, you may be hitting stores just in time for the spring Pappy allocation. Maybe you'll get lucky and spot a Pappy 20. Failing that, you could grab some Weller, either the Special Reserve or the Old Weller Antique. Both are very reasonably priced and delicious, neither containing any of that pesky rye grain that I know you prefer to avoid.

[Zunak]

I may pick up some American whisky.

Depending on where you go shopping, you may be hitting stores just in time for the spring Pappy allocation. Maybe you'll get lucky and spot a Pappy 20. Failing that, you could grab some Weller, either the Special Reserve or the Old Weller Antique. Both are very reasonably priced and delicious, neither containing any of that pesky rye grain that I know you prefer to avoid.

I am considering another William Larue Weller. It is the finest Bourbon I have tasted by a long shot. I'm also going to look for another Pappy 15. I haven't tasted mine yet but I have great expectations of it and should pick up another before they are gone completely. On the rye front, in my defence I do have a Handy that I haven't opened yet. Apart from the Stagg is there anything else that you feel would sit comfortably in the aforementioned company? I'm not looking for "bargain" whisky's that have bang for the buck. I do not drink American on a regular basis so have no need to fill this niche. I hands down prefer Scotch to American Whisky so it takes something unique and different to turn my head. I'm really only after the best offerings in the American whisky genre. So any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Feel free to chime in also DBK, your suggestion of the WLW was spot on.

[dbk]

I am considering another William Larue Weller. It is the finest Bourbon I have tasted by a long shot. I'm also going to look for another Pappy 15. I haven't tasted mine yet but I have great expectations of it and should pick up another before they are gone completely. On the rye front, in my defence I do have a Handy that I haven't opened yet. Apart from the Stagg is there anything else that you feel would sit comfortably in the aforementioned company? I'm not looking for "bargain" whisky's that have bang for the buck. I do not drink American on a regular basis so have no need to fill this niche. I hands down prefer Scotch to American Whisky so it takes something unique and different to turn my head. I'm really only after the best offerings in the American whisky genre. So any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Feel free to chime in also DBK, your suggestion of the WLW was spot on.

Zunak, we are definitely in need of another cross-border trip together! I'm hoping it isn't too far off in the future. If it makes you feel better, though, I haven't crossed the border via Kingston since I moved out this way... I've been faithful, I swear! That said, Nabil keeps tempting me with Watertown.

Yes, I'd say that there's always room in the cupboard for another Pappy or WLW, should you find them, but Smithford makes a good suggestion with the Old Weller Antique 107, which is the same recipe as (at least a portion of) the modern Pappy and WLW, and is more widely available. It's really good stuff, and at a nice price. (I'm not quite so keen on the Special Reserve, which is pretty thin by comparison.) Likewise, the Van Winkle 12 year-old "Lot B" is really lovely stuff—it's been available through the LCBO of late, but stock is certainly running out, and it's substantially cheaper in the US. Also, Buffalo Trace has just released the latest Colonel E. H. Taylor, Jr. expression, and I'm hearing great things about it, despite it being "gimmicky" (it's "Tornado-surviving" bourbon, bottled from barrels that were exposed to the elements after a tornado shredded the roof and North wall of Warehouse C). That said, it's a classic BT ryed bourbon, not a wheater.

One other you might try, if you can still find a bottle, is the 2010 release of Parker's Heritage Collection, which was also a really fantastic barrel-proof wheater. The newest release (2011) is a rye-mash Cognac finish that sounds quite nice, but it's probably not what you're after.

[Mr Tattie Heid]

That said, Nabil keeps tempting me with Watertown.

Now there's a combination of words I never thought I'd see in my lifetime....

[Zunak]

Zunak, we are definitely in need of another cross-border trip together! I'm hoping it isn't too far off in the future. If it makes you feel better, though, I haven't crossed the border via Kingston since I moved out this way... I've been faithful, I swear! That said, Nabil keeps tempting me with Watertown.

Yes, I'd say that there's always room in the cupboard for another Pappy or WLW, should you find them, but Smithford makes a good suggestion with the Old Weller Antique 107, which is the same recipe as (at least a portion of) the modern Pappy and WLW, and is more widely available. It's really good stuff, and at a nice price. (I'm not quite so keen on the Special Reserve, which is pretty thin by comparison.) Likewise, the Van Winkle 12 year-old "Lot B" is really lovely stuff—it's been available through the LCBO of late, but stock is certainly running out, and it's substantially cheaper in the US. Also, Buffalo Trace has just released the latest Colonel E. H. Taylor, Jr. expression, and I'm hearing great things about it, despite it being "gimmicky" (it's "Tornado-surviving" bourbon, bottled from barrels that were exposed to the elements after a tornado shredded the roof and North wall of Warehouse C). That said, it's a classic BT ryed bourbon, not a wheater.

One other you might try, if you can still find a bottle, is the 2010 release of Parker's Heritage Collection, which was also a really fantastic barrel-proof wheater. The newest release (2011) is a rye-mash Cognac finish that sounds quite nice, but it's probably not what you're after.

I have a WLW and Parkers 10 on hold for me already at the store I took you to last time. Not quite sure which Parkers it is, hopefully it's the Wheated Mash, but I have the option of refusal when I get there. I'll look for the BT offering that you mentioned also. Thanks. BTW that store has been cleaned out of the Pappy's, nothing left.

[Smithford]

One other you might try, if you can still find a bottle, is the 2010 release of Parker's Heritage Collection, which was also a really fantastic barrel-proof wheater.

I'll second that suggestion, as it seems suited to your taste and got great reviews across the board. It may be pretty difficult to find now. I have a bottle stashed away, but haven't opened it yet.

You could also try a Jefferson's Presidential Select 18 (or 17, if you can find it). This is some of the last remaining Stitzel-Weller (wheated) bourbon and can be had for much less $ than Pappy 20. It's subject to some batch variation, but the better batches are apparently fantastic (and the lesser batches are still really good). It doesn't have the flashy profile of the Van Winkles, but it's still a tasty bit of history in a bottle.

[Pudge72]

Also, Buffalo Trace has just released the latest Colonel E. H. Taylor, Jr. expression, and I'm hearing great things about it, despite it being "gimmicky" (it's "Tornado-surviving" bourbon, bottled from barrels that were exposed to the elements after a tornado shredded the roof and North wall of Warehouse C). That said, it's a classic BT ryed bourbon, not a wheater.

Would that make it the E.H. Taylor "Blow Phoenix"?

One other you might try, if you can still find a bottle, is the 2010 release of Parker's Heritage Collection, which was also a really fantastic barrel-proof wheater. The newest release (2011) is a rye-mash Cognac finish that sounds quite nice, but it's probably not what you're after.

I will wholeheartedly second 'dbk's' recommendation for PHC 2010 (4th edition - 10 year old wheated)!!

[Zunak]

Thanks DBK and Smithford for your suggestions (I knew you two would be the go to guys here) and thanks for your hearty endorsement Pudge. I'm getting the WLW for sure and the PH if it's the "Wheated". I don't want to get caught twiddling my thumbs till it's all gone like I did with the Stagg (twice) and the Pappy. I'll certainly be looking for any single malt offerings that catch my eye as well. I'll keep you posted .

[dbk]

Thanks DBK and Smithford for your suggestions (I knew you two would be the go to guys here) and thanks for your hearty endorsement Pudge. I'm getting the WLW for sure and the PH if it's the "Wheated". I don't want to get caught twiddling my thumbs till it's all gone like I did with the Stagg (twice) and the Pappy. I'll certainly be looking for any single malt offerings that catch my eye as well. I'll keep you posted .

Glad to hear it!

And thanks for reminding me about the Jefferson's Presidential releases, Smithford! I knew I had forgotten something (like the two bottles I have stashed away)...

[Nabil]

That said, Nabil keeps tempting me with Watertown.

Now there's a combination of words I never thought I'd see in my lifetime....

Now what is so incredulous about those words. I've been extolling the virtues of NOT buying in Canada for years.

I consider Watertown my home away from home away from home. I grew up in Windsor, cross border shopping is in my DNA.

Liquor taxes I can agree with. However, I am coming to the conclusion that we can still collect tax revenue much more cheaply by allowing private liquor shops to compete, while simply sending the revenue directly to the government at virtually no cost. Liquor should NOT be cheap, but I feel that Ontarians are being fleeced, by collusion between suppliers and top tier bureaucrats.

So, until this changes, vive la Watertown!!

[Zunak]

One other you might try, if you can still find a bottle, is the 2010 release of Parker's Heritage Collection, which was also a really fantastic barrel-proof wheater.

I'll second that suggestion, as it seems suited to your taste and got great reviews across the board. It may be pretty difficult to find now. I have a bottle stashed away, but haven't opened it yet.

You could also try a Jefferson's Presidential Select 18 (or 17, if you can find it). This is some of the last remaining Stitzel-Weller (wheated) bourbon and can be had for much less $ than Pappy 20. It's subject to some batch variation, but the better batches are apparently fantastic (and the lesser batches are still really good). It doesn't have the flashy profile of the Van Winkles, but it's still a tasty bit of history in a bottle.

Got 2 of the PHC Wheated Mashbill 10yo and the WLW. Couldn't control myself . Even got them discounted (the true Scotsman in me coming out) Thanks again guys for the suggestions.

[Pudge72]

One other you might try, if you can still find a bottle, is the 2010 release of Parker's Heritage Collection, which was also a really fantastic barrel-proof wheater.

I'll second that suggestion, as it seems suited to your taste and got great reviews across the board. It may be pretty difficult to find now. I have a bottle stashed away, but haven't opened it yet.

You could also try a Jefferson's Presidential Select 18 (or 17, if you can find it). This is some of the last remaining Stitzel-Weller (wheated) bourbon and can be had for much less $ than Pappy 20. It's subject to some batch variation, but the better batches are apparently fantastic (and the lesser batches are still really good). It doesn't have the flashy profile of the Van Winkles, but it's still a tasty bit of history in a bottle.

Got 2 of the PHC Wheated Mashbill 10yo and the WLW. Couldn't control myself . Even got them discounted (the true Scotsman in me coming out) Thanks again guys for the suggestions.

[Zunak]

Cracked one of the Parker Heritage 10's last night. This is an amazing whisky. I never thought I would find a Bourbon that could top the William Larue Weller, but I have. If the two were side by side on the shelf, for the same price even, I'd pick the Parkers. Fantastic stuff. I think I'll even get another. No wonder it was one of Murrays whisky's of the year. BTW speaking of that I saw the Old Pultney 17 for $65 in the States. Some crazy pricing in stores close to the Canadian border. Duty free Canada has Sonnalta PX for $20 more that the LCBO sold it for and the Signet is double the price at the Canadian duty free that it is in the US stores. Talisker 18 is back on the US shelves @ $85 and I saw the Laddie 10 also.

[Nabil]

Cracked one of the Parker Heritage 10's last night. This is an amazing whisky. I never thought I would find a Bourbon that could top the William Larue Weller, but I have. If the two were side by side on the shelf, for the same price even, I'd pick the Parkers. Fantastic stuff. I think I'll even get another. No wonder it was one of Murrays whisky's of the year. BTW speaking of that I saw the Old Pultney 17 for $65 in the States. Some crazy pricing in stores close to the Canadian border. Duty free Canada has Sonnalta PX for $20 more that the LCBO sold it for and the Signet is double the price at the Canadian duty free that it is in the US stores. Talisker 18 is back on the US shelves @ $85 and I saw the Laddie 10 also.

Picking up my Tali 18, another Laddie 10, and the Lap 18 (hopfully) as I return to Canada march 18th. Thanks for the tip Zu!

Canada Duty Free is an absolute sham, a racket, an insult, an affront to all malt drinkers. NOBODY should visit Canada Duty Free, unless you want to be fleeced like a little lamb.

[dbk]

Got 2 of the PHC Wheated Mashbill 10yo and the WLW. Couldn't control myself . Even got them discounted (the true Scotsman in me coming out) Thanks again guys for the suggestions.

I second Pudge's motion:

Glad you're loving the PHC wheater, Zunak!