Alcohol & Liquor for preps?

[madfranks]

Just wondering, what is everyone's thoughts about storing cases of liquor for preps? In my mind there's no doubt that small bottles of booze will be in incredible demand if SHTF and the manufacturing and distribution lines go down. So in my mind, prepping liquor means prepping a high value, tradable commodity with the intent to barter or sell it in the future when it's more valuable. And I figure it'll store well too, especially if you buy them in glass bottles as opposed to plastic bottles. I'm thinking of adding a couple cases of inexpensive vodka or tequila to the preps.

[sirgonzo420]

Just wondering, what is everyone's thoughts about storing cases of liquor for preps? In my mind there's no doubt that small bottles of booze will be in incredible demand if SHTF and the manufacturing and distribution lines go down. So in my mind, prepping liquor means prepping a high value, tradable commodity with the intent to barter or sell it in the future when it's more valuable. And I figure it'll store well too, especially if you buy them in glass bottles as opposed to plastic bottles. I'm thinking of adding a couple cases of inexpensive vodka or tequila to the preps.

Learning how to make one's own is also worthwhile.

[Dogman]

You will not go wrong, booze will keep dam near forever. Beer will not, or at least beer in cans, I am not sure about bottled. Alcohol will always be in demand, and as you stated it could be used as a "premium" barter item in trade.

Yes you can make your own fairly easy but it would take time and training to get your home distilled product to match the quality of the store bought stuff.

Stack it high, and stack it deep!

Even if the stinky stuff never hits the fan, you still can not go wrong. Alcohol will hold its value and more, and you will have a stock on hand probably cheaper than if you had to buy it later.

[madfranks]

So the next question then, where to buy liquor wholesale?

[Santa]

So the next question then, where to buy liquor wholesale?

Ask the ATF... lol

What I mean is, booze is a tightly controlled commodity. You probably won't get wholesale prices without fairly stringent State licensing procedures.

Making you own is relatively easy, though not very consistent in quality. And getting caught with an unlicenced active still probably still gets you time in Fed Pen.

[MNeagle]

Maybe try asking the owner if he'll give you a discount because you're hosting a wedding reception & buying in bulk/cash? Otherwise, try membership clubs like Costco or Sam's Club. Their prices are considerably lower than other retailers, though the sizes can be huge & a smaller selection.

[LuckyStrike]

I think it will be super useful, pain killer, tension killer, germ killer, in your gas tank (perhaps), barter, the bottles themselves will have some value. I'd just do like anything else, buy alittle at a time and store it away.


The manufacturing process would be the way to go long term, and probably an enjoyable hobby.

[gunDriller]

i'm not sure about trading it. usually when you are trading, it's at a garage sale type situation, not a big gun show/ flea market.

maybe the seller smokes cigs, maybe not. maybe they like Jack Daniels, maybe not.


90% Circ. Silver to the Rescue ?

as far as storing alcohol, i figure you just stockpile what you like to drink.

i wonder how long high alcohol content beers like Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale or Lagunitas Brown Shugga can keep ?

[chad]

make sure you stock glass bottles, not plastic. i can only imagine what alcohol can leach out of plastic...

[gunDriller]

I think it will be super useful, pain killer, tension killer, germ killer, in your gas tank (perhaps), barter, the bottles themselves will have some value. I'd just do like anything else, buy alittle at a time and store it away.


The manufacturing process would be the way to go long term, and probably an enjoyable hobby.

i wonder if the ATF monitors this website ? :)

i say that with admiration, the distillation of alcohol is a natural human right, which the US gov. attempts to regulate.

[madfranks]

I've been getting back into prepping liquor. I developed a friendship with the owners of a small liquor shop in town and they're selling me cases at a discount. I'm picking up a case of Wild Turkey 101 tonight.

[Silver Rocket Bitches!]

Great idea but I'll just end up drinking my preps.

[ximmy]

Massive amounts, and I upgrade them regularly with finer products, as the others are depleted, or given as gifts or provided for parties. I'd always looking for liquor bargains to stock up on.

[madfranks]

I admit it, I tend to dip into my liquor preps more than my other preps. But, hey, buying by the case you get a good discount!!

[EE_]

I keep a good stock of Gin, Vodka and Bourbon...but the bourbon always seems to disappear.

The billion-dollar bourbon boom
By Clay Risen @FortuneMagazine February 6, 2014: 7:16 AM ET

Fred Noe, Jim Beam's great-grandson and the company's master distiller, stands guard in the rack-house at the Jim Beam American Stillhouse in Clermont, Ky.

On a recent trip to Australia, Fred Noe, the master distiller at Jim Beam, stopped by a liquor store in a small town outside Sydney. In the city, Noe had seen hundreds of people line up to get his signature on a bottle of bourbon. "My guys said, 'Fred, you're a rock star!' And I said, 'Yeah? Where are my groupies?' " But even here, in the Australian countryside, dozens of bourbon fans had shown up to greet him -- groupies included.

"A lady asked me if I would come outside and sign the hood of her car," he says. "I took a Sharpie and wrote 'Stay on the Beam' on the hood of her Ford Falcon. Another lady wanted me to come home with her and sign her pool table, but the sales manager said, 'No way.' "

Noe chuckled, but he's used to it. American whiskey has never been hotter, and that has made the man behind Beam an international celebrity. Noe is the great-grandson of Jim Beam and the seventh member of his family to serve as the company's master distiller. But while his forebears spent most of their time laboring over stills in Kentucky, he's as likely as not to be judging a cocktail competition in Moscow or meeting with executives in Beijing. "That is something I never dreamed in my entire life, going to Russia or China," he says. "Those might as well have been the moon."

A decade ago, the American whiskey industry was flat on its back, having suffered decades of weak sales and underinvestment. Today, though, bourbon -- the corn-based, barrel-aged spirit that accounts for the vast majority of the whiskey made in America -- is everywhere, from Mad Men to the wet bars of C-level office suites, feeding a global ecosystem of tourism, whiskey bars, cocktail competitions, and craft distilleries. The most coveted drink on Wall Street is no longer a Screaming Eagle Cab or a 40-year-old Glenfiddich, but the 23-year-old bourbon from Pappy Van Winkle, which is so rare that it can retail for up to $3,500.

"I like that it's a bit sweeter, whereas I don't really like the smokiness of Scotch," says Ian Bremmer, the founder and president of the Eurasia Group and just one of the many young, globetrotting executives turning to bourbon. "It's like the difference between American reds and French reds. The French are smoky and oaky, while Americans do fruit bombs -- which, done well, are really nice."

In absolute numbers, the bourbon industry's $8 billion in global sales is relatively modest. (The Coca-Cola company alone has 16 drink brands with annual sales above $1 billion.) What's extraordinary is the growth -- and the fact that bourbon's popularity appears to have come out of nowhere. According to Euromonitor, domestic whiskey sales have soared by 40% in the past five years -- NASCAR-fast numbers in a sector where good growth often means 2% or 3% a year, and a revolution for a spirit whose sales declined almost without a break for 30 years. Things are even better abroad. In 2002, American distillers exported just $376 million in whiskey; by 2013 that number had almost tripled, to $1 billion, according to numbers released this month by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.
http://money.cnn.com/2014/02/06/news/companies/bourbon-boom.pr.fortune/

I hear this is pretty popular with the younger crowd. I had a few drinks of it recently and I though it is pretty good. It's has a low alcohol content, but still good straight up, or on the rocks.

FIREBALL Cinnamon Whisky
http://intoxicology101.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/fireball_cinnamon_whisky_l.jpg

[Hitch]

I admit it, I tend to dip into my liquor preps more than my other preps. But, hey, buying by the case you get a good discount!!

madfranks, what kind of discount do you get by buying by the case? Also, how many bottles in a case? I haven't been prepping alcohol, but think prepping a case of scotch, and perhaps vodka, would be a good thing. My brothers and I like to pull out a bottle of scotch when we get together. You have some great conversations over sipping a good scotch.

[Rubberchicken]

Grain alcohol in glass bottles, if you can find it- buy all you can in pint and half-pint bottles.
The best universal solvent next to water and just as many uses.

http://www.ask.com/wiki/Ethanol?o=2800&qsrc=999&ad=doubleDown&an=apn&ap=ask.com

http://cheaperthandirt.com/blog/?p=45886

[Libertytree]

1/2 pint bottles are the best way to go, more bang for the buck, the bootleggers used them as their main method of trade. Grain is the best but 100 proof vodka is the second choice.

[madfranks]

madfranks, what kind of discount do you get by buying by the case? Also, how many bottles in a case? I haven't been prepping alcohol, but think prepping a case of scotch, and perhaps vodka, would be a good thing. My brothers and I like to pull out a bottle of scotch when we get together. You have some great conversations over sipping a good scotch.

Believe it or not I get a 25% discount by ordering by the case. I don't know what my shop marks up normally, but for a guaranteed sale of a case, they discount it pretty good for me. Wild Turkey 101 comes 24 bottles to the case.

And I agree with libertytree, 100 proof or higher in small bottles will make the best for bartering.

[mick silver]

this is good with pure grain , are what they call http://collegexperience.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/junglejuice.jpgEverclear

[woodman]

Whenever I am working in a state that sells 190 proof Everclear, I pick some up. I have quite a bit stored, just because. You can mix it, trade it, and use it for tinctures or first aid\disinfectant.

[midnight rambler]

So the next question then, where to buy liquor wholesale?

Make friends with one of your local tavern owners and piggyback on his orders, maybe you can get the wholesale prices you're looking for by doing that.

Or go to Costco.

With regards to beer, generally canned/bottled beer is Pasteurized (keg beer isn't) except for Rocky Mountain Goat Piss aka Curs* beer (which is why Curs has reefer trucks and train cars) and even though Pasteurized beer has a limited shelf life.

*during my misspent youth some 'green Curs' aka known as Curs beer allowed to remain at room temperature for an extended period made me sick as a dog and very nearly killed me I was so sick (this particular case of Curs beer was purchased at Impact, Texas just outside of dry Abilene where they'd sell you warm beer sitting in stacks on the floor, along with the ice and ice chests - they had ZERO refrigeration for the beer they sold, and yet the Curs beer distributor allowed them to let the Curs beer go bad [literally turning green] by not keeping it refrigerated)

[Neuro]

Make friends with one of your local tavern owners and piggyback on his orders, maybe you can get the wholesale prices you're looking for by doing that.Or go to Costco.With regards to beer, generally canned/bottled beer is Pasteurized (keg beer isn't) except for Rocky Mountain Goat Piss aka Curs* beer (which is why Curs has reefer trucks and train cars) and even though Pasteurized beer has a limited shelf life. *during my misspent youth some 'green Curs' aka known as Curs beer allowed to remain at room temperature for an extended period made me sick as a dog and very nearly killed me I was so sick (this particular case of Curs beer was purchased at Impact, Texas just outside of dry Abilene where they'd sell you warm beer sitting in stacks on the floor, along with the ice and ice chests - they had ZERO refrigeration for the beer they sold, and yet the Curs beer distributor allowed them to let the Curs beer go bad [literally turning green] by not keeping it refrigerated)Hey it seems your youth wasn't misspent at all. You actually learned something valuable there...

[woodman]

Make friends with one of your local tavern owners and piggyback on his orders, maybe you can get the wholesale prices you're looking for by doing that.

Or go to Costco.

With regards to beer, generally canned/bottled beer is Pasteurized (keg beer isn't) except for Rocky Mountain Goat Piss aka Curs* beer (which is why Curs has reefer trucks and train cars) and even though Pasteurized beer has a limited shelf life.

*during my misspent youth some 'green Curs' aka known as Curs beer allowed to remain at room temperature for an extended period made me sick as a dog and very nearly killed me I was so sick (this particular case of Curs beer was purchased at Impact, Texas just outside of dry Abilene where they'd sell you warm beer sitting in stacks on the floor, along with the ice and ice chests - they had ZERO refrigeration for the beer they sold, and yet the Curs beer distributor allowed them to let the Curs beer go bad [literally turning green] by not keeping it refrigerated)

That is unfortunate. I have read in a few different places that there is no known human pathogen that can survive in beer. Beer is basically weak wine and it has been a time honored way of preserving liquid by fermenting sugars and leaving alcohol behind. I love a cold Coors (pronounced curs in TX) now and again. I don't believe they use fluoridated water, but I could be mistaken. Whatever was in that beer that made you sick and made the beer green was probably not supposed to be in the beer in the first place. Sounds like someone got a deal on beer that should have been dumped. Could have been a St. Patty's Day batch being green like that! Some of my homebrew has sat for years and is perfectly good to drink other that the fact that it doesn't taste real great after sitting so long. Still got drank though. I have had a few kegs of micro brew from local brewerys go sour on me due to getting infected during tapping and subsequent refrigeration issues. Still got drank. I have gotten an occasional batch of cheap beer like Blatz back in the day that tasted like puke and was undrinkable. Again, I think something was in the beer that was never in the recipe. I also remember Miller having an issue in the 90's where it tasted like it had a bit of vinegar in it.

[midnight rambler]

Though Curs may have changed, their styck was that "We don't expose our beer to taste-killing heat" IOW "we don't Pasteurize our beer therefore we deliver our beer in refrigerated trucks along the entire supply chain." (Pasteurization also reduces the alcohol content from what I gather, therefore keg beer is superior to bottled/canned beer [and therefore keg beer is always kept refrigerated since keg beer is not Pasteurized] - except for Curs, Curs just sucks shit). 'Green' Curs (i.e. Curs that has gone BAD) is NOT an uncommon occurrence. The store at Impact, Texas (a very small patch of dirt incorporated SOLELY for the purpose of selling beer and wine to some thirsty people in dry Abilene next door, thus the name 'Impact') sold tons of Curs along with other beer, they should have known better and probably did, they just didn't care. I'm sure they were much more interested in selling ice and cheap styrofoam ice chests to go along with the UNREFRIGERATED beer they sold. Many years ago some friends of mine worked at Miller Brewing in Ft. Worth, they filled me in on the beer brewing biz - they'd bring home cases of Miller Lite and drink it like water. (FWIW Miller beer brewed in Ft. Worth including high-brow Lowenbrau is brewed with Trinity River water - YUCK!)

[madfranks]

I bought myself another case of whiskey (wild turkey 101 in glass bottles) for the prep cellar this week. I'm proud of myself so far that I haven't broken open my previous cases of whisky. :)

[Neuro]

Just made 5 gallons of red wine. A cheap rioja wine kit, with added black currant juice, freshly pressed, from berries, from my own garden. Added some extra sugar to ferment, so it should be about 13-14% abv. Next year I will start making wine from my Turkish land, Cabernet Sauvignon grapes!

[madfranks]

Just made 5 gallons of red wine. A cheap rioja wine kit, with added black currant juice, freshly pressed, from berries, from my own garden. Added some extra sugar to ferment, so it should be about 13-14% abv. Next year I will start making wine from my Turkish land, Cabernet Sauvignon grapes!

I'll trade you some of my whisky preps for some of your wine. The whiskey is 50.5 proof, so you're getting a good deal here. :)

[Neuro]

I'll trade you some of my whisky preps for some of your wine. The whiskey is 50.5 proof, so you're getting a good deal here. :)
50.5 proof should be 25.25% abv, isn't that a bit weak for Whiskey? ;)

[madfranks]

50.5 proof should be 25.25% abv, isn't that a bit weak for Whiskey? ;)

Ha ha, oops I mean 101 proof, 50.5 abv.

[Neuro]

Ha ha, oops I mean 101 proof, 50.5 abv.
Now we just need to figure how to do the trade... Do you have any mediterranean cruises planned? :)

[gunDriller]

I bought some Hops Rhyzomes 4 years ago.

This is the first year I got some hops.


Someone told me my corn wasn't producing because I wasn't feeding it.

So I started feeding it, N-P-K and Ca-Mg-Su


Anyway, the hops got fed from the same tank.

2 months later, my first Hops !