I wish I had a bottle for everybody.

If I had a bottle for everybody, then you all would be happy, which in turn would make me happy! My end of year sales figures for the Spirits Department would be wonderful, my boss would be delighted, and the world would be a better place.

If I had a bottle for everybody, then my staff and I could devote more of our time to selling the thousands of other products we carry in the store. Over the course of a year we field hundreds of phone calls, emails and queries on the sales floor about Pappy and the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection (BTAC).

Sadly, I do not have a bottle for everybody. This year our allocation on both Pappy and the BTAC was paltry. You truly would not believe how little we receive: this year and last year we did not get one full case (a case is just 3 bottles) of any of the whiskies in either collection. There are many reasons for the reduction in the size of allocations for us and every other retailer, but the main one is that the legend surrounding both of these collections has spread like wildfire throughout this country and beyond, to the point where everyone (bourbon drinker or not) wants a bottle. Unfortunately there just isn’t the supply to match the demand. Also, our allocations are based on the quantity of Sazerac (owners of Pappy & BTAC) products we sell in a given year. Straight off the bat, we get penalized as we do not sell bucket-loads of Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey, our shelves are not lined with Dr. McGillicuddy’s Cherry, Root Beer and Wild Grape flavored Schnapps, and Skol vodka is not even on our radar. This means that in order to get a fair allocation, we need to sell a lot of bourbon from the Buffalo Trace distillery (which is where Pappy & BTAC hail from), which includes Blanton’s, Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, Weller, Elmer T. Lee, Very Old Barton, etc.

So how did I decide who would be offered the opportunity to purchase a bottle this year? This week, after reviewing our free Rewards Club membership list, I compiled a list of customers who shop with us on a regular basis and who have bought Buffalo Trace products within the last 4 months. I put their names in a hat and drew the winners at random. I believe this to be the fairest way possible, as it rewards Vine & Table’s regular patrons for their valued custom.

If you have received an email from me offering you a bottle then you are one of the extremely lucky ones; if not, then know that you are not alone and are among the hundreds of Vine & Table customers who will go empty handed this year. The fact of the matter is that there are far more people looking for the above whiskies than we can provide for.

So what can you do to get on the list for next year’s allocation?

- Join our free Rewards Club, make sure to shop with us on a regular basis (a minimum of 6 transactions a year should suffice), and make sure that you always present your Rewards Card prior to your transaction so that we may register your purchases.
- Put your name in the Pappy & BTAC Box which will appear in the store in January 2015. You only need to do this one time. All entries will be reviewed and duplicate entries will be removed.
- Purchase Buffalo Trace products between July and November next year.

And keep your fingers crossed!

If you follow the above criteria, then come next November you will be entered into the draw to purchase a bottle.

All the best,