I hope you all enjoyed your holidays!
Very few changes occur in the catalog this time of year, so I've compressed three weeks of updates into one post. As you can see, there wasn't much excitement.
New in-store and online products:
Delisted SLO products:
Lemon Hart 151 is, to my understanding, on order from Southern to be carried in the new specialty spirits stores. Which is interesting, because Lemon Hart 151 hasn't been made or imported in years, ever since Pernod Ricard decided to dump the brand. I suspect they quoted the 50-60 cases to the PLCB expecting to pull in old stock from their operations in other states. I'll believe it when I see it show up in the inventory system.
[Update (Feb. 2): As discussed in the comments below, Southern cancelled the LH151 order as they can't locate any stock after all.]
Fortunately, Lemon Hart will continue to be available in the future. Pernod sold the brand to a small Canadian company called Mosaiq, who originally intended to only keep the 80-proof bottling and only in the Canadian market. Ed Hamilton convinced them otherwise, and helped them secure a supply contract from Demerara Distillers Ltd so they could make Lemon Hart 151 exactly like it has always been made. Ed will be importing both bottlings from Mosaiq into the US through his company Caribbean Spirits, and lucky for us, Caribbean Spirits already has a PA distribution agreement with Majestic. Our supply of Lemon Hart 151 should be uninterrupted once we get the first batch of old stock from Pernod on the shelves.
Reactivated SLO products:
New SLO products:
Blackwood's Small Batch Gin is a Scottish gin recently released in the US. It hasn't received a ton of attention. The price point is a little off-putting--I realize it can't be cheap to make a gin from the "rare wild botanicals" of the "distant" Shetland Islands, but still, the $36 it sells for in California seems a little more reasonable.
Very few changes occur in the catalog this time of year, so I've compressed three weeks of updates into one post. As you can see, there wasn't much excitement.
New in-store and online products:
- Marie Duffau Hors D'Age 12 Year Old Armagnac 750 ML (#030951, Limit Dist, $49.99)
Delisted SLO products:
- Bambu Rum 750 ML (#052569, SLO, $24.99)
- Bruichladdich Islay Sm Scotch Oloroso 750 ML (#051536, SLO, $108.99)
- Citadelle Gin 750 ML (#504710, SLO, $21.99)
- DeKuyper Thrilla Vanilla 1 L (#503840, SLO, $11.69)
- Deuces Wild Gin 1.75 L (#057604, SLO, $9.29)
- Four Roses Bourbon 750 ML (#041223, SLO, $20.89)
- George Dickel 8 750 ML (#064246, SLO, $11.99)
- Goslings Reserve Rum 750 ML (#041804, SLO, $59.19)
- Hound Dog Sweet Tea 1 L (#063856, SLO, $16.59)
- Jewel of Russia Bry Infusion 1 L (#077315, SLO, $27.79)
- Knappouge Irish Single Malt 750 ML (#055006, SLO, $40.69)
- Lemon Hart Rum 750 ML (#063719, SLO, $26.49)
- Leroux Creme de Menthe Green 1 L (#068979, SLO, $6.59)
- Margaritaville Rum Silver 1 L (#502540, SLO, $25.79)
- Martell XO Cognac 750 ML (#051636, SLO, $151.09)
- McCormick Triple Sec 1 L (#054591, SLO, $5.09)
- Mi Abuela Coquito 375 ML (#059322, SLO, $12.99)
- Mi Abuela Coquito 750 ML (#060326, SLO, $19.99)
- Montecristo Rum 12yr 750 ML (#064065, SLO, $42.99)
- Nonino Grappa Vign Merlot 750 ML (#505468, SLO, $49.19)
- Villa Massa Limoncello Cream 750 ML (#504446, SLO, $34.99)
Lemon Hart 151 is, to my understanding, on order from Southern to be carried in the new specialty spirits stores. Which is interesting, because Lemon Hart 151 hasn't been made or imported in years, ever since Pernod Ricard decided to dump the brand. I suspect they quoted the 50-60 cases to the PLCB expecting to pull in old stock from their operations in other states. I'll believe it when I see it show up in the inventory system.
[Update (Feb. 2): As discussed in the comments below, Southern cancelled the LH151 order as they can't locate any stock after all.]
Fortunately, Lemon Hart will continue to be available in the future. Pernod sold the brand to a small Canadian company called Mosaiq, who originally intended to only keep the 80-proof bottling and only in the Canadian market. Ed Hamilton convinced them otherwise, and helped them secure a supply contract from Demerara Distillers Ltd so they could make Lemon Hart 151 exactly like it has always been made. Ed will be importing both bottlings from Mosaiq into the US through his company Caribbean Spirits, and lucky for us, Caribbean Spirits already has a PA distribution agreement with Majestic. Our supply of Lemon Hart 151 should be uninterrupted once we get the first batch of old stock from Pernod on the shelves.
Reactivated SLO products:
- Aberlour Single Malt Scotch 12 Year 750 ML (#502468, SLO, $83.49)
- Pisco Barsol Quebranta 750 ML (#503570, SLO, $21.19)
New SLO products:
- Blackwood's Small Batch Scotish Gin 750 ML (#508136, SLO, $54.99)
- Courvoisier Cognac 21yr 80pf 750 ML (#508304, SLO, $259.19)
- Emperors Vodka 80pf 750 ML (#508384, SLO, $34.39)
- Hound Dog Lemonade Sweet Tea Vodka 70pf 1 L (#508238, SLO, $13.39)
- Imperia Vodka 80pf 750 ML (#508296, SLO, $34.59)
- James Macarthur Clynelish 12yr Fine Single Malt Scotch 750 ML (#508123, SLO, $85.99)
- Murray McDavid Bowmore Single Malt Scotch 14yr 1996 Chateau Petrus Cask Finish 750 ML (#508118, SLO, $98.99)
- Three Olives Dude Flavored Vodka 1 L (#508443, SLO, $24.99)
- Versailles Kings Vodka 80pf 750 ML (#508385, SLO, $34.39)
- Vice Martini Vodka Infused with Ice Wine 750 ML (#508292, SLO, $38.99)
- Virginia Lightning Corn Whiskey Belmont Farms 750 ML (#508113, SLO, $34.99)
- Willett's Family Estate Rye 750 ML (#508172, SLO, $43.79)
Blackwood's Small Batch Gin is a Scottish gin recently released in the US. It hasn't received a ton of attention. The price point is a little off-putting--I realize it can't be cheap to make a gin from the "rare wild botanicals" of the "distant" Shetland Islands, but still, the $36 it sells for in California seems a little more reasonable.
I like that it's not "Three Olives Dude Vodka", which would be like a "Vodka, for Dudes".
Instead, it's "Dude Flavored". Which ... gah.
Amazing.
Welcome back!
Dude flavored vodka probably tastes like Axe body spray.
As far as Blackwood's, that's the unaged spirit that's funding the distillery's attempts to become the northernmost Scotch distillery. It's had a checkered past and is coming up on eight years without any real prospects of getting off the ground. Unless you're really interested in Shetland bottling a whisky, the gin is seriously overpriced.
I want a bottle of Dude if for no reason than as a conversation piece. (But I don't want to think about the nature of that conversation).
Goslings Reserve Rum? Spoke to my distributor and its still got a code and inventory. Is this a mistake?
Adam, the code probably got pulled by the PLCB due to SWS taking too long to fulfill an SLO for that item. When SWS reports they have inventory readily available again, the code will be reactivated.
Nathan,
I stopped at the Fruitville Pike Lancaster store and it was empty. And I don't mean of people. I mean products. There were even rows of shelves missing! No center-aisle displays, the whiskey shelves were all but bare, and even the absurdly massive selection of wine they usually have was picked over. What's going on???
My understanding is that Lemon Hart was discontinued by Pernod Ricard, but Mosaiq in Canada bought the rights to it. They had to sell the existing stock of LH before distribution of the Mosaiq LH could start again. There's a Facebook page which explains it better than I can.
Ed Hamilton says to have your local distributor contact him to get some of the new stock allocated. How can I do that?
Josh, my understanding is that Pernod Ricard still holds the "letter of record" with the PLCB for that product as well as an outstanding purchase order. Last I heard, Pernod is still committed to selling LH151 to the PLCB, presumably until they run out of their old stock. At that point, the LOR would switch over to Majestic, who is Ed Hamilton's distributor in PA. This means we have to buy LH from Pernod until they notify the PLCB that they can no longer fulfill orders for it.
I'll ping the product selection guys and see if anything has changed.
My information was out of date. Southern notified the PLCB that they will not be able to fulfill the Lemon Hart 151 order that they originally quoted for us.
I'll work on getting us in line for some of Ed's inventory that he's trying to import.