What would you pay?

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What would you pay?

Unread postby bourbonv » Thu Jan 13, 2005 5:23 pm

Last November I contributed (with the help of several distilleries) to an auction for the Farnsley-Kaufman House a tasting where I will go to the winner's home and give them a premium whiskey tasting. I will explain the differences between the categories of premium styles as we taste the whiskeys. The whiskeys provided are as follows:
Pappy Van Winkle 15yo (Extra Aged bourbon)
Elmer T. Lee (Single Barrel bourbon)
Booker's (Small Batch bourbon)
Buffalo Trace (Small Batch bourbon)
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon (Specialty bottling bourbon)
Sazerac Rye (Extra Aged Rye)
Jack Daniel's Single Barrel (Tennessee Single Barrel)

I would provide glassware for 8 people to do the tasting and the winner keeps what is left in the bottles for their bar.

What would you have bid for this tasting?

Mike Veach
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Unread postby Dave » Thu Jan 13, 2005 7:30 pm

Mike, I'm assuming that perhaps the winner of the auction may have gotten too good a deal?

If it's a charity event, I'd have no problem bidding more than the retail value of the goods. And since there is value added as well (for you to travel and spend your time), I'd probably have no problem bidding it up more than 15% above retail.
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Unread postby bunghole » Thu Jan 13, 2005 7:51 pm

Two or three grand if I were rich and wanted to both support the house and invite my friends over for a taste of one upmanship.

I'd have ten thousand dollars worth of smuggled contraban Habanos sprinkled across the house. Several boxes of Trinidads at $2500 a box. Cohibas at a grand a box. A box in every bathroom. Montecristos by the gallon! Damned cheap at $500 a box. I should think ten boxes would do nicely.

Two or three grand for a private Bourbo-Veach tasting is a bargain!

When you can throw a really GOOD party for less than 100 grand Martha would be so proud!

Free Martha Now!
Last edited by bunghole on Fri Jan 14, 2005 10:02 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What would you pay?

Unread postby angelshare » Thu Jan 13, 2005 8:55 pm

This is a tough one, Mike, because what we are really asked to value is your invaluable expertise. With that in mind:

Based roughly on MD/VA prices and novelty/availability, I would assess the value to me as follows:

Pappy Van Winkle 15yo (Extra Aged bourbon) - $70? (note, we have not had nor do we have this bottle, so, of the offerings, this is the most "valuable" to us. Also, this is not available in VA, which adds to its appeal)

Elmer T. Lee (Single Barrel bourbon) - $25

Booker's (Small Batch bourbon)-$45

Buffalo Trace (Small Batch bourbon)-$20

Old Forester Birthday Bourbon (Specialty bottling bourbon)- 2002? If so, more valuable to me, but if 2003 or 2004, $35

Sazerac Rye (Extra Aged Rye)-$40

Jack Daniel's Single Barrel (Tennessee Single Barrel)-$35 (to demonstrate the taste of high fusel oils? :lol:)

So, to me, the bourbon would roughly be worth $270 with nothing on the list that is super collectible or limited unless I'm missing something. To me, your tasting guidance is the most valuable single "item" in the auction.

So, how much would I bid? Obviously, my knowledge and impressions of the charity would play heavily into my bidding. But, what if I saw this on Ebay with my current financial situation and social situation?

$400? :oops: It's awkward to put a value on your wisdom, but I figured you wanted as honest an answer as we could muster, or else you wouldn't have asked us.

If I were independently wealthy or even single with no kids? Definitely more. I'm sure there is a wide range of maximum bids here, and it all depends on disposable income. I'm sure we all value YOU very similarly!
Dave & Tina
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Unread postby OneCubeOnly » Thu Jan 13, 2005 9:57 pm

My thinking was very much along the same lines as Dave's. The value of the bourbons isn't what I'd be bidding on. (I've tasted all of those and own all but the JDSB!) It'd be the experience of you coming over to share them, and sharing your expertise with my friends who *DON'T* know bourbons. If I had people over and did it myself, my friends would be like: "gee...Gary's gonna show off his collection", but if *YOU* did it, it'd be totally different.

Is this a charity I'd give money to anyway? If so, I'd probably go up to $700.

Did you not get a good bid?
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Re: What would you pay?

Unread postby Stoopsie » Fri Jan 14, 2005 7:07 am

bourbonv wrote:
I would provide glassware.

Mike Veach


So my bid will hinge heavily on the type of glassware. I will place a higher bid if "Bunghole Approved" glassware is provided.

And you did not say if we could keep the glassware along with the leftovers.

the winner keeps what is left in the bottles for their bar.

And lastly, before I make my bid let me state for the record that Bunghole will unfortunately not be invited because I would like some leftovers to stock my bar. Sorry, Bunghole :P

Howie
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Unread postby bourbonv » Fri Jan 14, 2005 10:27 am

The glassware is not to be kept. I am renting some glassware from a local place that has decent, but not perfect glassware for such tastings, but the expense is small. I plan to have a glass for each product for each person (9 people all together - myself and the 8 tasters). This expense is only about $20.00.

The price of the whiskey I was estimating at about $270.00. This would make the value at $290.00 to $300.00 for the product and glassware. The bids were less than this and I wonder if it is really worth doing again for next year's auction. From what I am hearing, probably not unless we can get some real bourbon drinkers at the auction.

The whiskey was all donated by the distillers and I actually asked for the Jack Daniel's Single Barrel because I wanted to talk about Tennessee Whisky and Chris Morris was happy to provide this as a donation with the Old Forester Single Barrel. My thanks to Chris and Julian, and Mark Brown and Jerry Dalton for providing the whiskey for these tastings.

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Unread postby bunghole » Fri Jan 14, 2005 10:33 am

Thanks a lot, Howie! :roll: :lol:

I'd just jet over to Paris in my Gulfstream and pick up oh say 100 pure glasses, so that everyone could have each pour in it's own glass plus one for water. Crystal water pitchers filled with Kabala water of course. Oh! and some crystal champagne buckets for use as spittoons, but we'll call them cuspidors! I'd use Austrian gold philharmonics as coasters. You really don't know how good a bourbon can be once you've poured it into a pure glass and let it breath while sitting on an ounce of pure gold. And the COLOR! Well it's just to die for! Of couse all guests would be free to keep the glasses and coasters as party favors.

A party just isn't a party unless old bunghole is there. Right Martha?

PANTS AWAY! :occasion9:

:arrow: ima :partyman:
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Unread postby bourbonv » Fri Jan 14, 2005 10:38 am

Linn,
I like your style!

Mike Veach
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Unread postby bunghole » Fri Jan 14, 2005 11:24 am

bourbonv wrote:Linn,
I like your style!

Mike Veach


Thanks Mike! I'm sorry your auction didn't fetch a higher bid. You really do need someone that is ostentatiously wealthy that will bid outragous amounts of money for the fun of it. Someone that would ceremoniously drop a couple of five karat brillant cut diamonds into the pure glass.

Now That's Bourbon On The Rocks, BABY!

:arrow: ima BLING-BLING bunghole! :shock:
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Unread postby bunghole » Fri Jan 14, 2005 11:40 am

OH!-OH! I'd invite George Reidel so I could blow a BIG mouthful of Cuban smoke in his face and say "George, why can't YOU make glasses as good as these?"

Yeah! I'd love that.


:arrow: ima :smilebox:
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Unread postby TNbourbon » Fri Jan 14, 2005 12:16 pm

This is an entirely theoretical discussion to me, because aside from online bourbon associates with whom I gather once or twice a year, I know not a single other bourbon drinker socially. So, while I could put together a group of eight people, it would be up to Mike's expertise to turn any of them into bourbon drinkers. Thus, Mike's presence would be the interest point for bidding -- the bourbon I might just as well buy for myself.
In other words, I probably wouldn't bid at all, in all honesty, because it would probably be wasted on any of my acquaintances.
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Unread postby bunghole » Fri Jan 14, 2005 1:54 pm

TNbourbon wrote:This is an entirely theoretical discussion to me, because aside from online bourbon associates with whom I gather once or twice a year, I know not a single other bourbon drinker socially. So, while I could put together a group of eight people, it would be up to Mike's expertise to turn any of them into bourbon drinkers. Thus, Mike's presence would be the interest point for bidding -- the bourbon I might just as well buy for myself.
In other words, I probably wouldn't bid at all, in all honesty, because it would probably be wasted on any of my acquaintances.


Tim,

Every Party Needs A Pooper.
That's Why We Invited You!
Party Pooper!
Party Pooper!

We're just trying to help our brother feel better about himslef. I'd easily pay five or six million dolllars just to know what Mike Veach knows, and an easy three or four millon dollars just to know the folks he knows.

Access is everything. Honest comments under the table and off the record means even more. Mike knows far more than he can ever tell. His friendship means the world to me.

I'm Mike's Friend!

:arrow: ima :smilebox:
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Unread postby TNbourbon » Fri Jan 14, 2005 2:35 pm

bunghole wrote:We're just trying to help our brother feel better about himslef. I'd easily pay five or six million dolllars just to know what Mike Veach knows, and an easy three or four millon dollars just to know the folks he knows...


OH! :wink: In THAT case, put me down for several million, too. (Just don't ask for credit references!)
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Unread postby bunghole » Fri Jan 14, 2005 2:50 pm

Tim,

You're good to go! Ten Mil.

L
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