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Your $60 "shelf turd" just hit $190 📈

Your $60 "shelf turd" just hit $190 📈

Danny Bauer
December 28, 2025

Listen up, Barrelhead 🥃

If you want Rick to stop scrolling bottle porn and open your email before his first cup of coffee, you need to hit him where it hurts: his FOMO and his wallet.

Here are the million-dollar plays for the Brooklyn breakup.

PROOF OF GENIUS

Which historic Kentucky distillery was named the "World’s Most Admired Whiskey" for the third time in 2025 and celebrated by releasing its legendary 20-Year-Old Bourbon on December 1st?

THE WEEKLY POUR

Bourbon Crossroads: Kentucky’s sitting on record barrels, slowing demand, and a generation that drinks less but judges harder. This piece explains why Bourbon 3.0 isn’t about more juice — it’s about smarter moves.
Market Reality Check: Off-premise sales are slipping, inventories are stacked to the rafters, and premium labels are carrying the team. If you’ve felt the vibe shift in the bourbon aisle, this explains why.
Boom Cooling: Bourbon didn’t crash — it exhaled. Forbes breaks down why inventory gluts and price fatigue are forcing producers to rethink the last decade of “print money” growth.
Slowdown Signal: Production exploded 475% and demand didn’t keep up. This one lays out why small distilleries are getting squeezed and why tariffs might hurt more than taters.

TOP SHELF

The Red Hook Rug-Pull: Why Your "Daily Drinker" Just Became Liquid Gold

If you didn’t have Van Brunt Stillhouse on your "buy now" list, your wallet is about to feel the sting of the secondary market. The Brooklyn legend just went dark after 13 years, and the taters are already circling the remains like vultures at a Buffalo Trace drop.

Bottles that were collecting dust at $60 just a few months ago are now getting flipped online for nearly $190. It’s the classic bourbon tragedy: nobody cares until the juice stops flowing.

The Anatomy of a Brooklyn Breakup

Founder Daric Schlesselman didn’t sugarcoat the exit. He pointed to the usual suspects: unsustainable rent and production costs that outpaced the price on the tag. It’s a brutal reminder that even a "modest" collection of 200 bottles doesn't happen if the distillery can't keep the lights on.

"If customers had been willing to pay those [secondary] prices before, the business might still be up and running."

— Daric Schlesselman, Founder

This isn’t just a New York problem; it’s a craft-wide epidemic. Check the numbers:

Metric	The Cold Hard Truth
Retail MSRP	$60
Current Secondary	$190+
Revenue Trend	30% of small distilleries saw declines last year +1
Survival Rate	13 years (a lifetime in craft years)

One local Rick — clearly a man of vision — dropped $1,000 to sweep the shelves as soon as the rumors hit. He knew the "Hunt Factor" was about to hit a Level 5. If the distillery stays closed, he’s a genius investor … if they reopen, he’s just a guy with a very happy Friday night.

The Gin Takeover (And Your Next Move)

The Red Hook space isn't staying empty for long, but don't hold your breath for more bourbon. Brooklyn Gin is moving into the tasting room. While they’re promising to "honor the legacy," you can’t exactly trade a bottle of gin for a Stagg Jr. in the group chat.

Schlesselman is moving into consulting for now, but he hasn't ruled out a comeback. In the meantime, the "dusty" Van Brunt bottles are officially unicorns-in-training.

Your Strategy for the Morning Pour:

Check the "Mom and Pop" stores: Hit the shops that don't track secondary trends; you might find a Van Brunt Single Malt at MSRP.
The Trade Bait Play: If you have one, bunker it. Wait until the FOMO peaks, then trade it to the dentist in your group for something from the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection.
Watch the Region: With 30% of craft shops struggling, keep an eye on your local favorites—today’s shelf turd is tomorrow’s $200 flex.

If this closure were a pour, it’d be a high-rye burner — it stings going down, and it leaves a bitter taste in your bank account.

POUR DECISIONS

LAST CALL

Last week we asked:

As we close out December 2025, Buffalo Trace collectors are losing their collective minds over this year’s George T. Stagg release. What specific milestone did the 2025 Stagg just hit that has the group chats in a literal frenzy?

It’s the first-ever "Single Rickhouse" release from Warehouse X.
It officially became the highest-proof release in the brand's history at 142.8 proof.
It’s the first Stagg to carry a 20-year age statement.
Buffalo Trace announced it as the final release before a five-year "cooldown" period.

The Answer: It officially became the highest-proof release in the brand's history at 142.8 proof.

The Rickhouse Rationale: Listen, George T. Stagg has never been for the faint of heart, but the 2025 drop is straight-up Hazmat territory. Coming in at a blistering 142.8 proof after sitting in wood for 15 years and 4 months, this bottle isn't just a pour—it’s a weapon. Most high-proofers this hot would taste like you're drinking a forest fire, but this one somehow keeps its cool with massive notes of dark chocolate, roasted pecan, and — weirdly enough — a "root beer" finish that actually lands. If you managed to score this at the $150 MSRP instead of the $1,200+ secondary price it’s already hitting, you didn't just win the hunt; you committed a heist.

Rick's Final Thought: If you’re drinking this neat without a drop of water, I hope you’ve got your therapist on speed dial—you’re either a legend or you've got a death wish.