Symphony on ship Liquor Store Bourbon?

[E23NK1]

Last cruise was 2019 so I cant remember, but do they sell any allocated typed of bourbon in the on ship store?

So anything like Blanton's, EH Taylor, Stagg, Weller, etc?

Just wondering if I could score any good picks there and how much markup there is.

Thanks for the help,

 

[alfaeric]

IIRC from a month ago, no Blanton's, but I remember seeing EH Taylor.  Don't recall seeing Stagg or Weller.  

[smokeybandit]

I've never seen any bourbon in an onboard store that was rare enough (to my local area) or cheap enough to make it worth lugging home.

 

 

[mets123]

For cheap bourbon, shop in St. Maarten or St. Kitts.

[CruisingHogFan]

Prior to Covid you could find good deals on Blanton’s but now it’s not worth it. I think I saw it for 99.99 on our last sailing which is crazy

[smokeybandit]

9 hours ago, mets123 said:

For cheap bourbon, shop in St. Maarten or St. Kitts.

I've never seen cheap bourbon in St Maarten, but definitely a large selection of stuff I can't get stateside.

[steveru621]

What's available varies by location, ship, and sailing.  Just remember most spirits are 1 liter and not the 750ml generally available in the USA.  So compare prices by the size.

 

Unless I'm leaving the port in my car, it's not worth the risk of packing for a plane ride.

[George C]

3 minutes ago, steveru621 said:

What's available varies by location, ship, and sailing.  Just remember most spirits are 1 liter and not the 750ml generally available in the USA.  So compare prices by the size.

 

Unless I'm leaving the port in my car, it's not worth the risk of packing for a plane ride.

Also no sales tax, we always fly , never had an issue with bringing it back in checked luggage, I am a scotch person have brought back Johnny Walker Blue and Gold. Ship normally has those.

[steveru621]

1 minute ago, George C said:

Also no sales tax, we always fly , never had an issue with bringing it back in checked luggage, I am a scotch person have brought back Johnny Walker Blue and Gold. Ship normally has those.

 

Good point on the sales tax.  There are excellent buys on the ship.  

[mets123]

7 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

I've never seen cheap bourbon in St Maarten, but definitely a large selection of stuff I can't get stateside.

I picked up Blanton's for $85 last week. They also had three other of their premium blends.

 It was at Gulhamars, not sure of the exact spelling right now.

[smokeybandit]

2 minutes ago, mets123 said:

I picked up Blanton's for $85 last week. They also had three other of their premium blends.

 It was at Gulhamars, not sure of the exact spelling right now.

That's not overly cheap for what the MSRP of Blanton's is.

But I do make a habit of stopping at Golamar's each time for stuff I know I can't get at home.

[mets123]

4 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

That's not overly cheap for what the MSRP of Blanton's is.

But I do make a habit of stopping at Golamar's each time for stuff I know I can't get at home.

I pay an average of $125 plus tax here in NJ. So to me $85 and no tax is a great price. Plus most stores here are only allocated six bottles a month. And many stores sell it for $199, because the average person doesn't care about price.

[alfaeric]

2 hours ago, mets123 said:

I pay an average of $125 plus tax here in NJ. So to me $85 and no tax is a great price. Plus most stores here are only allocated six bottles a month. And many stores sell it for $199, because the average person doesn't care about price.

Tangent... it pays to look when out and about.  We were at a KOA store just outside of Devils Tower last summer where we found a bottle for $65.  

[cruiseguy1016]

Blanton's is hard to find where I live but it has been plentiful the last few times I have cruised with RCI.

[cruiseguy1016]

7 minutes ago, alfaeric said:

Tangent... it pays to look when out and about.  We were at a KOA store just outside of Devils Tower last summer where we found a bottle for $65.  

 

KOA? Kampgrounds of America?

[hancock]

9 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

I've never seen cheap bourbon in St Maarten, but definitely a large selection of stuff I can't get stateside.

Don't know about bourbon. The best prices in St. Maarten are found away from the port.  I buy my liquor in a small shop on Front Street.

[alfaeric]

2 hours ago, cruiseguy1016 said:

 

KOA? Kampgrounds of America?

Yup.  Last place I expected to see a bottle of Blantons.  We got it, and a small bottle of Wyoming Whiskey.  

[thehabs24]

I didn't think you can buy booze at a port stop.  I haven't cruised in a long time, is this ok now?  Unless I misunderstood.

[alfaeric]

2 minutes ago, thehabs24 said:

I didn't think you can buy booze at a port stop.  I haven't cruised in a long time, is this ok now?  Unless I misunderstood.

Always could- they would "confiscate" it from you, and return it to you on the last day to pack it.  Although, we've had it missed before- since we were taking it home anyway, it didn't matter much.

[E23NK1]

Our port stops are Aruba and Curacao...anyone find any nice bourbons at liquor stores near the docks?

[George C]

St Thomas has lots of liquor stores at good prices , ship normally will match the price of anything that they will sell. 

[CruisingHogFan]

5 hours ago, alfaeric said:

Tangent... it pays to look when out and about.  We were at a KOA store just outside of Devils Tower last summer where we found a bottle for $65.  

 
$65 is currently MSRP and I’ll sometimes buy it at that price if I need a xtra or two. Anything more is too much for such an average bottle. Blanton’s makes a great gift to impress for people that don’t know bourbon.
 

Now the SFTB is a different story but I’ve never seen it on the ships.

[CruisingHogFan]

1 hour ago, E23NK1 said:

Our port stops are Aruba and Curacao...anyone find any nice bourbons at liquor stores near the docks?

If you have time go to the Senior and Co and get some Curaçao (original as there are lots of replicas) the blue makes a great margarita but the secret is the Chukulati.
Makes a perfect chocolate old fashion 

 

 

 

 

[cruiseguy1016]

11 hours ago, alfaeric said:

Yup.  Last place I expected to see a bottle of Blantons.  We got it, and a small bottle of Wyoming Whiskey.  

 

This is very odd to me. We live in New York State where the only place you can buy alcohol is at a liquor store. There have been a few times that it would be handy to replenish a supply while camping 😁.

[L1211]

On 1/17/2024 at 11:46 PM, CruisingHogFan said:

Prior to Covid you could find good deals on Blanton’s but now it’s not worth it. I think I saw it for 99.99 on our last sailing which is crazy

That’s just a small mark up from current price at the distillery- buffalo trace has one allocated bourbon available a day and Blanton’s is in the rotation- it’s $69 now!