Bourbon Selections on Three Cruises in 2022

[Whinenowine]

Just got the email with the list of 'premium' alcohols for my upcoming cruise on Millie. There are 4 gins and 5 vodkas...but only 2 bourbons (Makers, Wild Turkey).  I've chosen the wrong booze to fall in love with.....or the wrong cruise line!   🤪 

[D C]

5 minutes ago, Whinenowine said:

Just got the email with the list of 'premium' alcohols for my upcoming cruise on Millie. There are 4 gins and 5 vodkas...but only 2 bourbons (Makers, Wild Turkey).  I've chosen the wrong booze to fall in love with.....or the wrong cruise line!   🤪 

Was this an unsolicited email you received? 

[CruisinNewb]

We will be on the Silhouette this weekend and I'll give a report on what's available there.

 

I'm hoping they at least have the Woodford Reserve Double Oaked. 

 

I prefer my bourbon neat and while Buffalo Trace is ok in an old fashioned, I wouldn't want to drink it neat every night for a week.

 

Is the selection of ryes any better?

[PTC DAWG]

On 7/9/2022 at 9:29 PM, m8zenblue said:

We have had a few cruises on X and have found that the bourbon selection is poor.

I am a fan of Buffalo Trace, which was available, but the only other premium choice was Woodford Double Oaked. 

Not a fan of JD or Beam.

JD is not BOURBON, 

[markeb]

22 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

JD is not BOURBON, 

 

Yes, it is. It's also a Tennessee Whiskey. It meets all the legal definitions for a bourbon first, then goes through the Lincoln County Process. Nothing in the Lincoln County Process changes the product from meeting the legal definitions of bourbon.

 

Tennessee Whiskey was listed as straight bourbon under NAFTA. Probably other international trade agreements. JD chooses to not call itself bourbon, unless its useful, like for international trade agreements...

 

This is one of the oldest arguments in whiskey!

[Arizona Wildcat]

You will likely even in normal times find a great selection of bourbon on a cruiseline.  Difficult to get enough stock.  For example some years ago when in the liquor business Celebrity stocked Victoria beer on Australian cruises.  They bought 3000 cases per order.  Irish whiskey was 1000 cases.  Most smaller companies will nor or cannot fill such an order.  Lots easier to simply sell in the USA.

[boxkite]

On 7/9/2022 at 9:52 AM, markeb said:

After the last big "where's the bourbon" discussion on the board, I did a little extra searching and the cruise lines are able to bypass the three-tier distribution model. They order direct from the maker (probably Brown-Forman for Woodford) and the product is delivered "for export", so they apparently don't have to go through a Florida distributor. That was a bit of a surprise, and I don't remember where I found the information, but it makes sense. Whether someone like Disney is able to float their order between domestic (using a distributor) and export (distributor not required) is an interesting question.

 

Markeb,

 

I agree with you about the cruise lines buying product delivered "for export". For example, on our last Royal cruise out of Galveston Texas the bars all had a small selection of cheap liquor from Texas distributors until we were in international waters. Then the cheap liquor was put away and the better liquor came out for the rest of the cruise.

 

Now, who knows? Perhaps the cheap liquor from the port's state is replaced with cheap liquor marked for export once in international waters?

 

for our Alaska cruise next month, might have to have more martinis and fewer bourbon drinks?

[PTC DAWG]

18 hours ago, markeb said:

 

Yes, it is. It's also a Tennessee Whiskey. It meets all the legal definitions for a bourbon first, then goes through the Lincoln County Process. Nothing in the Lincoln County Process changes the product from meeting the legal definitions of bourbon.

 

Tennessee Whiskey was listed as straight bourbon under NAFTA. Probably other international trade agreements. JD chooses to not call itself bourbon, unless its useful, like for international trade agreements...

 

This is one of the oldest arguments in whiskey!

it is Whiskey.  All Bourbon is Whiskey,  not all Whiskey is Bourbon. Plus, JD is swill. 🙂
 

Cheers regardless!😃

Edited July 13, 2022 by PTC DAWG

[markeb]

2 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

it is Whiskey.  All Bourbon is Whiskey,  not all Whiskey is Bourbon. Plus, JD is swill. 🙂

 

Yes to all the above, including the swill part.

 

But it's distilled from 51% or more corn mash in the United States at no more than 160 proof, aged in new charred oak barrels at no more than 120 proof, bottled at greater than 80 proof (No. 7 is exactly 80 proof), and contains no flavorings or colorings. That's the definition of bourbon, and the only change for a Tennessee Whiskey is all that has to happen in Tennessee, and almost all of them (including JD) undergo charcoal filtration (the Lincoln County Process). Which doesn't add a flavoring or coloring, so it's still a bourbon...

 

😀

[markeb]

40 minutes ago, boxkite said:

 

Markeb,

 

I agree with you about the cruise lines buying product delivered "for export". For example, on our last Royal cruise out of Galveston Texas the bars all had a small selection of cheap liquor from Texas distributors until we were in international waters. Then the cheap liquor was put away and the better liquor came out for the rest of the cruise.

 

Now, who knows? Perhaps the cheap liquor from the port's state is replaced with cheap liquor marked for export once in international waters?

 

for our Alaska cruise next month, might have to have more martinis and fewer bourbon drinks?

 

Well, Texas is a whole other country...

 

(Uncle Sam let me spend a total of close to 7 years in San Antonio.)  Apparently Texas law not only taxes beer, wine, and liquor sold at retail in its territorial waters, it requires that the liquor at least have a tax stamp showing taxes have been paid in the state. Very "untouchables" like!

[PTC DAWG]

23 minutes ago, markeb said:

 

Yes to all the above, including the swill part.

 

But it's distilled from 51% or more corn mash in the United States at no more than 160 proof, aged in new charred oak barrels at no more than 120 proof, bottled at greater than 80 proof (No. 7 is exactly 80 proof), and contains no flavorings or colorings. That's the definition of bourbon, and the only change for a Tennessee Whiskey is all that has to happen in Tennessee, and almost all of them (including JD) undergo charcoal filtration (the Lincoln County Process). Which doesn't add a flavoring or coloring, so it's still a bourbon...

 

😀

The family doesn’t want it called bourbon, petitioned the state back in the day. I’ll take their word for it. 🙂
 

Next drink is on me. 

Edited July 13, 2022 by PTC DAWG

[markeb]

1 minute ago, PTC DAWG said:

The family doesn’t want it called bourbon, petitioned the state back in the day. I’ll take their word for it. 🙂
 

Next drink is on me. 

 

Yeah, but they didn't fight it when the government called it bourbon to qualify for free trade under NAFTA! 😀

 

As long as it's not JD, you're on!

[Spif Barwunkel]

What a shame if you can't cruise without your favorite booze. I don't like it that the thread count of the sheets on the bed is less than satisfactory. I cringe every night on the ship when I lay down in bed with a bourbon nightcap wondering if this will ever change. 

[D C]

5 hours ago, markeb said:

 

Yes to all the above, including the swill part.

 

But it's distilled from 51% or more corn mash in the United States at no more than 160 proof, aged in new charred oak barrels at no more than 120 proof, bottled at greater than 80 proof (No. 7 is exactly 80 proof), and contains no flavorings or colorings. That's the definition of bourbon, and the only change for a Tennessee Whiskey is all that has to happen in Tennessee, and almost all of them (including JD) undergo charcoal filtration (the Lincoln County Process). Which doesn't add a flavoring or coloring, so it's still a bourbon...

 

😀

So it COULD be labeled as bourbon, which is something the distillers of "Tennessee Whiskey" resist quite strongly.  Could be, but isn't, and according to the government is distinctly different than bourbon, so it ain't. 🙂 But it's still swill.... until you get to the really nice barrel-proof stuff that's not rushed out the door as soon as it can be!

 

[D C]

3 hours ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

What a shame if you can't cruise without your favorite booze. I don't like it that the thread count of the sheets on the bed is less than satisfactory. I cringe every night on the ship when I lay down in bed with a bourbon nightcap wondering if this will ever change. 

You don't bring your own sheets??

[oneputt18]

On 7/9/2022 at 9:24 PM, D C said:

I assure you that the people working in duty free are indeed celebrity employees. 

I Don't want to start an argument, but none of the workers in the shops are Celebrity employees.

 

[DCPIV]

25 minutes ago, oneputt18 said:

I Don't want to start an argument, but none of the workers in the shops are Celebrity employees.

 

 

Indeed.  They aren't even Celebrity contractors.  They work for the vendors that lease the shop space on board.  Whether they are employees or contractors of those vendors is beyond both my knowledge and my give-a-care.

[DCPIV]

15 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

The family doesn’t want it called bourbon, petitioned the state back in the day. I’ll take their word for it. 🙂
 

Next drink is on me. 

 

Which family?  The Browns or the Formans?

[D C]

On 7/14/2022 at 8:58 AM, oneputt18 said:

I Don't want to start an argument, but none of the workers in the shops are Celebrity employees.

 

Indeed.  I stand corrected.  Checked in with a friend on a ship who used to work in the shops, but then moved elsewhere on the ship.  They said that the shops and the spa are the only non-Celebrity employees onboard. Starboard Cruise does the shops. 

[RollWave]

We were on Solstice July 1-8. Spotted one bottle of Woodford Reserve in one bar on the first day then it was gone. No Woodford Reserve to be found for the cruise. Had the Premium Drink Package so this was disappointing. They also were short on Kahlua - Tia Maria was the substitute. 

 

Frankly, we wish we had not paid for the Premium Drink Package as the only real benefit we experienced was the ability to get water in a bottle vs a can.

[Arizona Wildcat]

23 minutes ago, RollWave said:

We were on Solstice July 1-8. Spotted one bottle of Woodford Reserve in one bar on the first day then it was gone. No Woodford Reserve to be found for the cruise. Had the Premium Drink Package so this was disappointing. They also were short on Kahlua - Tia Maria was the substitute. 

 

Frankly, we wish we had not paid for the Premium Drink Package as the only real benefit we experienced was the ability to get water in a bottle vs a can.

Not available in any of the three stores I was in today in Tucson.  Lots of Kahlua but only small bottles and 1.75l.  Things are in short supply.

[RollWave]

23 minutes ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

 Things are in short supply.

Agree but if folks pay for a premium package and have expectations, they may want to go into the trip either amending their drink package or being prepared for substitutions. We have been on both Celebrity and RCL this year and there were no issues with beverage supplies until this last sailing on Solstice. 

[D C]

7 hours ago, RollWave said:

Agree but if folks pay for a premium package and have expectations, they may want to go into the trip either amending their drink package or being prepared for substitutions. We have been on both Celebrity and RCL this year and there were no issues with beverage supplies until this last sailing on Solstice. 

It would be quite easy for X to publish, even as a flyer in the room at embarkation, what is actually available compared to the advertised list. 

[RollWave]

5 hours ago, D C said:

It would be quite easy for X to publish, even as a flyer in the room at embarkation, what is actually available compared to the advertised list. 

That would be a nice touch. They left it up to the bartenders to deliver the news which I thought was unfair because there were some passengers who were not happy. By the way the bartenders we encountered worked really hard to offer alternatives or suggestions for other drinks etc...

[D C]

1 hour ago, RollWave said:

That would be a nice touch. They left it up to the bartenders to deliver the news which I thought was unfair because there were some passengers who were not happy. By the way the bartenders we encountered worked really hard to offer alternatives or suggestions for other drinks etc...

It would also be nice to say WHERE things are available if they're exclusive to select bars.