LCBO weirdness

@Nozinan let me clarify: they don’t play with the rate they tax at for spirits. That’s the same, they play with the amount they pay and can therefore charge in order to affect revenues.

@nooch I find the LCBO "taxing" in general.

I'm all for crown corporations but this one is so poorly run it's ridiculous.

Everyone is saying true things, but I don't think any of it undercuts my point that the root cause of high prices is high demand.

Consider this: If they can charge any BS price they want and it's in their interest to pay artificially high wholesale prices, why aren't they paying, say, $1000 for @nooch's bottle that righfully costs $25? Or $2000? Because people wouldn't be willing to pay those prices.

They're charging what people are willing to pay. Their monopoly exacerbates the problem, but it's not the cause.

@MadSingleMalt I both agree and disagree. Demand is one thing. Demand within a monopoly is something else. There are bottles that are 180 in Calgary that are 300 in Ontario. I don’t think demand in Ontario is greater. I think that competition is lower. In Calgary if store A tried to charge 300, store B would charge 200 and store A would be out of business. In Ontario it’s only store A. The LCBO is the single biggest liquor buyer on the planet, but has amongst the highest prices in Ontario because they can, not because demand in Ontario is 50% higher than other parts of North America.

@nooch Of course there are managers' specials, and only f you're "in the know" do you get access...

@Nozinan how does one get “in the know”?

@Nozinan do you mean the current barn burner of a sale? Canadian Club for...wait for it..$1.25 off!!!! A 4% savings. Try to maintain self control and not buy up the whole shelf!

@nooch Manager's sales are store specific, not listed online.

How does one get "in the know"? The only people who know the answer are those that are "in the know" which I am not...

@nooch, what you're describing about the monopoly is the explanation of the "exacerbation" I mentioned.

@Nozinan I’m not “in the know”, but I frequent a few stores that regularly have 20-30% off of bottles. I’m picky about what I buy, so it can be hit or miss even with clearance sales. I visit those stores as often as I can though and have been rewarded for it many times over. One manager told me that the stock they receive is often random, and they end up with $100 bottles of scotch that don’t sell well for their area of the city. Hence he has clearance sales more regularly.

Then there is the ineptitude of the LCBO when they list the wrong price for the Scotch, i.e. Deanston 10 PX Cask Strength for $80 and these beauties for $102.10 each because the last Caol Ila 18 (peated 43%) carried this price tag in 2012. I would have been just as happy had these been that one as well.

@Mancub me too. I'm the past year I have gotten the following for 25-30% off: OP 12, JW Green, Wiser Dissertation, Redbreast 12. All local store clearance.

@Nozinan, all the discounts are in Hamilton, you need a stronger network connection.

@paddockjudge I know of 2 stores close to me in Hamilton that usually have something on clearance. Nothing of interest lately though.

@Mancub, I've not tried anything from Château de Laubade, but I did try Bas Armagnac 1975 Dartigalongue 30 YO, Dupeyron Armagnac de Collectionneur 1975, and 1970 Grosperrin Cognac Grande champagne 51.5 % abv courtesy of @JasonHambrey. My cabinet staples are Dupeyron Armagnac de Collectionneur Hors d"Age and Bas Armagnac Delord 1981 bottled 2014 (33 YO). I have a few Armagnac not worth mentioning.

@paddockjudge Have you ever tried a 50 YO Armagnac?

Have you guys tried Chateau Castarede 1978 Armagnac? Thanks

@Nozinan, hmmm, I can't say I have....however, a very generous friend did give me a 30 ml 50 YO Armagnac from MoM...and you know him very well

@Nozinan, hmmm, I can't say I have....however, a very generous friend did give me a 30 ml 50 YO Armagnac from MoM...and you know him very well

@WtoW, I have not tried Chateau Castarede 1978, but I'm always willing to take one for the team.

It's in my wish list.

Craigellachie 23yo just jumped up to $550 from $455.

Mortlach 18yo went to $351 from $300

Black Bull 12yo from $68 to $104? That doesn’t even make sense to me.

Glengoyne 25 jumped to $440 from $345

Aside from whisky I enjoy a number of other spirits, so I tend to follow prices of tequila, rum, gin and all types of brandy.

Clase Azul Tequila went from $162 to $195, a significant jump. Just last summer in the States I saw this for $75 USD.

Yes, @paddockjudge and I have shared a few fine Armagnacs and cognacs. I've heard good and bad things about Laubade, but it's usually hard to find much written about these spirits, let alone find them. I'm on the Quebec border which is nice because the selection is substantially better. Darroze is great, I will say I've never had a bad thing from them - but hard to find in Canada. Dartigalongue also works a nice trick, and you can get a 25 year old for 110$ in the SAQ, and it's a nice bottle (or a 40 year old for 165$!).

Booker's jumped in price in US markets a few months ago and has finally done the same here in Ontario. Now $100

Funny searches on LCBO app. 1) bruichladdic 2) longbrow .... from another whisky forum.

Here in Pennsylvania the state owns the stores where you can purchase liquor. I’ve always considered the prices high. Bookers goes for $72 US and $80 US for the bottle with a wood case. Glenlivet 21 is $160 US and Glenlivet 18 is $110 US.