In Virginia liquor can only be bought in the ABC stores (beer and wine can be bought elsewhere). In small towns the ABC stores may have very limited inventories of many liquor types, but they usually have a decent selection of bourbons.

North Carolina is the exact same. Around Christmas time the ABC Stores here tend to stock better stuff.

Oh well, I guess I'll just have to fly the bourbon in. My last time at MHT they have a pretty nice bourbon store by the gates after security. I'm sure I'll be up there again soon enough.

In VA, the stores are a state monopoly with state-set prices and largely a state-wide selection (not all stores will have everything, but stores will not have *more* than the state has decided to carry, either).

Some of the prices are insanely inflated; for example, Masterson's Rye and Bourbons are $120-ish in VA ABC stores. I brought them back from NV for $60 or less. We have a few good deals, but by and large, prices are inflated over what they are in other states (and not just due to excise taxes).

Don't get me started on allocated stuff, which is almost impossible to come by in VA, and which no one in VA can explain how to get (e.g. there's supposedly a waiting list, but they're not taking new applicants and keep talking about having "a new mechanism" "in development" but never any word). The stores can't give you any good info about special orders or requests, either.

I like the revenue the VA ABCs bring the state, but the way they're run is just atrocious.

As for good stores near IAD, what do you mean by "near?" There's a Signature Store in Tyson's which often has higher-end selections, and another store in Tyson's which has other harder-to-find stuff. I haven't been impressed with the locations in Reston, Herndon, or Sterling, or Chantilly I've visited.

Though unfortunately I can't find Rittenhouse Rye to save my life right now. All the Durham ABC stores are out of it and the guy at one of them said there isn't any in the state. The selection is so up and down for Bourbon/Scotch/Whiskey it's just frustrating

Thanks, this is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks to this post I won't bother with the stores near IAD. I'll try the Tyson Signature store to see what they have and if it is too overpriced I'll just fly in whatever I need.

All of this describes precisely why I go into D.C. to buy my liquor. Better selection, better prices. I understand that's not an option for everyone, but I really hate the state-run liquor store concept. Makes me miss NY and the local guy who provided great prices and great customer service.

Exactly the reason government shouldn't run the liquor business. I encountered the same in NC and AL.

While I was still living in AL, the guy running the ABC's determined that 90% of the revenue came from 10% of the SKU's. That's right, he eliminated the 90% that only contributed to 10% of the sales.

When private industry runs the business, there is no one size fits all mentality. If a guy thinks he can make a go with a wide selection and higher prices, he's free to try. Likewise, someone can do what the state did and cater to the masses that want nothing but Crown, Jack and Bud.

In past years, Virginia police would stake out major DC liquor stores (esp. at major holidays) and radio the license plates and descriptions of VA cars to VA police at the bridges into Virginia. I haven't heard any stories about this in a few years. Have they stopped?

That sounds pretty ridiculous. Do you know how many cars Hertz, Avis, etc., rent out each day with VA plates? There are sooooo many people here who are not really Virginia citizens.

I'm in D.C. this weekend. Maybe I'll check out the shops here.

A bit off topic perhaps but here in Fairbanks, Alaska you can regularly get a bottle of Bookers for $47.00 + tax. Not everywhere, mind you, but if you go to the Walmart liquor store you can. Everyday pricing, too. I've never seen this tasty bourbon regularly priced so low anywhere else in the country - though I've yet to look for bourbon in Kentucky. Last week, the little convenience store 5 miles up the road had a 750ml bottle of Woodford Reserve Double Oaked priced at $25.00! Not everything is super expensive in Alaska...

Unless you're buying cases and cases or for business, I don't see what the cops would be doing. It's not illegal to buy liquor out of state.

As for prices, I find Maryland is cheaper than DC, FWIW, but it depends on the store and the item.

Come to D.C. I just saw a bottle at Washington Wine & Liquor on 1200 E St NW. I saw an awful lot of bourbon bottles. Seemed like at least 80 different brands/types. Including large 1.75 liter sizes of Buffalo Trace. Sazerac Rye. Diamond Edition Wild Turkey (never heard of that), Blantons, 1792, and dozens of other names. Some were priced high and some had ok prices. A few were even marked down.

In my experience, yes. My dad used to tell those same stories back in the 1980s.

The Vienna ABC store had plenty of Rittenhouse Rye when I was there on Saturday.

Also wanted to add that I was the recipient of a very nice bottle of Elmer T. Lee over the weekend. It's nice to have thoughtful friends! ^

It was certainly still illegal in Mass when I left in 1989. The cops would arrest drivers of cars that were spotted at the NH state liquor store parking lot over the line. I also heard of busses from Connecticut being stopped and liquor purchases being confiscated by CT state police.

It's something to do with failure to pay the state liquor tax.

You're correct. Those brands go for $60 and $30 respectively around here, unless the Woodford is on sale. I have never seen Bookers at less than $60.

I'm officially old. I recall buying Bookers for $19 in the past.

Wasn't this the whole plot of Smokey and the Bandit?

Well I'm not sure it was about taxes. But I do recall that Coors was not available east of the Mississippi.

If only that was still the case. lol

And they needed a whole truck load of it.

"Eastbound and down. Loaded up and truckin'"

I relatively frequently receive online deals offering Booker's for $45-ish. (VA ABC sells it for around $55.) Most are for two different batches together, e.g. $90 for the pair. Not bad for a decent, super-high-proof bourbon I suppose.


I suspect the liberalization of interstate alcohol laws in the 90s changed things (around the time many states started allowing out-of-state online sales to be shipped to their states--I know some still don't, of course, but seems like most do now).

That's not to say states don't still have incredibly silly or obscure alcohol laws...

I can't speak for Virginia, but I have heard of Pennsylvania state police doing the same at New Jersey stores across the Delaware River. The way I heard the story, though, they quit doing it when New Jersey police started ticketing the Pennsylvania cops for trespassing and loitering. ;)

I'll have to check it out next time I'm in DC. Got lucky today was in Hillsborough NC and decided just to give the ABC store there a try. They had two Rittenhouse left so I grabbed them.

Guy running the store said he's been hearing that VA is getting most of the harder to find / good stuff right now (including Weller 107 which they had a place for on the shelf but said they've been out for months).

Tough times down in NC for anything that isn't mass produced and aimed at pleasing the majority of customers coming in the door.

Would you say the Hillsborough ABCs have better selections than the Durham ones? I wouldn't mind the short drive for a good cause.

I think he has us confused with some other state. :D :(

I'd love for VA to have gotten Weller 107.

Rittenhouse Rye is fairly common here, at least. Despite the removal of an age statement, it's a great value.

I picked up one I hadn't seen in a long while in VA yesterday: Old Forester Signature 100. Not a bad value, but it's a bit harsh compared to the other Old Foresters I've tried, including their BiB (great stuff, although pricey) and 1870 Craft (pretty good). I'll give it another try today or tomorrow to see if the quick taste I gave it yesterday was mistaken.

This was my first time visiting any Hillsborough / Orange County ABC (I was at the one off US70). It was definitely smaller than both Durham ABC stores but because it's a bit of a drive from both Durham and Chapel Hill I think they likely have less traffic to the store so any allocation they get of the good stuff lasts longer.

That being said I perused the store after I found the Rittenhouse to see if there were any more gems and I didn't immediately see anything else pop out (probably a good thing for my wallet).

Ahh that's a bummer to hear. I was contemplating driving up to Danville and stopping at the first ABC store over the state line to see if they had any - I picked up a bottle from D&M in SF in October and I've been really enjoying it recently. Should've bought two bottles at D&M when I had the chance instead of just the 1.

Recently found some Bookers (in Muscat of all places) and grabbed it. Pricey at ~$70 but so unusual for the area that I grabbed it. Mostly been a rum drinker growing up in Australia but with the poor selection here in the ME have got a bit more adventurous and started trying a few bourbons. Worked my way up from JD :D

Really enjoying it, which I didn't expect given the 130+ proof level of it. Otherwise slim picking over here for anything other than JD & Beam, although FT's favourite Woodford Reserve is becoming reasonably easy to find. Also a very nice drop and a improvement on JD.

Great thread - I wouldn't have known what to try without all the comments on here ^

So are you taking it neat, on the rocks, with some water...? I actually like Booker's with just a bit of water (a few drops) or a small ice cube to cut it just a bit; neat, it's a bit oily in mouth-feel to me. That said, I just had some neat night-before-last. In terms of stuff in that proof range, I like Stagg Jr. a bit better, but it also costs about $20 more in VA than does Booker and isn't as regular a product in our stores.

Don't forget that the quality of water counts for a lot, even if you freeze them into ice cubes. Unless you are in a place has excellent tap water, it's best to pour Evian or something similar into your ice cube tray. When I was younger I enjoyed Bookers straight, but nowadays I definitely place a couple cubes into the glass.

LEX Horse and Bourbon DO dates set for April 8-10. Link to the thread in my signature.

Y'all come!

Would LOVE to but I'm out this year.

A first for me as someone who drinks often from hotel mini-bars. Normally you are lucky if you find JD in your mini-bar, but at the IC Boston they have Bulleit minis!

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...919dc7e970.jpg

That reminds me, I saw Bulleit 10 in the store the other day. Might have to try that too.

I will admit to putting a few drops of water in it most times.

I will have to watch for anything else decent here. We are no chance of getting Stagg. Will be going through the same ariport next week, they had 1 bottle left which I think I will buy. Probably will never see it again in the middle east. :rolleyes:

I picked up a Breaker Port Finish yesterday. Their straight bourbon is quite decent for a craft distillery, and is starting to become more widely available.

I have to say, of the port finished bourbons I've tried (Angel's Envy, 1792, a few others), this is the best. It's not mind-blowingly sweet, but definitely has a ton of port flavor to its nose and finish.

My wife even liked it when offered a sniff (usually, she says, "Smells like Spring Break! Yuck!" to any and all bourbons). She did not repeat the mistake she did with a Filibuster triple cask finish I offered her a while back, though, and actually sip it; having not built up a taste for straight liquor, she nearly exploded at the high proof Filibuster. The Breaker port finish is around 90 proof, IIRC, still more than she'd be able to drink.

I got to try a sip of Pappy Van Winkle 23 last night. It tasted very strongly of the barrel wood: a bomb of vanilla on the palate and very smooth. The nose was overpoweringly caramel.

It was very nice, but tasted so much like wood that I'm not sure I could do a whole shot of it...and certainly not at the $75 or $100 or whatever they were charging.

I haven't had it myself, but have read many opinions that the 20yr pappy hits the sweet spot on age, with the 23 taking on too much barrel character.

Opened up a bottle of William larue weller this weekend - it's fantastic. Even got my wife to take a sip and admit she kind of liked it.

Said goodbye to an old friend last night.