Trader Joe's, besides the normal Scotch offerings, sells cross-branded Scotch. These are labeled Trader Joe's with "distilled by so-and-so" distilleries on the label. They appear to be the same as the distillery branded bottles, including strength and age, but with a lower price. Has anyone tried these? Are they, indeed, the same?
Scotch at TJ's
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close enough, but YMMV...
Interesting...never tried knock-off scotch before! How much cheaper? If you want to save some $(for other AD's), give every scotch drinker's cheap(but good)date the Glenlivet 12 a try. You should be able to find it for about $30.
depending on lable, $10-20....
btw, Trader Joe's sometimes blow out the good stuff at a major discount...
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- #7
Well, from what I've read, it's not a knock-off, but the real stuff. Most likely extra stock, relabeled. But I've never tried it, hence the question.
It's not that I'm looking for cheap Scotch. But if TJ's has the same exact stuff, why pay an additional $10-$20 more?
Well, if it's the real thing I say go for it. I personally collect beer and scotch bottles, but after one there isn't much reason for it. How is the selection? Is it fairly consistent or no?
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I'd love to get answers to those questions as well.
From what I read, the blends, which aren't cross-labeled, are crap. The cross-labeled ones, are, according to internet sources, the real deal. BUT, I was hoping to get that confirmed by a Scotch expert here.
John, I'm not an expert, but I do not recommend these particular independent bottlings. Independent bottlings are casks selected by the bottler to produce a specific product. Some of these are excellent and some aren't. Popular products like Glenlivet are going to sell with their original label's it's reasonably priced and you can find it anywhere. My guess is that these very low priced, TJ bottlings are going to be the worst barrels and of a much lesser quality. Scotch and bourbon can vary greatly from barrel to barrel and some just aren't going to be up to standards, some of these are put into inferior blends and sold are sold off to be relabeled. I think you have the later at TJs.
If you want to get into Scotch, go with an appropriately labeled bottle of Glenlivet 12, it's easy to drink and mild and will be the same consisent good quality product that you will be able to get time and time again. If you are a member of SamsClub/Costco etc, you can find a bottle for under $30, it's definately worth that price. I worry tha if you get one of these bottling, the 1st bottle could be terrible and you'll never purchase a second or the 1st bottle could be great and you'll never find another like it, either way I'm a bargain hunter myself, but I feel for this, the best bet is definately to get the real deal. Hell if you want to try stuff, check out a good quality liquor store and pick up a couple Glenlivet mini's you can have a few drinks off it without breaking the bank to see what you like, but I will warn you really enjoying whisky you may have to drink it a couple time before you really enjoy it, it is an acquired taste, IMO.
Good luck
If you want to get into Scotch, go with an appropriately labeled bottle of Glenlivet 12, it's easy to drink and mild and will be the same consisent good quality product that you will be able to get time and time again. If you are a member of SamsClub/Costco etc, you can find a bottle for under $30, it's definately worth that price. I worry tha if you get one of these bottling, the 1st bottle could be terrible and you'll never purchase a second or the 1st bottle could be great and you'll never find another like it, either way I'm a bargain hunter myself, but I feel for this, the best bet is definately to get the real deal. Hell if you want to try stuff, check out a good quality liquor store and pick up a couple Glenlivet mini's you can have a few drinks off it without breaking the bank to see what you like, but I will warn you really enjoying whisky you may have to drink it a couple time before you really enjoy it, it is an acquired taste, IMO.
Good luck
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- #12
Thanks for the response, Tim. I've had enough whisky to know I enjoy it (just not as much as Tequila 
), so no worries there. I just haven't been aquiring any for home.
Understood the whole rebottling thing. The difference here is that the makers name is still on the bottle, so I was guessing that they'd want to make sure it's up to their standards. But maybe not.
), so no worries there. I just haven't been aquiring any for home.Understood the whole rebottling thing. The difference here is that the makers name is still on the bottle, so I was guessing that they'd want to make sure it's up to their standards. But maybe not.
It's just their distillery not their product anymore. In terms of Scotch there is a difference. For 12 years only about 600 bottles (1 cask) are together, then after the aging process is the whisky is mixed together to make a uniform product, but some of those casks aren't up Standards, but Glenlivet has invested a lot of money in each cask so they don't want to throw all that whisky away so they sell it, primarily to be used in Blended Scotch and some to independent bottlings (like what's at Trader Joes, there are also some very high quality independent bottlers out there) it get's rebottled and the rebottler has to put the distiller on label, but it's not going to be the same Glenlivet 12 you'll see anywhere else with the standard labeling. I know it seems like a good deal, but the vast majority of the time with situations like this, all you get is a $10-20 bottle of whisky that isn't worth $5.
I was at my local liquor store the other day and I saw an independent bottling of Highland Park 25 year old, HP 25 (the standard bottling) is my all time favorite whisky, I don't have one though because it runs around $300, but this bottling was $110, seems like a great deal: 25 year old whisky, fantastic distiller, great price, well I went home and did some research, that bottling is getting disasterous reviews, everything I read says it is nowhere near worth the $110 price tag. This really is a common practice, what most people don't realize that the Single Malt is a relatively new phenomenon at least in terms of one being popular and still the vast majority of Scotch today is still blended, just because it is from a good distiller does not mean it's a good product at all.
If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. If we all could get Glenlivet at TJ for $10 why would anyone pay the $30-35, most likely because it is not the same product.
I've had enough whisky to know I enjoy it (just not as much as Tequila
John, Have you tried Cielo Anejo?
I'm a big fan of this tequila, it'sby far my favorite in that $40-$60 range.
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- #15
Not yet, but I see it's at Hi-Times for $44. I'll be heading there in the next week or two, so based on this review, I'll have to give it a try. But based on this one, maybe I should just get the mini first.
My favorite in that price range is Don Julio Anejo (had some last night).Not yet, but I see it's at Hi-Times for $44. I'll be heading there in the next week or two, so based on this review, I'll have to give it a try. But based on this one, maybe I should just get the mini first.
Yeah that second review isn't very good. I like Cielo though and I think it's worth a shot. Also try the Don Julio Reposado if you haven't already, I was at a Don Julio tasting a few months ago and the Reposado blew away the Anejo and the Blanco, IMO. I'm normally an Anejo guy, but I think the Reposado's the shining star of the Don Julio lineup. A buddy of mine was with me and he's a tequila nut and he totally agreed.
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- #17
Well, I posted the second review just because it was funny. If you read the rest of his site, you'll see...
I've tried the Reposado and it was very nice, but I still prefer the Anejo. What I really want to try is the 1942, but I'm not sure I can get a $100 bottle past my wife. So I'm planning on picking up a bottle of Marquez Valencia Rep, which is supposed to be a poor man's 1942.
Back to TJ's, they sell some Tequilla at nice prices as well. Nothing outside of the normal. Tres Generations is a staple there, and a pretty good bang for the buck tequilla. The Plata makes a nice margarita if that's your thing,
I've tried the Macallan and Aberlour varities, and they were both fine, especially when you're pouring for guests upon whom your Springbank or Caol Ila, et. al., would be wasted!
They are casked differently then the regular ones (as you'd expect with the private bottling thing) - the Macallan wasn't sherried, I seem to remember. The TJ's blended, on the the other hand, is awful - I think it's a private bottling of Old Smuggler. 
However, the good old Glenlivet 12 (warhorse of whisky) at $20 is probably a better deal for an inoffensive "guest single malt". It was considered tops throughout most of the last century, after all....
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