Sazerac in talks with Brown Forman?

I will text Bill Goldring and let you know.

Tulane NIL about to be stacked.

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The boom in bourbon faded faster than expected

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Ya know what happens when every single "good juice" is allocated and you can only find it for triple MSRP? People get tired of it really quick and move on to something else. Just so happens that something else was Delta 9 and its readably available and for a super attractive price.

Who knew that charging $150 for Weller was a bad idea when I can get a good buzz without a hangover for $25.

Wine will be fine as long as you have middle class moms.

Expect alcohol business to still be around but would be shocked if it’s not half the size it is now.

Unless, international markets become a saving grace.

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Wine will be fine as long as you have middle class moms

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And it comes in a box instead of a bottle.

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This can't be true, can it? Consumption has dropped that much? Then I should be able to get some Stagg under 3x MSRP in DFW

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There is currently more bourbon in barrels than at any time in history. In Kentucky alone there’s an estimated 17 million barrels aging. That doesn’t even take into consideration what MGP has in Indiana and elsewhere. At the same time; per capita alcohol consumption is at its lowest point in recorded history outside of the prohibition era.

There’s definitely been some warning signs. Layoffs have hit Buffalo Trace, WhistlePig, Beam and Old Forrester to name just a few.

Kentucky Owl/Stoli is out of business. Old Elk liquidated and sold to avoid bankruptcy. Beam has shut down one of its distillery sites completely and laid off hundreds. Old Forrester closed their cooperage operations last year. In other words; they stopped making their own barrels. Which indicates that they intend to fill so few that simply buying them from someone else is more cost effective than supplying, maintaining and staffing their own operation.

Right now there’s a cat and mouse game being played. The large established producers know that once the dominoes start tumbling they’ll be able to buy already filled barrels for less than it may cost to make it themselves. We are going to be covered up in 8-10 year old bourbon in just a few years. For bourbon aficionados a positively gilded age is coming.

Where things get dicey is pricing. The distilleries are very much dependent on the high dollar bottles for their survival right now. That’s why you are being inundated with new labels, different proofs, new age statements, etc.

The price escalation is real and it’s turning a lot of people away from bourbon. As an example; I ran a bottle club and have purchased numerous barrels of bourbons over the years.

I bought an entire barrel of 15 year old Knob Creek and had it bottled at 120 Proof back in 2018. It produced a little more than 130 bottles. They cost me $24 each delivered. That’s easily a $150+ bottle now some 7-8 years later.

So there is a consumer group willing to pay the $200 price tag. What happens when those consumers figure out that the distillery bought the entire barrel used to make those bottles for $200 or less at a bankruptcy auction? Nobody likes the feeling of being ripped off. Could be interesting times ahead.

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However, I was soon disappointed to hear the news as she read from their FB that the offerings will be Kombucha/THC and "Elixirs". (Butterfly Girl Kombucha, Metamorphosis Beverages & Blu Morpho Beverages), WTF, not one word about beer!

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Craft beer is not dead; but, it’s definitely on life support in many areas of the US. The industry is collectively pivoting towards a different business model which is a more synergistic approach that encompasses not only beer; but, often a restaurant plus a cocktail and NA program which often involves THC products. They are also leaning hard into becoming an event space. Stand up comedy, trivia night, local bands. Anything to get people in the door.