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What kind of prices have ya'll found for the A.H. Hirsch 16yr Bourbon?
I see it for $90 at Park Ave Liquor in NYC, and for $70 in KY (Cork & Bottle).
Thanks!

rickduff wrote:What kind of prices have ya'll found for the A.H. Hirsch 16yr Bourbon?
I see it for $90 at Park Ave Liquor in NYC, and for $70 in KY (Cork & Bottle).
Thanks!

Several online retailers had it at $40 recently. Hmmmm. Nope, Binny's now has it at $50. IMO, $90 is ridiculous.

--Jeff

When the last bottling release of the Hirsch 16 came out last year it was priced at $40... Soon after it went up to $70 give or take. The newer foil topped bottlings are not (in my opinion) as good as the older gold waxed ones. The gold waxed ones I'd say are good for $70 if you really wanted a bottle but these final release bottles just are not as damn good, so I'd put them right at that $40 to $50 price mark... Just remember that this bourbon has now all been bottled and will be no more so if you really want a bottle guy it when you feel you can afford it... Look at the Hirsch 20 as an example, it say around $80, then went to $120-130 and right after that up to $200 and beyond and now its no more. Yes, some find bottles for under $100 at places from time to time but unfortunately for the most part its all gone. If I found anymore at under $100 I'd say buy them ALL and if you can't afford them, make a psot here, I am CERTAIN people will be willing to pay for shipping to get one!

...Just remember that this bourbon has now all been bottled and will be no more so if you really want a bottle buy it...

And that is also why the price isn't ever going to be any lower, despite the apparent fact that the current/last bottling may be subpar. At this point, waiting to buy it at a lower price may mean never getting the chance to buy it at all.

I have it priced at $70 on my shelf here at LeNell's. When I opened in 2003, I bought as much as I could afford over several months with the good luck of having a connection inside the distributor here who told me when the price was about to go up. I really wanted to try to keep my price around $70 if at all possible. I paid $50 a bottle for my stash and that's wholesale. Now the price is up to over $63 wholesale here in NYC.

Mark was kind enough to stop by the store one day and let me try his Hirsch 20 against a newer Hirsch 16. I personally liked the 16 just a little better than the 20. Ben loves the 16.

tlsmothers wrote:Mark was kind enough to stop by the store one day and let me try his Hirsch 20 against a newer Hirsch 16. I personally liked the 16 just a little better than the 20. Ben loves the 16.

I've long thought that the 16 was better than the 20 and you're certainly not the first person to offer that opinion.

Too bad I didn't have much money when Oregon dumped the Hirsch a few years ago from the state stores. The 16 y.o. was going for something like $25 and the 20 y.o. for not a whole lot more. Obviously, I should have hit every liquor store in the Portland-Eugene corridor but I just didn't have the clink.

--Jeff

Jeff, I passed through Portland recently and visited the liquor store downtown off SW Broadway, I think the street was Washington (just north of the square where the trams turn, Pioneer Square I think it is called). They had Hirsch 16 year old, the gold foil version. The price was around $70 if memory serves. I passed it up since I think the gold foil (at least the ones first released a couple of years ago) weren't as good as the gold and blue wax versions, but many people are satisfied with it and the price is down from what was asked for those two original versions. They also had Bulleit at $20 and a number of other interesting items (e.g 5 year old Jim Beam in the Green Label, which may not be made anymore, Jack Daniel Green Label and some other unusual whiskies). Of the values I thought their Overholt and Bulleit were very well-priced.

Gary

gillmang wrote:Jeff, I passed through Portland recently and visited the liquor store downtown off SW Broadway, I think the street was Washington (just north of the square where the trams turn, Pioneer Square I think it is called). They had Hirsch 16 year old, the gold foil version. The price was around $70 if memory serves. I passed it up since I think the gold foil (at least the ones first released a couple of years ago) weren't as good as the gold and blue wax versions, but many people are satisfied with it and the price is down from what was asked for those two original versions. They also had Bulleit at $20 and a number of other interesting items (e.g 5 year old Jim Beam in the Green Label, which may not be made anymore, Jack Daniel Green Label and some other unusual whiskies). Of the values I thought their Overholt and Bulleit were very well-priced.

Interesting. The Hirsch that was discontinued was definitely the wax version.

I've been amazed that Bulleit has been available for less than it would cost at, say, Binny's. It doesn't make a lot of sense, but I've not complained to anyone. It came in orginally as a special order and blew out the door in short order; took a few weeks for them to restock, and every liquor store I called during that period had sold out completely. Given a more or less utter lack of advertising for it around here, I have to wonder who (besides me) was buying it.

The next time you're in town, you should visit Uptown Liquor (on NW 23rd & Burnside). Essentially, if it's available in the state, they've got it and they're very nice people. They're also one of the stores that has open shelves for display; it's pretty typical here to have a counter between customers and the booze and I'm a fondler. I like to take my time looking at the possibilities, and if I can't touch the bottle, I'm less likely to buy.

Yeah, yeah. Sick.

Thanks for the tips. I had very little time on this trip but maybe we can meet for a beer on my next one, I may go back later this year.

Gary

gillmang wrote:Thanks for the tips. I had very little time on this trip but maybe we can meet for a beer on my next one, I may go back later this year.

Let me know when you're in town. Life is more than a little chaotic right now, but may have settled down later this year. In any event, beer always sounds good.

--Jeff

For those of you who love the previous bottling and don't have a sufficient back up supply.....there's a bottle of 16yo gold wax Hirsch at Steve's Liquor and More in Madison Wisconsin. (608)833-5995. It's priced at $85.00.

On a recent trip to a college town, I just tracked down bottles of the Hirsch 16 (blue wax!) at about $90 and Hirsch 20 (!!) at $116. I've kinda maxed out on my bourbon acquisitions this month (case of spring Stagg) -- should I go over budget? One bottle, or one each, or buy them out?

The Hirsch 20 can approach $200. You'll be lucky to see it again at any price, let alone that one.

The Hirsch 16 YO (foil top) is priced around $69 in the Atlanta burbs, but because I bought 4 bottles and buy other stuff from 'my' liquor store they sold it to me for $59. The liquor store, Sigman Spirits, in Conyers Ga has a nice stash left. Although when I was in there last week, the owner told me someone had just purchased a case.

I have never had the earlier versions, but this one suits me just fine. It has its own unique taste and I always enjoy it.

Dizzy's Club Coca Cola, the "jazz club" venue at the new Jazz at Lincoln Center complex, has Hirsch 16 on the bar at $15/glass, but it's a healthy pour. (They're charging $9 for Maker's.) I found it a youngish 16-year-old, very drinkable and surprisingly dry.