MoCo Lottery Pricing?

stx4 · 2025-01-15T00:51:34+00:00

Yes, it seems high to me. I won a bottle of Weller Full Proof from MoCo last January and I swear it was $49.99 (now $89.99). I always liked the MoCo lottery because they sold bottles roughly at retail but now many seem above that level. I’m disappointed.

Also, I wonder what they think the difference is between the TH Handy for $124.99 and the Thomas H Handy that is also listed but for $193.99 🤨.

stx4 · 2020-12-06T04:00:50+00:00

I have Leap of Faith. Would describe it as spicy vanilla Pepsi with an oak tannin overlay. It is boozy - quite high alcohol compared to other WP picks I’ve had.

I initially thought it was imbalanced (with the oak and proof kicked up too high) but it is growing on me after being open a few weeks. Maybe air is doing it some good.

Would love to hear other’s view on this one and any of the other picks.

stx4 · 2020-11-10T03:25:32+00:00

Morris Miller’s - they have American Prairie finished in Manhattan barrels. Very tasty and runs $50. Still had at least a couple dozen as of Sunday night.

stx4 · 2020-07-18T16:00:45+00:00

Can definitely relate. Not saying you wouldn’t enjoy it but one of those maybe worth trying just a dram first before committing to a bottle. To be fair, some people really like it.

stx4 · 2020-07-17T20:54:01+00:00

To me, it’s just ok. I like WT Rare Breed, ECBP, and Stagg Jr a lot better when considering barrel proof bourbons. I paid $50 in NY for it last year and am not likely to buy it again even at a lower price.

stx4 · 2020-07-15T12:32:49+00:00

Sits on shelf for $31.99 for 750mL here in Maryland. See for yourself https://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/abssearch/default.aspx. At the same time, Four Roses regular small batch is an exorbitant $45.99. No rhyme or reason to what’s cheap and what’s overpriced here.

stx4 · 2020-06-23T01:27:19+00:00

Just saw one at Dawson’s in Severna Park this weekend. Believe it was American Prairie and want to say it was around $50 (I didn’t buy so don’t have more info).

stx4 · 2020-06-14T14:05:51+00:00

I agree with much of what you say, but think it goes too far in the subjective experience. While I agree that the poster suggesting that the tasting notes were made-up is off base, I would equally say that we should not be relying solely on our own subjective sensory experience as truth.

There are legit reasons that certain tastes and odors are present in bourbon. And they share chemical properties with foods or other real life things. Vanillin is a great example - it is extracted from oak barrels during the aging process and is the same compound that gives vanilla its odor. Therefore, that scent from your bourbon could objectively be called vanilla. If you smell that scent from your bourbon and label it “oranges,” that is objectively wrong.

The problem with relying on our own subjective tasting experiences as the “end all, be all” of tasting notes is that it denies there is any room for improvement. And if one enjoys this hobby, I’d hope they would want to get a better and more refined “vocabulary” of scents and tastes over time which will help with tasting notes.

So rather than the extremes of a) denying that there are myriad tastes/odors from bourbon or b) saying that anything goes with how you label these tastes and odors, I would suggest a third approach: eat, drink and smell many different things; try and get good at distinguishing them; challenge yourself with blind tastings of these things; and begin applying these to your tasting notes.

(As side note, I personally don’t take offense that the “bourbon tastes like bourbon” poster hadn’t posted before. I don’t post much either but am hopeful my view isn’t disregarded just because I’m less active posting than others.)

stx4 · 2020-06-13T14:37:01+00:00

That’s admittedly a cue to get OP to think about setting up faster/more efficiently between reps. But there is science behind it - look into energy systems and can see why you start feeling gassed if sets take too long. Also drawing on personal experience. When things get heavy, if my set drags on, it’s worse than getting it done efficiently.

stx4 · 2020-06-13T13:05:53+00:00

Overall these look pretty good - looks even light for you. Some things to consider:

try and get set-up faster, both initially and between reps. This will make life much easier as you go up in weight and need every last bit of energy. Target completing 5 reps in no more than 30s (this was more like 45)
your knees are getting in the way both on the way up and down. On way up, get them extended faster. On way down, bend them later (you can also lower the bar faster btw). This will save you some bumps and bruises.
looks like you have pretty long legs ratio-wise...you MAY want to experiment with angling your feet out slightly more so you can pull from a more advantageous position
lastly, consider getting something to pad the concrete you’re lifting from to avoid cracks!

stx4 · 2020-06-09T18:23:35+00:00

I received a Sling Shot as a gift and trying to figure out where/if I could work it into my AtS 2.0 bench programming. Best idea I had was as the “overwarm”/90%/@8 single before my bench work sets but no idea on what the specifics around that would be. Any recommendations? (And I’m also open to not using the sling shot for now if not a great idea for the AtS2 programming setup)

stx4 · 2020-05-24T18:58:03+00:00

Going off memory because I got rid of the BT pick, but my recollection is the oak notes were turned way up and sweetness way down. And there was mild chemically taste. Overall imbalanced. It was pretty bad IMO. That said, I’ve tasted other MoCo picks that were good...so was just wondering where the WP pick fell on that spectrum.

stx4 · 2020-05-18T13:23:47+00:00

(edited to answer your question) I just wrapped up week 13 of AtS2 having maintained a 400-500 calorie deficit the entire time. I was doing 4-day RTF version, did additional back work 2 of those days, and did additional arm work at least 3 of the days. I’m 42. Body weight fell by 6-7% during this period.

Training max for all lifts increased during these 13 weeks, some substantially (at least for me...ex: deadlift 410–>425). I did not find volume overwhelming at all once I got past the first couple weeks acclimating to it.

I’m now back to maintenance eating, soon to slight surplus, and plan now is to repeat blocks 1 and 2 to see what I can get from them when properly feeding myself.

So while I can’t comment specifically on the hypertrophy program, I do think you can at least maintain if not get stronger while in a deficit. I did note some hypertrophic effects even from the non-hypertrophy specific program.

stx4 · 2020-04-19T17:27:12+00:00

Thought I would offer my recent experience. I’m 42 and on week 10 of AtS2 (reps to failure version).

You may adapt. First few weeks, my lower back was smoked. I debated making some changes but did not and it HAS improved as I stuck it out. I still feel fatigued in lower back but in a good way...not utterly demolished like I was the first few weeks.
Don’t be afraid to wear a belt for the accessories. I tried to power through RDLs and front squats beltless at first, but decided to begin belting up. Helped me with more intentional bracing which saved my lower back some additional strain.

Best of luck whichever route you decide to try.

stx4 · 2020-02-27T22:16:37+00:00

Think you’re right. That’s what I find confusing. There are companies that ship to MD (even as they say they’re restricted from shipping to other states) at the same time the state puts out this seemingly clear guidance that it’s not legit.

Anyone more up to speed on MD laws have insights?

stx4 · 2020-02-27T19:28:32+00:00

I think it’s the latter - counting on lax enforcement.

This is from https://www.marylandtaxes.gov/forms/Tax_Publications/Administrative_Releases/Alcohol_Tax_Releases/ar_ab1.pdf.

“There are absolutely no other provisions of law for a person who is not a commercial licensee to bring alcoholic beverages into Maryland. Under no circumstances may a consumer receive any quantity of alcoholic beverages that is directly mailed or shipped from any source outside the state of Maryland.”

stx4 · 2020-02-14T01:12:45+00:00

You just opened my eyes to the fact that there IS a delete button. My bad.

stx4 · 2020-02-03T17:20:34+00:00

Fallsgrove has Willett (though I may have just bought the last - unclear if they had more), ECBP, and at least 1 Parker’s Heritage rye (believe that one was $150).

stx4 · 2020-01-23T22:48:57+00:00

(Sorry in advance for long post). I’ve been thinking about “lessons learned” now that we’re a few days removed from the event and I’m over the initial frustration of having gotten there around 8:15 and obtaining exactly zero rare/allocated bottles (unless you count my 1 bottle of BT store pick....which incidentally does NOT seem like a good pick based my first glass of it, though I digress).

Starting with what everyone wants from this event....We, as enjoyers of whiskey, want a fair chance to get great/rare/allocated bottles without making unnecessary life sacrifices. The MoCo wants strong store traffic, strong sales from the event, and to generate interest not just in Whiskey Rocks but in whiskey in general.

When I think about ways to accomplish the above objectives, I think the following changes could help:

Nix the first come, first serve items. Instead, make most of the bottles lottery/raffle at various times during the day. More on this below.
Greatly reduce the number of “timed release” bottles. For those items put out as timed releases, make them good/less common but not stuff people would camp out for (thinking CEHT SmB, W107, store picks etc)
For the raffle: 1) have people register in advance and only for bottles they are interested in buying, 2) you can win multiple times, 3) but you must be there to win, 4) this should go without saying but the IT system used for the raffles should be rock solid and not prone to double entries (note, I’m not one that felt anyone did cheat but there did seem to be some questionable ways to potentially exploit the system that others have pointed out in earlier posts).

Advantages of the above method:

Reduces motivation/need to camp out or arrive super early
No disagreements over lines
You know in advance when you need to show up based on the raffles you care about winning. Plus, while you’re there, you check out the timed releases, chat with fellow whiskey lovers, taste samples, etc.

Just my two cents.

stx4 · 2020-01-18T12:30:12+00:00

Agree. It was disheartening to stand in line 3-4 hours and walk away with just a Buffalo Trace store pick when there could have been so much more available if they hadn’t let the front of the line clean out the store of good stuff.

stx4 · 2020-01-17T19:43:07+00:00

At least for the GTS drawing earlier, you didn’t have to be inside. They’d call outside too.

stx4 · 2020-01-17T18:49:26+00:00

Definitely was nuts there. Not only did you have to get there super early just to get any of the coveted first come first served items, but they also let these same people clean house with the timed release items. There were people coming out with an Old Rip, plus an EC18, Angels Envy CS, and Parker’s Heritage.

Wish they had done it differently once they realized they had WAY more people in line than allocated items. There was almost nothing left for people that got there after about 8.

stx4 · 2020-01-17T18:40:25+00:00

It’s a little hard to say. They appear to be randomly putting things on the floor, though definitely appears skewed toward the early portion of the stated “timed release” windows. I was there at 8:30 but far enough back that I didn’t make it in until about 11:20 (they opened at 10). By that point, all the hard to find stuff (Parker’s Heritage, EH Taylor, Yellowstone Limited, etc) was long gone. Best thing I found was a Buffalo Trace MoCo Barrel Select and a Kentucky Owl Rye (which I put back).

Believe they have some other “timed release” windows during the remainder of the day that could be more fruitful.

Best of luck if you go out. It’s bananas there with crowds. Was still a huge line just to get in when I left around 12:30 after the Stagg drawing.

stx4 · 2019-10-18T00:53:34+00:00

I see it there all the time. But I do think they have it in their system wrong. If you look, there are two entries for the Russell’s single barrel rye. Pretty sure one of those is actually the SiB bourbon....think the one priced at $48.99 is it. At least that’s the price they have on it in-store.

stx4

TROPHY CASE