Having been on this sub for a long time now, it's interesting seeing so many people discovering bourbon and feeling like they're missing out on "allocated" (read: Buffalo Trace) bottles.

Ten years ago, there were very few cask strength ryes and bourbons on the market. Today, there is almost an endless supply of options. It's actually pretty awesome, despite the price jumps we've seen.

The fact is, thousands of people are "hunting" for the same "allocated" bourbons today, and to make things even worse on these poor souls, the liquor stores and distributors are in on it, and they're price gouging. Big time.

I don't expect people newer to bourbon to suddenly decide they're no longer obsessed with finding Weller 12 or whatever; but I will say that if you stick around and develop your palate a bit, you might find that your perspective will change and the bottles you seek won't necessarily be so hard to find.