![]() They had moved it to the hottest part of the largest warehouse, and over the last several years it had concentrated to an incredible level. The guy never turned up to claim it, so we got a crack at it. “It comes from a very unique barrel that was set aside for a Japanese customer in the Glenfarclas warehouse many years ago. Liquor Lust: GlenFarclas 1970 Single Cask, $580 When the Russians do it so well for so cheap, it’s sort of like why do anything else?” “You can get a $30 big bottle of Russian Standard Platinum. It’s the Old Fitzgerald recipe which also happens to be the same as Maker’s Mark.”īest Value: Russian Standard Platinum, $33.99 They’ve removed the rye grain, which is usually the small grain, and replaced it with wheat. But in terms of the recipe, it’s that classic wheated bourbon blend. The only material difference is that it’s bottled at 90 proof rather than 57 1/4 for the Van Winkle so you are trading off some power and alcohol. It’s almost always available, $25 a bottle. ![]() It’s basically the same exact whiskey as Van Winkle 12 Year Old. “The obvious choice for the Pappy people is the Weller 12 Year Old. Perfect Pappy Stand-in: Weller 12 Year Old, $25.99 It’s about six years old, they don’t have a six to eight year old but in terms of bang for your buck it’s probably the most consistent in that rye-style bourbon.” ![]() It’s more expensive than that and significantly better than that. They’re basically competing, supposedly, with White Label Jim Beam on that product. “It’s their flagship brand so they intentionally keep the price really, really low. More Bang for Your Buck: Buffalo Trace, $19.99 It’s about $40, it’s a single barrel, it’s usually about 10 years old … given your Eagle Rare is maybe a better value, but I think there’s more complexity in the Four Roses.” ![]() They’re also the only ones that sell us cask-strength whiskey in single barrels besides Willett Family. They make excellent whiskey and they don’t charge a lot. I think Four Roses is the last undermarketed company right now. “My go-to right now, which I think is undervalued and underrated, is the Four Roses Single Barrel. Fighting the big companies to keep the prices low is part of what we’re doing here.” However, David was still able to hone in on the standouts in his inventory. A lot of stores rely on those brands for margin. “Because we’re a smaller retailer we don’t have to spend a lot of time working on the big brands, wasting space with Cuervo, Captain Morgan, or these huge brands. And you really can’t go wrong with anything you choose. He spent three years building up that beautiful selection of quality booze you see spanning the back of the store. This week David Othenin-Girard, spirits buyer at K&L Wines in Hollywood, shares his liquor aisle insights. liquor stores-for the best deals, hidden gems and what bottle is THE one to have. Who knew there were THAT many different whiskies? So in this recurring series, I go straight to the source-the spirits buyers from your favorite L.A. Because, if you just allowed yourself to linger and peruse the shelves, it could be a bit overwhelming. You have your go-tos that you simply grab off the shelf without nary a thought before you dash back out the store. Most of you out there probably only use liquor stores for stocking up your house parties or finding the perfect host gift.
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