How Fucked-up is the LCBO?

@Nozinan I mis-typed. Believe me, I’ve been checking everywhere and every which way. Mobile, desktop computer, my 7 Year Old’s iPad. I’m convinced that somebody at the LCBO gets their giggles by screwing with all of us...

@OdysseusUnbound Do you really think there is anyone at the LCBO competent enough to do this on purpose?

@Nozinan Fair point.

Although the manager at my local LCBO, Rick, says that the general public has no idea how truly incompetent the upper management is. He says “if you think they piss you off, try working for them”

@OdysseusUnbound I have seen listings come up a week early showing no stock before they actually post numbers. I was keen on HP Full Volume as a cheap 17yo from a distillery I love and was dismayed when I saw it listed with no stock. I asked about it and was told it may not have been officially opened for purchase yet. Hopefully that’s the case here.

@OdysseusUnbound call Hello LCBO 1 800-668-5226, ask them when the general release date is. They may not know if it's available online but it is not a Vintages product so it should be. Every Laphroaig product is available online. The Cairdeas 200 year annv. came out in dribs and drabs and then boom, everybody had it. Will be a steal at the LCBO price compared to Europe who are looking at 140 Euros on average for it according to whiskybase.

@Astroke I don’t trust the LCBO to have reliable information. I went through this nonsense with Lot 40 12 YO CS. I’m just going to have to hope for some luck...

@OdysseusUnbound I was in the liquor store this morning. I saw bottles of the Laphroaig Quarter Cask CS on the shelf and thought of you.

Laphroaig Cairdeas is in some LCBO locations this morning. I had a friend pick one up for me. But despite what the app and website said, it’s the Cairdeas Fino Cask, not the Cairdeas Cask Strength QC. Oh well. I’ll take it anyway, but the good ol’ LCBO fucks it up again. Or did they? I’ll have the Fino Cask in my hot little hands next Tuesday, only a few months after my American friends got theirs.

@OdysseusUnbound

Damn our government!

Ford has it in for us in Toronto (sorry you got sucked in because that's where you bought it).

I can't believe it...LCBO got the CS QC into Toronto and DOug screwed us...probably invoked the notwithstanding clause....

@OdysseusUnbound Got mine too!

Wait...you guys got Fino Cask already! Damn...I want one

So through some kerfuffle you end up with both Cairdeas out there but randomly spread out in stores?

@cricklewood I don’t think the Cask Strength QC is actually in stores. They just advertised that one, but stocked the Fino Cask.

@cricklewood It looks like it's just the Fino... Not the QC - though I would not put it past them to get both and not realize it...

@Nozinan...damn! I wasn't jazzed about the CS QC but I am about the Fino, almost pulled the trigger on ordering it from Calgary when it started popping up at retailers there a month ago but I want to avoid buying 6 bottles of whisky to justify shipping

Enjoy the hunt gentlemen @OdysseusUnbound if I ever see a QC CS I'll let you know, I've been lucky on SAQ returns in the past.

@OdysseusUnbound @Nozinan @cricklewood A few weeks ago the Vintages publication had indicated that the release of Cairdeas would be the Fino Sherry 2018. It just par for the course that the LCBO has no idea of product no knowledge when it comes to whisky (ey), or the ability to property output data into their apps. How many time have you seemed miss spenting, wrong impuned AVB levels, and questionable pictures with a compeny discripts? I don't blame the LCBO. It's our own fault for not formally educating those who will become employees of the KGBO. Sorry about my grammar ... no spell too good.

@fiddich1980 are you a fan of The Office?

@OdysseusUnbound

And whatever it was , FINO or QC, it's entirely gone again.

No Laphroaig Finos here in Wisconsin yet either, for what it's worth.

As F'd up as the LCBO is, they often come up with these old stock bottles and sell them for a somewhat reasonable price. Especially Glen Garioch long gone bottles. I finished off one of these and have another in the bunker as I thought they were long gone.

lcbo.com/lcbo/product/…

@Astroke Is it good? Sounds tempting.

Darn it! So much tempting stuff!

@Nozinan I thought it was really good, especially at the price point at the LCBO. Sherry Cask matured at cask strength is a wheelhouse SM for me though, especially Oloroso Casks. Has been known to be a tad sulfurous, dissipates after time.

Not sure if you check into whiskybase but the reviews are accurate IMO

whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/…

Whisky is the largest spirits category by sales at LCBO accounting for $703.4 million in fiscal year 2016 - 17, remaining at less than half of total wine sales (47%).

LCBO Revenues $5.89 billion, Net Earnings $2.07 billion, this one makes no sense at all E-commerce sales $4.4 million, yeah that's million not billion....no mention of pop-up store sales.

The following excerpt is from the LCBO Annual Report

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SPIRITS

Summary

Net sales: $2.24 billion Performance to last year: up $109.0 million, or 5.1 per cent Margin dollars: $1.30 billion Performance to last year: up $59.2 million, or 4.7 per cent Total inventory turns performance: 8.83 versus 9.04 the previous year (FYI, in line with Wal-Mart, but slightly below Costco).

Whisky, the largest spirits segment (31 per cent of sales), exhibited exceptional growth, rising 4.4 per cent to $703.4 million. Growth (in dollar terms) was led by Canadian whisky for the second time in as many years, rising $11.9 million, or 2.8 per cent. The continued growth in Canadian Whisky comes despite the tremendously successful sales of Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye, which was named World Whisky of the Year the prior year. Imported whisky built on its momentum from previous years, increasing $19.2 million, or 7.2 per cent. Scotch saw substantial growth, up 2.8 per cent or $4.6 million. American and Irish whiskies continued performing well, rising 9.3 per cent and 17.8 per cent, respectively.

Vodka, the second-largest segment (23 per cent of sales), enjoyed a higher growth rate than recent years, up 3.6 per cent to $514.4 million. The key growth-driver continues to be the premium segment, accounting for 62.6 per cent of vodka sales. Super-premium priced vodkas were the fastest-growing at 15.1 per cent.

Ready-to-Drink was the second-largest contributor to spirits growth, up 13.7 per cent with $27.8 million dollar growth. Warm summer weather, new cooler brand innovation and the consumer trend to the single-serve format were all significant factors in achieving these results.

Flavour is a key driver for rum. Spiced rum exhibited growth of 4.5 per cent, but rum overall achieved only modest growth at 2.1 per cent versus last year. Like vodka, a declining trend in the purchase of mainstream brands countered gains from the spiced segment. In particular, white rums, which account for 36 per cent of the category, were down 0.6 per cent.

Turning to brandy and Cognac, large Cognac brands continued to drive the growth and interest in this segment, with sales growing by 8.2 per cent to $105 million.

Gin ended the year at $84.2 million, gaining 9.4 per cent. Gin consumers continue to gravitate to premium and deluxe-priced products, which rose 8.0 per cent and 31.5 per cent, respectively.

Tequila had another strong year, with sales rising to $59.9 million, up 12.1 per cent. Growth continued to be driven by premium, 100 per cent agave products, where LCBO has increased its assortment.

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lcbo.com/content/lcbo/…

Flavored spirits seem to be the new big thing. Liquor manufacturers are pushing this segment hard. I guess this is to drum up new buyers and increase already high sales.

@paddockjudge Sorry, what makes no sense about the e-commerce stat?

@talexander, In this era of cybershopping and e-commerce, I find it difficult to comprehend the microscopically tiny fraction of on-line sales to total revenues for the LCBO, .00075%, only 4.4 million dollars. Then again, upon further examination, my incomprehensibility of this situation is juxtaposed to the title of this thread, How Fucked-up is the LCBO?, therefore, I digress.

@paddockjudge Funny - for me, when I read the stat, it made perfect sense. They haven't been online ordering for that long, so I would imagine a lot of consumers still aren't that used to it (although I don't know for sure, I think a lot of traditionally bricks-and-mortar stores struggle to generate online sales for the same reason). Also, there are so many LCBO stores that it's relatively easy to just stop at one on the way home from work to grab a bottle of wine (which I bet make up most LCBO sales). Personally, I would much prefer to browse the shelves and do that, rather than order wine online (when I have have to wait a couple of days for it). Why would I do that when I can just grab one on the way home from one of a bazillion retail outlets?

@talexander @paddockjudge ,Also the order must exceed $50 or they do not ship at all? So if you want a bottle of wine at $49.95 you need to add a can of beer to exceed the $50 minimum.

@talexander, browsing the physical shelves is not easily done outside of the centre of the universe (GTA) or other large urban centres. I suppose when you (LCBO) are the only game in town, or rather the only game in 600+ communities, bricks and mortar is the vehicle with which wine and spirits will be distributed. Due to my location, and a less than desirable selection of fine whisky, I find myself spending more money on-line than in retail stores. I suppose I don't fit the bill for a standard patron.