BEWARE of Bourbon Scammers! - BRT 176

[@scanrock1]

Randy and Wes are the best educators of the Bourbon Community. Thank you guys for your valuable information for Bourbon buyers

[@BourbonRealTalk]

Wow, thank you!

[@pinkfloyd7572]

You have the greatest sendoff of any show. Never think it goes unnoticed or unappreciated.

[@BourbonRealTalk]

Thank you!

[@wizzer88]

Yup, I was scammed once by a fake online store. They were selling a lot of allocated bottles for close to MSRP. They got really elaborate. They has multiple accounts that would leave customer reviews saying they received bottles from this company, had videos of sending bottles out. My advice is if the price is too good to be true, it is. And know the releases of allocated bottles. This company was promoting getting a shipment of certain allocated bottles that didn't fit the schedule. Great video. Thanks you guys

[@BourbonRealTalk]

Sorry that happened to you. They are really elaborate.

[@bwats2921]

After watching your outtakes, I can't decide if you guys need to stop drinking, or drink more when you do these videos! Great stuff as always.

[@BourbonRealTalk]

I didn't drink this day. Watch the video. I smell the glass but I don't drink. Stone cold sober.

[@brysontaylor1223]

I love these type of videos. Whiskey reviews are great but in-depth videos about whiskey culture are invaluable. Great job guys!

[@BourbonRealTalk]

Glad you like them!

[@kennethwatts7165]

Sorry to hear about your brother. I think it is wonderful that y'all put it out there for folks to hear that they are loved. I go to a couple of whiskey groups and they are fun, loving, and informative. If I want to buy a rare/allocated bottle I buy it from trusted people I met there. Unless they were unknowingly scammed I believe I got what I paid for.

[@BourbonRealTalk]

It is safest to deal with people you know. Thank you for the condolences.

[@mohnjayer]

I like how you explained the damaging unintended consequences of the Van Winkles trying to stop re-selling. Black markets will ALWAYS find a way to operate when people want a product enough.

[@BourbonRealTalk]

The world would be better, and prices would be cheaper, if they had just left it alone.

[@bababourbon4366]

Randy, thanks for doing this video. It’s really good to see you put out this content. Every whiskey tube channel should put out their own version of this “beware“ beware of what to look for. Too many people being ripped off. Makes me sick. Thanks for doing what you guys do.

[@BourbonRealTalk]

I appreciate that!

[@tranmd80]

All valuable points! Never occurred to me about a bar with good bottles would put in different juices once the original juice ran out. I contemplated trying out pours I couldn't get anywhere.

[@BourbonRealTalk]

I don't know how common it is, but I know it happens.

[@thomasaccuntius9946]

I have never, and won't buy from a secondary seller. I try to do my part to stop scammers. When I am done with a sought after bottle, I scape and cut the label before putting it in the recycling bin. I destroy the cork and that goes into the trash. I enjoy your videos.

[@BourbonRealTalk]

I do the same. I break BTAC bottles since they are etched.

[@scottwilliams5388]

Another great video! Thanks Randy and Wes

[@BourbonRealTalk]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@dchevron77]

So glad yall got the Still Austin sponsorship! The cask strength Musician is on par with Kentucky. I like to describe it as TX's Wild Turkey. And it's just down the road! Cheers!

[@BourbonRealTalk]

I love it. There is a cherry note, but it is sweet because I think their barrels are toasted and charred. It reminded me of EHT the first time I had it, but since I get cherry on WT I see that comparison too.

[@jeffclifton2493]

just wanted to say I really enjoy watching and listening you you all! Someone from the community shared with me some Still Austin, and they ARE good! keep up the good work gentlemen

[@BourbonRealTalk]

That is awesome!

[@burkec33]

Great segment! Thanks.

[@BourbonRealTalk]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@joeyteats4348]

I wish I could say this whole situation of wanting to get some bottles wasn’t disheartening, but it really is.

[@BourbonRealTalk]

Don't be discouraged. There are plenty of great tasting bottles on shelves.

[@philb6409]

Thanks again guys for another informative & insightful episode. The practical info is just as helpful as the bourbon info. These days you basically have to buy your bourbon locally to be safe.

[@BourbonRealTalk]

You can't go wrong buying form a licensed store!

[@kirklandeche937]

I try to protect myself from scams by going into an establishment, look at what they have on the shelf, look at the price and decide whether or not I will buy it. Most of the time, I will go with the tried and true but, occasionally, I will try what someone gives a nice review on, if my wallet can handle it. I can't say that I haven't been disappointed but, disappointments are very few and far in between. So, with that being said, I must say that many of the online reviews, and especially yours, are always nice and helpful! Thanks! Cheers!

[@BourbonRealTalk]

Glad you enjoy them and they have been helpful. You may also want to get in the habit of googling the brand name and adding MSRP to the search when you are buying something you are unfamiliar with. Some of these stores are making up bottles 20X, and I would want you to know that when you are making your purchasing decision.

[@kirklandeche937]

@@BourbonRealTalk I find that, the majority of the places that I patronize are right on the MSRP. Of course, sometimes when they don't have a particular choice, I'll go with a place that might have a 7 1/2% markup. Strangely enough, that same place has bottles that were priced prior to the most recent price increase. Guess who's there for Rare Breed at $46.99!

[@jakeconnor1617]

The outtakes lol. Do y'all film these during the day or at night?

[@BourbonRealTalk]

10:30-2:30 on a Monday or Tuesday.

[@slyder8858]

Awesome content! Do you mind sharing some sites/ sources that you do trust?

[@BourbonRealTalk]

seelbachs.com/ bourbonoutfitter.com/ barrelstation.com/

[@chriscasperson4588]

great topic and coverage! Online scams are rampant. So many people are getting ripped off. Spread the word everyone. share this video!

[@BourbonRealTalk]

Doing all I can!

[@dvandentop]

great info thanks for sharing.

[@BourbonRealTalk]

Thanks for watching!

[@jamiegreen7100]

Where is the best place to purchase online for a reasonable price? Everywhere i look most are high like buffalo trace for 50 bucks on country wine and spirits

[@BourbonRealTalk]

If there were an online retailer selling for MSRP they would sell out in two seconds, then you would never see it. If it is rare, and they get it, they have to mark it up or sell out in seconds.

[@jean6061]

Please explain the hoodie! Thanks. Oh - I had to go watch "Sour Grapes" before finishing this video!

[@BourbonRealTalk]

Wes owns a marketing company, which BRT is contracted with, called Brandland. Website is www.welcometobrandland.com. The hoodie is the company name upside down, forcing people to ask this question, and then talk about the company, which is a marketing tactic 😂

[@jackumentum4117]

Another great episode guys also remember don’t drink and buy whiskey when drunk that’s how I almost got scammed

[@BourbonRealTalk]

Solid point. Not sure how no one brought that up when we crowdsourced the information.

[@jackumentum4117]

@@BourbonRealTalk Because they’re too embarrassed or we’re too drunk to remember it lol

[@BourbonRealTalk]

@@jackumentum4117 😂

[@serpentinesecrets6771]

I can’t imagine paying $100 for a pour when the stuff I buy is under $50 a bottle. I’ve been scammed by a fake online record store before you got to be careful with everything nowadays

[@BourbonRealTalk]

If your spidey senses are tingling, you should probably walk away.

[@michaelk1722]

I might have missed it cuz i was cooking at the same time, but anyrime I see someone immediately say "send me a PM", or "I PM,'d you" when you ask any question or show interest in a ' i have this available" post, my first thought is scammer.

[@BourbonRealTalk]

Yes, we discussed that. We made fun of the idea that someone has an "extra" of anything that is valuable and rare.

[@samwise8679]

Excellent content. You guys do great work.

[@BourbonRealTalk]

Thank you!

[@dustinstober9647]

Powerful information! Thanks for the amazing content

[@BourbonRealTalk]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@efex604]

Off topic, but Still Austin is Solid, love that stuff, big future for that distillery.

[@BourbonRealTalk]

Could not agree more! I was excited when they reached out!

[@holliberry2614]

So, how do you get to try some Stagg or William Larue Weller? The hard to get bottles are just that, hard to get. So how is one supposed to get a taste of the nice bourbons....other than paying $140.00 a pour at a bar?

[@BourbonRealTalk]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/j6LNlKd4btKVaKM

[@holliberry2614]

@@BourbonRealTalk Thank you. I am not sure I have that much time or money to invest. It would be so nice to try a sample before purchase. But I get it.......most good things worth having take time and effort.

[@tonysr1983]

I had a 2oz pour last night of Henry McKenna 10 that I paid $14 for that I'm fairly certain wasn't Henry McKenna 10 🤔 I was at a restaurant, so I couldn't see the bar from where I was sitting

[@BourbonRealTalk]

I wouldn't expect a bar to risk it for a $14 a pour bottle. It is the $100+ a pour bottles I have seen them risk it for.

[@robertbugh1798]

Can you guys name some web pages that are fraud? Pop ups on Facebook come up all the time. I've been tempted to buy from a few but haven't.

[@BourbonRealTalk]

The fraudulent pages disappear after a short time, so we don't have a list of fraudulent pages.

[@denniseckert8162]

Aren't all blanton's single barrels?

[@BourbonRealTalk]

Yes, but not all single barrels were hand selected. Only the store picks get the sticker.

[@denniseckert8162]

@@BourbonRealTalk ok thanks for the information because I didn't know about that

[@Giannisdad]

What are safe on line websites to buy from?

[@BourbonRealTalk]

www.seelbach.com www.bourbonoutfitters.com www.barrelstation.com Good question to ask in an online community.

[@Abby_Normal_1969]

I post my whiskey notes on IG. A couple times, somebody approached me in the comments. Always started very flattering, nice review. I get that note too. That kind of thing. Then eventually in the conversation, they ask me if there is anything that I am looking for. They said that they have dozens of bottles for sale. One time I actually came really close to placing an order that I thought that it wasn't too outrageous, maybe 20% above MSRP. Just before I pulled the trigger, I read about the bottle refills. Decided it was too much of a risk. On a side note, I am reminded of a similar deception I pulled on a co worker of mine. He attended my wedding and at my reception I cracked open a bottle of Dalmore 15 - my very favorite whiskey at the time. After that, every time he visited he asked for a poor. After a month, I realized he drank a 1/2 of my bottle. From that point on, every time he asked for a poor of the Dalmore, I gave him a poor of Jim Beam white label. He never noticed the difference. That went on for 18 months before he stopped coming over.

[@BourbonRealTalk]

Damn, If he couldn't tell the difference between scotch and bourbon the good stuff was wasted on him.

[@Abby_Normal_1969]

@@BourbonRealTalk- that was my exact same conclusion. I was waisting a $120 bottle on a guy who 1. Didn't know the difference and 2. Was only drinking because he thought it was special. This does not excuse those people who use deception to profiteer off the secondary market.

[@keykleen2010]

Thanks guys … I recently over payed for a E.H. Taylor and it tasted like crap. I stayed away for it for a while until another store owner said the same thing about it being a fake . When i tried the 2nd bottle at retail it was way better. RC

[@BourbonRealTalk]

If you still have the fake bottle you should reach out to your state liquor authority and turn the store in. Sazerac works with investigators and will run analytics on fake bottles to provide the courts proof of the fraud.

[@jlb9074]

I’ve been scammed twice by online retailers. One where I ordered one thing and got another, and the other was a very expensive bottle that never got delivered - they’ve been looking into it for a year and a half now. That last one hurt. Will never buy online again unless it’s from a store I know. Crazy thing is that both of these stores are still active on the Internet and I’m guessing scamming other people now.

[@barryfoster8311]

Publish who those two stores are. Need to shine a light on these guys so its harder for them to rip people off.

[@jlb9074]

@@barryfoster8311 I’m guessing they’ll probably take this down, but Cask Cartel did the switch on me - ordered one Michters and sent me a different one. But it was Bourbon Central that cost me $1,000 with a Van Winkle 12 yr Lot B that was never delivered and they won’t send or refund. Clearly I was an idiot and didn’t know any better when I was new to Bourbon collecting. Now I know better. Hope others learn from my stupid mistakes.

[@BourbonRealTalk]

Dispute your CC.

[@dieterlang2176]

watch out for the retailers playing games. Telling you they’ll give you a break on an allocated bottle that they overpriced only if you buy at least two other bottles with it, one place going as far as to say that the bottles have to be above a certain price point, even giving suggestions as to what bottles they want you to buy and all of them overpriced.

[@BourbonRealTalk]

That doesn't sound good. Definitely have to watch it out there.

[@michaeloporto5202]

Why does Wes put a hat on that fantastic head of hair

[@BourbonRealTalk]

He loves hats!

[@gracehokie]

another great video. would y'all ever consider having your community interact on a platform other than Facebook? I left Facebook years and years ago and have been very happy with that choice so I don't want to go back - but if you guys had another option (I don't know, reddit/discord, or something like that) - I think that would be awesome.

[@BourbonRealTalk]

TBH we don't have time to create another community and maintain it. Reddit is anonymous and is against our basic principle of connection, plus it encourages troll behavior. Don't know much about discord. I can say all the shortcoming of FB go away when you do not use your real name and you don't tell people in your daily life what name you use on FB.

[@gracehokie]

@@BourbonRealTalk oh that’s a good idea. I was wondering if that would prevent me from joining the community

[@BourbonRealTalk]

@@gracehokie It would, but just email me when you do and I will push you through. [e-mail]

[@lpagliacco]

As for the restaurant giving fakes, Wes speaks as if a normal person is getting these to impress. Idk if he fell out of touch from reality but even with handful of cash and making fake friends with the staff you still can't get your hands on these allocated e.g. WLW that you mentioned. Well reputed bar is one of the more "vouched" way to try these unicorns without getting scammed, in all the other ways the video already mentioned. Also, in one of the replies, you mention BourbonOutfitters/Seelbach's. I briefly checked, and it's asking for $225 for a Blanton's, a price easily 3x msrp. For a low-tier allocated! I'd say that's overpaying for a bottle, as mentioned in @13:30. That brings to...the conclusion. Be cautious? Okay...? I'd rather you say "do verified secondaries" or "if you don't have the contacts, too bad", or something in between Idk and Idc. You made a video yet you didn't stand for anything. I think that's why I'm annoyed enough to write this comment. Look, I like your vids and your philosophy, but I hope you will be more consistent on your views, or make some opinions. I'm fine if you're proponents of secondary markets, or elitists saying only the aficionados can have the allocated. But for me this type of vid will make me hesitate to click another one of yours unless it really looks interesting/what I'm looking for. Take care.

[@BourbonRealTalk]

If it every appears that we are not taking a stance it is either because I am trying to inform without telling people what to think, or I crowdsourced the information. I mention Bourbon Outfitters and Seelbach's because I know they are legit sites that will actually ship you the product you ordered. I am not endorsing their price gouging. I would not buy a Blanton's from anyone charging that price, but that doesn't mean you can't go get a bottle of The Prideful Goat there. I am sorry to have disappointed you.

[@lpagliacco]

@@BourbonRealTalk No, I am sorry. I must've let my envy get a hold of me since I couldn't land any fancy bottles the proper way. I do enjoy the content and it was more of my petty annoyance than disappointments, so all good. Besides, I do recall you briefly mentioning crowdsourcing info. so what you've done is valid. Lastly, I've never ventured outside of the big names, and am discovering your brand of Prideful Goat--I'm hearing great reviews, so I'll give that a try. Have a great day!

[@jasonc.5718]

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Applies to everything. Nobody is selling a legit pappy for a hundred bucks online.

[@BourbonRealTalk]

Exactly.

[@jamesnorwood4084]

Bourbon grifting ... interesting conversation. By the bye, I'am sincerely sorry for your loss. It's good you can talk about it publicly with others. I know you will always hold him dearly in your heart. Be patient and someday the Lord God & His Son Jesus Christ will give you peace. Be strong for the sake of your brother. I truly believe he would want that.

[@BourbonRealTalk]

Thank you for the encouragement!

[@jamesnorwood4084]

@@BourbonRealTalk You're welcome and you & your partner do a great service to the bourbon drinking community. Thanks very much for all you do. I'll be watching ya.

[@springinfialta106]

Kind of depressing. You outlined all the ways we can get scammed, but very little on how to avoid being scammed. It seems like the only way to NOT get scammed is to already have purchased and tasted a particular bottle before trying to obtain another one.

[@BourbonRealTalk]

If you are not buying from a brick and mortar store, or an established online retailer like Seelbach's or BourbonOutfitters then you are at risk.

[@jamespeterson8362]

Wes, the democrat taco 🌮 is where is is at. Don’t overlook the Trailer Park or the Queso!

[@BourbonRealTalk]

I eat the trailer park hillbilly style form the secret menu.

[@bambamrv8287]

Amen I will bring the hammer to break knuckles 1 at a time, make sure they never scam on a keyboard again, I have been part of the rewards program from a large company, and in the last 6 years have scores many unicorns for MSRP, and still have all unopened, packed up and ready to move to the RV

[@BourbonRealTalk]

Don't be afraid to open them, they will move just fine after you have had a few pours.

[@PiccJamess]

How are you not mentioning online AUCTION scams???

[@BourbonRealTalk]

Crowd sourced. No one mentions "online auctions".

[@lindseysullivan5436]

Posting the intruder song for funsies - This is the version Randy was singing from Tony Lucca and Ernie Halter

[@BourbonRealTalk]

Lindsey pointed out that the song I was singing was her friends version. Tony Lucca. Check him out. Very talented.

[@YoJimBo851610]

204👍

[@BourbonRealTalk]

Cheers!

[@LeatherDaddy97]

Still austin is great. In nancy we trust. Hard to get ripped off when you dont really care that much about insane rare bottles and dont buy anything secondary. Also i was given a sample of weller 12 the other day and found out i really dont like weller 12.

[@BourbonRealTalk]

Same. I don't care for it that much.