Norther Border Collection / CC 40yo

@Nozinan_ agreed_ Wiser's Dissertation, Highwood 90/20 and Lot 40 CS are excellent whiskies. Some of the above listed Canadians are in a league of their own.

@paddockjudge Excellent information, much appreciated. It's good to be well informed before committing the hard earned.

Cheers.

@paddockjudge

Another good thread would be "paddockjudge seal of approval"

How did you get a taste of this year's FC release in May, and why am I only finding out about this now?

@Nozinan_ I apologize if I have neglected to mention my sampling the Forty Creek Heritage to you.

It is good to know that some of the producers are listening to their patrons/supporters and not listening exclusively to critics_ accountants_ and marketing types.

Does anyone know if any of these releases will be available in Quebec (SAQ)? We Canadiens fans need something to look forward to. It's going to be a long winter!

@GoHabs Yes it will be coming to the SAQ, every province in Canada will see it, I believe.

@GoHabs I'm sorry, we cannot provide you with these releases in a government run store because you are wearing a mask...

@Nozinan There are still many bottles of heart of gold around here. @paddockjudge there are still some confederation lot b here too

I drove to an LCBO in Brampton to chase down a CC40. But had to stop for gas on the way....and when I got there, they had sold the last bottle 2 mins prior. Oh, but if I hadn't have stopped for gas.........

@talexander Rubbish luck. Maybe you'll have to call ahead to reserve next time? It's flying off the shelves everywhere, 3 stores in London have received it and sold out already. I'm confused though, isn't there supposed to be 7000 bottles of this stuff? Between the online sales and the small trickle into stores there's no way 1/10th of that 7000 are gone though. Even if CC gave staffers/investors and others they rub shoulders with bottles, there should still be lots to come.

@Mancub It's OK, I got pretty lucky a few days ago with the NBC. I had thought that they weren't holding bottles on this one, so I didn't call ahead. When I left the house, it was showing 7 bottles at the store. By the time I got there, it was showing 4 bottles. Then the clerk said they sold the last one 2 mins ago. I said "But there are 4 here" so she looks on her system and there is one left. She goes to check with the manager, who tells me it is on hold for someone. So I'm like "Hey, what gives???" She says they are no longer holding bottles but that they did for this one person who phoned THAT MORNING. I was pretty pissed. She said she had 50 calls that morning from people wanting to hold, and that she finally agreed to hold a bottle for one guy who she said was being very difficult. Such total horse dung. She then said lots more bottles are coming in and she was sure I would be able to get one from somewhere. So anyway....just another day of clusterfucks at the LCBO...

@talexander Hah! Quite the tale. Still, frustrating to go out of your way only to be let down. I know it's a 40yo whisky for $250, but I'm still so surprised at how fast people are buying it up. I wonder if it's people buying multiples hoping to flip them in the future or what. My whisky club has 20 members and I can't say there's more than 1 of them that would pay $250 for a single bottle.

@talexander Also, I can't say for sure, but I think there will be more online inventory to come.

@talexander Well at least they were consistent.

Consistently inconsistent!

@Mancub I don't know for sure, but I suspect it's only one bottle per customer. Canadian whiskies usually make for crummy investments, but since this is the oldest Canadian whisky ever bottled, I think it might have some investment value. I'll buy it for drinking though. And yes, I do really really really want this thing. BTW one funny thing I saw in Toronto were billboard outdoor advertising for the CC40 (looked like an ad from the company, not from the LCBO). Why would they buy advertising for a bottling that they knew was going to sell out?

@talexander I know...it boggles the mind. I saw an ad too.

@talexander It is Canadian Whisky Madness! Yesterday I had an early medical appointment. The appointment ended around the time a nearby LCBO opened so I figured stop in and check out the shelves. I ended up having a talk with the manager and he kept going on about CC 40 ... random small shipments to stores ... etc. I left and in so doing decided to check the LCBO app. A store only about 6 minutes away had 3 or 4 bottles. For the hell of it I drove over as soon as I walked into the store the cashier looks at me and says "guy just bought all the 40 year old CC". So yes. people are buying multiple bottles. Moreover, they are using the App locally and using the official LCBO website which has current information. The Vintage website is lagging and out of date by about 3 hours.This explains why some people got the early release of the Kilkerran 12. Once a bottle is sold it takes between 20 minutes to 1 hour before app update takes place. I may not be correct on these points but, it is what I observe on my smart phone.

@fiddich1980 Wow - thanks for the info. The LCBO is totally mishandling all of this.

@fiddich1980 The LCBO's website inventory is updated every 15 minutes, not sure about the app or vintages site though.

Next step: one per customer. Step after that: lottery. I suggest that you hope it doesn't come to that.

@Victor I dunno....the annual Pappy lottery has scored me a couple of Staggs and a 12yo...which I don't think I would have gotten at all if they had been released in the LCBO like they way they are doing the CC40.

Look on the bright side: Rations and lotteries are an indication that the product is priced below market value.

@talexander, well then, if your luck continues then the lottery is for you.

With large numbers in a supposedly equal access situation, there isn't much else that can be done but a lottery.

So far I would be better off with a lottery as I don't have time to spend chasing rainbows.

While I was lucky enough to get most of what I wanted in Calgary, it frustrates me that my own LCBO is making it so difficult for my friends and colleagues, and the idea that insiders are getting access or information early is quite upsetting, especially if these start turning up on the secondary market.

@Nozinan , if demand outstrips supply and the product is priced at retail below market value, then reselling on the secondary market is probably a given.

@MadSingleMalt No argument. But if secondary market is a "given", and insiders are being given information on where to grab product as it is released so that they can get it preferentially to members of the public, do you see a potential problem there?

That's why stock markets are regulated...

@Nozinan @MadSingleMalt When I look at annual limited releases of scotches (ie. Diageo Special Releases, or Ardbeg Day releases, etc), they seem to sell out in the UK fairly quickly, then end up on the secondary market at prices well above what they were retailing for....for a while. Then everyone calms down and comes to their senses, and it take a few months or so for the market to correct itself (though many will still say those releases are always over-valued).

The only secondary market in Ontario though is the occasional Waddingtons/LCBO auction, of which there are a few per year. It'll be interesting to see if any show up at their November auction (and what the minimum bid will be). OR, if the LCBO is still selling the occasional CC40 at retail, will it refuse to accept any consignments of this bottling? I think this is uncharted territory here for a Canadian whisky release.

@Nozinan I agree. Honestly, I have no interest in obtaining CC 40. What I find interesting is the human condition. The last time I saw this was with CRGHR. People were buying cases of it and trying to flip it on Craigslist or Kiji. A relative of mine elated about scoring a case phones me up to tell me. He wanted to stop by and crack open bottle. My first response was "but I don't have any ginger ale".

@fiddich1980 @Nozinan @MadSingleMalt I should have also mentioned that there is of course the black market. But I have a feeling it will show a similar pattern: a spike at first, then a gradual correction over a year or so to a more reasonable level.

I still maintain though, that in addition to keeping the product from those who actually want to drink it, it allows some people to profit at an unfair advantage. We don't tolerate that with insider trading, or in politics (current scandal notwithstanding). We should not tolerate here.