Yellowstone Bourbon Launches Once-in-a-Lifetime Getaway Contest

Iconic bourbon brand shares its connection to America’s first national park with consumers through new adventure experience opportunity

ST. LOUIS (April 8, 2024) – Yellowstone Bourbon announced a contest for consumers to win an all-inclusive trip to Yellowstone National Park in 2024. Consumers can enter the Yellowstone National Park Getaway Contest now through July 15 by submitting a photo and a writeup about their love for the great outdoors – a hiking story, poem or another kind of written expression.

The three lucky winners and their plus-one will experience the ultimate national park adventure September 5-8, 2024, including hiking, horseback riding, sightseeing, curated meals, private accommodations and round-trip airfare. In addition, four social media influencers will join the winners for this trip of a lifetime:
• Dean Unglert, reality TV star and outdoor explorer
• Adam Glick, celebrity chef and adventurer
• Holly Johnson, travel and outdoor content creator
• Patrick Duke, adventure photographer and filmmaker

“For more than 150 years, Yellowstone Bourbon has shared a bond with the majestic Yellowstone National Park,” said Kelly Panzitta, Yellowstone Bourbon brand manager. “This contest gives people the opportunity to experience that connection firsthand and win a one-of-a-kind adventure. It’s part of our commitment to always keep the park within reach.”

Since 2018, Yellowstone Bourbon has donated nearly $500,000 to National Parks Conservation Association to preserve national parks. In 2023, Yellowstone became one of NPCA’s largest annual corporate donors at the $250,000 level.

Yellowstone Bourbon partnered with World Playground to plan the contest itinerary and Under Canvas for the winners’ and influencers’ private accommodations in West Yellowstone. For more information about the contest including official rules, please visit Yellowstone National Park Getaway Contest or YellowstoneBourbon.com. For updates about the contest, follow Yellowstone Bourbon on Facebook and Instagram.

We’re all adults here (or should be if you’re reading a whiskey/whisky blog).

Should anyone be surprised to start seeing domestic offerings at 700 mL versus 750 mL? No, although I’m sure some will feign shock and awe at the prospect.

Am I crazy about it? No, but I’m not backing down from my elation over the change in the Standards of Fill.

Have the floodgates opened with more independent bottlings here in the United States? Maybe not as much as I’d hoped – although supply chain, tariffs, inflation and other factors are likely contributing to that.

Will we see a price break when folks convert bottles from 750 to 700? I’d bet not. But I still think it is the right move as it makes production more efficient and opens up more markets to producers. A smaller producer who can’t afford to buy inventory of two different sized bottles just to be able to sell in other markets now won’t have to worry about that.

In the case of my recent review, one of the first domestic offerings I’ve seen in 700 mL – I’d note that this is a new offering; not a migration of an existing brand that was sold at 750 mL previously. A 6 year, bottled-in-bond rye, at $50. If they kept the ‘price per ounce’ the same and offered it in a 750 mL, it’d be $53.57. Does that difference impact my desire to buy it? Not a chance. I get that as the prices go up – the difference does as well, that’s just math. Essentially for a brand migrating, the customer is losing 1.7 oz in the bargain (and if you’re talking about a $150 bottle, now that gaps is just over $10).

My guess is that given the current inflationary environment, the big brands will start to make that move and keep prices level (which I get is ‘shrinkflation’). It isn’t that I think the big brands are altruistic or any shit like that, but rather that it’s a convenient excuse to make the cut and explain why they aren’t dropping prices when they do (although if you’re the last one to make that move, it might be shrewd to discount and call out the other greedy bastards).

At the end of the day, your daily drinker of $20-$30, you’re talking about a difference of $1.50-$2. Let’s be honest – if (let’s say Jack Daniels, or Jim Beam, or Evan Williams) is your drink of choice, you’re not switching to one of those others over $1.50 difference. That’s not why you’re with that brand.

I do hope that we will start to see more and more offerings here in the States in the not too distant future. Offerings which we could only have dreamt of before (or paid exorbitant amounts to have shipped from the far side of the pond). Again, not because I think the industry is altruistic – but because there’s a lot of money to be made in doing so. Just wasn’t enough to support bottling at 750 mL just for one goofy market.

Barrell Craft Spirits® Launches Sample Gift Box

Just in Time for the Holidays, the Original Independent Blender Offers
100ml samples of its Core Whiskey Expressions and Newest Batched Bourbon

Louisville, KY (September 5, 2023) – Barrell Craft Spirits® (BCS), the original independent blender of unique aged, cask strength whiskey since 2013, today launched a gift box containing 100ml samples of its core Barrell products – Dovetail, Seagrass, Vantage – and its newest batch release, Barrell Bourbon Batch 035.

• Barrell Dovetail
• • A blend of whiskeys finished in blackstrap rum, Port, and Dunn Vineyards Cabernet barrels. A uniquely delicious whiskey with a buttery texture and rich, spicy depth.
• Barrell Seagrass
  • A blend of Canadian and American rye whiskeys finished in Martinique rum, Madeira, and apricot brandy barrels. Ripe, juicy fruit sits at the core of this whiskey, wrapped by layers of leather, grassy herbs, and rye spice.
• Barrell Vantage
  • A blend of straight bourbons finished in three distinct expressions of virgin oak: Mizunara, French, and toasted American oak casks. The result is a warm, elegant bourbon that highlights the many dimensions of oak.
• Barrell Bourbon Batch 035
  • A blend of 6, 7, 8, and 13-year-old bourbons. The resulting bourbon is peppery and intriguing on the nose, and sweet and long on the finish.

“Many consumers appreciate the opportunity to sample an ultra-premium whiskey before purchasing a 750ml bottle,” said BCS Founder Joe Beatrice. “Our sample gift box is the perfect way to try before you buy. It also makes an ideal holiday stocking stuffer for adult whiskey enthusiasts.”

Founded in 2013 in Louisville, Kentucky, BCS selects and blends products that explore different distillation methods, barrels, and aging environments, and bottles them at cask strength. BCS’s extensive stocks of high-quality casks mean it can craft extraordinary blends that maximize the nuances of each ingredient. Creative finishes, a liberated approach to blending, and a deep-seated commitment to releasing each whiskey at cask strength guides every product release.

Beginning October 1, the sample gift box is available for purchase online via the BCS website at barrellbourbon.com and in select retail locations across the U.S. for the suggested retail price of $69.99.

The award-winning line of Barrell Craft Spirits releases are currently sold in 49 US states. For more information, follow Barrell Craft Spirits® on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram or visit barrellbourbon.com.

 Barrell Craft Spirits®

Louisville-based Barrell Craft Spirits® is the original, pre-eminent independent blender of unique, aged, cask strength whiskey and rum. Recognized for our blending expertise since 2013, we skillfully design, produce, and launch leading, unique products that surprise and delight whiskey aficionados and novices alike.

Barrell Craft Spirits®, Barrell®, Barrell Bourbon® and Barrell Rye® are registered trademarks owned by Barrell Craft Spirits LLC.

I get asked this question by folks who haven’t had the opportunity to experience some of these gems.  I also get asked this question by folks who “know a guy” who can get them something but they’re not sure if the price is worth while (and who don’t really care what it tastes like).

Let me start with clarifying that this is NOT an investment post.  I’m going to tackle this from the perspective of someone considering buying a bottle to open up and drink. Might you be able to buy a bottle today at secondary market pricing and sell it in the future for more?  Who knows.  Every time I think the pricing has gotten “too crazy”, I hear some outrageous example that proves me wrong. Price/value is highly subjective – what I may feel is “too much” may be an amount that is chump change to someone else, so leaving that up to you.

And while I would like to say the answer to the question is “None are worth it” – that would be a bit disingenuous since I’ve had the privilege of experiencing first hand what some of these highly sought after pours are – without paying secondary market pricing.  As Garth Brooks says, I’ve got friends in low places 🙂  I consider myself unbelievably lucky to have gotten into bourbon in 2010, finding my way to other enthusiasts who had been in the hobby for many years – some a decade or more.  They had accumulated some amazing collections, including glut-era dusties from all of the major distilleries.  They educated me on how to spot a dusty (what UPC codes were associated with older distilleries, when tax stamps were “a thing”, etc) and were generous enough to share some truly amazing bottles (like single barrel, non-chill filtered Stitzel Weller distilled Pappy Van Winkle; or Willett 22 yr Rye barrel 618 aka ‘Doug’s Green Ink’).

Were many of those better than what I could walk into a store and pick off a shelf today in 2022?  Feel pretty confident answering in the affirmative.  In fact the Willett 22 yr remains to this day the best rye whiskey I’ve ever tasted.  If I could buy a bottle – knowing what it tastes like – I would absolutely pay multiples of what it was purchased for originally (which I believe Smokin’ Joe recalled to be under $100 a bottle). Last I heard, it is going for several thousand a bottle.  Would I pay that?  No chance in hell.

But there are a lot of bottles that having tried them, in my opinion, aren’t that special and are over-hyped. I wouldn’t pay over retail for Blanton’s, Henry McKenna 10 Yr, any Weller or Pappy. That isn’t to say they’re not good whiskey – they are. But in my experience, there are some single barrel private picks from different distilleries that I’d take over those every time. Some Buffalo Trace Antique Collection bottles I’ve had were really spectacular – and I honestly would probably pay double retail for some (although again, this isn’t where the market is at). But at $500+ a bottle – I’m passing every single time.

The way I think about it is this: What would I be willing to pay for the experience itself – knowing that it might not live up to the hype?

Let’s say that you’ve never had a George T Stagg, and you have a chance to buy one for $1,200 a bottle.  Let’s also assume this is through a reputable retailer, where the provenance isn’t in question (although may not be that reputable if they’re selling at that price).  The way I would think about it is this:

1. What is it worth to me have a 2 oz pour, in the setting (and using the glassware) of my choosing? Because to get a 1 oz pour, I’ll likely be paying $75-$100 in a restaurant that may have a ton of aromas going on, noise, etc (and who knows about the glassware)  Am I willing to pay less than that rate and have the chance to pick my setting/glassware?
2. How many friends or acquaintances might be interested in the same experience?  Considering a 750 mL bottle is 25.36 ounces (call it 25), that’s 12 solid 2 oz pours with a bit extra.  If I can get 11 friends willing to chip in $100 a piece for 2 oz of Stagg, I’m paying the same thing (but getting a tad over 3 oz). Hell, a friend who has had it might be game since it is below on premise pricing.   Even if I can only get 5 others – I’ve cut back my risk almost in half (and if I like it, will have half a bottle left!)

This was a long post to get to this point:  Think of it as an experience.  People pay over $200 to jump out of a perfectly good airplane – and from when you jump you’re back on the ground in about 10 minutes.  I could savor a 2 oz pour of a delicious whiskey for a helluva lot longer than 10 minutes.  And doing so with friends makes it all the more enjoyable.

Last July I shared my thoughts on proposed changes to TTB rules, namely expanding the ‘standards of fill’ to include the international standard of 700 mL.  In short, most of the whisk(e)y world (and distilled spirits in general) use a 700 mL bottle size.  The U.S. had adopted 750 mL (along with others, such as 375 mL, 1L, etc).  Because this single market would require a different bottle and bottling process, it unfortunately limited exporting to that market to those who were willing to invest in all that entailed.  While the major producers would sell enough in volume to make it worth while, this did restrict a lot of independent bottlers from exporting their goods.

I’m elated to share that the TTB announced today that effective (December 29, 2020), they will “publish a final rule in the Federal Register that, among other things, amends TTB’s regulations that govern wine and distilled spirits containers by adding seven new standards of fill for wine and distilled spirits.”  For distilled spirits, the new container sizes are:

• 1.8 L
• 900 mL
• 720 mL
• 700 mL

Of those, the 700 mL is the one I’m most excited about.  Given some current tariffs in place on single malt scotch (as well as the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic), we may not see the floodgates open right away.  But this is definitely good news for those who would like to see a broader selection of independent bottlings and other exclusives come to our shores.

Cheers!

Gary