How Fucked-up is the LCBO?

Here's a good one. Today on Facebook (live) 6:15 p.m., you can learn how to get a bottle of WL Weller 12 YO Bourbon....uhmmm, will this be another pop-up store? Me thinks the top knots are still too tight, circulation is being cut off, just like that of limited releases and allocated products.

I thought I knew how to buy WL Weller 12 YO Bourbon; walk into the store, grab a bottle or two, proceed to check-out, plunk down cash or swipe card. Well, er, apparently not. Newsflash, Facebook is now an integral part of buying Weller 12 YO.

I was doing okay for a few decades buying my whisky at store level from the LCBO. On-line purchasing is a nice option these days. Hello LCBO! Put the damn bourbon in the on-line store and let the people place orders....and loosen those top knots, dudes.

I was told that the 2017 Laphroaig Cairdeas (Quarter Cask Cask Strength) would be available in May, then I was told June, then July. It’s still not in stock.

As for W.L. Weller 12, I “won” a lottery and was able to buy a bottle back in April. I wasn’t overly impressed with it when I opened it. I just re-tested it earlier this week (about 3 months of air exposure) and it’s a bit better, but still not mind-blowing. To the back of the cabinet it goes for another 3 months...

@OdysseusUnbound the Cairdeas good stuff. Hope you'll be able to get a bottle or a sample. Mine disappeared quickly.. I think the barrel selection was better than the QC, which I also adore.

@Jonathan is good stuff

@paddockjudge It was very strange to do a Facebook Live announcement during a tasting event. 6:15 is a busy time a day around our house, but I managed to stay tuned through all the drab to hear the announcement. Just after 7PM they said that Weller 12 was listed on the website for sale. I went on a few minutes after that and there were 475 bottles for sale. By 7:20, all the bottles were sold out. It was very fast.

A shipment of OWA 107 will be headed to the LCBO soon at least, a few thousand bottles.

@OdysseusUnbound A store not far from me is showing that they have 47 bottles in the store! $80 US for what it is worth.

@Mancub, I couldn't be bothered.

The bourbon was sold on-line, but they had to make a big deal out of nothing. It's not like they need to build a brand with the LCBO, it is a government run monopoly, they have zero competition!...zero competition.

Most of the purchasers would not have reacted in such a quick fashion if it wasn't posted on fbook. The Weller 12 would have sold out completely in a few days or a few weeks without the fbook spin. Bottles were purchased by buyers who otherwise would not have been keen to do so. It is all hype. The hard core whisky patrons have been forsaken. I buy much less from the LCBO these days. Most of my whisky dollars leave the province. I would have bought a couple of bottles of Weller 12 YO had the timing fit my schedule. Nothing was available from 5p.m. to 6 p.m. I have better things to do than listen to mindless drivel and wait for rationed portions of bourbon. I have six bottles from the 2012 - 2014 period; that should hold me over for a few years.

...and that is how fucked up the LCBO is. I rest my case.

@paddockjudge - It never ceases to amaze me what you Canadians put up with in buying a whisky! It sounds like you're all trying to get VIP tickets to a Rolling Stones gig or something! But Facebook . . .

Government monopolies on liquor in general are a horrible concept and a nanny state's way of trying to pry more money out of your hands. Whether LCBO or state run stores in the US or wherever. Us Westerners consider ourselves to have superior democracy and freedom but it's all a lie in an effort to lull us into complacency and have the sheep follow the staff of the shepherds. Of course I'm a crazy libertarian so I'm sure my paranoid delusional ideas about how government is evil are just that to most...

@casualtorture, I know, I know, I know, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence...but is that from all of the sheep shit or bullshit? Tennessee is on my bucket list, I'll give you fair warning!

@paddockjudge I enjoy being in Tennessee. Nashville and Chattanooga are both wonderful cities. Many rural areas can be a bit iffy but at least the scenery is beautiful. So come on down anytime I'll give you a tour and show you some really awesome local distilleries (Nelson Greenbrier, Corsair, and of course JD and GD).

@casualtorture, very kind of you to make such a wonderful gesture. I'm packing the vehicle now. lol. I have a feeling that when I arrive there might be a few more Connosr buddies with me. I never get tired of these visits, if only I had more time to do it. Oh my, four distilleries in one trip. We would be reaching @talexander esque heights.

@paddockjudge, where does one join the convoy?

@cricklewood, you'll have plenty of lead time before we leave...it's the ride home that has me worried...we should probably bring a physician with us.

@casualtorture Well of course government is not inherently "evil", but neither are we shining examples to the world of great democracy! But I agree state-owned retailing is problematic, though not a total disaster. I had no idea about this Weller 12 business, but I was in Stratford yesterday seeing The Rocky Horror Show with Pam, and walked into an LCBO and saw Weller Special Reserve just sitting there (plus a few Wiser's 19yo Seasoned Oak). For me, it's the price discrepancies (usually too high but not always), erratic distribution, product launch bungling (ie. Northern Border Collection Special Releases, CC40 launch, delays by a year or more, etc). Of course, private entities screw stuff like that up all the time. I think for casual consumers of beer and wine, the LCBO is great - but for people like us, it's much more difficult.

@talexander State-owned has some benefits, albeit few... in Sweden, you can't get a bottle on a weekend or in the supermarket, but... because of high volumes and quirks with taxation, you'll find interesting pricing on some expressions.

E.g. Highland Park 12 is the same price as in the UK, but the HP 18 which is about £110/$144USD in the UK I realised sells for £69/$90USD in Sweden. That's almost a 40% discount on a whisky which rarely seems to be available with a discount here in the UK.

@casualtorture meanwhile, y'all have healthcare. I live in Baltimore, where you can barely drive by an intersection without seeing a homeless person (usually very old) wandering in serious traffic. And this is a nice neighborhood. The suburbs around here are kind of anemic. I guess each country has its advantages and disadvantages. If whisky is more important than a social net, then I can understand where your version of libertarianism is coming from. (Yes, I'm familiar with Hayek, von Mises, A. Rand....)

@Jonathan if the difference between having a social net and health care or not is the markup on whisky we have bigger concerns. By the way - health care and social programs are the same/similar across all provinces despite the fact that some have a privatized liquor system. I truly value the social programs we have in Canada and think they’re worth the taxation we experience to a significant degree. That said, the lcbo is a joke. It’s a monopoly that advertises. Why do they have an advertising budget? How much do their glossy, free, magazines cost? They have no competition. Anyway. I digress.

@nooch I would hope the LCBO charges for product placement in its magazine... but it IS the LCBO so who knows?

@Nozinan @nooch The LCBO Food & Drink magazine is entirely paid for by those who advertise in it. So the product placement isn't paid for, but the ads are expensive. I like it - it has some good recipes! And since it doesn't really cost the LCBO anything to put it out, I hope they never get rid of it.

@talexander I was thinking more about vintages, which gets mailed out and is basically a monthly account of what’s new in stock. Food and Drink is great, to be honest!

@nooch Ah, right. Well, I bet wine sales make their biggest profits so maybe it's worth it. Maybe old people who buy expensive wine prefer getting catalogues in the mail?

@nooch I know what you mean about the vintages mag,although I have to say 15+yrs ago I used to find it interesting and more pertinent when I was purchasing more wine and was just starting my journey into spirits. I have to say I am a sucker for a little blurb or story for each product.

Food and Drink is a lovely magazine, I have a ginger cookie recipe from an issue many moons ago that I used to bake all the time... perhaps it's time to revisit.

foodanddrink.ca/lcbo-ear/RecipeController/…

@cricklewood, I'm thinking I could learn to like those ginger cookies, betcha they would go well with Rye... you bake a couple dozen cookies and I'll prepare a couple dozen Canadian Rye samples and we could attempt to get through that matrix and find a suitable pairing.... yes @Nozinan, you will be required to bring some Canadian samples... and home- baked ginger cookies.

@nooch I appreciate the clarification. Some states here have insanely high markups (like VA); some are really fair (Mont. Co., MD). I forgot that Canada is different from province to province. I guess the worst is a public/private mutation... I like the ability to go from store to store in Baltimore (and surrounding areas) and, based on price/value, buy what I want. The LCBO seems to eliminate that option. I just looked at the webpage and those are some crazy prices (not that I haven't heard this in whisky conn--but wow).

@paddockjudge I was given the opportunity today to purchase a Weller 12. Seems my scathing email to Hello LCBO on this very subject paid off, they called me and put a bottle aside at the Cooper St. store. Too bad a similar email I sent regarding the BTAC/Pappy lottery fell on deaf ears.

ATTA BOY @Astroke! I hope you ripped 'em a new one. I can't be bothered to spend any more emotional energy on the LCBO. They have no clue as to how much they piss-off serious whisky buyers. I've talked to directors, they want the negative feedback to go away, it's an embarrassment. Their whole whisky program is a fucking embarrassment.

@paddockjudge I know you are one of the most diplomatic members of connosr (who else can cross the border into Canada with 15L of whisky and not pay any duty?), but could you for once tell us how you really feel?

Got an email from vintages that has a feature on buffalo trace that is inviting consumers to explore the whole range of their products, including EH Taylor. I thought - hmmmm, did they get more stock? They have a feature. They must have something to sell. Nope. 3 bottles available province wide and none available on line. Great article LCBO. So glad you featured a product that is basically unattainable.