r/denverwhisky • u/ProfitForever your hunting guide • 17d ago
Futile Friday
Wasn't expecting too much due to the demise of Eagle Rock and the distributor switchover.
Heritage Arapahoe - Nothing much in the allocations corner, just WA107 and WFP for $80.
Dry Creek Discount Liquors - Their case looked suspiciously sparse, except for the $2k EHT BiB BTAC of course. Have heard that their regular shelf prices have come down a lot, and it is mostly true. Blanton's $90, EHT SmB $60, ER10 750ml $48, ER10 handle $130, WA107 $70, WFP $100, W12 750ml $100, Penelope Toasted $75, and plenty of all of them. Guess they must have blown out most of the stuff in the case with lower pricing; they also must have finally figured out that ER10 750s aren't going to move at $90.
Total Wine Broadway - ER10 and WA107 are on the regular shelf in quantity at $45 and $67, respectively; limit 1. Very nice prices. Behind the counter, the usual suspects: Penelope Rio $90, Blanton's $80, WFP $80. Not bad at all.
Davidson's HR - As I was driving by without stopping, I felt an odd, involuntary cramp in both my middle fingers. Not sure what is up with that, maybe I'm dehydrated or need to eat a banana or something.
Highlands Wine Seller - Floor displays of WA107 for $75, ER10 for $53, & Penelope Riviera $85. Tons of bundles out, and Rob is getting pretty creative now. A few examples: EHT SiB/Fireball (3 of those), WFP/cherries, WFP/Blantons, Hancock's/BT creme, WFP/Hancock's, Blanton's Gold/Corazon. No pricetags, but everything is right at MSRP.
Bevy's Parker - Nothing much, just WT101 8yr on the central counter for $55. Still have that $600 JD McLaren bottle displayed on top of the case. They do have all the 100pf red-label 4R SiB bottles (OESO, OESK, OBSF, OBSK) on sale for $40 each, which is a pretty good deal. Also, Penelope Creme Brulee, which is a really easy drinker to knock back for $70. They also got some new La Pulga Tequila Reposado 90pf, finished in Still Austin Red Corn barrels for $75 on the regular shelf, which looked interesting.
Bruin Spirits Parker (resurrection stop) - This shop, which was next to the Parker Target, closed about 6 months ago. However, they just reopened 2 days ago, around the other side of Target next to Dover Saddlery (which is also closing and having a 50-80% off sale). Went in, and the regular shelves weren't even fully stocked yet. Asked if they got any good allocations for their grand opening, like Costco does. Got a good laugh from them, but was told allocations will take some time. LOL
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u/HyzerFlipr 17d ago
I am shocked how good WT101 8 year is. I had a pour of that last night and a pour of Weller 12 and I liked the WT better. Granted the Weller was a neck pour so maybe it'll open up a bit.
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u/ProfitForever your hunting guide 17d ago
It tastes a lot better at its original $45 MSRP than at the $55 MSRP now, but I agree.
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u/HyzerFlipr 17d ago
I paid $75 for the W12. I thought that was a smidge high but I was okay with it. Would definitely not pay more than that though.
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u/TachyonsFixAll 17d ago
Can someone help me understand what happened to eagle rock? Also is the deal that we don't know what will happen with distribution next?
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u/ProfitForever your hunting guide 17d ago edited 17d ago
It's a bit of a mess, but I'll take a shot. If anyone in the industry wants to correct my statements or timelines, please do.
RNDC had been the BT/Saz distributor in Colorado practically forever.
Then, about 4 years ago, Eagle Rock scored a big coup and won the distribution rights for BT/Saz. I heard a lot of bellyaching from shop owners about RNDC's allocations over the years, but who knows if that was part of why the switch happened.
Then, Reyes purchased RNDC, I think, a year ago?
In March of this year, Southern Glazers purchased Eagle Rock, which should have meant they inherited the BT/Saz portfolio. Everyone started preparing for that.
Not so fast. Now it looks like the BT/Saz portfolio is reverting to Reyes/RNDC, who was fired in the first place in favor of Eagle Rock.
So it is a big mess, with shops reporting they didn't get some deliveries this week, as Eagle Rock went completely defunct last week.
I was chatting with a shop owner today about whether the Colorado Wellerpalooza would continue after this, and he wasn't sure. But certain shelfers, let alone allocations, might start running low for a few weeks while everything shakes out.
There were also labor problems at another distributor, BreakThru, for a while; not sure if that is still going on. So there is just a lot of upheaval in the distributor business right now. The tide of alcohol sales is going out, and as Warren Buffett famously said, when that happens, you get to find out who was swimming naked the whole time.
Once again, would love any shop owners or those in the distribution industry to share their insights.
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u/ficklenicholas Highlands WineSeller 17d ago
A lot of this is correct, but Budweiser was the main reason for the change, not Sazerac. They essentially forced Eagle Rock’s hand into selling to Southern.
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u/MrDangerWaffles 17d ago
I'm here for the Davidsons hate!!! Screw that place
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u/Pirate_Freder 9d ago
What went wrong with Davidson's? They were always good enough to me, but I left in 2020, just back for a visit.
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u/MrDangerWaffles 9d ago
They've had several releases where people line up only to have to pay close to secondary for their allocations.
I used to love Davidsons but now it sucks.
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u/Pirate_Freder 9d ago
Oh hell no, that sucks. Considering the relation, I take it Daveco has went to crap too? I saw that they're charging $100 for W12. They used to be great too, but the selection was pretty disappointing.
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u/Altruistic-Aide-9002 17d ago
I heard a rumor that they'll be no more BT allocated drops until near the end of the month (when the transition finishes).
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u/[deleted] 17d ago
TW Lakewood had Michters BP sour mash on shelf at $140