Laphroaig 10 Discontinued in Ontario

[hpulley]

Won't be the first or last distillery upset at the LCBO. We aren't getting any more Bruichladdich for a reason!

Harry

Harry,

I used to be the agent for Bruichladdich and at that time there was plenty of it in the LCBO. We agreed to discontinue our relationship 2 years ago for business reasons. I think they have wonderful products and like many other suppliers their products should be in the LCBO. The LCBO has a certain way of doing business and it's very difficult for suppliers in other countries to comprehend. So many obstacles seem to be put in their way and all the suppliers want is to sell their products the way they do elsewhere in the World. I have many requests from customers who want to see more Signatory and Douglas Laing products in the LCBO. I receive calls frequently for the Edradour 10 Year Old that's been sold out for a while but the LCBO doesn't want to order. There are a lot of politics invloved and it's extremely disheartening.

As a customer I shouldn't need to know any of this stuff but I do. I shouldn't need to know about private order either, but as you know I do know about it. Suppliers just want to sell and customers just want to buy, then we have the huge roadblock called the LCBO in the middle. No one seems to care about our plight, unfortunately, in the LCBO or the gov't. They expect all special listings to be 75% sold in 2 months and 100% sold in 3 or else they have penalties. They are currently inviting 3 submissions of scotch whisky per agent in a price range of $39.95-$99.95. So if an agent's portfolio includes 3 distilleries/bottlers they can submit 1 from each or a few from one in the hopes that something will be accepted. It must be disheartening indeed. In their list of themes for the bimonthly releases this year and next year there is ONE (1) release which is themed 'scotch' plus one called 'Robbie Burns' for the whole two year period:

http://www.lcbotrade.com/pdf/2007-08_Sp ... tter_3.pdf
http://www.lcbotrade.com/pdf/release_themes_08_PC.pdf
http://www.lcbotrade.com/pdf/VINTAGES_P ... r_2008.pdf

Harry

[mithril]

Oh! I have it now, I'll ask the Manager about this, it's a good idea. If some comes available I'll let you know. They also have a good supply of Dewar Rattray single cask bottlings plus some duty free products.

I'll have to stop in when we pass through Vic then, I browsed the shop briefly over Easter but didn't really get to spend as much time as I would have liked there.

[Lawrence]

Won't be the first or last distillery upset at the LCBO. We aren't getting any more Bruichladdich for a reason!

Harry

Harry,

I used to be the agent for Bruichladdich and at that time there was plenty of it in the LCBO. We agreed to discontinue our relationship 2 years ago for business reasons. I think they have wonderful products and like many other suppliers their products should be in the LCBO. The LCBO has a certain way of doing business and it's very difficult for suppliers in other countries to comprehend. So many obstacles seem to be put in their way and all the suppliers want is to sell their products the way they do elsewhere in the World. I have many requests from customers who want to see more Signatory and Douglas Laing products in the LCBO. I receive calls frequently for the Edradour 10 Year Old that's been sold out for a while but the LCBO doesn't want to order. There are a lot of politics invloved and it's extremely disheartening.

As a customer I shouldn't need to know any of this stuff but I do. I shouldn't need to know about private order either, but as you know I do know about it. Suppliers just want to sell and customers just want to buy, then we have the huge roadblock called the LCBO in the middle. No one seems to care about our plight, unfortunately, in the LCBO or the gov't. They expect all special listings to be 75% sold in 2 months and 100% sold in 3 or else they have penalties. They are currently inviting 3 submissions of scotch whisky per agent in a price range of $39.95-$99.95. So if an agent's portfolio includes 3 distilleries/bottlers they can submit 1 from each or a few from one in the hopes that something will be accepted. It must be disheartening indeed. In their list of themes for the bimonthly releases this year and next year there is ONE (1) release which is themed 'scotch' plus one called 'Robbie Burns' for the whole two year period:

http://www.lcbotrade.com/pdf/2007-08_Sp ... tter_3.pdf
http://www.lcbotrade.com/pdf/release_themes_08_PC.pdf
http://www.lcbotrade.com/pdf/VINTAGES_P ... r_2008.pdf

Harry

In BC we're starting to see the rise in private liquor stores. The prices are the same or higher than the government monopoly stores but the selection can be better. Also, we're starting to see agents by passing the government stores and are selling to the private ones hence the latest selection from Dewar Rattray and Douglas Laing. It's not Alberta but it's heading in the right direction. Slowly.

[hpulley]

The gov't here has repeatedly asked for studies on whether or not to privatize the LCBO and every time the results come back "yes, privatize" but the gov't decides that it disagrees with the multi-million dollar study and keeps it... We are truly living in bizarro world.

Harry

[Lawrence]

This email was passed to me by a friend:

Hello Arthur,

Due to the very limited global inventory of Laphroaig 10 yr old and the
very positive response received by Laphroaig Quarter Cask, where we have slightly more flexibility to increase volume, we have decided to make
Canada the first market in the world where we only sell Laphroaig QC.
This should mean we are able to grow Laphroaig in Canada going forward
rather than face a future of declining availability as allocations are
reduced.

I hope this helps,

Karen
Friends of Laphroaig

[Quaichuser]

This email was passed to me by a friend:

Hello Arthur,

Due to the very limited global inventory of Laphroaig 10 yr old and the
very positive response received by Laphroaig Quarter Cask, where we have slightly more flexibility to increase volume, we have decided to make
Canada the first market in the world where we only sell Laphroaig QC.
This should mean we are able to grow Laphroaig in Canada going forward
rather than face a future of declining availability as allocations are
reduced.

I hope this helps,

Karen
Friends of Laphroaig

This is like good news/ bad news sort of thing. If you like the QC, which I haven't tasted yet your a happy camper. If I liked the 10yr old I'd be upset.
If we only knew when the QC will arrive.
Now, I think I might go out and buy more of the 10yr old before it becomes rare and collectable in this part of the world.

[Deactivated Member]

Love that sort of doubletalk.... "For your convenience, your flight has been canceled." "In order to save the village, we had to destroy it." "To avoid dwindling allocations, we have discontinued the product in your market."

You're s*** out of luck. Hope this helps.

[Frodo]

Well, I'm happy as a clam! Was unimpressed with the 10yr Laphroig but the QC was one of the best "bang-for-your-buck" bottles I've had in a while. And forget the BFYB qualifier, I really liked the dram on its own merits!!!

I feel I'm coming out ahead on this one. Thanks for the E-mail Lawrence!!!

[killerwhale]

such bad news..... I spoke with the product consultant in the town I live in (BC) and they tried to order the 10 but were rejected, despite the order confirmation!!!!!....... HOWEVER, the QC has arrived and it's a better whisky IMO, so all is not lost.
damn the importer though for not allowing the shipment when it's wanted here..... bastards! (sorry but if one can pay, one should have access I say!)

[WestVanDave]

LQC C$40 for a 750ml at Willow Park in Calgary.

It was actaully $49.35 + GST per on the 2 bottles I bought from there today.

Apologies, the whisky manager quoted me $40 (and WestVanDave I believe), perhaps we recieve a better deal than others???

Sorry for the confusion too - but to clarify - yes, membership does have its privileges... as does the Private system in Alberta, where they are able to offer discounts to clubs based on volume...

As a result, there may be the odd quote where I have compared Alberta prices to BC prices and widened the spread by quoting a price not commonly available to all...(unless one was to ask - and/or join our clubs - either the West Coast Whisky Society or the Victoria Single Malt Club. Hey, one of our former members is even starting a chapter in Calgary)....

The other distinction on the Laphroaig QC is that the first run of bottles into BC were the 1 litre size (whereas the next wave may be reduced to 750 ml. - has anyone heard?). The Alberta stock is the 750 ml.

[killerwhale]

yes the second run is 750ml in BC..... I lucked out and have a few 1l bottles.
pricewise, the 1l is better.... plus it's just more great whisky

[hpulley]

I don't understand, frankly, why there is a shortage of the 10yo at all. I guess poor planning ten years ago but by selling today's Quarter Casks so young are they laying down sufficient stocks to resurrect the 10yo in the future? Are they pulling stuff out of regular casks to finish them quickly in quarter casks? I think so as I saw not a single Quarter Cask at the distillery for initial filling, lying around or in the warehouse. Heck, I don't even know if they're making it any more; it may simply be a stop-gap product to rapidly mature some product to get it to market ASAP.

I'm in the minority, preferring the 10yo especially at cask strength to the Quarter Cask though neither is my overall favorite. Ardbegs and Bruichladdichs too are being "allocated" elsewhere in the world so Laphroaig allocating the 10yo elsewhere is not really anything new. It's getting to the point where the distillery gift shop is the only place to get some of the stuff though even there Laphroaig was pushing the Quarter Cask and they had no 10yo cask strength. Ardbeg didn't have any 10yo either... Islay must have been a depressing place 10-11 years ago, with Ardbeg and Bruichladdich and Bunnahabhain pretty much silent and obviously Laphroaig and Lagavulin not running at full tilt.

Harry

[Canucklehead]

I decided to email the LCBO regarding the discontinuation of the 10 y/o, and this was their reply....




Good morning,

Thank you for your inquiry.
We were in contact with the Sales & Marketing department with regards to your inquiry and learned that due to supply issues, Laphroaig 10 YO (LCBO# 135210) will no longer available for purchase by the LCBO. We are replacing it with the award winning Laphroaig Quarter Cask. This product recently won the "Best in Class" at the 2006 Wine and Spirits competition. This product has also received a great response by consumers and staff from its recent Premium Fixture purchase here at the LCBO. While the Spirit's Category team in Sales & Marketing are still awaiting final retail price details for this product, they informed us that it should be available in stores by fall 2007. In the mean time, we thank you for your patience.

You may search for the remaining availability of the Laphroaig 10 Year Old Single Malt (lcbo #135210) online in the following manner:

To search for the product.
Go to: http://www.lcbo.com/products/productsearch.shtml
You can input the item number in the Quick Search Field, which is #135210 for the Laphroaig 10 YO.
Click on the "Display Selected Products" button located at the bottom of the page. The system will generate a "Search Results Page" that will list the products that match your criteria. Simply click on any product that appears on the "Search Results Page" to access detailed information about the product and its closest location to you.

If you encounter difficulty searching for any product please contact the LCBO Infoline by phone at 416-365-5900 or 1-800-668-5226 or by email at infoline@lcbo.com

We hope this information will be useful and thank you again for having contacted the LCBO.


.

[hpulley]

Answering my own question I looked at the web page and saw the Quarter Cask is indeed product taken from existing barrels and matured quickly in smaller quarter casks before bottling, a bit of a turbo boost since there isn't enough mature stock.

Harry

[smsmmns]

The LCBO wont give you guys an answer because the decision was Beam Global's so save your e-time.

Back at the end of July I spoke with folks from Beam responsible for Laphroaig and asked them why 10yo was discontinued. They said it was a supply issue. Makes sense. I mentioned the discontinuation in Aug1 post on Dr. Whisky.

This is certainly, in part, an LCBO issue as well, cuz as a few folks here have pointed out the LCBO has many demands to suppliers. One is of a minimum volume per annum cuz LCBO has only one product call per year. Ridiculous, but that is the way tyranny manifests itself.

The gov't can issue a dozen more studies into whether or not to privatise, but even if the conlcusions continue to support the idea of privatisation, the union and the LCBO will NEVER allow it. To stock shelves at the LCBO earns a higher starting wage than being a nurse in Ontario. At least it was when I went into exile.

Fight the power. Hehe...

[hpulley]

The union rules are funny. I will soon be back to the warehouse again for a private order pickup where I will back up my convertible MINI to the loading docks alongside delivery trucks once again and a forklift will carry two cases to me, all union rules... I could carry a couple of cases out to my car in the parking lot but that is not allowed.

Harry

[Canucklehead]

It's here, its here, the 1/4 cask is here !!!!!

[Lawrence]

This arrived today (to a friend of mine);

Dear MIKE,

Hoping that you are all well and like us over on Islay, enjoying some autumn sunshine.

For some time now, a number of you have been writing to us and asking about Laphroaig in Canada; therefore, I thought I should let you know the latest news. Unfortunately due to supply we have had to
withdraw Laphroaig 10 year old from Canada - we simply do not have enough. I'm very pleased to say though that the first shipments of our Award Winning Laphroaig Quarter Cask are on their way to liquor stores near you.

Laphroaig Quarter Cask, is perhaps our most authentic Laphroaig, with production methods familiar from two hundred years ago. It's indeed an award winner, taking the gold medal at the 2007 San Francisco Wine and Spirits Competition and has a full bodied, complex, smoky and slightly sweeter palate than Laphroaig 10 year. Laphroaig Quarter Cask is created from a range of ages, up to 10 years of age and is a new expression, which we are able to supply to Canada as a replacement for the 10 year old. Suffice to say, we are all proud of it here in Islay; it seems to be going down well over in this neck of the woods! If you would like to know more about Quarter Cask, please go http://www.laphroaig.com/whiskies/quarter_cask/

Be sure to welcome this bit of Islay genius into your homes.

Slainthe,

John Campbell
Laphroaig Distillery Manager

[hpulley]

And I thought I was the only one John was writing too Mine looks remarkably similar except that it says "Harry" instead of "MIKE"

He seems misinformed, however, as we got Quarter Cask first last fall. Now the 10yo is nearly gone, just a handful of bottles left while there is a fair amount of QC.

Harry

[Muskrat Portage]

Gee and I thought I was the special one, annointed to carry the news of QC to the masses of Canada. I see again I am wrong! Yeah I got the same mail too!

Muskrat

[Toronto_Andrew73]

No more 10yr coming to Ontario??

I was on the lookout for the Quarter Cask for a few months here in Toronto (I seemed to have missed the first shipments) but all there was were good ol' 10s. Now finally we're waist deep in Quarter Casks but I had no idea it was at the expense of the 10! Thank god the QC is a fine (though subtly different) substitute.

Now to find that one last dusty box of Aberlour a'bunadh #14...I'm down to my last 3 fingers.

[Muskrat Portage]

Y2M:
Pehaps you could go to a whisky pub like "The Feathers" in T.O. and do a head to head with some like-minded friends:
http://home.primus.ca/~eastleaf/
Here's the list of their Single Malts
http://home.primus.ca/~eastleaf/malts2.html
...and yes they have both the 10 yo and the QC, if the list is up-to-date.

Muskrat Portage

[lohssanami]

I will officially stop complaining about anything as far as whisky goes for me in California. There is 10yo Laphroaig within walking distance at Trader Joe's for $28.99, and the shelf is packed with it.

I feel bad for you guys up there dealing with the LCBO.

Hope it gets better in the future.

[Muskrat Portage]

Thanks for the Pub link Musk! I was actually going to search for one, but I always forget to look.

Yello to Mello:
My pleasure, it's why we're all here, to be a help when needed. If you think about it, this is pretty neat, that I'm able to provide a link to you, considering I'm 2000 km away and still in Ontario!

lohssanami:
Don't feel too sorry for us, we may not get all the great bottles, but we also seem to miss a lot of the "duds" that we hear about on this Forum.

Also, we get to go hunting on others "game preserves" whenever we're in town on business or vacation. (...and then we're pretty aggressive about nabbing the rare ones, too.)

Musky

[Gov]

I will officially stop complaining about anything as far as whisky goes for me in California. There is 10yo Laphroaig within walking distance at Trader Joe's for $28.99, and the shelf is packed with it.

I feel bad for you guys up there dealing with the LCBO.

Hope it gets better in the future.

You know, the Trader Joe's in my neck of the woods doesn't carry whisky, WTF!!!!! At $28.99 for Laphroaig, you are doin good! Its $10 higher in the Chicagoland area.

[Ganga]

Almost everywhere in the LA area carries it for $29-30...except for the little mom and pop liquor stores.

For you Canadians, I lift a glass of Laphroaig 10 that I am pouring right now. Consider this a tribute, not salt to the wounds.

[Canucklehead]

Laphroaig 10 for $29 is a steal.

I'm getting raped, paying $70 for the QC.

[Muskrat Portage]

Laphroaig 10 for $29 is a steal.

I'm getting raped, paying $70 for the QC.

Hannon? Glanbrook? No, Caledonia where the lovely weather has been the past few days.

Musky

[Canucklehead]

Balvenie 10 is now "discontinued" as well.

[The Third Dram]

Balvenie 10 is now "discontinued" as well.

It's being phased out by William Grant & Sons (at source). I managed to pick up a couple of bottles of the dwindling stock existing here in Montreal this past week.

[Scotch & Cognac]

It's a shame that Laphroaig 10 is no longer available. I only recently started to enjoy the peaty stuff and bought the Quarter Cask, which at the moment I think is the best thing since sliced bread.

Only a couple months back I had tried the 10 and found it hard to take. I just kept thinking to myself "burnt rubber". My scotch palate is still relatively new though so I'm finding that my tastes are changing very rapidly and what I used to really enjoy I now find bland, and peat which I was afraid of at first, now seems pretty great. Now I'm thinking of my next peaty purchase... a Lagavulin or a Talisker...

[Steffen787]

$29 a bottle is a steal...it's $49 here in WA...what I wouldn't give to be rid of the distilled-spirits sales monopoly...

[whiskeyman5]

No kidding. Back in Ireland I was buying the 10 year old for 38 euros off the bottom shelf. In TO all they have is that awful "no age statement" quarter cask crap for about 70 bucks. Awful. The only decent scotch I can find is the Ardbeg 10 and its a hundred bucks.

I hate the LCBO.