These are always some of the best types of videos. Showing what it's like hunting in different states and cities. Hopefully one day, TJ will make a rank of the best and worst places to hunt based on whatever criteria
TJ this has to be one of favorite videos I have seen so far. I come here for all the good info however your ability to make people that are much less knowledgeable feel so comfortable talking to you is quite a skill. Well done!
Crazy to see Weller Antique 107 just sitting on a regular shelf. At the small store with the great service, they had an entire shelf of top-notch Scotch. Longrow, couple of Kilkerrans, Ancnoc, Edradour. They know their stuff!!!
Wow, a Brewzle bourbon hunt with exactly zero bottles purchased. Is that a first? Glad I don’t live in Delaware, that was a depressing hunt. At least everyone was very transparent about the allocation situation there!
@macville82 Please. Their selection is 1000x better than ours. Sure if you get allocated stuff it's MSRP, but you aren't getting most allocated bottles unless you camp outside a store or enter a drawing with .01% chance of winning.
I also liked the employee educating tj that technically bourbon can only be made in bourbon county kentucky. All those bottles he has been buying arent even real bourbon what a joke! 😂
That pick for Devin really helped push his boundaries (hopefully in a way that he ends up being cool with) and I think thats always a cool thing for people wo are trying to get in and see what its all about.
A word about customer service. Not bourbon related. I have had such great customer service at Discount Tire (not a sponsor) throughout my life that I will never use another tire company. Companies with a good focus on customer service are getting so rare these days that it is very important to use your dollars where they are appreciated and the effort is palpable. In the spirit world, if you can do that and also "buy local", well that's the holy grail. Great video, even if the hunting sucked. That's real world, and what I'm sure most of us tune into your channel for.
I live in Delaware and frequent the Branmar all the time as it's right up the road. I didn't know about the others, thanks for the content this was super fun for me @Brewzle !!!
Hi Brewzle, scotch wise, those Longrows and Kilkerrans you saw are made by the same folks as Springbank. Same quality, same distillery (sort of, it’s a long story), just different styles. Also “Hazelburn” is the springbank adjacent as well.
I'd have been extremely happy to show you around in the Northeast area of Maryland but hunting in "Wilmington " (about 30 mins away) is not a good hunting area. So bummed I missed a chance to run into you. Great video, love the commentary.
Completely. I’m from DE and I prefer to hunt in NE MD area. It’s so much better. But there are places than these here you just have to know where to go. I think he really missed out by skipping Farmer & The Cow but I understand
@Brewzle I know you're not into scotch, but I saw some Longrow, Kilkerran, and Campbeltown Loch at 12:27. Longrow is the peated line distilled by Springbank and Kilkerran is Springbank's sister distillery. They're fantastic whiskies to pick up and try. If you've tried peated Islay whiskies, Longrow will be a gentler introduction to a peated single malt. Kilkerran is a fantastic bang for buck scotch with a ton of complexity. Campbeltown Loch is a blended malt using whisky from Springbank, Kilkerran, and Glen Scotia. It's a fantastic blend and pretty hard to find. I've never seen a bottle in Canada and only got a chance to try it when I visited Campbeltown. I hope you're able to find a scotch that agrees with your palate. Your videos encouraged me to branch out from scotch to bourbon and other world whiskies. Thanks for posting fantastic content!
Wait until you get to PA and you hit nothing but FWGS Stores. They all have the same thing but the good thing is that when allocated stuff comes in, you pay MSRP....if you can wait in line
Not really lines... good stuff is a raffle you might win 1 bottle in a lifetime. Lower end stuff (blantons eagle rare bt and a few others) they just drop... so you basically get lucky or can run to the store in 5mins when a friend sees it... SOME stores there's clearly a mole inside tipping people off... that's the only time you see a line. It's not supposed to happen. There's no announcement for the in store drops.
Swigg reminds me of my favorite local store, friendly knowledgeable and neat. In my rural area of California I can find some of the hardest bottles of wine to find in the world. It opens your eyes to what the high rollers are collecting too which is cool, got my sister a very special bottle of wine for her wedding . The local place here doesn't do the numbers to get the allocations from BT, but if they got em' they sell overnight.
DE is so hit or miss. Right place right time. Better off in MD and NJ. I got a Coy Hill for 99 and 2 Blantons Gold store picks for 129ea and a WT 70th for 45 yesterday at Roger Wilco in Pennsauken, NJ
+1 for recommending RW Empire. Am 1 year into my journey and Pipedream is a go-to for me. Recently tried Lost Monarch after hearing from someone in one of your recent vids that it was the bottle that got them into rye and am really liking it, looking forward to trying more rye-oriented bourbons.
I love this video. Feels like every single place I go to. I spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars and these stores couldn’t care less about their customers.
As a Delaware resident, I feel your pain. My son and I were lucky enough to find that a hole in the wall liquor store around the corner from us gets a decent selection of allocated bottles. Picked up a handle of Eagle Rare last week and the almost always have Buffalo Trace in stock and not at secondary prices. As for the not feeling comfortable parking on side streets….your instincts were correct.
Dover doesn’t get much in the way of allocated whiskey. Costco in Newark does sort of hurt the whiskey market. You also have a ton of folks from out of state trying to get tax free liquor. Your best hunting is at the Delaware and Maryland border.
14:00 love how u said u need to learn more about scotch while looking at a highly sought after scotch. Kilkerran is owned by the same ppl who own springbank.
As a Philadelphian I'm telling you now you will be EXTREMELY disappointed if you think you're going to find anything unique. The PLCB sucks, most of us go over the bridge into Jersey or down to Delaware to do our liquor shopping. You should check out Total Wine and More over in Cherry Hill NJ, it's about 20min outside Philly.
I dunno, im in md and have pretty good luck in pa. My parents are in pa and will order stuff on the website for me... the lottery situation kida sucks tho.
@@enricojaun2880 IDK maybe it's a Philly thing, we're definitely a beer city. Don't know if it still holds true but we were the biggest consumers of Belgian beer outside of Belgium itself.
Should have went to rehoboth beach and Atlantic liquors or Kreston. Kreston two locations have fantastic barrel picks and no real markup. Atlantic liquors at the beach is the busiest store in the state, his prices are always msrp, he randomly puts behind the counter bottles out that everyone else doubles and triples. Picked most everything there at retail one time or another.
Brewzle in DE nooo i missed you here. If you are still in the area right off 95 when you go from DE into MD is a store called State Line Liquors. Back when DE wouldnt sell alchol on Sundays we would habe to drive up there to buy stuff. They have a pretty big selection.
If you come back to Delaware, you need to go to the beaches in the Rehoboth/Lewes area. They have more of a selection, and there are a ton of stores. You are gonna pay a markup or secondary everywhere here in Delaware, though.
Yes! I’m happy to see that gentleman pick Redwood Empire!!! I’m pretty new (about 7-8 months into whiskey) and Redwood is my favorite. (Too bad the bourbon one is technically I guess not bourbon according to the gatekeeper near the end)😂
I am also from Wilmington, DE and so sorry to miss you. Bourbon selection in Delaware is generally poor. I have shopped at Kreston's in Wilmington an Atlantic Liquors in Rehoboth beach. Both stores have reasonable prices and friendly staff. I usually go to MD or Nj to hunt. There is a great distillery in Pottstown PA that makes some nice American whiskeys. Manatawny Still Works. They also have a tasting room in downtown Philadelphia.
There is a Kentucky exclusive bourbon called Barrel House. It’s a craft distillery in Lexington Kentucky and it’s $40 a bottle…2x gold SF world spirits awards. Everything from the grains to the water is local and KY proud. Hand bottled and not sourced…distilled from an 150 yo pot still. The best $40 bourbon you will ever taste. Check them out on the bourbon trail.
Thanks for the heads up on the John J. Bowman Single Barrel, before watching your channel I had never heard of it, now its one of my top 3 favorite bottles I have.
Lol as a Delawarean your in the depths of he!! When it comes to bourbon sadly. There are a few places but not much, it’s all about timing and luck more than anything. But I find myself heading to PA, MD and even Jersey. Farmer and the Cow is good, their chicken skins pork rind app is incredible and its creator was an incredible guy. RIP RS.
Thanks for hitting my hometown, Delaware! Wish I could have ran into you. Bourbon selection is rough, but our selection for tequila, scotch, and rum is pretty good! Swiggs is impeccable. Love that shop. Concord Pike Liquors is also pretty good place.
Just in case you’re ever there again there’s a pretty good store right on the Maryland/delaware border in selbyville, DE called the Big Liquor Shop owners name is Vic. It’s a little bit marked up price wise on more desirable bottles but good selection and good store.
There are stores in the Wilmington, DE area that have allocated bourbons, most run raffles for these bottles. There are a few that have bottles on the shelf and some that will deal with their customers. It’s a hard area to hunt, but with a lot of leg work and relationship building you can find bottles.
I am in CT, we are also not a great state for bourbon. We have a few local distilleries, but they are fairly far apart, not many stores have great selections. However, since you are in DE, you are not that far away from PA, which has some really good whiskey, especially in the Philly & Lancaster areas.
My old stomping grounds, nothing allocated in Delaware, at least for a decent price. But hope you followed through with dinner at Farmer and the Cow, that’s one spot I always hit when I’m back in town. Incredible whiskey list, tons of allocated bourbons with great pricing, and the burgers are awesome
Allocations typically depend on a lot of things. Even in Florida sazerac (buffalo trace) has allocations put in place. I don’t believe it’s based on population but more of state to state regulations.
5:10 It's like louisville, ky. They have some allocated bottles, some stores will even have all the btacs and pappies for display but want like 3500 for an er17 and if you offer them 1k for it they say no. They're priced in for the bigger community and big spenders who come to visit for event like the derby. yet other stores an hour away will just have the er17 for 1700
My local spots! You missed a couple good stores, but no biggie. I just scored a Russel 15year, slightly above MSRP at Swigg. The owner is fantastic. Would have loved to join in on the tour! Cheers TJ.
Whatever you do don’t try and hunt in PA, it’s state controlled so prices are good but selection is sad. NJ has some good stores looking forward to next video
If you are heading to NJ, see if they carry David E. It's Pennsylvania Bourbon. I tried it tonight and it was very good. It was the darker label. Really good bottle for under $50.
JFC $100 on a Roses SB Barrel Proof? My local store here has it for $57.99. It's amazing how prices can fluctuate so much on certain bottles from state to state or even town to town. Such a crazy market.
I just got a store pick buffalo trace for $32 today. I’ve have such a hard time finding any buffalo trace products. I still want to find an eagle rare at a good price because I’m not gonna pay $80 for it.
You have to come to sussex County .we have so many tourist, the liquor stores tend to be able to get allocated..... as long as you know where to look 🤫
Antique 107 right on the shelf in front of him for $109. I was just curious if that was too much. I’ve never just seen it sitting on the isle shelf like that. You must have enough antique 107 at home. That Eagle Rare for $69.99 was a 10 year! I would have pulled the trigger on that one as well. Or is all the Eagle Rare aged 10 years? Because it’s not on all the bottles?
The most i pay for 107 is 80 amd that is frankly overpriced. It does have a unique profile imho though. I dont care for eagle rare. Msrp is about 40 for both and i wont may more than 42 for er( my wife likes it). And yes er is 10yr
Tj im from Delaware. The better stores to hunt at will be in the lower part of the state (Rehoboth, Lewes, Bethany) more stores also. Swigg employees were right all allocated stuff goes to restaurants first before going to stores. If you’re ever back in Delaware down south go to Bethany Blues for bourbon and bbq! Very LARGE bourbon selection at that restaurant.
You missed a couple really good neighborhood stores. Problem with Delaware is either the people mark everything up or they hold the bottles for the regulars.
You got 90% of the Wilmington experience just driving through. The last 10% would have been being carjacked. Good thing you didn’t drift too far off Market St. and knew enough to get out of there haha
Papermill used to be my go to store to find awsome scores. The owner started going to secondary pricing about 4yrs ago. Not sure ive bought a bottle since, sadly
Used to hunt around there and Jersey for whisky when I lived in Philly cause there wasn’t much in PA state liquor. Usually for allocations and scotch. The wine and spirit company didn’t always have what I wanted but were always nice and had good in store tastings. DE did give me my first EH Taylor and Weller
Best local stuff ive found is sagamore ryes out of maryland. Ive heard that eagles branded bottle is undrinkable. Buy it to decorate your shelf if yur an eagle fan.
When you come to Philly, I know all recipes of 4 Roses are currently in circulation. PA in general are all Fine Wine & Good Spirits, but some stores are premium and "more" likely to have nicer stuff. The nice thing is when stuff like Blanton's comes into town, if you can get it, is sold for around MSRP. I was able to get a bottle for $67 dollars pre-tax. The non-premium stores may have some nice finds, but it becomes more of a crap shoot. Best thing is there are a lot of stores in the city so you can hit a bunch up. EDIT: The super premium bottles are part of the PA lottery system and only happens 2 to 3 times a year and requires a PA address to participate.
Swigg is a great shop, I don't drink but I bought a buddy a nice bottle of Scotch on the owners recommendation there and he said it was one of his favorite bottles he'd ever had
Unbelievable luck here in the UK. Bonded with a local landlord over our whisky selections, then he told me he just sold a wine bar buy kept the inventory, if I want any whisky he would take £10 a bottle. I left with an actual truck full of Eagle rare, woodford double oak and gentlemen Jack. Crazy
T.J., you should be able to do much better twenty miles north on 95 in Philly. All liquor sales are controlled by the Commonwealth, and only available in "State Stores". I believe they are still closed on Sundays, and have limited hours. It is, however, the fifth largest city in the US, and gets a lot of allocations sold at MSRP or state minimums. Sorry about Delaware. No sales tax, but also no bourbon. Really enjoying the hunts, and congrats to you, Jill, Will, and his wife on the upcoming addition.
Regarding the question of store location, I find that the stores in the lower income neighborhoods tend to mark up the allocated bottled more than the more affluent neighborhood shops. My theory is that they know the locals are not going to buy the stuff so they mark it up and wait for the “hunters” to show up and pay up.
Word to the wise just get it EZ Pass transponder mine from NewYork works almost anywhere. It’s much easier than getting tons of toll receipts in your mail which are hooked to fines if you don’t pay it in time.
I'm jealous! I live in Southeast, Kansas and i've been bourbon hunting in Tulsa, OK, Joplin, MO, Springfield, and Kansas City. I haven't found any bottles of Blantons or Weller Full Proof and 107. I found Special Reserve that was it. I watched this video and immediately four or five bottles of Blantons, a 107, and a full proof. I give up 😅
Skip PA, Brewzle. PA is state controlled and all of the Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores suck. If it's in here, it's in Philly but if it's in Philly, you can find it ANYWHERE.
Brewzle’s Fall Merch Drop is available 10/19. Peek the new shirts, coasters, and more here: www.brewzle.com
We need a passcode to purchase from the site?
@@jeremiahkc1lda816 Fixed! Was just under maintenance momentarily.
@@Brewzle Still showing the pass code page. Also do you ship to Sweden??
so are you from delaware? i know a little hidden gem spot that always has blantons... ive got 8 bottles since aug
i just got to the end. thats just a normal day in wilmington, you made the best choice if you have anything valuable.
Finally a bourbon hunt like the ones we go on 🤣
Same
😢😂😢
For the people 😂
Yup lol
Tell me about it I live in Delaware 😂😂😂
I love the cutoff and walkout after Mr. Technically started on a rant
It's TJs voice that makes his content successful. It's just a soothing, honest voice. I dig it.
Love that guys truthfulness and honesty - working within a budget like most of us are. And love the challenge of finding good more affordable bottles.
These are always some of the best types of videos. Showing what it's like hunting in different states and cities. Hopefully one day, TJ will make a rank of the best and worst places to hunt based on whatever criteria
I’ll tell you right now that California is the best place to hunt, they get so much allocation it’s insane
Looks like DE is in the top for worst places.
PA is bad too
TJ this has to be one of favorite videos I have seen so far. I come here for all the good info however your ability to make people that are much less knowledgeable feel so comfortable talking to you is quite a skill. Well done!
Really cool to see Store Owners give their time and expertise
Crazy to see Weller Antique 107 just sitting on a regular shelf. At the small store with the great service, they had an entire shelf of top-notch Scotch. Longrow, couple of Kilkerrans, Ancnoc, Edradour. They know their stuff!!!
I went in a store a couple weeks ago and they had CYPB sitting on the shelf. $500, but just sitting on the shelf.
If I saw the price right, was it $187?
@@stevefromchicago8277 Yes it was $189.99, I get it online $60 cheaper.
not for that price, all these prices are a joke. they will come down. ppl cant afford 100 bottles anymore
Immediately walked out after guy said has to be made in “bourbon county Kentucky.” Technically though….
Bourbon county is a dry county in Kentucky too lol
If it’s not made in bourbon county Kentucky technically it’s just sparkling corn juice
@@tylergash3175 iirc theres only 1 distillery in the county now
"Umm actually...."
@@tylergash3175the Jack Daniels distillery in Lynchburg is also in a dry county, love the irony
Wow, a Brewzle bourbon hunt with exactly zero bottles purchased. Is that a first? Glad I don’t live in Delaware, that was a depressing hunt. At least everyone was very transparent about the allocation situation there!
It sucks
There's some amazing stores in New Jersey that I frequent. Sadly delaware is rough.
Suddenly Utah seems great..
@macville82 Please. Their selection is 1000x better than ours. Sure if you get allocated stuff it's MSRP, but you aren't getting most allocated bottles unless you camp outside a store or enter a drawing with .01% chance of winning.
I also liked the employee educating tj that technically bourbon can only be made in bourbon county kentucky. All those bottles he has been buying arent even real bourbon what a joke! 😂
My wife’s family is from Delaware and we’re in Newark all the time. The one time brewzle is in town we miss him
The most budget friendly hunt to date!
That pick for Devin really helped push his boundaries (hopefully in a way that he ends up being cool with) and I think thats always a cool thing for people wo are trying to get in and see what its all about.
24:35 the bourbon county thing is wrong. The only location requirement is that is has to be from the US.
24:35 I laughed when you called the employee out.
Brewzle: Not technically 😂
"pot still is floor whiskey, as it deserves to be" hahahahahahahaha
I bought a shooter of that to try it, and a few sips was enough to know that I wanted to pour it down the drain.
I don’t understand the hate. Maybe I just got a good batch, but I like pot still.
Good call on the Pipe Dream. Great CA bourbon.
29 bucks u can’t beat it
A word about customer service. Not bourbon related. I have had such great customer service at Discount Tire (not a sponsor) throughout my life that I will never use another tire company. Companies with a good focus on customer service are getting so rare these days that it is very important to use your dollars where they are appreciated and the effort is palpable. In the spirit world, if you can do that and also "buy local", well that's the holy grail. Great video, even if the hunting sucked. That's real world, and what I'm sure most of us tune into your channel for.
That Branmar store has Old Forester Rye Single Barrell Barrell Proof now. It just sits on the shelf next to the old forester section.
I love talking that last guy through the products, as someone who’s trying to get into it awesome info!
I live in Delaware and frequent the Branmar all the time as it's right up the road. I didn't know about the others, thanks for the content this was super fun for me @Brewzle !!!
Hi Brewzle, scotch wise, those Longrows and Kilkerrans you saw are made by the same folks as Springbank. Same quality, same distillery (sort of, it’s a long story), just different styles. Also “Hazelburn” is the springbank adjacent as well.
I'd have been extremely happy to show you around in the Northeast area of Maryland but hunting in "Wilmington " (about 30 mins away) is not a good hunting area. So bummed I missed a chance to run into you. Great video, love the commentary.
Completely. I’m from DE and I prefer to hunt in NE MD area. It’s so much better. But there are places than these here you just have to know where to go. I think he really missed out by skipping Farmer & The Cow but I understand
Pipe Dream and Russell's 10 are two of my favorites for under 60 bucks.
Was hoping for the MD hunt today!
I do enjoy seeing a normal hunt like we get on a day to day basis
@Brewzle I know you're not into scotch, but I saw some Longrow, Kilkerran, and Campbeltown Loch at 12:27. Longrow is the peated line distilled by Springbank and Kilkerran is Springbank's sister distillery. They're fantastic whiskies to pick up and try. If you've tried peated Islay whiskies, Longrow will be a gentler introduction to a peated single malt. Kilkerran is a fantastic bang for buck scotch with a ton of complexity. Campbeltown Loch is a blended malt using whisky from Springbank, Kilkerran, and Glen Scotia. It's a fantastic blend and pretty hard to find. I've never seen a bottle in Canada and only got a chance to try it when I visited Campbeltown.
I hope you're able to find a scotch that agrees with your palate. Your videos encouraged me to branch out from scotch to bourbon and other world whiskies. Thanks for posting fantastic content!
Wait until you get to PA and you hit nothing but FWGS Stores. They all have the same thing but the good thing is that when allocated stuff comes in, you pay MSRP....if you can wait in line
Not really lines... good stuff is a raffle you might win 1 bottle in a lifetime. Lower end stuff (blantons eagle rare bt and a few others) they just drop... so you basically get lucky or can run to the store in 5mins when a friend sees it... SOME stores there's clearly a mole inside tipping people off... that's the only time you see a line. It's not supposed to happen. There's no announcement for the in store drops.
Swigg reminds me of my favorite local store, friendly knowledgeable and neat. In my rural area of California I can find some of the hardest bottles of wine to find in the world. It opens your eyes to what the high rollers are collecting too which is cool, got my sister a very special bottle of wine for her wedding . The local place here doesn't do the numbers to get the allocations from BT, but if they got em' they sell overnight.
DE is so hit or miss. Right place right time. Better off in MD and NJ. I got a Coy Hill for 99 and 2 Blantons Gold store picks for 129ea and a WT 70th for 45 yesterday at Roger Wilco in Pennsauken, NJ
It's wild to see the difference in pricing. Thank you for the upload. Weekend off to a great start.
+1 for recommending RW Empire. Am 1 year into my journey and Pipedream is a go-to for me. Recently tried Lost Monarch after hearing from someone in one of your recent vids that it was the bottle that got them into rye and am really liking it, looking forward to trying more rye-oriented bourbons.
I love this video. Feels like every single place I go to. I spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars and these stores couldn’t care less about their customers.
Farmer and the Cow has a very good selection, great burgers, and even better service. They make you feel like a friend from the first time you go.
As a Delaware resident, I feel your pain. My son and I were lucky enough to find that a hole in the wall liquor store around the corner from us gets a decent selection of allocated bottles. Picked up a handle of Eagle Rare last week and the almost always have Buffalo Trace in stock and not at secondary prices. As for the not feeling comfortable parking on side streets….your instincts were correct.
14:06 there was a bottle of Edradour 10 years. That is made by the smallest distillery in Scotland. Very good bottle.
Good eye! And great info, we will have to keep on the lookout.
Dover doesn’t get much in the way of allocated whiskey. Costco in Newark does sort of hurt the whiskey market. You also have a ton of folks from out of state trying to get tax free liquor.
Your best hunting is at the Delaware and Maryland border.
14:00 love how u said u need to learn more about scotch while looking at a highly sought after scotch. Kilkerran is owned by the same ppl who own springbank.
I was thinking dang I would buy that kilkerran for 100 bucks
I liked how that clerk tried to educate Brewzle 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
As a Philadelphian I'm telling you now you will be EXTREMELY disappointed if you think you're going to find anything unique. The PLCB sucks, most of us go over the bridge into Jersey or down to Delaware to do our liquor shopping. You should check out Total Wine and More over in Cherry Hill NJ, it's about 20min outside Philly.
I dunno, im in md and have pretty good luck in pa. My parents are in pa and will order stuff on the website for me... the lottery situation kida sucks tho.
@@enricojaun2880 IDK maybe it's a Philly thing, we're definitely a beer city. Don't know if it still holds true but we were the biggest consumers of Belgian beer outside of Belgium itself.
Should have went to rehoboth beach and Atlantic liquors or Kreston. Kreston two locations have fantastic barrel picks and no real markup. Atlantic liquors at the beach is the busiest store in the state, his prices are always msrp, he randomly puts behind the counter bottles out that everyone else doubles and triples. Picked most everything there at retail one time or another.
Brewzle in DE nooo i missed you here. If you are still in the area right off 95 when you go from DE into MD is a store called State Line Liquors. Back when DE wouldnt sell alchol on Sundays we would habe to drive up there to buy stuff. They have a pretty big selection.
If you come back to Delaware, you need to go to the beaches in the Rehoboth/Lewes area. They have more of a selection, and there are a ton of stores. You are gonna pay a markup or secondary everywhere here in Delaware, though.
Wilmington Delaware in the house !!!! Idk what made you come here but ayee
6:55 philly bourbon distilled in Iowa lmao to add to that a perfect comment “well that was unexpected”😂😂😂😂
Yes! I’m happy to see that gentleman pick Redwood Empire!!!
I’m pretty new (about 7-8 months into whiskey) and Redwood is my favorite.
(Too bad the bourbon one is technically I guess not bourbon according to the gatekeeper near the end)😂
I am also from Wilmington, DE and so sorry to miss you. Bourbon selection in Delaware is generally poor. I have shopped at Kreston's in Wilmington an Atlantic Liquors in Rehoboth beach. Both stores have reasonable prices and friendly staff. I usually go to MD or
Nj to hunt. There is a great distillery in Pottstown PA that makes some nice American whiskeys. Manatawny Still Works. They also have a tasting room in downtown Philadelphia.
I saw a Penelope Cask Strength yesterday. Should I go back and grab one? Only had 2 and didn't know if it's good or not :)
It’s great for single barrel
I'm curious what all you are going to find with the Pennsylvania trip. Most of the Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores carry the same stuff.
There is a Kentucky exclusive bourbon called Barrel House. It’s a craft distillery in Lexington Kentucky and it’s $40 a bottle…2x gold SF world spirits awards. Everything from the grains to the water is local and KY proud. Hand bottled and not sourced…distilled from an 150 yo pot still.
The best $40 bourbon you will ever taste.
Check them out on the bourbon trail.
TJ, just picked up that OFSBBP for $65 at Cosco here in Florida. Best price I have ever seen.
If you're ever in the neighborhood again, Pizzeria Maki, near the Greenville Wine and Spirits is EXCELLENT.
Great video. I very much enjoyed it.
Thanks for the heads up on the John J. Bowman Single Barrel, before watching your channel I had never heard of it, now its one of my top 3 favorite bottles I have.
All the bowman bourbons are good for their prices. The port finish I like a lot whenever it goes on sale.
Lol as a Delawarean your in the depths of he!! When it comes to bourbon sadly. There are a few places but not much, it’s all about timing and luck more than anything. But I find myself heading to PA, MD and even Jersey. Farmer and the Cow is good, their chicken skins pork rind app is incredible and its creator was an incredible guy. RIP RS.
Thanks for hitting my hometown, Delaware! Wish I could have ran into you. Bourbon selection is rough, but our selection for tequila, scotch, and rum is pretty good! Swiggs is impeccable. Love that shop. Concord Pike Liquors is also pretty good place.
TJ the bourbon selection here in Canada makes Delaware look like Bourbon heaven.
Just in case you’re ever there again there’s a pretty good store right on the Maryland/delaware border in selbyville, DE called the Big Liquor Shop owners name is Vic. It’s a little bit marked up price wise on more desirable bottles but good selection and good store.
I think the Redwood Empire Grizzly Beast (their own distillate) is delicious.
The Bulliet 10 year is a solid bottle for the price! You can’t beat it
.
There are stores in the Wilmington, DE area that have allocated bourbons, most run raffles for these bottles. There are a few that have bottles on the shelf and some that will deal with their customers.
It’s a hard area to hunt, but with a lot of leg work and relationship building you can find bottles.
I am in CT, we are also not a great state for bourbon. We have a few local distilleries, but they are fairly far apart, not many stores have great selections. However, since you are in DE, you are not that far away from PA, which has some really good whiskey, especially in the Philly & Lancaster areas.
TJ you can utilize E-ZPASS for toll roads when traveling up north.
My old stomping grounds, nothing allocated in Delaware, at least for a decent price. But hope you followed through with dinner at Farmer and the Cow, that’s one spot I always hit when I’m back in town. Incredible whiskey list, tons of allocated bourbons with great pricing, and the burgers are awesome
He didn’t go. He mentions that at the end of the video.
@@deankruse4491 yeah I commented mid video, it’s a shame
Got a weller full proof store pick for 51.99 the other day. Best whiskey ive ever had! Really want to try to get some eh taylor
Allocations typically depend on a lot of things. Even in Florida sazerac (buffalo trace) has allocations put in place. I don’t believe it’s based on population but more of state to state regulations.
Painted Stave in Smyrna has a drinkable high-rye bourbon. Lots of rye spice if you like that.
5:10 It's like louisville, ky. They have some allocated bottles, some stores will even have all the btacs and pappies for display but want like 3500 for an er17 and if you offer them 1k for it they say no. They're priced in for the bigger community and big spenders who come to visit for event like the derby. yet other stores an hour away will just have the er17 for 1700
My local spots! You missed a couple good stores, but no biggie. I just scored a Russel 15year, slightly above MSRP at Swigg. The owner is fantastic. Would have loved to join in on the tour! Cheers TJ.
Whatever you do don’t try and hunt in PA, it’s state controlled so prices are good but selection is sad. NJ has some good stores looking forward to next video
If you are heading to NJ, see if they carry David E. It's Pennsylvania Bourbon. I tried it tonight and it was very good. It was the darker label. Really good bottle for under $50.
JFC $100 on a Roses SB Barrel Proof? My local store here has it for $57.99. It's amazing how prices can fluctuate so much on certain bottles from state to state or even town to town. Such a crazy market.
I just got a store pick buffalo trace for $32 today. I’ve have such a hard time finding any buffalo trace products. I still want to find an eagle rare at a good price because I’m not gonna pay $80 for it.
You have to come to sussex County .we have so many tourist, the liquor stores tend to be able to get allocated..... as long as you know where to look 🤫
Some of the worst prices ive ever seen are in Rehoboth. Any places i should check next time im down that way?
Good call on serving him up the Pipe Dream. It's a great pour
You should try oregon one of these days. We dont get a whole lot but when you do find something its great because its all MSRP!
Antique 107 right on the shelf in front of him for $109. I was just curious if that was too much. I’ve never just seen it sitting on the isle shelf like that. You must have enough antique 107 at home. That Eagle Rare for $69.99 was a 10 year! I would have pulled the trigger on that one as well. Or is all the Eagle Rare aged 10 years? Because it’s not on all the bottles?
The most i pay for 107 is 80 amd that is frankly overpriced. It does have a unique profile imho though. I dont care for eagle rare. Msrp is about 40 for both and i wont may more than 42 for er( my wife likes it). And yes er is 10yr
Man! Missed out big time on the scotch section in Swigg!
Yup and it was a called shot.
Tj im from Delaware. The better stores to hunt at will be in the lower part of the state (Rehoboth, Lewes, Bethany) more stores also. Swigg employees were right all allocated stuff goes to restaurants first before going to stores. If you’re ever back in Delaware down south go to Bethany Blues for bourbon and bbq!
Very LARGE bourbon selection at that restaurant.
You missed a couple really good neighborhood stores. Problem with Delaware is either the people mark everything up or they hold the bottles for the regulars.
You got 90% of the Wilmington experience just driving through. The last 10% would have been being carjacked. Good thing you didn’t drift too far off Market St. and knew enough to get out of there haha
Papermill used to be my go to store to find awsome scores. The owner started going to secondary pricing about 4yrs ago. Not sure ive bought a bottle since, sadly
Tough hunt, TJ, but still good content. Keep em’ coming!
I have a question on your T-shirts. Sometimes they run a little small in the sizes. What is your thoughts?
Get ready for sticker shock when you hit jersey. 🤣
Just saw a George T. Stagg in a case with a price tag of 1,600. Can't even see E.H. Taylor where I'm at in Jersey
New Jersey...The Garden State. What do they grow there? Smoke stacks?
George Carlin
+1, ny is just as bad if not worse
Used to hunt around there and Jersey for whisky when I lived in Philly cause there wasn’t much in PA state liquor. Usually for allocations and scotch. The wine and spirit company didn’t always have what I wanted but were always nice and had good in store tastings. DE did give me my first EH Taylor and Weller
Best local stuff ive found is sagamore ryes out of maryland. Ive heard that eagles branded bottle is undrinkable. Buy it to decorate your shelf if yur an eagle fan.
Oh man those Kilkeran bottles 😍
When you come to Philly, I know all recipes of 4 Roses are currently in circulation. PA in general are all Fine Wine & Good Spirits, but some stores are premium and "more" likely to have nicer stuff. The nice thing is when stuff like Blanton's comes into town, if you can get it, is sold for around MSRP. I was able to get a bottle for $67 dollars pre-tax.
The non-premium stores may have some nice finds, but it becomes more of a crap shoot. Best thing is there are a lot of stores in the city so you can hit a bunch up.
EDIT: The super premium bottles are part of the PA lottery system and only happens 2 to 3 times a year and requires a PA address to participate.
Scored one of the four roses. Never had one and was hesitant at the price and it was only 9yr 10mo... hopefully ends up being good!
If you’re still in the area you need to go to state line liquors in elkton, Md about 15 mins away
Damn I wish I knew you were visiting. Thats my hometown. Inner Spirits has some gems and usually open to negotiation
Swigg is a great shop, I don't drink but I bought a buddy a nice bottle of Scotch on the owners recommendation there and he said it was one of his favorite bottles he'd ever had
Customer service definitely contributes to the customer experience!
Unbelievable luck here in the UK. Bonded with a local landlord over our whisky selections, then he told me he just sold a wine bar buy kept the inventory, if I want any whisky he would take £10 a bottle. I left with an actual truck full of Eagle rare, woodford double oak and gentlemen Jack. Crazy
T.J., you should be able to do much better twenty miles north on 95 in Philly. All liquor sales are controlled by the Commonwealth, and only available in "State Stores". I believe they are still closed on Sundays, and have limited hours. It is, however, the fifth largest city in the US, and gets a lot of allocations sold at MSRP or state minimums. Sorry about Delaware. No sales tax, but also no bourbon. Really enjoying the hunts, and congrats to you, Jill, Will, and his wife on the upcoming addition.
Regarding the question of store location, I find that the stores in the lower income neighborhoods tend to mark up the allocated bottled more than the more affluent neighborhood shops.
My theory is that they know the locals are not going to buy the stuff so they mark it up and wait for the “hunters” to show up and pay up.
Word to the wise just get it EZ Pass transponder mine from NewYork works almost anywhere. It’s much easier than getting tons of toll receipts in your mail which are hooked to fines if you don’t pay it in time.
I'm jealous! I live in Southeast, Kansas and i've been bourbon hunting in Tulsa, OK, Joplin, MO, Springfield, and Kansas City. I haven't found any bottles of Blantons or Weller Full Proof and 107. I found Special Reserve that was it. I watched this video and immediately four or five bottles of Blantons, a 107, and a full proof. I give up 😅
Skip PA, Brewzle. PA is state controlled and all of the Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores suck. If it's in here, it's in Philly but if it's in Philly, you can find it ANYWHERE.
New Hampshire at their Rest Stops!! Very nice Bourbon hunting at those
Wish I knew you were coming to Philly! I know of some places with great selections in Jersey