What would you pay?

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Unread postby bourbonv » Fri Jan 14, 2005 2:55 pm

I appreciate your votes of confidence!

I was curious because I was just baffled that the tasting did not sell for more than it did and was wondering if maybe my expectations were a little high. I still think that it should have went in the $400.00 range. I am debating as to whether I should do this again next year or not.

Mike Veach
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Unread postby angelshare » Fri Jan 14, 2005 6:06 pm

bourbonv wrote: I was curious because I was just baffled that the tasting did not sell for more than it did and was wondering if maybe my expectations were a little high. I still think that it should have went in the $400.00 range. I am debating as to whether I should do this again next year or not.


It strikes me that there are three possibilities for why the max bid didn't meet your expectations:

1) The bidders didn't really appreciate what was offered either in terms of the bourbon and/or in terms of the wisdom and guidance to accompany the tasting;

2) The bidders perceived that the auction was an opportunity to get a bargain AND contribute to a good cause. EG, if I "donate" a bottle of OFBB to an auction, I have effectively donated $35. If the distillery donates it, the donation is really a fraction of that. If all the proceeds go to charity - IE, the bidders know that the goods were donated and the charity gets all funds - the bidders may not feel the need to bid based on retail value; (NOTE: I'm not saying that's right or wrong, just that it may be the case.)

3) The bidders were underwhelmed with the bourbon selection and required something more exotic or collectible to whip them into a bourbon bidding frenzy.

Or, of course, a combination of the above. You are in the best position to determine which factors may have played into this.

Like Tim, we would have had difficulty gathering eight people outside the gazebo who would have truly appreciated the event, but, heck - if we get to keep all the leftovers, who cares? :D

Just out of curiosity, can you tell us more about the charity and the auction participants? How was the bidding done? How many total bids were there?
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Unread postby bourbonv » Fri Jan 14, 2005 8:00 pm

The auction is held every fall - usually first weekend in November - to raise money for the Farnsley-Kaufman house. The house is a farm house built in the early 1800's by David Farnsley and is a typical middle class farm house. The Kaufman family bought the house in the late 1800's and owned it until the Jefferson County School Board had the property condemned in the late 1990's so they could build a middle school there, forcing the last Kaufman out.

The school board then started to build on the property, but got the community in an uproar when they tore down the barn (built about 1810) with no notice. The Friends of Farnsley-Kaufman was then formed to make sure the house and other out buildings were saved from the same fate. The good thing is that they wood from the barn was saved from the dump and went to help another historic Farnsley home - the Farnsley-Moreman house. The wood was used to build a kitchen outbuilding at that home after the foundations were found in an archealogical dig.

The Farnsley-Kaufman house is now partnered with the University of Kentucky and Farnsley Middle School to work as place where middle school student can get hands on historical education with everything from archealogical digs to historic farm life to 19th century entertainment.

The auction has a mixture of local people including local politicians and business leaders. The auction is a combination live and silent auction and the tastings were live with competative bidding.

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Unread postby White Lightning » Sun Jan 16, 2005 10:25 am

Maybe next time host it at your house or place of choice and make the two highest (silent bidders) winners each inviting 3 guests. . .
:idea:
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Unread postby Dane » Wed Jan 19, 2005 4:16 am

I'm wondering what kind of friends Tim and Dave have. Around here, you mention free liquor and suddenly you get VERY popular. I wonder though if the bidding wasn't higher because all the people there figured that since they were from Kentucky they knew all they needed to know about whiskey. It just wasn't a novelty to them. Now take that same auction and put it here in St Louis where we aren't surrounded by bourbon distilleries and history and it might do a bit better. Of course then Mike would have to figure in travel expenses etc....
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